In late October, the weather grew increasingly cold.
Led by the Grand Princess, Su Xiaoqi visited the Hall of Mental Cultivation for the first time.
Shen Yun did not follow. As a court official, he could not enter without a decree.
He waited in the corridor outside the hall.
The howling north wind swept in from both sides of the eaves, making even him, who was not afraid of the cold, rub his hands and blow air.
"Damn, it's so cold!" Two eunuchs walked past, chatting. Seeing him, they swallowed the half-sentence they were about to utter.
Another slightly older eunuch whispered, "Xiao Dengzi, don't speak carelessly. This is the Hall of Mental Cultivation. You mustn't use those words."
"Yes, Godfather. This servant understands."
Shen Yun looked up and saw that it was Eunuch Feng, the Emperor's trusted personal eunuch, and his godson, Xiao Dengzi.
He had no prior dealings with them, but he maintained proper etiquette.
He greeted them. Eunuch Feng recognized him and, seeing he was cold, beckoned him towards a small warm room in a side hall.
Shen Yun hesitated, fearing that if he moved too far away, he wouldn't be able to reach Su Xiaoqi in time if something happened.
Eunuch Feng, with his sharp eyes, immediately understood his hesitation.
"Lord Shen, rest assured. With the Grand Princess present, nothing will go wrong."
Seeing this, Shen Yun gave him a significant look and pulled out two purses from his sleeve.
One for Eunuch Feng, and one for Xiao Dengzi.
Eunuch Feng accepted his, and subtly gestured for Xiao Dengzi to accept his.
Then, he bowed to Shen Yun and said he was going in to attend to His Majesty.
Shen Yun replied gently, "Thank you, Eunuch Feng."
"It's my duty," Eunuch Feng replied, flicked his whisk, and walked away with his head held high.
Xiao Dengzi tried to ask Eunuch Feng several times on the way but was stopped by his gaze.
It was only when they reached the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation that Xiao Dengzi finally found an opportunity to speak.
"Godfather, this purse is too big. There's a hundred taels of silver inside."
Xiao Dengzi said that he had served in the palace for so long, and most of the nobles he encountered gave small silver ingots or gold beans and leaves as tips.
It was rare for someone to hand out silver notes as a tip.
Of course, it was rare for him.
The eunuchs who were sent out to deliver imperial decrees brought back large silver notes.
His godfather received quite a few of them.
Eunuch Feng said calmly, "He is a sensible person. No wonder he is so favored by His Majesty. Now, one who accepts a gift must serve diligently."
In the inner chamber of the main hall, Emperor Xing Zhao lay on his dragon couch, placing his hand on a pillow, his eyes half-closed as Su Xiaoqi took his pulse.
He had only glanced at her when Su Xiaoqi entered. At that time, she was performing a kowtow, not lifting her head, so he hadn't seen her face clearly.
Seeing that she was a young girl of about ten years old, he felt a bit listless.
But since she was brought in by his most precious princess, he had to give her some face.
That was why he did not speak to drive her away and allowed her to continue taking his pulse.
Su Xiaoqi felt a little nervous, her heart beating like a drum, "thump-thump."
She tried to calm herself down and carefully took his pulse.
The hall was very quiet. Neither Emperor Xing Zhao nor the attending eunuchs and palace maids made a sound.
The Grand Princess, seeing that Su Xiaoqi had been taking her pulse for a rather long time, became anxious. She took Su Xiaoqi's hand and said, "Xiaoqi, how is it? Is there a cure for my father's illness?"
Su Xiaoqi withdrew her hand and carefully considered how to explain.
"His Majesty is suffering from consumption and thirst. His daily diet has not been carefully managed, and his blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids are all somewhat high.
I do not have a cure for it, but I do have a prescription for delaying the illness."
After Su Xiaoqi finished speaking, Emperor Xing Zhao on the dragon couch "whooshed" open his eyes.
The sound seemed familiar, as if he had heard it before.
His cloudy old eyes instantly took in Su Xiaoqi's charming and lovely face.
He lost himself for a moment, then quickly reacted and shouted,
"Ah, Yu, Yu Jing, Jing'er, is that you?"
Emperor Xing Zhao reached out to grasp Su Xiaoqi's hand as he spoke.
Su Xiaoqi had been sitting on a brocade stool under the dragon couch while taking his pulse. Startled by Emperor Xing Zhao, she didn't have time to react and was caught by him.
His hand felt like an old man's, dry as a withered branch. Su Xiaoqi, frightened, quickly shook it off.
Once she regained her composure, she lowered her head and apologized softly,
"Ah... Your Majesty, please take care of your dragon body."
At this moment, Su Xiaoqi's heart beat even faster. She felt as though her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
The hall was heated by underfloor heating, making it extremely hot.
She found it difficult to breathe, and the dragon-brand incense in the air made her dizzy.
Furthermore, Emperor Xing Zhao's cloudy eyes suddenly became bloodshot, staring at her intently like a hunting falcon.
She quietly retreated, trying to avoid his gaze.
Fortunately, the Grand Princess was there. After adapting to the situation for a moment, she stepped forward to stand in front of Su Xiaoqi, accurately blocking their line of sight, and whispered,
"Father, she is not Aunt Yu, she is Madam Shen."
The brilliance in Emperor Xing Zhao's eyes immediately extinguished. The strength supporting his body to sit up instantly vanished. He murmured with a look of disappointment,
"She's not. She's not. That's right, Jing'er will never return. She blames me. It's all my fault..."
"Father, don't blame yourself. What happened back then is in the past.
Your most important task now is to take good care of your dragon body. Man'er needs you, and the Great Liang Dynasty needs you."
Emperor Xing Zhao seemed to be comforted. He turned away and closed his eyes.
He was tired. The sudden sitting up had exhausted the strength he had accumulated for a long time.
He felt a sense of inexplicable panic.
The Grand Princess tucked him in and signaled Su Xiaoqi to continue prescribing and preparing the medicine.
Because of her own experiences, the Grand Princess trusted no one this time and insisted on a brazier being brought, as she wanted to personally brew the medicine for the Emperor.
Since the Grand Princess was not leaving, Su Xiaoqi, who had come with her, naturally could not leave early.
So, she stayed in the side hall with her and brewed the medicine.
The Grand Princess saw that Su Xiaoqi had a look of confusion but remained silent, sitting quietly, occasionally helping to pick up firewood and check the heat.
She couldn't help but speak first: "Do you know who my father mistook you for just now?"
Su Xiaoqi lowered her head and poked the stove, saying, "Presumably, it was the third paternal aunt of the Duke of Yu's estate." At the same time, she should have called her third aunt.
So, was Yu Jing Emperor Xing Zhao's unattainable white moonlight?
She had known for a long time that she resembled Yu Jing.
She had learned this when she first met her godmother, Yu Rong, in Mianzhou City.
And later, the Old Madam's kindness towards her, aside from their genuine compatibility, was also largely due to her resemblance to Yu Jing.
Moreover, when she went out to attend various tea parties and flower shows, she often heard people mention the third daughter of the Duke of Yu's estate, Yu Jing.
But once others delved deeper into her background, they would immediately smile and say nothing more.
Su Xiaoqi knew that this was because they believed she could not possibly be Yu Jing's daughter.
Her birth determined that.
Therefore, she had never thought along those lines.
She merely thought that genetics could be magical sometimes.
After all, the world is vast, and there are all sorts of strange things.
But no matter how strange, it could not compare to the shock and impact Emperor Xing Zhao had given her today.
At the same time, she was truly curious about who Yu Jing, the third daughter of the Yu estate, truly was.
How could she make someone as ruthless and power-hungry as Emperor Xing Zhao so moved?
And this sentiment had lasted for nearly twenty years!