Chapter 129
"It seems Your Majesty isn't completely confused yet." Qi Tingyun curled her lips, her voice icy. "Then who do you think is at fault? Who said they wanted me to give birth to the eldest son, that they wanted our child to become the crown prince, yet they poisoned me time and time again?"
“Your Majesty, Yun’er trusted you back then!” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “It was you who personally destroyed that trust.”
Nan Huang's grip on the chair tightened noticeably; he hadn't expected her to know about this. Then it dawned on him—it must have been that detestable woman, Si Yanmo, who did it!
"You're going to betray me just because of this?" he said hatefully. "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Qi Tingyun was not afraid at all. She knew that the man in front of her was just bluffing. "If Your Majesty really kills me, I don't know if the Prince of Qin will become the next Southern Emperor, but Your Majesty's reign will definitely be over."
She glanced at the guard beside her who was holding a knife to her, then strode forward, as if she were about to face the blade and commit suicide.
The guard was so frightened that he quickly moved his sword away, looked at the Southern Emperor, and broke out in a cold sweat.
After receiving a signal from the Southern Emperor, he obediently sheathed his blade, while Qi Tingyun had already arrived in front of the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, think it over. If you don't kill me, Qi Gu can still stand behind you. But if... well, then you'll really have to fight against the King of Qin all by yourself. He doesn't seem likely to let go of someone who doesn't even spare his own child."
The Southern Emperor was furious with her, but he couldn't refute her.
Why should I trust you?
"On what grounds?" Qi Tingyun laughed mockingly. "Does Your Majesty think you have the right to ask this now?"
The Southern Emperor's face turned bruised and purple amidst her laughter.
He truly didn't, and could only grit his teeth and say, "You'd better keep your word."
“Of course.” She walked to his side, sat on his lap with a seductive posture, and lifted his chin. “We are husband and wife! Of course I will help His Majesty.”
In her enigmatic smile, everything turned upside down...
——
The spring sandstorm was too strong, so the two horses rode side by side, passing through the Wufeng Pass and heading straight for the city gate of Jiangwan City.
Amidst the howling wind, the woman's voice carried a hint of mockery, "What's an old man like you doing getting involved in this kind of thing?"
The owner of the other horse rolled his eyes at her, his voice slightly hoarse, "You call me an old man? Aren't you an old woman?"
The woman raised an eyebrow. "I look younger than you."
With that, he cracked his whip and lashed the horse's back. "How about we have a race to see who goes in first?"
"Boring." Despite saying this, he spurred his horse on, and for a moment the two horses were racing, neck and neck, and arrived at the checkpoint together.
The vanguard on the city wall saw the two men and immediately went on alert, asking, "Who goes there?"
"It's definitely a different group of people now; none of them recognize me." She looked at the man. "Old man, take out your token."
The man snorted, a hint of arrogance in his voice.
He handed the orchid talisman to the guards stationed in the city. Upon seeing the name on it, the guards hurriedly bowed and said, "So it's Grand Tutor Mo."
The city gates opened wide, and Mo Wenzhong and Lin Niang rode a brown horse and a white horse into the city. They were led to the residence of Si Yanmo and Zhou Yanqing.
Mo Wenzhong was alright, but as soon as Lin Niang came in, Si Yanmo grabbed her, saying, "Master, come and see him!"
Mo Wenzhong was somewhat unconvinced, as if his master was useless, and followed him inside.
It would have been better if they hadn't gone in; the moment they entered, the arrogance and defiance on their faces vanished, replaced by worry.
Zhou Yanqing lay on the sickbed, his face pale and his body thin. Even his arms, which were originally thick from years of lying against the wall, now seemed to have bones showing.
What happened?
The two had been on their way here after receiving Zhou Yanqing's letter. Although Si Yanmo had written to them along the way, she hadn't received the letters because she was in a hurry and had no idea what was going on here.
Seeing Zhou Yanqing like this, the two were both surprised and heartbroken.
Before she could ask any more questions, Lin Niang took his pulse, then took out silver needles to test where the poison had entered. She sighed deeply, looked at Mo Wenzhong, and shook her head.
Mo Wenzhong understood what she meant, but refused to believe it. He stepped forward, slapped her hand away, and placed his hand on Zhou Yanqing's pulse.
Unfortunately, the pulse doesn't lie.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, Si Yanmo made up her mind, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
She staggered to sit beside Zhou Yanqing's bed, took his hand, and asked, unwilling to give up, "Isn't there any other way?"
Both of them shook their heads.
She actually knew that if there really was a way, she would have figured it out long ago.
But it just doesn't exist.
She suddenly remembered something, "I remember when I was sick before, Lin Niang used the Luo Chan Gu on me, why don't we give it a try?"
Lin Niang shook her head, "The poison in his body was extracted from Luo Chan, and it just happens to counteract the effects of Luo Chan Gu. If it were used, he would only die faster."
At this moment, the person on the bed reacted, startled awake by their own cough.
Unfortunately, even if he opened his eyes now, everything was blurry, and he could only vaguely see figures.
He held Si Yanmo's hand. These past few days, Si Yanmo had been watching over him, holding his hand. Only in this way could he feel that he was still alive.
"Amo..." He opened his mouth, his voice barely audible, already hoarse beyond recognition.
Upon hearing his voice, Si Yanmo hurriedly wiped away her tears, suppressing her sobs, and said, "I'm here."
Knowing he couldn't see clearly, she leaned close to his ear and told him, "Lady Lin and Grand Tutor Mo have arrived."
Lin Niang quickly took his arm and told him that she was right there. Mo Wenzhong didn't move, as if he was thinking about something.
"Mrs. Lin, could you please..." come a little closer.
He no longer had the strength to finish his sentence, but Lin understood what he meant and leaned closer to listen.
"Please...take good care of...Amo for me..."
If he dies, Si Yanmo will be all alone. Even if the Qin army remains loyal to her, the other states will certainly not give up the opportunity to carve up Qin's territory.
He didn't ask Si Yanmo to save this place; he only wanted her to be safe.
As long as she is alright, he can die without regrets.
Hearing his words, Si Yanmo gripped his hand tightly, her voice trembling: "Didn't we agree not to talk about this? Zhou Yanqing, you won't die."
But they knew better than anyone that the outcome was irreversible.
Just then, Mo Wenzhong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, "There is another method, but it is too difficult and there is probably not enough time."
Si Yanmo's eyes lit up. She turned to look at him and said excitedly, "As long as I can save him, that's all that matters! No matter how difficult it is, no matter how urgent the time is, I'm willing to try!"
Mo Wenzhong hesitated before speaking, "The royal family of Lanyu has passed down a kind of Gu medicine for generations. It is said to be able to fight poison with poison and cure all poisons, precisely to prevent anyone from poisoning the royal family. However..."
“It’s just that Lanyu is far away. Whether Yanqing can hold out until then is another matter. This Gu medicine takes a hundred years to make one pill, and there are only three pills left. The Lord of Lanyu can’t just give them away casually.” Lin Niang continued his words.
She knew Lanyu all too well, but precisely because she knew it, she knew it was impossible to do, and it couldn't even be called a solution.
Si Yanmo didn't care, "Someone has to give it a try."
She stood up and called Zhao Wan, "Prepare the horses, let's set off now."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Yanqing on the bed struggled to get up, "Cough cough cough... Amo... No..."
He wanted to take her hand but he didn't have the strength. Si Yanmo turned around and took his hand first. "I told you I would definitely save you."
Her resolute expression, seen through Zhou Yanqing's eyes, brought tears to his own. "Too...dangerous..."
His eyes were full of worry, and he was reluctant to part with her.
Si Yanmo didn't say much, but pressed her forehead against his and left a long kiss, "Wait for me to come back."
After saying that, she ignored his attempts to stop her and walked out the door.
Lin Niang followed, "Wait, I'll go with you."
Si Yanmo thought that Lanyu was, after all, Lin Niang's hometown, and she would know it better. She thought that it might be safer for the group to go together, so she agreed to let her go and entrusted Yun'er to Mo Wenzhong for help.
Mo Wenzhong was helpless. Back when he and Qin Zixiu were raising Zhou Yanqing, he was still a young boy. Now, they were just throwing an infant in his arms at him, with a seriously ill person next to him.
He has come from afar and is extremely busy.
Si Yanmo and Lin Niang changed into clothes to disguise their identities, and each found a fine horse that could travel a thousand miles a day. She chose Zhou Yanqing's Little Black Horse.
Upon seeing Xiao Hei, Si Yanmo felt a mix of emotions.
The first time she rode a horse was taught by Zhou Yanqing; she rode Little Black.
Back then, she was afraid of Xiao Hei, but now, looking at Xiao Hei, she knows that only it can help her save Zhou Yanqing.
She pressed her forehead against Xiao Hei's head, stroked its fur, and said softly, "Xiao Hei, will you help me bring the medicine back to save him?"
As if understanding her words, Xiao Hei leaned slightly forward, gesturing for her to mount the horse.
Sure enough, after she mounted the horse, she only gently pulled on the reins, and the black horse slightly raised its front hooves to gain momentum and galloped westward.
The three people, on three horses, continued westward, accompanied by the clear sound of bells around Si Yanmo's waist.
Although Lanyu is not a large place, it is located at the westernmost part of the entire southern region, bordering only the western side of Tainan.
Si Yanmo and her group wanted to get through. At first, they could travel outside the city, but later they would have to go through the interior of Nandu. They had to be careful at every checkpoint.
She was also worried about her sister and the others. She couldn't sleep well at night and would stand on the dirt road in the suburbs, looking towards the south of the capital, praying that everyone would be safe and sound.
Perhaps the Southern Emperor was unaware of her return to Lanyu, as the western checkpoints were quite lax, and there wasn't even a wanted poster for her.
The journey was relatively smooth, and the group traveled at full speed for more than five days before finally arriving at Lanyu's capital, Lanyan City.
Lanyu Palace.
"Let's switch to sandalwood today."
The woman leaned languidly against the couch, her slender fingers holding a gold hairpin as she stirred something in a rosewood container.
If you didn't know better, you'd think she was mixing perfumes, but upon closer inspection, you'd discover that the container contained wriggling white worms.
She casually opened a small jar from the side, picked out some powder with her gold needle, and just lightly touched it into the container. The white worms, which had been moving slowly, received the command and swarmed up to gnaw on the powder on the stone.
After a short while, the white worms stopped moving, and their bodies began to change.
Some turned red, some turned purple, and some remained motionless, as if they were dead.
The woman smiled with satisfaction, closed the lid, and handed it to the maid beside her, saying, "Go and send this to Master Nie."
"Yes." The palace maid received the order, bowed, lit the incense burner beside her, and walked out with the container.
As he approached the door, he saw another guard, wearing protective armor, enter and bow. "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Qin requests an audience."
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