The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 27
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- Chapter 27 - "I Understand!"
At the moment when Qiu Jingxiu closed his eyes, the entire Pi Xiang Hall erupted into chaos.
All the palace maids and eunuchs had their expressions changed drastically. They swarmed forward as if to check on the safety of the most favored young prince in the palace.
Among them were those genuinely concerned for Qiu Jingxiu, but there were also servants with ulterior motives, each with their own thoughts. However, their faces all displayed the same panic and worry.
The Pi Xiang Hall was thrown into disarray, the chaotic and noisy voices like tumultuous waves, forcefully mixed together and pouring into Qiu Junyao’s ears. It assaulted his eardrums and temples simultaneously, causing a piercing pain as if needles were stabbing into them, throbbing with a lingering ache.
Qiu Junyao had always preferred tranquility. Now, being disturbed to such an extent, combined with the extreme emotional turmoil caused by Qiu Jingxiu’s unconsciousness, finally erupted into fury. He grabbed a teacup and smashed it forcefully onto the ground.
The teacup shattered into countless pieces with a loud bang, startling everyone. They all kneeled down in a rush, their voices trembling:
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
Ignoring them, Qiu Junyao raised his voice, sternly commanding, “Eleven!”
As his words fell, a figure in black swiftly knelt before Qiu Junyao in less than a second.
“Your Majesty, I am here.”
Qiu Junyao covered his forehead, his voice slow and heavy, a chilling undertone evident in the blood staining his fingertips, matching his somber expression:
“From now on, no one in the Pi Xiang Hall is allowed to move a step from their current position. If anyone dares to disobey or act recklessly until Jingxiu wakes up…”
Qiu Junyao paused, then swept his gaze over the kneeling crowd. His voice lowered ominously, sending shivers down their spines:
“…execute them on the spot.”
As his words fell, the entire Pi Xiang Hall fell silent, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Almost instantly, everyone restrained themselves from making any sound or movement that might displease Qiu Junyao. They all lowered their heads simultaneously, minimizing their presence as much as possible.
Yin Yuan knelt beside Qiu Junyao’s feet. Hearing his decree, he remained unchanged in expression, quietly maintaining his calm demeanor.
After Qiu Junyao finished speaking, Yin Yuan finally moved.
He lifted his hand and held the blood-stained hand of Qiu Junyao, interlocking their fingers firmly.
Qiu Junyao instinctively tried to pull away, but Yin Yuan held on tighter, clasping their hands together until their knuckles and fingertips were pressed firmly against each other, with no gaps in between.
In that moment of palm-to-palm contact, Yin Yuan could faintly sense Qiu Junyao’s trembling body, but he made no sound and showed no change in expression. He gently spoke:
“Your Majesty… let me go fetch the imperial physician.”
Qiu Junyao glanced at him, shook his head, and held onto Yin Yuan’s hand, seeming to seek a bit of warmth from him.
“Don’t leave, A Yang,” he said. “Send Lai Fu instead.”
As he spoke, a gust of wind blew open the windows of the Pi Xiang Hall. With a creaking sound, pouring rain followed the wind, slanting in. The distant sky was pitch-black, resembling an overturned inkstone, rolling with thunderous roars occasionally striking the hearts of people, making them feel heavy as if their hearts had fallen into an endless abyss.
The heavy rain continued unabated, soaking the corners of the robes of the several imperial physicians kneeling outside the Pi Xiang Hall. The chill seeped into their limbs and bones, making even their teeth tremble uncontrollably.
Yet even in such circumstances, some timid individuals were afraid that the noise of their chattering teeth might anger Qiu Junyao, bringing unnecessary disaster upon themselves.
Inside the hall, it was eerily quiet, with only the flickering of candles and whispered conversations.
The young imperial physician, Qi, knelt beside his father outside the hall, his knees numb and cold crawling up his bones, forcing the young Qi to shrink his neck. Though he dared not cry out in pain, he cautiously moved a few steps, carefully shifting closer, and leaned over to his father’s ear, asking softly:
“Father, what exactly happened? Why did all the head physicians and the other deputy head physicians come?”
The elder Qi was frightened by his son’s bold action, and before he could give him a stern glare as a warning not to act rashly, the next second, a cold blade suddenly pressed against the young Qi’s neck, leaving a faint trace of blood.
Feeling the sudden pain on his skin, the young Qi froze in place, his face instantly pale with fear. He dared not even lift his head and his lips trembled uncontrollably. It wasn’t until he heard a faint, cold voice from above that his heart chilled even further:
“The Emperor has decreed that no one shall make noise or leave their place. Otherwise, they will be executed.”
After warning the young Qi, Eleven turned to the elder Qi, who was kneeling on the ground without daring to speak, and spoke again with a hint of ambiguity:
“For the sake of your son’s life, accompany me, Head Physician Qi.”
How could Head Physician Qi dare to disobey? He stood up awkwardly from the ground, and as he walked away, he discreetly and resentfully kicked the young Qi, warning him to behave.
Pretending not to have seen Head Physician Qi’s small gesture, Eleven led him into the Pi Xiang Hall.
There were no incense burns in the Pavilion, only a strong smell of medicine and blood permeated everywhere. Head Physician Qi dared not look around and was led to kneel before Qiu Junyao. He lifted his robe and knelt down, his voice respectful and submissive:
“Your Majesty.”
“There’s no antidote.” Physician Qiu reported again, “I can only prescribe medication to minimize the pain during the high fever period for the Seventh Prince. The rest… we can only wait for him to wake up on his own and observe the aftermath.”
As for how long the fever will last and how foolish he will become after it subsides, even Physician Qiu couldn’t say for sure.
Everyone’s constitution is different; in severe cases, he might lose control over bodily functions, even struggle with controlling his behavior. But in milder cases, he may only experience intellectual regression, forever remaining as innocent as a child and unable to recognize others—
Nor will he remember Qiu Junyao and Yin Yuan.
Since it’s known now that it won’t kill him, Qiu Junyao’s worried heart gradually settled halfway.
The physicians all withdrew, waiting outside the hall all night. Qiu Junyao also sat by Qiu Jingxiu’s side, tightly watching over his son with a flushed face, repeatedly using a towel soaked in cold water to cover Qiu Jingxiu, continuing until his fingertips wrinkled and turned red without stopping.
Now, he doesn’t trust anyone. Qiu Junyao handles everything himself.
After a day and a night of enduring this, Qiu Junyao, who had not slept for nearly 24 hours, had red eyes. It wasn’t until dawn the next day that Qiu Jingxiu’s fever finally subsided.
Knowing that Qiu Jingxiu’s fever had subsided and there was no immediate danger, Qiu Junyao was helped up by Yin Yuan, almost falling over.
“Your Majesty, please freshen up. Let me feed you something,” said Yin Yuan.
Qiu Junyao hadn’t slept all night, while Yin Yuan had managed to rest a bit, and his spirits were obviously better than Qiu Junyao’s.
“With the physicians and Lai Fu looking after him, everything will be fine,” said Yin Yuan.
“I’m fine too.” Qiu Junyao looked pale, clearly forcing himself. “Have someone come to comb my hair. I must attend court.”
Other officials could take leave for personal matters, but the king couldn’t skip morning court.
“Although your father and uncles can handle everything, it’s about the court and the state. If the palace lacks a ruler for a day, it will inevitably fall into chaos.”
“Your Majesty…” Yin Yuan looked at Qiu Junyao’s pale face with pity, hesitating, but he knew Qiu Junyao was right.
At the moment, he regretted not having exceptional medical skills to share Qiu Junyao’s burden, feeling extremely guilty.
Yin Yuan raised his head, looking at Qiu Junyao’s upright figure. After a moment, he said softly, “Let Lai Fu and the others prepare the meals… As for helping Your Majesty with your hair and changing clothes, let me do it.”
Qiu Junyao was about to refuse when he heard Yin Yuan continue, “Your Majesty, please agree to it.”
Yin Yuan’s voice was low, tinged with sadness. “Let me do something for you, so I can feel better too.”
“…” Qiu Junyao lowered his eyelids, looking at Yin Yuan’s obedient face, his eyelashes trembling lightly. After a moment, he heard himself say softly, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”
When Qiu Junyao said he would follow Yin Yuan, he truly meant it. Without further ado, he sat directly in front of the bronze mirror, letting Yin Yuan fiddle with his hair.
His hair was long and thick. Yin Yuan slowly combed it from root to tip, occasionally glancing at Qiu Junyao’s handsome face in the mirror when he closed his eyes to rest.
For some reason, Yin Yuan found himself stealing more glances at Qiu Junyao now, his heart involuntarily warming each time. Sensing this change, Yin Yuan quickly lowered his head, his actions noticeably slower.
“What’s wrong?” Qiu Junyao had been watching Yin Yuan closely. He opened his eyes and asked, “Are your hands sore?”
“No.” Yin Yuan shook his head. “It’s just that I’ve been staring at Your Majesty for too long, so I spaced out a bit.”
“Staring at me for what?” Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but smile, the first one today. “Early in the morning, haven’t even bathed, hair all messy, stubble stinky and messy, looking terribly ugly.”
“Not ugly at all.” Yin Yuan shook his head, then bent down and wrapped his arms around Qiu Junyao’s neck, sniffing lightly at Qiu Junyao’s neck with the determination of a puppy, seemingly unaware of how intimate their actions were at the moment.
“And not stinky, there’s even a hint of fragrance.”
“Really?” Qiu Junyao felt Yin Yuan was just teasing him and chuckled, “I never use fragrance, not even in the Perfume Hall. How could there be a fragrance…”
His words suddenly trailed off.
Yin Yuan was still nuzzling against Qiu Junyao’s neck, earnestly listening to him speak, but Qiu Junyao had abruptly stopped talking halfway through. Yin Yuan paused, lifting his head in confusion, meeting Qiu Junyao’s uncertain gaze reflected in the bronze mirror.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?” Yin Yuan asked, perplexed by Qiu Junyao’s demeanor.
Ignoring Yin Yuan’s confusion, Qiu Junyao sat silently in his chair, murmuring to himself:
“I know now…”
His eyes gradually lit up from their previous darkness, giving him a sudden burst of vitality:
“I know!”
“What does Your Majesty know?” Yin Yuan tilted his head, leaning against Qiu Junyao’s shoulder, hesitating whether to continue arranging Qiu Junyao’s hair.
But at this moment, Qiu Junyao paid no attention to whether his hair was in disarray. He turned to face Yin Yuan, his voice exuding a strong sense of certainty:
“A Yang, I know where the poison was administered…”
He looked at Yin Yuan, his voice slow and exceptionally clear: “The culprit who harmed Jingxiu, right now, must still be here in Pi Xiang Hall.”