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Zhao Gou lay weakly in the Emerald Cold Hall, in Li Hong's room, with a thick bandage wrapped around his plump belly.
Having just drunk a bowl of ginseng soup, Zhao Gou felt quite good. He had slept too much during the day and now had no desire to sleep. He weakly cursed the imperial physicians for amusement, making them turn pale, which made him feel a bit better. He then turned his head towards Chu Hai and pleaded, "Give me some more Elixir. Only the Celestial Masters' Elixirs are effective; these physicians are just taking the court's salary for nothing and making things worse. I can only trust the Celestial Masters' Elixirs now."
Chu Hai had been by Zhao Gou's side during this time and was sitting on a Grandmaster Chair at the foot of the bed. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "No, if you take more your body won't be able to handle it. In fact, your injuries are almost healed. Since you can't sleep, why not get up and move around a bit..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Gou rejected him outright: "No! If I move, the injury on my belly will hurt terribly. I need to rest in bed. By the way, has Chu Hongzi, the National Protector, returned? Has the Empress been found?"
At this point, he suddenly widened his eyes.
Jiang Xuanzi burst in carrying Li Hong, who looked like a bloodied mess, and almost shouted, "Your Majesty, clear the bed! I need to treat Chu Hongzi immediately!"
"Yes, yes!" Zhao Gou was both shocked and angry. He quickly got out of bed without needing assistance and stood firmly in his imperial shoes while loudly saying, "Quickly treat the Celestial Master! Those damned Jin Kingdom spies have even injured my Celestial Master like this; when I catch them, they will face severe punishment..."
He was still rambling when Chu Hai helped him out of the room. Jiang Xuanzi kicked all the physicians out and shut the door tightly to examine Li Hong's injuries.
Li Hong was severely injured; his entire body was covered in cracks in muscles, skin, and bones—almost no inch of his skin was intact. Fortunately, these wounds were slowly healing on their own. This indicated that despite their appearance being dangerous, they were merely external injuries.
Jiang Xuanzi positioned Li Hong into a cross-legged sitting posture and placed a Supplementary Spirit Pill into his mouth. After thinking for a moment, he poured an entire bottle of Supplementary Spirit Pills into Li Hong's mouth while muttering to himself, "Since you gave these to me, I'll just wait until you're healed to ask for them back."
As he spoke, he began channeling his demonic energy to help Li Hong stabilize his chaotic meridians. However, strangely enough, as soon as his demonic energy entered Li Hong's body, it was repelled. Jiang Xuanzi was taken aback when he saw Li Hong open his eyes and smile as he looked around.
This smile made Jiang Xuanzi gasp; he could even see Li Hong's alveolar bone! It was a hundred times more terrifying than if he hadn't smiled at all.
Li Hong then said, "Looks like I'm not dead; what great luck! Now I will cultivate to heal my injuries; please protect me Elder."
Saying this, right in front of Jiang Xuanzi, he took out the Supreme Celestial Stone from his Cosmic Bag and held it in his hand. A visible iridescence flowed from Li Hong's hand holding the Supreme Celestial Stone up through his meridians directly into his Upper Dantian. All of his bloody wounds began to close at a visibly rapid pace.
At this point, Jiang Xuanzi felt completely reassured. He got off the bed and stood at the door to protect Li Hong.
Zhao Gou's face turned pale as he approached and whispered anxiously, "Will Chu Hongzi die? Good heavens! How could he be so severely injured? Those damned Jin Kingdom spies—once we catch them..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xuanzi shot him a fierce glare and whispered sharply, "Your Majesty! Don't talk here! Quickly go see your Empress; we have rescued her."
Zhao Gou was overjoyed and turned to leave without forgetting to drag Chu Hai along with him.
Kun Ning Palace is under reconstruction, so Shui Qingzi and another person have placed Empress Wu in Qingyan Hall of the Garden of the Imperial Palace.
Empress Wu has changed her clothes and is lying on a Consort Couch behind a crystal curtain. Her complexion is as pale as paper, and her eyes are tightly closed, looking very unwell. A large group of imperial physicians has just arrived and are gathered outside the crystal curtain, anxiously discussing the Empress's condition in low voices.
Seeing the Emperor approach, the physicians kneel down. Shui Qingzi and the other person are too tired to speak with him and simply bow to Chu Hai before heading out to Emerald Cold Hall to see Li Hong.
Zhao Gou glances around and orders all the physicians to step back. He pleads with Chu Hai, "Chu Hai, Celestial Master, please take a look at the Empress. As long as you intervene, she will surely recover."
In recent days, Zhao Gou has witnessed Chu Hai's medical skills firsthand and trusts him completely. In his eyes, all the physicians combined do not measure up to even a single finger of Chu Hai.
Chu Hai already knows that Empress Wu is not seriously injured; she has merely been restrained by a Demon Sect Monster, causing her blood vessels to be blocked for too long. However, for safety's sake, he steps forward to check her pulse. Upon doing so, he is taken aback, his expression turning grim.
Zhao Gou immediately senses impending disaster; his lips tremble as he asks anxiously, "How is the Empress?"
Chu Hai thinks for a moment and carefully chooses his words: "Your Majesty, please bear your grief and remain calm..."
Just as he says this, Zhao Gou begins to falter, crying out in despair: "It's over! Even my Empress Wu has been harmed by the Jin people! Both of my wives have been killed by them; what a great humiliation!" He grits his teeth, his eyes reddening as he raises a hand to wipe away tears.
"It’s not like that; Empress Wu is fine, but she cannot keep the child inside her." Chu Hai looks at Zhao Gou with sympathy.
Zhao Gou's complexion changes dramatically—turning from green to purple to white—as he can hardly believe his ears: "What did you say? Zitong is pregnant?"
"Yes, she has been pregnant for over a month. However, Your Majesty must let me finish; I don’t think this child can be saved," Chu Hai says resolutely.
He knows that Zhao Gou has an underlying illness. After trying various methods over these past few days, there has been some improvement. Empress Wu's pregnancy confirms this point. Unfortunately, since she was captured by a Demon and suffered great shock while being held underground near the Demon for several days, dark energy has entered her body. Not only will this child not survive, but even if Zhao Gou's illness were truly cured in the future, she would never be able to have children again.
"Celesital Master, I beg you to save this child; it may be my only Prince in this life! My legitimate son, Crown Prince! Please, Celestial Master, you must save the child!" Zhao Gou finally realizes the gravity of the situation and rushes forward to kneel before Chu Hai while lifting his Dragon Robe. He is quickly supported by Chu Hai.
Chu Hai sighs: "It’s difficult—really difficult. I can only say I will try; do not hold out too much hope."
Chu Hai uses a Cultivating Essence Pill but does not dare to give it directly to Empress Wu. Instead, he dissolves it in Clear Water just like before with other Elixirs. A palace maid comes forward with a small silver spoon and feeds a bit of the Elixir into Empress Wu's mouth.
She swallows with her eyes closed and after a long while finally opens them. Upon seeing Zhao Gou in front of the Consort Couch, her gaze brightens slightly as she weakly asks: "Your Majesty, have I returned? What about those ghosts? There were ghosts everywhere; it was truly terrifying..."
“Zitong, don't speak. Chu Hai is treating you. Do you understand? You have a Prince now, you have my Prince! You must pull yourself together and ensure the safety of my Prince!” Zhao Gou tightly grasped Empress Wu's hand, speaking with deep emotion.
Empress Wu was taken aback, almost unable to believe her ears. A flush spread across her face, and she instantly felt overjoyed. She trembled as she said, “Is it true? Do I really have a Prince?”
She thought carefully and realized that she had indeed harbored some suspicion initially. However, due to Zhao Gou's impotence over the years and the lack of offspring in the harem, she had not taken this matter seriously, especially since the Emperor had only recently shown signs of improvement. At this moment, hearing that she was pregnant suddenly revitalized Empress Wu, and color returned to her face.
She whispered joyfully, “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
Zhao Gou chuckled heartily, seemingly convinced that the child in Empress Wu's womb was truly safe.
Chu Hai sighed quietly and instructed the imperial physician, “Prescribe some medicine to stabilize Empress Wu's pregnancy quickly. I'll be outside. Call for me if needed.”
Indeed, the joy of Zhao Gou and Empress Wu lasted only until dawn. When the first rays of sunlight streamed into Qingyan Hall, screams erupted within. A throng of palace maids and matrons bustled around Empress Wu's sickbed, and soon after, a heart-wrenching wail echoed through the hall: “My Prince! You still couldn't come into this world!”
Zhao Gou and Empress Wu embraced each other and wept bitterly, leaving everyone in despair.
Chu Hai sighed and quietly left.
Chuxuan had been listening outside Qingyan Hall. When he saw Chu Hai come out, they exchanged glances and shook their heads. Chuxuan whispered, “Do you think Empress Wu will have another child?” He had begun to suspect something.
Chu Hai communicated softly, “No. Not to mention that Zhao Gou has his ups and downs; the key issue is that Empress Wu has absorbed too much negative energy. Even if the Emperor recovers, she won't bear any more children.”
Chuxuan pondered for a moment and frowned as he replied telepathically, “Don't treat him anymore. Don't continue treating my Uncle Emperor's hidden ailment.”
“Why? Didn't you insist that I must cure him?” Chu Hai asked in confusion.
“My Uncle Emperor thinks he's fine and goes to indulge in his concubines, spending too much time in the harem. I'm worried that over time, all he'll think about is this while neglecting state affairs. It's better if you don't intervene; regarding the heir situation, Zhao Xiang already has some ideas that sound more reliable than waiting for my Uncle Emperor to produce a Prince. After all, he is my uncle; I want what's best for him. I don't want him to be consumed by lust and constantly monitoring his own condition—it's quite ridiculous,” Chuxuan said with an embarrassed expression.
After considering it, Chu Hai agreed; ever since he arrived, he often spent time with the Emperor discussing his condition, which sometimes made him feel awkward. With Zhao Gou showing significant improvement lately and frequently indulging in his concubines thanks to the elixir boosting his spirits, even during his recovery he was still flirting with beautiful palace maids. This was indeed not a good sign.
Chu Hai nodded and said, “I see your point. In fact, being clear-minded and less indulgent would be better for him; at least he could become a long-lived emperor.”
“Exactly,” Chuxuan replied.
The two of them discussed this, and soon Zhao Gou's hidden illness began to worsen. Coupled with Empress Wu's miscarriage, his mood sank even lower, and the harem became quite inactive. He often went to comfort Empress Wu, while Emperor Empress's feelings seemed to improve. He also started paying attention to state affairs, no longer refusing to attend court sessions, and resumed regular meetings with civil and military officials.
From Chuxuan's perspective, he knew his decision was correct.
A few days later, Li Hong's door finally opened, and Li Hong himself walked out.
Jiang Xuanzi was the first to eagerly examine him from head to toe and nodded after a moment: "Not bad, it seems your cultivation has become even more refined than before. It appears that getting beaten has its benefits."
Li Hong found it somewhat strange that he did not see Green Lotus. Jiang Xuanzi seemed to understand his thoughts and whispered, "My daughter has returned to the Jingwei Clan. She feels very guilty this time, saying that she didn't think to save the Empress when she was present, which caused you to be seriously injured. Therefore, she decided to go back and focus on her training. This child truly has a good heart. I say, Chu Hongzi..."
Li Hong dared not let him finish his sentence and interrupted without hesitation: "I need to see the Emperor."
Jiang Xuanzi watched as Li Hong appeared uncomfortable and almost fled from him. He sighed inwardly; his daughter had good intentions but felt guilty for not saving the Empress and not helping Chu Hongzi. He feared this might ruin her lifelong happiness! Once this opportunity passed, would there be another?
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuanzi furrowed his brows. No, my daughter is innocent, but as her father, I cannot be naive. After this matter is settled and we return to Nine Li Sect, I will directly propose marriage to Chu Hongzi's master, Spirit Stone. With my status and strength, along with my daughter's prestigious Flame Emperor bloodline, Spirit Stone would have no reason to refuse. At that time, would Chu Hongzi dare not listen to his master's orders?
With this thought in mind, Jiang Xuanzi felt very pleased and cheerfully chased after him: "Why are you walking so fast?"
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