"Your Majesty, today, this consort brings you a surprise."
"Oh? What is it?"
Sima Zhu was quite intrigued by Lin Xiaowei's promised surprise.
Lin Xiaowei, suppressing her heartache, held up the porcelain bottle in her hand to Sima Zhu, "Your Majesty, behold, this is the Sacred Water."
Initially, Sima Zhu saw only an ordinary porcelain bottle and felt a pang of disappointment.
But upon hearing Lin Xiaowei's words, his eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Lin Xiaowei in disbelief.
"You say, this is Sacred Water?"
Due to his excitement, Sima Zhu's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
Lin Xiaowei nodded earnestly, "Yes, Your Majesty. This consort has made three visits to the Grand Tutor. The Grand Tutor, seeing my persistence, was finally moved and agreed to give Your Majesty the Sacred Water. It's just..."
"Just what?"
Hearing Lin Xiaowei say "just," Sima Zhu's heart sank. Could the bottle be empty?
Thinking this, he quickly opened the porcelain bottle and squinted inside.
At that moment, Lin Xiaowei's voice reached his ears, "It's just that he only gave half the normal dosage."
As Lin Xiaowei spoke, Sima Zhu saw the tiny amount of Sacred Water at the bottom of the porcelain bottle.
There was indeed only a small amount. Sima Zhu felt that if he poured it into his mouth, he wouldn't even be able to taste it.
"Why only this much?"
Sima Zhu's voice was somewhat sinister, and his gaze at Lin Xiaowei was filled with suspicion.
It seemed he suspected Lin Xiaowei of having secretly consumed some.
Lin Xiaowei was startled by Sima Zhu's gaze and immediately felt a surge of indignation.
How dare he look at her like that.
She wouldn't stoop to stealing such a small amount of Sacred Water!
She had consumed much more than this before!
Lin Xiaowei's heart was burning with anger, yet she had to maintain a look of hurt and sadness.
"Why is Your Majesty looking at Xiaowei like this? Xiaowei doesn't know why the Grand Tutor only gave half the Sacred Water. But the Grand Tutor said that three visits were not enough to show sufficient sincerity, and two more visits are needed to obtain enough Sacred Water."
After Lin Xiaowei's explanation, Sima Zhu's suspicion instantly vanished. He smiled at Lin Xiaowei and said, "Xiaowei, don't be angry. I wasn't suspecting you. I just didn't expect the Grand Tutor's methods to become so peculiar."
"By the way, did the Grand Tutor say when he wants you to visit next?"
He pondered, what if the Grand Tutor reneged again?
As long as it wasn't obtained, delays could lead to unforeseen complications.
Thus, Sima Zhu added, "Otherwise, why don't I go myself? That would show even greater sincerity, wouldn't it, Xiaowei?"
Lin Xiaowei was startled by Sima Zhu's words. Where did that idea come from?
If he went himself, what role would be left for her?
Lin Xiaowei's mind raced. Forgetting her anger, she quickly said, "Persistence is key."
Sima Zhu fell silent upon hearing this.
Did it mean he had to go three times in a row?
He didn't have that kind of time.
Even if he did, he wouldn't dare to offend that person.
In that case, he would just wait. Even if the Grand Tutor caused more trouble later, it wouldn't be him who lost face. This was for the best.
With this thought, Sima Zhu no longer insisted on going himself.
Seeing that Sima Zhu had abandoned the idea, Lin Xiaowei breathed a long sigh of relief.
After this commotion, neither of them had the inclination for anything else.
Lin Xiaowei wanted to hurry back and devise a plan. Sima Zhu wanted to hurry and take the Sacred Water. For the first time, they shared a peculiar sense of understanding.
"Oh, right, Xiaowei, did the Grand Tutor mention any precautions for taking the Sacred Water?"
Lin Xiaowei inwardly sneered at his question. Indeed, emperors throughout history feared death the most.
Without the Sacred Water, he worried day and night.
Now that he had it, he hesitated to consume it.
"Replying to Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor said nothing. This consort heard that the Former Emperor took the Sacred Water. Should Your Majesty ask him?"
Sima Zhu rejected Lin Xiaowei's suggestion without a second thought.
Ask the Former Emperor? He must be out of his mind to do that.
The Former Emperor knew he had Sacred Water now, and who knew what schemes he would concoct.
"In that case, Xiaowei, you may go and rest."
Sima Zhu spoke, turned, and walked away, giving Lin Xiaowei no chance to speak further.
Lin Xiaowei knew very well what Sima Zhu was thinking at this moment.
He was afraid she would overreach and try to solicit more.
With a sneer, Lin Xiaowei turned and gracefully departed.
This fat lump, she would one day ensure he met a gruesome end.
Sima Zhu, clutching the porcelain bottle like a treasure, went to the back hall. He summoned Wang Lin to guard the door, then thought better of it, and ordered Wang Lin to summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to wait by the door before he began to consume the Sacred Water.
In reality, it could no longer be called consumption.
After all, there was only that tiny amount. He felt something flowing into his mouth, and then, there was no further sensation.
Sima Zhu looked at the empty porcelain bottle and, unwilling, turned it upside down, but nothing else came out.
He put down the bottle in frustration and mentally cursed Yi Zhixie again.
Either give it or don't give it. Why give such a small amount? What was the point?
At this moment, Sima Zhu had completely forgotten who it was that had been so cautious earlier.
"Huh? Why do I feel nothing?"
Sima Zhu sat on the bed for a long time, but felt nothing. He was somewhat depressed.
Could it be that Lin Xiaowei had tricked him?
She had stolen the Sacred Water and then filled the bottle with something else.
Otherwise, why would he feel nothing after taking it?
The more Sima Zhu thought about it, the more he felt this was the truth.
If you ask why he didn't suspect Yi Zhixie of playing a trick on him, it's because he was certain that Yi Zhixie would either give nothing or give the real thing. With his power, there was no need to resort to such methods to deal with him.
It must be said that Sima Zhu's reasoning here was completely correct.
But this was not Lin Xiaowei's fault.
Because the reason Sima Zhu felt nothing was because...
The time had not yet arrived.
Just as Sima Zhu was contemplating how to punish Lin Xiaowei later, while also considering that she was pregnant, a strange sensation suddenly appeared in his body.
Initially, it was a tingling, as if something was lightly biting him.
But as the sensation intensified, this tingling transformed into pain.
The pain came swiftly. From the moment he first felt it, the next second, it felt like unbearable agony.
Everything happened too fast. Sima Zhu had no time to think. With his mind blanked by the pain, he collapsed.
He seemed to have some consciousness, able to feel the pain in his body.
But his body was completely devoid of strength. Even the slightest movement felt incredibly difficult.
At this moment, Sima Zhu even began to gradually ignore the pain, even thinking, was he going to die?
Who wanted him to die?
Was it Yi Zhixie?
Yes, it must be him.
Didn't Yi Zhixie almost strangle his neck last time?
As these thoughts swirled, Sima Zhu gradually lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, the first thing he felt was that his entire body was sore, as if he had been beaten.
But amidst the soreness, there was also a sense of lightness.
In an instant, Sima Zhu recalled the appearance of Sima Hao after he took the Sacred Water. Combining this with his own condition, he understood everything.
What he had consumed was undoubtedly the Sacred Water.
As for why the reaction was delayed, perhaps it was due to the small dosage?
Even now, Sima Zhu didn't have the energy to ponder the reason. He needed to see what changes had occurred in his body.