Xiao Che's roar of "Pacify it for me!" echoed in the Kunning Palace for a long time before gradually dissipating.
The imperial physicians and palace servants remained prostrate on the ground, trembling like leaves, wishing they could bury their heads in the cracks between the floor tiles. The emperor's wrath could cause rivers of blood to flow; no one dared to provoke him at this time.
Lin Wanwan lay on the bed, looking at the silent people in the room, but her heart was filled with a deathly stillness.
Finally, it was the head of the Imperial Medical Academy who, trembling, raised his head and, with a tone of resignation, forced himself to speak: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Her Majesty is in good health, only... only suffered a minor head injury from an impact, resulting in a blood stasis, but... it's nothing serious. She only needs to rest for a few days, supplemented with calming and blood-activating medicine, and she will recover completely."
These words finally calmed the furious emperor down a little.
Xiao Che took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the earth-shattering rage within him. He turned around, the violent aura on his face lessening slightly, but his expression remained extremely grim.
"Get out of here, all of you." His voice remained icy. "Just leave two servants."
"Yes, yes!"
Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out, fearing that if they were even a step too slow, the enraged emperor would drag them out and make them "burial objects" for the artificial hill.
Soon, only Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che remained in the bedchamber.
The calming soup, prescribed by the abbot and carefully prepared by the palace maids, was soon served.
An intensely bitter medicinal smell instantly filled the entire room.
Lin Wanwan only took one sniff before instinctively frowning. Good heavens, this smell was even more intoxicating than the worst-tasting Chinese medicine she had ever drunk in her past life.
The palace maid carefully carried the medicine bowl, preparing to step forward to serve him.
"Put it down, I will do it."
Xiao Che waved his hand and personally took the bowl of dark, murky medicine from the tray.
Still not entirely at ease, he held the bowl of medicine, first scooped up a little with a spoon, gently blew on it to test the temperature, and only after confirming it wasn't too hot did he bring it to Lin Wanwan.
His actions were as considerate as ever.
But when Lin Wanwan looked at the bowl of medicine he handed her, her mind was not on the medicine at all.
Suddenly, a bold idea popped into her head.
test!
Yes, she needs to be tested again!
What if... what if the power of the cheat system was just temporarily "shut down" because of the emotional fluctuations? Now that the atmosphere has calmed down, maybe it has quietly "revived"?
Once this thought arose, it was like a vine, instantly wrapping around her heart, making it impossible for her to breathe or refuse it.
This is the best opportunity!
She remembered it clearly: their first night of marriage, that terrifying night of trying to bring good luck. The eunuch brought over a bowl of medicine, and Xiao Che frowned in disgust. Above his head floated a huge, aggrieved emoji: "[The medicine is so bitter qAq.jpg]!"
It was that meme that gave her a flash of inspiration, leading her to hand over a candied fruit hidden in her dowry, thus defusing the crisis and saving her life.
That was the beginning of her relationship with him, and also the classic scene where her magic touch first showed its power.
If... if this scene were to repeat itself, would it prove that it was all just a false alarm?
Lin Wanwan's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
She looked at Xiao Che, deliberately not reaching out to take the bowl of medicine.
Instead, under Xiao Che's questioning gaze, she casually reached her hand under her pillow.
There, were the snacks she usually used to relieve boredom.
She fumbled around for a moment and precisely pulled out a crystal-clear candied fruit wrapped in oil paper.
This candied fruit is so similar to the one from back then.
Lin Wanwan held her breath and slowly handed the candied fruit, which carried all her hopes, to Xiao Che.
Her movements were almost a replica of the scene from back then.
Her eyes, filled with a barely perceptible tension and anticipation, were fixed on the top of Xiao Che's head.
bring it on!
Come out now!
[The medicine tastes so bitter qAq.jpg]!
Please! Even just a flash would be appreciated!
She was screaming and praying frantically in her heart.
However--
This time, Xiao Che only looked at the candied fruit she handed him, his brows furrowing even deeper.
His face showed no trace of the surprise he had felt years ago when his thoughts were "read out," only a lingering sense of unease and confusion stemming from his lingering fear.
The area above his head was still... a blank space.
"Bang!"
Lin Wanwan seemed to hear the sound of something inside her shattering completely.
"I do not take medicine."
Xiao Che's voice rang out coldly and harshly, tinged with impatience. He assumed Lin Wanwan was afraid of bitterness and wanted to bribe him with candied fruit so he would drink it for her.
Little did he know that it didn't matter whether he or she drank the medicine.
The important thing is the reaction on the top of his head.
"This is a calming soup for you," he said, pushing the bowl forward further, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Why are you giving me candied fruit? Drink it!"
"boom--!"
The last sentence, "Drink it quickly," exploded in Lin Wanwan's mind like a thunderclap.
Her hand froze in mid-air, still clutching the candied fruit that had become incredibly ironic.
He... refused.
He not only refused, but even... reprimanded her.
Lin Wanwan's mind went completely blank.
She stared blankly at him, at his bloodshot eyes, filled with worry and exhaustion, and at his tightly furrowed brows, which were etched with impatience.
He was clearly frowning...
Doesn't he find the smell of this medicine bitter?
In the past, even if he only smelled it, he would mentally complain about it, and the emojis above his head could fill a whole TV series.
But now, he just coldly urged her to drink her medicine.
Why?
Is it because he genuinely doesn't feel bitter? Or is it because he's preoccupied and doesn't care about these things? Or perhaps... he's changed?
Countless chaotic thoughts, like a tangled mess, blocked her chest, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
The "cheat" that we'd relied on for so long suddenly went offline at the most crucial moment.
The emperor who had once been like a "transparent person" in her eyes had, overnight, become an encrypted book that she could no longer read.
And she, the former "gold medal decoder," is now completely blind.
This immense sense of loss—from the perspective of an omniscient and omnipotent God to the mere speculation of a mortal—plunged her into an unprecedented and overwhelming anxiety.
Looking at the man she knew so well, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity for the first time.
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