Gu Jiangli had never lost her temper before, so her sudden outburst startled both the Emperor and Eunuch Ming.
She glanced at the scattered bloodstains on the ground and guessed that the emperor must have been injured somewhere, but judging from the amount of bleeding, the injury shouldn't be too serious.
"Eunuch Ming, go find the imperial physician first."
She turned around and gave the order.
Right now, the only person around is Eunuch Ming, and Gu Jiangli can't find anyone else to obey orders.
Ming Gonggong was stunned for a moment, then turned and ran.
"This servant will go immediately."
After he left, only Gu Jiangli and the emperor remained in the room.
The emperor was still panting, not yet recovered from Gu Jiangli's angry roar.
Gu Jiangli was furious and said, "Your Majesty, do you know how dangerous this is? Are you trying to kill yourself? If you succeed, you will be the first emperor in history to commit suicide!"
The emperor seemed rather weak under her displeased and angry gaze. "I... have no intention of committing suicide."
"So what are you doing?"
Gu Jiangli ripped open his sleeve and immediately saw several crisscrossing wounds on his arm, some deep and some shallow, still oozing blood.
When Gu Jiangli saw the blood-red wound, her heart skipped a beat.
Just now, was he cutting himself again and again in this room?
She recalled Qi Jin's words: when the emperor goes mad, if he doesn't kill people, he will surely harm himself.
So he had just had a relapse, but he refused to let Eunuch Ming send people to kill him, dismissed everyone, and stayed in the room to endure this period of madness.
But how can this method last?
"Your Majesty, is it because of the Empress Dowager's words that you no longer want to kill people?"
During the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Empress Dowager advised the Emperor to abandon his murderous intentions and to perform a good deed for the unborn child.
This is why the emperor is enduring madness alone in the Changxin Hall today.
The emperor lowered his sleeve, trying to cover his wounds.
His voice was low and filled with intense resentment, "I can restrain myself. As long as there is no one around me to kill, I will not take action. The Empress Dowager is right. Adding more bloodshed will not be good for him."
The "he" the emperor referred to was the child in Gu Jiangli's womb.
Gu Jiangli gritted her teeth. "And then what? Does His Majesty intend to continue like this? Every time he wants to kill someone, he'll lock himself up and hurt himself?"
"Pain and bloodshed can keep me sober; at least I know what I'm doing."
"What if the attacks become more frequent? How many places on His Majesty's body can you scratch? You scratch his arm today, then his thigh next time, then his calf the time after that... What if there are no more places to scratch? You'll add new wounds before the old ones have healed. Is that what you're planning?"
The emperor's eyes flickered, becoming somewhat impatient. "I can! I can overcome this! I can refrain from killing. If a few scars can keep me conscious, what harm is there in having a few more?"
"If a few scars could really keep you conscious, why did you just shove the hairpin into your own chest?!"
The emperor was speechless, and his body stiffened.
A brief silence fell over the room.
All that could be heard was Gu Jiangli trying to calm herself down.
After a few breaths, Gu Jiangli lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, what if one day, bloodshed and wounds can no longer restore your senses, and you take a sword and slash your own throat? And I am not by your side then, unable to stop you in time?"
The emperor remained silent.
"You didn't really intend to kill yourself, you just wanted to use a more painful method to wake yourself up. But what if the injury is too severe and you can't be saved?"
Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop.
The main hall door was pushed open a crack, and Eunuch Ming announced from outside that the imperial physician had arrived.
The emperor coldly ordered: "I will not see him."
Then, the palace doors closed again.
The emperor sat on the steps and slowly curled up.
Gu Jiangli watched him clutch his head in anguish, gritting his teeth as he said, "I hate this feeling of being out of control of my body. I can't resist, I can't control myself. When I kill, it feels like a thousand needles are piercing my head! What can I do? What else can I do..."
His appearance of extreme pain, vulnerability, and helplessness was nothing like that of a ruthless tyrant.
Gu Jiangli slowly moved closer, sat down beside him, spread her arms, put her arms around the emperor's shoulders, and said softly, "I just can't bear to see Your Majesty like this. Self-harm is more painful than killing someone."
The emperor paused, slowly lowered his hands, and looked at her with a complicated expression. "When you were here, I don't think I felt so much urge to kill people."
"Then I will... stay by Your Majesty's side forever."
In fact, she had vaguely sensed this as well. She was indeed able to stop His Majesty from going further mad, perhaps because of the child in her womb? The bond between father and son brought the emperor back to his senses?
She couldn't find any other reason, so this was the only thought she could have.
The emperor awkwardly pulled her into his arms, pressing himself against her almost greedily.
Gu Jiangli hugged him back and said calmly, "Actually, the one who should be suffering is not His Majesty. The one who should die is someone else."
She rested her head on his shoulder, and soon a faint fragrance wafted into her nose, making her momentarily dazed.
The taste is...
"What's the meaning?"
The emperor's words brought her back to reality. The faint fragrance had quickly disappeared, or perhaps it had been masked by the smell of blood.
She shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, someone caused your suffering; that person is the one who should be punished."
"I know what you're going to say, but no one poisoned me, and the imperial physicians have examined me; I'm not sick."
"Perhaps it's something else that hasn't been discovered yet, but I'm certain it's deliberate; someone is intentionally trying to see His Majesty go mad."
"You already have the answer in your heart?"
“There is a suspect, but I don’t have any evidence yet, and I don’t know what methods he used.”
"who?"
Gu Jiangli suddenly fell silent.
She hesitated whether to directly reveal the name of Prince An.
After all, Prince An is still highly trusted by the emperor.
In addition, she happened to be pregnant. If she were to point the finger at Prince An, wouldn't the emperor think she had ulterior motives?
The emperor might suspect that she was thinking of her unborn child and wanted to get rid of Prince An, who could potentially threaten the child.
In that case, the emperor might become suspicious of her.
Should I tell you?
She thought it over and over, but decided to take the gamble.
"Prince An".
Gu Jiangli said those two words quickly, with a hint of caution and unease.
After she finished speaking, she paid close attention to the emperor's expression.
The emperor's brow twitched, and his beautiful eyes trembled slightly.
There was no disbelief, no surprise, no doubt.
His expression was quite calm. "Really? Why would you suspect him?"
Gu Jiangli thought for a moment, then said, "He... sent someone to assassinate me today."
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