Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Lingquan Saves Life 1+2

The instinct of survival made Zhao Mingzhu speak hard.

"Don't... don't kill me... I know... the emperor... the emperor's secret!"

Although the voice was a little low, the sentence still worked.

Zhao Mingzhu felt the force on her throat gradually loosen. Although it wasn't completely released, it was enough for her to breathe.

"The emperor's secret?" Qi Shang loosened his fingers slightly, "Tell me about it."

Zhao Mingzhu took a few breaths before telling the secret she knew.

"The emperor...has a hidden illness..."

"What hidden disease? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Qi Shang raised an eyebrow slightly. The emperor was still young, and the ministers were watching him every day during his court sessions. Any hidden illness would have been discovered long ago. Furthermore, the emperor never missed his evening review of memorials in the Qinzheng Hall, so he was in excellent health. He didn't believe any hidden illness could be so well-hidden.

Zhao Mingzhu said with certainty: "The emperor cannot make his concubines pregnant."

In the previous life, there had always been rumors in the capital that the emperor had a hidden illness. Although no one believed it at first, the fact was that until Prince Jin forced the emperor to abdicate, no prince had been born in the palace for more than ten years.

If the problem lies with the concubines in the harem, then it can't be that none of them can get pregnant, right?

Although no one believed it, they had to admit that the problem might lie with the emperor!

Public debate grew louder, and civil and military officials began to debate the matter in the court. In his previous life, Prince Jin had capitalized on this favorable situation, raising an army to force the abdication and successfully seizing the imperial city. The people's inability to trust an emperor unable to continue his bloodline was a major factor in Prince Jin's success.

Qi Shang was shocked by this statement. He hadn't expected the woman before him to have such courage, to dare to criticize the ruler of a country. But Zhao Mingzhu's confident look intimidated him again.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true."

Qi Shang tried to guess the truth in her words.

It is also a fact that the emperor currently has no children. Previously, they always thought that it was because the emperor was too young, or because the emperor and Queen Kang Li were deeply in love. The emperor wanted the queen to be the first to give birth to a prince, but the queen's pregnancy was not good.

The emperor is still young, and although the issue of having an heir is a little late compared to normal people, it is not an urgent matter. In addition, the emperor and the empress have a deep relationship, and no one wants to offend the emperor because of this matter, so no one dares to mention it in the court.

But what if the problem lies with the emperor?

If it was true, as this woman said, that the emperor was unable to have an heir, then a year or two would be fine, but after a while, Qi Shang would not believe that the ministers would not become suspicious. If he stood up and exposed this matter, wouldn't the whole world belong to his Qi family?

After figuring it out, Qi Shang couldn't help but laugh out loud: "God is really helping me!"

After he finished laughing, he remembered that there was a woman on the ground.

Zhao Mingzhu looked at Qi Shang's outstretched hand and couldn't help but shrink back, fearing that he would be violent again in the next second.

Fortunately, this time, his movements were extremely gentle and he helped Zhao Mingzhu up from the ground.

"Sixth Lady, right? What's your name?"

He changed from his previous brutality and seemed to have regained the image of the elegant and gentle gentleman that others described him as.

But Zhao Mingzhu, who had seen that side of him just now, couldn't be fooled by his false appearance. But all of this was her own choice, and she couldn't blame anyone. Zhao Mingzhu swallowed the bitterness in her mouth.

"My name is Zhao Mingzhu."

Qi Shang changed his expression and began his gentle offensive. His handsome face, paired with luxurious clothes, gave him the appearance of a gentleman. If Zhao Mingzhu hadn't just seen another side of him, she would probably have been deceived by this appearance.

"Zhao Mingzhu, why do you know this secret?"

Zhao Mingzhu did not tell him everything. Rebirth was her biggest trump card.

"I can't tell you this, but I can tell you that this is far more than the only secret I know. Not only do I know the emperor's secret, I also know that your father, Prince Jin, covets the throne!"

At this point, Zhao Mingzhu had no choice but to give it a try. Sure enough, after she said this, the man's eyes became dangerous again.

Before the man could kill her, she said, "I can help you! I know a lot of other things!"

In his previous life, even without her help, Prince Jin still managed to ascend to the throne. With her help in this life, perhaps it won't take that long, and he could ascend to the throne within five years!

Qi Shang was shocked by her words and didn't know whether he should believe her.

"Zhao Mingzhu, if what you said is true, I will definitely not treat you unfairly." He changed his tone and said threateningly, "But if you lie to me, you should know the consequences."

"Of course what I said is true!" Zhao Mingzhu said excitedly.

Although Qi Shang had some guesses in his mind, he did not completely believe what Zhao Mingzhu said.

"It hasn't been verified yet, and just because you say it's true doesn't mean it's true, right? How about this, you come back with me first. If what you say is true, I will definitely ask my father and mother to give you a title."

Zhao Mingzhu showed a hint of joy. As long as she returned to the palace with Qi Shang and had a formal status in the future, she would be close to becoming the mother of the country!

After many twists and turns, her goal was finally achieved.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

————————————

The banquet at the Earl's Mansion lasted until the afternoon. As soon as Old Madam Gu and her companions entered the house, Mrs. Li, who had been waiting for a long time, came to greet them in a panic.

"Madam, something terrible has happened!"

When Old Lady Gu recognized that this person was the old woman she had sent to the ancestral hall to look after Zhao Mingzhu, her heart skipped a beat and she had a bad premonition.

"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Some horrifying image came to mind as Li Pozi's voice gradually faded. "I've been guarding outside the ancestral hall. It suddenly became quiet today, even though it was usually noisy. I went in to take a look. I didn't expect Sixth Lady..."

"What's wrong with Sixth Madam? Tell me." Old Madam Gu asked anxiously.

Mrs. Li gritted her teeth and said, "Sixth Lady knocked out the maid who brought her food, changed into her clothes and ran away!"

"What!"

Old Madam Gu felt her blood boiling, her vision went dark and she passed out.

When the old lady fell, the scene suddenly became chaotic.

The old lady's mother happened to go home to visit her relatives, and the rest of the maids and servants didn't know what to do.

"Go call the doctor!"

It was the second wife who took the lead. She sent people to settle the old lady back into the yard, and at the same time gave instructions to the maid in charge.

"Don't let anyone know that the Sixth Lady is missing. We can discuss this after the old lady wakes up."

If people outside knew that a woman from the Pingyuan Marquis family had run away, then the other young ladies in the family would have no time to think about getting married!

This matter must be kept secret until people come back!

It was only when Liang entered the old lady's courtyard that she realized her daughter was missing. She was stunned for a moment, then she burst into tears.

"My poor daughter! She just came back, how come she's gone again? Are all those maids and servants dead? They can't even look at anyone!"

The Second Madam was very busy at the moment and naturally had no time to play the role of sister-in-law with her. She said coldly:

"A maidservant almost died because of her," the Second Madam said bluntly, "There was a bloody hole as big as the back of her head. She was just a hair's breadth away from death. Your daughter is truly amazing!"

Liang's crying immediately subsided.

At this time, the imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau also hurried over.

Liang then remembered that the servants in the mansion had said that the old lady had fainted. She belatedly realized that as a daughter-in-law, she should show some concern and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, mother? Is she okay?"

"It's because of your good daughter that I'm angry!"

After saying this, the second wife didn't want to pay any more attention to her. After welcoming the imperial physician into the inner room, she followed him in.

Inside the room, Old Madam Gu was lying on the bed with a pale face.

Her two sons, Dalang and Erlang of the Zhao family, rushed back from outside and stood by her bedside after hearing the news.

After the imperial physician finished taking the patient's pulse, the two men hurriedly surrounded him.

"Doctor, how is my mother?"

The old doctor's expression was somewhat serious, and he said to Zhao's eldest son and second son:

"Your old lady's qi and blood are attacking her heart, causing the blood to surge upwards."

The two brothers didn't know much about medicine, and they were even more confused by the imperial physician's words.

"How serious is it? Can it be cured?"

"How long will it take for you to wake up?"

The old doctor shook his head and sighed, "Given the old lady's age, this is likely to be very dangerous. You should be mentally prepared. I can only prescribe some blood-dispersing prescriptions."

"As for whether or not he can wake up, and when he will wake up, it all depends on the old lady's own luck."

The old doctor's words were already very tactful.

No one expected that the always healthy Old Lady Gu would be so angry about this matter.

After sending the old doctor away, the family gathered together to discuss the follow-up. Although they didn't know whether the old lady could survive this or not, as her children, they still had to serve her wholeheartedly.

Dalang and Erlang have been very busy with their work recently and it is impossible for them to put aside their work and go home to take care of the sick. So the second wife suggested that the three sisters-in-law take turns to take care of the sick.

The eldest lady readily agreed, but when it came to Liang, she started to refuse, and her reason was:

"I haven't found my girl yet, so why would I have the heart to do anything else?"

He acted as if it was natural, and the Second Madam was so angry that she almost fainted. Why on earth did the Old Madam faint on the hospital bed? How could he have the nerve to mention her good daughter?

What kind of daughter would beat up a maid and run away from home? She'd better not bring shame to the daughter of the whole family.

Liang Shi seemed oblivious to the disgusted looks from her two sisters-in-law. She only urged them to send someone to find Zhao Mingzhu.

The Second Madam coldly rejected her, "Let's talk about finding the Sixth Girl after Mother wakes up. If Mother doesn't wake up, even if I find the Sixth Girl, I will definitely send her to the farm!"

If such a disaster remains in the Zhao family, it will harm the whole family one day.

When she heard that her daughter was going to be sent to the farm, Liang retreated in disappointment.

Three days passed, and there was no sign of Old Lady Gu waking up. The entire Zhao Mansion was immersed in a depressed atmosphere.

Today, the second wife and Zhao Mingjing were guarding the bedside.

Zhao Mingjing took the boiled medicine from the maid's hand. She scooped up a small spoonful, blew it cool, and then brought it to Old Lady Gu's mouth.

The old man had been in a coma for three days, and his body was kept alive by medicine. But it took him half a day to barely feed him one-third of this small bowl of medicine, and the rest was vomited out.

Zhao Mingjing was worried seeing this.

She put down the medicine bowl and was about to find a handkerchief to wipe her grandmother's forehead when she suddenly heard a few soft whispers.

Zhao Mingjing looked up in surprise, but found that her grandmother was not awake. She was just shouting something softly with her eyes closed, looking very uneasy.

She tilted her ear and listened hard, and only then could she hear it vaguely.

"Sheng girl... Sheng girl..."

Zhao Mingjing was shocked by what she heard. Was her grandmother thinking about Zhao Mingsheng?

She quickly told her mother about this.

"Why are you going through all that trouble? Don't you think I'm busy enough? Go play somewhere else."

The second wife, who was overwhelmed by the busy affairs at home, just thought she was hallucinating, waved at her, and sent her to play somewhere else.

Zhao Mingjing was sure that she had not heard wrongly, but the Second Madam could not understand her and she stamped her feet in frustration.

She thought about it for a long time, looked at her grandmother who was getting weaker day by day, and finally gritted her teeth, paid out of her own pocket to find out where Zhao Mingsheng was, and sent someone to deliver the news to her.

————————————

"What did you say? Grandma is critically ill?"

After hearing what the person in front of him said, Zhao Mingsheng couldn't believe it.

Before I left, my grandmother was in good health. How come she is now critically ill after only a few months?

But she didn't have time to think about it, so she packed some things and got on the carriage that came to pick her up.

He rode back to the Zhao Mansion at full speed. Seeing the emaciated old lady Gu in front of the hospital bed, Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but let the tears roll down his eyes.

After not seeing him for several months, she never imagined that their next encounter would be like this. His eyes, which usually held a kind gaze, were now tightly shut. His well-maintained black hair had turned a frosty white, and he looked as old and frail as Zhao Mingsheng had ever seen him.

"Grandma, Sheng'er is back to see you." Zhao Mingsheng choked.

Hearing Zhao Mingsheng's voice, Old Lady Gu on the hospital bed showed some reaction, but he still did not wake up.

As soon as the second wife heard the news that Zhao Mingsheng had returned, she immediately knew that it must have been the work of her troublesome daughter!

Everyone told her not to mess around, but she still acted on her own. Thinking of this, the second wife glared at her daughter.

Zhao Mingjing accepted it calmly. She did not regret calling Zhao Mingsheng back. When her grandmother was in a coma, she kept muttering Zhao Mingsheng's name. She must have missed her very much.

Zhao Mingjing told Zhao Mingsheng the whole story of why her grandmother fell into a coma and what the imperial physician had said.

After hearing this, Zhao Mingsheng just silently held his grandmother's hand.

She had no time to worry about what had happened to Zhao Mingzhu. The most important thing now was her grandmother's safety. The imperial physician hadn't given a final word, which meant there was still a chance that her grandmother would wake up.

In this critical moment, she thought of the spiritual spring in her body. Although it couldn't revive the dead, its ability to improve physical fitness was undeniable. Zhao Mingsheng wasn't sure if the spiritual spring would work for her grandmother, so she could only pray in her heart, hoping that the spiritual spring could help her grandmother through this difficult time.

Zhao Mingsheng took the opportunity to feed the medicine and mixed a little bit of spiritual spring into the soup.

Perhaps it was because she felt that Sheng was by her side, or perhaps it was because of Old Lady Gu's instinctive will to survive, but she drank a whole bowl of medicine even though she had not been able to eat or drink for the past few days.

Even other people were amazed when they saw it.

Zhao Mingsheng stayed by the bedside all night. When it was almost dawn, she couldn't help feeling sleepy after not sleeping for a day and a night, so she took a short nap.

When I woke up again.

A pair of hands were gently stroking her head.

Zhao Mingsheng looked up in surprise and met a pair of smiling eyes.

"Sheng girl... ahem... you're here."

Zhao Mingsheng held back the tears that were about to flow, stood up and poured a glass of warm water for his grandmother to drink.

Old Lady Gu's throat was a little dry because she hadn't eaten for a long time, but she still spoke with a smile.

"Good boy... I'm sorry to have made you worry about grandma... It must have been hard for you to come all the way here."

Zhao Mingsheng wiped the tears from his eyes, shook his head gently, and smiled: "It's not hard. Being able to see grandma is worth more than anything else."

Upon hearing the news that Old Lady Gu had woken up, the Zhao family quickly called the imperial physician. After the imperial physician took her pulse and announced that Old Lady Gu was no longer in danger of dying, the whole family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Although her life is not in danger, this physical weakness cannot be ignored. The old lady's vitality has been severely damaged by this illness, and she needs to be well nourished. Remember not to rush or over-nourish." said the imperial physician.

When the Zhao family heard this, they immediately started asking questions, what kind of tonic should they use?

Zhao Mingsheng has been studying with his father for so long that he has some knowledge in this area.

"Although wild ginseng is a tonic, the older it is, the better its medicinal effects. However, Grandmother's current health cannot withstand strong medicinal effects, so we have selected ginseng that is less than fifty years old. Doctor, am I correct?"

The imperial physician nodded in agreement. "Why are you still asking me? I think your little girl knows a lot!"

The Zhao family's attention suddenly shifted to Zhao Mingsheng.

Zhao Mingsheng felt a little embarrassed being stared at. She coughed lightly and took out a porcelain bottle containing Nine Yang Qi Replenishing Pills from her sleeve and handed it to the imperial physician.

"I have a pill here that replenishes Qi. I hope the imperial physician can take a look and see if it can be used for my grandmother."

The Second Madam frowned, somewhat disapprovingly. She had originally thought that Miss Sheng had grown a lot since her trip, but now it seemed she was still not steady enough. How could she just give some pills to the old lady? She had just woken up, what if she got hurt again?

The old doctor took the medicine bottle, sniffed it lightly, and suddenly looked up at Zhao Mingsheng.

"Is this the Nine Yang Qi Replenishing Pill?!"

Zhao Mingsheng nodded slightly: "Exactly."

The old doctor sniffed the aroma of the pills with some obsession. Yes, this was the unique fragrance of the Nine Yang Qi Replenishing Pills.

Nowadays, this Nine Yang Qi Replenishing Pill is priceless in the capital.

He was lucky enough to get one once, but no matter how hard he studied, he could not make an identical pill. Even with the same medicinal ingredients, the medicinal properties were very different.

I didn't expect that the little girl in front of me was so generous and spent a bottle at once.

The old doctor reluctantly returned the medicine bottle to Zhao Mingsheng: "Then there is no problem, you can give it to the old lady. I believe that after taking this pill, the old lady will get better soon and return to her previous state."

Zhao Mingsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the old doctor's eyes glued to the medicine bottle, she took out another bottle from her sleeve and handed it to the old doctor.

"Thanks to you, my grandmother is safe and sound this time. This is just a small token of my respect, not a token of gratitude. Please accept it."

When the old doctor saw the same porcelain bottle as before, his eyes trembled slightly. He took the bottle with trembling hands, and after opening it, there were indeed Nine Yang Qi-Replenishing Pills inside, and there were a total of five of them!

He has been practicing medicine for many years and has received many gifts of thanks, but no one has ever been as generous as her!

This time, the improvement in Old Lady Gu's condition was beyond his expectation. In fact, he didn't contribute much. As a doctor, he wanted to refuse, but she offered too much, so he couldn't bear to refuse!

"...Then I will accept it."

When your conscience is filled with happiness, it won’t hurt at all!

Not only was the old doctor shocked, but the rest of the Zhao family was also stunned. They naturally knew how precious the Nine Yang Qi Replenishing Pills that the old doctor mentioned were. They were priceless items!

The little girl in front of them actually took out two bottles at once, which shocked them so much that their jaws almost dropped.

Did Zhao Mingsheng really return to the countryside to be a village girl? The Zhao family's eyes were filled with confusion.

After sending the old doctor away, Zhao Mingsheng took out a Nine Yang Qi-replenishing Pill and gave it to Old Lady Gu to take.

After a while, Old Lady Gu's complexion became visibly rosier and her spirits improved.

He can even sit up and talk with me.

But when it was time to take the medicine, the old lady started throwing a tantrum like a child and refused to take the medicine no matter what was said. Even Zhao Mingsheng couldn't coax her.

"Why are you suddenly refusing to take the medicine?" Zhao Mingsheng coaxed her softly. "How can you get better quickly if you don't take the medicine?"

Old Madam Gu pretended to be angry and said, "I won't drink. Who told you not to come back to the capital to see me for so long?"

Zhao Mingsheng was speechless for a moment.

"I've been a little busy lately." Zhao Mingsheng scratched his head sheepishly, "But I promised grandma that I'll come visit you often in the future!"

Old Lady Gu reached out and poked her head. "I don't know what you're busy with all day. You don't even write me a letter. I don't even know if you're doing well. Are your relatives over there treating you well?"

Zhao Mingsheng buried his head affectionately in his grandmother's arms.

"My father, mother, and brother are all very kind to me!"

"I'm busy every day learning how to identify medicinal herbs, how to prepare them, and how to make pills. The pills you just ate were made by me!"

"I've learned a lot of new dishes, and I'll make them for you when Grandma recovers! I've also experienced a lot of things I couldn't before. Oh, and I brought a lot of goodies from home!"

Zhao Mingsheng rambled on and on, all the while Old Lady Gu looked at her with a smile on her face. She could tell she was very satisfied with her "home."

"I'm having a great time every day, so please don't worry about me, Grandma."

Old Madam Gu felt relieved. From the girl's tone, she knew that she must have been having a good time during this period. She touched Zhao Mingsheng's hair with satisfaction.

"My little girl Sheng has grown up."

Zhao Mingsheng responded with a smile: "Yes, now it's my turn to take care of grandma."

But that was not what Old Madam Gu meant. She smiled meaningfully.

"I mean, you're grown up and ready to get married."