Chapter 497 Shocking Change
Jiang Huan felt a buzzing in her mind, as if a string had snapped instantly.
She practically lifted her skirt and ran towards the Imperial Study, her heart pounding in her chest as if it would burst out of her chest.
Inside the Imperial Study, Huo Lin lay on the couch.
His eyes were closed, his face was deathly pale, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
The imperial physicians gathered around the bed, their faces grave and brows furrowed, exchanging opinions in hushed tones, but all seemed at a loss for what to do.
"How did you faint? Why did you faint? Tell us one by one!"
Jiang Huan forced herself to calm down and reached out to hold Huo Lin's cold hand.
She almost fell down when she sat down on the edge of the tatami mat.
She could feel her voice trembling, but she couldn't let fear defeat her now.
Upon hearing this, the court official bowed and replied in a heavy tone: "We are incompetent. His Majesty's pulse is disordered and weak, sometimes present and sometimes absent, resembling exhaustion or a sudden attack of internal heat, accompanied by some unknown obstruction... However, although His Majesty has been overworked recently, there are no signs of illness. We have searched through medical books, but for the time being... we cannot find the exact cause of the illness and dare not prescribe any medicine rashly."
Each word was so sharp that it almost made Jiang Huan breathless.
A cold shadow, which she thought had long been altered and belonged to the original plot, suddenly surfaced uncontrollably in her mind.
Does the time limit mean that everyone's efforts are like a speck of dust, causing no disturbance to the world?
No, that's impossible.
The opportunities they brought to each other along the way are evident to all.
Cheer up, don't let nihilism and doubt hold you back.
Jiang Huan's mind raced, and she suddenly grasped a thread that had once saved her from countless dangers, but which was now fading into obscurity.
She immediately turned to Wang Degui, her voice urgent: "Quickly, go and invite He Sinong, right now!"
Although the system crashed, it might react at a critical moment when the protagonist's life is in danger.
Just a tiny bit, a very small hint, will do!
He Ling was quickly brought over, and on the way she learned that Huo Lin had fainted. She was also full of worry.
Although Jiang Huan was anxious, she kept telling herself to stay calm. Only after dismissing everyone else and leaving the imperial physician to wait in the outer room did she tightly grasp He Ling's hand and lower her voice.
"Is the system still not responding at all?"
He Ling immediately focused her attention and tried to communicate with the system. This time, she desperately hoped that the system would suddenly activate like it did last time.
However, deep within her consciousness there was only deathly silence; no matter how she called out, there was no response.
She shook her head dejectedly, her face paling slightly: "No... Your Majesty, it doesn't react at all, it's like... like it's completely asleep."
With her last glimmer of hope extinguished, Jiang Huan's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed onto the edge of the couch.
She forced herself to steady herself, her gaze returning to Huo Lin's lifeless face. Overwhelmed by immense fear and helplessness, she was instantly engulfed by ice water.
The night was as deep as thick, unyielding ink.
The imperial physicians took turns guarding the outer room, trying various methods, but all were like stones sinking into the sea, and Huo Lin's condition showed no improvement whatsoever.
At this moment, Jiang Huan could barely feel her heart beating; her face was as white as paper, and she was only holding on by sheer willpower.
No, even without a system, she would still try to think of every possible solution and implement every possibility.
Even if all that remains is despair, she cannot stop moving forward.
If she had to fall, she could only fall on the road to finding hope!
Having figured this out, it seemed as if a crack had been cleared in the chaos in Jiang Huan's mind, allowing her to take a deep breath and turn to the palace servants standing beside her: "Go, bring Chen'er and Yue'er here."
The palace maid was stunned for a moment, but Jiang Huan had already lowered her eyelashes, her fingers stroking Huo Lin's cold hand, as if explaining, or as if convincing herself.
"Don't sleep. The two kids are making such a ruckus. You promised to take care of them with me."
A moment later, two figures were brought in by the wet nurse.
Huo Chen and Huo Yue seemed to sense the unusual solemnity and sadness in the palace. They didn't cry or make a fuss, but just stared with their big, bewildered, and uneasy eyes.
Huo Chen's usually serious and upright face showed a rare look of confusion.
He broke free from his wet nurse's hand, toddled to the bedside, stretched out his arm and hugged Huo Lin's arm, pressing his little face against it: "Father, it's time to get up... I haven't shown you my calligraphy yet..."
Huo Yue instinctively climbed onto the bed, wanting to snuggle into her father's warm and comforting embrace as usual.
She snuggled closer to Huo Lin, instinctively snuggling into his arms. Her little hands groped around, only to find that the arm that used to gently encircle her was now hanging limply at her sides.
She pouted, her big eyes filled with tears, and then burst into tears: "Father...hug...Mother...hug Father...Yue'er is scared..."
The child's cries were like the sharpest needles, piercing Jiang Huan's heart.
She reached out her arms and gently pulled the two children into her embrace.
"Chen'er, Yue'er, don't be afraid, your mother is here." She whispered to comfort the frightened children. "Father is just too tired and needs to get some sleep. We'll stay with him, and he'll definitely feel it and wake up soon."
Then, she lowered her head and gently pressed her cheek against Huo Lin's slightly cool neck, feeling the faint but still present pulse, as if trying to draw strength from its beating.
"Huo Lin, you must wake up. You must teach Chen'er to ride a horse, and you must watch Yue'er grow up. Our family of four must live to be old and toothless, until we can't walk anymore, do you hear me?"
......
While Jiang Huan was trying countless methods, He Ling was pacing anxiously in the courtyard outside.
[System System System System System System! Please respond!]
[Is this the last time I'll talk to you? After this, let's go our separate ways and live our own lives. Please, have some consideration for me!]
This is really a disaster! Hey! The male lead is about to die!
She roared in her mind, but the roar only fell into the endless void of consciousness, without any response.
"well......"
He Ling sighed deeply, but still didn't want to give up, and prepared to start a new round of coercion and enticement.
"Okay, stop shouting."
"Now, a warning: the ultimate crisis has been triggered. Based on current data, the aftermath of the great flood in Jiangnan, with its silt accumulation and decaying matter everywhere, will inevitably trigger a large-scale plague, shaking the very foundations of the nation."
He Ling suddenly jumped up from her chair, her heart pounding.
"I was about to swear, and you finally turned it on!"
"Hey, stop talking to me about the plague, save this person first!"
However, the system seemed to deliberately avoid questions about Huo Lin, only continuing to transmit cold information.
"The only solution found is a formula for a highly effective medicine targeting this type of post-flood plague. However, obtaining this formula requires the highest level of access and a deep search across time and space..."
"Cost: The system's core energy will be completely exhausted and permanently shut down, and the host will lose all auxiliary functions."
He Ling said with almost no hesitation, her voice firm: "Give me the medicine formula. You can shut it down if you want. Anyway, the knowledge is in my head and the experience is in my hands. If it can save millions of people in Jiangnan and stabilize this country, I think it's very worthwhile."
"But before you shut it down, you must tell me how to save people, otherwise I will stay here even if it means my own death!"
A brief silence fell over her mind, as if even the remaining system consciousness hadn't anticipated her desperate gamble.
A few seconds later, the faint voice sounded again, "Host He Ling..."
The system's voice paused here, becoming unusually human-like.
"You have transcended the task itself. May you live a life filled with fulfillment, peace, and joy."
"As for Huo Lin's life or death, that's not something you can control. I will go find the key factor that can save him."
At the same time, a subtle stream of thought passed through the palace walls and precisely entered Jiang Huan's consciousness.
The flow of thought was weak, yet each word was clear.
"Jiang Huan, if you want to save Huo Lin, you must tell the truth. His fate changed when you appeared. Tell him where you came from and that you can hear his thoughts. The system will take back this ability and turn it into the power to save him. This is the only way."
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