Chapter 84 The intense pain contorted his facial features.
That night, in the East Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, the carved lattice window was half-open, and the faint chirping of cicadas drifted into the hall.
Xiao Shenjing, dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, sat behind the imperial desk, which made his face appear even paler. He raised his hand to pinch his brow, but still couldn't stop the waves of headache.
On his desk were several memorials bearing the red "Urgent Request" label, and when he looked at them, they all appeared as double images.
At this moment, the Minister of Works, the Minister of Revenue, and Huang Yun, the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy, stood with their hands clasped below the steps.
Xiao Shenjing seemed to have long been accustomed to this ambiguity, and reached out to pick up the memorial from the governor of Zhejiang.
The neat handwriting in the memorial was all blurred and distorted in his eyes.
He closed the memorial expressionlessly: "Academician Huang, hundreds of people are dying of cholera in Zhejiang Province every day. Has the 'Ten Epidemic Prevention Strategies' drafted by the Imperial Medical Academy been delivered by express courier?"
Huang Yun immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch was made yesterday, covering 600 li, and twelve imperial physicians, including Zhang Shugong, were sent south. As is customary, they carried 200 jin of agastache, 300 jin of atractylodes, and 50 jars of honeysuckle dew. The ice cellar at the Hangzhou Textile Bureau has also been opened."
Xiao Shenjing tapped the memorial, interrupting the conversation: "I know these regulations! What I'm asking about is whether the 'Plague Avoidance Law' from Zhili last year has been incorporated into it? It stipulates that bowls and chopsticks used by the sick must be boiled for half an hour. This rule must be proclaimed to the villages!"
"I will take care of it immediately," Huang Yun said hastily as he withdrew.
Xiao Shenjing's headache was getting worse and worse; even speaking caused a sharp pain between his eyebrows.
The stinging pain blurred his vision, but his expression remained completely unchanged.
Almost self-destructively, he calmly looked at Wang Ruzhen, the Minister of Revenue, and asked, "Minister Wang, how should the summer tax for the three prefectures of Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou be drafted this time?"
Wang Ruzhen stepped forward: "I have drafted a tax exemption bill: those in severely affected areas will be exempt from seven-tenths of the tax, while those in less affected areas will be exempt from five-tenths and subject to five-tenths. However, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner has just sent a dispatch saying that if the tax reduction is too large, it may affect the transport of grain north this autumn."
Xiao Shenjing slammed down his imperial brush, the celadon brush washer clanging loudly: "Which is more important, human life or grain transport? Issue my decree: allocate 50,000 taels of silver from the national treasury for medicine!"
"Your humble servant obeys."
The moment Wang Ruzhen turned away, cold sweat rolled down Xiao Shenjing's forehead. He merely coughed lightly to suppress the hoarseness in his throat, calmly turning to look at Lei Li, the Minister of Works, and asked, "Have the laborers repairing the city walls in various prefectures and counties this summer completed their work by the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM) as ordered by my previous decree?"
Lei Li: "Your Majesty, nine-tenths of the prefectures and counties have complied with the decree. However, Fengyang and Baoding are still ordering laborers to work until dusk, citing 'the city walls are in grave danger.' I have already sent a formal reprimand to them."
Xiao Shenjing sneered: "Is it possible that the prefects want to finish repairing the government office's back garden before the sweltering heat? Issue my imperial decree that for any official who works beyond the allotted time, the local official in charge shall personally go to the construction site at noon every day and expose himself to the scorching sun for two hours!"
Amidst the ticking of the water clock at the corner of the palace, a wisp of wind swept across the "Essentials of River Defense" on the imperial desk.
After the officials left, Xiao Shenjing could no longer suppress the excruciating headache. He propped his head up with one hand, and the veins on his forehead, covered in cold sweat, bulged frighteningly.
"Your Majesty!" Fu Shun rushed forward in alarm, asking with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, should we summon the imperial physician?"
Xiao Shenjing lowered his head, and after a long while, slowly waved his hand, "No need to help me lie down for a while."
The excruciating pain left him drenched in cold sweat, and he lost the strength to even walk.
I often suffer from headaches, but I have to keep myself calm every day.
Fu Shun helped Xiao Shenjing lie down on the couch, feeling an unbearable heartache. "Your Majesty, this servant will go and light some calming incense for you."
As wisps of smoke rose and Fu Shun bowed and retreated, Xiao Shenjing spoke, "Fu Shun."
Fu Shun's heart skipped a beat.
"Bring me the pills." Xiao Shenjing covered his eyes with one hand, his jawline taut with pain.
"Your Majesty!" Fu Shun turned around, then knelt down heavily with a thud, his head hitting the ground. "You can't take those pills anymore, Your Majesty!"
"Fu Shun!" His voice trembled for a moment from the pain, but he forced himself to continue, "Go and bring me the elixir."
Fu Shun kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Majesty, every pill you take is harming your body. You must not take any more, Your Majesty."
"Take it!" Xiao Shenjing covered his eyes, unmoved.
Fu Shun knew that it was no use saying anything now; as a servant, he had no way to persuade His Majesty.
If Empress Yun were still alive, His Majesty would not have this mental illness. Without this mental illness, he would not have become involved with elixirs. Without taking elixirs, he would not have suffered from headaches so often, which led to his current predicament.
If this continues, even a god descending to earth wouldn't be able to save His Majesty.
The day before yesterday, the imperial physician had just used acupuncture to bring His Majesty back from near dementia.
Only two days have passed, and His Majesty is doing this again.
The sixth needle of the Thirteen Ghost Needles has already been inserted.
But what could he do?
The nearly fifty-year-old chief steward gazed sadly at the horizon.
Empress Yun, please come back and see His Majesty.
Hit him or scold him, it doesn't matter.
Let His Majesty come out and stop hurting himself like this.
Fu Shun, hunched over, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. Just as he was about to give instructions to the palace maid beside him, a eunuch came to report, "Commander Gu Wenqian has urgent business to discuss with His Majesty."
As a favorite of the emperor, Gu Wenqian never received anything of little importance.
Fu Shun didn't dare to delay and informed Xiao Shenjing from outside the door.
After Xiao Shenjing agreed, Fu Shun wiped the corner of his eye and went to deliver the message himself.
Upon seeing Gu Wenqian, Fu Shun immediately said, "Commander Gu, please persuade His Majesty again. His Majesty really cannot take that elixir anymore!"
"Is Your Majesty going to take pills again tonight?" Gu Wenqian asked immediately.
Fu Shun nodded. "No matter how much we try to persuade them, it's no use."
"Don't worry, Deputy Chief Steward, we will definitely be able to persuade His Majesty to stop taking the elixirs this time," Gu Wenqian said with a smile.
When Xiao Shenjing, enduring excruciating pain, sat back down at his desk, his clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.
But apart from his face becoming increasingly pale, he showed no sign of pain.
But those phoenix eyes were as black as still water, yet something seemed to be stirring wildly within them.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Gu Wenqian bowed.
"What is it?" Unable to suppress the intense pain any longer, Xiao Shenjing strained, supporting his brow as if all his strength had given out.
His thick, drooping eyelashes, like raven feathers, cast a pale blue hue under his eyes.
Gu Wenqian stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, Empress Yun is not dead."
Xiao Shenjing lowered his arm, slowly raised his eyes to look at Gu Wenqian, and didn't understand what he was saying at all.
"Your Majesty!" This time, Gu Wenqian said firmly, "Empress Yun is not dead, she is still alive."
What are you saying to me?
Xiao Shenjing suddenly stood up, his writing brushes, ink, and memorials scattering all over the floor. His hands, with prominent veins, braced against the edge of the table, and his bloodshot eyes, filled with pain, stared at Gu Wenqian. "Tell me, who is still alive?"
"Empress Yun, Yun Xi, she is still alive." His gaze did not flinch, but instead looked directly at the emperor, uttering the treasonous title, all to break the shackles on Xiao Shenjing.
Upon hearing that name again, Xiao Shenjing's expression twisted for a moment.
He strode uncontrollably toward Gu Wenqian.
"Say it again!" Xiao Shenjing grabbed Gu Wenqian's collar, his knuckles turning white from the force, but the light in his eyes was like that of a dying man finally grasping at the last straw.
“Your Majesty!” Staring at the emperor’s deranged expression, Gu Wenqian repeated firmly, “Yunxi is not dead. She is still alive. She has been deceiving you all along.”
"She's not dead? How could she not be dead?! I saw her body with my own eyes, and now you're telling me she's not dead?"
Xiao Shenjing suddenly released his grip, staggered back a few steps, and laughed loudly, but his laughter was hoarse and raspy, as if he had gone mad.
The laughter stopped abruptly.
“Impossible.” Xiao Shenjing slowly lowered his head, his gaze gradually freezing from frenzy, and he murmured to himself.
His voice was low and hoarse, as if he was afraid of waking him from a dream.
After waking up, he would return to that fire. Yunxi, holding her child, would reach out to him, saying she was in so much pain and begging for help.
And damn it, there's nothing he can do.
The intense pain contorted his facial features for a moment.
He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching his brow, as if to confirm whether he was awake.
"If you are lying to me..." He stared at Gu Wenqian, his pupils trembling, like a wild beast on the verge of collapse.
If you dare to lie to him.
If you dare to lie to him
He will definitely kill all of them, leaving no one alive.
An out-of-control, frenzied, and intense killing intent surged towards Gu Wenqian like a tsunami.
Gu Wenqian trembled and immediately lowered his head. "Your Majesty, a secret letter sent back by our spies who were lurking in the Turkic lands says that Empress Yun is currently in the southern desert. She was in a Sogdian caravan when she got into a conflict with a Turkic patrol, seized a horse, and escaped."
An undeniable answer.
Xiao Shenjing suddenly covered his stinging left eye, but couldn't stop the redness and soreness.
Finally, a tear rolled down and wet my palm.
The emperor suddenly turned his back.
All reason and all imperial majesty collapsed completely.
"Yunxi is still alive. She's still alive. She's still alive," he murmured to himself, staggering to the imperial desk.
Soon, an overwhelming sense of joy, like a tidal wave, completely engulfed him, and he could not suppress the trembling that ran through his body.
But that still wasn't enough. He said, almost emphasizing each word, "Give me the secret letter."
Gu Wenqian immediately took out the secret letter, walked a few steps quickly, bowed, and handed it to the emperor.
Xiao Shenjing did not turn around.
He slowly loosened his clenched fist, which had turned white, and gently took it.
He almost had to grit his teeth to stop trembling as he opened the secret letter.
The tall, slender figure leaned against the imperial desk, holding the secret letter, reading it word by word, sentence by sentence, afraid that he might miss something, afraid that it might all be a false illusion.
Until all the words are memorized.
In fact, Xiao Shenjing had a very good memory and had already memorized every word of the letter.
But this was his only connection with Yunxi three years later.
At this moment, the emperor was like a dying man grasping at his only lifeline, holding on tightly and refusing to let go.
I don't know how much time has passed.
Xiao Shenjing finally spoke, "Send orders to have the spies lurking in the Turks do their utmost to track her and protect her." He closed his eyes briefly, "She must not be discovered."
After Gu Wenqian accepted the order and left, Fu Shun entered carrying the pills.
Xiao Shenjing sat behind his desk, raising his dark eyes. "From this day forward, the alchemy room is hereby abolished, and all sorcerers are to be sent out of the palace."
After his initial shock, Fu Shun was overjoyed. The medicine box rolled out of his trembling hands, and he almost crawled on his knees to pick it up. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this servant will do it right away."
She spoke while wiping away tears, then walked backwards out.
Very good.
Very good.
Fu Shun practically jogged to catch up with Gu Wenqian, disregarding etiquette as he grabbed the man's arm, exclaiming, "Lord Gu! Lord Gu!"
"Grandpa Fu?"
Fu Shun was out of breath and said intermittently, "Lord Gu, His Majesty has finally stopped taking the pills! I'm really curious how you persuaded His Majesty!"
“Because,” Gu Wenqian smiled slightly, “Empress Yun is still alive.”
Fu Shun's eyes widened suddenly, and he unconsciously gripped Gu Wenqian's arm tightly. "Are you serious? This, this is no joke, Lord Gu."
Even he knew that His Majesty absolutely could not withstand another blow.
Empress Yun has passed away. His Majesty has been struggling to hold on until now, but he is nearing his limit and can no longer withstand any further disturbances.
Gu Wenqian smiled with the demeanor of a gentleman, but his tone was firm: "It is absolutely true, Empress Yun is still alive, and she will definitely live on."
"Great! This is wonderful!" Fu Shun felt that this was simply the best news ever.
He slowly released Gu Wenqian and said from the bottom of his heart, "Lord Gu, if I may say something outrageous, my family did indeed dislike Empress Yun very much in the past."
Gu Wenqian nodded. "Is it because of Empress Yun's personality?"
Although it is a rhetorical question, the tone is that of a statement.
After all, he was aware of what Empress Yun had done.
"Yes." Fu Shun made no attempt to hide anything. At this moment, the Grand Eunuch rarely opened his heart and said, "When His Majesty was still the Prince of Huailing, Empress Yun, as a child of the Crown Prince's faction, should not have forced herself to be with His Majesty. If things went wrong, she would have brought disaster upon His Majesty."
At this point, he glanced at Gu Wenqian and said, "You know, the Empress Dowager of the previous dynasty always disliked His Majesty and wished she could get rid of him as soon as possible. His Majesty's life was already difficult at that time, and if he had taken a wrong step, he would have been in an abyss."
Gu Wenqian nodded, clearly agreeing with Fu Shun's words.
"At that time, His Majesty intended to distance himself, but Empress Yun kidnapped Cen Shi, forcing His Majesty to choose between two options." Fu Shun frowned. "Regardless of her initial intentions, she broke the law. Daring to kidnap a princess of the reigning dynasty was a heinous crime punishable by the confiscation of her property and the extermination of her entire clan. After her death was discovered, Empress Yun showed no remorse whatsoever. Not only did she deceive the emperor, but she also stormed the city gates and murdered him. Tell me, which of these actions shouldn't have resulted in her execution, the confiscation of her property, and the extermination of her entire clan?"
The emperor's majesty is absolute; those who infringe upon it will have their homes and families exterminated.
This is a truth that everyone has known throughout history.
“That’s true.” Gu Wenqian agreed with this point.
Later, she injured Empress Cen.
Every single thing Empress Yun did was a heinous crime. Looking across the entire harem and the entire court, no one throughout history has ever dared to be so audacious.
But His Majesty always treated her leniently, seemingly punishing her, but actually retreating step by step and indulging her in every way. In the end, Cen died, but Empress Yun was only banished to the Cold Palace. His Majesty's seemingly ruthless prohibition of anyone visiting her was all to protect her from being tortured by the Ministry of Justice.
But Fu Shun, being a servant, could not and dared not say these words.
"Back then, I really didn't like Yunxi," Fu Shun paused, finally regaining his senses and not daring to overstep his bounds again. He could only say, "But after Empress Yun died, I realized that if she could have joked around with His Majesty and stayed by His Majesty's side, His Majesty wouldn't be in so much pain. Compared to His Majesty's health, what are those outrageous and audacious things?"
Even though Your Majesty sits high on the throne and is revered by all the people of the world, the weight of the entire world rests on the shoulders of just one person.
Every day, the moment they open their eyes, they have to deal with the most important matters of the world. If they are not careful, there will be unimaginable consequences, and countless people will suffer.
The emperor dares not make mistakes, the emperor cannot make mistakes.
But even the emperor is human.
Since Empress Yun's death, Fu Shun often saw His Majesty sitting quietly on the dragon throne alone.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is very large, with golden dragons coiling around its pillars, but it is also empty, with only a cold draft whistling through it.
At that time, Fu Shun, behind the screen, had no idea what His Majesty was thinking.
But he felt sad and upset.
If it weren't for the inescapable responsibility of ruling the country, Fu Shun wouldn't know what His Majesty was capable of doing.
His Majesty has a harem of beauties, yet he never seems to see them.
At that time, Fu Shun knew that only Empress Yun could bring His Majesty back to life; no one else could.
"Therefore," Fu Shun bowed deeply to Gu Wenqian, "Lord Gu, please make sure the inspectors take good care of Empress Yun."
"Don't worry, I think the same way you do," Gu Wenqian replied with a deep bow.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly said to Fu Shun, "When Your Majesty was still the Prince of Huailing, Empress Yun often climbed over the wall at night. If Your Majesty really disliked her, how could you have allowed her to do such a thing?"
Even if His Majesty was not favored back then, he was still of noble birth and a prince.
Anyone who dares to trespass into the Prince's residence will be considered to have assassinated a member of the royal family.
Assassinating a member of the royal family is an unforgivable crime.
But has His Majesty ever investigated this matter even once?
Fu Shun's eyes widened suddenly.
So, the signs were already there back then?
It turns out that he had been blinded by his own narrow perspective and had never noticed.
Southern desert.
It took Yunxi quite a bit of effort to shake off the Turks and the three burly men.
She found a sheltered spot to sit down, wiped the sweat from her forehead, picked up her water pouch, and took a big gulp.
He wiped the water from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand to quench his thirst, then took out a map and a steamed bun from his pocket.
He didn't mind the dryness of the bread; after taking a bite, he began to carefully study the map.
Now there is only one outpost left. This incident must have alerted the Turkic guards stationed there. Now we either need to break through the encirclement before they return to defend, or lie low for a while and wait for the storm to pass.
But she has time; does Xu Yuansi have time?
Yunxi suddenly gripped the map in her hand tightly.
Even if it's risky, she has to try; she must get to the Xueyantuo tribe as quickly as possible.
Having made her decision, her expression grew even more resolute.
Xiao Shenjing always said that Yunxi was impulsive.
That is indeed the case, but if she planned everything before acting, she would only miss out, and she didn't like that kind of regret and pain.
She enjoys adventure and excitement, and is unafraid to find possibilities in the impossible. However, she is by no means mindless; she simply dislikes having to weigh the pros and cons in everything, even when it comes to human lives.
After all, she was confident in her martial arts skills, and she also had poison that could be released instantly hidden in her bag. Even if she couldn't get through, finding a place to protect herself would be no problem.
We can't wait any longer.
Yunxi stuffed the last bite of steamed bun into her mouth, clapped her hands, and suddenly stood up.
She was about to reach for the horse's reins when she suddenly heard a noise.
Her expression hardened, and Yunxi drew her short blade. From behind the sand dune, she saw the three burly men rushing toward her.
It's truly a persistent ghost.
Yunxi's body was as tense as a sword. She jumped onto the horse, tightened the reins, and was about to rush off when she suddenly heard someone call her name.
"Yunxi".
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