Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 548: Is There a Way to Restore Memory?

The Emperor and Empress came in plain clothes, not disturbing the Empress Dowager.

However, as soon as they entered Huguo Temple, they happened to encounter the Empress Dowager taking a walk.

She was as composed and serene as ever.

Consort Jing bore some resemblance to her, but the transcendent aura of the Empress Dowager was something Consort Jing could never learn in her lifetime.

Not to mention Consort Jing’s hysterical and fierce demeanor before her death, after which no one could associate her with the Empress Dowager anymore.

"How did you come here?"

Seeing the two, the Empress Dowager showed a look of surprise, then her eyes also held some delight, as she personally led them to the tea room for tea.

"We didn’t want to disturb you, as we heard from the guards of Huguo Temple that your sleep has been poor. We were worried it would affect your rest, yet we still ended up meeting."

Murong Jiu said to her with a light smile. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Jun Yuyan’s demeanor was also very respectful and cordial, even more so than how he acted towards Empress Dowager Qi.

Compared to Empress Dowager Qi, the Empress Dowager felt more like a close elder to him.

Although they were of grandmother’s generation, the Empress Dowager was actually about the same age as Empress Dowager Qi and had given Jun Yuyan a lot of help and concern in the past.

Back when he was young and often faced cold treatment, the Empress Dowager was the only elder who genuinely cared about him.

When he was injured on the battlefield and became the "Crippled King," many people not only didn’t kick him when he was down, but they also couldn’t wait to distance themselves from him because he had gone from being the most promising Prince to a scarred cripple, completely out of the line for the throne.

Even the then Noble Consort Qi had blamed him a few times.

But it was only the Empress Dowager, with whom he had no blood relation, who personally visited him, brought him many tonics and medicines, and genuinely comforted him.

It is easy to add flowers to the brocade, but difficult to send charcoal in the snow.

Jun Yuyan had always remembered the kindness of the Empress Dowager.

After the Former Emperor passed away, the first thing he did was to propose a title for the Empress Dowager, worrying that she might not want to enter the palace to see the Former Emperor’s body. He even had people spread the news that the Empress Dowager was ill, so no one could say anything unnecessary.

One can feel another’s goodwill through interaction.

The first time Murong Jiu saw the Empress Dowager, she felt her goodwill from her eyes, and since then, she has always respected her.

"As one ages, sleep becomes shorter, which is normal. Don’t worry about it."

The Empress Dowager said gently, personally making tea for the two of them.

After drinking the tea, Murong Jiu offered to take the Empress Dowager’s pulse.

She smiled and placed her hand in Murong Jiu’s.

Murong Jiu concentrated briefly and after a while, she said to Jun Yuyan, "Your Majesty, you go out first; I need to speak with the Empress Grandmother for a moment."

A look of concern flashed through Jun Yuyan’s eyes.

Worried he might misunderstand, Murong Jiu quickly said, "It’s nothing serious, Your Majesty needn’t worry."

Hearing this, Jun Yuyan then stepped out.

Indeed, it wasn’t anything serious; the Empress Dowager’s discomfort was due to kidney yin deficiency, restlessness, night sweats, and ceased menstruation — simply put, she had started menopause.

It was normal for the Empress Dowager to have ceased menstruating at her age, particularly since she had been a vegetarian for years and lacked certain nutrients, which could also lead to early menopause.

Speaking of which, Consort Dowager Qi wasn’t far behind, either. Irritability and emotional instability were all reactions from her body.

However, Consort Dowager Qi maintained herself better, so she would experience these changes later than the average person.

Perhaps in the era of Wang Yingluo, the average lifespan had increased, and the age for menopause had been pushed further back, but at present, women generally reached menopause earlier, especially those farmwives who faced harsh living conditions.

Moreover, most men weren’t keen on cleanliness. It was rare to find men like Jun Yuyan who bathed daily. It was quite common to go three to five days without bathing, and there were many who didn’t bathe for half a month or even a month, naturally leading to uncleanliness.

When men were unclean, it was the women who suffered.

Thus, before mass-printing medical books, she and Jun Yuyan discussed and added an extra page dedicated to gynecology.

They first let people know the dangers of women’s illnesses, and finally wrote about cleansing before and after intercourse to reduce the intrusion of diseases. Of course, if one fell ill, there were prescriptions provided that could treat most of the common female ailments; the right medicine would do the job.

For more complex conditions, one would need to see a court physician.

"I’ll prescribe you some medicine, do take care to recuperate," she said, with her thoughts occupied by other matters.

It was just a fleeting thought, but she looked up and said with a smile to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager chuckled and nodded, "That would be good. Lately, I’ve been unable to eat or sleep well, always feeling irritated, but I also know it’s just my age. I thought it would get better after a while, but it has only become more uncomfortable."

"Your constitution isn’t very strong, so if you feel unwell in the future, either call the Imperial Physician or allow me to check on you. Don’t endure discomfort in silence," she advised.

The Empress Dowager smiled, "Alright, I understand. Thank you, Ah Jiu."

Murong Jiu knew that despite her verbal agreement, the Empress Dowager was unlikely to actually summon her. The Empress Dowager was someone who disliked creating a fuss. Thinking it over, she decided to have Senior Brother Cheng visit the Empress Dowager periodically to take her pulse.

Huguo Temple wasn’t too far from the Capital City.

"In a few days, His Majesty plans to go to the summer villa. Grand Empress Dowager, why don’t you come along and relax? It can be somewhat stifling to stay in one place all the time," she suggested.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, "You young people enjoy your own lively activities; I’d rather not join in. I’m quite content here, having gotten used to it."

Murong Jiu’s lips tightened. The Empress Dowager had entered the palace during her teenage years to be a successor, and soon after the Former Emperor had passed away at a young age, leaving her widowed.

What followed was the Former Emperor’s taboo love for her, which had led her to spend years away from the Imperial Palace and frequent Buddhist temples, developing her preference for tranquility.

But she had been young once too, carefree during her girlhood, yet in the end, she spent decades accompanied only by the ancient light of Buddhism.

Murong Jiu sighed inwardly.

One could only blame fate, and think, if only... Alas, there were not so many "if onlys" in the world.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager truly did not want to go, she had become accustomed to the quiet life at Huguo Temple and did not wish to change locations, so Murong Jiu did not press further. After prescribing the medicine, she asked the aunt by the Empress Dowager’s side to fetch it, then wrote down some tonic recipes.

After finishing these tasks, she saw from the teahouse that Jun Yuyan hadn’t left early to meet Master Hui Jue, but was patiently waiting under the shade of a tree for her.

The Empress Dowager also saw him and said with a slight smile, "Right, Master Hui Jue had already known you would come and has been waiting for you."

Murong Jiu was invigorated.

In her heart, Master Hui Jue was a mysterious and powerful monk. He had already known they would come, so he must also know about Wang Yingluo.

Could he possibly have a way to help Jun Yuyan recover those memories that had been hidden away?

Out of nervousness and anticipation, Murong Jiu’s heart began to beat faster.