Chapter 744
Re-entering the Palace [4th Update]
Chapter 744 Re-entering the Palace [Fourth Update]
His question caught Zhu Yu off guard, and Lu Qing's brows furrowed as well.
"So which side of him was the real one?" he asked Yan Daoxin.
Yan Daoxin shook his head: "It's neither."
He was certainly not as weak and listless as he appeared when you entered the main hall, but he was certainly not as radiant as he later appeared.
When we discovered his chronic poisoning, it wasn't too late, but it was too late to completely remove all the remaining toxins from his body without causing any damage.
Fortunately, the palace had a full range of medicinal herbs. I did my best to stabilize his deteriorating health temporarily, but the damage to his body was irreparable.
All we can do now is maintain the status quo; there's no cure.
As for how long he can hold on, that depends on his will to live and fate.
Even if we were to bring our master out of seclusion, it wouldn't make a difference.
A faint look of worry appeared on Lu Qing's face.
Although the near-breakable rebellion has been largely suppressed, the region is not yet truly at peace.
In Lan Di, Chang Yu has not yet truly become the new King of Lan, and Fan Di is in a state of being without a ruler.
Because of Zhu Yu, Shuo Di is perhaps the most stable place at present. As for Jie Di, although they helped to set up a defensive line on the border with Fan Di this time, the key to whether Jin Jie Di and Jie Di can coexist peacefully is whether the Jie King will recall all his warriors and cavalry after everything calms down.
Not to mention that many places, including Dajin, have suffered from the devastation caused by Ishan's conspiracy, which has been planned for many years. Even if it is not a case of everything needing to be rebuilt, at least a period of stability is needed for people to recover.
Clearly, as a prince, the young Lu Chao's act of stepping forward to stabilize the situation and rescue his trapped father was an action that would win the love of the people and the trust of the officials.
However, this is clearly not the same as making him immediately succeed Emperor Jin and become the new ruler of the world.
The best time for a new emperor to ascend the throne is always when the country is at peace and stable.
But since Yan Daoxin has already said so much, it seems that whether the time left for the world to return to peace is long or short can only be left to fate.
The next day, Lu Chao paid a visit. He had been busy these past few days, with many things still needing his attention. Only after everything was mostly taken care of did he have time to come over.
For the next few days, Lu Chao would visit Lu Qing's home and stay until after dinner, when it was already dark before returning home. On the one hand, he needed Lu Qing's assistance with some matters, and on the other hand, he was also quite excited to finally be able to interact with Lu Qing openly.
As a result, the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion was especially lively during the day because of the presence of Lu Chao and Yan Daoxin.
Everyone in the Prince's mansion, from the stewards to the servants, was very happy, feeling that the mansion had never been so lively before.
Lu Qing didn't seem particularly happy. It wasn't that he didn't welcome Lu Chao and Yan Daoxin's arrival, but the two of them were always around him during the day and didn't leave until night, which was a bit of an eyesore.
“Once everything is settled, let’s go, away from the capital, to travel and enjoy the scenery. We won’t take anyone else, just you and me.” That night, he hugged Zhu Yu from behind, resting his face against the crook of her neck. “Mmm… okay…” Zhu Yu’s voice was tinged with drowsiness, and a hint of undisguised satisfaction. “I want to go to Shanqing Temple.”
"You can go anywhere you want, as long as... where do you want to go?" Lu Qing opened her eyes.
“Shanqing Temple.” Zhu Yu turned around and wrapped his arms around Lu Qing’s waist. “I want to visit your master, Qiyun Mountain Man.”
You are where you are today not only because Qiyun Mountain Man helped you detoxify and saved your life back then, but also because he gave you a place to learn skills and a space to grow properly.
"I am fortunate to have such a husband, and naturally I owe it all to him."
A smile appeared on Lu Qing's face, a smile that bloomed from the bottom of his heart. He nodded: "Okay, I'll take you to visit Master later."
Since the day Ishaan was killed and the crisis in the capital was quelled, about ten days have passed in the blink of an eye, but no news has come from the palace.
Just when Yan Daoxin was starting to worry that the medicine he had prepared for Emperor Jin was about to run out, a palace eunuch finally came to the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion to deliver an imperial decree, ordering Lu Qing to bring Zhu Yu to the palace to meet the emperor, and that Doctor Yan could also go along.
Lu Qing hurriedly ordered three horses to be prepared, and the three of them followed the carriage of the eunuch into the palace.
This time, Emperor Jin summoned them not to the main hall or the imperial study, but to his bedchamber.
Zhu Yu hadn't expected Emperor Jin to choose such a place, but she also guessed that the reason for this arrangement was probably related to the other party's physical condition.
Sure enough, when the three arrived at the palace, Emperor Jin was sitting on the couch. Before Lu Qing and Zhu Yu could kneel before him, he waved his hand and said, "There are no other people here. We are all family. Let's skip the formalities."
I've just recovered a bit today, so let's conserve our energy and have a proper talk.
The eunuch Gao, who was standing nearby, quickly arranged for the eunuchs to place two chairs next to the bed.
Yan Daoxin didn't have many concerns, probably because he had become accustomed to it during his time hiding in the palace. He went straight over, sat down on the edge of the bed, took one of Emperor Jin's arms, and placed his fingers on his wrist to take his pulse. After a while, he got up and called to a young eunuch: "Come with me to get the medicine. I'll tell you how to decoct it."
With that, he left the bedchamber with the young eunuch.
Emperor Jin watched Yan Daoxin leave silently, and sighed softly: "Back then, I sent you to Shanqing Temple to become a disciple of Qiyun Mountain Man. Now that I think about it, it was not only a blessing from God for you, but also a blessing for me."
"If it weren't for your master-disciple relationship with the hermit of Qiyun Mountain, you wouldn't have been so close to Doctor Yan. Without Doctor Yan, I might already be dead by now."
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? You are the true Son of Heaven, and Heaven will surely protect you," Lu Qing said respectfully.
Looking at his rigid manner, Emperor Jin sighed with a wry smile: "Although it's all an act, I quite liked your attitude of deliberately contradicting me in public that day in the Southern Study."
For a fleeting moment, I even had a daze and felt that we were a real father and son, and that you were venting your dissatisfaction with your father and expressing the resentment that had been building up in your heart for many years.
At that time, I felt that we had become much closer.