Breathing mingled, and all around was quiet.

The two stared at each other in silence. The emperor's body stiffened, his heart raced, and his breathing became erratic.

After a long while, he involuntarily began to avoid eye contact, and then he stood up, leaning on the table.

"Gu Jiangli, this kind of presumptuous speech to me is only allowed to happen once."

The words, though seemingly a warning, have no deterrent effect whatsoever.

Gu Jiangli knew that the emperor had no intention of punishing her.

She smiled faintly, "If Your Majesty takes my words to heart, I will no longer need to be so presumptuous."

"You really want me to live that badly? You're even willing to break such a huge taboo."

Gu Jiangli also stood up, her gaze following the emperor. "Yes, as long as Your Majesty can live well, I am not afraid to risk my life to speak out."

The emperor took a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, "Why?"

Gu Jiangli answered the emperor's question seriously, "Because those who seek death are also seeking help."

If she could pull him back from the edge of the cliff by reaching out, that would be a better thing than building a seven-story pagoda.

She had every reason to do so, both emotionally and logically.

The emperor turned his head away, not wanting Gu Jiangli to see his expression.

"I understand what you mean, Gu Jiangli."

He called out Gu Jiangli's name forcefully, "Let's go back."

The emperor's words, in their final moments, carried a plea that even he himself was unaware of.

Gu Jiangli's heart skipped a beat; she had never seen the emperor's vulnerable side so clearly before.

When he let his guard down and revealed this side of himself to her, it proved that she had officially entered his heart.

This is progress.

This also proves that one day in the future, she will help the emperor completely emerge from the shadows and stop seeking death, and instead seek life.

————

Cixi Palace.

Every palace maid's face was filled with panic and unease.

Although the Empress Dowager's poisoning did not take her life, it was something they had never experienced before.

In particular, the Empress Dowager had a fiercely temperamental eldest princess by her side, and any slight mistake would result in her being dragged out and punished by the eldest princess.

At this moment, everyone in Cixi Palace was on edge, and no one dared to breathe loudly.

The Empress Dowager lay on the bed, breathing rapidly, her face flushed, and blood constantly seeping from her nose; her condition was extremely strange.

The eldest princess nervously clenched her fists by the bedside, staring intently as Physician Lin performed acupuncture.

The Empress Dowager, panting heavily, instructed the people standing around her, "You all go out and let Physician Lin administer acupuncture to me in peace."

"Yes." The palace maids and eunuchs breathed a sigh of relief and tiptoed out.

The eldest princess was reluctant to leave, saying, "Mother, let me stay with you."

"Tan'er, you go out too. Don't come in without my permission."

The princess's lips twitched, and she had no choice but to bow and leave.

Only the Empress Dowager and Physician Lin remained in the room.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager asked directly, "Imperial Physician Lin, you clearly concealed something in front of so many concubines. Now that only my people are here, tell me, what kind of poison is this?"

Physician Lin's hand trembled as he inserted the needles, and he almost missed the acupuncture point.

He replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, it is a common poison found in the marketplace. Your Majesty need not worry too much. With this old minister here, I will surely restore Your Majesty to her former state."

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed. "Imperial Physician Lin, I have been in the palace for so many years, there is no need for you to tell me these lies. The fact that you have been able to conceal them proves that the origin of this poison is not simple. Just tell me, and I will not punish you."

Physician Lin's expression changed. He quickly removed the silver needles from the Empress Dowager's body, then hurriedly knelt on the ground and replied:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I dared not speak frankly before because I was worried that my diagnosis was wrong. Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, and I dare not conceal anything any longer."

"On the way to Cixi Palace, this old minister carefully examined the bowl of yam and hibiscus soup. In fact, the soup did contain a small amount of poison, but more of it was a highly nourishing medicine..."

"The Empress Dowager has always been in good health. Drinking that soup caused her to feel hot and irritable, resulting in nosebleeds and a flushed face. This is the reason for all of this."

"You didn't drink much soup, so the amount of toxins entering your body was relatively small. You can recover after taking a couple of doses of medicine."

After listening calmly, the Empress Dowager asked again in a solemn tone:

"What kind of highly nourishing medicine did Physician Lin mention?"

Physician Lin was already drenched in sweat. "It's... a tonic used by men and women to enhance their sexual pleasure during intercourse..."

He spoke haltingly, glancing furtively at the Empress Dowager's expression with each word.

After saying this, the Empress Dowager sat up abruptly from the bed and began to curse:

"Absurd beyond belief! How could such an absurd thing happen in the inner palace! I, the Empress Dowager, have been drugged with such... vile drugs!"

The Empress Dowager was so angry that her head went numb, and she spoke recklessly.

"This is utterly ridiculous! Does Consort Lan have a pig's brain?! Did falling into the Taiqing Pool really make her brain waterlogged?!"

Feeling more ashamed than angry, the Empress Dowager wished she could execute Consort Lan immediately to vent her anger.

She was about to call for someone to come in and have Lan Zhaoyi executed when she realized that the noise outside completely drowned out her shouts.

Left with no other choice, she had to send Physician Lin out to fetch someone.

"Imperial Physician Lin, what's all the noise outside? Go and let them in to make their argument!"

Her tone was unfriendly, because Tan'er's insults could be clearly heard.

Someone must have upset Tan'er again, causing her to reprimand her like that.

After receiving the order, Physician Lin quickly went out, and the noise stopped abruptly.

The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised when she saw who had entered.

"Consort Chen? What brings you here?"

Gu Jiangli performed the greeting with impeccable manners and grace.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Your Majesty suffered this accident at a family banquet, and as a concubine of the harem, it is my duty to come and visit you. May I ask how Your Majesty's health is? Has Physician Lin found a cure?"

The eldest princess sneered at her, "You're usually so obsequious to the Empress Dowager, but now you know to come and visit."

She was always rude, but Gu Jiangli didn't take it to heart at all; she was only concerned about the poison that had been inflicted on the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager looked displeased; some of the noisy voices annoyed her.

"Alright, Tan'er, stop talking. Sit down and rest for a bit."

Before the eldest princess could refute her, the Empress Dowager immediately looked at Gu Jiangli and said, "Consort Chen wasn't someone who liked to seek out trouble before. Surely she didn't come to Cining Palace just to see me about my illness?"

Gu Jiangli did not deny it, and said frankly: "Yes, to tell you the truth, when I was young, I studied medicine with the doctor in my family for two years, and coincidentally, I also learned about some methods of treating poisoning."

"However, half of the poisoned person's face turns blue or white, their lips turn blue-purple, and the blood that flows out is dark red or purplish-red."

"However, I noticed that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's face was flushed, her breathing was rapid, and the blood flowing from her nose was bright red. It didn't seem like a sign of poisoning; rather, it seemed like..."

"A condition caused by excessive supplementation."