"Shanshan, I'm here."
"Don't be afraid, Shanshan. I'm with you. It won't hurt. It'll stop hurting soon..."
Jun Wuyuan lowered his head. Regardless of the dirt on his face, he gently kissed Ling Shan one by one to soothe her.
Liang Jiusi went out for a while and brought in the medicine box sent by the palace servants. He happened to hand it to Chang Wei.
When he withdrew his hand, he stood there in stunned amazement.
At the moment when the emperor lowered his head to kiss, that crystal drop was like a drop of hot oil splashing into the flames. The tongues of fire surged and instantly turned into a sea of fire.
Liang Jiusi only felt a pain in his heart.
The last time he saw the emperor so vulnerable and in tears was...
Back then, when the late Empress Dowager passed away at a young age, the emperor was just like this.
Unexpectedly, after all these years, the emperor finally placed Concubine Zhao in his heart again, but now he was facing such a situation once more.
Liang Jiusi's eyes couldn't help but redden a bit. He secretly prayed in his heart: Concubine Zhao must be all right!
He hoped that this old fellow Chang Wei was capable. Otherwise, they were really in trouble...
Most importantly, the emperor couldn't be heart - broken again.
The best outcome would be that Concubine Zhao was blessed by fortune. If so, the emperor would be well, and they, the servants, would also be at ease.
"Chang Wei, are you dead?! Hurry up! I don't care what method you use. Make Shanshan stop hurting as soon as possible!"
Chang Wei quickly carried the medicine box and took out the silver needles. After making some preparations, he asked Jun Wuyuan to hold Ling Shan's body still. Then, with fingers as steady as a mountain, he quickly inserted the needles into the acupuncture points.
A slightly warm feeling circulated in her body. Ling Shan, who had been in such pain that she doubted her own existence, gradually regained her senses.
Rarely, her misty almond eyes were no longer scattered and vulnerable. Instead, she propped herself up and looked at Jun Wuyuan, showing a weak but even more pitiful smile.
"Your Majesty."
Jun Wuyuan's heart ached as if it were bleeding. He was in a mess, covered in blood and dirt, but he didn't forget to gently caress Ling Shan's cheek with a tender hand.
"I'm here, Shanshan. Don't be afraid. It'll be all right."
Ling Shan's lips curled slightly, with a gentle smile on her face. She softly replied with an "mm" and rubbed her face against his palm with the slightest of strength.
"Your Majesty, I'm not afraid. You..."
Her delicate voice became hoarse and gentle. She endured the pain on her body with great effort and her tone was dependent and relaxed:
"Your Majesty, don't be afraid either. Shanshan... Shanshan will be all right..."
Jun Wuyuan's eyes grew hot. He almost shed tears again.
Suddenly, he buried his face in Ling Shan's sticky neck and nodded gently.
Ling Shan was startled.
Even though the pain on her body hadn't subsided and her head was still dizzy, she still felt that moistness.
Was Jun Wuyuan... crying?
Ling Shan couldn't believe it. The heart that had been numbed and dried by the pain seemed to be filled with a warm spring. It was as if it had magic power, reducing the pain in her body.
However, soon Ling Shan didn't have time to think further. The pain on her body swept over like a tide. Although the silver needles were suppressing it, her qi and blood were still surging. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
"Shanshan?!"
Feeling the head on his shoulder droop, Jun Wuyuan no longer cared about the tears in his eyes. He hugged Ling Shan with both hands, and his heart seemed to stop beating at that moment.
Chang Wei quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is the effect of the needles I inserted. It can make the empress fall asleep and no longer suffer from the pain of the poison发作. The empress is fine. Your Majesty need not worry."
"Really?"
Jun Wuyuan stared fixedly at Chang Wei with his scarlet eyes, like a tightly - stretched string that would break and cause a catastrophe at the slightest mistake.
How could Chang Wei hesitate for even a moment when looked at by such a gaze?
If he showed the slightest hesitation, he didn't doubt that his head would be chopped off the next moment.
"Replying to Your Majesty, what I said is all true. The empress is in good health. Your Majesty, don't worry. I'll go and write a prescription right away to stabilize the poison in the empress's body first, and then do my best to research an antidote..."
"As soon as possible!"
Jun Wuyuan's heart rate returned to normal. He waved his hand impatiently, indicating for Chang Wei to go quickly and do his best.
Chang Wei cursed in his heart, but on the surface, he was very respectful and was about to back out. However...
Thud.
A pure - white porcelain bottle suddenly fell out of Ling Shan's sleeve and rolled around once, attracting everyone's attention.
"What is this?"
Banchun looked at the porcelain bottle, and a flash of light quickly passed through his mind.
"Your Majesty, the empress didn't have this white porcelain bottle on her when she went out!"
That's right.
After the empress came out of Yaotai Jinfeng, her mood had been off.
Originally, they thought it was because the Queen Mother had made things difficult for the empress inside. They didn't expect it to be such a life - threatening matter!
The thing in such a simple white porcelain bottle couldn't be anything good, could it?
What Banchun could think of, Jun Wuyuan, the emperor, naturally wouldn't miss.
Chang Wei didn't even need to be told. He very consciously and carefully picked up the white porcelain bottle to check it.
This check was a shock.
This...
This thing...
Chang Wei's eyebrows twitched. His face darkened like ink, and he knelt on the ground tremblingly.
A guess rose in Jun Wuyuan's heart. He hugged Ling Shan in his arms a little tighter.
His voice was low: "Speak!"
"Your Majesty, the thing in this white porcelain bottle is the secret medicine from the previous dynasty, the same one that the sixth young master of the previous king was poisoned with."
After these words were spoken, among the few people still awake in the palace hall, except for Jun Wuyuan, the others all felt a jolt in their hearts.
The Queen Mother wanted to force Concubine Zhao to poison the emperor with such a life - threatening poison!
She not only wanted the emperor to die in an undignified way but also wanted to squeeze out the last bit of value from the emperor before his death.
She wanted Concubine Zhao, who was controlled by the strange poison Biluo, to conceive an imperial heir and give birth to a prince so that she could control the next emperor.
However, obviously, Concubine Zhao didn't agree.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been tortured beyond recognition by Biluo.
Liang Jiusi and Chang Wei were loyal officials beside the emperor. Knowing this matter, they couldn't help but be shocked.
Not to mention Jun Wuyuan, the emperor who was the closest to Ling Shan.
It was not difficult to imagine how turbulent his heart must be at this moment!
Jun Wuyuan's throat tightened. His eyes were already horribly scarlet, filled with waves of heat. Every bone in his body ached.
Shanshan, why did she...
Why was she so silly?
She would rather endure the pain herself than...
Jun Wuyuan felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife, in great pain.
Even in her coma, Ling Shan in his arms frowned, which showed how painful the poison on her body was.
She was lying quietly in his arms, with blood, dirt, and sweat all over her face and hair. She looked extremely embarrassed.
But in Jun Wuyuan's eyes, Ling Shan at this moment was so beautiful that it made his heart tremble.
"Go down. Bring the medicine in as soon as possible and fetch some water."