Chapter 48

  The pill lay quietly in the palm of her hand, Zi Ruoye furrowed her brow, although she was uncertain whether taking the anesthetic would allow her to suppress the toxicity of the ice and fire, but now she was not allowed to think too much, with a toss of her head, the pill entered her mouth, and she began to meditate and cultivate her internal energy to neutralize the poison.

  As she practiced her internal energy, Ziyu Ye's face turned darker and darker, with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. She gritted her teeth and continued to suppress the poison, but her internal energy was in disarray, and the poison was also in disarray, like a burst dam. Trying to stop it was like trying to block a flood with a small stone. When Yunfeng brought in the cooked porridge, she saw Ziyu Ye sitting quietly on one side, practicing her internal energy. It's most important not to be disturbed when exercising, and looking at Ziyu Ye's face turning darker and darker, she became even more worried.

  If it's detoxification, then the cyanosis should be gradually fading away, or at least there should be a trend of improvement. Now, on the contrary, it's getting more and more severe, what's going on? Even though she was anxious in her heart, Yun Cong still sat there without disturbing Zi Ruo Ye. She stared intently at Zi Ruo Ye's expression, not missing any slight change, to prevent any accidents from happening. Seeing the small porcelain bottle beside Zi Ruo Ye, her face turned pale!

  Intoxicated! The king actually got drunk again!

  It wasn't until half a watch later that the dark color on Ziyu Ye's face slowly faded away at an extremely slow speed, bit by bit from her face, and it wasn't until two watches later that she finally opened her eyes. By then, she was already drenched from head to toe, and after finishing her cultivation, she weakly fell onto the bed, gasping slightly for air.

  It's okay, the intoxication is still useful, it's just that the effect has weakened a bit. The poison of ice and fire has been suppressed for now... It wasn't in vain that she cultivated her skills for so long.

  Yun Cong hurriedly got up and walked to Ziyue Ye's side, his voice full of worry and anxiety. "Your Highness, how are you feeling now?" Seeing that her complexion had lost its greenish-black color, but her lips were still pale and bloodless, he paused for a moment before asking, "Why did Your Highness take the intoxicating pill again?"

  It's no wonder that Yun Cong couldn't hide anything from her. Zi Ruo Ye lay weakly on the bed, forcing a smile, "Misty, it's true that it can suppress the poison in my body. It was very useful before, but this time I didn't expect it, so let me see if it still works." However, after this incident, she no longer needs to worry about using her internal energy. She can't use too much of it, or else it will be a hindrance, just like this time. If only she had used it from the beginning, things wouldn't have ended up like this, with her suffering in vain.

  Who would have thought that Yun Cong's eyes would shrink tightly, his voice filled with a hint of anger, "Try it! If it doesn't work, can't King Ye just leave Yun Cong behind?!" So many years of darkness had not defeated him, why did this person's words make him feel like he was still struggling between life and death?!

  Yun Cong was still angry with Zi Ruoye for the first time, but she was frightened and reached out to grab Yun Cong's sleeve. At this moment, she had no strength at all. "You, you don't have to be angry, I've succeeded now, can't I just admit my mistake?"

  Listening to her apologize to herself, Yun Cong couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. His gentle gaze fell on Zi Ruoye, making her feel slightly embarrassed. She furrowed her brow and asked, "Yun Cong, am I really useless?" In the imperial court of Zi Xuan, women like her were probably considered useless... Women usually hated it when men saw their weak side...

  "No, now I have the energy, Yun Cong has made some light porridge and small dishes for Master Wang."

  Zi Ruoye carefully examined Yun Ning, and her stomach suddenly growled. Zi Ruoye awkwardly covered her stomach, "How long have I been unconscious?"

  "Counting the days, the king has been unconscious for two days now." He gently lifted up Ziyue Ye and wiped away the sweat on her forehead. For these two days, he hadn't had a single moment of peaceful sleep.

  It's already been two days? No wonder she had no energy, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and the time she spent unconscious was prolonged... Next time she loses consciousness, is it going to be...

  "Let someone help me get some water, I haven't bathed for two days and it's uncomfortable." She had just finished practicing her internal energy, and her whole body was already drenched in sweat. At this moment, she felt even more sticky and uncomfortable. As she glanced around, she suddenly realized that Yun Cong had become so thin in just two days, with faint dark circles under his eyes.

  "Yun Ning, go ahead and do it." Seeing her really uncomfortable appearance, Yun Ning got up to instruct the servants to prepare water. Just as she walked back, she saw Zi Ruoye looking at him with a heartache, slightly stunned, "Wang Ye, what's wrong?"

  "Yun Ning, you... have lost weight again. You've been working hard these past two days." She had originally planned to take him back to the Wang Manor, not wanting such a delicate and refined person to be tainted by the dust of the outside world, but now it seemed that after Yun Ning returned to the Wang Manor with her, he wouldn't have a moment's peace.

  "Clouds condense without hindrance." He comforted her with a gentle smile, he was originally slender, now he's just thinner. "Your Highness is having a meal now, or after taking a bath later?"

  "I'll eat first." He sat up, walked to the table, looked at the light refreshments on it, and divided them into two portions. He pulled Yunfeng down to sit with him, "You should eat too, you must not have eaten anything for the past two days either."

  Yun Cong originally wanted to refuse, but Zi Ruoye had already handed him half a bowl of porridge, so he had no choice but to accept it and start eating with her. Seeing Yun Cong move his chopsticks, Zi Ruoye followed suit, wolfing down the food in big mouthfuls, after all she was really hungry. In contrast, Yun Cong's movements were neither rushed nor slow, even holding his chopsticks and eating seemed like a painting.

  Weiwei ate a few mouthfuls, then Yunying stopped with her chopsticks. Ziruoye saw that he had only eaten a little and looked at herself, "Why stop eating? Eat some more. You haven't eaten for many days now, if you don't eat, it won't be enough to fill your stomach."

  Yun Cong gently shook his head, he originally ate very little, now eating a few more bites was already his limit, "I'm full." He picked up the chopsticks and started adding more dishes to Zi Ruoye's bowl, but instead, the small dishes in Zi Ruoye's bowl kept increasing.

  Can't eat anymore? Looking at the remaining half bowl of porridge in Yun Cong's bowl, she couldn't help but frown. Could it be that this man eats so little? Zi Ruoye was puzzled, as she had very little contact with men, and occasional teasing was just for show. Among those she had contact with were only Yun Cong and a few other men, yet she had never noticed their small appetites, especially since they were all taller than her.

  Three or two mouths finished eating the rice in their own bowls, and without saying a word, they picked up Yun Cong's leftovers and started eating. Yun Cong looked at Zi Ruoye eating without any reserve, and her cheeks flushed slightly. If she wanted to eat again, she would just go get more...

  "What about Shangguan Meng?" Suddenly thinking of that day when he opened his eyes to see a snotty and teary-eyed glutinous rice ball, foolishly warming her hands for her, almost getting sick himself. If she hadn't woken up early, he might have also fallen ill from the cold poison.

  "When I came back, I went to see her and she's sleeping now." Yun Qing replied softly, "But I heard that Master Liu seemed to have fainted again, and now it's unknown what happened."

  Zi Ruoye's body trembled slightly, but in her heart, she let out a sigh. She hadn't even asked yet, and Yun Cong had already told her everything. Seeing that Yun Cong didn't have the slightest unnatural expression, Zi Ruoye felt a slight sense of guilt. Although it wasn't her intention, before Liu Qingyou took out the imperial edict, he was still her husband. And Shangguan Meng, after the imperial edict came down from Zi Yanran, was also her husband now. Moreover, there was also the unmet Qinglan, the tenth prince. Looking at Yun Cong again, she let out another sigh.

  Liu Qingyou fell ill, and Li Yu should be going to visit him. Now it's no longer a secret that they're secretly in love... The man borrowed the sword, and the woman agreed... Her eyes flickered slightly, and her mind was made up. As for Shangguan Meng, she'll go see him another day. Regarding this uninvited glutinous rice ball, Zi Ruoye is truly a bit of a headache.

  "Your Highness, the hot water is ready. Shall I bring it in now?" A voice came from outside the door, and the prince was already awake, so they didn't have to be on tenterhooks anymore.

  "Come in." Only then did the people enter, moving into the wooden tubs and pouring in bucket after bucket of hot water. In an instant, the room was filled with a faint mist.

  Zi Ruoye stood up, ready to undress and bathe, but saw Yun Qing still sitting there, staring at her without blinking. Her gaze seemed to be questioning, as if waiting for her to say something. "That Yun Qing, although I don't mind you looking, won't this ruin your reputation? So why not go out..."

  Yun Cong still quietly looked at Zi Ruo Ye, catching the evasive look in her eyes. Her soft and gentle voice carried a hint of mockery: "After so many years in the wind and dust, although I managed to preserve my innocence thanks to Wang Ye that day, who would still think that Yun Cong is innocent?"

  Zi Ruoye's face turned pale, and she suddenly thought that her consideration seemed to be really lacking. She had forgotten the overly biased eyes of the world and the system that had not changed for hundreds of years. If it were really so, then after she inadvertently closed her eyes, would Yun Cong really live a more difficult life than before? Although the dark shadow could protect him completely, in this world where one word from someone's mouth could become a sword, how could Yun Cong, such a sensitive and perceptive person, endure all of this?

  Yun Cong slowly got up, gently embracing Zi Ruoye. The man's reserve in his eyes had already turned into a phantom. His voice was filled with faint pleading and sorrow: "Prince, this world is just a fleeting dream. Yun Cong being able to meet you is already the luck of this life. Even if Prince really only has two years left..." Thinking of the person he held in his arms who only had two years of life left, it felt like a knife cut through his heart, and no matter what, he couldn't close the wound. "Let Yun Cong accompany Prince for these two years then. After two years are over, Yun Cong will definitely find someone... to remarry."

  He always knew what she wanted, she wanted him to be happy, she wanted him to find a good family, to marry and have children, to live a peaceful life. But she didn't know that in this world, besides her, no one else could move his heartstrings even half a beat. From the moment he was brought back to the palace by her, Yun Cong had become hers, Ziyue's person, for this lifetime. Now, promising to marry again is also out of helplessness.

  When she heard Yun Cong say that he would remarry, Zi Ruoye's eyelids trembled slightly, but she smiled lightly, "Well... it seems like you two will have to work hard for another two years." The wound in her heart slowly cracked open, as if the wind had entered, and it hurt so much that the sky and earth were turned upside down. She knew that Yun Cong would carry out what he had promised, and if he really remarried and had children, then there would be more ties, and he wouldn't have thoughts of dying lightly after she left.

  "Shall I let Zi Yanran give you a prince to be your son? The implication is that Yun Cong would become her nominal brother, and with this identity, there would be another way of speaking, and Yun Cong would have an additional layer of protection. However, it's likely that the break would be even more thorough."

  Cloud Nian's eyes, however, were filled with a deep sorrow. "I don't want to," she said. Agreeing to remarry was already a huge concession; the titles and privileges of those imperial princes meant nothing to her.

  "Hmm, then don't worry about it. Zi Yanran might come up with some sinister plan." Zi Ruoye nodded lightly, hearing Yun Cong say he didn't want to, her heart slightly relaxed, but she secretly mocked herself, clearly having no right to feel relieved. If she really let Zi Yanran make Yun Cong a prince, she was afraid that he would be sent on a diplomatic marriage or something, and then she would have to go chase after him.

  In an instant, the hot water that was just right had already cooled down. Yun Cong looked at it and then turned around to instruct the servants to prepare new hot water again. Zi Ruoye looked at Yun Cong's back, speechless for a long time.

  Ziyan was sitting in the grand hall at this moment, listening to the report from the shadow. Only then did she put down a worried heart and suddenly felt her nose itching, "It must be that Zi Ruoye just woke up and spoke ill of me." But it was a whole body relaxed, the tense body finally relaxed, fortunately, the imperial sister had woken up.

  The phoenix eyes slightly dimmed, gazing at the magnificent imperial palace, and suddenly the pupils recovered the wisdom and depth unique to emperors. "Since King Ye has awakened, you can't make the same mistake again next time. Go down." The dark shadow took orders and disappeared in a flash within the grand hall.

  "Your Majesty, the king has woken up now, but I heard that a servant from the Grand Preceptor's residence said that Liu Qingyou seems to have fainted again. This wedding..." The eunuch Wang had just entered the grand hall, were these two people really destined to be star-crossed? One had just woken up, and the other had fainted again.

  Ziyan's lips curled up, and she said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter, this person can't escape, delaying the wedding by a few days is fine." Thinking that Ziyue would make more excuses, Fengmu felt another wave of annoyance, it seemed like she needed to think of a solution.

  "Is there any news about the whereabouts of the Unrestrained Wanderer?" Now, only by finding the Unrestrained Wanderer and thoroughly removing the poison can the imperial sister open her heart to accept those men.

  The person behind him let out a soft sigh, "No one knows, only that the Unrestrained Wanderer has been traveling to various countries for years. Now no one knows which country she is in, only that she stayed in Qinglan Country for several years before, and where she went afterwards is unknown."

  "I heard that Liu Qingyou has been ill for several days and is still in a coma?" Zi Yanran asked with concern.

  "Hmm, still not awake. Unfortunately, can't leave the palace." The person behind him spoke with a worried tone, and his figure slowly emerged. Liu Qingyue walked to Zi Yanran's side, her eyebrows filled with worry. His younger brother had always been hot-headed, but also had a stubborn temper that wouldn't back down. He hadn't expected that at the king's birthday banquet, Liu Qingyue would make such a bold move.

  Ziyanran, however, was not convinced and said, "I've said it before, this person won't be able to escape, so don't worry about it." The prophecy of the divine calculator had never been wrong. On this point, Ziyanran wasn't worried at all.

  Zi Ruoye soaked in the warm water, her long hair floating up and down in the water, her eyes closed, slowly sinking into the water. Perhaps only at this moment could she have a moment of peace, and tell herself that all the decisions she made were correct. Bubbles emerged one by one from the water, and after a while, she lifted her head out of the water. Her long hair was stuck to her slender body, and her clear and calm voice slowly said, "Has Qing Lan set off?"

  "Yes, it was yesterday." A reply came from the darkness. Zi Ruoye looked out of the window and slowly got up from the water, wiping herself clean with a towel, causing the person in the dark to blush uncontrollably. Although they were both women, Wang Ye couldn't help but say that she was truly beautiful.

  "What about the other side?" Zixuan had just stabilized its foundation in recent years, and the internal chaos had just subsided when external wars broke out. The Three Years' War had barely ended for a few days when those people couldn't sit still anymore. Zi Ruoye's clear eyes were now completely sober, with layers of faint light transforming at the bottom of her pupils.

  "At the same time, it seems that the queen on that side also has the intention of signing an alliance with Zixuan."

  Zi Ruoye's lips curled up slightly, and she said, "It's acceptable for a defeated country to offer tribute, but what about a country that hasn't even participated in the war? Are they also coming to form an alliance? Or are they afraid that Zi Xuanyu and Qing Luan will join forces to attack them? It seems that this marriage is going to be another twist. Zi Xianyan has really brought trouble and excitement for her, being a king is more tiring than being an emperor."

  "Continue to pay attention to Qing Lan and the other party's movements. Find out who is so short of money that they would come to assassinate me at dawn? The atmosphere had just become serious, but was dispelled by Zi Ruoye's question. Zi Ruoye could even see people in the dark corners fiercely twitching their mouths, while she herself shook her head, too bored with such a heavy matter, wondering if she could retire early and return to her hometown at this age?"

  "It's the Seven Star Slaughter." After a while, perhaps the person in the dark corner had twitched at the corner of their mouth, and only then did they respond, "However, by the time we got there, the Seven Star Slaughter was already completely annihilated." What kind of person could it be? The Seven Star Slaughter had over a hundred people, to say the least. To be able to wipe out over a hundred people in an instant, that person's martial arts skills must be very high.

  Is nobody going to say anything?...

  Zi Ruoye's eyes flickered slightly, and she had a faint guess about who the person was, but she still wasn't quite sure. So she asked again, "Do you know what price this king is selling for?" She cared about this question very much. After all, he was a prince, even if he was an unaccomplished and unmeritorious one. The price shouldn't be low.

  "This... I don't know." They had no idea how much money the prince was sold for, one of them fell silent for a moment, and then guessed, "Probably two hundred taels of silver."

  Only two hundred taels! I didn't think she was worth so little!

  But these 200 taels are not something that anyone can come up with, you know that five taels of silver is enough for a ordinary peasant family's basic food and clothing.

  "Yao Qingyou... how is he?" Just now, Yun Ning said that he had fainted again, what a worrisome person. Thinking of his pale and weak appearance that day, it really didn't suit him. Yao Qingyou was still waving his sword with energy when he would have some vitality.

  "Not yet awake... Originally was sick, now it's getting worse." Paused for a moment, then continued, "Li Yu has never been to the Prime Minister's mansion."

  Zi Ruoye listened and frowned, "Didn't Li Yu go?" This was a bit too much to bear. "Then let's investigate the person who bought the Emperor's decree. If we find out, I'll give each of you a beautiful woman." With a smile, she finished dressing and walked out, leaving the people in the dark looking disheveled in the wind.

  As soon as she walked out, she saw Yun Qing sitting outside waiting for her. The tea set was arranged on the table, and he smiled and came forward, saying softly, "Have you been waiting long?" Looking at the red jade hairpin among his hair, a soft color, it seemed that Yun Qing had never taken off the hairpin once. Wearing the red jade hairpin for a long time would also absorb the residual toxins in the body intermittently, so even if there were any remaining toxins from the fish, she wouldn't be afraid.

  "Yun Ning has just arrived." Just as she was about to take a bath, he retreated and changed into a new set of clothes before coming back. With his exceptional internal energy, he was fully aware of everything in the room. Listening to the cold and unfamiliar voice that didn't sound like hers, his calm eyes flickered slightly.

  Zi Ruoye sat down, wanting to pull out a small wine jug from her sleeve, but found that her bosom was empty. She suddenly remembered that she had shattered the wine jug on that day in order to deal with the enemy. What a pity! That white jade wine jug was worth a lot of silver coins. "It seems I have to go and ask Master to help me fire another wine jug." Without the wine jug, there was no wine. Without wine, she felt uncomfortable all over her body. She pouted, and her whole person collapsed onto the table, like a lump of mud without bones.

  Yun Cong's thoughts were faintly melancholic, recalling the day she went to look for her, seeing her lying on the ground seemingly lifeless. At that time, everything around her didn't matter anymore. Now thinking back, there were indeed scattered porcelain pieces on the ground. "Yun Cong will go ask Master to remake one." She knew it was impossible without wine.

  It's said that a new wine jug will be available soon, and Ziyue Ye seems to have come back to life, no longer looking like a mess. "I'll go to the imperial palace in a while, you've been tired for two days, so take a nap first. If you wake up and I haven't returned yet, just eat first, don't wait for me."

  Yun Ning nodded slightly, and Zi Ruoye finally went out. The carriage had been ready for a long time, but suddenly found that there was no steward, which was also troublesome, it seemed that one day he would have to choose a steward.

  "Is the king going to the imperial palace?" The little servant asked respectfully outside, thinking that the king had just woken up and was going to the imperial palace again?

  Zi Ruoye thought for a moment, rubbed her brow, and sighed softly, "Let's go to the Prime Minister's mansion first." After being unconscious for a day and night, she was afraid that the Prime Minister's mansion would be in an uproar by now. Was it true that she owed him? But if she did owe him, hadn't she already paid back most of it? If they were to calculate, Liu Qingyou still owed her a good wine.

  The sound of the crowd outside the carriage was loud, but Ziyueye didn't care. Ziyanran had actually invited all the famous doctors in the world to come and treat her. After that unbridled loose cultivator disappeared, she hadn't found him yet. In the past few years when she was poisoned, she had already sent Dark Shadow to find him, but what he got back were all unsolvable clues.

  It's just that Zi Yanran seems to be overly nervous, this emperor's mind is indeed deep and unpredictable, like a needle in cotton, difficult to guess. Even if it's Zi Ruoye, at this moment, she can't figure out why Zi Yanran is so nervous about her?

  By the way

  A group of cute things~

  Thank you for the flowers (3) sent by Tongzi 【Xiaoyezi coko】

  Thank you, Tongzi 【Lili951108】, for delivering fresh flowers (3)