Chapter 4
His Royal Highness’ Eyes Moved
When Consort Dowager Ning left with Lin De, she did not leave a maidservant to keep an eye on Yu Yunxi. Apart from the maidservant and the guards, there was also Aunt Qing.
Although Yu Yunxi was worried, there was nothing she could do when so many people were keeping an eye on her. She could only force herself to calm down and think about what to do.
The Imperial Preceptor had a very good reputation in Tianxia. It was not surprising that Consort Dowager Ning did not doubt the Imperial Preceptor’s words. However, if a living person was placed into a coffin for a long time, it would be strange if nothing happened.
‘No, I have to stop them. Otherwise, if Feng Yili dies, I won’t be able to live either…’
Yu Yunxi surveyed her surroundings for a moment. Suddenly, she cried out, “It hurts… My stomach hurts…”
Yu Yunxi held her stomach and groaned in pain.
Seeing this, the maidservant hurried over. However, as soon as she approached, Yu Yunxi brought a silver needle out and inserted it into her neck. In the next moment, she fell unconscious.
“Are you crazy?!” Aunt Qing exclaimed angrily.
Yu Yunxi looked at Aunt Qing coldly and said, “Aunt Qing, if His Royal Highness is sealed in the coffin, he’ll really die.”
“Nonsense. Moreover, it’s not just a coffin. The Imperial Preceptor said that it’s a Cold Jade Coffin. As long as…”
Before Aunt Qing finished speaking, Yu Yunxi scoffed and said mockingly, “Do you really think the Imperial Preceptor is God? His Royal Highness is ill, and only doctors can treat him. Doing all these unnecessary things will only speed up his death!”
“So what? Is that something you should worry about, Princess Consort?” Aunt Qing said, looking indifferent.
Unexpectedly, Yu Yunxi smiled and said, “If His Royal Highness dies, I’ll be buried with him. However, Aunt Qing, don’t forget that you’re a maidservant who’s a part of my dowry. Since ancient times, when has a servant lived when his or her master is dead?”
Aunt Qing’s face turned pale upon hearing these words. However, she still said, “Madam will protect me!”
“This is the Prince Regent’s Residence. The Prime Minister’s Residence has no say here. You saw earlier how much Consort Dowager Ning cares for her son. If she loses her son, not to mention a maidservant, even the Prime Minister’s Residence will suffer…” Yu Yunxi said. Her words hit the nail on the head.
Aunt Qing panicked. After hesitating for a while, she finally compromised. She asked, “Then, what should I do?”
“If you do this…” Yu Yunxi said before she lowered her voice and whispered something into Aunt Qing’s ear.
After a few moments, Aunt Qing hurried out of the hall.
At the same time, Yu Yunxi climbed out the window. She found a small path and quickly made her way back to the bridal chamber.
When Yu Yunxi arrived, she saw the Cold Jade Coffin, and people were preparing to carry Feng Yili into the coffin. She rushed over to the bed and hurriedly pushed the people away as she cried out, “No!”
“Why are you here?! Someone, bring the Princess Consort away!” Consort Dowager Ning was furious when she saw Yu Yunxi.
Yu Yunxi held onto Feng Yili’s body tightly. She raised her head to look at Consort Dowager Ning and said earnestly, “Mother, His Royal Highness is about to be placed in the coffin. As his wife, I just wanted to see him again.”
However, Yu Yunxi’s words failed to quell Consort Dowager Ning’s anger. She waved her hand, and in just a moment, a few elderly servants walked over, preparing to drag Yu Yunxi away.
Yu Yunxi looked calm on the surface, but inwardly, she was extremely anxious. She quickly cried out, “Mother, look! His Royal Highness’ eyes moved!”
Upon hearing this, Lin De shouted, “Ridiculous! Princess Consort, the imperial physicians have already said that His Royal Highness is completely unresponsive right now. In order for him to wake up, we have to do this. The Imperial Preceptor has ordered for His Royal Highness to be placed in the coffin as soon as possible! It’ll be troublesome the longer we delay this.”
Subsequently, Lin De shot a look at the people next to him and gestured for them to place Feng Yili in the coffin.
“Mother, His Royal Highness’ eyes really moved!” Yu Yunxi said anxiously and earnestly.
Consort Dowager Ning hesitated. Then, just as she was about to walk over to check if Yu Yunxi was telling the truth, Lin De suddenly moved to stand in front of her.
Lin De sighed and said, “Consort Dowager Ning, don’t you trust the Imperial Preceptor? The Imperial Preceptor said that we have to place His Royal Highness into the coffin as soon as possible. The Princess Consort must be spouting nonsense because she can’t bear to part with His Royal Highness.”
Lin De’s words seemed to clear Consort Dowager Ning’s mind. She turned to Yu Yunxi and said coldly, “Yu Yunxi, if you dare to kick up a fuss again, I’ll behead you immediately!”
Yu Yunxi knew this was not an empty threat, but she had no other choice at this moment. She forced tears out of her eyes as she said, “Mother, if you want me to die, I’ll die without regrets. However, can you please just have a look? His Royal Highness really reacted earlier.”
Perhaps Yu Yunxi’s performance was too real, Consort Dowager Ning hesitated again.
At this moment, a maidservant suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Consort Dowager! His Royal Highness… His Royal Highness’ eyes really moved!”
“What?”
All of Consort Dowager Ning’s thoughts flew out of her mind at this moment. She could not care less as she pushed Lin De away and ran toward Feng Yili, just in time to see his eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her eyes reddened instantly as she shouted, “Quick, hurry up and call the doctor! No, bring the imperial physician here!”
“Yes, Consort Dowager!”
The few old servants looked pleasantly surprised as they hurried away.
At this time, Lin De walked over as well. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yu Yunxi coldly.
Yu Yunxi felt her heart sink when she saw Lin De’s gaze. It was clear that Lin De did not want Feng Yili to wake up. Although Consort Dowager Ning was also by the bedside, Yu Yunxi discreetly withdrew her hand and used her wide sleeve to hide the silver needle in her hand. During the critical moment earlier, she had boldly pierced Feng Yili’s acupuncture point with a silver needle. It was a gamble, and her gamble paid off when Feng Yili reacted. This also confirmed her conjecture that Feng Yili should be able to wake up. She decided to find an opportunity to give Feng Yili a checkup.
The imperial physicians came very quickly. There were more than ten of them. Almost half of the imperial physicians were here.
After a thorough checkup, the imperial physicians wore strange expressions on their faces. One of them asked, “Consort Dowager, did you really see His Royal Highness react earlier?”
“Of course! I saw his eyes moving earlier. Does this mean he’s about to wake up?” Consort Dowager Ning asked anxiously.
“This… Consort Dowager, we just checked. His Royal Highness’ condition remains the same. Perhaps you saw it wrongly?” the imperial physician asked gently.
“Impudent! I saw it with my own eyes! There are others who saw it as well! How could I be wrong?!” Imperial Concubine Ning said angrily as she clutched her chest. She was angry that the imperial physician said that she had seen wrongly, and she was also angry that he said Feng Yili’s condition remained the same.
At this time, Lin De coughed lightly. He feigned a regretful expression on his face before he said, “Consort Dowager, I know you hope for His Royal Highness to regain consciousness as soon as possible. However, the imperial physicians have tried their best. The only thing we can do now is to place our hope on the Imperial Preceptor.”
Yu Yunxi, who was standing at the side, could barely hide her anger when she saw the imperial physicians who were trembling like quails and keeping quiet. She assumed that they were sensible people and would definitely stop this farce. Unexpectedly, they tacitly allowed this ridiculous thing to happen.
‘How can so many people believe the word of a liar?’ Yu Yunxi cursed inwardly. Alas, she could only watch helplessly as people carried Feng Yili up.
Yu Yunxi was still burning with anxiety when she heard the flustered and helpless cries of the servants from outside.
“This is bad! Consort Dowager, the ancestral hall is on fire!”