Page 545

Chapter 545: Chapter 456: Thought the Empress Got a Terminal Illness... Jinyu Xia After Getting Drunk is Online Begging for Forgiveness

The Emperor retreated several steps in fright and bellowed, "Who are you? How dare you play tricks in front of me?"

Fengyi Palace had many palace lamps lit, yet the lighting remained quite dim, so it was no wonder he got scared upon suddenly seeing a blackened face.

The Empress was originally lying on the consort’s couch, thinking about the cream Shen Chuwei had sent her, and wanted to take a look at it. Who knew that as soon as she stood up, she saw the dog Emperor coming, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

She had been thinking about greeting him formally, but now? She was doing well not to lay a hand on him.

"What does Your Majesty mean by these words? Can’t you even recognize your concubine?"

The instructions had warned her not to make overly expressive facial movements, as they could easily deepen the laugh lines, indicating that when the Empress spoke, she did so with her throat.

Still, the Emperor recognized the voice as that of the Empress.

"You are the Empress?" The Emperor stared at the blackened face, scared out of his wits, and yelled towards the door, "Summon the Imperial Doctor quickly."

The urgency in his voice made Eunuch Li guess that something serious had happened, and he hurriedly turned around to call for the Imperial Doctor.

The Emperor’s roar left the Empress bewildered on the spot.

The Emperor stepped forward swiftly and took the Empress into his arms, reassuring her, "Empress, don’t be scared, the Imperial Doctor will arrive shortly, nothing will happen to you."

Empress: "..." What madness is this?

The Empress didn’t know how she looked with the black facial mask on, which had frightened the dog Emperor. But the dog Emperor’s reaction had truly stunned her.

When she was embraced by the dog Emperor, her bright yellow robe got smeared with a black stain.

The Empress saw the stain and felt heartbroken. Just a little mask and half of it had smeared off her face... She quickly pushed the Emperor away, "Your Majesty, please let go."

The Emperor, thinking the Empress was frightened, not only did not let go but held her even tighter, vowing, "I am not afraid. Even if it were an infectious disease, I am not afraid. Neither should you be, Empress, with me by your side."

The Empress paused in her attempts to push him away. Did the dog Emperor think she had an infectious disease?

On her birthday, there was no issue if there were no birthday gifts, but to be told she was ill?

The Imperial Doctor was virtually dragged there by Eunuch Li because he found the doctor to be walking too slowly.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Doctor has arrived," Eunuch Li said before gasping for air.

The Imperial Doctor, pulled all the way here, felt as if his old bones were about to fall apart. He shakily performed a bow, "Your Majesty, Empress."

Hearing footsteps, the Emperor quickly took a handkerchief from nearby and tied it around the Empress’s face, attempting to cover up her pitch-black face.

The Emperor knew very well how much the Empress loved her face; how could she accept it if others saw her like this?

The Empress was dumbfounded.

The Emperor gave a hasty command, "Quickly take the Empress’s pulse."

"Yes, yes, yes," the Imperial Doctor said three times in succession and walked in with his medicine box.

The Empress was led by the Emperor to sit on the couch, then she extended her hand for the Imperial Doctor to feel her pulse.

The Imperial Doctor went through the routine motions, laying a square cloth over the Empress’s exposed, fair wrist.

Having just had her pulse taken, the Empress then stood up and walked towards the washbasin because it was time to wash her face.

The Emperor urgently asked, "Imperial Doctor, how is the Empress?"

The Imperial Doctor bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress is in good health and has no major problems."

The Emperor persisted, "Then why did the Empress’s face turn like that?"

The Imperial Doctor hemmed and hawed for a long time without saying a word.

The Empress washed her face and then came to the dressing table, picked up the cream, opened the lid, dabbed a bit with her fingertip, and spread it evenly across her cheeks.

The Emperor watched the Empress intently for a long while; her face, which had been very dark, had turned pale and tranquil.

Perhaps I was seeing things just now?

After the Imperial Doctor left, the Emperor got up and came to the Empress’s side, leaning down to stare at her face for a good while.

"Lingling, why was your face black just now?"

"Because your concubine put on a facial mask," the Empress took out the mask Shen Chuwei had given her to show the Emperor.

The Emperor opened the lid and saw the pitch-black substance; this was what the Empress had applied on her face?

He had thought her face was ruined...

The Empress, looking in the mirror and feeling her face, noted that it was much smoother and finer; it seemed the mask was quite effective.

The Emperor closed the lid and returned the mask to its place, then took out an exquisite box from his bosom. Giving gifts to concubines was usually a simple matter of a single phrase, but when it came to giving a gift to the Empress, he felt strangely nervous.

After hesitating for a long while, he offered the box to the Empress, speaking softly, "This is the birthday gift I’ve prepared for you."

The Empress looked at the box in front of her with some surprise. It was a dark-colored box, and under the light, she could vaguely see the gold inlay on its body.