Ten days later, Riying reached the capital. He was so exhausted he could barely stand, but the imperial palace was not far away, and he could not afford to sleep.
In the Yongyuan Hall of the imperial palace, on the large bed in the sleeping quarters, lay a man with a pale complexion. His lips were also pale, and his handsome face was so gaunt that his chin was sharp. The contours of his features were more defined, having lost their original soft luster. His breathing was barely perceptible.
In the vast sleeping quarters, sobs echoed. The Empress Dowager sat before the large bed, tightly grasping her son’s hand. The hand was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth. She could no longer hold back her tears and began to weep. Mu Xing, standing beside her, also cried sadly.
Cui Er shed tears alongside them. If the Empress did not return soon, the Emperor might not survive.
Besides the Empress Dowager, Prince Yan, Feng Lie, and three ministers were in the sleeping quarters. They looked at the situation before them. The Empress had been away from the capital for over a month.
They had sealed the Emperor’s acupoints for some time, only unsealing them daily to feed him a little water. During those brief moments, the insect parasite, driven by hunger, thrashed about more violently, causing the Emperor even greater pain.
However, the Emperor had completely lost consciousness, retaining only some subconscious awareness. This morning, they discovered his breathing had almost ceased. A secret summons to an imperial physician caused the physician to be greatly alarmed.
After taking the Emperor’s pulse, the imperial physician found that his breathing was indeed failing. What could be done? The physician, terrified, fainted and then revived. Without needing to ask, everyone knew from the physician’s expression that the Emperor was in an extremely precarious state.
Bai Han anxiously asked, "What do we do now? The Empress has not returned, and there is no news from the Blood Drips. Must we simply watch the Emperor?”
Before Bai Han could finish his sentence, Prince Yan, Feng Lie’s expression darkened. He had worn a disguise to court daily, and removed it after the session.
Fortunately, over the past month, the ministers had not noticed anything amiss. But if something were to happen to the Emperor, what would they do? Everyone felt a chill to their bones, as if sitting on pins and needles. Time slipped through their fingers like sand.
With every slight movement, a suffocated gasp could be heard.
Just as everyone thought they would succumb to the silence along with the Emperor, Xiao Wanzi rushed in from outside, excitedly shouting, "Riying is back, and the Blood Drips have been retrieved!"
"What?"
Everyone stood up. After a moment of excited jubilation, they saw Riying being supported by two eunuchs.
His expression was one of extreme fatigue. He reached into his robes and pulled out a silk-wrapped bundle containing the Blood Drips, urgently saying, "Quick, this is the Blood Drips, give them to the Emperor."
As Prince Yan, Feng Lie, took the Blood Drips, Riying collapsed. Feng Lie, seeing his condition and not knowing what had happened to him, waved to instruct the eunuchs to help him away. He then turned and ordered the imperial physician to examine Riying.
Since no one had seen the Blood Drips before, they all stood up and moved closer to Prince Yan, Feng Lie. He opened the fragrant silk bundle, revealing four small, deep red fruits. How was the Emperor to ingest these fruits?
Feng Lie furrowed his brow and walked to the large bed. He gestured for the Empress Dowager to move aside. The Empress Dowager, wiping her tears, stepped aside. As long as her son was well, she vowed to fast and pray for him every day and hoped such frightening events would not occur again.
Prince Yan, Feng Lie, used his internal energy to crush the Blood Drips into a liquid and administered it into the Emperor’s mouth. Everyone watched the Emperor silently. All four Blood Drips were fed, but the Emperor showed no reaction. They waited in the sleeping quarters with bated breath. Would the Blood Drips be able to cure the poison from the蛊虫? In their concern for the Emperor, they failed to notice the Empress’s absence.
Minutes ticked by, and their hopeful hearts slowly cooled. The previous excitement vanished. The Emperor showed no signs of waking.
Could it be that the Blood Drips were useless? The Empress Dowager finally began to cry again amidst the agonizing wait. Prince Yan and the three ministers’ hearts sank to the bottom. If even the Blood Drips could not save him, then perhaps the Emperor…
They dared not think further, lowering their heads, unable to speak.
Mu Xing had been squatting by Feng Xie's hand. Just as everyone was overcome with grief, he saw his father’s finger twitch. He cried out with joy, "Father’s finger moved! Father’s finger moved!"
"Ah?" Everyone crowded around the large bed. Even Xiao Wanzi and Cui Er gathered near the bed. They saw the Emperor’s finger indeed twitch slightly. Everyone’s hearts, which had been in their throats, now felt as if they had fallen to the ground. Everyone felt a chill run through their bodies, realizing they had broken out in a cold sweat. Prince Yan, Feng Lie, waved his hand and ordered.
"Come, immediately summon the imperial physician."
The imperial physician who had examined Riying hurried in. As this matter was not to alarm too many people, they had only called one imperial physician to be on standby. Others were completely unaware of these events.
The imperial physician examined him thoroughly, then wiped the sweat from his forehead, a look of joy on his face. Only then did everyone truly breathe a sigh of relief. "Reporting to the Empress Dowager and Prince Yan, His Majesty is fine. The蛊 poison in his body has been resolved. He is merely extremely weak due to excessive exertion. I will prescribe some remedies for gradual recuperation, and he should be well soon.”
"Good, carry it out immediately. Xiao Wanzi, you personally oversee the boiling of the medicine and its delivery.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Xiao Wanzi said, leading the imperial physician away. Only then did his heart settle. His master was finally out of danger. However, where had the Empress gone? The Blood Drips should have been brought back by the Empress, so why was Riying delivering them? Xiao Wanzi thought with confusion as he led the imperial physician out of the sleeping quarters.
Not only Xiao Wanzi, but even Prince Yan, Feng Lie, and Prime Minister Liu Ting found the situation peculiar. Why hadn't the Empress brought the Blood Drips back herself? Where had the Empress gone? She was still nowhere to be seen. Could something have happened to her? The two exchanged a knowing glance, a sense of unease growing in their hearts. If the Emperor recovered, but something happened to the Empress, would the Emperor be at peace?
“What do you mean the Empress didn’t return?” Jin Shaoyuan asked curiously from the side. His question made everyone truly want to question Riying immediately about what had happened. However, regarding Riying’s condition, Feng Lie had instructed a young eunuch to check on him. The eunuch soon returned with a report.
“Guard Riying fell asleep from exhaustion and cannot be woken.”
Despite their many doubts, there was nothing they could do but wait for Riying to wake up. Xiao Wanzi brought the prepared medicine and administered some to the Emperor.
The Emperor’s breathing was much smoother than before. Prince Yan and the Prime Minister remained in the palace to look after the Emperor, while everyone else returned to rest.
The Empress Dowager, in particular, had been worried sick during this period. If she didn’t rest, she might be the next to fall ill. Feng Lie instructed Qing An to escort her back.
In the middle of the night, the Emperor woke up briefly. However, it was only for a moment, and he didn’t notice Liu Er’s absence. He assumed Liu Er was too tired and had perhaps gone back to rest.
The next day, as soon as Riying opened his eyes, he saw Prince Yan, Feng Lie, and Prime Minister Liu Ting standing by his bed. He was startled, not knowing how the Emperor was. He quickly jumped out of bed, asking, “Is His Majesty alright?”
Feng Lie shook his head. The Emperor was fine, but now the Empress was missing. If the Emperor woke up and asked about the Empress, what would they say?
“Where is the Empress?” Liu Ting asked anxiously. He noticed Riying’s somewhat troubled expression. It was clear that Liu Er was in some sort of trouble. His face grew grim, and his voice involuntarily turned cold and stern as he stared intently at Riying. Indeed, Riying’s expression darkened, and sorrow welled up in his eyes.
“These Blood Drips were obtained by a woman named Yun Gu and planted on Snow Show Peak. That woman is like an old monster. To get the Blood Drips, one person must exchange for another. She made the Empress stay on Snow Show Peak to keep her company so that she would give us the Blood Drips. The Empress agreed. She made the Empress take a memory-erasing pill. That is why I rushed back to the capital on horseback with the Blood Drips. I wonder how the Empress is doing?”