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Eunuch Guo spoke lowly in a mocking voice, "I never thought I would witness such an amazing thing. She thought she could do anything just because the Emperor favors her. Even her maidservant dares to speak arrogantly to us—the Emperor's eunuchs."
Immediately, Eunuch Zhao shot a sharp look at Eunuch Guo, silencing him at once.
Inside the grand hall, Emperor Xiang Long Wei spoke firmly, "You may leave now. I expect to hear the answers in the next one week. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the old woman replied, hurriedly rising from the ground. She adjusted her robes hastily before scurrying out of the hall. As she departed, Eunuch Zhao entered the hall, leaving Eunuch Guo to guard the entrance.
Upon entering, Eunuch Zhao noticed the Emperor's eyes—a deep, unnatural purple.
"Your Majesty," Eunuch Zhao spoke with urgency, "We must hurry. Your eyes...they have turned purple. We need to act before your Majesty starts losing control."
Without another word, Eunuch Guo stepped forward, walking towards a lamp mounted on the wall. He twisted it to the side, revealing a hidden passageway. Emperor Xiang Long Wei entered without hesitation, with Eunuch Zhao leading the way.
They traveled down the shadowy corridor, their footsteps echoing off stone walls damp with age. Soon, they arrived at a concealed prison deep within the secret passage. Eunuch Zhao unlocked the heavy door, and Emperor Xiang Long Wei stepped inside.
The stench of blood and decay assaulted their senses. The air was stale and heavy, suffocating with the weight of long-held suffering. Two men occupied the dimly lit prison room. One was garbed in a physician's robe, while the other was shackled to the wall, his body covered in blood and fresh wounds. His flesh was torn in places, blood seeping from countless injuries, some new, some old, all festering in the suffocating darkness.
The physician stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Greetings to Your Majesty, the Emperor. May you live ten thousand years."
"You may rise," Emperor Xiang Long Wei replied.
The physician straightened, his eyes meeting the Emperor's gaze. At the sight of those violet eyes, his face paled, not with surprise, but with dread. "Your Majesty...your eyes...it is happening again," the physician murmured. "Shall I suppress it with acupuncture until those people arrive?"
Before the Emperor could answer, the man in chains lifted his head. His eyes showed neither surprise at the Emperor's presence nor fear at the sight of his eyes. Instead, his gaze was filled with disdain, though beneath it lingered a trace of masked fear.
With a mocking grin, the prisoner sneered, "It seems the great Emperor is still a monster, even after three years have passed. I wonder what the citizens of the Ming Dynasty would think of their beloved ruler if they knew...if they discovered their Emperor believes in witchcraft and is nothing more than a beast." He laughed, the sound echoing cruelly off the stone walls.
Emperor Xiang Long Wei's eyes narrowed dangerously, the violet hue flickering like fire. "You speak too freely for a man bound in chains," he said coldly, stepping forward, his presence casting a long shadow over the prisoner.
The man only laughed harder, blood trickling from his lips. "Kill me if you wish, but the truth will seep out eventually. Monsters cannot hide forever."
The Emperor remained silent, his gaze fixed and unyielding, His grip tightened around the prisoner's neck, lifting him off the ground with effortless strength.
"You should be grateful you knew her," the Emperor growled, his voice cold and unyielding. "I need your life to exchange for hers. If not for that, you would be dead by now."
The chained man gasped for breath, clawing at the Emperor's hand until Xiang Long Wei released him. He crumpled to the floor, coughing violently as air rushed back into his lungs.
Eunuch Zhao stepped forward and handed the Emperor a handkerchief. Xiang Long Wei took it calmly, wiping his hands before turning to leave the prison cell, with Eunuch Zhao and the physician trailing behind him.
They moved through the shadowy corridor until they reached another heavy iron door. Eunuch Zhao unlocked it, revealing a dimly lit chamber where ten people were confined, their eyes hollow and bodies trembling from fear.
Physician Luo stepped closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, you cannot keep doing this. Your eyes...they will only continue to change color. The poison will relapse. Let me try to suppress it first before you fight with them again. If your illness relapses, you might kill them...or worse, harm others."
Emperor Xiang Long Wei's expression remained unmoved. "There is no need for concern, Physician Luo. I've been able to control it for a while. But I do want to ask you something. The illness was supposed to relapse earlier, but it came much later this time. Do you think..." He paused, his gaze sharp and calculating. "Do you think I have found the person we need to suppress the illness? To stabilize it for good?"
Physician Luo hesitated before replying. "The only way to suppress the poison in your body is through...intimacy with that person. If what you're saying is true, then she might be one of the new concubines who entered the palace this year." His voice was laced with awkwardness, his eyes flitting nervously. "But...do you know which one it is?"
Emperor Xiang Long Wei's face tightened, his expression unyielding and cold. "That is not your concern. The poison is not that lethal. I just need to be careful...to make sure the other side does not take over."
Physician Luo stepped back, his face strained with concern. "Your Majesty, this is not a mere poison. You are afflicted with Flowerless Gu. This 'Leaking Yin Poison' is not a small matter. It has already been three years with no sign of improvement. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have been poisoned."
The Emperor's gaze grew colder, his eyes flickering with that same violet light. "That is enough," he said firmly, silencing any further protest.
He immediately closed his mouth upon seeing the sharp glare the emperor gave him, but his eyes widened in shock when he noticed the emperor's eyes had turned back to crimson.
"Your Majesty, your eyes...they've returned to red! No longer purple!" Physician Luo exclaimed, his voice laced with urgency.
Eunuch Zhao turned quickly, his eyes landing on the emperor's gaze. He gasped. "Your Majesty, it's true! Your eyes are red again! Do you still wish to fight with them?"
The emperor's gaze grew cold and resolute. "There is no need for that anymore. We're returning to the palace," Emperor Xiang Longwei declared, turning around without hesitation. Eunuch Zhao and Physician Luo followed closely behind him, their footsteps echoing through the stone halls.
Those imprisoned, who had long resigned themselves to their fate, stirred from their despair. They exchanged glances, eyes widening in disbelief as the footsteps grew distant, hope flickering back to life.
Meanwhile, at Xian Guifei's Yunhua Palace, the sound of shattering jade cups and porcelain vases rang through the halls. Her rage was unrestrained, her chest heaving with fury. "The emperor has never sent me away before! Not once! Yet today, he did it. It's because of her... it must be that wretched woman!" she spat, her eyes flashing with hatred.
"Anytime the emperor goes to the Summer Palace, he stays alone the entire day and sees no one. It's been three years, and nothing has changed!"
"Your Highness, please calm down! The prince is asleep in the side hall," YÇŽyĂşn whispered, her eyes flickering with concern.
Xian Guifei's breathing slowed, her hands still trembling. At the mention of her son, the rage subsided slightly, but not completely. Her fingers dug into YÇŽyĂşn's arm as she turned, eyes blazing with desperation. "Tell me, YÇŽyĂşn, what do I lack? Why does the emperor still think of that dead wretch? Why?!" Her grip tightened, knuckles white with intensity. "Why must I still be jealous of a dead woman?"
"No update tomorrow due to my busy schedule. Chapter 24 will be up this Friday at 4:26 PM. Thanks for understanding!"