Zhao Huan fell ill upon returning to his palace. Having grown up in the palace, he was physically weak, and the recent freezing weather had caused him to go two nights without rest. The imperial physician diagnosed him with a cold and said he needed to rest.

"Your Majesty, it is just a minor cold. I have prepared a prescription for you. You only need to take the medicine according to my prescription for three days and you will be cured."

Physician Qi said tremblingly that he had heard that the new emperor had killed more than a dozen ministers and even several prime ministers in just one and a half days after his ascension to the throne. He was afraid that he might say something wrong and incur the emperor's wrath, and be dragged to the Five Dynasties Gate and beheaded.

"I understand, thank you for your hard work, you may leave now."

"It is my honor to share Your Majesty's burdens. Your Majesty, please rest well. I shall take my leave."

Physician Qi packed his things and was about to leave in a hurry, but Zhao Huan stopped him again.

"Imperial Physician Qi, do not spread the word that I have caught a cold, or I will take your head!"

Physician Qi was so frightened that he immediately knelt down: "Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

After making some assurances, Physician Qi left cautiously.

Lying on the bed, Zhao Huan sighed. It seemed he still needed to work on his physical fitness. Being an emperor was a short-lived profession. He didn't want to be captured by the Jin invaders and then die from a cold. That would be the most tragic time traveler in history.

Zhao Huan drifted off to sleep in bed and had another dream. He dreamt that Wanyan Zongwang had reached the gates of Bianjing (Kaifeng), captured the city, and taken him, Empress Zhu, and the princess prisoner. He also took thousands of women from the Song Dynasty to the north to be forced into prostitution.

He was in immense pain, as if being cut by a knife.

Then, the scene shifts, and he dreams that he wakes up to find Wang Kui'an holding a bowl of medicine. After drinking it, he immediately vomits blood and dies.

Suddenly, he woke up in a cold sweat, only to find it was a dream, and then he calmed down a little.

Zhao Huan had slept for three hours without realizing it, and when he woke up it was already afternoon.

Upon discovering that the emperor had awakened, Wang Kui'an immediately ordered a young eunuch to prepare medicine. To ensure everything went smoothly, Wang Kui'an personally supervised the process.

Before long, Wang Kui'an arrived with a young eunuch: "This is medicine for the Emperor."

Xie Dahai took out a silver needle and examined the medicine. Finding nothing amiss, he followed Wang Kuian inside.

Wang Kui'an said, "Your Majesty, get up and drink your medicine."

The little eunuch stood obediently to the side. Suddenly, the corner of his eye twitched slightly. Xie Dahai noticed this subtle change in his expression. He quickly snatched the medicine that was about to be handed to Zhao Huan and stared coldly at the little eunuch.

The little eunuch felt a chill run down his spine under Xie Dahai's gaze, but he kept his head down and dared not move.

Xie Dahai coldly uttered a few words: "You drink this medicine first!"

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Huan and Wang Kui'an were taken aback.

But the little eunuch took two steps back and said, "Sir, you are joking. This is the Emperor's medicine. How dare this servant overstep my bounds!"

"Drink what I say!"

As he spoke, Xie Dahai had already placed one hand on the hilt of the knife.

The young eunuch immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not!"

Zhao Huan, however, had already realized what was happening, and his face turned frighteningly grim: "I told you to drink it!"

The young eunuch lowered his head, and suddenly, he pulled a dagger from his sleeve and swiftly stabbed at Zhao Huan.

Wang Kui'an cried out, "Your Majesty, be careful!"

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Huan shifted his body, and the dagger slashed his sleeve, leaving a cut on his arm.

The eunuch missed his target, but Xie Dahai had already closed in, grabbed the eunuch by the neck with one hand, and twisted him around like a little chick.

Zhao Huan said, "Leave them alive!"

Xie Dahai quickly changed his approach, twisting the little eunuch's wrist holding the dagger with his other hand, snapping it into a pretzel. Then, he kicked the little eunuch, fracturing one of his kneecaps. The little eunuch knelt on the ground, screaming like a pig being slaughtered, which immediately attracted the attention of the guards outside.

"Get out!"

The emperor gave the order, and the guards all withdrew.

"You traitorous bastard!" Wang Kuian slapped the little eunuch across the face in a high-pitched voice. "You've got some nerve, daring to assassinate even the Emperor!"

The little eunuch showed no fear on his face, but rather a ferocious expression: "You dog emperor, now that things have come to this, I don't expect to live anymore. It's a pity I didn't kill you!"

Zhao Huan was inwardly shocked, but maintained a calm expression: "Who ordered you to assassinate me?"

"No one is a tyrant like you; everyone has the right to kill you!"

Seeing that the young eunuch was unwilling to speak and seemed to be contemplating suicide, Xie Dahai grabbed him with one hand and dislocated his chin to prevent him from taking his own life.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have a thousand ways to make him tell me!"

Zhao Huan frowned and nodded. Xie Dahai ordered his men to take the young eunuch away.

Wang Kuian immediately knelt down, trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my fault for failing in my duties."

Zhao Huan knew that Wang Kui'an didn't have that kind of guts; he was already labeled as a member of the imperial faction, and the scholar-officials wished they could skin him alive.

"Get up, go and take your twenty lashes!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wang Kuian went out tremblingly, but in his heart he was glad that his head was still on his neck. What was twenty strokes? Even if he were hit a hundred times, he wouldn't dare to say a word more.

Not long after, Zhao Huan summoned Imperial Physician Qi to bandage the wound on his arm and had the Empress personally prepare medicine before he felt at ease enough to take it.

Empress Zhu stayed by her bedside the whole time, never leaving her side.

Zhao Huan felt very gratified. In his previous life, he was just a small employee in a company. After graduating from university, his girlfriend broke up with him because she thought he had no money. The only people who were so good to him were probably his parents in his previous life.

Seeing Empress Zhu guarding this place, Zhao Huan felt very warm.

But at the same time, he felt even angrier. It seemed that he had underestimated these people after all!

He suddenly remembered that in the orthodox historical records, some of the Song army's military secrets were leaked to the Jin invaders during the defense of Tokyo. It seemed that this internal traitor was indeed true!

After being beaten twenty times, Wang Kuian obediently returned and stood guard at the door.

Before long, Wang Kuian knocked on the door, entered, and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Kang requests an audience."

Zhao Huan frowned slightly. Prince Kang? Zhao Gou? This is a historical figure, the founder of the Southern Song Dynasty, and quite a legendary figure.

Zhao Gou is a controversial figure in history. Some say he was a restorer of the Song dynasty, and that if Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong hadn't left him with such a mess, he would have been able to march north and recover the Central Plains.

Zhao Huan disliked Zhao Gou very much. Many people say that Zhao Gou made peace with the Jin invaders because the people in the south were already overwhelmed and Zhao Gou had no choice but to do so. But killing Yue Fei was also a last resort.

The Zhao family emperors could not tolerate powerful military generals, and wasn't Zhao Gou afraid that Yue Fei would go north to welcome back the two emperors?

Of course, if it were Zhao Huan, and he became emperor, he certainly wouldn't want to welcome back the two previous emperors, but even so, he would still sell everything he owned to support Yue Fei's northward campaign to recover lost territory.

At most, they might be shameless enough to send someone to kill their own brother on the way. After all, such things had happened before in the Tang Dynasty, and history is always written by the victors.