Jiao Niang’s Medical Record Chapter 378

“Your Majesty…”

A mournful woman’s voice drifted out through the partly opened palace gate. An attendant carrying a food container quickly halted and glanced at the eunuch emerging from within, his eyes questioning. The eunuch shook his head and signaled for him to wait. The palace gate closed, shutting away the sounds from inside.

The Imperial Consort covered her face, weeping.

Across from her, the Empress Dowager leaned against an armrest, her eyes bloodshot and her appearance weary.

“…No one knows about this matter. Do not overthink it,” she said.

“Your Majesty, there are no walls in this world that don’t let sound through. Even if no one speaks of it now, there is no guarantee for the future. The murmurs of the world cannot be stifled,” the Consort cried. “Moreover, the way he asked- it clearly carried that implication…”

The Empress Dowager let out a sigh.

“Wei-lang, he… didn’t mean it that way either… He is just a child, speaking without restraint, and faced with such a sorrowful matter, he only wanted to ask about what happened at the time. It was an unintentional remark…” she said slowly.

Before she could finish, the Imperial Consort interrupted.

“Your Majesty,” she cried out, “do you truly believe that?”

This was the first time the Consort had been so disrespectful in front of the Empress Dowager, yet the latter did not react with anger or reprimand. Instead, she fell into silence.

“Your Majesty and His Majesty both saw how the First Prince was behaving earlier,” the Consort continued, wiping her tears. “He is only eleven years old. To witness his younger brother’s accident right before his eyes- how could he possibly be unaffected…”

The Empress Dowager recalled how the First Prince had repeatedly lamented, “I couldn’t hold onto him, I couldn’t hold onto my brother,” his face pale with terror, his spirit utterly broken. It was clear he had been severely shaken. Upon learning he hadn’t slept all night, the Emperor had stayed in his chambers to comfort him and coax him into resting for a while.

The Empress Dowager let out a sigh.

“…They say the Second Prince has become a fool after recovering, but it seems to me the First Prince will turn into one first,” the Consort wept.

At this, the Empress Dowager’s face darkened with impatience.

“How dare you speak such nonsense!” she exclaimed.

Yet, this very rebuke somehow eased the Consort’s heart.

“Is what I said really so absurd? The First Prince is already being burdened with such accusations- he might as well have become a fool…” she sobbed.

Just as the Empress Dowager, stern-faced, was about to respond, the door was gently pushed open by a palace attendant.

Weren’t they told not to be disturbed? Who would dare enter at such a time?

The Empress Dowager frowned and looked over, recognizing one of the elderly eunuchs who often attended her.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted in a soft, respectful tone.

“What is it?” she asked, her displeasure evident but tempered as she refrained from dismissing him outright.

Such seasoned attendants were not ones to act without reason- if he dared enter, it had to be necessary.

“Someone from Duke Jin’an’s residence has come to report an… incident,” the eunuch murmured.

The Consort immediately stopped crying and sat upright, her eyes sharpening as she turned to listen.

“He-” she began, her voice rising sharply.

But the Empress Dowager cut her off.

“What happened?” she asked, then shot a warning glance at the Consort.

“They say… he has gone mad,” the eunuch said quietly.

Gone mad?

A cold sneer formed in the Consort’s heart. She was about to speak when she saw the Empress Dowager rise to her feet.

“I will go and see,” Her Majesty stated.

“Your Majesty!” the Consort exclaimed urgently, standing as well.

“The palace cannot afford another incident,” the Empress Dowager said sternly, taking a deep breath before stepping out.

Fuming, the Consort watched her leave. She bit her lip, deep in thought, then summoned an attendant.

“Is His Majesty still with the First Prince?” she whispered.

The attendant nodded.

The Consort glanced in the direction the Empress Dowager had gone, then turned and hurried off the opposite way.

Let it stir up chaos- the bigger, the better.

He should have been driven out of the palace long ago. Yet he stubbornly remained. This time, he’s brought about his own doom.

When the Empress Dowager arrived at Duke Jin’an’s residence, she could hear commotion from the courtyard even from a distance. As she entered and followed the noise toward the rear courtyard, she saw eunuchs gathered in the yard, their faces filled with panic as they shouted and pleaded.

“What is happening?” the Empress Dowager demanded.

The eunuchs in the courtyard knelt down, clearing her line of sight. In an instant, the Empress Dowager caught a glimpse of Duke Jin’an inside one of the halls.

What she saw nearly made her soul flee her body in terror.

Duke Jin’an was holding a torch.

“Wei-lang, what are you doing?!” the Empress Dowager cried out, her voice trembling.

“Your Majesty, I must burn these things,” Duke Jin’an replied.

His expression was frantic, his gaze distant, and his words hollow- clearly, he was no longer in his right mind.

Fire was the greatest fear within the palace. Just a few years prior, a lightning strike had set a palace ablaze, and the damage remained unrepaired to this day. Now, in the depths of winter, if a fire were to break out, it would be nearly impossible to control. Although Duke Jin’an’s residence was far from the inner palace, a fire here would still spell disaster.

“Wei-lang, Wei-lang, don’t be reckless. Put the torch down and come to me,” the Empress Dowager coaxed, softening her tone.

Duke Jin’an shook his head and let out a desolate laugh.

“Your Majesty, it was I who harmed the Second Prince… It was these things that harmed him… I must burn them, I must burn myself…” he murmured.

Another one claiming he harmed the Second Prince…

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, studying Duke Jin’an with a scrutinizing gaze.

Did he truly believe it was his fault?

But now was not the time to dwell on that- the priority was to get the torch out of his hands.

“Wei-lang,” the Empress Dowager took a step forward, feigning excitement. “I came here to tell you this- come quickly, the Second Prince just woke up.”

At these words, Duke Jin’an’s face lit up with joy. Clutching the torch, he rushed forward.

“Really? The Second Prince…” he exclaimed loudly, already breaking into a run.

“Seize him- quickly!” the Empress Dowager urgently commanded, reaching out.

The attendants, who had been poised for action, swarmed in at once.

“Your Majesty, you lied to me! You lied to me…”

Duke Jin’an’s cries echoed through the palace halls.

“The Second Prince hasn’t woken up… The Second Prince hasn’t woken up…”

He repeated these words over and over, his voice shifting from sharp and piercing to hoarse and choked with sobs.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” the Empress Dowager demanded sternly, looking down at Duke Jin’an, who was bound and lying on the ground. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”

“I want the Second Prince to wake up… I want him to be safe and sound…”

The duke, tied up and lying on his side, spoke through sobs.

The Empress Dowager stared at him.

“Do you think you’re the only one who wants that? Who in the palace doesn’t wish for the same?” she rebuked sharply. “Should we all set fire to our homes?”

She raised her eyes to survey the hall before her—it had been utterly ravaged.

This was the place where the child had stored gifts sent from the Qu-zhou Prince’s residence. Now, the floor was littered with wreckage, everything smashed or hacked to pieces- all treasures the boy had once held dear…

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… this was no accident…”

Duke Jin’an’s choked murmur reached her ears.

The Empress Dowager jolted back to attention, her expression complex as she looked at him.

Duke Jin’an wasn’t looking at her. He lay on the ground, no longer struggling, simply staring at the floor before him as tears slowly trailed down his cheeks.

“It’s all my fault, all my fault… He came to me, asking me to go with him, and I didn’t go…”

Was that… how it happened?

The Empress Dowager watched him silently, saying nothing.

“I didn’t go. I wanted to look at these things… What was even worth seeing about them? I deceived you, Your Majesty, I deceived the Second Prince… When I saw these things, I wasn’t happy at all, not in the slightest… I just didn’t want you to see how pitiful I was… They’ve forgotten me completely… forgotten me… These things they sent… cold, repetitive, unchanging… They didn’t bring me half the joy that the Second Prince’s smile did… Why did I still pretend in front of him? Why couldn’t I bring myself to tell him?… Why did I insist on staring at these things instead of going with him?… If I had gone that day, with my strength, I could have held him back… I could have saved him…”

Watching the young boy curled up on the ground and listening to his chaotic, murmuring words, the Empress Dowager could no longer hold back her tears. She knelt down, reaching out to gently stroke Duke Jin’an’s shoulder.

“Silly child, how could you also lose your senses…” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “It was an accident…”

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. In truth, I have nothing- I only had the Second Prince, only him. Why didn’t I go with him? Why did I keep pretending to miss those brothers of mine who don’t even remember my name?… I don’t care about them at all, and they don’t care about me either… So why did I keep up the act…” Duke Jin’an continued to murmur, lost in his grief.

“Don’t talk nonsense, don’t talk nonsense,” the Empress Dowager said through her tears. “Silly child, this wasn’t an act. I know, and the Second Prince knew too- you were afraid we would worry, you wanted us to believe you were happy. You foolish child, we all understood. This wasn’t pretense; it was maturity…”

As she called for the attendants to untie him and help him up, the eunuchs kneeling around them hurried over. In the chaos of untying ropes and assisting the duke, no one noticed the Emperor standing silently at the entrance.

A young eunuch hurried over from the side.

“…That day, the Second Prince came to see the Duke first… The Duke had just received the New Year gifts from Qu-zhou…”

The Imperial Consort, knowing her place, lowered her head and took a few steps back. She could barely make out the eunuch’s hushed whispers. Unable to resist, she glanced up and caught sight of the Emperor’s profile. Though his expression appeared unchanged, after so many years by his side, she could easily detect the subtle softening in his demeanor. A surge of bitterness rose in her heart as she glared at Duke Jin’an, who was being supported by attendants with the Empress Dowager closely following.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have called the Emperor here. Now this little brat has managed to turn things to his advantage!

As night fell, the Imperial Consort hurried into the Empress Dowager’s palace, where both Her Majesty and the Emperor were present.

“Has the First Prince gone to sleep?” the Empress Dowager asked.

“Not yet. I just managed to coax him into eating a little,” the Consort replied, kneeling gracefully. “Your Majesty, I heard you’ve allowed the Duke to move into your palace to stay?”

The Empress Dowager gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.

“I couldn’t rest easy leaving him there any longer,” she said.

What is there to worry about?

“The shock this time was too much for him. If he sees those things again, no amount of precaution could prevent a fire,” the Empress Dowager explained, then turned to the Emperor. “What should we do about the items from Qu-zhou? They’ve been completely smashed beyond recognition. If word gets back to Qu-zhou, it might lead to misunderstandings.”

What misunderstanding could there possibly be? It was their own son who did this!

The Consort gritted her teeth.

“Seal off that area and have it cleaned up gradually,” the Emperor instructed.

After a brief exchange, the weary Empress Dowager dismissed them. The moment they stepped out of the palace gates, the Consort could no longer hold back her urgency.

“Your Majesty, is it really appropriate to let the Duke move into the Empress Dowager’s palace?” she said. “He’s already so grown- it’s improper for him to linger in the inner palace…”

The Emperor halted and turned to look at her.

Under his gaze, the Consort felt a twinge of unease, and the rest of her words died in her throat.

“When some time has passed, We will make Our own arrangements,” the Emperor said, turning his head away and continuing to walk with a calm tone. “He has nothing left here- only the Second Prince was his sole companion. Now that such a tragedy has occurred, how can We drive him away?”

The Consort acknowledged with a soft “Yes,” quickening her steps to keep up.

“Staying with the Empress Dowager will allow him to find some solace through conversation,” the Emperor added, pausing briefly. “If you wish, you may have the First Prince come here as well.”

Now, the only place where the First Prince can truly be at ease is under my watchful eye. Wherever else he goes, I would never feel reassured.

The Consort let out a sigh.

“Her Majesty is already exhausted enough caring for one,” she replied, then hesitated slightly before glancing at the Emperor. “Besides, the Duke has some… unresolved feelings toward the First Prince…”

The Emperor came to a halt.

“It’s not that he holds anything against the First Prince- it’s himself he blames,” he said.

“Your Majesty,” the Consort took a step forward. “Do you… believe the words the Duke said?”

The Emperor turned to look at her.

“Do you believe the words I said?” he asked in return.

The question caught the Consort off guard, and she hurriedly dipped into a curtsy.

“I would not dare,” she replied anxiously.

The Emperor smiled faintly.

“What I meant was, the part where I said the Second Prince’s accident was my fault,” he clarified, then turned his gaze toward the sky gradually veiled by night. “If I hadn’t praised and indulged him, how could he have…”

“Your Majesty,” the Consort cried out, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I truly blame myself- do you believe that?” the Emperor said, looking at the Consort.

Tears streaming down her face, the Consort nodded.

“I believe you. I know how deeply Your Majesty grieves,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

“Therefore, I also believe Wei-lang,” the Emperor replied.

The Consort’s expression froze for a moment before she finally lowered her head and fell silent.

Watching the Emperor and Consort’s procession, pausing intermittently, disappear beyond the palace gates, Duke Jin’an, standing by the latticed window of the side hall, withdrew his gaze. He turned around and looked into the hall.

Night had fallen, and everything was shrouded in darkness.

“It’s dark now,” he said.

It’s dark, it’s dark.

Duke Jin’an stepped forward, striding boldly into the deepening gloom.

The eunuchs beside him exchanged glances.

“Light the lamps, light the lamps!” one urgently called out.

Light the lamps, light the lamps.

The command echoed through the halls, and one by one, palace lanterns were lit, glowing like scattered stars in the night-cloaked palace.