Chapter 139:

The carriage wheels creaked along the road.

Layue sat inside the carriage, peering through the small curtain at the scenery outside.

She vividly recalled the last time she had left the palace; now, she already had children of her own.

Thinking about the morning she had departed, Layue’s mood darkened slightly. The children seemed to sense their mother would be away for a few days. When she had sent them off to Huici Palace that morning, even Xiaowu, who rarely expressed emotion, had cried hysterically—let alone the more sensitive Xiaojiaojiao and Xiaosi.

Recalling her own red-rimmed eyes, Layue bit her lip and sighed.

It was all that man’s fault—why did he insist she accompany him on this trip?

Emperor Jing observed her ever-changing expression and understood she was missing their children.

In truth, he himself had been thinking about the children since leaving the palace. Especially Xiaojiaojiao, who especially loved being held by her mother. Whenever he was around, the child rarely cried and often smiled, revealing her tiny gums.

So innocent and adorable.

The last time they had traveled, the children had just been born and were still too young to bring much joy. This time was different—they had grown so much that not seeing them suddenly felt like a real loss.

As the carriage rolled forward, both parents fell into deep thought, and their thoughts, without exception, centered on their adorable little ones back home. It was rather amusing, in a way.

Nonetheless, Layue still maintained her composure. Though she missed the children, she did not neglect her duties. Every day, she served the emperor with a bright smile.

The emperor, however, often seemed distracted, muttering that Xiaojiaojiao must be missing him.

Layue rolled her eyes when he wasn’t looking—how could it be him she missed? It was obviously her, the mother, that the child longed for.

Perhaps because both were preoccupied and the weather had suddenly turned colder, the emperor developed a mild fever.

Layue immediately summoned the accompanying physicians, Master Wang and Master Zhang.

It wasn’t diagnosed as a serious cold, but Layue still had an extra layer of clothing prepared for the emperor.

Time passed quickly, and within three days, they had arrived at the temple. Layue stayed in the same room she had occupied before. Though not particularly luxurious, the room had a unique charm.

She would have liked it even more had it not been for the unpleasant memories from her previous visit.

One falling leaf heralds autumn.

This year, they had set out late; it was already deep autumn now.

As per tradition, Emperor Jing would pray for three days, during which he would remain secluded in the prayer hall and not meet anyone.

During these days, Layue did not wander around much and spent her time embroidering in her room.

In her spare moments, she missed her three little treasures. She wondered how they would look when she returned—would they have grown a bit taller or put on some weight?

She wondered whether Xiaojiaojiao could sit steadily now.

Such a delicate child—would she cry if she couldn’t find her mother?

The three days passed swiftly.

Layue knew today was the day the emperor would emerge.

She imagined he must miss the children just as she did, and they would probably not stay any longer here, heading back home as soon as everything was ready.

As Layue was thinking about whether she should start preparing early, she saw Xiaogui, the favored servant of Lai Xi, running toward her.

“Your Majesty, this servant greets you.”

Seeing his urgency, Layue asked, “Is something wrong? Why are you in such a rush?”

Xiaogui didn’t hesitate and quickly replied, “Her Majesty, Master Lai sent me to inform you. When the emperor emerged from the sacrificial ceremony, he suddenly collapsed. Master Lai says you should prepare immediately—the emperor will be brought here shortly, and the Empress Dowager is also on her way.”

The emperor and Layue had been staying together in the temple.

Upon hearing this, Layue immediately ordered Jin Xin and Tao Er to prepare the bed. Sure enough, not long after, the emperor was brought back, and the physicians had already diagnosed him with a cold.

“How is the emperor’s condition?” Layue asked anxiously.

How could he have suddenly fainted?

Physician Zhang knelt and replied, “Your Majesty has caught a chill. Previously, he had a slight fever, which seemed minor and improved after a day’s rest. However, the long journey and heavy workload likely exhausted him. The three days of secluded prayer in a poorly ventilated hall further worsened his condition, leading to his sudden collapse.”

Noticing the emperor’s flushed face, Layue asked again, “When will he wake up?”

“I have already administered acupuncture. His Majesty should regain consciousness shortly.”

Layue stationed someone at the door and personally stayed with Lai Xi to care for the emperor. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but think—whenever she and the emperor traveled together, something always seemed to happen. The first time, they nearly fell off a cliff; the second time, the emperor had developed a fever.

Yet when the emperor traveled with others, nothing like this ever occurred. Could it be that she and this temple were simply incompatible, causing misfortune to befall him?

Layue mused vaguely.

As a person who had been reborn, she didn’t know whether that had any bearing on the situation.

Then again, maybe she was just being overly dramatic.

She felt momentarily lost.

“Ugh…” As Layue was lost in thought, the emperor groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing her deep in thought with a serious expression, he murmured weakly, “Water…”

Layue snapped out of her thoughts and quickly poured a cup, helping the emperor drink.

His condition still seemed grave, so he immediately summoned the two physicians again.

They examined him once more.

Emperor Jing allowed the examination and then asked, “Lai Xi, who knows about my illness?”

Lai Xi stepped forward. “Your Majesty, only a few trusted individuals are aware.”

The emperor nodded, then turned to the physicians. “I feel extremely weak. Why is that?”

The two physicians frowned.

After a moment, Physician Zhang answered, “Your Majesty, the sudden cold snap, combined with excessive fatigue, weakened your body’s defenses. I have already prescribed medicine, and Tao Er has gone to prepare it. Please take it today and we will continue monitoring tomorrow.”

The emperor nodded.

Although typhoid fever could be a life-threatening illness for the poor, it was not considered serious for the emperor.

Both Layue and Emperor Jing felt somewhat relieved.

Seeing him lying there so weakly, Layue gently wiped his forehead with a cloth.

“Are there any precautions I should take while caring for the emperor?” she asked.

“He is currently running a fever. It is best to maintain a stable indoor temperature, ensure he takes his medicine on time, and give him ginger soup to induce sweating. He should feel better by tomorrow.”

Layue exhaled in relief and carefully tucked the quilt around the emperor.

“Let someone else take care of me. You move to the adjacent room so you won’t catch the infection. Typhoid is contagious,” the emperor said.

Layue gave him a sidelong glance and shook her head. “No, I’ll stay. They’re clumsy and won’t take proper care of you.”

Hearing this, the emperor smiled.

Clumsy? That description had always applied to her more than anyone else.

But seeing how genuinely concerned she was, he didn’t argue further.

As long as they were careful, it should be fine. After all, typhoid wasn’t a serious illness.

“Your Majesty, patients with typhoid often develop a fever at night. Please pay close attention. I am staying in this courtyard, so feel free to send for me if anything arises,” Physician Zhang advised carefully.

Layue nodded. The emperor was always cautious about his safety, and the physicians accompanying him on trips were always highly trusted.

Since the patient was the emperor, everyone was somewhat flustered.

However, per the emperor’s prior instructions, Lai Xi ensured no one spread the news.

Fortunately, they were not in the palace, so there was no issue of too many people gossiping.

Physician Zhang’s analysis proved accurate. Sure enough, in the dead of night, Layue noticed the emperor’s fever rising again. His usually composed face was flushed red, unrecognizable from his normal self.

She quickly administered the prepared herbal medicine, but after an hour, there was no improvement. Worse, he began vomiting.

Worried, Layue immediately sent Lai Xi to summon Physician Zhang.

The emperor was dazed and barely conscious.

Layue’s anxiety deepened.

Physicians Zhang and Wang arrived swiftly. After a thorough examination and listening to Layue’s detailed account of his symptoms, they exchanged a grave look.

Seeing their expressions, Layue immediately understood and made excuses to send the others out.

Only Layue, Lai Xi, and the two physicians remained in the room.

“Physician Zhang, Physician Wang, please speak freely,” Layue urged, trying to stay composed.

Physician Zhang’s face was serious. “Your Majesty, we have carefully examined the emperor and listened to your report. We suspect this may not be a simple case of typhoid.”

Layue’s heart sank, but she still asked, “What do you suspect?”

The two physicians exchanged glances again before deciding to speak the truth. “Smallpox. Perhaps we are being alarmist, but consider the symptoms: high fever, fatigue, headache, limb weakness, and now red rashes on his body, along with vomiting. While the first few symptoms could be explained by typhoid, the rash and vomiting are definitely not signs of a common cold.”

Layue clenched her fists with all her strength, her nails digging painfully into her palms.

Smallpox. Smallpox!

She was terrified, but she had to remain strong.

“Can you confirm it?”

“We cannot confirm it definitively. The emperor’s illness came on suddenly. Since he spent three days in isolation during the prayer ceremony, which we were not allowed to attend, we cannot determine exactly how long he has been unwell. But based on his current symptoms, the situation is not good. Your Majesty, smallpox is highly contagious. If this is indeed smallpox and the emperor is already showing symptoms, we must make immediate preparations.”

At this, Layue could no longer hold back. She staggered backward and bumped into the edge of the table.

Lai Xi rushed forward to support her, but she stopped him with a wave.

“Say everything—don’t hold back,” she said, her voice trembling.