Chapter 90 He convulsed uncontrollably.
The early autumn night dew was already deep, and the chill seeped into the quiet room that had been temporarily converted into a medical room through the window lattice.
Several large tallow candles illuminated the room as bright as day, but they could not dispel the lingering shadow of death, which weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Xiao Shenjing lay supine on the couch, his face no longer pale, but a deathly bluish-gray.
The front of the dark blue brocade robe was cut open, revealing a hideous wound on the upper left chest. Although the wound caused by the dagger was not huge, it was deep and cunning. At this moment, it had been temporarily stopped by applying pressure with special cotton and cloth strips, but dark red blood was still slowly seeping out from under the cloth strips, like an ominous spring.
His breathing was shallow and rapid, and cold sweat soaked through his temples and undergarments, clinging to his skin and adding to his chill.
Around the bed, the Right Vice President of the Imperial Medical Academy rested his fingers on Xiao Shenjing's wrist, his whole body trembling.
"Tell me quickly, what's the matter?" Seeing this, Dao Yi tensed up like a bow about to snap.
The right magistrate's lips trembled. "This pulse is weak and feeble, sometimes there and sometimes it's not. It's clearly a sign of a broken heart and depleted blood and qi!"
The room was deathly silent.
Even a tough guy like Dao Yi couldn't hold back at this moment, his eyes bloodshot as he threatened, "I don't care what method you use, just heal His Majesty."
The judge on the right wing trembled for a long time, but dared not administer the needle.
"Get out of the way!"
At that moment, a hoarse yet resonant shout, like the clash of metal, broke the deathly silence.
A thin, elderly man wearing a faded gray long gown strode to the bedside.
"Prepare acupuncture needles, strong liquor, and ginseng slices to prolong life, quick!" The old man's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, instantly snapping the stunned crowd out of their daze.
He quickly washed his hands and opened an old, worn wooden box he carried with him. Inside were not ordinary silver needles, but thirteen strange gold needles of varying lengths, each as thin as a cow's hair, yet faintly gleaming with a bluish luster. He took some strong liquor, dipped each needle in, and then quickly heated them over a candle flame. The bluish luster seemed to intensify under the flame, emitting a subtle, buzzing sound.
The old man took a deep breath, his cloudy old eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his aura suddenly became like a sword drawn from its sheath. His withered fingers were as steady as a rock. He picked up the first and longest golden needle and, without the slightest hesitation, pierced it into Xiao Shenjing's "Baihui" acupoint on the top of his head, the so-called vital yang acupoint that connects life and death, as fast as lightning.
The moment the golden needle entered his acupoint, Xiao Shenjing's already weak breath suddenly stopped, his body convulsed violently, and then he went limp again, his face seemingly even more ashen.
"Your Majesty!" Dao Yi exclaimed in fright.
The old man seemed not to hear, his gaze terrifyingly focused. He struck the second and third needles with lightning speed, his accuracy in locating acupoints unparalleled. Golden needles, gleaming with a ghostly blue light, pierced Xiao Shenjing's chest and the vital points around his heart like nails imbued with the power of the underworld!
With each needle piercing his skin, Xiao Shenjing's body shuddered violently, emitting a painful groan, and more blood and foam spilled from his lips, some even containing dark purple bruises! The scene resembled not saving a life, but rather the execution of some cruel punishment!
When the ninth needle, a thin, hair-like yet three-inch-long, deep blue-gold needle, was slowly inserted by the old man into the edge of the fatal wound on the emperor's left chest with a special technique, a strange change occurred. Xiao Shenjing suddenly opened his eyes.
But those eyes were empty and lifeless, the pupils unfocused, staring blankly into the void, as if devoid of life.
Immediately afterwards, his body began to convulse and spasm uncontrollably, and large amounts of dark red blood gushed from the wounds on his mouth, nose and chest, instantly staining the brocade quilt beneath him!
"The heart meridian is in reverse, the qi and blood are collapsing, this is terrible!" The Right Judge cried out in alarm, his voice trembling with sobs.
The room was filled with a deathly silence and despair.
Only the old man with the "Ghost Hand Yama" had veins bulging on his forehead. Instead of stopping, his withered hands moved so fast that they were just afterimages. The moment the last four golden needles fell, Xiao Shenjing's convulsing body suddenly straightened up, as if pulled straight by an invisible force. Then, his whole body went limp like a deflated sack, and he was completely silent.
Even the faint breathing seemed to have stopped.
The candlelight flickered uneasily, illuminating the lifeless body on the bed and the thirteen golden needles deeply embedded in the vital points, their light gleaming faintly blue in the candlelight.
Ghost Hand Yama stared at Xiao Shenjing's bloodless face, his withered fingers trembling as he gently placed them on Xiao's cold wrist.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
Just when everyone's heart was about to stop beating!
On the old man's taut face, the muscles twitched extremely slightly, and beneath his withered fingers, the pulse that had been completely extinguished beat very, very faintly.
Then, another one.
Although as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, the dormant pulse finally showed a glimmer of life again.
Ghost Hand Yama exhaled a long, long breath of turbid air. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his clothes soaked with sweat. He staggered a step and was supported by the medicine boy beside him.
He stared at Xiao Shenjing's still ashen face, though it no longer seemed so lifeless, and his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping: "You were pulled back from the brink of death; the rest is up to fate and His Majesty's destiny."
Thirteen needles had been inserted, forcibly keeping the last vestige of life alive. However, the heart meridian was severely damaged, blood loss was excessive, and the high fever and invasion of pathogenic toxins meant that any slight disturbance could completely extinguish this fragile life.
The early autumn night was long and cold, and the candle wax dripped silently.
The person on the bed is still on the edge of the abyss between life and death, rising and falling.
A curfew was imposed, martial law was declared throughout the city, and the entire provincial governor's office was surrounded by soldiers stationed there.
Zhou Ran collapsed outside the courtyard, his face ashen, his body drenched in cold sweat, as if he could already see the end of himself and his entire clan being wiped out.
A storm is brewing.
Yunxi was locked in the room, heavily guarded outside, with no way to escape.
But she never intended to escape.
She sat calmly in the chair, her eyes half-closed, waiting.
After Xiao Shenjing died, the attendants took their anger out on her, wanting to cut off her head to be buried with the emperor.
Yunxi swept the candle flames that had burned out; by then, a faint light had appeared in the sky.
She rotated her somewhat stiff wrists, then stretched and slowly stood up.
Stepping on the morning dew, she practiced martial arts in the house, trying her best to activate her meridians.
She went all out last night, but Xiao Shenjing shifted his body slightly at the time, and Yun Xi frowned almost imperceptibly.
If Xiao Shenjing cannot die, what awaits her next?
That must be a torment even more unbearable than death.
She performed a set of punches and was already slightly sweaty.
Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead.
She was ready.
She resisted to the bitter end against the people who were about to arrest her.
Suicide is the most cowardly way to die; she won't do that.
She would rather be pierced by a spear, rather die standing, than accept any humiliating torture.
cough
The main issue was that she didn't think she could withstand the methods used in the Zhaoyu prison.
Rather than begging others for a quick death later, it's better to end it yourself when the time comes.
Just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, the courtyard gate creaked open.
They've arrived.
Yunxi drew her dagger.
She had long been prepared, and this journey to her death no longer stirred any emotion within her.
If there's one thing that can stir even the most stagnant heart, it's the Lantern Festival.
But she had no other options.
Amidst the clattering of armor outside, the gate was pushed open.
A tall figure appeared in Yunxi's line of sight against the backlight.
Yunxi glanced at it, then continued wiping the dagger.
"Step back three zhang." After saying that, Dao glanced sideways at him.
The soldiers behind him immediately closed the door.
Then came the sound of footsteps retreating in unison.
Yunxi frowned sharply. The fact that they weren't arresting her now only meant one thing: Xiao Shenjing wasn't dead.
Therefore, she should be kept alive, awaiting his personal execution.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress." Just as Yunxi was thinking this, Dao Yi surprised her even more by kneeling on one knee and bowing while holding the black sandalwood in his hands.
"That's quite a novel title." Yun Xi rubbed her ears with obvious repulsion. "Commander Dao, are you trying to play the 'courtesy first, then force' game?"
She was about to say that it was unnecessary to go through all that trouble, and that it would be more efficient to just take action directly.
Just as she was about to speak, she saw Dao Yi, who had stood up, open the box in his hand.
Dao Yi asked her, "Your Majesty, I have three imperial edicts here. Which one do you wish to obey?"
Yun Xi narrowed her eyes, and even though she had already guessed it, she still couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Shenjing isn't dead?"
Dao nodded slightly. "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and naturally has the protection of Heaven."
“If Yunxi’s face darkens, it means her plan has failed.”
Dao Yi, holding the black sandalwood box in his hands, asked again, "Your Majesty, which of the three imperial edicts do you wish to heed?"
"What if I don't want to listen?" Yunxi asked, gripping the dagger in her hand.
I never expected that even though her knife was so severe, Xiao Shenjing was still able to write!
In any case, it's just a matter of how to punish and humiliate her, just like before.
She was about to die, so why would she care how horrific his methods were?
Anyway, even if she were to be desecrated, she would already be dead and wouldn't feel any pain.
"Then this humble subject will choose one for Her Majesty the Empress." Dao Yi seemed not to have heard Yun Xi's words at all. He bowed and placed the black sandalwood box on the Eight Immortals table, and opened the top imperial edict on his own.
Yunxi was getting impatient, but she still said, "If you're going to fight, then fight. Considering we're acquaintances, I won't hurt you or the soldiers outside."
After all, they are innocent, and there is no need to involve them in personal grudges.
Dao Yi didn't care what Yun Xi said and opened the imperial edict to read it aloud.
By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I have been ordained by Heaven to rule the world, yet in the dead of night in the deep palace, alone with a flickering candle, I often feel that I have failed Yunxi in this life. My heart is filled with unspeakable shame, and even if I were to give up the world, I could not repay even a fraction of her kindness.
I hereby bestow upon Yunxi a special iron certificate, engraved with dragon patterns on black iron and inlaid with a secret-crafted red seal, a token personally granted by me. By virtue of this iron certificate, Yunxi shall enjoy the following unprecedented powers and protections, which shall remain unchanged for eternity, even amidst the upheavals of heaven and earth:
Firstly, the pardon is boundless. No matter what they have done, even if they have committed regicide or violated the ten unpardonable crimes, the entire legal system, the imperial family, and even future emperors shall not punish them for this, nor shall they harm their lives in the slightest. By this decree, I hereby grant them a special pardon for all their past, present, and future sins.
Secondly, there are no restrictions on his access to the palace. He is permitted to enter and leave the Forbidden City at any time with this iron certificate, as if it were his own home. Regardless of day or night, guards, eunuchs, and even the Imperial Guards will regard the certificate as if it were the Emperor himself, and no palace rules may be used to obstruct, question, or spy on him. He is especially permitted to visit the Crown Prince Xiao Ji, for even my own flesh and blood needs his care. Within the Crown Prince's palace, he may come and go freely, conversing and exchanging affections, and guards are not allowed to approach or eavesdrop.
The three safeguards are to ensure the absolute safety of the holder. It is hereby decreed that Dao Yi, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, and Fan Zishi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, be the secret guardians of the iron certificate. These individuals, along with their successors, must risk their lives to ensure the absolute safety of the certificate holder. No matter where the holder is or what dangers they encounter, the guardians must exert all their strength, even deploying troops, to ensure the holder's peaceful death, free from calamity and misfortune.
This responsibility of protection is passed down through generations, sharing the fate of the nation.
This decree transcends ordinary rules and supersedes all laws and decrees. It is a blood oath I, as the Son of Heaven, and with the shame of my own flesh and blood, have made. Future rulers who read this decree shall understand my heart-wrenching grief, strictly abide by this promise, and not alter a single word or disobey it in the slightest.
This decree will be recorded separately in a secret file and kept in the possession of a high-ranking official in charge of protecting the certificate. It will serve as both the inner and outer document of the iron certificate and as permanent proof.
On the tenth day of the seventh month of the ninth year of Jingsheng, Xiao Shenjing wrote his final words at midnight.
Upon hearing the final date, Yunxi froze on the spot.
It is now the first day of the eighth lunar month.
Was this imperial edict something Xiao Shenjing had already prepared?
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