The maid in charge took a handkerchief dipped in clean water and wiped Anle's face, neck and hands.
Anle was only ten years old, just a child, with thin wrists that were weak and easily broken.
She kept her eyes closed from beginning to end, her pale little mouth slightly pursed, and she did not move, but her breathing had obviously become much steadier, and she no longer muttered incoherently.
Great! The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, his frown finally relaxed, and he said to himself that his daughter would definitely survive this disaster, just like she had done so many times before.
The emperor turned to look at Shangqing Zhenren and asked anxiously, "Shangqing, when will the eldest princess wake up?"
When the palace maid was giving Anle the medicine, Shangqing Zhenren had already moved to the east window.
The weather was a bit gloomy today. The dense shadows of the trees outside the window were cast on the skinny half of Shangqing Zhenren's face, making his sunken eye sockets look even deeper.
When standing still, his temperament is slightly gloomy.
"Your Majesty." Shangqing Zhenren bowed to the emperor again, still with an unrestrained demeanor, as if the person he was facing was not the emperor, but an ordinary person, "This elixir only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
The emperor's expression changed again, and his heart tightened slightly.
He took a deep breath, looked at Anle's weak sleeping face, and asked, "Then how can we cure it?"
Shangqing Zhenren flicked his whisk lightly, his voice without joy or sorrow, detached from the worldly seven emotions and six desires, and said in a flat tone: "I have just read the fortune for Her Highness the Princess. Her Highness is destined to be in trouble for the tomb, and will die young and have a short life. If she meets a noble person Tianyi to help her, she can turn the disaster into good fortune."
"If you want to extend your highness's life, the only way is to change his fate."
As he spoke, Shangqing Zhenren's gaze swept across the girl in the green gauze tent, and a dangerous emotion flashed across his face for a moment.
The atmosphere around gradually became solemn.
Even people who don't understand Taoism can guess that any technique involving "changing fate" is definitely not something that can be accomplished with just a few words, otherwise wouldn't everyone be able to live to be a hundred years old!
The chief eunuch Zhao Rang was very clever in sending all the imperial doctors and palace maids present to the outer room.
But in the blink of an eye, there were only four people left in this bedroom filled with the smell of medicine, incense and blood.
Taoist Shangqing turned his head and looked at the emperor again. His skinny neck was covered with wrinkles and blue veins bulged, as if there was some hideous foreign object hidden under his skin.
"If you want to save the eldest princess' life, you must find 100 boys and girls of the same age as the eldest princess, take their heart blood, refine it into a heart pill, and then feed it to the eldest princess..."
He stared at the emperor with a gaze as dark as the endless night, and his voice was low and slow, revealing an inexplicable chill.
Although the windows around were tightly closed, a cool and gloomy wind suddenly blew into the bedroom.
“How dare you!” The emperor’s pupils suddenly shrank, his expression changed, and he interrupted Shangqing Zhenren in a harsh voice, “Do you know what you are saying?!”
Doesn't this mean exchanging two hundred lives for one life?
Monks are supposed to be compassionate, but the fact that Shangqing Zhenren came up with such a vicious method shows that he has no compassion at all, he is simply a demon!
The emperor showed a rare look of anger, and the majesty of an emperor emanated from his body.
Zhao Rang, who was standing by, took a deep breath. This method was totally unheard of.
Facing the furious emperor, Shangqing Zhenren was fearless and stood like a century-old pine tree. His expression was still calm, with a sense of being indifferent to honor or disgrace.
"Your Majesty, I dared to say this in order to save the eldest princess' life." Shangqing Zhenren shook his head and sighed, and spoke slowly with compassion, "This method of changing fate against the will of heaven is against the way of heaven. I will have to spend many years of cultivation for this."
He flicked the whisk lightly, and the silver whisk looked like the few strands of silver hair on his temples.
When he turned his back to the emperor, a hint of extreme greed flashed in his eyes, and his hand gripping the handle of the whisk tightened.
"What did you say?!" The emperor was struck by lightning, anger froze on his face, his heart sank, and he fell into the abyss in an instant.
Anle can only live for three more days? !
The emperor's legs went weak and he almost fell to the edge of the couch, breathing heavily and looking like he had collapsed.
Shangqing Zhenren sighed and said, "Over the years, the eldest princess's body has been seriously weakened, like a tree trunk that has been gradually eaten away by termites. This time, the disease came like a mountain, and her body has collapsed. Even if she takes a second Nine Mysterious Pill, it will be of no use to her condition."
"Only the Heart Pill can save Her Royal Highness the Princess."
"Time is running out, Your Majesty, please make plans early!"
Shangqing Zhenren bowed and saluted the emperor for a long time. Almost at the same time when he finished speaking, he heard Anle's weak voice coming from the direction of the bed: "Father..."
The girl's words were so light, so weak, so ethereal, as if they would be dispersed by the wind.
Anle on the couch opened her eyes at some point, her long eyelashes fluttering and her eyes were still a little dazed and unfocused.
The emperor grasped his daughter's hand and said anxiously, "Anle, father is here."
He completely forgot about Master Shangqing, and only his daughter remained in his red and dry eyes.
"...No." The little girl shook her head slowly, her forehead covered with sweat, which made her face look even paler and her chin pointed.
The frail little girl is like a bud on a branch, so tender and fragile. It is already shaky before it blooms, and it seems that the bud will fall from the branch if a gust of wind blows.
She was still very weak and even spoke with great difficulty. She said with difficulty: "Father is a wise ruler. This is not allowed."
"I will be good...I...don't feel bad..."
There was a gleam in the little girl's eyes, and every word of her soft voice was imprinted in the emperor's heart.
The emperor was choked with sobs and unable to speak.
Anle stared into his kind and sad eyes, gave a weak smile, and her eyebrows slightly curved.
Her eyes inadvertently swept over the small rabbit lamp placed on the bedside.
The rabbit lamp was no bigger than a sleeve-shaped stove and was made of white paper. Its two ruby-like eyes were facing Anle.
This was done with her by her royal brother. He said that when they went out of the palace to watch the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, they would secretly leave their father behind and go play with Sister Yan Fei.
She wanted to give the rabbit lamp to Sister Yan Fei.
But, she might not be able to do it.
"Anle." The emperor held his daughter's hand even tighter, holding back his sobs, his expression sad.
A line of tears rolled down from the corners of his wrinkled eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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