The stone cave's door slowly closed.
With red eyes, Zhao Jiaqi swiftly pulled a jade hairpin from her hair and plunged it fiercely into her arm, leaving it a bloody mess.
She didn't utter a sound, instead searching for the Gu worm that had been placed in her earlier. If her intuition was right, the Gu worm was like a parasite, traveling through the bloodstream.
However, she had seen in television dramas that Gu worms were mixed into food or tea. Yet, facing what had just happened, she felt that those dramas were all lies.
Baili Kai'en had just implanted it on her wrist, so the spot she had cut open on her wrist should be correct.
No matter what, dying early or late was still dying. Might as well try anything to save herself, pretending to be an old physician for once.
She had only one belief: she absolutely would not let Baili Kai'en succeed. In this life, she had only ever recognized Fan Zehao as her man.
Blood poured out like a gushing stream. Zhao Jiaqi dared not blink an eye. The mother Gu was so large, yet its son was so small, smaller than a grain of rice but larger than a millet seed.
The bleeding didn't stop. In just a few minutes, Zhao Jiaqi felt as if eons had passed. Her body grew cold, her clothes soaked with blood.
Just as she fell into despair, she saw the tiny creature wriggling out. Zhao Jiaqi, overjoyed, quickly pinched the worm out and stomped on it fiercely, crushing it repeatedly before finally feeling at ease.
At this point, she felt lightheaded, her body incredibly weak, her strength gradually fading.
She tore her skirt to shreds, tightly bound her injured arm, and used her inner garment to cover the wound, making a makeshift bandage.
Outside the cave, voices were heard again. This time, it brought Zhao Jiaqi even more despair.
She knew that only Baili Kai'en would come here. If he entered and saw this scene, he would surely implant that damnable worm in her again.
She deflated, slumping to the ground and leaning against the stone wall behind her. She watched the person entering, at this moment, she didn't even have the strength to glare at him.
She turned her face away, not wanting to look at him, and said with despair, "Give up this idea. I would rather die than agree to you!"
Seeing his wife so disheveled and injured, Fan Zehao's heart burned with rage. He immediately knelt down and began to stop the bleeding and re-bandage her.
Zhao Jiaqi, who was intent on dying, fought him at every turn, refusing his help. Fan Zehao gripped her arm and whispered, "It's me. Don't struggle, I'll bandage you first, then you pretend to faint, and I'll take you out!"
The familiar voice, though not the face she expected, made Zhao Jiaqi understand. She choked for a long time, nodded, and tears couldn't help but flow, "Okay!"
With a single word, she seemed to have used all her strength. During the short time he bandaged her, she felt as if she had been reborn.
Fan Zehao gently picked her up. Zhao Jiaqi rested her head on his chest, this time truly closing her eyes with peace of mind.
The death guards, seeing that she was injured, were instantly shocked and fell to their knees, muttering something. He didn't understand a single word, but now was the time to pretend to be angry and anxious.
Fan Zehao hurried out. The kneeling death guards were bewildered. They exchanged glances, sensing something was amiss.
"Why didn't His Majesty allow his subordinates to treat that woman?"
Another speculated, "Perhaps His Majesty felt that we are men and didn't want us to treat her!"
The former nodded, thinking it made sense. After all, His Majesty always spoke gently to that woman whenever he visited, giving her whatever she wanted. Apart from not being allowed to leave, her treatment was comparable to His Majesty himself!
Fan Zehao successfully rescued her from the stone cave. As he reached the imperial treasury, Baili Kai'en returned, and the two groups were about to collide.
Remembering Fan Zehao's words, Baili Fengge came and blocked his path.
On the way, they had discussed the proposal. Fengge began a long, impassioned speech: "Father Emperor, if I marry Princess Yumeng, our two countries can coexist peacefully!"
Baili Kai'en looked at his son's infatuated eyes and shook his head, giving him a decisive answer: "You don't need to think about it. Princess Yumeng will not marry far away!"
He continued to walk forward, but his sleeve was tightly grasped. "Father Emperor, that was before. If I propose to Uncle now, I think Uncle... Aunt might agree?"
"Father Emperor, I have never asked anything of you. This time, I beg Father Emperor to fulfill my wish!"
Baili Kai'en stopped and turned to look at him, his furrowed brow displaying confusion. "You came here late at night to talk to me about this matter?"
Before Baili Fengge could speak, he stated directly, "We'll talk about it tomorrow. I have important matters to attend to tonight!"
With that, he waved to the guards behind him, and Fengge was intercepted on the spot. He watched helplessly as his Father Emperor walked away towards the imperial treasury, the great door slowly closing, his figure completely disappearing. Only then did Baili Fengge slump to the ground dejectedly.
Now, he truly didn't understand his Father Emperor.
While his father and son were talking, Fan Zehao had taken the person and left through another secret passage. The brief moment Baili Fengge had bought them was enough for them to save themselves.
Unfortunately, they had barely left the palace when Baili Kai'en returned and found the stone cave empty. Seeing the stunned expressions of the death guards, he belatedly realized he had been tricked. It was a diversion, and what's more, Fan Zehao had executed a "golden cicada shedding its shell."
What skillful moves! He was utterly infuriated.
Death Guard: "Your Majesty, they just left. They can't have gone far. Should we pursue them?"
Not far? Just left?
That was precisely when his son was outside engaging him about marriage, wasn't it? Baili Kai'en narrowed his eyes. "Ensure you capture them alive. I want them alive!"
All the death guards were dispatched. Baili Kai'en walked out of the stone cave and saw his dear son sitting on the ground with a dispirited look. Seeing him emerge, his foolish, dazed expression, Baili Kai'en realized he had been blind to think this son could handle the position of Crown Prince.
He walked slowly forward, looking down at the person below, and asked coldly, "I hid the Regent's Consort, your little aunt. Did you know about this?"
Faced with his Father Emperor's sudden question, he was first surprised, then without dwelling on it, he slowly nodded. "Yes, I knew Uncle had arrived. When he left the palace, I stopped him. After questioning him, I learned what Father Emperor had done!"
"So, tonight you and Fan Zehao collaborated from within and without? Is that right?"
This question confused him. What did "collaborated from within and without" mean?
However, his mind, though not as sharp as a stone, quickly grasped his uncle's intention for the night. Seeing his Father Emperor's angry demeanor, it was clear that his uncle had successfully rescued the person.