The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 8

“Easier Muscle Scattering poison….”

 

Staring at the bowl of solution in front of him, which had turned yellow and slightly green, Qiu Junyao’s complexion remained grim, and he didn’t breathe a sigh of relief despite learning the true reason for his fainting.

 

Even though he had long known that each of his sons wished for his death, when faced with a real survival crisis, Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but feel deeply shaken.

 

He was just an eighteen-year-old youth. Even though in this age, many ancient emperors had already ascended the throne, and some even gave birth to heirs early to continue the royal bloodline, but—

 

Qiu Junyao was not one of them.

 

He was just an innocent youth who had crossed over. He had never experienced love, and the greatest setback he had encountered in life was falling ill and being callously abandoned by his parents in the hospital, watching them give birth to his second-born successor.

 

Qiu Junyao could understand his parents’ decision, so after crossing into this unfamiliar world, he had always remained indifferent. However, this indifference seemed so fragile when facing a real threat of life and death.

 

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, causing a sudden pain in his chest. Unable to bear it, he covered his chest, coughing up blood violently, his throat feeling as if it were being cut by a knife, gasping for breath urgently—

 

Turns out someone really wanted to kill him!

 

This wasn’t a 21st-century society governed by the rule of law; this was a complete feudal monarchy. He was the lofty monarch, but in the eyes of some, he was a thorn in their side, someone they wanted to kill.

 

Throughout history, those in high positions bore heavy burdens, so few could peacefully end their reign on the throne… such was the fate of the solitary ruler.

 

Only at this moment did Qiu Junyao finally understand the cruelty of this society and the reason for the suspicion of emperors throughout history.

 

His mind was in turmoil, and his lungs felt like they were about to burst, causing Qiu Junyao to cough up more blood. Veins bulged on his forehead, his vision darkened, and he felt dizzy.

 

The spreading toxin was aggressive, spreading from the depths of his blood. Qiu Junyao felt every inch of his skin as if it were being pricked by needles, even the sensation of fabric rubbing against his body was so vividly painful.

 

It hurts so much…

 

Because he had to endure the pain about to burst from his throat, Qiu Junyao chose to tightly grasp the edge of the bed made of yellow pear wood, forcefully closing his eyes.

 

Already pale from illness, he now appeared even more fragile. His jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, not covering his overly restrained face, but burying his hand, which was tense with bulging veins, within it.

 

“Your Majesty—”

 

Seeming to sense Qiu Junyao’s pain, Lai Fu also panicked. The people in the room all knelt down in unison, trembling with fear as they watched Qiu Junyao coughing up blood, bowing their heads, afraid to make a sound, fearing that Qiu Junyao would go mad again and start smashing things as he did before.

 

Enduring the sudden dizziness, Qiu Junyao finally opened his eyes, sweat covering his forehead.

 

Seeing everyone in the room silent, Qiu Junyao waved his hand wearily and said weakly:

 

“I’m fine.”

 

He said, “You all go about your business.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace maids exchanged glances and then retreated.

 

“Your Majesty…” Lai Fu took out a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve, knelt beside the bed, brushed Qiu Junyao’s scattered hair behind his back, and then carefully wiped the blood from Qiu Junyao’s lips and hands.

 

Qiu Junyao didn’t like others serving him, but he was really too weak to resist, so he could only lean against the head of the bed and let Lai Fu wipe the blood off his hands.

 

“Your Majesty….”

 

Qiu Taiyi obviously also worried about Qiu Junyao, who closed his eyes and breathed difficultly. His gray beard moved slightly, and after a moment, his expression gradually changed from confusion to determination:

 

“Your Majesty, don’t panic.”

 

He said, “Although Your Majesty is poisoned by the Easier Muscle Scattering, the toxicity remaining in Your Majesty’s body is even more poisonous than this, naturally capable of neutralizing the poison of the Easier Muscle Scattering. Therefore, Your Majesty’s illness will be cured within a month.”

 

Qiu Junyao, who had just almost blacked out, suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at the royal physician:

 

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

 

Qiu Taiyi said, “Just now, when Your Majesty vomited blood, I was worried about Your Majesty, and for a moment, I was nervous and my mind went blank, so…”

 

Qiu Junyao: “……”

 

You understand worry.

 

Knowing that his poison from the Easier Muscle Scattering would soon be resolved, Qiu Junyao felt a lot better:

 

“Lai Fu.”

 

There was already a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes:

 

“Keep an eye on the palace maids and eunuchs who just left, especially the palace maid who broke my soup bowl that day… If they show any unusual behavior, report it to me immediately.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Qiu Junyao didn’t let the royal physician announce the resolution of his poison, only tacitly allowing rumors of his poisoning to spread. Within half a day, everyone in the palace knew that Qiu Junyao would soon be gone.

 

As usual, the three princes were the first to come. Qiu Junyao didn’t stop them from seeing him, but he didn’t allow them to approach him. During the chat, he observed their reactions from a distance.

 

Qiu Jingming’s attitude towards Qiu Junyao was very complicated. On the one hand, he showed more obvious doubts about Qiu Junyao’s poisoning, but apparently, he was more concerned about the issue of the succession to the throne after Qiu Junyao’s departure. So, he repeatedly tested the waters, prompting Qiu Junyao to remind him, “I know you’re anxious, but don’t rush.” Jing Yue still had the same careless attitude. According to Lai Fu, when the fourth prince entered the palace to pay his respects, he even went to play polo with several noble sons of the imperial family before coming to see Qiu Junyao. During the chat, he even took away many pastries from Qiu Junyao’s bedside. In the end, Qiu Junyao couldn’t bear it anymore and asked him to leave early.

 

Among the three princes, Qiu Jing was relatively more reliable, but he didn’t speak much, and his emotions were relatively calm. Most of the time, he just chatted with Qiu Junyao about some trivial topics, and after chatting, he didn’t leave. He just sat on the chair, sometimes when Qiu Junyao woke up, he could still see Qiu Jing sitting by his bedside, staring at him intently—

 

The scene was terrifying, almost scaring Qiu Junyao to cardiac arrest, and he almost died on the spot.

 

After several days of probing, Qiu Junyao didn’t get anything from his few cheap sons. His several princes appeared very anxious on the surface, but secretly, they ate, drank, and slept, and they didn’t do anything about poisoning or serving Qiu Junyao.—

 

Serving the sick, the main point is companionship.

 

After these few days, Qiu Junyao also had some ideas in his mind. Associating with the medicine bottle he saw at Yinyuan Sleeve when he first crossed over, he became more certain of his judgment.

 

So he had someone spread the news that he was about to die from a cold contracted while traveling back and forth between the Qinzheng Hall and the Pi Xiang Hall over the past few days.

 

He wanted to take a gamble.

 

In the days after this news was released and it was heard that Qiu Junyao was about to pass away, Yin Yuan finally couldn’t bear it and came to the Hall of Diligent Governance to see if Qiu Junyao was really as serious as the rumors suggested.

 

The scene was shocking. Qiu Junyao, who was sick, was already burning with a high fever, and he began to speak nonsense. The royal physician said that someone needed to be constantly by his side. If Qiu Junyao’s fever didn’t go down, it would only be a matter of minutes before he passed away.

 

Yin Yuan was the new Empress and also Qiu Junyao’s nominal wife. It was clear that the royal physician’s words were meant to let Yin Yuan stay and take care of Qiu Junyao.

 

But the Hall of Diligent Governance was somewhat dilapidated and drafty. Although Yin Yuan was unwilling in her heart, after thinking it over, she decided to go with the flow and take Qiu Junyao to her own Hall of Fragrant Drapes for care.

 

Anyway, Qiu Junyao was already so sick that he couldn’t resist, so there was no need to worry about him doing anything to her.

 

Qiu Junyao’s illness was aggressive, and it lasted for a long time. His body temperature fluctuated frequently, and Yin Yuan had to get up every night to check his temperature and adjust the blankets for him.

 

After several nights of this, Yin Yuan was completely exhausted and began to regret why she hadn’t let Qiu Junyao stay and sleep in the first place.

 

If Qiu Junyao had really wanted to harm her at that time, she could have just made him a eunuch with one stroke of the knife. There was no need to drive him away, causing him to catch a cold on the way, fall ill, and now exhaust her to death.

 

But now she was still Qiu Junyao’s nominal wife and couldn’t complain. She could only endure it for the time being.

 

One night, Qiu Junyao woke him up again and whispered in his ear that he was cold.

 

Yin Yuan was completely drowsy and didn’t want to get up at all. So without thinking, she reached out and directly pulled open the cabinet at the head of the bed, feeling for the cloak Qiu Junyao had given her to wear, letting Qiu Junyao wear it.

 

But what she didn’t expect was that when she reached out, she directly pulled out the cloak and the Easier Muscle Scattering together from inside the cabinet. The Easier Muscle Scattering was even rolled up in the cloak and was thrown directly onto Qiu Junyao’s chest.

 

The sound of the medicine bottle falling to the ground was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the dark night.

 

In that moment, Yin Yuan’s instinctive perception of danger made her scalp tingle, and she instantly opened her eyes, completely devoid of sleepiness.

 

His body was like a spring that had been compressed to the extreme, suddenly jumping up from the bed, reaching out to grab the bottle of Easier Muscle Scattering that he had almost forgotten, but Qiu Junyao’s movements were obviously faster than his, directly reaching out to press Yin Yuan’s hand down, with a strength that was incredibly strong, showing no signs of weakness from being sick; and with the other hand, he had already picked up the bottle of Easier Muscle Scattering.

 

The darkness in front of him suddenly dispersed as a faint candlelight illuminated the scene. Yin Yuan hadn’t had time to react to what had happened, and in that instant, everything became clear. The personal eunuch of Qiu Junyao, who was always by his side, Lai Fu, was holding up a candle, followed by a large number of guards and eunuchs, rushing into the palace like a tide.

 

In that moment of seeing this scene, Yin Yuan already knew what had happened.

 

In just a few seconds, Yin Yuan figured out Qiu Junyao’s intentions during his stay in her palace these few days, and in just a few seconds, he considered the possibility of taking Qiu Junyao’s head away. Then he promptly chose—

 

To go down with Qiu Junyao.

 

He suddenly took out the dagger under the pillow, but found that the dagger had been replaced with a wooden sword, and Qiu Junyao’s reaction was much faster than his. He directly dodged the wooden sword and then counteracted Yin Yuan’s hands, pressing him down firmly. 

 

An unexpected event occurred.

 

Yin Yuan didn’t know when Qiu Junyao had practiced martial arts, but he actually subdued him in just a few moves.

 

Before being pulled down by the guards, Yin Yuan wanted to resist again, but when Qiu Junyao ordered the guards to let him go, Yin Yuan’s attitude gradually calmed down, kneeling on the ground as if already admitting guilt, not saying a word.

 

Yin Yuan’s strength was no match for Qiu Junyao, but he was a genuine man. Qiu Junyao’s arms were also sore from the beating, and he coughed hard a few times, still unable to help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which made Lai Fu’s face suddenly change.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

“I’m fine.” Qiu Junyao gestured for Lai Fu to step back, then looked down at the kneeling Yin Yuan, and asked in a low voice:

 

“Yin Yuan, do you admit your guilt?”

 

“…I don’t.” Even so, Yin Yuan still intended to struggle to the end, which made Qiu Junyao have to admire his strong mentality.

 

“Why do you say that, Your Majesty?”

 

Qiu Junyao raised an eyebrow and threw the bottle of poison in front of Yin Yuan, tapping his painful chest, and asked:

 

“Do you know what this is?”

 

“It’s just medicine prescribed by the imperial physician for the cold I caught a few days ago.”

 

Yin Yuan remained composed:

 

“Why does Your Majesty ask?”

 

“Yin Yuan, do you really think I’m a fool?”

 

Seeing this, Qiu Junyao had to frown, his angry expression illuminated by the flickering candlelight, chilling to behold:

 

“Do you know what’s in here, or not? You know best.”

 

Qiu Junyao continued, “Moreover, as the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, it’s simple for Chief Physician Qiu to check the time and frequency of a certain physician’s duty. If you haven’t sought treatment from a physician these past few days, what crime should you be charged with?”

 

This resounding speech left Yin Yuan speechless.

 

His expression finally changed, the blood draining from his face, and after a moment, he gritted his teeth and asked:

 

“Why does Your Majesty suspect me?”

 

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, truly pitiful.

 

“My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day. Even when attending to Your Majesty’s illness, I have never slacked off. Does Your Majesty intend to punish me for a small lie?”

 

After speaking, he lowered his head and sobbed a few times, stubbornly wiping away his tears with his sleeve. With his red eyes, he looked like a helpless rabbit, making it almost impossible for anyone to blame him.

 

Qiu Junyao remained silent for a moment.

 

A beauty can easily make people forgive their faults, and Qiu Junyao almost wavered. But then, remembering his efforts and humiliation over the past few days, he once again became resolute.

 

He glanced at Lai Fu, who understood and stepped back. After a moment, he brought forward a young palace maid.

 

The maid was trembling as she kneeled down upon seeing Yin Yuan and Qiu Junyao, and stammered:

 

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

 

“Yin Yuan, do you remember her?” Qiu Junyao pointed to the kneeling palace maid:

 

“This palace maid, is she the one you placed by my side?”

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

“I’m fine.” Qiu Junyao gestured for Lai Fu to step back, then looked down at the kneeling Yin Yuan, and asked in a low voice:

 

“Yin Yuan, do you admit your guilt?”

 

“…I don’t.” Even so, Yin Yuan still intended to struggle to the end, which made Qiu Junyao have to admire his strong mentality.

 

“Why do you say that, Your Majesty?”

 

Qiu Junyao raised an eyebrow and threw the bottle of poison in front of Yin Yuan, tapping his painful chest, and asked:

 

“Do you know what this is?”

 

“It’s just medicine prescribed by the imperial physician for the cold I caught a few days ago.”

 

Yin Yuan remained composed:

 

“Why does Your Majesty ask?”

 

“Yin Yuan, do you really think I’m a fool?”

 

Seeing this, Qiu Junyao had to frown, his angry expression illuminated by the flickering candlelight, chilling to behold:

 

“Do you know what’s in here, or not? You know best.”

 

Qiu Junyao continued, “Moreover, as the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, it’s simple for Chief Physician Qiu to check the time and frequency of a certain physician’s duty. If you haven’t sought treatment from a physician these past few days, what crime should you be charged with?”

 

This resounding speech left Yin Yuan speechless.

 

His expression finally changed, the blood draining from his face, and after a moment, he gritted his teeth and asked:

 

“Why does Your Majesty suspect me?”

 

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, truly pitiful.

 

“My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day. Even when attending to Your Majesty’s illness, I have never slacked off. Does Your Majesty intend to punish me for a small lie?”

 

After speaking, he lowered his head and sobbed a few times, stubbornly wiping away his tears with his sleeve. With his red eyes, he looked like a helpless rabbit, making it almost impossible for anyone to blame him.

 

Qiu Junyao remained silent for a moment.

 

A beauty can easily make people forgive their faults, and Qiu Junyao almost wavered. But then, remembering his efforts and humiliation over the past few days, he once again became resolute.

 

He glanced at Lai Fu, who understood and stepped back. After a moment, he brought forward a young palace maid.

 

The maid was trembling as she kneeled down upon seeing Yin Yuan and Qiu Junyao, and stammered:

 

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

 

“Yin Yuan, do you remember her?” Qiu Junyao pointed to the kneeling palace maid:

 

“This palace maid, is she the one you placed by my side?”

 

He spoke with sarcasm: “On that day, she heard me suspecting you of poisoning my soup, accidentally broke the bowl, and then informed you. Truly loyal indeed.”

 

As Qiu Junyao spoke, the young palace maid remained prostrated on the ground, evidently enduring immense psychological pressure, pressing her head firmly against the ground and not daring to lift it. It was apparent that she had been interrogated before.

 

“… “

Seeing that even his trusted aide has been exposed by Qiu Junyao, Yin Yuan realized that his own misdeeds must have been uncovered as well, and Qiu Junyao intended to use this to confront him… Thinking of this, Yin Yuan couldn’t help but close his eyes.

 

After a moment, he didn’t know what he thought of, and when he opened his eyes again, the tears dried up, and the look of grievance on his face quietly disappeared, leaving only clarity:

 

“To accuse me without evidence, Your Majesty, is to insult me. But when faced with overwhelming accusations, I can only plead guilty. But even when unable to defend oneself, there’s still a chance to plead for one’s life, yet it seems there’s no room for that here. Your Majesty, I only ask for death.”

 

After speaking, he banged his head heavily against the ground, showing a heroic posture of facing death.

 

Looking at Yin Yuan’s calm and indifferent appearance, if it weren’t for the concrete evidence, Qiu Junyao would have doubted whether he had wronged him.

 

But Yin Yuan’s unyielding appearance also annoyed Qiu Junyao to some extent. His mind flickered, and for some reason, he suddenly reached out, pinching Yin Yuan’s chin and forcing him closer.

 

In the moment of eye contact, Qiu Junyao could see a hint of his own face reflected in Yin Yuan’s eyes, but he had no trace of mercy. Instead, he asked a question that surprised Yin Yuan:

 

“Have you ever played ‘Xiaoxiao Le’?”

 

“…Xiaoxiao Le?” Being so close, Yin Yuan was almost mesmerized by Qiu Junyao’s handsome face. After a moment, he regained some clarity from the pain in his palm and asked, trying to gain a glimmer of hope for himself:

 

“What is that?”

 

As he pondered Qiu Junyao’s intention, he also attempted to gain a chance for himself:

 

“I’m not as knowledgeable as Your Majesty and have never seen such a thing.”

 

“I’ll let you know soon.” Qiu Junyao lowered his eyes, with a hint of a smile passing through his eyes, but his words were far from his gentle smile, extremely cold, making Yin Yuan shiver:

 

“I want to play a game of ‘Nine Clan Xiaoxiao Le’.”

 

Yin Yuan: “…”

 

“Don’t understand?” Qiu Junyao tilted his head, squeezing Yin Yuan’s chin harder, almost to the point of pain. The scent of blood in his throat suddenly became stronger, but he forcefully suppressed it:

 

“You plotted against the king, refused to admit guilt, and showed no remorse. Therefore… I want to exterminate your entire family.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Yuan’s pupils suddenly dilated.

 

The sound of his heartbeat thundered in his ears, and his palms were sweating. After a moment, he didn’t know what he thought of, suddenly stood up, and forcefully pushed Qiu Junyao away. Just as the attendants were worried that Yin Yuan was going to harm Qiu Junyao, he turned around and grabbed the bottle of poison from the ground, then opened the stopper and raised his head, intending to drink the poison directly!

 

Seeing this, Qiu Junyao’s face changed drastically.

 

He didn’t even have time to think, and suddenly stood up, shouting to Lai Fu and the attendants:

 

“Don’t let her drink… Stop her!”

 

Xiaoxiao Le “消消乐” is a popular Chinese mobile puzzle game similar to “Candy Crush Saga” or “Bejeweled.” In the game, players match colorful blocks or candies to clear them from the board and complete objectives within a limited number of moves or time. It’s known for its addictive gameplay and colorful graphics.

 

In the coapter, “九族消消乐” (Jiǔ zú xiāo xiāo lè) seems to be a metaphorical expression used by the character 秋君药 (Qiū Jūn Yào) to signify his intention to completely eradicate and annihilate the entire family lineage (九族) of 引鸳 (Yǐn Yuān), as a form of severe punishment or retribution for his perceived betrayal and attempted assassination. It’s a dramatic way of conveying his resolve to punish 引鸳 and anyone associated with him.