Qing Yi said, "It will take at least three days."
"What illness is so serious?" Xue Yan couldn't help but ask.
Qing Yi replied, "She is deficient in both qi and blood, and has caught a chill. She needs a few days to recover."
"Your Majesty, could this Li Yaoqin have deliberately fallen ill to evade your summons?" Xue Yan asked thoughtfully.
"Can you predict the future?" Xue Zi Ning looked up at Xue Yan.
Xue Yan scratched his head. "Your Majesty, if I say this, it's wrong, and if I say that, it's also wrong. Then please tell me, what is her objective?"
"Whatever it is, she is ill now, and I cannot summon her. By the time her illness is cured, the entire city will likely be abuzz with rumors."
"Your Majesty, it is likely that the Minister's wife will also enter the palace soon." Not long after Yun Wei Shu finished speaking, a palace attendant came in to report that Minister Li's wife wished to see Li Yaoqin.
Xue Zi Ning agreed.
"Why did Your Majesty agree to let her see the Minister's wife? Won't this give Li Yaoqin an opportunity to pass on information?" Yun Wei Shu was also a little confused by Xue Zi Ning's actions at this point.
"The more Li Yaoqin does, the more likely she is to make a mistake. If she does nothing, that is what I truly do not wish to see," Xue Zi Ning said.
"Yao'er, my Yao'er..."
Hearing the voice of the Minister's wife, Madam Xu, Li Yaoqin struggled to sit up. Seeing Li Yaoqin's pale face, Madam Xu couldn't help but cry, "Yao'er, how have you become so haggard? Listen to Mother, don't stay here any longer. Come back to the Minister's mansion with Mother."
"Mother, I'm really fine. It's just a minor illness, and I'll be better soon," Li Yaoqin comforted Madam Xu.
"And you call this a minor illness? Look at your face, how thin you've become! If this continues, you'll be skin and bones," Madam Xu said, her heart aching.
"Mother, it's not as serious as you think. I'm really fine," Li Yaoqin said softly, taking Madam Xu's hand.
"You're fine? Look at you. You were once a pampered young lady in the mansion who never touched a drop of water, and after only a few days in the palace, your hands have calluses? Listen to Mother, come back to the Minister's mansion with me. Mother will ask your father to find you a suitable husband, alright?"
"Mother, from childhood, I've always been someone who sticks to her decisions. Since I've made up my mind, no one can shake my thoughts, not even you," Li Yaoqin said to Madam Xu, word by word.
Madam Xu was stunned and forgot to cry.
Li Yaoqin withdrew her hand from Madam Xu's and spread it out in front of her. Her fair, jade-like fingers were now bright red. She gently rubbed her hands together and slowly said, "Mother, in order to survive here, I've sacrificed my status, my dignity, and even my body. I've endured so much hardship, and now I'm finally seeing a glimmer of hope. You're telling me to give up now. Mother, I'm not reconciled!"
"Yao'er... why are you so stubborn? You've always been like this since you were little. When your father said you weren't as talented as your literary cousin, you stayed up all night studying, determined to make a splash at the poetry gathering. When you heard someone played the zither exceptionally well, you played until your fingers bled. Yao'er, Mother doesn't want you to always try to be the best. Mother only wishes for your safety."
"Mother, I can't change. Your daughter will never change in this lifetime. There's nothing I can't get that I don't want."
Madam Xu sighed. She knew that whatever she said now, Yao'er wouldn't listen.
"Yao'er, since your mind is made up, you won't listen to anything I say. Then Mother only hopes you get what you wish for."
"Mother, what about Father..."
"Don't worry. Your father is the most reliable. No one can find out about the person he found."
Li Yaoqin nodded. Her father had always been cautious, otherwise she wouldn't have entrusted this matter to him. "I heard the storyteller died."
Madam Xu nodded. "It seems so."
"Although Father's actions were clever, there is also risk. If it's discovered, it could implicate Father."
"Your father and I are not afraid, Yao'er. Mother only wishes for your safety."
"Mother, thank you and Father for treating me this way. I will succeed. This will be our home then."
Madam Xu sighed and patted Li Yaoqin's shoulder. "Be careful with everything. Mother always feels the Empress is not simple."
"Mother, have you met the Empress?" Li Yaoqin asked.
Madam Xu shook her head. "It's precisely because I haven't met her that I feel she is not simple."
"Mother, don't worry. The Empress is nothing to fear," Li Yaoqin said.
Madam Xu shook her head. "Not necessarily. Someone who could bring down the all-powerful Regent before she even came of age—would you say she is nothing to fear?"
Li Yaoqin then said, "Mother, no matter how intelligent she is, she will not be my match."
Madam Xu said no more. She knew her daughter's temper. She didn't like others being better than her.
That was why she always had to be the best at everything.
May it be as Yao'er said, that the Empress is nothing to fear.
After talking for a while, Madam Xu got up to leave. Li Yaoqin suddenly leaned closer to Madam Xu and whispered, "Tell Father to let all the people in the capital know about this as soon as possible."
Madam Xu looked at Li Yaoqin with concern and said, "Mother understands. You take good care of yourself!"
Madam Xu walked out of Li Yaoqin's room, looked up at the sky, and sighed heavily.
"Lead the way!" Madam Xu said.
The little palace maid who had been leading her since she entered bowed and walked ahead. As they walked, Madam Xu felt something was wrong. It wasn't the path she had taken to get here.
"Are you lost?" Madam Xu asked.
The little palace maid didn't turn back and said, "No, Madam, I am not lost."
"No, this is not the way I came," Madam Xu stopped and looked coldly at the little palace maid in front of her.
The little palace maid turned around, bowed, and said, "Madam, Your Majesty wishes to see you."
Your Majesty? Madam Xu trembled and asked the little palace maid, "Is it the Empress?"
The little palace maid nodded. "Yes."
Madam Xu's heart sank, but she had no way to retreat, so she could only move forward. If she retreated now, wouldn't it make people think she had something to hide?
"Since Your Majesty has summoned me, how can this humble subject not go? Please lead the way, girl!" Madam Xu took a deep breath and said.
The little palace maid nodded, and Madam Xu followed her into a large palace. The words "Changning Palace" appeared prominently before Madam Xu.
Madam Xu knew this was the Empress's sleeping quarters.
"Madam, please wait a moment. Allow me to report first."
Madam Xu nodded. "Alright."
After the little palace maid went in, she quickly came out. She approached Madam Xu and said, "Your Majesty is still napping. Please sit here and wait for a while."
Madam Xu nodded. "Naturally, this humble subject should wait."
Madam Xu was led to a stone chair in the courtyard. Her heart was a little uneasy. She didn't know if the Empress was really napping.
She knew that for every quarter of an hour she waited here, Yao'er would worry for another quarter of an hour.
Why was the Empress doing this?
Inside the sleeping quarters, Xue Yan asked puzzledly, "Your Majesty, you are not napping either, so why did you say you were?"