Forensic Imperial Concubine

On hearing this, Sherry immediately put down her chopsticks and asked her maid, "Did anyone call the imperial physician when
Her Majesty fainted?"
"My Lady, I don't know. Nancy is disheveled, her eyes red and swollen, and she looks extremely upset. The Sleek Palace may
be in a mess now," Minna said gingerly.
Sherry looked at the emperor who had already put down the chopsticks and said, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty fainted. I'm afraid
the situation is rather serious. Why don't you come along with me and see her?"
When he saw Sherry pleading like that, the emperor couldn't refuse her. What was more, the empress had fainted and he didn't
know if she was well now. The empress was his only wife, and she had responsibility for all the concubines in the palace. He
couldn't brush her aside. So he ordered at once, "Well, guards, get ready to the Sleek Palace."
Sherry followed the emperor and looked at her maid, Minna. Minna nodded modestly at her mistress. There was a glint in
Sherry's eyes, but her expression showed great concern, as if she was worrying about the empress.
It was a total mess in the Sleek Palace. The empress was unconscious, and the chief maid Nancy came to Sherry's palace. The
Sleek Palace was in a total mess with no authoritative leaders, but now that Nancy had come back with Sherry and the emperor,
everyone was relieved.
The emperor had doubted that the empress was pretending to be sick. But when he saw the pale and weak empress lying on the
bed, he believed that she was really sick, and even suffering from a serious illness.
"Where is the imperial physician?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Nancy said anxiously, "Your Majesty, I have sent for the imperial physician, but he hasn't arrived yet. Her
Majesty has been in poor health in recent days. I suggested calling for an imperial physician to check on her health, but she
didn't want me to do so. She regretted that she hadn't taught her child well. Prince Walden was raised by her, but he dared to
commit such a crime. Her Majesty had been meditating and reflecting on her mistakes in the small prayer room every day, but
she refused to let me call for an imperial physician even if she got sick. Your Majesty, Her Majesty..."
"Well, that's enough," the emperor sighed. "Andy, go and check to see where the imperial physician is."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Andy took the order to leave at once. But as soon as he reached the door, he saw that the imperial
physician followed hard on the heels of a young maid.

"Your Majesty, Lady Sherry, greetings."
"Well, there's no need to be ceremonious. Come here and check the empress's condition," the emperor said with steady
calmness.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The imperial physician quickly got up, knelt down by the bed, took out a handkerchief, and covered the
empress's wrist. Then he began to feel her pulse. But after feeling her pulse, he looked thoughtful, and opened his mouth to say
something, but kept quiet after a second thought.
"How is the empress now?" the old emperor inquired, frowning when he saw the imperial physician's grim face.
The imperial physician was somewhat uncertain about his first judgment. He felt the empress's pulse by checking her other
hand. After a long while, he looked at the emperor and replied, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty has had a cold for many days. Also,
she has had much mental stress and suffered from loss of both vital energy and blood, which is why she passed out."
"Is her condition serious?"
"Her Majesty is very weak. She needs good treatment, or else..." The imperial physician looked at the emperor, and then at Lady
Sherry. "It's likely to become a chronic illness."
"Take good care of the empress."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The physician went to write a prescription, and dispatched a servant to get the medicine and decoct it.
Sherry stood nearby the empress.
As the emperor was present, everyone attended to their tasks more briskly. When the physician's assistant arrived with the
medicine, Nancy fed it to the empress. After a short while, the empress woke up. When she saw the emperor sitting by the bed,
her eyes rolled slightly. She quickly struggled to sit up, and saluted him, "Your..."
"All right, just stay in bed and don't move," the emperor told the empress. "Why can't you take care of yourself? If your maid
hadn't come to tell me that you passed out, I wouldn't have known that you were torturing yourself like this."
The empress smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, it's all my fault. I'm the one who brought Walden up from childhood. I
blamed myself for not educating him well. The result of my neglectfulness was that he committed such a terrible crime. Your
Majesty, even if you don't blame me for it, I'm still remorseful."

"It's over. Don't mention it anymore." Although the emperor was dissatisfied with Walden's behaviors and even punished Felix,
the empress knew that his main motivation for punishing Felix was that he suspected Felix of forming a faction.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I won't mention it anymore." The empress closed her eyes and her tears fell. She looked like she was in a
totally dejected and helpless condition, and the emperor was clueless about how to respond to her.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty is in poor condition, and she needs someone to keep her company. Your Majesty, you should spend
more time with her," Sherry proposed. "Your Majesty, please don't worry so much. You should take good care of yourself too, lest
it harm your health. If Walden knew that you are so worried and even ill, he would be very remorseful. What's more, you also
have Felix."
"Felix..." The empress became sadder at this mention of Felix, but she said nothing about him. "Sherry, I'm really sorry that you
accompanied His Majesty to visit me so late at night. Please go back and rest." Then, she turned to the emperor and said, "Your
majesty, please return to the Spring Palace with Sherry. I'm fine now."
"You are so ill now. How can you say you are all right?" the emperor said reproachfully. "I'll stay here with you tonight."
"But Your Majesty, I'm too weak and unattractive now. It may ruin your mood."
"Nonsense. Set your mind at rest. I'll stay here with you tonight," the emperor said quickly. Then, turning to Sherry, he added,
"Sherry, you go back to the Spring Palace and sleep well."