Perhaps due to the sudden cold weather in winter or the chillier nights during intimate moments with Wei Luo, Yin Hui fell ill as October began, initially with a runny nose and later developing into a persistent cough.
Despite the prescribed medicine from the palace doctor, the wind-cold ailment persisted for seven or eight days, proving resistant to the treatment.
Concerned about potentially passing the illness to her son, Yin Hui took precautions. Each day, upon his arrival, she instructed the maids to open the windows for ventilation. When Xiao Heng visited, she veiled herself and cradled the little one.
Wei Luo, being mindful of the circumstances, chose to remain in the front yard. With errands to run and frequent reports to his father, he exercised caution in his visits. His strong inclination towards cleanliness also played a role; Yin Hui felt more at ease without him present, sparing her the concern of appearing unwell while wiping her nose.
On the evening of the fifth day of the new month, Wei Luo and Xiao Heng had dinner in the front yard. After the meal, the wet nurse intended to take Xiao Heng back to his room in the back yard to rest, and Wei Luo followed.
Without much conversation, Jinzhan emerged from the main room carrying a tray. Spotting the third master, she joyfully called towards the adjacent room, “Madam, the third master is here!” He had spent an additional three nights on guard duty. Was he back now to check if she had fully recovered and share a hearty meal?
She was indeed recovering, but, paying attention to the footsteps outside, when Wei Luo walked to the door of the next room, Yin Hui covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed deliberately.
Entering the room, Wei Luo found her sitting on the couch in a cherry-pink satin jacket, repeatedly coughing toward the window. Her face was flushed, and her long, drooping eyelashes revealed the fragility and sadness of someone in illness.
“Why are you still coughing so badly?” Wei Luo asked from the edge of the couch, positioned diagonally in front of her. “Shouldn’t we call the doctor to have a look?”
Yin Hui glanced at him, grabbed the nearby veil, and placed it on her face before replying, “It’s almost gone; you don’t have to worry.” The snow-white gauze covered her face, exposing only a pair of watery eyes and bright red lips.
Observing that Wei Luo remained silent after glancing at her, Yin Hui inquired suspiciously, “What’s the matter?”
Yinzhan had already left the room by the time Wei Luo entered.
He paused, then retrieved a box from his arms, and placed it in front of her, saying, “Tomorrow is your birthday.”
Yin Hui was taken aback. With everyone focused on her illness, including herself, she had forgotten about it. In the box, there was a green bracelet.
Her complexion already fair, it was hard to determine whether the bracelet accentuated her fairness or if she complemented the greenness of the jewelry. Suddenly, Wei Luo reached out and gently grasped Yin Hui’s wrist.
Yin Hui looked up and saw him gazing down at the bracelet or, perhaps, her hand. The faint bitter taste of medicine emanated from Yin Hui. Wei Luo recalled the medicine bowl that Jinzhan had taken away and said, “Take the quilt at night.”
Her illness was caused by not covering herself properly with a quilt.
Yin Hui withdrew her hand, lowered her head, and let out a soft snort. She remarked, “As long as you’re not here, my quilt will cover me well.” It was he who insisted on making big moves from time to time, and what was even more frustrating was that he exposed himself outside. She fell sick, but Wei Luo remained as robust as ever.
The veil fell, revealing her slightly pouty lips. Wei Luo raised his hand, rubbed his fingertips against her fair neck for a moment, and departed.
Once he left, Yin Hui played with her new birthday gift. Wei Luo seemed to have a bit of a conscience, as he didn’t only focus on certain activities.
In the early morning of the next day, after breakfast, Wei Luo left the harem, preparing to exit the palace through the Donghua Gate. Before reaching the Donghua Gate, the gate on the east side opened, and a postman wearing a red belt hurried in, holding a scroll high in both hands.
Post envoys bringing news from various places to the capital wore black belts, while those sent by the imperial court in the capital to various places wore red belts. A post envoy who could directly order the guards to open the door without King Yan’s permission held an imperial edict and brought urgent reports.
Something significant had happened in the capital! Wei Luo followed the post envoy to Qinzheng Hall .
King Yan, still on duty in the palace, hadn’t had breakfast yet. He practiced Kung Fu before meals. When the young eunuch outside the palace rushed over, reporting an urgent message from the capital, King Yan’s mind buzzed. His first thought was that his father, over sixty years old, might have passed away.
Eunuch Hai quickly supported him.
King Yan steadied himself and hurried to the front hall in his training clothes. Upon seeing his son Wei Luo standing next to the post envoy, King Yan, unsurprised, asked the post envoy directly, “What happened?” The post envoy knelt on the ground, crying, and said, “My lord…” King Yan’s face turned paler when he heard that and tears welled up in his eyes.
“My lord, seven days ago, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince died of illness!” The surging tears in King Yan’s eyes paused upon hearing the news, and immediately rolled down like water from a dike, falling on Eunuch Hai, and then slowly to the ground.
“Father!” Wei Luo rushed over, trying to help his father.
Ignoring his son, King Yan cried and asked the postman to bring the urgent report. Unfolding the report, he saw the document stamped with the jade seal.
The young eunuchs in Qinzheng Hall conveyed the news of the prince’s death to various courtyards of the palace.
Soon, Princess Xu and other wives and concubines, Wei Yang, and other juniors all arrived. Despite Yin Hui’s illness, she had to be present for such a significant event, including Da Lang and other younger brothers.
King Yan, assisted inside, allowed only Princess Xu and Wei Yang inside for the time being.
Facing the document, King Yan wept again, recounting the kindness and generosity of the prince. He spoke of the prince’s care for his younger brothers in childhood, up to the time when he became the crown prince and faced false accusations of domineering and perverting the law, which the court later clarified.
Wei Yang, with red eyes, said, “Father, one can’t come back to life after death. You must take care of your body and not grieve too much.”
King Yan continued to cry, lamenting, “Brother was not even fifty; why did he leave us?!”
He set off a chain of mournful cries. King Yan grieved for his brother, while Wei Yang and his siblings mourned the loss of their uncle.
Outside the hall, Xu Qingwan wiped her tears, and Ji Xianxian also shed a few when she saw her.