The cleaned room was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.
Yin Jiuxiao leaned against the bed, his face pale, with a trace of black blood still remaining at the corner of his lips.
He pressed one hand to his chest, his brows furrowed, his breathing heavy and slow, as if each breath was carrying the internal injuries caused by the adverse reaction of the medicine.
When Zi Xi brought in the medicine bowl, this was the scene she saw. Yin Jiuxiao had lost his usual sharpness and was lying on the bed, showing a rare vulnerability.
"Your Majesty, the medicine is ready."
"Your internal energy is disordered, and you need to rest for several days. During this time, you should not overexert yourself."
She approached quietly, her brows furrowed. She hadn't expected that the fake weakness medicine Yin Jiuxiao was taking would clash with the antidote.
"...What's the state of the palace? How many people are still alive?"
Yin Jiuxiao slowly raised his eyes, a dark color seemed to float in his eyes, and his voice was low and hoarse.
Zi Xi pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before saying, "None of the Imperial Guards and palace servants survived. The Dark Guards suffered seven dead and twenty wounded. The Death Squad... fifteen or eight were dead and seriously injured. The palace has not yet been cleaned up."
"However, I can guarantee that the Gu worms have not spread outside the palace."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yin Jiuxiao suddenly coughed violently, dark blood seeping from between his fingers again, and he fell backward as if all his strength had been drained away.
Zi Xi's heart tightened, and she hurriedly stepped forward to support him: "Your Majesty!!"
"Now, they have all died because of me. Now I have truly become a tyrant who kills without hesitation... all because... I underestimated the madness of the Zheng family."
Yin Jiuxiao closed his eyes, his voice hoarse, his tone heavy, deeply saddened by the tragedy.
Zi Xi held his hand, her fingertips able to feel the coldness of his palm, and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. In all this time, she had never seen Yin Jiuxiao like this, stripped of his imperial aura, only filled with exhaustion and self-reproach.
"Your Majesty need not blame yourself too much..."
"The calamity of the Gu is beyond human control; it is already a great fortune that the foundation of the imperial city has been preserved."
She offered words of comfort in a low voice.
This was not what Yin Jiuxiao wanted to see either. Who would have thought that Consort Zheng would switch the prince with a palace maid to escape in her place?
Yin Jiuxiao tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on her worried face. After a long while, he sighed softly, "Azi..."
"Your subordinate is here."
"So, am I still the good person you think I am?"
His voice was soft, with a rare hint of vulnerability, but his fingers tightened their grip on her wrist almost imperceptibly, as if afraid she would say something accusing him.
"In my heart, Your Majesty is still the best emperor in the world, and the best person."
Zi Xi's heart softened, and she shook her head, bent down, and hugged him to comfort him, causing a slight blush to appear on Yin Jiuxiao's sickly face.
Fortunately, Azi didn't look down on him for being useless.
Zi Xi released Yin Jiuxiao and gently placed her fingertips on his wrist again to take his pulse.
"Your Majesty, you are suffering from blood and qi deficiency. In addition to resting for a few days, you also need to nourish your body with food. I will have the Imperial Kitchen prepare some blood-nourishing medicinal dishes for you."
Zi Xi frowned and coaxed softly in a low voice.
Unexpectedly, the tonic had little effect, and his pulse still showed signs of weakness.
Just as she was about to get up, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Yin Jiuxiao's fingers were icy cold, yet the force was astonishing.
He lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes casting a shadow in the candlelight, obscuring the turbulent emotions surging within them.
"...Don't go."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if he was suppressing something.
Zi Xi was taken aback, then reassured her gently, "I will be back soon."
But Yin Jiuxiao did not let go.
He stared at her slender wrist, a sudden surge of almost violent anxiety rising within him. Was she so concerned about him simply because he also felt sorrow for those who had died?
But he knew himself that he didn't actually feel anything.
He even felt in his heart that... the palace was actually quieter without those people.
He also thought... it would be great if only he and Azi existed in this palace.
Those screams, blood, and mangled corpses... in his eyes, they were no different from the fallen soldiers on the battlefield, just a slightly more troublesome cleanup.
If she knew, would she think he was a monster?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
