The deep winter night was particularly chilling. The distant sound of a bell tolling was long and lingering, as if announcing to the entire Imperial City that time had already stepped into a new year.
Yuan Jia, hunched over, walked in front with a palace lantern.
At his age, he hardly did anything himself anymore, always ordering his subordinates to do things. Only when Emperor Yuan gave an order would he take action.
“Third Highness, you must rest well, take care of your body, and recover soon.”
As he walked, Yuan Jia whispered, “Since the battle at Hangu Pass last year, His Majesty often has trouble sleeping, often waking up in the middle of the night. Once awake, he can’t sleep anymore and goes to Zhang Palace to handle affairs in his robe.”
Zong Luo was taken aback.
No wonder when he secretly glanced at Emperor Yuan just now, he noticed dark circles under his father’s eyes, not like those from staying up all night.
“When His Highness returned, His Majesty was so happy that it was almost visible in his eyes. We, who serve as close servants, could all feel it. Not to mention these days, His Majesty has been constantly thinking about you, caring about your eyes.”
“But if Father Emperor really cares about me, why doesn’t he tell me?”
Zong Luo had been holding this question in his heart for a long time.
This life’s Emperor Yuan was too different from the last life. He could still remain indifferent in the beginning. But whether it’s issuing an edict to seek medical treatment, eagerly looking for medicine, or giving a witch medicine and elixirs, everything pointed to one thing, and it was something Zong Luo desperately sought in his previous life but never got.
Can dying once really lead to a completely different attitude from the previous life?
Zong Luo had thought about this countless times and understood it clearly.
Impossible.
For a monarch like Emperor Yuan, it’s impossible.
However, the only possibility, Zong Luo dared not guess, let alone think about.
It’s just that too many things happened on the New Year’s vigil, so many that it made him waver, even daring to ask this question.
After a long time, Yuan Jia sighed, “Third Highness, His Majesty once issued a death order to this old servant. No matter what, this old servant cannot reveal anything. So this question, wait for His Majesty to tell you in person.”
Zong Luo couldn’t say he was disappointed, nodded, and listened to Yuan Jia say, “But this old servant can tell you something, just listen, don’t tell His Majesty, otherwise, His Majesty will punish this old servant!”
****
That was probably a few years ago when Zong Luo was leading troops outside.
Although he was constantly injured when he led the troops, there was only one life-threatening injury. However, this one time, it was almost irreversible.
The opponent was a general of a small country. He took the initiative to tell Zong Luo that there was no need to waste people and money, just send someone to compete in martial arts in front of the formation, and if lost, then surrender on the spot.
At that time, the difference in military strength between the two sides was not significant, and reinforcements were still on the way. Given that there was indeed a precedent for single combat in front of the formation in the Great Wilderness, Zong Luo, after much consideration, agreed to his request.
In the end, it was the contest between the main generals.
As one could imagine, how could an ordinary person be a match for a disciple of the Ghost Valley?
However, the opposing general was not a good thing. When he couldn’t win, he finally pulled out a hidden weapon that was said to have been made by Gong Shuban.
This hidden weapon was called [Five-Petaled Plum Blossom, Six Flavors of Snow]. It was a proud work of Gong Shuban, ranking at the top of the weapon spectrum, and it was said that it could only be used three times.
Ordinary hidden weapons actually have little effect on Zong Luo. Because any hidden weapon couldn’t be silent when activated. As long as there was a sound, it could be detected.
He was prepared early on, dodged a part of it, and at most it could be considered a minor injury.
Who would have thought that the [Five-Petaled Plum Blossom, Six Flavors of Snow] was smeared with the poison [Sealing the Throat upon Seeing Blood] extracted from the curare tree. Zong Luo didn’t think of it at first, but when he noticed it, he used his internal strength to resist, sealed his body’s acupoints, and barely kept breathing.
(t/n: Sealing the Throat upon Seeing Blood [Artiaris Toxicaria]-a poison that can cause people’s blood to coagulate casually, leading to death from poisoning.)
For this kind of poison that was one of the best in the world, the military physician naturally had no solution.
So Xuan Cavalry put him on a stretcher, ran all night, traveled for several days and nights without sleep, and finally brought him back to the Imperial City.
By the time they reached the Imperial City, Zong Luo had completely lost consciousness and was in a deep coma.
The secret report by fast horse did not come as fast as Xuan Cavalry. When they arrived at the palace gate, Emperor Yuan, who was discussing politics with his ministers, received the news late.
Yuan Jia was standing behind Emperor Yuan at the time, watching his face suddenly sink. He immediately dismissed everyone, and urgently summoned all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Courtyard.
Unfortunately, every imperial physician who saw it either sighed or shook their head.
Even the old imperial physician said, “Your Majesty, ‘Sealing the Throat upon Seeing Blood’ is also known as ‘Seven Up Eight Down Nine Death’. As long as you get it, you will die after walking nine steps. It’s a good thing that the Third Highness has deep internal strength and protects his heart pulse, but this poison also needs an antidote.”
(t/n: As a saying in Yunnan goes, “seven up eight down nine death”, meaning that a victim makes no more than seven steps up or eight steps down a hill, or nine steps on a flat ground before death. Compared with the sap of antiaris, poisons, such as arsenic, are nothing!)
The only antidote to [Sealing the Throat upon Seeing Blood] was called [Red-Backed Bamboo Pole Grass]. The two things grow together. The poison maker picked the curare tree and naturally would take the “Red-Backed Bamboo Pole Grass” with him, which created the formidable reputation of “Sealing the Throat upon Seeing Blood”.
Seeing a group of imperial physicians just about to shake their heads and say “Your Majesty, restrain one’s grief and accept fate” and prepared for the funeral affairs of the Third Prince, Emperor Yuan was furious and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Only Yuan Jia knew that the Emperor finally went to the Great Witch Temple, and he didn’t know what conditions he used to ask the Great Witch, who did not interfere with the fate of the world, to take action, and spent money to buy “Red-Backed Bamboo Pole Grass” on the black market. Only then did he barely use witchcraft to pull the Third Prince back from the underworld.
After that, His Majesty spent several nights alone in the Imperial Medical Courtyard, keeping vigil day and night. He only returned to his sleeping quarters at dawn, put on his ceremonial robes again, and stepped out as if nothing had happened. After the morning court, he changed his clothes and continued to stay in the Imperial Medical Courtyard.
The unapproved memorials piled up like a mountain, to the point where even the table in Zhang Palace couldn’t hold them.
This was the first time in the decades since Emperor Yuan ascended the throne.
The courtiers were unable to receive a reply for a long time, and under the pressure of the usual accumulation of power from His Majesty, no one dared to ask more.
When the imperial physician took the pulse and joyfully said that the Third Prince showed signs of a miraculous recovery, His Majesty just faintly responded, ordering that no one was allowed to talk about his visit. He turned around and returned to his sleeping quarters, sleeping for a whole day and night.
