The Empress’s inner room was wide and the curtains were slightly lowered.
There was a beautiful sickly woman lying on the bed in the dignified and elegantly decorated room.
Right now, there was only a young palace maid kneeling by the bed, wiping the empress’s lips and then feeding her a sip of water.
Gu Nuo’er twisted her little body and looked at the empress with a clear gaze.
Du Yilan had become even skinnier and weaker than how she had remembered her to be.
She wore a blue and white dress, her black hair tied up loosely by a jade hairpin.
She didn’t look like an empress but like a calm and gentle fairy.
She looked very sickly and her lips were pale. The arms under her sleeves were very thin.
The jade pendant made from Imperial jade hung loosely on her hand, being able to slide all the way up to her elbow!
Noble Consort Qiao took a look at the surroundings, feeling a little displeased.
“Why are there so few people taking care of Elder Sister Lan? Have they all run out to goof off?”
As Noble Consort Qiao said this, she wanted to get Wanyin to summon the other palace attendants back.
The empress raised her hand to stop her and smiled weakly. “Sister, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I was the one who asked them to leave.”
“I’m not in good health and it’s not convenient for me to go out, but I don’t want them to always be restrained in front of me and be cooped up indoors.”
After Du Yilan finished speaking, she looked at the fair child in Noble Consort Qiao’s arms who looked like an ice or jade carving.
She smiled lovingly. “But why did you bring Nuonuo over? I was so afraid that I would spread my illness to her. Cough, cough…”
The empress had only said a few words when she started to cover her mouth and cough.
Gu Nuo’er twisted her body and got off onto the ground. She stepped on her small boots and ran unsteadily to the bed.
She fluttered her black eyelashes and looked at the empress, her watery black eyes like grapes.
Gu Nuo’er said in her childish tone, “Empress Mother, Nuonuo is worried about you and wants to come to visit you. You’ll definitely get better!”
She was well-behaved and adorable, speaking sweetly like a cheerful and fair doll.
The empress laughed softly when she heard this. “Alright, Nuonuo. After I get better, I’ll give you a good hug.”
However, there was something that the empress and Noble Consort Qiao didn’t know.
Gu Nuo’er had just finished speaking when many fine light rays that were like white threads suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The child opened her eyes white and watched as the white light gently and slowly covered the empress.
They wrapped around her arms, legs, and neck.
These white lights gradually sucked out a lot of black glow.
The empress’s countenance also seemed to have a little more glow to it.
It was until the white threads were covered by the black glow that they suddenly turned into little beads in the air and then dissipated.
Gu Nuo’er opened her mouth slightly, her innocent eyes filled with curiosity.
The empress suddenly felt a little more spirited.
Even the usual feeling of having a stone pressing against her chest felt a lot better.
She asked the palace maid to place a pillow behind her back and helped her to sit up so that she could have a chat with the noble consort and Nuo’er.
Empress Du broke into a warm smile. “I feel so happy seeing how well-behaved Nuo’er is. How nice would it be if I had also given birth to a daughter back then.”
Noble Consort Qiao knew that the empress always had this one thing on her mind.
She tried to persuade her, “His Highness just hasn’t grown up yet and is now at the non-submissive phase of his life. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be filial to Elder Sister Lan.”
The first son the empress had given birth to was already 16 years old. As he was rebellious, ruthless, and tyrannical by nature, the emperor hadn’t given him the title of the crown prince yet.
Five years ago, this First Prince had quarreled with the empress, which caused him to bring up to Gu Yihan that he wanted to go to the borders to train himself. Back then, he was only 11 years old.
The emperor had also been heartless, waving his hand and allowing it.
Since his departure, he hadn’t come back in five years.
