Chapter 146 Panic
The imperial physician rushed over with his medicine chest and saw the anxious-looking crown prince guarding an unconscious woman by the bedside.
Hearing the commotion, Qi Heng turned around and hurriedly pulled him over: "Imperial Physician, quickly take a look at her, she has been stabbed and has fainted, and has lost a lot of blood."
"Very well, this humble official will take a look."
Seeing this scene, Shen Lin couldn't help but frown. He was surprised to see the usually calm and composed prince showing such a panicked expression, especially because of a woman.
For this, he even disregarded the Emperor's safety, fearing that the Emperor would blame His Highness upon waking.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, you should go and see His Majesty. His Majesty has fainted from fright, and we don't know his current condition."
Upon hearing this, Qi Heng's expression changed slightly. She looked down at the unconscious Tao Tao and, without realizing it, took her small hand in hers.
He knew that as a son, disregarding his father's safety at the banquet and leaving with an insignificant woman was considered unfilial; as a subject, disregarding the emperor's life was considered disloyal.
Placing himself in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety is tantamount to courting death; it will only make his father, who already disliked him, hate him even more.
But he couldn't care less about all that at the time; she was the only person on his mind.
Seeing her injured, he panicked and even felt fear. How long had it been since he had felt this kind of fear? He could only recall it when he was a child.
He suddenly realized that she was different from others in his heart.
Qi Heng gave a wry smile and shook her head: "It's already like this, there's no difference if we go later."
He was still worried about Tao Tao and needed to hear the imperial physician's diagnosis with his own ears before he could feel a little relieved.
"Your Highness! The Empress will be very angry too. You cannot put yourself in such a predicament for the sake of a woman."
Shen Lin strongly disagreed and was extremely anxious, worried that the Emperor would punish His Highness when he woke up.
"Your Highness, rest assured, this woman is fine. I have examined her and although her injuries are serious, none of them are vital organs. As long as we apply medicine and bandage her wounds, and give her some blood-nourishing soup, she will recover in about a month."
Hearing the imperial physician's words, Qi Heng breathed a sigh of relief, and her heart immediately relaxed.
"That's good. Shenlin will go with the imperial physician to get the medicine. Granny Sun, please keep an eye on things. I'll head to Changqiu Palace to visit my father now."
Granny Sun, who had been waiting by his side, nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."
Changqiu Palace.
The imperial physician sat by the bedside taking the emperor's pulse. After a short while, he rose to report, bowing to the empress and saying:
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Majesty was somewhat frightened, but quickly relaxed, causing his body to experience a sudden surge of joy and shock, which is why he fainted. After I administered acupuncture to His Majesty just now, he will wake up within an hour."
The Empress looked down at the Emperor, whose face was slightly pale, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled, "That's good. It's a blessing for the country that Your Majesty is alright. Heaven has eyes."
"Your Majesty..."
"How is Father?"
As soon as the imperial physician went out, he was surrounded by the concubines and princes.
Lady Liu hurriedly pulled her youngest son to the Emperor's bedside, her eyes filled with tears, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please wake up..."
"Why are you crying? This is so unlucky. His Majesty has just fallen asleep temporarily."
The Queen frowned and looked at her impatiently.
Whether it was Consort Liu's crying that had an effect or something else, the unconscious emperor was slowly waking up.
The prince, who was being held in Consort Liu's arms, saw it immediately and exclaimed in surprise, "Mother, Father has woken up!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress quickly turned to look at Granny Yu and asked in a low voice, "Where is the Crown Prince? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Granny Yu replied, "Xiao Su has already gone to look for him, and the Crown Prince will be here soon."
The emperor rolled his cloudy eyes and looked around. His forehead was covered in cold sweat. He felt extremely tired and powerless, and even getting up was difficult.
Consort Liu was about to reach out to help him up when the Empress pushed her aside.
The Empress's eyes were red and she looked at the man before her with great worry. "Your Majesty, you frightened me so much! I was so worried about you. Thankfully, by the grace of Heaven, you have finally woken up."
The Emperor frowned, used her strength to get up, and took a deep breath.
"Where is the Imperial Advisor? Where is Minister Duan?"
When he woke up, he didn't ask the imperial physician, but instead asked about the whereabouts of the Grand Preceptor and Duan Gan.
Just then, Gao Liangui's sharp, joyful voice rang out: "Your Majesty, they've arrived! The Imperial Preceptor and Lord Duan have come."
Upon hearing the name Duan Gan, the Empress's expression darkened, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes.
A young man in a Taoist robe walked over quickly, carrying a whisk. He bowed and said, "Wu Xuzi greets Your Majesty."
Duan Gan followed closely behind, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect: "Duan Gan greets Your Majesty."
"Rise... quickly rise... cough cough cough..."
The emperor couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough.
Upon seeing this, Wu Xuzi hurriedly stepped forward to take the emperor's pulse. After pondering for a moment, he said, "The pulse has stabilized, which shows that the body is fine, but the spleen is slightly weak."
"After taking the powerful tonic I just concocted, you will surely recover your vitality in less than three days."
Upon hearing that the Imperial Advisor had concocted a new elixir, the Emperor eagerly exclaimed, "Excellent! Quickly, bring me the elixir; I will take it immediately."
Wu Xuzi took out a sandalwood box from his sleeve, and Gao Liangui stepped forward, took it with both hands, and presented it to the emperor by raising it above his head.
He took the water handed to him by the Imperial Preceptor, and impatiently ate two pills, then drank a large amount of water afterward.
Consort Liu looked at the Emperor with concern and said softly, "Your Majesty, please slow down, be careful not to choke." Her hand reached towards the bowl he was holding.
The emperor, however, mistakenly thought she was there to steal his powerful tonic pills and angrily shouted, "Get out of my way!"
Consort Liu was stunned. She stared at him blankly, her beautiful eyes revealing disbelief.
She never expected that the emperor, who had always doted on her, would treat her in this way. She came from humble origins and met the emperor in the countryside. The two fell in love at first sight, and from then on, she rose rapidly through the ranks.
The Emperor has never raised his voice at her before, but now... how did things turn out like this...?
The young prince Qi Xi, standing to the side, didn't seem frightened either, remaining silent and speechless.
The Empress gave a silent, cold laugh. "Alright, Consort Liu, you may take the young prince and leave. His Majesty is unwell and it's understandable that he's in a bad mood; there's no need to take it to heart."
"Your Majesty, I was just investigating the assassins when I encountered them fighting desperately. I have killed them all, but I found this jade pendant on one of them."
Duan Gan took out a jade pendant carved with the shape of a Vermilion Bird from his sleeve.
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, his face darkened, and he stretched out his hand, which Gao Liangui quickly took from Duan Gan.
The Empress remained unconvinced, merely staring suspiciously at the jade pendant in his hand. But upon closer inspection, her expression changed drastically, and her pupils dilated in shock.
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