, Fastest Update of After My Flowers Bloom, All Others Wither!
Chapter 786: Your Majesty Cannot Die Yet
Of course, it wasn't that every dream came true, but whenever he dwelled too much on something during the day, he would likely have such dreams at night.
Since the incident with the An family, the Youning Emperor had become extremely cautious about using incense. Even the scented ink he currently used had been prepared long in advance, taking nearly a year before it was finally put to imperial use in the past two months.
The incense used in his bedchamber was naturally subject to the strictest controls. Every day, Liu Sanzhi would consult the palace's incense masters before replacing the incense in the Emperor's bedchamber, making substitution extremely difficult.
The Emperor customarily used a blended incense, primarily composed of ambergris. Shen Xihe had visited the palace many times and could only piece together the incense formula used by the Emperor from the residual scents in the air. Presumably for identification purposes, the Emperor's incense formula differed slightly from the true blended incense formula, containing one additional fragrant spice that did not affect the overall composition.
Shen Xihe recreated the incense used by the Emperor, embedding the dream-inducing element within it. Incense sticks are inherently slender, making it difficult to tamper with them further. To conceal internal differences while maintaining an indistinguishable external scent made the task even more challenging.
After several days of experimentation with Hongyu, they barely managed to produce one batch. When handing it to Xiao Huayong, Shen Xihe still cautioned, "If encountered by someone with a keen sense of smell like mine, it might not pass undetected."
The Emperor's incense master was reputed to have a particularly acute sense of smell, but Xiao Huayong was unconcerned: "I have my ways to handle it..."
The Emperor's sleeping quarters were always guarded by shifts of Embroidered Uniform Envoys, which was another reason why assassinating the Emperor was difficult. Even Xiao Huayong could only substitute the incense during Zhao Zhenghao's shift. That night, they left the drugged incense master sleeping on the floor, only moving him back to his bed just before dawn and departing without a sound.
The next morning, the incense master, who had inexplicably caught a cold, was dizzy and congested. He could only detect the general similarity in scent and gave his approval.
That night, the Emperor did not have nightmares. However, the following day, a storyteller in a capital teahouse dramatically recounted the achievements of the Northwest King and his son, adapting them into a tale that captivated the common people. Coincidentally, at this time, Xiao Changying submitted a memorial to the Emperor detailing affairs in the northwest, eloquently describing the great accomplishments of the Northwest King and his son.
The Youning Emperor's face darkened as he read it. With a sweep of his hand, he sent all the memorials scattering to the floor, and the hall instantly fell into a hushed silence.
That night, the Youning Emperor dreamed of the Shen father and son leading a massive army to the capital. In the dream, Shen Yueshan beheaded him as he sat on the Dragon Throne. The Youning Emperor woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat, his expression grim.
As it was still early, the Youning Emperor had no choice but to try to sleep again. Unexpectedly, he fell into another nightmare. In this dream, the Shen father and son were praised by the masses. Some said that without the Shen family, there would be no nation. Others claimed that his throne relied entirely on the Shen family. These fragmented voices seemed to mock him as Emperor. Finally, someone pushed him down the steps, elevated Shen Yueshan to a high platform, and shouted, "Long live!"
The Youning Emperor woke again just as dawn was breaking. Unable to sleep, he rose to review memorials but found himself distracted.
"Your Majesty." Liu Sanzhi's voice snapped the Youning Emperor out of his reverie. "Your Majesty, this servant has something to report."
The Youning Emperor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Speak."
"There are rumors in the Eastern Palace that the Crown Princess jokingly told the Crown Prince they intend to name the imperial grandson 'Balancing Pivot'," Liu Sanzhi reported, then bowed his head and hunched his shoulders.He was not born a eunuch. Once a book attendant to His Majesty, he came from a poor family in the northwest. Had it not been for the emperor's misfortune, he would never have had the chance to serve someone of such supreme nobility.
After following His Majesty, he had diligently studied and learned to read, though he possessed little scholarly knowledge. Yet he understood the meaning of "balancing pivot."
Upon hearing this, Youning Emperor abruptly raised his head, his gaze as lifeless as that of a dead man, fixed intently on the cowering Liu Sanzhi.
With a snap, the brush in his hand broke in two.
His chest heaved twice before the emperor seemed to choke, suddenly breaking into violent coughs. Liu Sanzhi hurriedly fetched a handkerchief and stepped forward, only to discover that His Majesty had coughed up blood!
"Your Majesty!" Liu Sanzhi was utterly horrified.
"Summon the imperial physician," Youning Emperor said in a low voice.
Half an hour later, Doctor Zhuo's face was clouded with worry. Though the emperor wasn't looking at him, the oppressive atmosphere surrounding His Majesty was palpable. After mentally rehearsing his words repeatedly, he finally spoke: "Your Majesty's excessive worries have caused the residual poison in your body to flare up, damaging your lungs and resulting in this symptom of coughing blood."
Having said this, Doctor Zhuo trembled with fear, awaiting the emperor's wrath.
Yet Youning Emperor remained silent for a long time. Just as Doctor Zhuo was sweating profusely, the emperor asked in an unreadable tone, "Do I have little time left?"
Doctor Zhuo fell to his knees with a thud: "The residual poison in Your Majesty's body is not aggressive. With proper recuperation and gradual detoxification, there is still hope for complete recovery."
Only then did Youning Emperor turn his gaze upon the physician. How could he not understand the implications behind these court physicians' words?
There might indeed be a chance for recovery, but his physical condition remained far from optimistic.
His childhood hardships had left him with chronic ailments, his youth spent in constant warfare had accumulated hidden injuries, and his prime years devoted to stabilizing the court had allowed no time for recovery. Only in middle age did he finally catch his breath and begin nurturing his health, yet clearly these efforts were but a drop in the bucket, fragile and insufficient.
This poisoning had triggered all his accumulated deficiencies to erupt simultaneously, surging forth with unstoppable force.
"Withdraw," he said. He considered himself no tyrant - the inevitability of human life, aging, sickness and death could not be reversed. Even miraculous physicians had their limitations - how could he punish someone for that?
After Doctor Zhuo withdrew, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Having served His Majesty for so many years, he understood the emperor's temperament well enough to dare speak some truth.
The bedchamber remained silent for a long while, none knowing what thoughts occupied the monarch's mind.
From noon until sunset, Youning Emperor finally spoke: "Liu Sanzhi, prepare ink and brush."
An imperial edict commending Shen Yueshan was carried by cavalry, racing toward the northwest.
The next day, everyone learned that His Majesty was greatly pleased with the Northwest King's achievements. Besides generous rewards, the emperor had summoned the Northwest King and his son to the capital, specially permitting them to reunite with the Crown Princess and attend the grand wedding of County Lord Huaiyang and Xun Wang.
"His Majesty has finally lost patience," Xiao Huayong said with measured calm, his tone suggesting both expected inevitability and the relief of settled dust.
"Beichen, what exactly are you planning?" Shen Xihe couldn't help but ask again.
Everything was clear - Xiao Huayong had pushed His Majesty to the point where he could no longer tolerate her father and brother. This summons under the guise of reward was actually a trap. If she guessed correctly, the emperor planned to strike during Shen Yingluo and Xiao Changfeng's wedding.
So what outcome did Xiao Huayong truly desire?
"His Majesty cannot die yet," Xiao Huayong turned to Shen Xihe with a gentle smile.Your Majesty's demise now would be unfavorable for Shen Xihe. He has no time to clean up the mess for Shen Xihe. Your Majesty must not pass away until after his child is born.
Otherwise, with surviving princes still present, how could they tolerate an unborn child ascending the throne?
(End of Chapter)
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