Lu Wanning arrived before the emperor. Several young princes, pale - faced, were kneeling in front of the emperor's bed. The emperor was lying on the bed, on his last legs. He could barely breathe out.
Sheng Chenyi was not there.
Lu Wanning bowed to the princes and then stepped forward to kneel properly. She asked the imperial physician beside the bed, "How is the emperor?"
The imperial physician looked embarrassed. "Princess, there is no medicine that can save the emperor..."
Had the imperial physician already made such a diagnosis?
Lu Wanning didn't cry. She just stared blankly at the emperor. It had been almost a year since she time - traveled here. Since she wasn't from this world, she didn't have much fear of the emperor. Later, she found that he showed both real and false affection for her. She had taken advantage of this favor to do many things.
Now, this man in his forties was lying on the bed, looking even more shocking than the late empress dowager.
Lu Wanning felt a pang in her nose, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She crawled forward on her knees and leaned over towards the emperor.
A maid beside them tried to stop her. "Princess, the emperor is ill. You can't get too close."
Lu Wanning pushed her away, wiped her tears, and said coldly, "Didn't you hear what the imperial physician said? There is no medicine to save the emperor. I'm the princess personally bestowed by him. Do you think I'll do something bad to him if I get a bit closer?"
Her tone was cold. Since she was concerned about the emperor on the bed, her voice wasn't very loud. But the maid was intimidated by her aura and subconsciously took a step back.
Lu Wanning got up and sat on the emperor's couch, looking at him intently. Although he was in a critical condition, his complexion wasn't too bad. If it weren't for his weak breath, one might think he was just sleeping.
After thinking for a while, Lu Wanning reached out to feel for his breath under his nose. Then she waved to the imperial physician and asked, "The emperor still has breath. Why do you say there is no medicine to save him?"
The imperial physician was stunned and stammered without answering.
Lu Wanning sneered. "If you're useless, I'll replace you. Someone, summon all the imperial physicians. One by one, they'll come and treat the emperor for me. Whoever can save the emperor will be handsomely rewarded."
The imperial physician quickly said, "Your Highness, the emperor's condition was diagnosed by all the imperial physicians together. It's not just me..."
"Get out!" Lu Wanning scolded without hesitation. "If you can't do it, let others try. If none of you can do it, what's the use of you? When I entered the palace a few days ago, the emperor was fine. How come he's in this state now? Are you going to get out or not?"
The imperial physician was kicked by Lu Wanning and scurried out.
Several other imperial physicians came in one after another, only to be kicked and beaten out by Lu Wanning. Finally, a young imperial physician came in. With trembling hands and his head down, he prescribed some medicine that Lu Wanning couldn't understand.
Lu Wanning waved her hand. "Go and boil the medicine quickly."
A eunuch quickly knelt down. "Your Highness, this imperial physician only treats the maids and eunuchs. He has no real skills. We don't know if these medicines are harmful. We need other imperial physicians to check them..."
Lu Wanning roared angrily, "What's the use of your head? Look at the emperor's state! Those other imperial physicians are so - called 'capable', but they can't even prescribe any medicine. Are they just going to let the emperor lie here and wait to die? Today, since I'm here, I'll decide. We'll treat a dying horse as if it were a living one. We must save the emperor!"
The eunuch looked at the emperor on the couch with a troubled expression. He gritted his teeth, sent someone to boil the medicine, and took the prescription outside for other imperial physicians to check.
The emperor couldn't swallow the medicine. He spat out most of it after taking a sip. But Lu Wanning was very patient. Bit by bit, she managed to feed him most of the medicine. Then she called the imperial physician over.
"The emperor has taken the medicine. In your opinion, will he get better?"
The imperial physician knelt on the ground, shivering. He whispered, "Princess, I dare not say. Even my masters didn't dare to make a definite diagnosis. How can I have such ability? But when I felt the emperor's pulse, I thought he wasn't in a hopeless situation. If the emperor wakes up half an hour later, and then we invite my masters to diagnose him again, I think the emperor... should get better."
Lu Wanning pondered for a moment and asked, "You mean if the emperor doesn't wake up half an hour later, you'll have no other way?"
The imperial physician was sweating profusely and didn't dare to say a word.
Lu Wanning didn't really count on him anyway. She waved her hand to let him leave. Then she thought of something and called him back. "By the way, the emperor hasn't eaten for two days. Can I feed him some food now?"
The imperial physician thought for a while and nodded. "Yes, but be careful not to let the emperor choke."
Lu Wanning immediately asked someone to prepare a bowl of minced - meat congee and carefully fed it to the emperor bit by bit.
After finishing the bowl of congee, they really saw the emperor slowly open his eyes.
Lu Wanning was overjoyed and shouted repeatedly, "Imperial physician, imperial physician, the emperor is awake."
The emperor had been in a coma for two days and finally woke up. Everyone in the palace was very happy. After the imperial physicians examined him, they all thought it was a miracle. They knelt on the ground one by one, saying that it was because Princess Zhaoyang's filial piety had touched the heavens that the emperor had woken up.
The emperor was lying weakly on the bed, but his mind was clear. He looked at Lu Wanning with a smile. "Zhaoyang, it was you who saved me."
Lu Wanning shook her head and pointed to the young imperial physician at the back. "It wasn't me. It was him."
The emperor didn't say much. He just slightly raised his hand. "Reward him."
Lu Wanning didn't want to leave either. She lay beside the bed, smiling at the emperor.
The emperor laughed heartily. "Zhaoyang, why are you looking at me like this?"
Lu Wanning tilted her head and thought for a while. "I'm very happy to have you back. I grew up in the palace. I've spent more time with you than with my own father. Although it may be disrespectful, you always said that I was no different from your own daughter. In my heart, I've long regarded you as my real father."
The emperor was deeply touched. He tried to reach out to stroke Lu Wanning's hair, but he didn't have the strength.
Lu Wanning took his hand and placed it on her head. She continued, "Your Majesty, every year when I pray, I always ask for more clothes and ornaments and hope that everyone will like me. But today, I realize that those things are not important. As long as all the people I care about are well, I'll be at ease even if I'm not a princess."
The emperor stared at Lu Wanning for a long time. He had heard such words from others before, but he always had to figure out the self - interests behind them. But today, lying on the couch, he wasn't completely unaware of what was going on around him. He knew her panic and knew that behind her arrogance was her sincere wish for him to get better and wake up.
He also wondered if she had any motives.
But at this moment, he didn't want to think about anything. He had schemed too much in his life. Whether it was others towards him or he towards others, even with his spouse and children, there had been too many schemes.
Zhaoyang was pure. Before, she was purely arrogant, but now she was purely considerate.
The emperor ruffled Lu Wanning's hair. His hand slid down naturally. After a long time, he said, "Zhaoyang, you're not just a subject. You're my daughter. Would you like to call me 'Father Emperor'?"
Lu Wanning looked up at him and without hesitation, called out crisply, "Father Emperor."