Chapter 284 National Mourning: A Test of Indifference

Last night, Emperor Wusu's wound reopened and he vomited blood again. Could something really have happened?

She hurried along, when an arm dressed in linen blocked her way.

Le Xi said calmly, "Girl, don't worry. If there were a national mourning, the whole world would know. The fact that no such news has come out yet means that the emperor is still alive."

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because his words...

National mourning...

The thought of this place made Ji Qingwu's vision go black and his legs start to go weak.

*

No sunlight penetrated into Zhaoyang Palace; the windows were all covered by curtains, perhaps to prevent outsiders from discovering the emperor's true condition.

The indoor lighting was dim.

Emperor Wusu read four or five Buddhist scriptures on calming the mind, but they were of no use whatsoever.

He had reached the point where he was easily angered by everything, so he took a one-hour ice bath.

Zhao Mingyan emerged from the bathtub filled with ice in the side hall, wearing a white silk nightgown with silver-gray dragon patterns, the belt around his waist loosely tied.

The collar of his jacket was wide open, and water droplets clung to his full, firm chest, sliding down one by one and disappearing below his waist.

Li Yuzong placed a cup of snow lotus tea on the sandalwood table.

"Your Majesty, please try this; it can help reduce internal heat."

Zhao Mingyan sat at the imperial desk, tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp. Li Yuzong quickly refilled it.

He frowned and asked, "Why haven't we arrived yet?"

Li Yuzong forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, as you know, Doctor Le is not someone who can be judged by common sense. Perhaps it took some extra time on the way."

Joy is immeasurable; he's practically a wild horse that's broken free of its reins.

He would always go over and watch the two dogs arguing on the street for a while, as the miracle doctor himself would say, because he wanted to experience the best years of his life.

After all these years, Zhao Mingyan knew Lexi's temperament and said coldly, "If you can't invite him, then go and kidnap him."

Li Yuzong earnestly advised him.

"Doctor Le is so old. If we really resort to force and something happens, His Majesty will not be able to bear it."

"I feel much better now!"

The emperor's voice was as sharp as a blizzard.

In just half a day, Li Yuzong looked as if he had aged ten years from worry, and he had no better solution.

Zhao Mingyan closed his eyes, clearly having reached his limit of patience, and threw the cup he was holding tightly in his hand.

But there was no sound of the porcelain cup shattering as expected.

The cup was caught by someone.

Ji Qingwu never expected that as soon as she entered Zhaoyang Palace, a blue and white porcelain cup would fly towards her.

She instinctively twisted her waist and leaned forward, reaching out her hands to catch it, and she actually managed to catch it.

The master and servant were both a little stunned when a woman with beautiful features suddenly appeared in the hall, holding a porcelain cup in her hands.

This time, Li Yuzong was the first to regain his senses.

He stepped forward with a wrinkled old face, stammering, "Miss Ji, oh dear! Miss Ji!"

Li Yuzong circled Ji Qingwu several times, almost making her dizzy: "It really is my Miss Ji, heaven has sent down sweet rain, heaven has shown its power!"

Judging from his expression, he was practically ready to kneel down and kowtow to her.

Zhao Mingyan's eyes suddenly lit up as he stared at her.

Ji Qingwu, her fingers gripping the rim of the cup, had already sensed a pair of gleaming eyes fixed on her.

She felt like the top of her head was being burned bald by that gaze.

She didn't dare to look up at him. She had chased him away last night, but today she had taken the initiative to appear in front of him again.

Ji Qingwu felt her face burning hot.

On the way to the palace, she was worried that something terrible had really happened to Emperor Wusu, so she walked in a hurry and didn't notice Lexi behind her. Now she was the only one there.

Ji Qingwu anxiously looked outside the door, but couldn't even see the figure of Xiao Dongzi who was supposed to greet them.

Being too agile isn't always a good thing.

Li Yuzong said sincerely, "Miss Ji, your arrival is more effective than any miracle doctor."

Whether Doctor Le is here or not is not that important at this moment.

Ji Qingwu explained, "I really came with Dr. Lexi. He's a slow walker and he's still behind."

I wonder if Emperor Wusu will believe this.

Ji Qingwu lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and even curled her toes inside her embroidered shoes.

Li Yuzong walked to Ji Qingwu's side and said, "Please come forward and take a look. His Majesty is currently... in very bad shape."

Ji Qingwu looked up for a moment, then quickly lowered his head.

Zhao Mingyan's gaze was intense, as if he wanted to devour her whole, his eyes burning even more fiercely than the night before.

But his tone was cold.

Whether I am well or not is none of your business.

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingwu's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Zhao Mingyan said, "Li Yuzong, escort her out of the palace and back..." He couldn't say where she would go back to.

Then he stopped speaking and just looked at her with heavy eyes. Ji Qingwu felt as if her shoulders weighed a ton.

He told her to leave, but his eyes seemed to want her to stay.

Ji Qingwu should have left.

But the more the emperor kept her at arm's length, the more she felt that Xiao Dongzi's words were true. Seeing his imposing figure leaning back on the dragon throne, she felt that he was just putting on a brave face.

Because just by looking at his skin tone, there was something unusual about him.

Emperor Wusu's skin was red and still covered in water droplets from being immersed in the ice water for too long.

However, his face remained pale, especially his lips, which were completely bloodless.

Ji Qingwu stepped forward, and Zhao Mingyan's gaze followed her closely as she placed the cup on the table, the light falling onto her fair and pinkish fingertips.

She tried her best to treat him like a normal patient and asked, "Your Majesty, what exactly is wrong with your body?"

Zhao Mingyan said coldly, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Ji Qingwu said in an even colder tone, "Doctor Lexi said he was going to treat patients. I didn't know it was His Majesty, but Doctor Lexi helped me before, so I'm just doing my part for him."

Beneath her bright eyes lay neither emotion nor emotion.

"Your Majesty need not rush me. I will leave naturally after I finish seeing the patients."

Ji Qingwu wanted to touch his hand on his lap to take his pulse, but he raised his hand to avoid her.

Her hand landed on his thigh.

Even through the nightgown, I could feel the unusual temperature under my hands; it was ice cold.

Ji Qingwu's brows immediately furrowed. Without any hesitation, she reached into the blouse of his shirt to look.

A warm palm pressed against his strong, muscular chest, the coolness of his skin emanating from him.

Upon seeing this, Li Yuzong turned his head away and tiptoed out of the hall.

As soon as they arrived at the palace gate, they saw Lexi standing not far away, hands behind her back, not in a hurry at all, with an unknown grass stalk in her mouth, slowly swaying over, followed by the lifeless Xiao Dongzi.

As the two approached, Xiao Dongzi said, "Dr. Le suddenly felt like going to the Imperial Garden to see the flowers and plants, and this servant really couldn't dissuade him."

Lexi spat out the straw and casually asked, "Little Zongzi, how is your emperor?"