The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Yi Huan slowly woke up, groaning, "Where am I?"

He Xi was overjoyed to see her awake, saying, "My lady is awake! We're in the side hall. You fainted in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Her Majesty the Empress has already sent someone to summon the imperial physician!"

Yi Huan then slowly remembered what had happened.

As memories surfaced, conflicting and complex thoughts suddenly arose in her mind.

The emperor's appearance during his illness was completely unlike his usual dashing self; in fact, it was somewhat frightening, which instinctively made her feel resistant. However, after the initial fear subsided, a sense of self-reproach arose in her heart: the emperor was already so haggard and thin that even the empress could easily lift him up, which meant he must have suffered greatly from his illness to be so irritable. And she herself couldn't even handle this little bit of emotion. If she fainted like this, the emperor would surely regret it and feel heartbroken afterward. Wouldn't that have just added to the emperor's troubles for nothing?

This self-reproach also contained another, more hidden, and deeper layer of doubt and fear: she believed herself to be devoted to the Emperor, yet when she actually saw him in his ailing state, she felt such fear and even a faint sense of disgust. Meanwhile, the Empress, whom she believed had no affection for the Emperor, had cared for him tirelessly for days. Could it be that her feelings for the Emperor were not as genuine as they seemed?

Overwhelmed with complex emotions, she closed her eyes and tears streamed down her face.

He Xi was terrified and was about to try to persuade her when suddenly there was a commotion outside, and then Ruyi burst in.

Seeing the only person she used to be on good terms with, Yi Huan felt as if she had seen a savior, and said sadly, "Sister, sister, sister has displeased the Emperor..."

Ruyi slowly walked forward, put on a smile, and took a fruit from the dozen or so Buddha's Hands on the large plate on the table, saying, "Don't think about it, have some fruit first."

Just as Yi Huan received the Buddha's Hand, Jin Zhong brought people in and said, "Consort Xian, according to the Emperor's orders, you must wait in the side hall where you were before and cannot come out at will. Please go back." After saying that, he flicked his whisk, and several nannies came forward to "support" Ruyi and were about to send her away.

Yi Huan said, "Eunuch Jinzhong, please let Consort Xian stay with me for a while."

Jinzhong bowed to Yihuan, then looked at the Buddha's Hand citron in her hand and smiled, "Princess Shu, this is also His Majesty's will, and we servants dare not disobey His Majesty's wishes. Also, if you would like some fruit, we will send someone to fetch it from the Imperial Kitchen. Once the Imperial Physician has taken your pulse, you can enjoy it. This Buddha's Hand citron is a decorative item to add auspiciousness to the palace, so please do not make things difficult for us servants."

Yi Huan felt a little embarrassed and had no choice but to let He Xi put the Buddha's Hand back.

Fortunately, Jiang Yubin arrived with his medical kit at that moment. Ruyi said, "I am worried about Consort Shu, so I would appreciate it if Eunuch Jinzhong could help me. Thank you, Eunuch Jinzhong." She then bowed.

Yi Huan was even more moved and insisted that Ruyi stay. Jin Zhong thought to himself that Consort Shu was not feeling well after all, and if she fainted again during the argument, wouldn't he be in trouble? So he said, "This servant cannot disobey the wishes of Consort Shu and Consort Xian. However, once Physician Jiang has made a diagnosis, Consort Xian can go back with peace of mind."

Jiang Yubin inquired about the symptoms, took the pulse, and asked about the menstrual cycle. He then knelt down and said, "Your humble servant congratulates Consort Shu! Consort Shu is pregnant!"

Yi Huan was both surprised and delighted, and hesitated before asking, "Is I really pregnant?"

Jiang Yubin said, "It's absolutely true. Consort Shu is already a month pregnant. Your sudden fainting before was also due to insufficient blood and qi in the mother caused by pregnancy."

All the emotions in Yi Huan's heart vanished instantly, replaced by immense joy.

Ruyi's smile disappeared, and after a while, she smiled again and said, "You are really too careless. You didn't even know you were pregnant."

Yi Huan said, "The imperial physician always said that my body was weak. I had been recuperating for half a year before, and I thought I was not going to have this problem. I never thought I would have this problem today."

Jiang Yubin said, "Consort Shu is still young. She was just a little weak in the kidneys before. After being treated by Physician Huang, her body became stronger, and naturally she became pregnant."

Ruyi lowered her eyes and turned her face to the side.

Yi Huan reached out and touched her still flat stomach, smiling wistfully, "After so many years of waiting, I'm finally pregnant. This child is the fusion of my blood and the Emperor's. From now on, there will be an inseparable connection between the Emperor and me in this world. Only in this way will my journey have not been in vain." (Dialogue quoted from the original play)

Ruyi raised the corners of her lips slightly.

Jinzhong's eyes darted around, and he said, "This servant congratulates Consort Shu! Congratulations, Consort Shu! Consort Xian should be relieved now. This servant must go and report the good news to the Emperor. Please go back and wait." After saying that, he had someone "help" Ruyi out.

When Jinzhong entered the inner palace to report, the emperor had just drunk the Gentian Liver-Clearing Soup, and the empress was applying Cypress Leaf Powder to him.

After applying the medicine, Rongyin's consciousness had just returned to her body when she heard the news. She hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you, Consort Shu."

Upon hearing this news, the emperor's heart sank. He glanced at Huang Yuanyu secretly before forcing a smile and saying to Rongyin, "Good, very good."

Huang Yuanyu immediately sensed that something was wrong. His mind raced, and while the emperor and empress were talking, he tried to recall where things might have gone wrong.

Fortunately, the Empress seemed to know that he was about to encounter a great calamity. After congratulating him, she said something else, such as that there were now three pregnant women in the palace, and that everything had to be done with extra care. She said that as the Empress, she would definitely take good care of the concubines and the imperial heirs, thus buying him a little time.

The emperor's smile grew increasingly forced: "The empress is virtuous, and I am very relieved. The empress has been taking care of me for several days and must be tired. She should go and rest now."

As the Empress left, Huang Yuanyu had already reviewed everything that had happened. Seeing the Emperor's sharp gaze sweep over him, he immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent and instructed me to use a mild medicine. The prescription I devised will temporarily cool a woman's blood and qi after she takes it, making it difficult for her to conceive. I am willing to guarantee with my life that there is no problem with this prescription. However, I was only responsible for prescribing the medicine; I do not know whether there were any errors in the decoction and administration of the medicine."

The emperor snorted coldly and summoned Jinbao in for questioning.

Jinbao knelt down and said, "This servant brought the medicine to Cuiyun Pavilion that day and personally witnessed Consort Shu drink it all in one gulp. He Xi, who is by Consort Shu's side, can testify to this."

Huang Yuanyu said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that Eunuch Jinbao is a good doctor. However, the main medicine in this prescription contains cooling herbs such as purple gromwell and red peony root. Since Consort Shu has only drunk one bowl of medicine, if she consumes any warming foods, it will counteract the medicinal properties."

"Your Majesty, I have already instructed Consort Shu and the people of Chuxiu Palace not to eat anything warm or hot after taking the medicine. However, if they are unaware of the properties of food, or if they dare not offend Consort Shu, then her medicine may not be able to fully exert its effects. If that is the case, it is because I have not given sufficient instructions, and I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

The emperor then summoned He Xi and the eunuch from the small kitchen of Chuxiu Palace to the gate of Yangxin Hall, where Huang Yuanyu was to question her from behind a screen in the front hall.

Huang Yuanyu only said that he wanted to ensure Consort Shu's pregnancy was safe, so he wanted to ask what Consort Shu had taken after taking the fertility-enhancing medicine a month ago.

The eunuch from the small kitchen brought out the food register and said, "When the mistress returned that day, she said that after meeting with Consort Xian, since they had both stayed in Jiangnan, they couldn't help but think of the scenery and customs of Jiangnan. So she ordered several Jiangnan dishes for lunch. What I presented was a platter of three heads and one paw, steamed pork with rice flour, braised chicken with mushrooms, pickled duck tongue, various side dishes, chestnut and sweet potato soup, ginkgo and pine nut porridge, and I also made Quzhou baked cakes according to Consort Shu's method. In the afternoon, we also had almond tofu."

Huang Yuanyu asked, "Before entering the Imperial Medical Academy, I traveled among the common people for many years, including in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I know about steamed pork with rice flour, 'three heads and one palm' (a dish of meat, vegetables, and meat), and Quzhou baked cakes. They are all dishes seasoned with chili peppers. Chili peppers and fermented rice wine are very hot in nature. Chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, almonds, and chicken are also warm in nature. Didn't I say that Consort Shu cannot eat warm foods after taking medicine?"

Hearing the serious tone of his voice, the eunuch panicked and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty has always loved spicy food and the flavors of Jiangnan. Besides Jiangnan snacks, you also like to order Quzhou dishes. Your Majesty has said so, and we servants dare not disobey. Your Majesty is now pregnant, so it seems that the impact will not be significant. Please forgive us this time, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing Jinbao's report, the emperor coldly said, "Fine, let him go."

Huang Yuanyu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the matter was finally clear. He couldn't help but wonder, although he didn't know why the Emperor didn't want Consort Shu to have a child, now that the die was cast, would the Emperor order him to abort the child in Consort Shu's womb?

Thinking this, he broke out in a cold sweat again.

The emperor fell silent.

It's unclear whether the illness had weakened him, making him more tender-hearted than usual, or whether the medicine had calmed his liver fire and quelled his anger, or whether the memory of seeing Consort Huixian for the last time before his illness resurfaced in his mind.

He remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "The child is innocent. Well, since she is fortunate to be pregnant, let the Imperial Hospital take good care of Consort Shu during her pregnancy."

The Emperor couldn't figure out how to deal with Ruyi. He considered having Ruyi come to care for him while he was ill, and then he thought that Ruyi would feel even more indebted to him. So he gave up on that idea. In the end, he punished Hailan for not dissuading Ruyi by slapping her, and punished Ruyi for violating the Empress's decree. In order to prevent the Empress from punishing her severely, he made Ruyi copy the Diamond Sutra one hundred times, and that was the end of it.

The emperor was bedridden for more than three months after falling ill. During the first half of the year, he was unable to attend various important occasions, such as the ceremony of personally tilling the fields and various festive banquets, and had to ask his eldest and second sons to preside over them on his behalf.

During this period, court officials could only submit important memorials, and he would review several a day. Meanwhile, the Empress was attending to her ailing husband in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and most of the affairs of the inner palace were left to A'Ruo and Chen Wanyin. Because her two younger brothers were about to get married, A'Ruo took advantage of her temporary power to manage the six palaces and frequently summoned her brothers into the palace to discipline them.

You are not allowed to borrow money, you are not allowed to sleep with prostitutes, and you are not allowed to take concubines. Otherwise, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother and break all six legs of both of you!

Zhulonga and Zhuleganga are now nineteen-year-old youths, but in front of their elder sister, they are still obsequious and never respond to anything.

Chun Tao, the newly arrived head maid of A Ruo, and the other palace servants watched as the two young masters were reprimanded. They thought to themselves that although Consort Shen was quite strict and fierce towards her subordinates, she was even more so towards her own younger brother. They felt less fear and resentment.

The Minister of Revenue submitted a memorial suggesting that he follow the example of the Holy Ancestor and reduce taxes and levies in various regions to allow the people to recuperate and thrive.

The emperor knew this was a good policy, and he had always felt a deep pain because he had not been valued by the late emperor when he was young. He always hoped to achieve the same results as the holy ancestor whom the late emperor admired, as if this would prove that the late emperor's previous neglect was wrong and give him some comfort.

So he agreed and asked the Ministry of Revenue to draft a regulation.

Some time later, the Ministry of Revenue proposed a three-year rotational exemption of taxes from eighteen provinces across the country, effectively exempting all provinces from taxes and grain levies.

The emperor was very satisfied with the regulations.

The emperor was greatly relieved that the matter was settled. Just then, Yanwan gave birth to a daughter. Although it was her first child and the delivery was somewhat difficult, it did not reach the point of dystocia, and in the end, both mother and daughter were safe.

Upon hearing this good news, the emperor was overjoyed and felt even more energetic.

The imperial physician Huang examined the emperor's pulse and said that since the princess's birth, the emperor's health had recovered faster than he had expected. He was now almost fully recovered and could stop taking the herbal medicine. He only needed to eat some medicinal food, rest well, and recuperate for a month to be fine.

The emperor then felt even more strongly that the princess's arrival was an auspicious sign.

Yanwan was in pain all day and fell into a deep sleep after giving birth, but she had a nightmare.

In her dream, her child was named Jingwan, and was already a young woman, but he showed her no respect or affection whatsoever.

She even openly cursed in the street: "You must be a bad woman, that's why the fourteenth and sixteenth brothers died!"