Chapter 37

In the prison cell, Qinghe, his wrists pierced by iron chains and locked to a massive stone, lay silent. The guards assumed his hands had been disabled, so they didn’t bother to bind him again, simply tossing him into a corner.

Qinghe feigned unconsciousness for a while, waiting for the guards to relax. Then, seizing the opportunity, he moved to the wall, deftly reattached his dislocated arm with a sharp click, wincing at the pain that shot through his face.

Moments later, he pretended to be writhing in abdominal agony, knocking over a broken bowl beside him, curling into a ball on the ground, struggling.

The commotion startled the guard nearby.

“What’s going on?” he approached and saw Qinghe writhing in apparent pain, his face pale with no need for pretense.

The guard’s expression changed. The regent had instructed not to harm him fatally. If something happened to Qinghe, they would have a hard time explaining.

He urgently opened the cell door and stepped in, reaching to turn Qinghe over. “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

But in the next instant, Qinghe swiftly raised his hand from the ground, snapping the guard’s neck like lightning.

A guard further away, startled, was about to speak but was silenced as Qinghe threw a shard of porcelain, slicing his throat.

Qinghe gasped in pain from his wounds. But he couldn’t rest; he quickly found the keys on the guard’s body and unlocked the chains.

As the chains came loose, flesh and blood came with them. The intense pain made his face pale, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Qinghe’s clothes were caked with layers of dried blood, rendering them unusable. He changed into the attire of a common guard before slipping out.

Time was of the essence. Qinghe adeptly made his way towards the sleeping quarters of Xie Fuyi.

However, as he passed the imperial garden, he abruptly halted.

He saw the little emperor in bright yellow robes, his fair skin bathed in a soft golden light as he leaned on a swing, swaying gently with gravity. Petals drifted onto his dark hair, making him look like a painting.

Qinghe’s breath caught for a moment. He approached swiftly, his senses on high alert, ready to deal with anyone protecting Xie Fuyi and whisk him away.

But to his surprise, even when he stood before Xie Fuyi, no one intervened.

He didn’t have time to ponder. He just looked at the person before him. “Your Majesty!”

Xie Fuyi blinked slowly at the sudden appearance, then as if realizing he was planning to sneak out of the palace to find Jiang Yingyao, he thought, Qinghe was his only bridge.

So he deliberately diverted all guards, strolling outside every day, just waiting for Qinghe to come!

But he was now an amnesiac little emperor.

Xie Fuyi looked at the guard before him with some confusion, and as if remembering something, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. “Are you sent by Brother Ye? Has he finished his business?”

He didn’t recognize the person before him, thinking it was Ye Baixiao who sent him.

Brother Ye?

Qinghe’s heart skipped a beat, cursing Ye Baixiao silently for his utter shamelessness!

He had promised to treat the emperor’s amnesia, but now it seemed clear he intended for the emperor to never regain his memory, to deceive him for his own desires, even to seize the throne!

Seeing the faint joy in the emperor’s eyes, Qinghe’s pale face turned bitter. He spoke hoarsely, “Your Majesty, you’ve been deceived by Ye Baixiao! He’s plotting treason, caused you to lose your memory, and now he’s deceiving you to seize power…” 

“Stop!” The little emperor paused, then stepped back, wary, glaring at him. “Who are you? Why are you speaking ill of Brother Ye?”

The amnesiac little emperor, surprisingly defended Ye Baixiao like this.

Qinghe felt uneasy inside. He boldly reached out and grabbed Xie Fuyi’s wrist. “Your Majesty, come with me quickly. Once I find a way to cure your amnesia, you’ll know the truth, who is lying!”

“Let go of me! I don’t believe you!” Xie Fuyi struggled, wildly flailing his arms, accidentally hitting Qinghe’s chest.

Qinghe grunted, instantly turning pale from the pain. Blood seeped from the pierced bone, staining his clothes red.

Xie Fuyi paused, looking at his own fair fingers clenched into fists, then at the tall figure of Qinghe. He couldn’t help but worry, “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to… I didn’t realize I was so strong…”

Seeing his concern, Qinghe felt a warmth mixed with sourness and tenderness in his heart. Whether it was the little emperor now, who had lost his memory, or the emperor who had previously concealed his kindness with aggression after enduring so much harm, he had always been such a kind person.

Seeing him silent, Xie Fuyi approached cautiously, reaching out to him, comforting, “Don’t act recklessly anymore. I’ll call the imperial physician to tend to your wounds, and I won’t tell Brother Ye about you speaking ill of him…”

Qinghe’s body stiffened, his heart suffocated, unable to speak.

His Majesty, first bullied by thieves, now deceived, always defending his enemies. How painful it would be when he wakes up one day and realizes the truth?

[Qinghe’s heartbreak value: 100/100.]

Xie Fuyi expressed that Qinghe’s heartbreak was too easy, lacking any difficulty.

After a moment, Qinghe made up his mind. With a dry voice, he gently said, “Your Majesty, I have offended you. In the future, if you need to punish me, I will accept it all.”

He said quietly, before Xie Fuyi could react, he lightly tapped the sleeping point on Xie Fuyi’s body.

Xie Fuyi’s vision darkened, his legs weakening, and he collapsed. Qinghe quickly caught him, embracing him.

There was no more time to waste. The guards in the cell would soon notice his absence. Once they reported to Ye Baixiao, they wouldn’t be able to leave even if they wanted to.

Luckily, Qinghe knew there was a secret passage within the imperial city, leading directly outside the walls.

He carefully carried Xie Fuyi on his back, hastening towards the entrance of the secret passage.

Amnesia was difficult to cure, but in this world, he knew there was one person who could definitely heal him—the imperial physician who mastered both medicine and gu, the strategist without equal, Jiang Yingyao.

…

Ignoring Ye Baixiao’s frenzy upon discovering Xie Fuyi missing, ordering a city-wide search, and even digging three feet into the ground to find him, on the other hand, Qinghe had already taken Xie Fuyi out of the city through the secret passage, rushing towards the sacred place of the imperial physician—Jingchen Mountain.

On the day before the new emperor’s ascension, the imperial physician Jiang Yingyao left the imperial city in the name of blessings and arrived at Jingchen Mountain.

It was rumored that the Imperial Doctors’s Residence was established by a sage to assist the emperors in governing the world. Each imperial physician possessed the ability to strategize without error, predicting the fortunes of the nation and controlling the weather, but they never interfered in power struggles.

The descendants of the Imperial Doctor’s Residence had also made a solemn vow to remain loyal to the emperor for life, and only to the emperor, regardless of who they were. Otherwise, Qinghe wouldn’t have dared to bring Xie Fuyi here to seek medical treatment.

However, perhaps they had calculated too much, as the lifespan of each imperial physician was not very long.

…

At the peak of Jingchen Mountain stood an ancient temple.

Qinghe, already heavily injured without treatment and exhausted from days of travel, now looked extremely pale, completely drained of color. However, every step he took was steady. Meanwhile, Xie Fuyi slept soundly on his back.

After climbing the mountain all the way to the front of the ancient temple, he was stopped by a young boy. “Who are you?”

Without attempting to force his way, Qinghe simply took out a token and handed it over. “A person from the palace, requesting an audience with the imperial physician.”

After scrutinizing him for a moment, the boy let him wait and then carried the token inside.

After a while, he came out, followed by a man in white.

The man respectfully said, “The Imperial Physician is waiting inside the hall. Please follow me.”

Qinghe remained expressionless as he followed behind with Xie Fuyi on his back. They walked through courtyards and corridors until they reached a courtyard.

The man gestured for Qinghe to enter and stood by the door, indicating that he himself did not have the qualification to go in.

Qinghe entered the room with Xie Fuyi on his back. Before him, behind the veil, sat a figure observing the hexagrams in front of him. The smoke from the incense burner beside him rose faintly, filling the air with a light sandalwood scent.

“The Imperial Physician’s predictions are said to be flawless.” Qinghe’s voice was hoarse as he spoke coldly, “Can you predict why I am here?”

The figure behind the veil paused for a moment, then sighed softly, “Qinghe, you’ve traveled a long way. First, put His Majesty to rest on the bed.”

With a tone as cold as a mountain spring, the veil was lifted, revealing a tall figure stepping out slowly. His demeanor was as cold as the peak of a snowy mountain, yet between his exceptionally handsome features, there was a chilling aura.

He did not disclose his own identity to Qinghe, nor did he mention that the person on his back was the emperor… Qinghe was more inclined to believe in the man’s abilities.

He carefully placed Xie Fuyi on the bed nearby before turning to the man and speaking firmly, “Since the Imperial Physician knows, then there must be a way to cure His Majesty?”

Jiang Yingyao’s indifferent expression remained unchanged as he replied, “Curing amnesia is not difficult. His Majesty’s mental impairment is due to severe emotional trauma. It’s just repairing his mind, which requires a special medicinal ingredient.”

He hadn’t even examined Xie Fuyi’s pulse before directly stating his condition. Qinghe was already fully convinced and hurriedly asked, “What is it? Please tell me, and I will find it.”

Jiang Yingyao lowered his eyes and said lightly, “The Seven-Leaf Flower from the peak of the Northern Snow Mountain. It thrives in extreme cold and feeds on human blood, making it extremely difficult to bloom…”

“Within a month, I will definitely bring back the Seven-Leaf Flower.” Qinghe’s determination was unwavering. He cast one last glance at Xie Fuyi, who was still unconscious.

“I also ask the Imperial Physician to take care of His Majesty.” After one last deep look at Xie Fuyi, he turned and left without stopping, covered in dust.

Jiang Yingyao approached slowly. His gaze fell on Xie Fuyi, and a cold glint flashed in his jet-black eyes. After a moment, he raised his hand and waved lightly, and a tiny gu silently entered Xie Fuyi’s body.