Yin Wuzhi was the first to rush into the Taiji Palace.
Empress Dowager Yao, in a frantic state, was holding Jiang Wu’s body, her gaze searching for Gu Yan: “Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician Gu, hurry!!”
Her voice was shaky, perhaps due to her turmoil, and Yin Wuzhi couldn’t quite distinguish whether she was calling for the Imperial Physician or simply crying out in distress. However, this thought was fleeting as he moved quickly to Jiang Wu’s side.
Empress Dowager Yao tightened her hold on Jiang Wu, and when she saw Yin Wuzhi approach, she yelled, “Get out!”
Yin Wuzhi withdrew his outstretched hand and stood quietly on the side.
Imperial Physician Gu set down his medical box and checked Jiang Wu’s pulse. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “His Majesty… is fine.”
“Fine?” Empress Dowager Yao raised Jiang Wu’s hand, showing where she had pinched his palm so hard it had bled. “Why hasn’t he woken up if he’s fine?”
“His pulse is steady,” Gu Yan explained. “It seems… he’s asleep.”
“No, Wu Er must be in some kind of danger.” Empress Dowager Yao pressed firmly on the acupoint below Jiang Wu’s nose, tears streaming down her face. “How could he have just fallen asleep while sitting?”
It hurt.
No, it didn’t hurt.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, all was calm and peaceful. He felt nothing, and he heard nothing.
Empress Dowager Yao kept pinching his hand and applying pressure to various acupoints on his body.
A wave of nausea and dizziness washed over Jiang Wu.
…No, Pessimist didn’t feel anything.
Pessimist wouldn’t submit so easily. That annoying woman—Pessimist would never see her again.
“Your Majesty,” Imperial Physician Gu interjected, “His Majesty’s pulse remains steady. Let him rest for a while.”
“Have you ever seen anyone fall asleep and be completely unresponsive like this?”
Of course, this was because Pessimist’s willpower was strong. After all, he’d been a wandering spirit for a thousand years—he could ignore anything as long as he could continue his gloomy, aimless existence. Even though he now had a physical body and couldn’t retreat into his sea of consciousness as freely, nothing could stop him from being… apathetic.
Pain and suffering? If there was no way to resist, then let it happen. Pessimist could endure it.
“That’s enough,” Yin Wuzhi’s voice was restrained. “The Imperial Physician has already said His Majesty is simply asleep. If the Empress Dowager continues, it will be considered as deliberately harming the Emperor.”
“What did you say? Where did you get the audacity to speak to me like this?” Empress Dowager Yao’s fury surged.
Jiang Wu’s philtrum and palm had both been pinched until they bled, and the sight was truly pitiful.
Yin Wuzhi knelt and, with military decorum, said, “I am the son of King Dingnan, the overseer of the Qi Ren Division, and the deputy commander of the Eagle Army, personally appointed by the late Emperor. I am permitted to enter the Emperor’s presence and have the right to act before reporting if necessary, with the responsibility to protect His Majesty.”
Even though he was kneeling, his voice was steady and commanding, carrying undeniable authority.
The room fell silent. Imperial Physician Gu glanced up at him, and Qi Hanmiao, another court official, gasped lightly.
Empress Dowager Yao’s anger flared, “Do you intend to strike me down as well?”
“What’s more,” Yin Wuzhi’s eyes met hers without backing down, “if something truly happened to His Majesty, the only ones present were you and His Majesty. Wouldn’t it be necessary to interrogate those involved?”
Empress Dowager Yao’s face turned pale.
Though she was the Emperor’s birth Mother, if Jiang Wu truly suffered harm, she would undoubtedly face consequences. Her mind raced, and she turned toward Imperial Physician Gu as if for help, “Are you certain His Majesty is unharmed?”
In the brief pause that followed, Yin Wuzhi swiftly gathered Jiang Wu into his arms and carried him toward the sleeping chamber, saying to Imperial Physician Gu, “Please prepare some ointment to treat His Majesty’s wounds.”
The ever-intensifying suffering began to fade.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, Pessimist felt a slight sense of relief.
In the end, it was Pessimist who had won the final victory.
But the body… it hurt so much.
He could endure it, yes, but the pain was very real. Painful, so painful.
Imperial Physician Gu approached Yin Wuzhi and handed over the medicine.
“Thank you,” Yin Wuzhi said as he carefully used a small spoon to apply the ointment to Jiang Wu’s wounds.
The cool sensation of the medicine slightly alleviated the pain, though it was only relative. Overall, the pain remained.
Still, as the discomfort gradually lessened, Jiang Wu’s long-practiced ability to retreat into his sea of consciousness took effect, granting him a temporary reprieve from everything.
“Thank you, Your Highness Shizi,” said Imperial Physician Gu.
“If the young Imperial Physician wasn’t exceptional, how could you have become the Emperor’s Imperial Physician so quickly?” Yin Wuzhi replied. “The Empress Dowager is merely worried for His Majesty. His Majesty, after leaving the warm bath, was indeed drowsy.”
“However, given the forceful attempts to revive him, one would have expected some response by now. I cannot entirely rule out the possibility that His Majesty is suffering from some unknown condition.”
“Then we wait.”
Perhaps rattled by Yin Wuzhi’s earlier words, Empress Dowager Yao had remained outside for quite some time, but she soon recovered her composure and re-entered the room.
“Yin Wuzhi.”
Yin Wuzhi knelt once again, “I beg the Empress Dowager’s pardon.”
“Pardon?” Empress Dowager Yao’s eyes flashed with disdain. “You saved the Emperor and acted with clarity, even questioning me. Why should I hold you accountable?”
“For the safety of His Majesty, my cautiousness as a minister is a merit. However, as a subject, defying the Empress Dowager is a fault. If the Empress Dowager wishes to hold me accountable, it is entirely reasonable.”
“What a sharp tongue you have,” Empress Dowager Yao said angrily. “If it’s reasonable for me to hold you accountable, isn’t it just as reasonable for you to oppose me for the sake of His Majesty’s safety?”
Yin Wuzhi remained silent.
The Empress Dowager was furious. “So what you’re saying is that your merits and faults cancel each other out, and I should just swallow my anger, is that it?!”
“This minister had no such intention.”
“But that’s exactly what you’re thinking!”
“…” Yin Wuzhi lowered his head and said, “Please, Empress Dowager, forgive me.”
Empress Dowager Yao paced back and forth in front of him, her fingers clenched tightly. Finally, she spoke: “Since you believe my efforts to rescue were unnecessary, then you shall kneel here until His Majesty wakes up. By tomorrow morning, if I don’t see His Majesty’s eyes open…”
She looked down at Yin Wuzhi, her gaze full of murderous intent: “You’ll bring your head to me.”
With a harsh flick of her sleeve, she turned to leave without looking back, but suddenly the door swung open, and a series of announcements echoed: “The Great Empress Dowager has arrived—”
Yao Ji stopped in her tracks as the Great Empress Dowager’s cane crossed the threshold, accompanied as always by the elegantly dressed Empress Dowager Wen.
Yao Ji bowed, “This humble daughter greets Her Majesty, Royal Mother.”
“I heard the Emperor is ill again, so I came to see what’s happening.” She glanced at Yao Ji. “Why are you here?”
“Your humble daughter heard that His Majesty was unwell and came to check on him.”
“And how is your visit going?”
Yao Ji hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth, but Qi Hanmiao quickly spoke up: “His Majesty has already gone to sleep.”
“Asleep?” The Great Empress Dowager walked slowly behind the screen. “But I heard that the Emperor suddenly collapsed.”
Yao Ji understood immediately—her Royal Mother-in-law was clearly here for her. She quietly followed behind, saying, “Yes, His Majesty collapsed in front of me. I don’t know what happened.”
“Gu Yan, tell me what’s wrong with His Majesty.”
Gu Yan could only say, “His Majesty’s pulse is steady, with no sign of fainting. In my humble opinion, it seems… he just fell asleep.”
“If it’s only an opinion, then we should summon other Imperial Physicians to examine him properly.” The Great Empress Dowager’s tone was calm, even gentle: “Go and call those old Imperial Physicians from the imperial hospital. Let’s see whether the Emperor is merely asleep or if someone secretly harmed him.”
As soon as she spoke, everyone around knelt in fear—maids and eunuchs alike trembled, pressing their heads to the ground.
Yao Ji’s face turned deathly pale.
Empress Dowager Wen glanced at her. While waiting for the other Imperial Physicians to arrive, the Great Empress Dowager approached the dragon bed and lifted the bed curtains.
Jiang Wu’s philtrum was swollen, an unsightly contrast on his once delicate and pale face.
The Great Empress Dowager suppressed her rage and asked coldly, “What happened here?”
Yao Ji could only kneel, her voice trembling: “Your humble daughter… lost her composure in a moment of panic.”
“Didn’t they say he was only asleep? What were you panicking about?”
“I… I was just… frightened…”
“You were frightened and didn’t summon the Imperial Physicians. Instead, you, knowing nothing about medicine, dared to act recklessly and left His Majesty bruised like this…” The Great Empress Dowager was furious. “Yao Ji, how dare you!”
Yao Ji heavily bowed her head to the ground.
The Great Empress Dowager sat by the bedside, her aged hand trembling as she touched Jiang Wu’s face. “My dear grandson, your Grandmother is here. Wake up.”
Of course, Jiang Wu didn’t wake up.
He was truly, honestly, and thoroughly asleep.
The group of elder Imperial Physicians called by the Great Empress Dowager arrived one by one, each taking turns to check the pulse. All their findings matched what Imperial Physician Gu had said. Gu Yan quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his tense nerves finally beginning to relax.
But the Great Empress Dowager was still not at ease. “If he’s truly asleep, why hasn’t he woken up after being pinched like this?”
The Imperial Physicians scratched their heads nervously. “Perhaps… he’s extremely exhausted?”
This was just a guess meant to placate the noble women. After all, this was the Emperor, and no one dared to claim definitively that he was ill, nor did they dare to say for sure that he wasn’t.
The Great Empress Dowager, with no other options, frowned and sat for a while longer before finally saying, “In that case, everyone may leave for now.”
The group began to disperse, but the Great Empress Dowager spoke again: “Yao Ji, you stay.”
“Since His Majesty collapsed while alone with you, you will wait here. If he doesn’t wake by morning, I’ll have no choice but to hold you responsible.”
Yao Ji meekly replied, “This humble daughter obeys.”
The Great Empress Dowager stayed until midnight before Empress Dowager Wen finally persuaded her to leave.
Because Gu Yan was the first to suggest that the Emperor was merely asleep, he was unfortunately left behind to wait as well.
Yin Wuzhi continued to kneel on the ground, while Yao Ji, though standing, was clearly not having a good time either.
With the Emperor’s Mother standing as punishment, no one else dared to move. Even when Qi Hanmiao added coal to the stove near the bed, he did so on his knees.
Time passed slowly.
The Empress Dowager swayed on her feet, and a maid quickly stepped forward to support her. “Your Highness, perhaps you should sit down and wait.”
Yao Ji, mustering her strength, asked, “Has His Majesty awoken?”
“Not yet.”
“What time is it now?”
“It’s the Chou Hour.”
Yao Ji, unable to stand any longer, slowly sat down on the chair brought by a servant. “The Emperor usually attends court at the Chen Hour. We’ll just wait two more hours; by then, he should wake.”
Yin Wuzhi glanced at her.
Yao Ji was very sharp and glared back fiercely.
You little brat, what are you looking at? Don’t think that just because you’re kneeling with me, you can rest easy. Now I get to sit, but you still have to kneel!
She yawned.
Her head drooped again, and the maid quickly supported it. Yao Ji instantly straightened up and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it now?”
“It’s the Yin Hour.”
“One more hour and His Majesty should wake.”
A little while later, Yao Ji’s head drooped once again, and once again, the maid lifted it. This time, Yao Ji was so sleepy that she could barely open her eyes. “What time is it now?”
“It’s the Mao Hour.”
“One more…” Yao Ji straightened herself up slightly, gathering her strength. “Is he about to wake up?”
She stared at the bed canopy, her eyes drooping with sleep, only to snap them wide open again, resolutely saying, “It’s already past the Mao Hour. The Emperor is definitely about to wake up.”
Yin Wuzhi glanced at her again.
Yao Ji, as sharp as ever, shot him a glare in return.
I’ve sat through the night, and you’ve been kneeling all night. You’re worse off than me!
Yin Wuzhi averted his gaze.
Qi Hanmiao quietly shrank back, standing off to the side.
Who could bear to shatter a Mother’s fragile hope?
All she wanted was to see her son wake up early. What harm was there in that? Telling her now that the Emperor usually woke around noon would be more painful than death for her.
Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie is necessary.
After all, she was a sleepless Mother clinging to hope through the night.
The truth would be far too cruel for her.
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