After a pause, Shang Yunlan added, "If it were me... please don't blame yourself, it's not your fault."
Lin Jing paused in her disinfection work, lowering her eyes to hide the worry and emotion in them.
How could he not be nervous? These were Lingxiu's children, the last thing Lingxiu left in this world. Moreover, in the process of getting along, Lin Jing had already regarded the two siblings as his own children.
But he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "You must not say such things again."
Shang Yunlan didn't care. He thought for a moment, then said gently, "And An'an... If I'm gone, please take good care of An'an. My brother and I have been very close since childhood, and we have relied on each other since our parents passed away. I'm afraid she might do something rash... Never mind."
He smiled and shook his head, saying with emotion, "You'll have to keep a closer eye on An'an from now on. She loves sweets, which isn't good for her teeth; she also tends to stay up late and has irregular eating habits, so you'll have to remind her of that as well."
As Lin Jing listened, his hands trembled slightly. He raised his voice a little and interrupted Shang Yunlan: "Once the toxins in your body are cleared, you can take care of these things. I have to go back to Qingcheng Mountain to take care of Ale. I don't have the energy to take care of your sister."
Shang Yunlan dared not speak. He realized that his words seemed to have made Lin Jing a little flustered, and he was afraid that it would affect the detoxification process later. He could only keep his mouth shut and wait for Lin Jing to adjust and recover her emotions.
Soon, Lin Jing heated a set of gold needles, then threw them into the wine to sterilize them. He gestured for Shang Yunlan to lie down on the bed, and then began to administer the acupuncture.
As soon as the first needle was inserted, Shang Yunlan felt a sharp pain shooting through her head, as if it were about to split open, burning hot like fire.
He gritted his teeth to keep from making a sound. Lin Jing silently put a towel in Shang Yunlan's mouth: "If you feel uncomfortable, bite down on the towel and don't shout. Save your energy so you don't faint."
Shang Yunlan dared not nod, nor could she speak, so she could only bite the towel to indicate that she understood.
When Lin Jing performed the third acupuncture, Shang Yunlan was in so much pain that the veins on her forehead were bulging, and the towel was covered with blood from biting her teeth. It was clear that she was in extreme pain.
Lin Jing asked, "Can you still hold on?"
Shang Yunlan managed to utter a single syllable: "Mmm."
Lin Jing nodded, her usually indifferent voice now carrying a particularly soothing power: "There are only two more needles left, and the needles can be removed in a quarter of an hour; you may develop a fever after that, but as long as the fever subsides, you'll have made it through."
After saying this, he noticed that Shang Yunlan seemed a little drowsy and looked like she might fall asleep at any moment. He was alarmed and quickly shouted, "Shang Yunlan, hold on! Don't fall asleep!"
Shang Yunlan immediately regained consciousness, but after the last injection was administered, he once again teetered on the brink of unconsciousness.
Lin Jing said from the side, "You must stay awake! If you don't hold on, An'an will enter the palace as Lu Zhi's concubine and waste her life in the harem. If you don't want to die with regrets, you'd better stay awake! I won't care about your sister!"
This startled Shang Yunlan awake.
Seeing that the method was effective, Lin Jing breathed a sigh of relief and then continued to say, "If you don't make it through, An'an will have no one to protect her. She's so impulsive. After Lu Zhi takes her into the palace, who knows when Lu Zhi will take a dislike for her and throw her into the cold palace, where she'll die a miserable death!"
Shang Yunlan is not only awake now, but also filled with rage.
Seeing this, Lin Jing glanced at the time and realized that a quarter of an hour had passed, so she quickly removed the gold needles for him.
In an instant, Shang Yunlan felt a warm current flow into his body, slowly nourishing his heart and internal organs... and then he fell into a deep sleep.
This time, Lin Jing didn't wake him up. Lin Jing touched Shang Yunlan's forehead and found that he was starting to get a fever. She felt relieved and then began to help him reduce the fever.
...
The Southern Chen Dynasty, the imperial palace.
Consort Zhao sat by the window, listlessly and boredly watching the vibrant colors outside.
Spring seems to have a special fondness for Southern Chen; the bright and warm sun is shining on the cold palace walls.
Consort Zhao was fanning herself with a round fan, but then, not knowing what she saw, she immediately put down the fan, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
Upon seeing this, Liu'er knew that Lord Qin had arrived.
Lord Qin has become increasingly powerful lately. His Majesty has to consult him before making any decisions, and His Majesty will only issue an edict if Lord Qin nods in approval. Small and trivial matters are directly entrusted to Lord Qin for decision-making, while His Majesty is only concerned with having fun with the Duke of Zhenguo.
If in the past people only cursed "powerful eunuchs" and "femme fatales" for ruining the country, now there is another one: "treacherous officials" who ruin the country.
But Liu'er knew perfectly well that all the talk of powerful eunuchs, wicked concubines, and treacherous officials was clearly an attempt to shift the blame for His Majesty's mistakes onto them.
Soon, Qin Ye came in carrying a food box.
He looked at Consort Zhao, who was fast asleep on the chaise lounge, and then turned to Liu'er. The "Nine Thousand Years Old," who was usually treated with deference even by the Duke of Zhenguo, was now all smiles and obsequious: "Miss Liu'er, these are some Yunnan snacks that I found for Her Majesty. Her Majesty spent some time in Yunnan before, so I imagine she likes them."
Liu'er sighed inwardly—the food that Lord Qin sent was never used by the Empress; it was usually given to them as a reward. Lord Qin was not unaware of this, but he still sent things to them on time every day.
Who in the world doesn't know that Consort Zhao and the Ninth Prince are in cahoots?
The only one who can control them is Emperor Chen... Liu'er frowned at this thought.
His Majesty has not set foot in the inner palace recently, let alone favored any concubines; he has gone from seeking medical treatment to now seeking immortality and Taoist practices...
Liu'er was Consort Zhao's head maid and enjoyed her deep trust. Naturally, she knew that Emperor Chen was now... not quite there.
After Qin Ye left, Consort Zhao slowly opened her eyes, stared at the food box for a long time, and then waved her hand with little interest: "You can take it and eat it. Although the taste of the snacks from Yunnan is a bit strange, the more you eat, the more addictive they become... I think you will like it, Liu'er."
At first, Liu'er hesitated, but now she no longer refused. She curtsied and took the food box and left.
Consort Zhao stared blankly at her hands.
Back then, it was these hands that picked up the spear, and it was these hands that killed countless enemies.
Now, these hands have finally begun to blend fragrances and cook soups, and the calluses that once remained have long since disappeared.
Consort Zhao lowered her eyes, and the words Shang Shaoyan had spoken that day resurfaced in her mind.
“One day, Shao Yan will ask the general to help me fulfill this wish. Shao Yan wants to see the general’s dashing figure, raising the battle flag in the whistling west wind, slaying enemies with a long sword, and celebrating victory with wine, rather than breaking willow branches and picking flowers within the palace walls, with the road to Zhaoyang cut off and hoping for the emperor’s pity.”
Will it?
Probably.
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