Yu Linglong entered the Emperor's sleeping quarters.
Upon seeing the Northern Underworld Emperor, she immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The Emperor's mood brightened considerably upon seeing her. "Grant her a seat!"
He suppressed the urge to say "You are dismissed" and refrained from uttering it.
Although she bowed, it was technically improper to say "You are dismissed."
Chu Qianli, as the Empress of the Dragon Ascendant Kingdom, with both nations of equal strength, was still willing to bow to him, thereby showing her intentions.
She was willing to marry into their Feng imperial family, rather than demanding that their Northern Underworld's God of War, Prince Xuan, marry her.
She was willing to submit to him as a subject, even though this was a great disrespect to their Dragon Ascendant Kingdom.
But to their Northern Underworld, it was absolute loyalty.
The Emperor was naturally overjoyed.
However, at present, the Emperor was enduring unbearable pain, and his good mood could only improve slightly before immediately worsening again.
"Li'er, why does my abdominal pain keep recurring? The medicine you gave me before is finished, and the new medicine you recently changed for me, why does it not seem to be very effective when I take it?"
Before Chu Qianli left Northern Underworld for Dragon Ascendant, she had left him several bottles of medicine.
The bottles and the writing on them were somewhat strange, and he couldn't understand them.
However, the medicine was truly good medicine, and it could at least alleviate the pain.
It was only recently that the medicine ran out, and the abdominal pain worsened.
The Emperor had initially thought that Chu Qianli, after becoming the Empress of the Dragon Ascendant Kingdom, would not return. He had even planned to have Feng Ye Xuan personally go to the Dragon Ascendant Kingdom to ask Chu Qianli for the medicine.
Others might not be able to obtain it.
But he unexpectedly found that Chu Qianli had returned herself.
Yet, after her return, she stated that the old medicine was no longer effective for him and that he needed to switch to new medicine.
The new medicine seemed no different from what the imperial physicians had prescribed before.
They were merely tonics to calm the nerves and regulate qi, offering no help for his abdominal pain.
"Li'er, my abdominal pain has worsened these past few days. If Li'er has not thought of a better solution, then... perhaps you could give me some of the old medicine again, so that I can at least stop the pain."
The young woman standing before the hall lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Who knew what medicine Chu Qianli had given him before? But she was Yu Linglong, not Chu Qianli!
Yu Linglong realized that continuing to play the role of Chu Qianli was becoming increasingly difficult.
What had gone wrong recently? Why did it seem like everyone was trying to make things difficult for her?
Just now it was that old hag, and now, even the Emperor wanted to get involved and oppose her?
Yu Linglong's thoughts raced. As she looked at the Emperor, her smile remained serene.
"Your Majesty, to be frank, the medicine I gave you before took me several years to refine. I am still refining it, but it will not be ready anytime soon."
"Oh, right, Your Majesty, do you still have any of the previous medicine left? Could you return some to me? I need it as a medicinal ingredient."
As long as she could obtain Chu Qianli's prescription, she could also prepare it.
The Emperor looked troubled. Eunuch Qing said, "The medicine... His Majesty has finished taking it. Only the bottles remain..."
"Then let me see the bottles!"
... Eunuch Qing handed the bottles to Yu Linglong. Afterward, Yu Linglong casually took the Emperor's pulse, wrote a prescription, and left.
Watching her hurried departure, Eunuch Qing helplessly ordered someone to quickly fetch the herbs from the pharmacy according to the new prescription and prepare the decoction.
Unexpectedly, the imperial physician soon arrived from the pharmacy.
"Your Majesty!"
The imperial physician looked at the new prescription with a panicked expression. "Your Majesty, this prescription... this... absolutely cannot be used!"
"What is it?" Eunuch Qing asked displeasedly. "This is a prescription from the Dragon Ascendant Empress. Is there something wrong with it?"
The imperial physician said urgently, "This prescription... while it can relieve Your Majesty's pain, the toxicity is too strong. After one dose, each subsequent dose will be more painful than the current one!"
The imperial physician knelt down, looked at the Emperor, and said with unease, "Your Majesty, using poison to relieve pain is not treating Your Majesty; it is... it is pushing Your Majesty towards... towards death!"