Chu Qianli's words were extremely threatening to an emperor.
However, Chu Jiangnan did not seem to take them to heart.
His gaze towards her remained consistently calm.
"There have always been toxins in my body; the old and new poisons mixed together are what increase the difficulty for you to detoxify me."
This statement was somewhat unexpected for Chu Qianli.
She hadn't thought he would bring up this topic with her, assuming he wanted her to do something for him.
This emperor's train of thought seemed quite erratic, and she could barely keep up.
"Your Majesty, you don't need to tell me this in private. You should have told Liu Jin when he was present."
"If I told Liu Jin, Xiao Xuanzi would know. He would worry and wouldn't be able to return to Beiming with peace of mind."
Chu Qianli remained silent, merely watching him.
Although Chu Jiangnan appeared to be only in his early twenties, his experience and tone were undeniably those of an elder.
In fact, she didn't understand why she couldn't bring herself to hate him, no matter what. This was truly peculiar.
"Since you were once Xiao Xuanzi's princess consort, from now on, I shall call you Xiao Li'er."
"I am no longer, nor will I ever be," she declared, vowing she would never forgive that man!
Chu Jiangnan ignored her words. He made an effort to adjust his disordered breathing before saying, "The current situation is indeed extremely unfair to you."
"But in the royal family, there is never any such thing as fairness. If you are useful, you become a chess piece; if you are useless, you could die tragically at any moment."
"Why is Your Majesty telling me this?" Chu Qianli didn't know why she was being so petulant.
She had never been such a sensitive person.
Yet, in front of him, she felt wronged.
"Your relationship with Xiao Xuanzi, as well as some of your past affairs, I have only recently learned about."
Xiao Shunzi had received the news and informed him immediately, but unfortunately, he had only recently regained consciousness.
Chu Qianli bit her lip and glared at him.
Chu Jiangnan pondered for a moment before stating, "Our Nanming imperial clan is currently in a precarious position. As emperor, I must prioritize the overall situation of Nanming."
She still remained silent. While she agreed with his viewpoint, she could not endorse it.
After all, she was currently the one being used as a chess piece.
"I know you feel wronged, but since you have already slept on the dragon bed in front of all the officials, the current situation can only continue as it is."
Chu Jiangnan attempted to sit up straight, but as soon as he moved, he couldn't help but cough twice.
A flicker of pain crossed Chu Qianli's heart.
Unaccountably.
"Your Majesty... please don't move recklessly. The poison in your body is truly potent; even I cannot think of a good solution for now."
She genuinely did not want to care about him, not at all.
Yet, when he coughed, it was as if she were under a spell; she couldn't help but feel a pang of concern.
"Don't move recklessly..."
"Although the poison I was afflicted with this time is potent, fortunately, there is another potent poison within my body. When the two potent poisons meet, they counteract each other, preventing my immediate death."
This was why Chu Jiangnan was able to remain conscious at the moment.
"It seems the poison Your Majesty originally suffered from was indeed severe, as neither Liu Jin nor I could detect it immediately."
Then, who was the person who poisoned him?
An emperor, repeatedly harmed by potent poisons, made the throne a rather uncomfortable place to sit.
Chu Jiangnan shifted the topic, his gaze deepening as he looked at Chu Qianli.
"I understand that you feel wronged, and as for the grievances between you and Xiao Xuanzi, I have no intention of interfering."
Some matters are simply not suitable for outsiders to meddle in.
"As for between you and me... if you help me this time, I can tell you the truth about your identity as the Empress of Longteng."