Chapter 92 (Chapter 92) (The Emperor's Reign)
Xie Yushu ordered Pei Heng to personally invite the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to come quietly, so that no one else could know about the Emperor's illness before the Emperor woke up.
Pei Heng understood that the court had only just stabilized, so it was impossible to spread the news of the emperor's poisoning on the day of the agricultural sacrifice.
No sooner had he left than Xie Yushu asked Song Jie again, "Do you really have no way to remove the toxins from Xiao Dao's body?"
Only she and Song Jie remained in the hall. He remained kneeling on the ground, looked up at Xie Yushu, and asked in return, "Does the Empress truly wish for Xiao Dao to live to be a hundred years old?"
This question startled Xie Yushu, who subconsciously looked at the small knife on the couch.
Song Jie then said, "The Empress should know very well that as long as Xiao Dao lives, it will be difficult for you to truly become emperor. Even if you hold real power, it will still be Xiao Dao who receives the worship of thousands in the court."
He gently placed his hand on Xie Yushu's lap and called her name: "Yushu, have we done so much just to make you empress? Did I support an illiterate beggar to become emperor so that you could be his empress?"
Of course not.
"I made him a stepping stone for you to become emperor." He said to Xie Yushu without any concealment, "So his death was the will of Heaven."
Xie Yushu looked at Song Jie beside his knees, his eyes burning with an unprecedented desire, a desire that even surpassed the desire they shared when they slept together, a desire to lift her to the highest peak at all costs.
She couldn't quite understand Song Jie; his burning desire now surpassed even his ambition to become emperor, or even to possess her.
“Now that you’ve gradually gained control of the previous dynasty, what you should do isn’t to save Xiao Dao, but to conceive an heir as soon as possible.” Song Jie’s hand tightened around her knee. “As long as you conceive an heir, once Xiao Dao dies, the child in your womb will be the only imperial bloodline of the Great Xun Dynasty. At that time, wouldn’t it be easy for you to become emperor?” He moved from his knee to the back of her hand, his cool fingers holding her hand as he whispered, “As for whether the child you’re carrying is Xiao Dao’s or not, it doesn’t matter.”
Xie Yushu saw a clear shortcut, and she found it hard not to be tempted by Song Jie's words. If Xiao Dao were to live a long time, she would have to spend ten, twenty, or even more years painstakingly trying to find a way to make Xiao Dao step down reasonably.
But what if Xiao Dao died after she became pregnant with the imperial heir...?
"Yushu, have you forgotten your original intention?" Song Jie took Xie Yushu's hand and pressed it against his face, which had just been slapped red, and murmured, "I won't live much longer. Before I die, let me clear away all obstacles for you."
Xie Yushu hadn't thought about her original intention for a long time. What was her original intention?
The original plan was to earn enough life points and money to avenge Yu Shu and then return to the original world.
But as she accumulated more and more "charm points," she discovered that not only could she gain more money, but she could also gain power and become the female lead... She wondered why she didn't just try being the emperor.
Human desires are constantly changing, so how can one's original intentions remain unchanged?
She couldn't bring herself to give up the throne she was so close to and return to the real world.
Her arrangements in the previous dynasty had only just been finalized; she had not yet established the imperial examinations for women; and there were still many things she wanted to do but had not yet done…
But she still said to Song Jie, who was sitting on her knees, "I have never forgotten my original intention, but Xiao Dao does not necessarily have to die. He can fake his death and leave, or change his identity and stay by my side. I have many ways to become emperor. I do not need to sacrifice someone who is truly good to me to become emperor. You do not need to use these words to shake me. I want the country, and I want Xiao Dao to stay."
"You just need to answer me, is there any way to remove the toxins from his body?" Xie Yushu didn't like having her thoughts controlled by Song Jie. Even if she knew it was a shortcut, she didn't need Song Jie to tell her, "Who prepared the pills for Xiao Dao and brought that person to see me?"
She withdrew her hand.
Looking at her, Song Jie felt a pain in his heart, as if it were being cut by scissors. So this is what it means for her to truly love someone: she wouldn't be willing to sacrifice him for anything.
So she really didn't like him, which is why she used him like a tool.
He was happy, so T rewarded him with a little treat.
If I'm unhappy, I can slap him across the face anytime.
He hated Xiaodao even more in his heart. If Xiaodao had not become emperor, Yushu would never have chosen Xiaodao as her husband, and she would not have felt so much reluctance and affection for him.
He couldn't let Xiaodao live, otherwise everything he had done would have been for Xiaodao's benefit.
From the day Xiao Dao made Yu Shu his empress, he had already decided that Xiao Dao had to die.
Everything he did was for Yu Shu, not to help Yu Shu and Xiao Dao get together.
But he didn't want to anger Yu Shu, so he told the truth: "If the Empress ordered it, I would naturally bring that person here. But I did not lie to the Empress. The cinnabar poison cannot be completely removed. If it could, I would not have to endure the pain long ago."
Xie Yushu looked at him and said something that hurt him: "He is so much younger than you and has never been poisoned by the cold. Just because you can't doesn't mean he can't."
Song Jie knelt on the ground, his whole body chilled to the bone. He gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "Yes, I was destined to die soon anyway, how can I compare to him?"
A rumbling thunder sounded outside the palace, indicating that spring rain was about to fall.
As night fell, it really did rain. The spring rain nourished the earth, and it rained on the first day of the Emperor and Empress's agricultural sacrifice.
The unconscious Xiao Dao was secretly sent back to the palace.
While bringing his alchemist into the palace to meet the empress, Song Jie also ordered people to spread the "prophecy" that the empress was a woman of destiny, as originally planned.
These days he always felt that the cold poison was about to flare up again. He would be thirty years old this year, and he was worried that, just as his master had said, he would not live past thirty. Therefore, he could not let his plans be disrupted. He had to support Yu Shu to become emperor as soon as possible and send Xiao Dao away.
Xie Yushu met with the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and the alchemist who had refined elixirs for the late emperor, but the answers he received were not optimistic.
The head of the Imperial Medical Academy was more tactful. He suggested trying bloodletting to detoxify, saying that although it was difficult to guarantee complete elimination, it would at least be better than the current situation.
The alchemist, however, said directly that since those pills containing cinnabar poison could cause the late emperor's sudden death through blood, it was impossible to eliminate them now. The toxins had already accumulated in his internal organs, and all that could be done was to alleviate the pain and prolong his life, but it could not cure him.
As for how long it can extend lifespan, even the alchemist couldn't say for sure.
Xiao Dao regained consciousness while Yu Shu was talking to the imperial physician and alchemist. He was in excruciating pain in his chest, as if it were being burned, and his head was spinning. In his dizziness, he heard Xie Yu Shu say to the imperial physician in a low voice, "Then let's bleed him. Use all the methods. There must be a way to cure His Majesty's illness."
He lay on the bed and listened quietly for a while. He could hear Yu Shu's anxiety. She was even willing to let the imperial physician test the bloodletting treatment on Song Jie first, and then use it on him after confirming that it was safe.
The sound of rain and thunder mingled outside the window. Looking at the pitch-black sky outside, he guessed that Yu Shu must not have rested for a single moment all day and night.
After the imperial physician and alchemist left, the hall fell silent.
He couldn't even hear Yu Shu's voice anymore; she was clearly sitting just outside, separated by a thin gauze curtain.
He turned his head and saw her slender back; she was looking down as if she were crying.
"Your Majesty, it's almost time for the morning court session," Jin Ye said softly. "The palace servants are waiting outside the hall."
Yu Shu remained silent for a while before he heard her say in a hoarse voice, "Let them wait a while. Jin Ye, I'm tired. Let me rest for a bit before dealing with those things."
Xiao Dao's heart was breaking. He was so useless. He should have done more for Yu Shu before he died, so that she could have an easier time.
So he propped himself up and called out, "Yu Shu."
The curtain was immediately lifted, and he saw Yu Shu walking towards him in a soft robe, her face so pale and her brows so tightly furrowed, as if she were exhausted.
She reached out and touched his face, asking softly, "When did you wake up? How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable?"
Xiao Dao touched his warm palm, her eyes welling up with tears, and shook her head, saying, "I don't feel bad anymore, I'm much better now, don't worry about me."
But his voice was hoarse, his breath was weak, and he was completely unconvincing.
He helped Yu Shu sit up and said, “Have the palace maids come in to help me wash and change. If I don’t attend court today, who knows what people will say outside, and you’ll have to deal with it for me.”
Xie Yushu gripped his hand tightly, her emotions a mix of feelings. "You're so sick, it wouldn't hurt to rest for a day."
He struggled to his feet, but was so dizzy that he could barely stand.
"How can you go to court when you're this sick?" Xie Yushu supported him, feeling a pang of sadness. His once robust body was now so weak.
Xiao Dao's cold hand gripped hers tightly. He turned to her and said, "Why don't you help me to court? Just tell them I caught a cold and need you to accompany me."
Xie Yushu did not speak immediately, because the original plan was for her to attend court in his place, and now that he had said it himself, she felt a little guilty.
The sky was still overcast because of the rain.
Xie Yushu, dressed in court attire, appeared in the court with Xiaodao, who had put on some makeup, and she sat down on the dragon throne with Xiaodao.
Xiao Dao was dressed in court robes and had applied some makeup, which made him look a little better. Holding her hand, he explained that he had caught a cold and was feeling dizzy and hard of hearing, so he needed the Empress to repeat some things he hadn't heard clearly.
Naturally, some ministers expressed their dissatisfaction and criticism.
But now that Pei Heng, Song Jie, and the new officials she had personally promoted were standing in court, those discontents were quickly drowned out.
Xie Yushu received the homage of all the officials. Because of her high position, she could not see clearly the expressions of those who were dissatisfied with her. All she could see was that even if they were dissatisfied, they still knelt down before her in the crowd.
Ironically, her main quest progress bar didn't update at this moment.
Only the "charm value" is increasing, with 2 points coming from Song Jie, 1 point from Xiao Dao, and 1 point from Pei Heng.
So even Pei Heng believed that she had the ability and the right to become empress, right?
Who are these people?
Xie Yushu guessed that it might be because she attained a high enough position that she was seen and worshipped by enough people.
As the rain intensified, she could imagine how much criticism would circulate in Bianjing and throughout the country after the court session, and how many rumors would spread that women's interference in politics would lead to chaos.
But she didn't care at all; she would use new policies and reforms to cover up these rumors.
#
After the court session, Xie Yushu kept Song Jie in the palace.
She doesn't offer him any incentive now, and directly commands him to use bloodletting therapy to treat Xiaodao, but she wants to test it on him first.
Song Jie stood in the hall looking at her, and for a brief moment he hated her.
He was overjoyed and wanted to congratulate her on her official entry into court today, but she insisted on saving a man, even willing to sacrifice him, a useful pawn, to save him.
The hatred vanished easily when she turned away, unable to bear it.
She subconsciously clenched her fingers under her court robes and said to the head of the Imperial Medical Academy with her back turned, "Song Jie's constitution is different. He is physically weak. You need to be careful about the amount of bloodletting."
Song Jie thought to himself with a bittersweet smile: at least her subconscious actions couldn't lie.
Soon, Jin Ye rushed in from outside the palace gate and reported, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has vomited blood again."
Xie Yushu left the main hall without a moment's delay and rushed to see Xiao Dao.
Song Jie endured a sharp pain, gritting his teeth to bear it. Only after catching his breath did he slowly look at the head of the Imperial Medical Academy and ask him, "Did Lord Liu's daughter just get married?"
Dean Liu paused, puzzled as to why Song Jie would ask about his daughter at this moment.
Xie Yushu saw the knife in the small kitchen in her palace.
He acted as if nothing was wrong, instructing palace servants to move a piece of wood into his bedchamber. Beside him was a cotton nest, in which a snow-white kitten lay.
Upon seeing her, Xiao Dao immediately greeted her with a smile, took her hand, and said, "I already told Jin Ye that I was fine, but she insisted on coming to find you. But you came back just in time. Look at this kitten, do you like it? I asked Pei Heng to catch it from his house. It's the whitest in the litter. I guess you'll like it."
Xie Yushu was completely baffled as to why he suddenly wanted to keep a kitten in the palace.
He picked up the kitten and showed it to her, pretending to be casual as he said, "There's no one to keep you company in this palace. If I'm gone one day, you'll still have a kitten."
Xie Yushu looked at him, stroked the kitten in his arms, and found it hard to lie to him and say: He will be alright.
So she said, "We can have a child."
She saw Xiaodao's eyes light up suddenly, and he asked in disbelief, "Yushu, do you...do you want it? Don't force yourself for my sake...I want you to be happy."
“It’s what I want,” Xie Yushu said, holding his hand. She needed a child.
She will do her best to prolong his life, but she needs to prepare for the possibility of his passing.
She couldn't bring herself to give up the throne that was just one step away, complete the mission, and return to the real world.
Xiao Dao hugged her tightly, seemingly at a loss for words, and finally just said, "Thank you, Yu Shu."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Update~
I'll be releasing pre-orders for my next novel in a couple of days; I'm thinking of writing a sweet story to lighten the mood [hugs].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
