Chapter 47 The Choice: The tyrant is dying, and you will be truly free...

Xie Lanzhou remained unconscious for three days.

Although Eunuch Fu had immediately blocked the news, and only a few trusted confidants knew about it, the court had not held a meeting for three consecutive days, and even the border was still sending back battle reports. Xie Lanzhou was unconscious, and no one dared to handle important military matters on their own.

This matter more or less attracted the attention of the court officials, and for a time everyone had different thoughts.

Some cautious courtiers still remembered the time when Prince Rui had his accident, which was a similar situation. They thought it was also an accident involving His Majesty, but it turned out to be just the emperor's scheming. Now, the grass has grown on the graves of those who followed Prince Rui in making their moves.

Therefore, no one dared to make any rash moves this time, and the situation was relatively stable, but rumors still spread to some extent.

Eunuch Fu, who stayed at the Hall of Mental Cultivation day and night, was extremely anxious. Every day he would ask Physician Gao, "How is it? Is there any news about that ghost uncle you mentioned?"

Imperial Physician Gao shook his head: "I asked the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and they made quite a commotion when they searched the Ghost Market a few days ago. The Ghost Market has been closed for several days now."

"Uncle Gui has always been elusive. He most often goes to the Ghost Market, sometimes to buy and sell medicinal herbs, and sometimes to tell fortunes. Now that the Ghost Market has closed, we really don't know where to look for him." Doctor Gao was also at a loss.

"What are we going to do now? His Majesty has been unconscious for so long." Eunuch Fu was on the verge of tears as he spoke.

Imperial Physician Gao remained calm. "I will first administer acupuncture to stabilize His Majesty's heart and pulse. Preserving His Majesty's life is the priority."

With a trembling voice, Eunuch Fu asked, "How long can it be kept under control?"

"At most five days. If it goes on any longer, His Majesty's blood and qi will be blocked for a long time. Even if he is lucky enough to wake up later, his brain will probably be damaged..." said Imperial Physician Gao as he took out silver needles from his medicine box.

"Very well, thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician." Eunuch Fu seemed to have made up his mind.

Unable to bear looking at Xie Lanzhou with his back covered in silver needles any longer, he turned around and went to find the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After much discussion, the two finally drafted a reward notice, which was posted throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

The next day, when Su Panyue went for a stroll on the street as usual, she saw a group of people gathered together discussing something. She went closer to take a look and saw the wanted poster.

The gist of the text is that the emperor suffers from a persistent headache, and a search is underway for skilled individuals to diagnose and treat it. A generous reward will be given to anyone who can cure him.

Su Panyue stared at the bounty poster for a long time, wondering with some doubt, "Hasn't Xie Lanzhou's headache been cured? When she was with him, she hadn't seen him have a headache for a long time."

However, the surrounding people were saying the exact opposite.

"I heard that he has been suffering from headaches for many years. I wonder if it's karma."

"Who knows? But aren't there a whole bunch of imperial physicians in the palace? If they can't cure it, who outside could be better?"

“I heard from my cousin, who is an official, that he hasn’t attended court for three or four days. It seems that the border war is waiting for his instructions, but there’s still no news.”

"They've stopped caring about the war? Could it be..."

"Alas, this one didn't leave behind any offspring. If that's true, there will be turmoil again."

"Yes, things have only been peaceful for a few days..."

As Su Panyue listened to their discussion, she felt a mix of emotions. These people felt that Xie Lanzhou was a tyrant who had been punished, but they also didn't want anything to happen to him.

Most ordinary people only care about the stability of their own small plot of land. Who sits on the throne is not important to them. However, for the sake of peace and stability for the people of the world, she has seen Xie Lanzhou reading memorials and meeting with various ministers late into the night countless times.

After this incident, regardless of whether it was true or not, Su Panyue had no desire to wander around anymore, so she simply bought another pot of liquor and took it back to the inn.

With the Ghost Market closed, Uncle Ghost seemed to have nothing to do. Su Panyue could see him dozing on the recliner at the entrance of the inn every day, and today was no exception.

"Uncle Gui, come and have some wine." Su Panyue shook the wine jar in her hand and beckoned to him.

She has been staying here for five days. Every day when she goes out and comes back, she brings something for Uncle Gui. Sometimes it is a jar of liquor with some snacks, and sometimes it is candy for children.

Uncle Gui always told him not to try to bribe him with these small favors, but he always accepted them and ate them all.

Hearing Su Panyue's voice, he raised his eyelids and said in a hoarse and aged voice, "Take it away. Now you really don't need to flatter me anymore."

Su Panyue asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by this?"

Gui Bo lazily said, "You've already gone out into the streets, don't you know? The emperor is unconscious, and the Imperial Guards are searching everywhere for a doctor. They can't spare the time to look for you. Even the guards at the city gates have been much more lax today. Wait two more days, and you should be able to leave the city."

Su Panyue was stunned for a moment, and the wine jar in her hand almost fell to the ground.

Hesitantly, he asked, "Is he really unconscious?"

Gui Bo said impatiently, "Why would I lie to you? You've been unconscious for three days, haven't you? It seems that old man Gao is also at a loss, otherwise he wouldn't have put up a bounty."

"Are you talking about Imperial Physician Gao? Do you know Imperial Physician Gao?" Su Panyue caught the key words in his words and pressed for an answer.

Gui Bo simply waved his hand and closed his eyes again, clearly unwilling to say anything more.

Having no other choice, Su Panyue could only place the wine jar she was holding on the table and return to her room.

Lying on the small bed in the room, she looked up at the light streaming through the tiny window.

She took a red string from her neck, with the white jade thumb ring she had taken with her that day tied to it. Afraid of losing it, she threaded the string through it and wore it around her neck.

She reached out and raised the white jade thumb ring, aligning it perfectly with the slivers of light that were shining through. It was still so bright and translucent. She remembered the focused look on the man's face as he gently stroked her hair with the thumb ring on his hand.

Why did she suddenly faint again? Can't even the skilled physician Gao cure her?

Su Panyue's mind was in turmoil as memories of her time with Xie Lanzhou flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern, and the answer she had been avoiding was about to emerge.

She raised her hand to cover her face, unwilling to face it. After a moment, she rolled out of bed and went back downstairs.

When Gui Bo saw her come out again, he only raised his eyelids slightly.

She grabbed the liquor she had left on the table, turned, and headed back to her room. She walked too fast to hear Uncle Gui's muttered remark: "This girl, she gave this old man a gift and now she wants it back..."

After closing the door, Su Panyue opened the red cloth stopper on the mouth of the wine jar, and the aroma of the wine wafted out. It was indeed the best-selling liquor in the capital.

She didn't use a teacup, but took a sip directly from the wine jar.

The spiciness of the liquor hit her head, choking her and causing her to cough a few times, with a few tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.

"That's really potent," Su Panyue said, wiping the corner of her eye and taking another sip.

Sitting alone in the small room, Su Panyue drank an entire jar of wine, sip after sip, before she felt a little drunk.

A flush rose on her face as she lay down on the bed. She had initially thought it was too small, but after a few days, she had gotten used to it.

She buried her face in the pillow and began to sob, unable to tell whether it was the alcohol that was too strong or the sadness in her heart. Her tears flowed like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable.

She cried for an unknown amount of time before finally falling into a deep sleep.

As evening approached, shouts came from outside: "Su girl, Su girl."

Hearing someone calling her, she opened her eyes groggily, feeling dizzy and disoriented. She could barely hear the sounds around her, let alone respond.

After a while, it seemed someone came in. Su Panyue struggled to open her eyes and found it was Uncle Gui.

He sounded somewhat angry: "Still alive?"

Su Panyue gave a soft "hmm" and tried to sit up, but her body felt limp and she had no strength at all.

Uncle Gui picked up the empty wine jar on the table and shook it. "The whole room reeks of alcohol. If you can't drink it, then don't."

After saying that, he saw Su Panyue's eyes, which were swollen like walnuts, and sighed helplessly, "I really owe you something." Then he turned and left.

When he returned, he had a bowl of dark, murky medicine in his hand.

He handed the bowl to Su Panyue: "Drink this, it'll help you sober up."

Smelling the strong, bitter smell of the medicine in front of her, Su Panyue shook her head and refused, "No."

"Do you know that drinking alcohol can kill people? If you're not afraid of dying, then don't drink." Uncle Gui didn't tolerate her. He said this and shoved the medicine bowl into her hands before sitting down at the table with his arms crossed and watching.

Su Panyue had died once, so she knew the pain of death best and was also most afraid of it.

So he closed his eyes, held his breath, and drank the medicine.

The tears she had finally managed to stop were about to well up again because of the bitter taste of the medicine. She frowned and asked, "Is there any sugar?"

Uncle Gui scoffed and took out a piece of candy from his pocket, tossing it over.

Su Panyue took it with both hands and found that it was the candy she had bought for him before. She didn't expect that he still had it.

She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth. It was very sweet, but it still tasted a little bitter.

After a while, seeing that she had sobered up a bit, Uncle Gui asked, "What kind of wine are you drinking all by yourself, girl?"

Su Panyue sighed and remained silent.

Gui Bo continued, "Knowing that the tyrant is about to die and you will be truly free, are you still in a bad mood?"

When Su Panyue returned, she exclaimed in surprise, "He was just unconscious, how could he be dead?"

Uncle Gui shrugged. “How could he not? If a person is unconscious for too long, their blood and qi will not circulate properly, and they will die. Even if that old man Gao has a way to save his life, his brain will probably be damaged.”

Su Panyue felt a chill run down her spine, finding it hard to imagine that Xie Lanzhou, a born emperor with the ability to strategize and plan, would turn into such a person.

Noticing that Uncle Gui had mentioned Physician Gao again, Su Panyue tentatively asked, "Are you and Physician Gao old acquaintances?"

Gui Bo chuckled: "Ha, what old acquaintance? Just an enemy."

Upon hearing this, Su Panyue's eyes lit up. "So, you also know medicine?"

Gui Bo glanced at her sideways with his one eye and said coldly, "I only know poison, not medicine."

Su Panyue gave an awkward "oh," wanting to say that since his hangover cure was so effective, why couldn't he be a doctor...?

"Why don't you try taking down that bounty poster? If you manage to cure His Majesty, the reward will be substantial," Su Panyue advised.

Gui Bo asked, "How do you know this is a considerable reward?"

Su Panyue said seriously, "Don't worry about that, he's always been very generous."

For some reason, these words tickled Uncle Gui's funny bone, and he laughed and called her a silly girl.

Seeing him smile, Su Panyue quickly asked, "So you agreed to go?"

Uncle Gui stopped laughing and replied, "I'm not going."

Su Panyue was still unwilling to give up and asked, "Why?"

Instead of answering, Gui Bo asked, "What if he recovers and starts sending people everywhere to search for you again? You can't hide here forever; you might not be able to escape no matter where you are."

Su Panyue was stunned for a moment and did not answer.

She had considered this problem. Xie Lanzhou's unconsciousness presented the best opportunity for her to escape, but the thought that he might never wake up again caused a dull ache in her chest, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it, making it hard for her to breathe.

Gui Bo noticed her conflicted expression at a glance, secretly chuckled, and added fuel to the fire, "If you want to leave, I can arrange a carriage to take you out of the city tomorrow. Pack your things tonight."

Su Panyue glanced at him but did not answer.

Having said all he could say, Gui Bo leisurely got up and walked out.

The door slowly closed, leaving Su Panyue alone in the room once again. She opened her palm, revealing the white jade thumb ring.

She had just drunk herself into a stupor and passed out, but she had kept the ring clutched in her hand the whole time, and it remained intact.

Looking up at the empty wine jar on the table, she thought regretfully, "Why did I wake up so soon? Now I won't be able to sleep tonight..."

-----------------------

Author's note: It's going to get sweet soon~ [Sprinkling flowers] Thank you for the nutrient solution, my darlings!