Jingyang Palace
Linghu Ning ate the pastries in small bites, but couldn't taste them. She simply gave them all to Chan'er: "My mouth is very bitter, and I really can't taste the pastries. Don't waste such good pastries, you eat them."
Chan'er was flattered and accepted the gift, expressing her gratitude.
She held a book in her hands, leaning back on the chaise lounge, flipping through it. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep again.
Chan'er called softly, but there was no response. She sighed softly, then looked up and was met with a gloomy face: "Your Majesty..."
"Step back," the Emperor of Japan said in a low voice.
Startled, Chan'er quickly retreated.
The Emperor of Japan came to the bedside and stared at the sleeping girl's face. Her body was getting thinner and thinner, and her face looked much more haggard.
Even the smell of medicine on his body was strong, and his collar was open, with a faint white gauze tightly wrapped around his chest.
The Emperor of Japan softened his gaze.
After waiting for an hour, Linghu Ning opened her eyes wearily, let out a soft moan, turned to her side, buried her head in her arms, and mumbled something.
The Japanese emperor leaned closer to listen, but could only vaguely make out nothing.
Seeing that she showed no signs of waking up, the Emperor of Dongying could not bear it any longer. He reached out a finger and gently tapped Linghu Ning's nose, shaking her body: "Consort Shu."
Linghu Ning struggled to open her eyes, and upon seeing the person who had arrived, she was overjoyed. She rushed in, wrapping her arms tightly around the Emperor of Dongying's neck, her petite body nestled in his embrace: "Your Majesty, why have you come?"
"Have you been waiting long? Where is Chan'er? Why hasn't she woken me up?"
"It was I who forbade her to shout." The Emperor of Dongying let her hold him, his thoughts drifting as he smelled the medicine. He asked in a low voice, "Consort Shu, who did you see today?"
Linghu Ning stiffened for a moment, then looked up with red eyes and nodded aggrievedly: "The Crown Princess of Northern Chu sent someone."
"Why are you crying?" He wiped away his tears with his fingertips, his tone gentle. "Are you homesick?"
Linghu Ning shook her head: "If only I weren't from Northern Chu."
The Emperor of Japan smiled and did not ask any further questions.
In the following days, the Emperor of Dongying distanced himself from Linghu Ning, but he knew exactly what Linghu Ning did each day.
"Today, Consort Shu returned the cook to Consort Xian."
"They also visited the Empress."
"I played with the rabbit for most of the day at noon."
A young eunuch from Jingyang Palace rushed in with the news: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has suddenly been vomiting large amounts of blood. You must go and see her quickly!"
"What?" The Emperor of Japan took a long stride, his steps hurried.
Inside Jingyang Palace, Chan'er was terrified when she saw Linghu Ning vomiting blood. Upon seeing the Emperor of Dongying, she quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu asked me to fetch some fodder to feed the rabbits. I was only gone for a moment, but I didn't expect to see Consort Shu vomiting blood when I returned."
The Emperor of Dongying kicked Chan'er away and strode to the bedside. Sure enough, he saw Linghu Ning lying on the bed, her face as pale as paper, spitting out mouthfuls of foul blood.
"The imperial physician!!"
The imperial physician stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has been poisoned."
"Poisoning?" The Japanese emperor's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He frowned. "Where did the poison come from in Jingyang Palace?"
Chan'er immediately pointed to the white bottle that Linghu Ning was tightly clutching.
The Emperor of Japan followed the gaze and handed the white bottle to the imperial physician. The physician took it, smelled it, and his expression changed slightly: "This is it!"
The Emperor of Dongying stared intently at the white bottle. This bottle was given to him by Consort Xian, who had said that it contained only ordinary tonics and definitely not poison.
It was only used to test Linghu Ning.
"What kind of poison is this?"
"It's...it's poison."
The Emperor of Japan's pupils contracted in disbelief.
Linghu Ning had already fallen into a coma. She was held in the arms of the Dongying Emperor. After a while, the Dongying Emperor felt that his palm was still a little sticky. He looked down and saw that his palm was stained with bright red blood.
Looking closer, Linghu Ning's chest was already soaked in red.
He ripped open his clothes.
Everyone was so frightened that they quickly lowered their heads.
The thick gauze was already soaked through, and the scars underneath were layered one on top of another. The Japanese emperor's eyelids twitched.
"What's wrong with Consort Shu?" The Emperor of Dongying glanced at Chan'er.
Chan'er shuddered, took out a brocade box from under the bed, opened it to reveal more than a dozen small bottles: "The Consort Shu draws blood every day."
There was also a letter under the bottle.
The Emperor of Dongying took the letter and glanced at it. It read: "Your Majesty, I am caught in a dilemma and do not wish to harm you. My only option is to die. I beg Your Majesty to give me a grand funeral and to spread the word far and wide."
The handwriting was a bit crooked, so it must have hurt her a lot when she wrote it.
The Emperor of Japan clutched the letter, his eyes blazing with fury. He gritted his teeth and said, "Bandage Consort Shu's wounds. Save Consort Shu at all costs. If Consort Shu lives, you live; if Consort Shu dies, you will all be buried with her!"
After saying that, he carefully placed Linghu Ning on the couch.
He turned and left.
That day, the entire Imperial Hospital was in an uproar, with everyone gathered at Jingyang Palace. Palace maids were coming and going, and the fragrance of crabapple blossoms and the smell of blood mingled together above the palace.
Under the eaves, a figure in crimson stood stubbornly, her face filled with disdain and anger.
"Such a person deserves to die!" The little palace maid behind Consort Xian curled her lips: "An orphan girl dares to slap Her Majesty's face; she's just unlucky."
Besides anger, Consort Xian was mostly confused.
She clearly didn't give him poison, so why was Linghu Ning poisoned?
The midday sun was somewhat dazzling, and Consort Xian's fair face was flushed red, with a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
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