Chapter 27: An Invitation from the Prince

He had done this once before on their wedding night, exhausting every ounce of his spirit. That previous exertion had plunged him into a coma for several days before he regained any sensory awareness of the outside world.

His hand rose, ever so slightly, but that tiny movement was all he could muster before it fell back onto the bed. Yet, remarkably, he did not sink into a deep slumber as he had before; he remained conscious enough to hear the voices of the few people present.

The three young women, working with fervent dedication, did not notice his movement. They were busy slicing herbs, grinding them into powder, sifting, mixing the paste over a small stove, dusting it, and finally rolling the mixture into small spheres by hand. The three teenagers worked until the stroke of midnight to finish their task. Seeing the little black balls, each half the size of a cherry, they felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"My Lady, is that it?" Jianghua asked, rubbing her weary eyes.

"It still needs to dry. Once dried, we can bottle them. This is only one hundred pills, enough to last Elder Jin six days."

"Ah? We worked so hard, and it’s only enough for six days? And My Lady, you didn't charge a consultation fee, so didn't we just work for nothing?"

"Don't worry, we need to establish a reputation first; there will be money to be made later," Yu Yuanzheng replied with a chuckle. Her two maids were surprisingly more money-minded than she was.

"Alright, time for bed." Yu Yuanzheng let out a massive yawn. "Leave the pills on the table; they should be set by tomorrow morning. Then we can slowly dry them further before bottling."

The next day, Yu Yuanzheng and her two maids all overslept. After only a few days of leisure, their biological clocks had already failed them. It was not until Nanny Ye arrived for her shift that the two maids sleeping in the outer room were startled awake.

"Oh my, young ladies, why are you still sleeping? It’s long past the time to pay respects to the Princess Consort."

Whenever Nanny Ye had arrived in the past, the Crown Prince's consort would have already risen to greet the Princess Consort, but today, not a soul was awake. What could have happened? She wasn't angry, but she felt that something was amiss.

Ziyue and Jianghua, seeing the sun streaming into the room, scrambled up in a panic. They threw on their clothes in a flurry before rushing in to wake Yu Yuanzheng.

"My Lady! My Lady, wake up!"

Yu Yuanzheng was in the middle of a beautiful dream, imagining that she had finally gotten married. Even better, her husband was a handsome man, and to her surprise, it was a May-December romance—she was thirty-eight, and he was in his twenties. But why couldn't she see his face clearly?

"My Lady?" Ziyue, seeing that two calls had failed to rouse her, reached through the curtain to nudge her mistress, who was sleeping on the outer side of the bed.

Abruptly torn from her dream, Yu Yuanzheng was about to lose her temper when she opened her eyes and saw the face of Shangguan Ziqi. So, that was what the handsome man looked like.

Hmm? Wait. Why did this face look so familiar?

Her vegetative husband!

Returning to reality, she pulled back the bed curtains.

"Goodness, the sun is already high in the sky," Yu Yuanzheng exclaimed.

"My Lady, you shouldn't speak like that," Jianghua said, feeling that the mention of the "sun on one's bottom" was too vulgar.

Yu Yuanzheng washed up quickly, hoping the Princess Consort would not take offense. Just as she was about to step out of the courtyard, she encountered Yuanshan and Jinshui, who were coming to attend to the Crown Prince. Yuanshan was carrying something on his shoulder. When Yu Yuanzheng saw what it was, her eyes lit up.

"Yuanshan, it’s finished already?"

"Yes, Crown Prince's Consort. It was delivered yesterday evening. The workshop that Chunlei found, upon hearing it was a wheelchair for the Prince, had several masters work overtime to finish it quickly," Yuanshan explained.

"Good, very good. Take it inside. I’m going to pay my respects to Mother and will be right back."

However, halfway there, she ran into Qiuye, the Princess Consort’s head maid.

"This servant greets the Crown Prince's Consort."

"Did Mother send you?"

"Yes, My Lady. The Princess Consort asked me to inquire if you are feeling unwell. If you are not feeling well, there is no need to pay your respects; you may rest in your courtyard and spend more time with the Crown Prince."

"Has Mother had her breakfast?" Yu Yuanzheng felt a bit embarrassed.

"She has. The Princess Consort waited for half an hour when you didn't arrive at the start of the morning, and when you still hadn't come, she ate without you."

"Oh, I slept late last night and overslept this morning. I won't disturb Mother while she attends to the household affairs."

Qiuye returned to deliver the message, and Yu Yuanzheng turned back to her room. The two attendants were already skillfully washing the Crown Prince, feeding him porridge, and changing his clothes. It was April, the season of spring blossoms, and the late morning sun was pleasantly warm.

"Yuanshan, Jinshui, how about we move the Crown Prince into the courtyard to soak up some sun?" Seeing the wheelchair was ready, she decided to put it to use.

"Very well." They had heard the Consort say before that the Prince would benefit from the sunshine.

Working together, they placed the Crown Prince into the wheelchair, and Yu Yuanzheng adjusted the backrest so he was in a semi-reclined position. They wheeled him out into the courtyard. The cleaning maids were curious and came over to pay their respects, having not seen the Crown Prince in a long time.

"My Lady, you haven't eaten breakfast this morning. There is still some porridge left that the small kitchen prepared for the Prince; would you like some?" Nanny Ye approached with a tray.

"Nanny Ye is very thoughtful." Yu Yuanzheng had a good impression of the nanny; having someone so devoted to their master in the household saved her a lot of worry. The porridge was egg-drop porridge.

It would be even better if she could add some medicinal herbs to aid the Crown Prince's recovery.

"Nanny, you are primarily responsible for the Crown Prince's diet, correct?"

"Yes, My Lady. I usually prepare a ten-day menu for the Princess Consort to review. If she approves, I prepare his three meals accordingly."

"Bring me the menu for the next few days." Yu Yuanzheng felt a pang of guilt; she had been here for ten days and hadn't paid enough attention to his care. He was her patient, and she should be fully responsible for him.

Nanny Ye quickly brought the list. Yu Yuanzheng reviewed every meal. Because he had difficulty swallowing, it was mostly porridge—lotus seed, red bean, sweet potato, red date and longan, vegetable and meat—the variety was dizzying. The Prince’s manor certainly lacked for nothing.

"Have you been preparing any medicinal meals for him?" Yu Yuanzheng asked.

"Previously, the imperial physician said that since the Prince is already taking medicine, there is no need for medicinal meals, as it might cause internal heat and be detrimental to his health."

"I see. From now on, I will arrange his diet. You simply need to prepare the ingredients according to my list."

"This..." Nanny Ye hesitated. Although the Consort was his wife, she had only been here ten days, and it was unclear how much she truly cared for him. In the nanny's mind, a young maiden forced into a marriage with a bedridden man would likely grow to resent him over time.

"Don't worry, I will discuss this with Mother."

As Yu Yuanzheng sipped her porridge, she began to consider which medicinal porridges would be good for the brain. Ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, Solomon’s seal, Schisandra, and Lingzhi were all beneficial.

Soaking in the sun and watching the sleeping beauty, her mind drifted. Would he really die in six months? If history were immutable, then he would certainly die. But history had already changed because of her arrival and the rebirth and marriage swap of her cousin. If their fates could change, could his?

Just as she was lost in thought, Nanny Zhao from the main courtyard arrived at the Qiya Courtyard. Seeing the Crown Prince out in the sun, she felt a sense of relief.

"Greetings, Crown Prince's Consort. The Prince requests your presence in the main courtyard," Nanny Zhao said, interrupting Yu Yuanzheng's reverie.

"The Prince? Not the Princess Consort?" Yu Yuanzheng wondered if she had heard correctly.