"Yes,"
You Ran responded softly and turned to go out to pass the message—
"Do you also know that what you’re doing must not be divulged?"
Sang Yan, full of scorn, snapped, "Qi Wuya, you are a foolish ruler! You seize the wife of another, you harm the bloodline of others, you are worse than a beast!"
You Ran: "..."
She hesitated in her step, then hurried out of the palace.
So, that lady was someone else’s wife, carrying another’s bloodline.
Although she had suspected it, hearing it with her own ears still shocked her deeply.
What kind of predilection did the Emperor have?
Isn’t there a beauty within the nation he fancied, yet he set his eyes on another man’s wife!
"If I were a beast, you’d be a corpse by now!"
Qi Wuya was not one to bow and scrape for long—showing weakness temporarily was one thing, but he could not sustain it for long.
Just like now, even though he tried to control his temper, his words became increasingly impolite, "Sang Yan, do not become arrogant with my favor! If you do not want that bastard child, I can certainly grant you that!"
Sang Yan: "..."
She found her fate being choked at its very throat.
The two of them reverted to their previous state of affairs.
She had to yield, to compromise, and at most occasionally shoot out small barbs, "Qi Wuya, you break my leg, give me a crutch, and then tell me without you, I can’t even walk, so I should be grateful. What a terrifying hypocrisy and sanctimony!"
"I am hypocritical? I am sanctimonious? Sang Yan, you really should be grateful that I still possess this bit of sanctimony!"
Qi Wuya, in an act of defiance, shot back sarcastically, "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have the chance to say these words in front of me!"
Sang Yan: "..."
Beast!
Absolutely shameless!
She wanted to curse back, but a pain in her lower abdomen made her withhold her words.
She mustn’t get angry!
She mustn’t get angry!
If she lost the child in anger, it would play right into his hands!
"You, what’s the matter with you—"
Qi Wuya noticed her complexion wasn’t good and stopped mid-inquiry, realizing he had angered her again.
He felt guilty and turned to call for Wu Youzhi, "Go check on her condition."
Wu Youzhi watched the two quarrel to this point and thought to himself: With you here, her condition won’t improve anytime soon.
But he dared not say that.
He could only suggest indirectly, "Emperor, a woman needs to be coaxed."
Qi Wuya heard this and frowned, not convinced, "I have coaxed her for a long time. And what is the result? She has become too presumptuous."
"Huh."
Sang Yan let out a cold laugh and even rolled her eyes dramatically.
Qi Wuya saw this and felt his anger rise, "Look at this! Defying me to my face!"
Even Wu Youzhi felt like rolling his eyes hearing this: Who asked you to take another’s wife? Do you expect her to welcome you with a smile after being seized like she’s a Bodhisattva?
"An old saying goes, ’Only women and villains are difficult to nurture’."
Wu Youzhi advised kindly, "Emperor, you are the Emperor, broad-minded, why trouble yourself over a woman’s petty matters?"
At this, Qi Wuya finally spoke up.
He might be broad-minded, but facing Sang Yan, he was extremely narrow-minded—he wanted her to obey him. He would not allow her to think of other men. Not even the dead ones.
"What do you know?"
He rebuked, then stormed off in a huff.
However, he didn’t leave Fengyi Palace but went to the soft couch nearby.
The couch was covered with a soft tiger skin rug.
He lay down, asked for a blanket, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Of course, he couldn’t fall asleep.
Even though the palace was deathly silent.
His mind was too chaotic.
Every move Sang Yan made had a lethal impact on him.
It shouldn’t be like this!
A voice in his head reminded him, "Very dangerous. Your current state is very dangerous. Kill her. If this continues, you’ll be under her control."
He had actually realized the danger long ago but lacked the drive to save himself, observing soberly as he sank further.
Why shouldn’t he sink?
He clawed his way to his current position just so he could live life to the fullest!
And Sang Yan, she was his joy!
One "shi chen" later,
Wu Youzhi removed the silver needles from Sang Yan’s abdomen.
Qi Wuya came over upon seeing this and asked, "How do you feel now?"
Sang Yan replied with a cold face, "I feel terrible."
Knowing that she was holding a grudge, Qi Wuya said, "If you feel terrible, then Wu Youzhi is of no use. And if he’s of no use, there’s no value in keeping him around."
He was threatening.
And the threat was effective.
Sang Yan could not help but relent, softening her expression, "Qi Wuya, if you really want me to feel better, then tell me how He Ying is doing."
"He’s dead."
Qi Wuya said without hesitation.
"Impossible! It can’t be!"
Sang Yan instinctively denied it.
Seeing her emotional and struggling to sit up, Qi Wuya quickly held her down, snorting, "If you know it’s impossible and can’t be, then why ask me? He is my rival in love. Do you expect me to speak well of him? Of course, I’d be glad if he were dead!"
But by saying this, he also hinted that He Ying wasn’t dead.
Sang Yan felt a wave of relief and lay back down, crying and laughing, muttering, "He’s alright. He’s fine. He’s perfectly fine."
Seeing her concern for He Ying, Qi Wuya felt a bitter and unbearable jealousy.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind, "Did you have Kang Tuo find out what happened to He Ying?"
Sang Yan ignored him.
Now that she knew He Ying was safe, she didn’t want to see Qi Wuya, nor speak a word to him.
Qi Wuya stayed by the bedside, holding her hand, affectionately saying, "Yanyan, stop thinking about him. Think about me. I’ll treat you well. I swear, you’re the only one for me in this life. You will be my one and only Empress. This child too, as long as you think of me, love me, I can guarantee his lifelong safety, living as a person of leisure and wealth."
Sang Yan kept her eyes closed and said nothing.
No matter what he said, she remained silent.
The night was far too deep.
The night watchman knocked "dong dong" signaling the hour.
After such a false alarm, it was already the third watch.
Qi Wuya saw that she had fallen asleep, assuming her to be exhausted, and sighed, "Well then, sleep."
Indeed, Sang Yan was utterly exhausted and quickly fell asleep.
Qi Wuya watched her all night, and the next day, he felt lightheaded and fainted.
"Emperor!"
You Ran, who was on night watch, saw this and cried out in alarm, rushing to support him, "Emperor! Someone come! The Emperor has fainted!"
In the midst of her shouts, she touched his forehead, which was burning hot.
"Go fetch Imperial Doctor Wu! The Emperor has a high fever!"
"Yes."
The Palace Attendant left the palace in a panic, quickly bringing Wu Youzhi back.
Wu Youzhi, tasked with monitoring Sang Yan’s condition, had been staying in a side palace of the Fengyi Palace.
Having received the news of the Emperor’s collapse, he arrived quickly, and after checking the pulse, he calmly stated, "Do not panic. It’s just a common cold. Drinking two doses of antipyretic will fix it."
Saying this, he wrote out a prescription and instructed the Palace Attendants to fetch and prepare the medicine.
Qi Wuya woke up by then and, observing Wu Youzhi’s arrangements with a throbbing headache, said nothing.
Seeing no response from him, Wu Youzhi went on, "Emperor, aside from the cold, I notice symptoms of red eyes, irritability, headaches, suggesting extremely high liver fire. You need to pay attention to diet and maintain a calm and meditative state, ensuring your mood remains pleasant. Above all, avoid anger."
Qi Wuya: "..."
He felt that ’avoid anger’ was exactly what he wanted to say.
But with his head hurting so much, he didn’t feel like engaging in a pointless conversation, just waving his hand and saying, "Understood. Go check on her."
That "her" naturally referred to Sang Yan.
Sang Yan nearly miscarried and couldn’t get out of bed for three days.
Like now, her clothes were still disheveled, the same as the night before.
If one were to lift the covers, they would see her dressed thinly, her body barely concealed.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!