Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1816: Chapter 1816: The Price of Raising the Dead

The person who jumped in was dressed very ordinarily, in a gray cloth outfit just like the common folk wear, but the white hair made him appear quite extraordinary.

Bai Ruozhu was startled, only to realize that the person was actually Yao Yuxuan!

”Yuxuan, don’t scare Ruozhu; she is pregnant and can’t be frightened,” said the Empress Dowager somewhat reproachfully, with a tone that carried a hint of affection.

Yao Yuxuan met Bai Ruozhu’s surprised gaze and smiled nonchalantly. ”Did I scare you like this?”

Bai Ruozhu was speechless. Yao Yuxuan’s hair had turned entirely white, and there were two not too large age spots on his face, which Bai Ruozhu immediately noticed with her sharp eyes.

How could he have aged like this in just a few months?

”What happened?” Bai Ruozhu asked with a bit of compassion. Back then, when Yao Yuxuan first appeared, he had a celestial and ethereal demeanor. Now he suddenly appeared old, with black hair turned silver. What had he gone through?

Yao Yuxuan said nothing, but the Empress Dowager’s eyes reddened, ”He became like this to save me, and I owe him a debt I can never repay in this lifetime.”

Yao Yuxuan wrapped an arm around the Empress Dowager’s shoulders and said with a smile, ”Why keep talking about it? We still have a long life ahead of us to live well.”

Then he looked at Bai Ruozhu and said candidly, ”You know how I heal people; bringing the dead back to life has its price, so I ended up like this. As a result, I plan to retire since I can no longer heal others.”

Bai Ruozhu suddenly realized that supernatural abilities can be exhausted. He spent his abilities saving the Empress Dowager and aged himself in the process. He can no longer heal or save others.

But if he can stay with the one he loves, does the future even matter?

Yao Yuxuan looked at the Empress Dowager gently and said, ”I promised her that I would check on the children, then take her to a place where no one knows us to live quietly. Then she wouldn’t need to disguise herself so poorly anymore.” Then he laughed, and the Empress Dowager playfully hit him, but with such lightness, it was clear she couldn’t bear to actually hit him hard.

The sweetness between them was so intense it could melt anyone, and Bai Ruozhu watched on enviously. Yao Yuxuan’s patience in life had not been in vain.

”Do you want me to sound out the Emperor’s stance? To express your intentions to him? What if he doesn’t agree to your retirement?” Bai Ruozhu asked worriedly.

Yao Yuxuan held the Empress Dowager’s shoulder, ”That’s why we will hide temporarily. If he disagrees, we won’t appear. When he changes his mind, I’ll send Yishan to meet him.”

The Empress Dowager’s personal name was Ding Yishan.

Bai Ruozhu showed a determined look, ”I will definitely help persuade the Emperor, and please ask the Empress Dowager to also convince Consort Le. She is suffering from severe depression.”

She then explained everything that happened recently with Consort Le to the two of them, including designing the Emperor to let Ling Xue surrogate for her, and even her lie that the Empress Dowager would return to cure Consort Le.

”Wenwen is such a gentle child. How did things turn out like this?” The Empress Dowager sighed, ”I originally thought with the Emperor taking care of her there would be no problems, but in the end, someone took advantage of her. But if she’s not strong herself, she will still be manipulated in the future.”

Bai Ruozhu nodded. The Empress Dowager, having experienced life and death, was no longer as delicate and indecisive as before. You see, her decision to retire with Yao Yuxuan was firm and without hesitation.

It’s said that people change greatly after experiencing death, and it’s indeed true.

The Empress Dowager then recounted her experiences from recent days to Bai Ruozhu, who realized the situation was far more complicated than she had thought.

Back then, after the Empress Dowager blocked a fatal blow for the Emperor, Yao Yuxuan took advantage of the chaos to save her. He was in a hurry to save her, and couldn’t care about other matters, which is why the Emperor and others never found the Empress Dowager’s body. Plus, King Rui later gave the Empress Dowager a ”glorious burial,” and even the Emperor believed the Empress Dowager had died on the spot and that King Rui had hidden her body.

The Empress Dowager was fatally wounded at the time, and had indeed stopped breathing. Of course, she wasn’t the one to say this, but Bai Ruozhu, observing Yao Yuxuan’s expression, could guess it.

Yao Yuxuan went mad trying to save the Empress Dowager, but his abilities were limited, and he eventually fainted.

When he woke up, the Empress Dowager had still not awakened. With chaos in the Capital, he could only take the Empress Dowager and flee, which allowed him to recover some abilities.

They then hid in the deep mountains outside the Capital, with Yao Yuxuan almost forgoing sleep to heal the Empress Dowager. At that time, he thought if he couldn’t save her, he would accompany her in death.

This pattern of treatment went on for a month before the Empress Dowager finally awakened, and only after two months could she remain awake without falling back into a slumber.

Otherwise, her concern for the Emperor and others would not have allowed her to come to Beiyu City at this time.

Bai Ruozhu listened, alarmed. Had there been any moment during the treatment when Yao Yuxuan exhausted his strength and didn’t wake up, both he and the Empress Dowager might long have perished in the mountains.

”Alright, don’t keep dwelling on the past. Survival is the most important thing.” Yao Yuxuan looked at the Empress Dowager deeply, ”It is about time. We should go before our location is exposed.”

The Empress Dowager nodded, looked at Bai Ruozhu’s belly, and smiled, ”You must also take good care of yourself. When your babies are born, perhaps we could return to visit you.”

Bai Ruozhu pointed proudly to her stomach and said, ”There are two here, so you must prepare double the gifts.”

”Really? Twins are such joyous news. Forget double, even tenfold the gifts must be prepared,” the Empress Dowager said with a smile.

Quickly, Yao Yuxuan left with the Empress Dowager, and Bai Ruozhu stood in the room, feeling as if she had just had a dream. If not for the lingering fragrance of the Empress Dowager in the room, she might have thought she was dreaming.

Now she could report back to Consort Le and not count as having lied, right? Thinking of this, she was so pleased she laughed aloud.

When Bai Ruozhu went alone to the front, Granny Xin curiously asked, ”That woman left? Didn’t register?”

”How could it be so fast? She was assisting the host family with inquiries and needs to report back to the master for consideration,” Bai Ruozhu laughed as she explained. Seeing Bai Ruozhu in high spirits, Granny Xin guessed that woman was certainly a servant of a wealthy family, and the earnings from this deal were not just tuition fees; the rewards must have been substantial too.

She shared in the happiness.

Bai Ruozhu instructed Granny Xin and then took a horse carriage to the Guest Palace.

She inquired and learned the Emperor was handling affairs in the Imperial Study Room, so she went directly to the Imperial Study Room to meet with him.

When she was summoned inside, the Emperor frowned and asked, ”What happened? Is there a change in Consort Le’s condition?”

”No, there’s an important matter I must report to you.” Bai Ruozhu glanced around, and the Emperor immediately understood, only keeping Wang Shun with him and dismissing the other palace maids.

”Have you received any news from the Western Regions?” the Emperor asked.