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Chapter 62 : He is beyond cure. Every day that passes will be painful.
That evening, after Huo Tan returned, Cui Yunzhao mentioned the matter to him.
Huo Tan immediately said, “If Uncle and Aunt are coming to Boling, I should go pay my respects to my elders as well.”
Cui Yunzhao had been thinking about other things, and it wasn’t until Huo Tan reminded her that she came back to her senses.
“I had so much on my mind today that I completely forgot about this. You’re really attentive, my lord.”
“Yes, i should definitely meet them,” Huo Tan said decisively. “I’ll ask Su Er and Uncle Ping to prepare the gifts. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Su Er deliver them to Uncle’s residence, saying I’ll be going to pay my respects as well.”
Once Huo Tan finished speaking, he turned and headed outside. Cui Yunzhao couldn’t help but smile at his urgency.
When Huo Tan returned after making arrangements, dinner was ready.
Cui Yunzhao teased him, “Are you nervous about meeting my uncle?”
Huo Tan had been focused on how to handle things, and when Cui Yunzhao reminded him, his hand that was picking up food suddenly paused.
“Wife,” Huo Tan blinked and looked at Cui Yunzhao, “What kind of person is my uncle? And my aunt?”
It turned out he wasn’t not nervous; he was just too busy to remember!
Cui Yunzhao covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “I came to talk to you.”
After the couple chatted for a while, dinner was soon over. By the time they washed up, changed, and lay down on the bed, Cui Yunzhao quickly felt drowsy. She moved her neck to find a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and was ready to sleep.
Huo Tan, however, surprisingly did not fall asleep. Listening to Cui Yunzhao’s breathing beside him, he gently asked, “My lady, should I just go through the formalities and not actually go?”
Cui Yunzhao was startled awake. She opened her eyes in the dark and looked at Huo Tan’s outline. He was lying flat beside her, not turning to face her, seemingly gazing calmly at the carved ceiling above.
“My lord, this isn’t like you,” she replied.
Huo Tan chuckled softly, “Yes, it isn’t like me. But right now, I can’t bring you honor. If I were to embarrass you in front of your uncle and aunt, it would put you in a difficult position.”
Huo Tan knew that the Yin family had not opposed their marriage but did not seem particularly pleased either. They sent congratulatory gifts, yet no one from the family showed up. While appearances were there, the reality was unknown. Huo Tan was aware that there was a significant disparity in their statuses. Under such circumstances, he was not the son-in-law favored by the elders.
If he went to the Yin family, it was likely he would not bring honor to Cui Yunzhao, but instead embarrass her, drawing criticism from her uncle and aunt.
It was rare for Huo Tan to be this considerate. Cui Yunzhao quietly listened to him and couldn’t help but smile, but soon sighed.
“My lord, I know what others say. They want to see us make a fool of ourselves. They say we’re mismatched, I’m of lower status while you are of higher status. They wait for the day we have a falling out and can no longer continue together.”
“But I won’t.”
Cui Yunzhao’s voice was clear, shining like a beacon in the dark night, guiding Huo Tan.
“My life, my destiny, I don’t like being judged by outsiders. Just as people know how warm or cold the water they drink is, I know how well I’m living.”
Huo Tan’s hand slowly moved to Cui Yunzhao’s wrist, first gently touching her, then softly holding her hand.
The couple held hands, lying side by side.
Behind closed doors, life continued.
Cui Yunzhao said, “My lord, you don’t have to do what you don’t want for my sake. I’m not as fragile as you think.”
“Visiting one’s uncle is only right for a son-in-law.”
Huo Tan had indeed acted impulsively at first. He was usually decisive and had forgotten to ask Cui Yunzhao for her opinion. It wasn’t until everything was arranged that he realized he didn’t know if she was willing for him to accompany her to visit her uncle.
So, he had spoken up earlier. He hadn’t expected his wife to comfort him instead.
Huo Tan chuckled softly.
“My lady truly has a broad mind, I feel ashamed in comparison.”
Cui Yunzhao turned her wrist and grasped Huo Tan’s hand.
Their warm palms touched, bringing a sense of comfort.
“Sleep now.”
Huo Tan replied softly, “Good night.”
Cui Yunzhao quickly sank into a dream.
When she felt herself slowly drifting down from the clouds, she suddenly realized she seemed to be dreaming.
The scene before her was familiar yet strange.
She found herself in a beautifully crafted garden, covered in white snow during winter, yet the garden remained stunning.
The pines and cypress were evergreen, and many cold-resistant flowers still bloomed in vibrant colors.
The garden’s pavilions and corridors resembled a heavenly palace.
It was obvious that the garden had been meticulously maintained, with every sight and object exuding elegance and showcasing royal grandeur.
Being in a dream, Cui Yunzhao felt her reactions were slow; everything she saw and did seemed veiled.
So, she drifted alone in the garden for a while before suddenly realizing where she was.
This was the Four Seasons Garden in Lingxiao Palace.
She had been here before.
Although she resided in Changle Bieyuan, she visited Bianjing every year during the New Year celebrations to pay her respects to the emperor, and each year she was assigned to stay at Wutongzhai next to the Four Seasons Garden.
The Four Seasons Garden was not part of the inner palace but more like the royal garden of Huo Tan’s sleeping quarters. Wutongzhai, being adjacent, also lay outside the palace, located between the court and the inner palace.
During the second year of the Jianyuan era, it was Huo Tan’s first New Year after ascending the throne, and when Cui Yunzhao arrived in the capital, she was assigned to stay there. She had hesitated at that time.
She owned a private residence in Bianjing and had initially intended to stay there. However, Huo Xinzhi advised her against it.
Huo Xinzhi mentioned that Bianjing was not safe, if she stayed outside the palace, she would need additional protection. Since she wasn’t close to the Cui family, staying with them wouldn’t be ideal, so staying in the palace was the most reasonable option.
Cui Yunzhao didn’t want to trouble Huo Tan or quarrel with him during the New Year, so she didn’t say much and directly moved into Wutongzhai.
She stayed there for two years, but by the third year, she suddenly caught a cold.
She spent the entire New Year bedridden, and due to her severe illness, she even submitted a memorial requesting punishment since she could not pay her respects to the emperor during the New Year.
At that time, Huo Tan issued an edict directly, instructing her to rest and not to move.
From then on, Lingxiao Palace sent a physician to Changle Bieyuan to help her recover.
Cui Yunzhao had previously developed a sensitivity to the cold after falling into icy water during winter, which left her weak, especially in the colder months. By the fourth year of the Jianyuan era, her condition flared up, leading to a serious illness.
Now, the Four Seasons Garden was empty, devoid of any people, with only the pavilions and towers standing against the snow.
Cui Yunzhao’s thoughts wandered as she reminisced about the past in her dream. She seemed to be lost in thought for quite a while until she suddenly heard footsteps.
Slow to react, Cui Yunzhao didn’t have time to hide and saw two figures approaching from a distance. They appeared to be two officials.
Cui Yunzhao floated high above the flower beds, but the two officials didn’t seem to notice her; they looked anxious and exhausted, exuding a sense of despair and panic.
Cui Yunzhao moved slightly, but the two men still didn’t see her. It dawned on her that the people in her dream couldn’t see her.
She took a couple of steps forward and jumped down from the flower bed, landing lightly in front of the two men.
Once she stood before them, Cui Yunzhao was suddenly taken aback.
One of the officials was someone she recognized.
Or rather, he wasn’t an official at all.
The two men before her were both dressed in green official robes with narrow sleeves. Their fish pouches were uniquely styled, not the ordinary silver ones used by officials, but embroidered with colorful koi.
These two were physicians from the imperial medical institution.
At the beginning of the dynasty, there weren’t many officials in the imperial medical institution; aside from the head and two deputies, there were only a few medical supervisors.
Judging by the color of their robes, both were likely medical supervisors.
One of them was Xiao Qinghe, the physician who had been sent to Changle Bieyuan to treat her.
Though Xiao Qinghe was not very old, Cui Yunzhao vaguely remembered he was still below thirty. Coming from a family of physicians and excelling in pharmacology, he had quickly risen to the rank of medical supervisor upon entering the imperial medical institution.
He had treated Cui Yunzhao’s cold sensitivity with bold methods, proving himself to be a talented young doctor.
Seeing him for the first time in a while, Cui Yunzhao felt a sudden daze.
She recalled that before that day, it had been over a month since she had seen him. At that time, she had asked the palace attendants, who only said that Xiao Qinghe had family matters to attend to and would return in a few days.
She hadn’t thought much of it.
Recently, she had a dream where it seemed that the physicians from Changle Bieyuan had been summoned back to Lingxiao Palace.
Now, seeing this, it was clear that Xiao Qinghe had indeed been recalled, and the attendants had spun a tale to spare her feelings, not daring to tell her the truth.
As Cui Yunzhao struggled to recall more, the two physicians began to speak.
The elder physician, with dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair, looked unkempt, as if he hadn’t slept well for several days.
“This illness is probably difficult to treat, Qinghe, let it go,” he said.
Xiao Qinghe remained silent, pressing his dry, cracked lips together, his expression unreadable.
“What if we seek other remedies?” he suggested.
“I know the disease has already affected the lungs, it’s likely only a matter of days… but if we don’t try…”
Before Xiao Qinghe could finish, the other physician immediately interrupted, “Be quiet.”
Xiao Qinghe moved his lips but ultimately said nothing more.
The two of them stood there, faces filled with worry, until the elder physician finally placed a hand on Xiao Qinghe’s shoulder.
“This is not something we can intervene in.”
“Qinghe, you’re still young. You must understand that a physician is different from a regular doctor.”
Xiao Qinghe’s youthful face suddenly took on a sarcastic expression.
“How are they different? Aren’t we all healing the sick?”
The other physician shook his head.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sun hidden behind thick clouds.
It was a particularly gloomy day.
Layers of dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun and shutting warm rays away from the earth.
Once, that sunlight had been so dazzling.
The elder physician suddenly lowered his head, as if wiping away tears.
“Qinghe, physicians are officials, and as officials, we must follow orders from above.”
He didn’t turn around, nor did he look at Xiao Qinghe.
“As for the remedies, that depends on the head of the institution,” his voice grew hoarse, “We have limited capabilities and shallow knowledge, and ultimately, we can’t discern what is truly happening.”
“At this point, he is beyond treatment, every additional day brings suffering. We can only make it… less painful.”
Xiao Qinghe clenched his fists tightly.
Red veins appeared in his eyes, filled with unwillingness and anger.
It wasn’t directed at the elder physician, it seemed to be aimed solely at his own inadequacy.
“We can look again, ask around, perhaps someone will know,” Xiao Qinghe’s voice was dry.
But the elder physician shook his head again.
His figure was so desolate, so restless.
“Without an imperial decree, we can’t do anything.”
“Qinghe, I remind you again, we are officials.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Yunzhao felt a sharp pain in her heart, like being pierced by a needle.
She suddenly opened her eyes wide, sitting up abruptly from her bed, gasping for breath.
It took her a while to slowly calm down.
Only then did she realize her back was drenched in cold sweat, and her whole body felt icy and trembling.
It was as if she had experienced a terrifying nightmare.
But this dream was merely an ordinary afternoon in Lingxiao Palace, what could be so terrifying?
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