Chapter 242: White Hair Peeking at the Heart
Li Huan clenched Xue Sui’s hand and looked directly at the Emperor’s countenance.
“Your son dares to say that human lives are of utmost importance and cannot be treated lightly—moreover, she is not a criminal, but your son’s Consort. How can your son stand by and watch her… die innocently for Ping Le?”
Li Zhao glanced at the unconscious woman in Li Huan’s arms, his heart aching from the sight of her striking white hair.
“Your son seconds this motion.” He lifted his robe and knelt beside Li Huan, no more than three inches away.
“If the law cannot protect people, how can it secure the nation? We implore Imperial Father to distinguish good from evil and judge right from wrong, to show the justice of the imperial family and bring peace to the hearts of the people!”
His words were righteous and stern.
The Empress Dowager had taken Wang Bo’an away, clearly having made prior arrangements.
Without the Emperor’s intervention, no one could open the doors of Ci An Hall.
Emperor Chong Zhao suddenly narrowed his eyes, “What if I refuse?”
The candlelight crackled, spitting out sparks…
A trace of blood suddenly appeared at the corner of Xue Sui’s lips as she lay unconscious, a shocking sight.
The mourning clothes were stained a deep crimson, like white plum blossoms withering in the winter snow, a beauty so poignant it took one’s breath away…
Li Huan softly called out “Ping An” and held her tighter in his arms.
“Imperial Father, show mercy!”
Li Zhao’s heart tightened. He wanted to reach out but stopped himself, his fingernails digging deeply into his sleeve. His peripheral vision swept over her snow-white hair cascading onto his Imperial Brother’s arm, and he felt a bitter taste rise in his throat.
“Imperial Father—” He knelt a half-step forward, cupping his hands.
“Your son has already dispatched someone to Ci An Hall to deliver Imperial Father’s decree, summoning Wang Bo’an for a medical consultation!”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s cold face contorted with rage.
“How dare you, you audacious rebel! You dare to forge an imperial decree?”
Li Zhao kowtowed heavily, “Your son admits his guilt and is willing to accept punishment. However, a ruler’s word is his bond; how can the Son of Heaven’s authority be so easily disregarded…”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
Emperor Chong Zhao grabbed a memorial from the desk and threw it at Li Zhao, who dodged it by turning his head.
Seeing this, the Emperor became even more enraged. Pointing at his two sons, he trembled with anger, and Wang Chengxi quickly stepped forward to support him.
“Good, good, very good. All of you want to turn the heavens upside down…”
“Imperial Physician Wang has arrived!” a voice announced from outside the hall.
Emperor Chong Zhao pointed his finger vaguely at the two of them, snorted, flicked his sleeve, and turned to sit on the gilded sandalwood chair.
Wang Bo’an entered the hall, his back hunched. Upon seeing the imperial princes kneeling and the mess on the floor, he dropped his medicine box with a clang before he could even offer his greetings.
He saw Xue Sui’s white hair and could not believe his eyes.
This was a symptom of Snow Withering…
But he had clearly followed Li Zhao’s instructions and swapped the medicine earlier…
“Imperial Physician Wang is most skilled in rare ailments, why are you so astonished?” Li Zhao sneered, his gaze falling on Xue Sui’s bloodless face. “Do you not recognize this poison?”
Wang Bo’an knelt with a thud, his forehead hitting the gold bricks.
“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon! This humble servant is late.”
Wang Bo’an wiped his sweat and tremblingly stepped forward, placing three fingers on Xue Sui’s pulse points.
Li Zhao rubbed his thumb ring and watched him menacingly. The faint green luster was like a viper’s flickering tongue, as if it could take his life at any moment.
“The pulse is deep, thin, and choppy, like light knives scraping bamboo; this indicates cold poison entering the meridians and obstructing the heart’s pulse… it does resemble the poison of Snow Withering…”
Wang Bo’an said softly, then bowed deeply to the ground.
“This humble servant… this humble servant will first use a three-edged needle to prick and release the heat and expel the poison, protecting the Consort’s heart meridian, and then prescribe medicine…”
The moment the silver needle pierced the Baihui acupoint, Xue Sui awoke in agony.
The heat rising in the room was like the charcoal fire before a torture rack…
The warmth in Li Huan’s arms burned his insides like smoke.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of Li Zhao’s presence. Her wrist lifted slightly, then fell back powerlessly.
The rain outside grew more urgent, falling like drumbeats. Wang Bo’an nervously applied needles, moxibusting Baihui and Fengfu, pricking Renzhong and Lianquan. He then lit a mugwort stick, his hands already slick with sweat.
Li Huan asked in a deep voice, “Imperial Physician Wang, how is the Consort?”
Wang Bo’an avoided his gaze and said tremblingly, “Replying to Your Highness, this humble servant has considerable experience with this poison. I will now prepare a prescription and decoct the medicine. Seven days of continuous administration should suffice to detoxify her, but…”
“But what…”
Wang Bo’an raised his sleeve to wipe his sweat, his gaze meeting Li Zhao’s.
He took a half-step back and spoke with a tremor.
“The poison has entered the marrow and damaged the heart meridian. While her life can be saved, her internal organs are severely damaged, and her vital energy is greatly depleted. She will require medication and care for the rest of her life and may not be able to bear children… Furthermore, with kidney deficiency and liver depletion, her hair will not be nourished and cannot be cured.”
Li Huan’s pupils contracted sharply. “What did you say?”
Wang Bo’an clasped his hands in a bow and looked at Xue Sui’s head full of white hair. “The kidneys store essence, and their flourishing is reflected in the hair; the liver stores blood, and hair is the surplus of blood. When kidney essence is depleted and liver blood is exhausted, the hair turns white as frost… The Consort’s white hair will likely never turn black again…”
Li Huan was struck as if by lightning, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed, unable to speak. He suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Emperor Chong Zhao unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
With a head full of white hair and unable to bear children, this troublemaker would no longer be attractive to men.
In the dead silence of the hall, Xue Sui suddenly opened her eyes.
“This humble wife has lost decorum…”
She pushed away Li Huan’s arm and slowly straightened up. Then, she suddenly coughed out a trace of black blood and slumped to the ground in despair.
Her white hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, making the bloodstains on the collar of her mourning clothes even more striking.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty. This humble wife has disturbed your imperial presence and deserves a thousand deaths…”
Li Zhao gazed intently.
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with a profound unfamiliarity, so unfamiliar that it reminded him of a snowy night at Pu Ji Temple, where she had huddled beneath a rockery, her eyes holding the same distant coldness.
It was as if she had never known him, calmly looking at the Emperor.
“Your Majesty… I implore Your Majesty to uphold justice for this humble wife…”
Silence fell upon the hall, all eyes focused on her.
Emperor Chong Zhao’s face was grim, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Li Huan and Li Zhao, these sworn enemies, despite their opposing political views, had both spoken in her defense, arguing in court. Furthermore, spokespersons and censors had continuously impeached and lamented Ping Le’s numerous grave offenses.
The matter had reached this point; it was no longer possible to forcibly pursue Xue Shi’s guilt.
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, “Xue Shi, Prince Duan has pleaded your case. I am aware of the injustice in your case. Speak, how do you wish me to uphold justice for you?”
Xue Sui kowtowed. “This humble wife is terrified. Because of my actions, I have caused a storm in the imperial court and troubled Your Majesty. This humble wife knows her faults and dares not harbor resentment…”
Before she finished speaking, she coughed violently, a sickly flush appearing on her pale cheeks.
“This humble wife has only one request, which I implore Your Majesty to grant.”
Li Huan’s heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition rising within him.
The next moment, he heard Xue Sui slowly say:
“This commoner married into Prince Duan’s Mansion to bring good fortune to my elder sister. Now that the Princess Consort is pregnant, it is a blessing bestowed by fate. As for this humble wife, I was already as lowly as dust and as insignificant as grass. Now that my appearance is ruined, I am even more ashamed of myself. I implore Your Majesty to grant my request to voluntarily leave the household and become a nun, to pray for blessings for the imperial family and Prince Duan, to atone for the crime of disrupting the imperial family…”
Li Huan’s body trembled, his eyes filled with shock.
He opened his mouth but did not know what to say…
Li Zhao took a step forward and then stopped abruptly, staring intently at her retreating back, veins throbbing on his forehead…
Emperor Chong Zhao met her gaze, his knuckles unconsciously rubbing the Dragon Throne, a storm of emotion flashing in his eyes, gone in an instant.
He had never seen such a clear-headed and insightful woman.
After all that had happened, for her to still want to remain Prince Duan’s Consort peacefully would be as difficult as climbing to heaven. If he spared her, the Empress Dowager and the Xiao Family would likely not tolerate her…
Now, she did not mention the injustice she suffered, did not accuse them as a victim, but voluntarily admitted fault…
This was not an unwise retreat.
If the Emperor granted her request to become a nun, saving her life, he could project an image of a wise and benevolent ruler.
If the Emperor refused, he would appear harsh and unfeeling, especially after Prince Duan and Li Zhao had jointly petitioned. He would need to weigh paternal affection against loyalty to the throne, lest he chill his son’s heart…
Well done, Miss Xue!
Every move struck his weak point.
After a moment of silence, a complex smile flickered across Emperor Chong Zhao’s face.
“With such clarity of mind and spirit, how could I refuse?”
He then stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.
“In consideration of your sincere heart, I bestow one hundred taels of gold to repair the monastic room at Shui Yue Nunnery. You may reside there with your maidservant, and you may return to the capital monthly on the first and fifteenth days to greet your parents…”
Silence descended upon the hall.
The Emperor cast a deep glance at the two imperial princes.
“However, your qi and blood are greatly depleted, and it is not advisable to leave the palace rashly. In my opinion, you should first recuperate in Hanzhang Hall. Once your health has recovered, you may then pursue your spiritual practice. The Saintess of Hanzhang Hall is fond of Buddhist teachings and is knowledgeable in Xizi’s secret arts. If there is a way to turn your white hair black again, it would be a virtuous deed…”
His words were exceptionally eloquent.
But everyone understood.
The Emperor’s compassion was laced with oppression.
It was called protecting her, but it was also a form of soft imprisonment under the guise of recuperation.
Ultimately, it was to use a palace wall to separate her from his two sons…
Of course, Xue Sui could not have asked for more.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace.”
She bowed slightly, her white hair lifted by the wind, her face as cold as a dead person’s temperature.
Li Huan opened his mouth but said nothing.
Li Zhao turned his face away, his entire arm trembling slightly from clenching his fist, a metallic sweetness rising in his throat…
It turned out that the most ruthless player was never the one who calculated every move, but the one who made the opponent willingly pave the road to victory with their own flesh and blood.
She had calculated human hearts…
In this man-eating chessboard, she lured out one dangerous fish after another.
The Emperor’s calculations became her talisman.
The imperial princes’ obsessions became her sharp blade.
Only she remained the player, severing emotions and love.
Perhaps, this was their destiny—
She had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to become a blade herself, playing a game of life and death. And in this game, he met her, and from then on, there was no turning back.
The rain continued to fall.
An imperial carriage with blue silk curtains carried Xue Sui to Hanzhang Hall, accompanied by Wang Bo’an and Xiao Zhao.
The carriage curtain was like a chasm, white hair slipping through the gaps. She did not look back.
A solitary crane with white hair, gazing at the sky, probing the heart.
The curtain hook, blown by the wind, struck wildly, like a series of choked sobs.
It was more like a long farewell, burying all springs and autumns, and also all winters and summers…
Li Zhao and Li Huan stood side by side under the eaves, their shadows shattering into two halves in the rain.
“In this game, she won people’s hearts but lost true affection.”
“She should never have entered the game.”
“The one who pushed him into a dead end was you.”
“The one who harbored murderous intent was you!”
“You used her as a blade, and then you complained that the blade was too sharp?”
“Bullshit!” Li Zhao fiercely punched a corridor pillar, his knuckles scraping and bleeding, yet still burning like fire, like a red-hot iron, causing him dull pain all over, almost suffocating him.
When had he ever used her as a blade?
He had always been her blade!
A pawn on her chessboard.
Li Zhao: I am her chess piece, her pawn!
Reader: You are unwilling? Let Prince Duan come…
Li Huan: I’m even worse off, in her pot.
Xue Sui: …May I ask for votes?
