Chapter 84: The Emperor's Ruthless Move

Yuan Tianci immediately let out a roar. “Isn’t this a death sentence, then? We’re doomed!”
Le Qianxue, however, kept her expression calm and urged Yuan Tianci to quiet down—for this was an imperial banquet, and the emperor had summoned them. There was no refusing such an invitation.
She thought for a moment, then said, “Since it’s come to this, Susu, you go keep a close watch on Yuan Feng. If anything happens to us, at least we’ll still have leverage in our hands.”
Yin Susu was overwhelmed with regret, her face full of guilt. “This time, the consequences are too grave. If anything happens to you, I’d truly rather never have sought revenge from the start.”
How could they possibly contend with imperial power?
Even though they had some leverage, offending the emperor rarely ended peacefully.
Le Qianxue replied, “Don’t worry. What’s done is done. Besides, before we even abducted Yuan Feng, the emperor’s Shadow Guards had already taken us away. The emperor’s intention to kill me was formed long ago. Whatever you do, you mustn’t hand Yuan Feng over now.”
Yin Susu nodded, her expression grave.
Since Le Qianxue was to enter the palace, she naturally changed into a fresh set of clothes. While her hair was being styled, Huatao admired her agate hairpin and tucked it back into her hair.
Le Qianxue didn’t pay it any mind; her thoughts were too tangled for her to care about such details.
The two entered the palace. By then, it was nearly noon. The banquet was set in a garden pavilion beside the main palace. The pavilion was spacious enough, and many guests had already taken their seats. Le Qianxue noticed that she and Yuan Tianci were the last to arrive.
Except for the crown prince, who was under house arrest, the other three imperial princes were present, as were the three foreign princes and the crown prince of the Mu Kingdom.
Yu Nanfeng, not having seen Le Qianxue for some time, was visibly excited at her arrival.
After exchanging formal greetings, they took their seats. The emperor had barely spared Le Qianxue a glance, but as soon as she sat down, his gaze swept over her and landed on the agate hairpin in her coiffure. At that instant, he dropped his wine cup to the floor!
Eunuch Chen rushed to clear up the mess, and all present found it odd—the emperor seldom lost his composure like this.
The emperor quickly masked his reaction. With the crown prince of the Mu Kingdom present, he could not be discourteous.
The Mu Kingdom’s crown prince, Mu Chengyan, smiled warmly at Yuan Tianci and Le Qianxue. “So you are the divine physician Yuan and Miss Le?”
The pair nodded in reply.
Mu Chengyan stood and clasped his hands in salute. “My heartfelt thanks for saving me. I will never forget this debt of gratitude.”
Yuan Tianci, ever proud before others, replied coolly, “Think nothing of it.”
Mu Chengyan only smiled. Having barely escaped with his life, he found meeting the famed physician worth it.
The emperor then spoke up. “Your Highness need not be so formal. If anything, it was my failure in governance that led to your injury.”
At the reminder, Mu Chengyan’s anger flared. He glared at Prince Mu. “This had nothing to do with the Emperor Tianlong. Some people simply fail to discipline their daughters.”
He had heard that Mu Qingyu was notoriously willful and often resorted to violence.
The severity of his injury still rankled him; he wished he could drag Mu Qingyu out and give her a beating.
Prince Mu’s face darkened—Mu Qingyu had truly brought him shame.
He rose and said, “Your Highness, this was indeed my fault. Tomorrow I will bring my daughter to beg your forgiveness.”
Mu Chengyan snorted, waving his hand. “No need! I couldn’t bear such courtesy. I shan’t pursue the matter further.”
Prince Mu offered a few more words of thanks before sitting. But to be so humiliated before so many, he could not hide his displeasure.

Le Qianxue found the whole scene rather amusing.
She casually picked up a cup and took a sip, but at that moment, the emperor suddenly shouted, “Don’t drink that!”
Her hand trembled. She had already drunk half the cup—what use was it to warn her now?
But as she caught a whiff of the wine, she understood at once.
Her hand stilled. The wine was poisoned. The emperor was truly ruthless, intent on killing her then and there.
A haze clouded Le Qianxue’s eyes—the poison was fast-acting, and already she felt dizzy.
The cup slipped from her hand onto the table, her lips turning black. She heard several people call her name: closest was Yuan Tianci, then Yu Nanfeng and Yu Zhiyang.
She turned to look at Zhan Lianjing, saw him move—he had already struck the table before him aside with a single palm!
His wheelchair sped toward her, but before he could reach her, darkness swallowed her vision.
Yuan Tianci, seated closest, quickly caught her as she slumped. Seeing her lips blacken and her complexion pale, he knew instantly she had been poisoned.
Even the emperor looked shocked. He hastened down from his seat, anger flashing across his face. “Fetch the imperial physicians! Now!”
But Zhan Lianjing remained calm. Casting a cold glance at the emperor, he said, “With the divine physician Yuan present, why call for imperial doctors, Your Majesty?”
The emperor’s heart tightened. Everyone present could see he had orchestrated this, yet he had intervened at the last moment.
Now, with Le Qianxue gravely poisoned and the emperor so agitated, it seemed he feared she might die—how very strange.
Yuan Tianci had already checked Le Qianxue’s pulse and then lifted her into his arms.
The palace had side chambers, and Eunuch Chen, ever perceptive, led the way. Yuan Tianci laid Le Qianxue on a couch, with a crowd trailing behind.
He blocked the doorway with his arm. “Everyone out!”
The emperor’s face turned cold. Who would have thought the divine physician would dare shout at him?
But Yuan Tianci simply shut the door, ignoring their opinions.
Sweat beaded on his brow as anxiety gnawed at him.
“As expected…” he muttered, producing a medicinal pill.
He and Le Qianxue had come prepared—entering the palace was fraught with peril.
After helping her swallow the pill, he checked her pulse again. Her condition had improved slightly, but that was due to Le Qianxue’s exceptional constitution. Had it been him, he’d have been dead before he could act.
He wiped his brow, waiting anxiously for her to regain consciousness.
He was not skilled at forcing out poison, so he waited for her to instruct him.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Le Qianxue finally opened her eyes, coughing weakly, her whole body wracked with pain.
She gasped, “That damn emperor…”
“That poison was special crane’s red—a custom blend, colorless and tasteless,” Yuan Tianci explained.
Le Qianxue considered, then had Yuan Tianci fetch another pill from her medicine box. After a short while, her strength began to return.

Cross-legged, she circulated her inner energy—now that she possessed such power, she could force the poison into her left hand. Then, using silver needles, she drew it out.
Nevertheless, the ordeal had left her face deathly pale.
Fortunately, she had been prepared and narrowly escaped with her life.
She closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself, then asked, “What time is it?”
“We’ve been here for two hours already. I have no idea what’s happening outside,” Yuan Tianci replied.
Le Qianxue frowned. “Then let’s not go out. It’s too vexing.”
“But you’re fine now—shouldn’t we leave for the General’s Manor? It’s safer there,” Yuan Tianci suggested.
“No need. It would do no good to return now,” Le Qianxue said. “The emperor has already revealed his intentions. He won’t act rashly again, and he certainly won’t let me die in the palace, or he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.”
Yuan Tianci nodded. “That’s true. After all, your father is no coward—if anything happened to you in the palace, he’d rebel for sure.”
Le Qianxue sighed. All this danger over capturing Yuan Feng!
She was now more curious—why was Yuan Feng so important to the emperor? He was merely adept in the art of gu worms; that hardly seemed enough to warrant such measures.
The more she pondered, the more convinced she became that Yuan Feng held deeper secrets. Her interest grew, and she knew Yin Susu would inevitably be implicated as well.
Yuan Tianci poured her a cup of tea, speaking softly. “So we’re staying put? Want me to go see what’s happening outside?”
Le Qianxue replied, “Yes, go take a look. I’ll keep up the act.”
Yuan Tianci snorted. “Very well, I know what to do.”
Exhausted, Le Qianxue lay down again.
She subtly manipulated her own pulse, ensuring no one would detect anything amiss.
Yuan Tianci was about to leave when the door was suddenly flung open.
The emperor stood there, visibly weary—he had been waiting outside all along.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered a group of imperial physicians to enter. “What are you waiting for? If you can’t save her, I’ll have your heads!”
The physicians trembled with fear; it was a bitter lot, always under threat of execution.
The eldest physician entered and took Le Qianxue’s pulse. Yuan Tianci did not interfere; Le Qianxue appeared to be unconscious, but in truth, she was sleeping comfortably.
Outside, Zhan Lianjing sat quietly, and upon seeing Yuan Tianci’s expression, he guessed that Le Qianxue was out of danger.
When the old physician finished, he fell to his knees in terror. “Your Majesty, forgive me! I am powerless to save her!”
The emperor’s face turned black with rage. “Useless fools! Why do I keep you?”
The physicians all knelt, begging for mercy.
“At this point, it’s best if Your Majesty answers that question yourself.”
From outside, someone strode in—it was Le Yongcheng, dust-stained from urgent travel.
Usually stern and proper, Le Yongcheng now looked icy and forbidding, instilling awe in all present.