Chapter 80 Chapter 80 He might not last even seven or eight years...
Shangguan Xu was genuinely confused by his question: "I really don't know. Could it be that I know that person?"
Zhou Jingzhi suppressed a smile: "Not only do you know, you are also very familiar with it."
Shangguan Xu was even more puzzled.
Zhou Jingzhi: "Far away in the horizon, yet close at hand."
Shangguan Xu's eyes widened instantly. He was actually talking about her!
"How did I teach you bad things?" She scolded him unwillingly.
Zhou Jingzhi said softly, "What do you mean by teaching or not? I'm not admitting I've become bad. I'm just saying that I learned from you the 'crooked logic and loopholes' you mentioned. Think about how you acted back then."
Shangguan Xu's brow twitched, and as he recalled those happy moments in the past, he began to beat around the bush: "That's what I call being flexible."
Zhou Jingzhi readily agreed: "Then I will do the same."
Shangguan Xu looked at his slightly rogue appearance and chuckled, but then closed his eyes and leaned closer to his arms.
Both of them have changed over the years. Not only is he different from before, but she also hardly has the willful nature of Shangguan Xu back then. Thinking about what she has experienced over the years, she does feel that these changes are good. Not that they are good in terms of temperament, but that they are good in terms of protecting herself.
He was too gentle back then. If he had maintained his then temperament, he would have suffered more torture, not only in his struggle with Su Wang, but also in his struggle with himself.
"What are you thinking about?"
As if her mood was noticed, a gentle voice came from her forehead.
She raised her head and looked at him: "I was wondering how you spent these years, wondering..."
Her eyes fell on the outline of his cheek, thinking about how he had endured the excruciating pain of having his bones cut by a sharp weapon.
The painful things have passed. If he brings it up again, the pain will inevitably resurface. He will certainly not show the pain, but will just silently dissipate it in his heart, so she did not ask the rest of the question.
He held her hand and continued to speak calmly, "Actually, the first few days were a bit difficult, but later on, it was just like I told you before, just eating and drinking all day, leisurely and comfortable. You haven't been to Wuyan Mountain, so you don't know how nourishing the mountain climate is."
"Then I'll have to choose a time later."
"good."
"Take me there."
"That's natural."
The two of them laughed again, but thinking of the remaining poison in his body, Shangguan Xu always felt like there was a stone in his heart that he couldn't let go.
"Your body..."
"Don't worry." Before she could finish her words, he took over in a gentle voice, "Although I'm not completely healed yet, I'm not far behind. I just need to wait for Ziyang's master to prepare the herbs this year and then detoxify me one last time."
However, Shangguan Xu was still worried: "But those two times you vomited blood..."
Zhou Jingzhi's eyes flashed. He didn't want her to worry too much so he concealed his physical condition, but he forgot about the two times he had lost his composure in front of her before.
She actually saw it.
Shangguan Xu vaguely saw him ponder for a few breaths, and then saw that his expression showed some difficulty, and she immediately became worried.
He raised his eyes, looked at her again and again, and stammered, "I did it on purpose."
Shangguan Xu was stunned: "What?"
He acted as if he had done something wrong, his demeanor humbled. "Back then, in order to gain your trust, I deliberately tampered with the medicine you gave me. That's why I pretended to vomit blood. As for the second time, it was because the medicine I was given after being ambushed by someone conflicted with the remaining poison in my body, which caused me to vomit blood. However, that conflict also washed away a lot of the remaining poison in my body. It can be considered a blessing in disguise."
"Really?" Shangguan Xu was skeptical.
"Of course," he responded simply.
Shangguan Xu didn't ask any more questions: "Then you should take good care of your health from now on. I will take care of the court affairs."
Zhou Jingzhi smiled: "If you pamper me like this, then my status as a favored minister will be even more solid."
"Isn't it?" Shangguan Xu teased, "Or are you too proud to let go?"
Zhou Jingzhi raised his eyebrows: "I feel that I've been at a disadvantage. We are clearly husband and wife, but I became a favored minister. This is a level lower in terms of status."
After saying this, he stopped joking and said seriously, "There's really no need to worry about me so much. Although you haven't said it, I know you've suffered a lot over the years. Now that we meet, how can I let you worry about me anymore?"
"The beauty of this time is something I haven't even dared to imagine in the past few years. I'm really afraid it's all a dream, so all I want to do now is hold your hand tightly. No matter what we have to do or what we have to go through, we have to be together and get through it all."
"Besides, you really have nothing to worry about." His eyes were sincere. "It's been several nights now. Haven't you experienced it?"
Shangguan Xu was shocked, and then his face instantly turned red: "W-what are you talking about!"
He turned over and stood up, supporting himself on top of her: "You look so energetic tonight, it seems you haven't experienced enough."
Seeing that he was about to get up, she hurriedly pushed him: "It's okay, I believe it! I believe it!"
He paused mid-sentence: "It's good as long as you believe it." But as he spoke, he made no move to lie down flat on his back. Sure enough, the next moment he said, "But if you get excited, you have to take responsibility."
After saying this, he pulled up the quilt and covered herself a little more.
Shangguan Xu had no way to resist and could only be brought in by him.
——
The governor of the Shen Ce Army camp was about to enter the capital. Zhou Jingzhi had been preparing to deal with the governor in the past two days, and Shangguan Xu had visited Zhang Fan several times on his behalf.
However, Shangguan Xu came to Zhang Fan to do more than just this.
She also wants to see Xun Yang.
She never believed what he told her about his physical condition that day. Although she did not mention it again during that period, it was only because she knew that no matter how much she asked, he would not say more, so she might as well ask others.
Zhang Fan only knew about his physical condition for a period of time after the Shangsi Night of that year. After he was sent to Wuyan Mountain, Zhang Fan didn't know much about his physical condition. Even when he returned to Beijing, he only told Zhang Fan that everything was fine.
So Shangguan Xu had to ask someone else, and this time she called Xun Yang, no longer planning to use the previous method to ask for the answer, but to dig out the answer.
"I wonder what your Majesty has asked me to do by asking me to come here."
In the outer hall of the side hall where Zhang Fan lived, Shangguan Xu and Xun Yang sat on either side of an Arhat couch. Before they started, she also poured tea for him.
"He told me everything that happened in those years, so I have always wanted to find an opportunity to thank Doctor Xun and your master. However, things have been complicated recently, and Doctor Xu is not in Beijing, so this matter has been delayed." Shangguan Xu pushed the teacup towards Xun Yang.
Xun Yang nodded and took it respectfully: "Your Majesty, why do you have to do this? It really embarrasses me."
Shangguan Xu smiled faintly. "Speaking of being reserved, I think Doctor Xun is more reserved. You and he have been friends for many years. You can speak and behave normally in front of him, so why bother calling me a commoner? Why don't you and I just chat like ordinary friends?"
Xun Yang was embarrassed but also said honestly: "I am not very familiar with the Empress."
Shangguan Xu paused, then nodded: "What Doctor Xun said makes sense."
After a brief greeting, Shangguan Xu got to the point. She said, "I asked Doctor Xun to come and talk with me today because I wanted to ask him what I should pay attention to for him and how I can help him take care of his health so that he can stay with me longer."
Xun Yang was slightly surprised and asked, "How do you say 'long-term'?"
Shangguan Xu lowered his eyes. "Of course it's because of the residual poison in his body. He once told me that he didn't want to recognize me because he was concerned about the effects of the residual poison on his body. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to stay with me long after we recognized each other, and that the joy of regaining what was lost would be followed by the even more sorrowful separation of life and death."
"He also said that he has been detoxifying for the past few years, but the results have not been very good. In addition, he has been feeling unwell for a while, so I started to worry about him. I am afraid of him..."
Shangguan Xu raised his eyes and looked at Xun Yang.
Xun Yang: "Has he been feeling unwell again recently? Then why didn't he come to see me?"
Shangguan Xu took the opportunity to ask, "Does he feel unwell very often?" To prevent Xun Yang from finding out, he continued, "Perhaps it's because it happens so often that he's become accustomed to it. I've urged him to come to you several times, but he always said there's no need, saying they're just minor issues and he can just bear with it."
"Nonsense! What's with all that talk about just enduring it?" Xun Yang couldn't help but say, "This is the critical moment when he needs to undergo his fourth detoxification. How can he just ignore it? Does he really think he can just throw it all away? What symptoms has he been experiencing recently? Is it another nosebleed?"
"The fourth time to extract the poison? A desperate move? A nosebleed?" Shangguan Xu quickly grasped the key words. "Why is he a desperate move? How come three extractions haven't completely removed all the poison? What's the current condition of his body?"
Her heart was gnawing as ants gnawed at her: "Is this really the case of the lamp running out of fuel?"
Xun Yang was stunned and immediately realized that he was being tricked.
But it was too late. Shangguan Xu had already gotten the answer. Although it was vague, she had a clear idea of the general direction.
She lowered her voice to try to hide the trembling in her voice: "So he really won't live long?"
The outer hall was quiet for a long time. If it weren't for the aroma of tea wafting in the air, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, one would have thought that time had stood still.
After a moment, Xun Yang finally spoke under Shangguan Xu's gaze: "It doesn't mean that he won't live long. As long as the poison in his body is removed, he can have a chance of living a long life like ordinary people. However..."
"But what?" Shangguan Xu's eyes were slightly red.
Xun Yang looked at her reluctantly, "But just now, Your Majesty asked why he couldn't completely remove the poison after three attempts. Does this fourth attempt guarantee complete removal?"
Shangguan Xu asked cautiously: "Is this the last time?"
Xun Yang said softly: "It's not the last time to remove the poison, but the last time he may be able to hold on."
"Your Majesty, do you know how long it took between his first and second detoxification? And how long between the second and third? And how long has it been since the third time?"
Xun Yang met Shangguan Xu's gaze, a mixture of fear and hope, and replied, "Three months, one year, and three years respectively."
Shangguan Xu murmured, "The gaps are getting bigger every time."
Xun Yang: "Because each detoxification is extremely exhausting for him, each additional time he undergoes it will take longer to recover. And if it's not successful after this time, the next one might be seven or eight years old."
"However, due to the damage caused by the poison removal and the erosion of the remaining poison, he may not be able to survive for more than seven or eight years."
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