Chapter 143:

Their journey was not particularly fast, as Jingdi was in a good mood, and Layue took meticulous care of him during the cold December days. Jingdi seemed to greatly enjoy her considerate and endearing attentiveness.

If one were to describe her as gentle, Layue truly wouldn’t qualify, yet she possessed a unique charm of her own.

When the group was nearly a month away from returning to the capital, they finally arrived back in the imperial city. As Layue passed through the city gates, she felt a complex mix of emotions, a bitterness she couldn’t quite articulate.

At one time, she had even believed she might never return to the capital again.

Compared to Jingdi, Layue appeared more worn out.

During this time, she had devoted herself to taking care of him. As a result, Jingdi had improved significantly, both physically and mentally.

During the nearly month-long period when Jingdi and Layue were in life-threatening danger, the people in the capital also experienced a difficult time.

Everyone had their own speculations.

Just as these rumors and anxieties were reaching their peak, news came that the Emperor would soon return.

At this point, people finally felt relieved.

Whether it was the high-ranking officials in court or the concubines in the palace, everyone had their own thoughts about the situation.

With the Emperor’s prolonged absence, great concern arose—after all, the Emperor was still in his prime. If something were to happen to him, the young princes were still too small, and the only suitable successor would be the Sixth Prince, who had a strained relationship with the Emperor.

Precisely for this reason, almost no officials in court were close to the Sixth Prince. If the Sixth Prince were to ascend the throne, it would be a devastating blow to everyone involved.

Similarly, the same concerns applied to the concubines in the inner palace.

Fortunately, their worries did not come to pass—Emperor Jingdi had truly returned unharmed.

Except for a few who knew the truth, no one else was aware of what had happened to the Emperor during his absence.

As per tradition, the concubines waited at the palace gates. Jingdi’s expression showed no joy; he simply gave a brief command for everyone to disperse, then arranged for Layue to return to the palace. Seeing Layue gazing at him longingly, he knew she missed her children dearly.

“Yue, accompany me to assist the Empress Dowager back to Huici Palace.”

Without giving the others a second glance, he departed—his demeanor was quite different from his usual gentlemanly and gentle manner.

Upon hearing this, Layue quickly went to assist the Empress Dowager. Noticing Layue’s tired appearance, the Empress Dowager asked, “Yue, are you exhausted from the journey?”

Layue smiled and nodded. “A little, but thinking about returning to the palace gave me a renewed sense of strength.”

The Empress Dowager naturally understood—this girl missed her children. After nearly a month apart, not only a mother would feel this longing; even she herself missed the little ones dearly.

Seeing Jingdi and Noble Consort Shen assisting the Empress Dowager away, the others naturally dispersed.

After returning to Huici Palace, the Empress Dowager carefully examined Jingdi.

“How is your body, Chè? Earlier news mentioned you were unwell. I was extremely worried.”

Jingdi had not previously disclosed the full extent of his illness to her.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to tell her the truth. “Actually, I did not have a cold.”

The Empress Dowager showed no surprise—she had suspected something from the beginning. Others might not know, but she had sensed the palace’s unusual activity.

If Chè were fine, the secret guards wouldn’t have been activated.

After sitting down, the Empress Dowager looked at Jingdi, waiting for him to continue.

“I had smallpox.”

Startled, the teacup in the Empress Dowager’s hand trembled, spilling some tea.

Madame Gui quickly stepped forward to assist.

Placing the cup down, the Empress Dowager anxiously examined her son from head to toe.

When she noticed the faint marks on his arms beneath his sleeves, her expression changed.

“Smallpox? How could you contract smallpox? Are you alright now?” She realized he must be fine, otherwise he wouldn’t have returned.

Her voice trembled with emotion.

Jingdi embraced his mother, comforting her. “Don’t worry, Mother. I am fine now. Three days of prayers left me exhausted, and I collapsed upon finishing. I couldn’t make any arrangements in time. I also thought it best not to spread the news, so I isolated myself there. Yue, Lai Xi, and Imperial Physician Zhang stayed to care for me.”

The Empress Dowager’s voice still trembled. “Thank goodness you’re alright! You nearly scared your mother to death! Don’t you know how worried I’ve been? When I saw the secret guards activated, I knew something must be wrong.”

Jingdi had anticipated her reaction.

“Mother, I’m back now. Everything is over, all over.”

Still shaken, the Empress Dowager refused to let go of Jingdi’s hand, sitting close to him.

Seeing the situation stabilize, Madame Gui arranged for servants to summon the young princes and princesses.

Before long,

A group led by Apricot arrived.

At this time, Yan Yu and Yan Jia were attending lessons and weren’t present.

Unable to contain her excitement, Layue quickly stood up.

Seeing her eagerness, the Empress Dowager understood her feelings.

“Quickly bring the children to their mother.”

Layue hurried forward and took Jiaojiao into her arms. In nearly a month, the little girl seemed to have grown a bit.

Held by her mother, Jiaojiao seemed to sense a familiar presence.

“Waaa—” she burst into tears, as if unleashing all her pent-up grievances.

Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth children, hearing their sister cry, also began to cry.

Layue’s heart ached as tears streamed down her face while she rocked the child, whispering, “Don’t cry, baby, don’t cry. Mommy’s little treasure, don’t cry…”

The fourth and fifth children, not being held by their mother, cried even louder than their older sister, Jiaojiao.

Jingdi couldn’t help himself and took the two children into his arms. Being held by their father, the two cried even more intensely.

“Look how wronged these children feel…” The Empress Dowager also wiped away her tears.

Thinking about how close she had come to losing her son, the Empress Dowager felt a deep sense of sorrow.

“Good child, don’t cry. Boys shouldn’t cry like this.”

After entering the inner chamber, all three children were placed on the heated brick bed. Layue, feeling the fatigue of the journey, hesitated to touch their bare skin.

Though she refrained from physical contact, she still played with the children for a while.

Eventually, when the little ones grew tired and fell asleep,

Layue looked somewhat embarrassed at the Empress Dowager and Jingdi.

The Empress Dowager smiled. “You’ve had a long journey. Go back and freshen up. The children are asleep now; leave them here for now. We don’t want to wake them. When they wake up, I’ll have Madame Gui send them back to you.”

Layue bowed slightly. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager rarely acted this way, but she personally helped Layue up.

“You silly child, go back now.”

Layue nodded.

As the two exited Huici Palace, Jingdi held Layue’s hand.

“Accompany me back to Xuanming Hall to refresh ourselves. The weather is turning cold, and heating water will take time. You’ve always been fond of the hot spring there, haven’t you?”

Layue nodded.

She was naturally willing.

Compared to heated water, she preferred the natural hot spring, which gave a unique sensation.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

During the return journey, Layue had sensed that Jingdi had been treating her differently lately—she felt a bit happy, yet also indifferent.

It was probably just because she had been by his side during his most critical moment.

It had been a while since she last returned to Xuanming Hall, but Jingdi felt no sense of unfamiliarity. It felt like this was where he truly belonged, finally able to relax completely.

He instructed Lai Xi to prepare clothes, then pulled Layue into the back room’s hot spring.

Layue helped Jingdi undress. During the past days, she had become quite skilled at changing his clothes.

Like when he was ill, Jingdi remained still, waiting for her to serve him.

After removing his clothes and placing them aside, Layue noticed his erect penis and blushed slightly. It had been a month since they last had intimate relations.

Though Jingdi showed signs of arousal, he did not act on it, instead stepping directly into the hot spring.

He instructed, “Quickly take off your clothes and come in.”

Layue nodded hastily and began to undress.

For some reason, undressing herself felt less natural than undressing him.

After hesitating a bit, she placed her hands over her chest, barely covering her full bosom.

Seeing her like this, Jingdi didn’t say anything, simply reclining on the stone chair in the water.

Layue dipped one foot into the water, then submerged her entire body.

She exhaled in relief—it felt so good!

Obediently, she approached Jingdi and lay on the chair beside him. The pool contained only two stone chairs, and they were placed side by side.

As she snuggled in and lay down, she didn’t notice the slight smirk on his lips.

Once settled, she left only her head above water.

She turned her head to look at Jingdi beside her.

Jingdi’s body bore some scars from smallpox. Perhaps because he had just recovered, his appearance was somewhat frightening.

But Layue wasn’t afraid. She had even seen him in worse conditions—perhaps even forms that he himself would have found repulsive.

Seeing Layue examining his body, Jingdi glanced down. As a man, he didn’t mind the scars, but he didn’t want to see her look of disgust.

Looking at her again, he found no sign of the disgust or fear he had expected.

Unable to control his emotions, he asked, “You’re not afraid?”

Layue asked in confusion, “Why would I be afraid?”

She had intended to say more, but thought better of it and swallowed her words.

Though she didn’t speak, Jingdi understood her thoughts.

Indeed, she had seen him in far worse conditions—what were these scars now?

Yet, thinking again, he felt somewhat awkward.

“The Imperial Physician Zhang said that with continued medication, these scars will fade within a year or so.”

Layue chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Is the Emperor really so concerned about his looks?”

Her tone was teasing.

Jingdi laughed.

With a sudden move, he flipped her onto her back.

“Are you mocking me?”

It had been a long time since they last had intimate relations. Layue, unprepared, blushed instantly.

Shaking her head,

She pushed him away.

Seeing her usually plump face had thinned from exhaustion, Jingdi’s face softened. The warmth of the hot spring had given her cheeks a delicate red hue.

He immediately forgot his previous question.

Firmly, he parted her legs.

Then, with a thrust,

He began the familiar rhythm…