“Your Majesty!”
The moment the Emperor, who had been unconscious for over a month, suddenly opened his eyes, the young eunuch immediately dropped to his knees, his voice filled with overwhelming sorrow as he cried out those two words.
“Silence!”
Before the eunuch could continue crying, Xu Ping’an turned sharply and scolded him.
“The patient is still gravely ill. Don’t startle him like that—aren’t you afraid you’ll knock him out again?”
“Ah!”
Startled, the young eunuch hurriedly covered his mouth.
At that moment, the Emperor, having come to from hearing the words “Your Majesty,” finally mustered the energy to observe the young man before him.
“You are…?”
“Your Majesty, this humble servant is but a modest physician with a few folk remedies. I came to treat you, and thanks to Heaven’s mercy, I at least didn’t kill you. Otherwise, this little life of mine might have ended here.”
The Emperor’s gaze lowered as he lay in bed, appraising Xu Ping’an for a long while before suddenly smiling.
“Heh~ If you had no skill, you wouldn’t have come today. Whatever your intentions, I will remember the merit of saving me today.”
With that, the Emperor closed his eyes, seemingly too weary and intending to rest a while.
“Your Majesty, I know your body is weak and your energy insufficient, but there is something that requires your personal attention.”
Li Shuo did not open his eyes but took a deep breath, as if gathering strength.
“Let me guess—could it be Seventh Prince? Thirteenth Prince? Not the Third Prince… no, at least not yet. Besides the Third Prince, the only one daring enough to cause trouble would be the Eighth Prince. But even if Eighth Prince really rebelled, it wouldn’t require my immediate intervention.”
“The Crown Prince? No, Kuang’er wouldn’t be so foolish. If I died poisoned, my legitimacy would be compromised. Kuang’er is extremely concerned about his reputation; he wouldn’t do such a thing. The only one who needs my direct handling now must be Zhen’er, right?”
“If Zhen’er has stirred up trouble, then Kuang’er likely has troops lying in ambush outside the palace. Zhen’er, though ambitious, is shallow and doesn’t realize that by raising arms to coerce the throne, he’d only give Kuang’er the perfect pretext.”
“Trying too hard to prove himself only makes one a knife in others’ hands—a disposable tool. How can someone like that achieve greatness?”
“Xiao Shunzi, help me up. This is…”
“This humble servant Xu Ping’an, greetings to Your Majesty.”
“Mister Xu, the Divine Physician. I fear my body will trouble you much from now on.”
As he spoke, the young eunuch hurried over to support Emperor Li Shuo.
Just moments ago, the Emperor had seemed frail on his bed, but once standing, his eyes suddenly blazed with fierce light.
His entire demeanor was like a drawn sword, radiating cold brilliance!
“Come, let me see how this foolish whelp dared to become so unfilial.”
An Emperor is an Emperor.
Though he was just a patient lying down moments ago, now he was the sovereign of all under Heaven.
This sudden shift in aura truly surprised Xu Ping’an—though only briefly.
“Your Majesty, please wait. Let me first remove the Silver Needle; it wouldn’t look right to go out like this.”
“Needle?”
Xu Ping’an quickly rose and grabbed Li Shuo’s arm.
“Your Majesty, this needle was inserted with precise adjustments. Any careless movement might cost you your life.”
Li Shuo was momentarily taken aback by the firm grip on his arm. His gaze sharpened and turned toward Xu Ping’an.
But upon seeing the calm in Xu Ping’an’s eyes, the fierceness in Li Shuo’s softened immediately.
In all these years, no one had dared to grasp his arm so boldly.
Since ascending the throne, Li Shuo had come to understand what true solitude meant.
Even his sleeping wife he viewed with a guarded heart.
Let alone outsiders.
Some had touched his body, but mostly just gentle assistance.
In over twenty years, no one had ever dared to seize his arm like this.
Had it been anyone else, they might already have been dragged away to their death.
Yet this young man somehow sparked a sense of favor within him.
Especially since it was this young man who saved his life.
“In that case, Mister, please help me remove the needle.”
“Very well, Your Majesty, bear with me. It will sting a bit.”
To stimulate Li Shuo’s weakened body, Xu Ping’an resorted to an old method—triggering pain sensation.
Pain is a stronger signal to the brain than other nerves, for it signals danger. When danger arrives, the brain immediately urges the body to respond.
This is why pain often rouses someone from unconsciousness.
At once, Xu Ping’an swiftly pulled the Silver Needle from the Emperor’s body.
Even prepared, Li Shuo couldn’t help but groan softly.
“Ugh!”
Xu Ping’an had anticipated this and showed no surprise.
He turned and placed the needle into his Disinfection Bottle, then instructed:
“Your Majesty, you only have half an hour of activity time. Beyond that, you will lapse back into unconsciousness, and then I will have no way to save you. You must resolve the situation outside within that time so I can treat you without worry.”
“Good. Then Mister Xu, accompany me outside.”
Feeling the dull ache from the area where the needle had been, each pulse strangely syncing with his heartbeat, Li Shuo’s fatigued spirit revived somewhat.
He marveled silently at the young man’s miraculous skill.
Half an hour, one hour… there seemed to be enough time, but whether it would be enough to settle the outside matters was uncertain.
As they stepped out of the room, the shouts of battle grew louder.
The clang of weapons, the agonized screams of wounded soldiers still clinging to life, and a cacophony of other sounds all flooded into Li Shuo’s ears.
He drew a deep breath and strode forward.
The eunuchs and palace maids nearby, seeing the Emperor, were all dumbfounded, nearly forgetting to kneel and pay respects.
“Your Majesty!”
“Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations!!”
“His Majesty has awakened! His Majesty has awakened!!”
Amid the eunuchs’ cheers, Li Huan, the Zhennan King, who was blocking the Third Prince’s Rebel Army outside Zhonghe Hall, paused in surprise and turned sharply to look at the approaching figure.
The sullen expression on his face instantly brightened.
“Your Imperial Highness… Your Majesty, you have finally awakened!!”
Li Shuo nodded slightly.
“Thirteenth Brother, you’ve suffered much these past days.”
He arrived before the great hall’s gates.
As the figure clad in bright yellow appeared in everyone’s sight,
the sounds of killing and conflict within Zhonghe Hall gradually quieted.
Meanwhile, the terrified Third Prince Li Zhen stared in disbelief at the all-too-familiar figure.
“Fa… Father Emperor?”