Chapter 208 Antidote
Lu Yan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "What does Zhao Kang have to do with me? If you want to chop him up, then chop him up. If you want to kill him, then kill him. Why are you threatening me with him?"
Huo Lang raised his eyelids and asked sinisterly, "Why, if he dies, you can live?"
“…”
Lu Yan paused when he heard this. He looked at Huo Lang carefully as if he was meeting him for the first time. After a long while, he finally said:
"You know everything."
The tone is firm.
Huo Lang said nothing, but grabbed Lu Yan's wrist and slowly pulled up his sleeve, revealing the long black line of poison on his right arm. His calm tone was filled with a creepy aura: "If I don't know, I'll be a fool. Lu Yan, are you really going to keep it a secret from me forever?"
Huo Lang had the memories of his past life, so it was impossible for him to be completely unaware. Otherwise, he would not have thrown Zhao Kang and Wu Mei into prison and tortured them for no reason, and would not have refused to release them despite the persuasion of Master Sang and others.
Wu Mei was tortured to death but still refused to reveal the antidote. Not to mention Zhao Kang, who was so scared that he almost fainted. Huo Lang was afraid of killing him, so he threw him aside and let him go for the time being.
However, there is no wall that is impenetrable. When the news spread to the outside world, it attracted verbal and written criticism from those literati.
Lu Yan stared at the mark on his wrist for a moment. The color of the black line became darker and darker, as if foreshadowing something. When he woke up, he had already had an injection and took half a pill of antidote, but the mark did not fade.
Lu Yan came back to his senses a little late, smiling slyly:
"I thought it was something else, but it turns out it's for this. You don't have to torture them. The late emperor knew that Zhao Kang couldn't endure hardship, so he didn't tell him the antidote. Even if you beat him to death, you won't get anything out of him. As for Wumei...even though he knows, he won't tell you. It's a waste of effort to interrogate him."
If Wumei hadn't told him the method of detoxification, Zhao Kang could still live. If he had told him, Zhao Kang would have completely lost his usefulness and would have had no choice but to die. The late emperor had made no plans in his life and he made a good move before he died.
This is also the reason why Lu Yan did not tell Huo Lang. It is useless to tell him and it will only cause trouble. Maybe one day he will work out the antidote by himself.
A hint of coldness flashed across Huo Lang's eyes: "I don't believe there is a mouth in the world that cannot be pried open!"
"My Lord, you can be very persuasive with your mouth, but your heart is not."
Lu Yan was indifferent to matters of life and death, so much so that he even had the leisure to tease Huo Lang at this moment. He slowly peeled off the other's black clothes while explaining the reason to him in detail:
"If you were Wumei today and I were Zhao Kang, would you reveal the antidote under torture?"
Huo Lang choked.
Of course he wouldn't, not even if he died.
Both he and Lu Yan were extremely sure of this.
The hall suddenly fell silent. For a moment, there was only the sound of their bodies entangled. Huo Lang clenched his teeth and said nothing. The smell of blood filled his mouth. He closed his eyes tightly. His skin touched the cold pattern of the dragon chair. He could still clearly recall the feeling of being pierced through the heart by a sword in his previous life. He felt cold all over from head to toe.
Lu Yan didn't notice that Huo Lang was crying at first, until he turned him over to change his position, then he found that his face was covered with cold liquid, and he couldn't help but stop what he was doing.
"Why are you crying?" He asked softly, wiping Huo Lang's tears, "Did I hurt you?"
Huo Lang refused to look at him, but covered his eyes with the back of his hand, his Adam's apple rolling, and uttered a few words in a hoarse voice:
"Lu Yan, have you ever cared about me?"
When has Lu Yan ever cared about him...
She lived for him, died for him, and searched for an antidote for him. She was tormented in her heart and could not sleep all night. However, Lu Yan seemed to not care at all and had long since become indifferent to life and death.
Has Lu Yan ever thought about what he would do if he died?
He must not have thought about it, otherwise how could he have kept it a secret for two lifetimes.
Lu Yan paused when he heard this, the curve of his mouth gradually faded, and he said in a low voice: "Huo Lang, have I ever not cared about you?"
He pressed his hand against Huo Lang's forehead and kissed him again and again: "It's because I care about you that I don't want you to worry or feel sad. Although this poison is strong, it is not incurable. I have figured out some ways to cure it. I will definitely not..."
He paused before promising, "I will not leave you alone."
Huo Lang did not move. He only felt Lu Yan's body pressing against him again, burning him all over. For the first time in his life, he felt a calm but terrifying possessiveness from the other person:
"If I die, you will not let me die alone. If you die, I will follow you at the cost of my life."
"It's all about death, there's nothing to be afraid of, and none of us are separated."
When Lu Yan said the last sentence, his tone became relaxed, and even Huo Lang was shocked. Yes, even if he died, so what? He could just go with Lu Yan. Why should he cry like a three-year-old child here? It was really embarrassing.
Thinking of this, she was even more reluctant to put her hands down. She just pursed her lips tightly and silently endured the man's entanglement on her.
Lu Yan knew that Huo Lang felt insecure, so he whispered in his ear, telling him everything about his life from childhood to adulthood, including how he was born, how he grew up, how many brothers and uncles he had in his family, what his parents looked like, and then one night something unexpected happened, and he came to Kyoto. He walked in public during the day, and lived in a dark underground palace at night.
He even revealed that he disliked Zhao Kang and deliberately scattered ants on his bed, just because that man had established an empress and favored concubines, and the news spread and made Huo Lang unhappy.
But there is no way to explain it, so I can only retaliate quietly.
Huo Lang didn't react at first, only when he heard these words did he slowly put down his hand. He stared at Lu Yan and saw that he was looking at him with a bright smile, as if he was still the innocent boy reciting medicine songs under the tree at home in the last second. However, the exquisite carved beams and painted buildings above their heads reminded them that this was the cold and majestic imperial city.
Lu Yan said a lot, but it seemed like he said nothing. After all, his memories of his family only lasted for a brief ten years. At the end, he sighed and smiled, "I have nothing to hide from you now. I've even told you everything about my ancestors. Don't be angry, okay?"
Huo Lang closed his eyes and tilted his head, his voice extremely hoarse: "You deserve it."
If Lu Yan had told him earlier, he wouldn't have been bullied by those people for so many years.
But Huo Lang didn't know that Lu Yan was really scared. He was afraid of the unpredictable human heart and the unpredictable world. In his previous life, Lu Yan's family was wiped out. His heart had been immersed in the turbulent clouds for many years and inevitably turned into stone. Even if he knew Huo Lang's feelings, he didn't dare to reveal them all, fearing that he couldn't bear the consequences.
After all, where in the world can there be such a fool who is willing to overthrow the country for one person?
It was not until Lu Yan was reborn that he realized that it really existed. He picked up the paralyzed Huo Lang from the dragon chair, kissed the corners of his tear-stained eyes, and said in a whisper, as if coaxing a child, "Your Majesty and I are the best couple in the world."
Huo Lang just fell for it, and snorted without telling the emotion: "Who else do you want to be with?"
Ever since Lu Yan said there was no need to put too much effort into Wumei, Huo Lang did not torture him as intensely as he had done in the past few days. Instead, he secretly consulted famous doctors. Little did he know that the power left by the late emperor had not yet been completely eradicated. Although Wumei was hung in the depths of the dungeon, he could still learn about the changes in the situation outside.
"Fuck dad."
An unfamiliar eunuch took care of the dungeon guards and knelt quietly outside the prison door. He was dressed in a black robe and a black veil, with a whisk draped over his arm. He was Wumei's apprentice, Qin Yan, the deputy chief steward of the inner court.
Behind the cell door hung a blood-stained figure, dishevelled and unkempt, with no eyebrows. In just a few days, he had been tortured beyond recognition by Huo Lang, but his cloudy eyes still shone with brilliance. He asked in an old voice, "Is Huo Lang making any moves?"
Qin Yan lowered his eyes and stared at the ground. The light and shadow fell on the jade-white side of his face, and his expression could not be seen clearly. "All the officials who were related to His Majesty were killed. The blood flowed like a river inside and outside the imperial city. He invited famous doctors to consult, but they could not find a way to detoxify."
Wumei laughed softly, his voice was as gloomy as an owl's. After a long while, he raised his bloody face and said, "The Zhao family is about to run out of luck. I have no choice but to do my best to protect Your Majesty. I will not be ashamed of the late emperor. You secretly take the military order and go to Xin Poyue to mobilize troops and escort the chariot. Don't let anyone find out. Your Majesty... I will hand it over to you from now on."
Qin Yan seemed to have sensed something, and said with a hint of uneasiness in his voice: "Father, I will definitely find a way to rescue you."
Wu Mei closed his eyes and said, "I can't live anymore. Only when I die, Your Majesty will be safe. I took great pains to call you in today. First, to explain things, and second, to let you kill me quickly."
Qin Yan kowtowed in panic: "Son, I dare not!"
Wu Mei said, "Go ahead. Huo Lang is ruthless. I can't guarantee that my old bones will survive until that day. I have had so much glory in my life, but I never thought I would end up like this before I die."
There were countless sighs and regrets in his words.
Qin Yan had no choice but to kowtow three times before he stood up, took out a poisoned silver needle, and said, "My son is unfilial."
Just as he was about to make his move, Qin Yan suddenly raised his eyes and asked softly, "Fuck, is there really no antidote for the snake poison?"
Wumei's body paused.
…
Different from the dark sky in the dungeon, the Royal Flower Garden is filled with buds of flowers, cherry blossoms, peaches and plums, all of which are extremely beautiful. A woman in plain palace clothes was sitting on the steps, twirling a blade of grass in her hand in a daze. She was the late emperor's princess Zhao Fu of Rou'an. She was born from an unpopular palace concubine and was not popular all year round. She lived in this remote corner of the palace. The eunuchs and maids were often neglectful, and the world had almost forgotten her.
Qin Yan was passing by with a lunch box and accidentally saw her light green figure. He paused and walked over: "Princess, although it is spring now, the chill has not subsided. Why are you still sitting outside and keeping cool?"
Zhao Fu saw Qin Yan and asked with a smile, "Where did you go just now?"
Qin Yan seemed to have a special relationship with her. He hesitated for a moment before answering, "I went to see my godfather."
Zhao Fu lowered her head and fiddled with the long green leaves in her hands, as if she was weaving something. She looked a little uninterested. "It turned out to be him. I thought you went to see your brother."
Qin Yan said: "Your Majesty will be fine."
Zhao Fu snorted, "What does it have to do with me whether he is in trouble or not? Anyway, I have rarely seen him since I was a child. The ones who are in trouble are us royal family members. Uncle Jingyang and Prince Lin'an are both dead. I don't know when it will be my turn."
Qin Yan frowned slightly: "Princess, don't say such things. You are a woman and cannot inherit the throne. Those things have nothing to do with you. I will protect you."
His last words were spoken so softly that you could not hear them at all if you did not listen carefully.
Zhao Fu then looked at him seriously and said, "I have the blood of the Zhao family in my veins, so I am a nuisance. How do you know that the Regent King will not root me out?"
Qin Yan was silent for a moment.
Zhao Fu tied a knot in the straw chain she had woven in her hand, and then tied it to Qin Yan. The thin and tender straw strips set off the man's fair skin, which was quite interesting. She was a princess, but she actually held the eunuch's hand and said with a smile: "I can't give you any gold, silver or wealth, so I'll give you a straw chain to play with. Don't despise it, General Manager Qin."
Qin Yan felt his face flushed. "Princess, what are you talking about? I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."
Zhao Fu looked at him with her sharp eyes, looking indescribably charming: "Really?"
Qin Yan nodded: "Of course it is true."
Zhao Fu suddenly stretched out her hand and opened her palm: "Then tell me, what did your godfather do to you when he called you into the dungeon, and what did he give you? Are you willing to tell me?"
Qin Yan was surprised at her sharpness. He stared at Zhao Fu for a moment, and finally took out half a tiger talisman slowly from his sleeve, gently placed it in the woman's palm, and told her everything.
Zhao Fu's eyes flickered: "You just told me this, aren't you afraid that I will report you to the Regent King and get a life-saving talisman?"
Qin Yan said calmly: "If my life can be exchanged for the princess's valuable body, it is worth a thousand gold."
"You..."
Zhao Fu seemed to want to scold Qin Yan for being stupid, but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't bear to say them out loud. She clenched the tiger talisman in her hand, thinking in her heart how to survive this palace struggle. Finally, she looked at Qin Yan steadily:
"Do you dare to gamble with this princess?!"
There is nothing in this world that is 100% certain. It is often determined by fate. Many people fail because of that little bit of luck. Because of his appearance and the recurrence of the worm poison, Lu Yan stayed in the Shenkang Palace and never went out. However, he never expected that a palace servant came to report in the afternoon:
"Your Majesty, Princess Rouan requests an audience."
"Princess Rouan?"
Lu Yan was originally reading an ancient medical book. When he heard this, a vague image suddenly appeared in the corner of his mind. He then remembered that there was a princess in the palace. However, they rarely met and he didn't know why she suddenly came to him: "I am not feeling well, let her go back."
Lu Yan didn't want to cause any trouble.
The palace maid said, "The princess said she knew that Your Majesty was ill and might not be able to meet you, but there is something that needs to be delivered to Your Majesty in person and there is no time to delay."
Lu Yan put down the medical book and pondered for a moment: "Let her in."
Soon the palace door opened, and a woman in palace dress walked in from outside. She was dressed simply, and her clothes were all made of last year's fabrics. She had only a few flowers and a few silver hairpins in her hair, which showed that she was not rich, but she was young and beautiful, so she did not need any vulgar decorations.
"I have seen my brother."
Zhao Fu bowed and said, "I heard that my brother was ill a long time ago. I shouldn't have disturbed you, but I was really worried, so I made some seasonal cakes myself. I hope my brother will not dislike it."
Lu Yan actually didn't have much impression of Zhao Fu, he just met her a few times in Yu Garden. She was not favored by the previous emperor, and Zhao Kang never took his sister seriously. She lived in the deep palace all year round and led a hard life. Normally, a girl would be arranged to marry at the age of sixteen, but Zhao Fu was nearly twenty years old and no one worried about her marriage. This shows how transparent he was.
"We are siblings, no need to be polite, please sit down."
Although Zhao Kang eliminated the rest of the Zhao family, he had no hostility towards Zhao Fu, probably because she had been honest and decent for many years and had never done anything bad.
"Thank you, Brother Huang."
Zhao Fu sat down at the bottom and then glanced at the man behind the table. Although the man was wearing a dragon robe, he was quite different from Zhao Kang. He had an outstanding demeanor, like an orchid, a jade tree, or a green bamboo or a cedar. His eyes were also different.
When Zhao Fu was seven years old, she went to pay respects to the late emperor. Passing by Yu Garden, she saw Zhao Kang playing Cuju with palace maids and eunuchs. Zhao Kang was in poor health and had poor aim, so he kicked Zhao Fu in the face. Instead of apologizing, he pushed her hard and said in a disgusted tone:
"Who asked you to stand here and block my ball? Get away!"
After that, she never saw Zhao Kang again. The previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. Everyone was planning for their own future, and no one remembered that there was a princess in the imperial city.
It was not until the hot summer of her seventeenth year that Zhao Fu climbed up a tree to pick apricots to eat because she was greedy. She accidentally fell down and disturbed the Holy Chariot. She was dizzy from the fall, but she did not dare to cry out in pain. She quickly knelt down to apologize. A gentle male voice rang above her head:
"Who is she?"
An eunuch replied, "Your Majesty, it is Princess Rouan. She lives in seclusion and rarely goes out, so you may not recognize her."
Rouan did not dare to look up, and fiddled with her skirt nervously. She only heard the man laugh softly, "It's Rouan. If you want to eat some fruit, ask the palace maid to get it for you from the kitchen. It's only June, and apricots are still astringent."
Rouan lowered her head and murmured in response: "I am sorry that you, my brother, have made a fool of me."
The man asked, "Fifteen?"
Rouan shook her head: "Seventeen."
The man smiled and said, "She doesn't look very tall. Could it be that the palace maids didn't serve her well enough?"
Although he spoke softly, a group of people knelt down all around him. The palace maids, eunuchs and nannies who served Rouan kowtowed and apologized, shaking with fear.
Rouan had no choice but to say, "No... no, I served them wholeheartedly, but they don't know how to climb trees to pick fruits."
The man said nothing more. He left a young eunuch to take her back to the palace, then drove back to Shenkang Palace. Rouan finally couldn't help but look up, and saw that he was sitting on a footrest, wearing a plain long gown with a white background and dragon embroidery, with a jade crown on his hair. His profile looked gentle and kind, and he was so handsome that it was indescribable, and very different from the malicious look when he was a child.
Just as she was lost in thought, a handsome young eunuch came up to her, half-knelt, and handed her a whisk: "Princess, I will take you back to the palace."
Rouan looked up helplessly: "Eunuch Qin, I, I can go back by myself."
Then she saw the young eunuch smile. He was not as handsome as her brother, and his features were calm and gloomy. However, the sun was warm that day, making him look a little brighter.
"Let me take you there."
Rouan had no choice but to limp back to the palace carrying the other person's whisk.
Later she learned that she was escorted back by the people in front of her, and the servants did not dare to neglect her for the emperor's sake. Her life became much better than before, but as time went by, things returned to their original state, and she never met the emperor again.
Now, things and people have changed.
Rouan glanced at the servants in the palace, and suddenly she stood up and knelt on the ground with courage from nowhere: "I beg you to dismiss the attendants, my brother. I have something to report, and it must not be heard by anyone else!"
Lu Yan was slightly surprised when he heard this. After all, he couldn't imagine that Rouan, a princess with no background, could tell him any important news. Seeing that Lu Yan was silent, Rouan gritted her teeth and said:
"This concerns my brother's life, please send your attendants away!"
Lu Yan chuckled and showed some interest: "Everyone, leave."
Those palace maids were all sent by Huo Lang. They looked hesitant when they heard this, but they still withdrew and closed the palace door. When Rouan saw that they had all left, she took out a tiger talisman from her sleeve and presented it respectfully above her head:
"I have two things to present to my brother. One is this tiger talisman, and the other is... the method to exorcise the snake."
Lu Yan didn't react when he heard the first sentence. Although he didn't know how Rouan got the tiger talisman, it was most likely the fake one, because the real one had always been in Huo Lang's hand. It was not until he heard the last sentence that his eyes finally became sharper. He leaned slightly and stared at Rouan motionlessly.
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