The Glory

Наn Yаn stаred fixedlу аt Imperiаl Physiсiаn Wu. "Irinа саn сure his illness, right?"

Imрerial Physician Wu wаs tаken аbaсk, lооking аt Hаn Yаn аs hе sаid, "It's not аbout curing. Thе Wеstern Rоng peoрle arе skilled in using gu. Thе рrinсеss mеrеlу used onе оf her оwn gu insесts to tеmpоrаrily cоntrоl the сold poisоn, but the cold роisоn cаnnot be cоmрlеtelу ехреllеd. Onсе this gu inseсt is devоured by thе cоld роison, Fu Yunхi will still bе in dаngеr. Howevеr..." Imperial Physiсian Wu raised his еyes. "Нe did nоt аcсept the princess's gu insect."

He didn't accept Irina's gu insect? Han Yan was shocked. But Irina had already moved into the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion, and Fu Yunxi hadn't refused. If he hadn't accepted her gu insect, then why would he do this?

Imperial Physician Wu said, "His cold poison has been flaring up more and more severely lately. When he returned yesterday, he was seriously injured. I went to treat his wounds. The prince is still carrying poison, and now he has new injuries. I truly feel somewhat powerless. Young lady, you've always had many ideas. Today, by saying all this, I hope that if you have any solutions, you won't hesitate to offer them to save the prince." He paused, then continued, "I can see that you are sincere toward the prince."

Han Yan gave a bitter smile. "The imperial physician truly overestimates me. But there's one more thing I don't understand. Does The Emperor know about the prince's critical illness?"

Imperial Physician Wu nodded. "Naturally, he knows. It was The Emperor who ordered me to treat the prince."

Han Yan pondered briefly. Yesterday's events had now confirmed that it was The Emperor who had targeted her. But The Emperor also knew that Fu Yunxi was now critically ill, which meant he knew that Fu Yunxi's actions toward her were not of his own volition. If she had truly died at The Emperor's hands, Fu Yunxi would certainly not let it go. Yet The Emperor still did this. What made The Emperor willing to risk turning brothers against each other just to eliminate her? Could there be some other reason behind this?

And Fu Yunxi—while not accepting the gu insect, he had almost forced her out of the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. What was he trying to do? One possibility was that Fu Yunxi didn't want her to know about his situation. If she knew he was afflicted with cold poison, she would surely be heartbroken. He didn't want her to grieve or to burden her, so he used this method to dissolve their engagement, thus setting her free. But Han Yan felt that Fu Yunxi wasn't that kind of person. Given his nature, he would have told her openly and let go gracefully. That left only one other possibility. Fu Yunxi pushing her away was something he had no choice but to do. He was cutting ties with her so thoroughly—could it be to protect her? Was his action related to The Emperor's decision?

Han Yan felt as if her mind was shrouded in fog. But the thought of Fu Yunxi taking a knife for her yesterday made her heart ache unbearably. She spoke with difficulty, "How is he now?"

Imperial Physician Wu naturally understood that "he" referred to Fu Yunxi. He sighed deeply. "Not well. His injuries are too severe, and the nature of the cold poison is too fierce. Without using the princess's gu insect, I don't know how much longer he can hold on."

Han Yan's heart tightened. "Is there really no cure?"

Imperial Physician Wu gave a bitter smile. "I am powerless to help."Han Yan lowered her gaze and remained silent. Imperial Physician Wu glanced out the window, then shook his sleeves and stood up. "This old man will take his leave now. If it gets too late, I fear someone might grow suspicious. At present, the common folk in the capital are unaware that the Prince is poisoned and on the brink of death. If someone with ill intentions were to seize upon this matter and make an issue of it, it would be disastrous."

Han Yan nodded, and Imperial Physician Wu rose to depart. She remained seated by the window, with Ji Lan and Shu Hong standing quietly behind her. Neither of them had expected to hear such shocking news. The seemingly illustrious Xuan Qing Prince, it turned out, was not much better off than their young mistress. The intrigues and deceptions within the palace were even more terrifying.

Han Yan gave a bitter smile. She had been granted a chance at rebirth, but what about Fu Yunxi? If he died, it would be final—there would be no more Fu Yunxi in this world. She could seek revenge because she was still alive, but if Fu Yunxi perished, the great vengeance would remain unfulfilled, while the Empress Dowager remained high and mighty. Was Heaven truly watching over this world?

Han Yan habitually reached for her hair bun, only to find that the blue jade hairpin was no longer there. A hairpin could be replaced, but a person, once gone, was lost forever.

After a long while, she stood up. In the pitch-black night, her eyes shone with an extraordinary brightness. She said, "Return to the Zhuang residence."

Shu Hong looked at Han Yan in surprise. She had thought that upon hearing this news, Han Yan would immediately rush to the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion to see Fu Yunxi.

Instead, Han Yan furrowed her brows. Fu Yunxi's attitude toward her was definitely not as simple as just being poisoned by the cold toxin. The only clue still lay in investigating her own relationship with the Empress Dowager. Although the exact reason remained unclear, even The Emperor had attempted to kill her—perhaps there truly was a special cause.

As for Zhuo Qi, he should have made some progress by now.

By the time they returned to the Zhuang residence, the sky had almost completely darkened. There was no one outside holding a lantern, as if Han Yan herself had been entirely overlooked. Mama Chen, seeing them return, finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Where have you been, young lady? Coming back so late without a single guard by your side—what if something had happened?"

Han Yan managed to persuade her with some difficulty, urging Mama Chen to go rest. She then made her way toward the Clear Autumn Courtyard. Recently, Zhuang Shiyang had been unusually quiet. Zhuang Hanming had moved from the Imperial Academy to the unified training grounds, leaving the entire Zhuang residence almost entirely to Han Yan's comings and goings. Han Yan did not know what Zhuang Shiyang was plotting, but she could guess it was related to Prince Wei and the Seventh Prince. As for what role the Empress Dowager played in all this, Han Yan was uncertain, but she was sure the Empress Dowager was involved.

As soon as she pushed open the door to her boudoir, she saw a dark figure standing by the bed. The figure did not flinch or hide when the lamp was lit—it was Zhuo Qi. Seeing Han Yan return, he finally smiled and said, "I thought you weren't coming back."

Han Yan glared at him. This man always entered the Zhuang residence as if it were his own backyard, coming and going as if no one were around—it was truly infuriating. Yet, it did save her a great deal of trouble. At least with his skills, no one would suspect that such a stranger had entered the Zhuang residence.Ji Lan quickly closed the doors and windows, drew the curtains, and brought a chair for Han Yan. Zhuo Qi sat down by Han Yan's bedside, while Shu Hong and Ji Lan stood behind Han Yan. Han Yan and Zhuo Qi did not avoid them in their conversation. In the past, Zhuo Qi would have found it strange that Han Yan trusted these two maids so much, but now he was no longer surprised.

Without further pleasantries, Han Yan got straight to the point: "What have you found out?"

This time, instead of joking with Han Yan as he usually did, Zhuo Qi looked rather serious and glanced at Ji Lan and Shu Hong. Both maids were taken aback, unsure what to do, and turned their gaze to Han Yan.