When A wu asked dejectedly about her father, mother, and brother, the nearby Palace Ladies turned pale.
They had just noticed that Noble Consort wasn’t well, but for the moment didn’t know how to bring it up to the Emperor.
The Nursemaids nearby looked frightened and unsure of how to respond.
Emperor Jingxi silently observed A wu, who had been unconscious for several days.
She leaned weakly against the bolster, her cheeks so pale they were almost translucent.
Fragile and helpless, she bit her lip, her face filled with confusion.
The bedchamber was deathly silent.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to make a sound.
Emperor Jingxi raised a hand in a gesture, and the Nursemaids and Palace Ladies silently withdrew in order.
A wu finally fixed her timid gaze on Emperor Jingxi’s face.
Her eyes were timid, a little scared, but also curious.
It reminded Emperor Jingxi of the first time he saw her—like a fledgling just fallen into this world, gazing at it with innocent wonder.
Before such eyes, he dared not even breathe too heavily.
He locked eyes with her, speaking softly and slowly, “A wu, you really don’t remember me?”
A wu carefully shook her head.
Emperor Jingxi fell into a suffocating silence.
Having learned the truth, seeing her try to escape, he had silently endured it all alone.
Now, standing before her, he had weighed many words in his heart—how to persuade her, how to soothe her, how to make her turn back and believe that he would handle everything steadily and properly.
His heart stirred.
But she, so lightly, said she didn’t remember.
Said she didn’t know him.
And then she left, leaving him standing there alone.
At that moment, a Nursemaid returned with the soft porridge specially instructed by the Imperial Physicians—meant to be given to A wu once she woke.
Emperor Jingxi ordered the Nursemaid to withdraw again, then said to A wu, “I am your husband.”
A wu’s eyes widened, “Hu-husband?”
Emperor Jingxi: “Yes. My family name is Yong, and my given name is Tianze. You may call me Tianze, or Zelang.”
A wu frowned, whispering, “Zelang?”
Emperor Jingxi watched her thin, soft lips barely utter the word.
He knew it was unconscious, but his chest inexplicably ached.
Suppressing his feelings, he smiled and said, “You’ve been ill and bedridden for days. Now that you’re awake, come, wash up first.”
As he spoke, he gently grasped her wrist and tenderly yet firmly pulled her into his embrace.
A wu looked dazed and too weak to resist, softly nestling in his arms and letting him care for her.
Emperor Jingxi personally helped her wash and wiped her chin carefully with a handkerchief.
Afterward, he brought the bowl of porridge and fed her spoonful by spoonful.
She was still a little muddled, not recognizing him, as if wanting to ask something, but since he fed her, she opened her mouth.
Her delicate, soft lips gradually regained some color, adding a hint of bloom to her appearance.
She ate the porridge in small bites, like a little fledgling being fed.
Emperor Jingxi had never fed anyone like this—not even his own newborn children.
Watching A wu eat so delicately, an odd feeling blossomed inside him—bittersweet, yet fulfilling.
He thought, though she said she didn’t recognize him, deep down she still felt familiar with him.
When she had eaten half the porridge, Emperor Jingxi stopped feeding her.
A wu opened her round little mouth and looked at him expectantly and confused.
She wanted more.
Emperor Jingxi picked up the handkerchief and gently wiped her lips and said, “The Imperial Physician said you can only have half a bowl after waking up. You mustn’t eat too much.”
A wu looked disappointed.
She licked her lips and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Emperor Jingxi smiled gently and said softly, “No more for now. Let’s get up and walk a bit.”
A wu blinked in confusion, then nodded slightly.
Emperor Jingxi helped her down from the bed.
But barely had she touched the floor when her vision darkened and she nearly collapsed.
He caught her frail body and carefully laid her back on the bed, pulling the covers over her.
A wu’s sharp little chin rested on the pure white bedding.
She bit her lip, looking up at him with curiosity.
Emperor Jingxi lightly raised an eyebrow.
“Hmm?”
A wu gazed up at the man above her, struggling to process, “You are… A wu’s husband?”
Emperor Jingxi: “Yes.”
He tilted his head slightly, his noble and handsome face carrying a trace of sadness and hurt.
“A wu, don’t you remember? I am your Zelang, your husband.”
Guilt flickered in A wu’s clear eyes.
She bit her lip. “I, I…”
She truly did not remember—she didn’t know…
Emperor Jingxi lifted a hand and gently traced her lips with his fingertip, watching her subtle expression closely.
She seemed startled, then instantly flushed with a rosy blush, shyness swimming in her eyes.
Emperor Jingxi lowered his voice, leaning close to whisper in her ear, coaxing gently, “I am Zelang, your husband, always by your side, a loving couple.”
His voice was low, mellow, and warm—a tone that could enchant any young lady.
But now, the memory-lost and naive A wu was especially dazed, cheeks reddening shyly as she quietly looked at him.
Emperor Jingxi smiled, bowing slightly, letting her gaze rest on him.
But A wu seemed bashful, clutching the bedding and lightly tugging it to cover half her face.
Emperor Jingxi teased, “Remember me now?”
A wu remained silent.
Her long, thick black lashes slowly lifted, revealing bright, innocent eyes that looked at him with cautious curiosity and some confusion.
Emperor Jingxi’s voice softened, “Is something troubling you?”
A wu bit the corner of the bedding and whispered faintly, “How old are you this year?”
Emperor Jingxi: “Hmm? What do you think? How old do I look to you?”
A wu tilted her head, studying him, “Are you in your twenties?”
Emperor Jingxi was silent for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, “About.”
A wu said, “I guess you’re older than my brother, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight!”
She bluntly guessed a rather high age.
Emperor Jingxi’s smile was subtle and pleased.
A wu muttered quietly.
Emperor Jingxi: “What was that?”
A wu, dissatisfied, said, “You seem a bit old. A wu doesn’t like such an old husband.”
Emperor Jingxi’s smile froze.
A wu sighed again, “Too old! I don’t want that!”
Emperor Jingxi: “Am I… really that old?”
A wu looked incredulous. “Isn’t that old?”
Emperor Jingxi: “We’re not that far apart, are we?”
A wu was confused.
After a while, she said blankly, “Not far? I’m so young and beautiful, and you’re already so old. How can you say we’re not far apart?”
She didn’t understand this man before her—over twenty years old, wasn’t that old?
How dare he call himself her husband?
Of course she wouldn’t want such a husband!
Emperor Jingxi was silent.
Perhaps, he was indeed a little older.
The Crown Prince was young, Yehan was young, even Lu Yunjian was a few years younger than him.
***
In the past two or three days, A wu’s body had recovered somewhat.
She was no longer so weak, able to get up and walk slowly, even stand outside in the courtyard with assistance.
Yet she still didn’t remember her past.
From Emperor Jingxi’s probing, she only recalled that her family had gone to sea.
But all that followed—her mother’s death, everything else—she had no memory of.
When further questioned, A wu held her head and said she had a headache.
She was confused, remembering nothing.
All the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Physicians’ Institute came—dozens of venerable, white-haired medical experts had taken her pulse.
They gathered to discuss at length but could not give a definitive diagnosis.
Aside from slight weakness, A wu’s body was fine.
There were no signs of trauma or bruising on her head.
They could only speculate that the Imperial Noble Consort had suffered a serious shock and emotional turmoil, causing partial memory loss.
Emperor Jingxi fell into a long silence over this.
His quietness made the Imperial Physicians uneasy.
After some time, he raised his hand to signal them to withdraw, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Lately, the palace had been rife with turmoil—the Empress had died and was deposed, the inner palace was vacant.
Everyone suspected that this Imperial Noble Consort was next in line to rule the inner palace.
No one expected such a thing to happen.
Once everyone left and the bedchamber grew quiet, Emperor Jingxi studied A wu in the dim light.
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