Chapter 501 Consulting the Emperor
Eunuch Li led her straight through one palace gate after another, finally into the emperor's bedchamber.
She immediately spotted the man lying on the dragon bed.
The strong smell in the room made Jiang Nuanzhi frown involuntarily.
Afterwards, everyone withdrew, leaving only Jiang Nuanzhi, Li Rong, Chi Heng, and a few of the Emperor's confidants in the room.
The Emperor was awake and leaning against a soft couch. When he saw the people bowing, he waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities."
His gaze unconsciously fell on Jiang Nuanzhi's face, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw her appearance.
However, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Dr. Jiang has arrived, thank you for your trouble."
Jiang Nuanzhi met Li Rong's worried eyes, smiled reassuringly, and then stepped forward. She did not immediately take his pulse, but instead looked him over and then frowned: "Your Majesty, do you have any wounds?"
The emperor paused for a moment, then sighed.
The eunuch Li immediately stepped forward and opened the emperor's robe.
On his chest, there was a festering wound emitting a foul odor, with black smoke swirling around it.
The physician, Magpie, looked grim. He stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this was caused by a hidden dagger. I have already inserted silver needles to seal the wound temporarily. The dagger is only the length of a finger and its force was not great, so it did not penetrate. However, after I removed the dagger, I found that the poison had entered the lungs and internal organs. This poison is slightly different from the one you treated last time. I tried to force the poisoned blood out as before, but I couldn’t do it. Moreover, Your Majesty’s health is deteriorating rapidly; you have not eaten for three days now.”
Even a small amount would immediately trigger a surge of energy throughout the body, causing the blocked, impure blood to boil again. The Emperor is now unable to move his lower limbs.
As Physician Que spoke, Jiang Nuanzhi placed her fingers on the Emperor's wrist, carefully taking his pulse.
After paying the tax, she observed his complexion, drew blood from his ear tips, and listened to his heart rate. After a while of this, Jiang Nuanzhi frowned.
At this moment, the emperor, due to the series of movements, coughed violently, blood splattering onto his yellow dragon robe. It was a gruesome sight. He, however, merely wiped it away indifferently.
Li Dequan dressed him, leaving only the wound on his chest exposed, but Jiang Nuanzhi still didn't speak for a long time.
After a while, the Emperor calmed his breathing and looked at Jiang Nuanzhi, whose brows were tightly furrowed: "Physician Jiang, please speak frankly, how much longer can I hold on?"
He coughed twice more, his voice gentle: "No need to worry. Physician Que has already told me about the situation. I know I probably won't last more than seven days. I summoned you to the palace because I wanted to make one last attempt. Just tell me the truth."
The atmosphere around them suddenly became solemn upon hearing this.
Li Rong suddenly looked at the Emperor.
Even Chi Heng's eyes widened in surprise.
When the two saw the emperor's wound, they knew something was wrong, but they never expected it to be this bad.
Clang
Suddenly hearing a sound behind them, everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
The tray that Xiao Xuanting was carrying at the entrance had fallen to the ground, and the white jade soup bowl had shattered into pieces at his feet, with soup splattered all over the floor.
"Father!"
Ignoring the dirt on his body, Xuan Ting rushed forward in a panic and grabbed the emperor's robe tightly.
"Father, what are you saying? That's impossible! Aunt Nuan clearly cured your illness a while ago!"
His voice trembled slightly, his head shook involuntarily, and his eyes were filled with panic. After speaking, he looked at his father's deathly pale face and the horrifying wound on his chest. Xuan Ting seemed to remember something, turned around, and grabbed Jiang Nuanzhi's clothes: "Aunt Nuan, you're so powerful, you must save Father! You can definitely save Father!"
Jiang Nuan subconsciously touched Xuan Ting's hair: "Don't panic, let me think."
The Emperor looked at Xuan Ting, who seemed somewhat at a loss, and after a long while, he finally gave a wry smile.
"You shouldn't have come in."
"Father, why won't you tell me? I deserve to die." Xuan Ting could no longer control himself, tears streaming down his face. Remembering how he had made a scene in front of his father yesterday, his face turned even paler.
"Oh well, you'll find out sooner or later anyway. You're getting old now..."
“Father…” Xuan Ting had never seen his father like this before. At this moment, he could only shed tears in bewilderment.
"Aunt Nuan, would you please use acupuncture on Father Emperor? Just like you did to save Xuan Ting, you can definitely do it, right?"
He sniffed, as if he were treating Jiang Nuanzhi as his last lifeline.
Jiang Nuanzhi's brows were furrowed into a knot, her fingers rubbing together listlessly: "Let me think about it, let me think about it some more..."
She vaguely caught a glimpse of the legendary physician Que beside her: "Master Que, could you please let me take a look at today's medical records?"
The physician was taken aback, then pulled out two booklets from his robes: "The medicines I use, and His Majesty's recent symptoms, are all in here."
Jiang Nuanzhi turned the pages, her brows furrowing even more deeply.
The Divine Physician Magpie became nervous: "How is it? Girl Jiang, what exactly is the plan? Speak up!"
Jiang Nuanzhi hesitated for a long time, her face showing a hint of something unspeakable: "What does it say? I don't recognize it."
She resisted the urge to throw the booklet at the doctor's face.
Is this a record?
The handwriting was so messy it looked like a dog crawling; not a single one of Jiang Nuanzhi's ten characters was legible!
"ah?"
Unexpectedly, Jiang Nuanzhi said something like that. The divine physician was also momentarily stunned, then immediately leaned closer: "If you don't recognize him, let me explain in detail. This is the first day, Your Majesty."
"Wait a moment." Jiang Nuanzhi interrupted Doctor Que and turned to look at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, may Doctor Que and I go to the inner room to discuss this in detail? It may take some time. Also, may we summon the Imperial Preceptor to the palace again? Your Majesty's current symptoms seem to have similarities to the poison Gu in A Rong's body. This Gu is not something I am good at."
The Emperor was slightly taken aback: "Grand Preceptor... I will naturally agree. I'm just afraid he might not be willing to enter the palace..."
As he spoke, a few unreadable emotions flashed in his dark eyes.
Jiang Nuanzhi was taken aback: "Why don't we give it a try? If it doesn't work, I'm afraid I'll have to discuss it with Physician Que, then leave the palace to see him, and only then can I give the Emperor an answer."
The Emperor was slightly taken aback, then his gaze swept around before finally settling on the anxious young Xuan Ting: "My son, go and invite the Imperial Preceptor yourself, and have Commander Liu accompany you."
"Father, but you are not feeling well right now, and I wish to stay with you..."
Xuan Ting's eyes were terribly red, and he clung tightly to the Emperor's sleeve.
The Emperor patted his hand: "Go, Father is fine. Your master and the others are here to protect Father. It's just that Father is too weak. Son, go and help Father welcome the Imperial Preceptor. If he comes, that's fine. If the Imperial Preceptor is unwilling to come, don't force him. Just prepare a generous gift and send it back."
(End of this chapter)
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