Seizing the throne, abolishing the adopted son, the imperial concubine rose to prominence

After Shouchang left, Gu Youning also collapsed beside the emperor's legs.

"Bring in the eldest prince."

The emperor gave an order and picked up the woman kneeling on the ground by the waist and strode into the room.

"Go and ask the imperial physician to come over."

The emperor looked at the trembling woman in his arms and his son with tears on his face, and his heart ached so much that he almost roared out loud.

"Yes."

Cao Zhong responded quickly.

"Your Majesty, please let the Master and the First Prince soak their hands and feet in hot water first."

Xianyu and He'er each held a steaming copper basin in their hands and hurried in from outside.

The emperor nodded in agreement and placed the person in his arms on the couch.

Xianyu and He'er hurried forward to serve.

Warmers were stuffed into the hands of both mother and son, and their frozen feet were soaked in hot water. Tan Yin and others moved two braziers to the side of the couch and wrapped the mother and son with a brocade quilt. This went on for nearly a quarter of an hour before the mother and son's complexion slowly returned to normal.

From beginning to end, Gu Youning never even glanced at the emperor standing in front of the couch.

After the palace servants took the copper basin away, Xiao Shengzi led Yuan Cai in, panting.

"Your humble servant pays respect to His Majesty, Gu..."

"No need to be so polite. Check the pulses of Concubine Gu and the First Prince first."

The emperor waved his hand.

Hearing the word "Zhaoyi", Yuan Cai was stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered and immediately walked to the front of the bed and knelt down: "Your Majesty, please extend your hand."

"Show it to Zheng'er first."

Gu Youning eagerly handed over his son's hand.

Yuan Cai carefully felt the pulses of both mother and son, and only after receiving a glance from Gu Youning did he turn to the emperor and report, "Both Zhaoyi and the eldest prince show signs of cold entering their bodies, especially the eldest prince. He just... suffered a great hardship this time. If he suffers again..."

"There won't be a next time. Go get the medicine immediately. If you can restore the health of Zhaoyi and her child, I will reward you handsomely."

The emperor interrupted Yuan Cai coldly.

"Yes, I obey the order."

Yuan Cai quickly agreed and took out two small white porcelain jars from his medicine box: "This is the ointment for the injured knees of Zhaoyi and the eldest prince."

"let it go."

The emperor nodded.

"Lie down first, I..."

The emperor lifted his robe and sat down beside the couch. He was about to reach out to take the ointment on the table, but Gu Youning took the medicine jar away before he could.

The woman ignored the emperor and turned to her son gently, "Be good, Zheng'er. I'll apply the medicine to you first."

The emperor's hand, which had not yet been withdrawn, stopped in mid-air.

When Cao Zhong saw the situation in the room, he quickly led the palace servants out of the room.

"Father is holding Zheng'er..."

The emperor withdrew his hand and wanted to hug his son, but was stopped by Gu Youning: "Your Majesty, let Zheng'er stay in the quilt so that he won't catch a cold."

"Yes, I was mistaken."

The emperor let his son lean back on the soft pillow and touched his nose angrily.

Seeing that the emperor would no longer cause trouble, Gu Youning carefully applied medicine to his son. Although he was well prepared, his hands still trembled when he saw his son's bruised and purple knees, and his eyes were full of coldness.

After her rebirth, she swore that she would never let her son suffer any injustice in this life, but although the choice she made just now was after weighing the pros and cons, her son still suffered a lot with her.

"Don't cry, mother. Zheng'er doesn't feel any pain. It really doesn't hurt at all."

It was not until a childish voice with a hint of anxiety sounded in his ears that Gu Youning realized that he had been crying without knowing when.

"Mother didn't cry, she was just blinded by the wind."

Gu Youning's hands were covered with ointment, and she couldn't wipe away her tears, so she just turned her head slightly.

But in the blink of an eye, a robe gently covered the corners of her eyes.

The emperor's eyes full of heartache fell on Gu Youning's eyes, but she was really resentful of the emperor at the moment, so she let the emperor wipe her tears without saying a word.

"Alright, thank you, Your Majesty!"

Gu Youning coldly brushed away the emperor's hand and tidied his son's clothes.

The emperor clenched the handkerchief in his hand, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.

"Is Zheng'er feeling unwell?"

Xiao Yunzheng shook his head, reached out from under the quilt and grabbed his mother's sleeve: "Can you let Father help Mother apply the medicine?"

"Mother is fine. If Zheng'er feels uncomfortable or in pain anywhere, please tell me."

"I need to take medicine later, so I can't fall asleep. Mother, can you continue reading to Zheng'er?"

Gu Youning chuckled and shook his head, put his son's hand back into the quilt, and asked softly.

Xiao Yunzheng's big eyes, like black grapes, rolled between his father and mother's faces. After confirming that his father was the one who felt more upset at the moment, he answered yes obediently.

"Then mother, go get the book."

All the palace maids in the room had been taken away by Cao Zhong. Gu Youning certainly would not trouble the emperor, so he could only get up and go to the bedside to get the book.

However, his knee had been stuck on the cobblestones for so long that he was naturally a little unstable when he stood up suddenly. But before the emperor could get up to help him, Gu Youning had already gritted his teeth to steady himself and moved step by step to the bed.

Princess Shouchang came suddenly, and Gu Youning knew her temper very well, so in a hurry, the book in his hand fell directly to the side of the bed.

She looked at the book on the ground and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should throw it down gently at this moment. But she gave up the idea after just a moment's thought. Not to mention that it would make her son worry, she felt that the emperor would feel even more uncomfortable at this moment because he could not help.

So, although it was difficult for Gu Youning to bend down, he still picked up the book on the ground steadily.

The emperor looked at the woman who was moving step by step with difficulty but was full of rejection of him with a cold look in his eyes.

He could imagine the scene just now: the woman was gently reading to Zheng'er when she was roughly dragged by the maid beside Shouchang to kneel on the cobblestone road outside.

He knew exactly what kind of person the emperor's sister Shouchang was.

If he could have come earlier, Ning'er and her son would have suffered less.

Self-blame made his heart feel like it was being crushed again.

"Mother, please let Father read to Zheng'er. I'll let Aunt Tanyin apply medicine to you first, okay?"

Xiao Yunzheng was still thinking about the injury on his mother's knee.

"it is good."

Gu Youning did not reject his son's proposal this time.

"Cao Zhong!"

The emperor looked at the book handed to him in surprise, and his heart was filled with joy. His tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he shouted outside.

"The servant is here, the servant is here..."

When Cao Zhong heard his master's excited call, he thought something had happened and trotted into the inner room.