Chapter 43

At this moment, Xie Fuyi’s body was too weak, and Jiang Yingyao was worried that his body would not withstand the extraction of the Gu. Immediately, he arranged for a bath filled with high-quality medicinal herbs.

Ye Baixiao quickly bandaged his wounds and stood guard outside the door with Qinghe.

Jiang Yingyao carried Xie Fuyi into the medicinal bath. He fed Xie Fuyi the soup made from the Seven-Leaved Flower and took the Soul Reviving Grass himself. Then, he cut open his own palm, gently held Xie Fuyi’s hand, and intertwined their fingers tightly. A large amount of fresh blood flowed out, and soon, a small black dot appeared on Xie Fuyi’s arm, faintly moving along the scent of blood.

Jiang Yingyao held on tighter, and soon, the Gu worm entered his body.

He didn’t have time to check his own condition and immediately supported the limp Xie Fuyi, holding his wrist to check his pulse.

Jiang Yingyao’s black eyes showed joy when he found everything was normal in Xie Fuyi’s body.

Lowering his gaze, he saw Xie Fuyi slowly opening his eyes. Jiang Yingyao quickly said, “Your Majesty, are you awake? How do you feel now?”

Xie Fuyi’s pitch-black eyes gradually cleared from confusion as a flood of memories rushed in, revealing everything that had happened during his amnesia.

“Ugh…” He frowned, covering his slightly throbbing forehead.

Jiang Yingyao’s expression changed, and he held Xie Fuyi’s hand tightly. “Your Majesty!”

After a while, Xie Fuyi finally calmed down. However, his expression kept changing. Finally, he kicked the man in front of him directly and said, “Get out!”

Jiang Yingyao’s body stiffened, but he sighed with relief—apparently, Xie Fuyi had recovered.

However, the familiar tone made the two outside the door react differently!

Qinghe’s expression was filled with joy as he quickly pushed the door open and entered, his voice trembling with excitement, “Your Majesty, you’ve finally regained your memory!”

Xie Fuyi just finished dressing and saw Qinghe. His figure was thin, covered in wounds and dust, still untended. Remembering everything Qinghe had done for him during his amnesia, his eyes were slightly red with gratitude. But his mouth sneered, “You dog slave, why don’t you come and help me change clothes?”

“Yes!” Qinghe could sense the concern in Xie Fuyi’s words. His heart swelled with sour sweetness as he hurried forward to help him dress.

Jiang Yingyao watched as Qinghe was allowed to approach, while his outstretched hands were met with emptiness. He felt stiff and powerless.

Equally stiff was Ye Baixiao. He walked into the room somewhat nervously, his gaze fixed on Xie Fuyi, his mouth opening but unable to utter a word.

Xie Fuyi, just finished dressing, noticed Ye Baixiao standing on the side. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with cold resentment…

“Your Majesty… I come to plead guilty…” Ye Baixiao’s voice was hoarse.

“Plead guilty? Your crimes deserve death!” Xie Fuyi sneered, pulling out Qinghe’s short sword and stabbing Ye Baixiao in the chest. “I said I would kill you.”

Ye Baixiao looked at him calmly without dodging, letting the sword pierce his body, causing intense pain. With his body already covered in wounds, the rapid loss of blood made his face even paler.

The soldiers outside, hearing the commotion, hurried in to stop it, but Ye Baixiao raised his hand to stop them. “Don’t move.”

He turned his gaze to Xie Fuyi, his dark eyes serious yet gentle. “I leave it to Your Majesty to decide, without any complaint from me.”

Xie Fuyi noticed the other hand, tightly wrapped but still emanating a strong smell of blood.

Seeing the pity and concern in Ye Baixiao’s eyes, he suddenly realized that all his past deeds were exposed. His face turned pale, then changed dramatically. He kicked Ye Baixiao directly and angrily said, “I don’t need your pity! Get out!”

Ye Baixiao wanted to step forward with heartache, but Xie Fuyi kept retreating, avoiding him.

Xie Fuyi had just regained his memory and extracted the Gu, but his emotions were so turbulent that he fainted.

Fortunately, Qinghe caught him.

“Your Majesty doesn’t want to see you. Stop provoking him,” Qinghe warned coldly, casting a glance at the two men before carefully carrying Xie Fuyi to another room and placing him gently on the bed.

…

Xie Fuyi’s health was deteriorating, and even though Qinghe despised the other two men, he had to cooperate with them.

Jiang Yingyao prescribed medicine, Ye Baixiao brought various precious herbs, and Qinghe brewed them into soups to feed Xie Fuyi.

However, the soups were too bitter, and coaxing the young emperor to drink them each time was a challenge.

One day, Ye Baixiao intercepted Qinghe as he was delivering the medicine and handed him a delicate plate of jujube and yam cakes.

“Let His Majesty eat one of these after taking the medicine.”

Qinghe looked at the man in front of him, his words cold, his injured hand covered by a black glove, a hint of flour on the metal hand inside—it was something he had made himself.

Seeing Qinghe hesitate, Ye Baixiao spoke again after a moment of silence. “Didn’t you say His Majesty doesn’t like to take medicine? He likes these… Don’t mention that I made them.”

The medicine in Qinghe’s hand was getting cold.

He entered with the cakes and the medicine.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty drank the medicine very obediently today.

Sure enough… Qinghe felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Although he drank the medicine, His Majesty’s body continued to weaken day by day.

…

Xie Fuyi’s health deteriorated to the point where he was constantly spitting blood, and Jiang Yingyao was at his wit’s end, unable to find a solution.

Jiang Yingyao was driving himself crazy while locked in the pharmacy. He tried every medicine, even using his own Gu to test them.

But it was useless… all useless…

He stumbled and reached out to grab the table, but his hands and feet wouldn’t listen to him.

He fell to the ground with a bang.

After a while, the usually aloof National Teacher managed to sit up with some effort…

Using the Gu too much had affected his body. Moreover, there was Soul Reviving Grass in his blood, so the Gu would never leave him.

Leaning against the pillar, Jiang Yingyao closed his red eyes. This was fine too… the fruit he planted should be tasted by himself as well.

Xie Fuyi was on the verge of collapse. He told Qinghe by his side to let him leave the palace freely, give him 10,000 gold, and ensure he had no worries for the rest of his life.

Tears streamed down Qinghe’s face. He refused, “This servant won’t go anywhere. This servant will accompany Your Majesty for the rest of his life.”

Meanwhile, Ye Baixiao no longer cared about avoiding the other party’s orders and hiding from him—he was afraid, afraid that he might never see him again.

“Your Majesty?” Ye Baixiao’s tall figure seemed to be crushed by something, hunching over. His voice was hoarse. “Don’t say these things… Please hold on. I will definitely find a solution.”

Xie Fuyi looked at him, too weak to even get angry. He could only turn his head with great effort, with a hint of strange sarcasm in his slightly raised eyebrows. “If I die… wouldn’t it be better?… Then you… can rightfully… become the emperor…”

He spoke very slowly.

Ye Baixiao’s eyes stung. “No, there is only one emperor, and that is you. I will always be your subject…”

Xie Fuyi choked up: … He actually wanted to struggle a bit with the plot. As long as the protagonist finally became the emperor, wouldn’t there be some plot points for him as well?

“Although I… detest you… but I cannot deny… your abilities…” Xie Fuyi’s expression was cold yet calm. “If I were to die, and the world was handed over to you, you could still bring the people a stable and prosperous life… As for someone like me… I would only become a laughingstock to future generations…”

Xie Fuyi spoke lightly, but there was no life in his eyes.

Ye Baixiao froze. Xie Fuyi didn’t even have the desire to live from the bottom of his heart.

He regretted deeply. It was his excessive actions that severed Xie Fuyi’s will to live psychologically. His weak body had lost the desire for survival.

“Your Majesty, please hold on, give me a chance, a chance to atone, okay?” Ye Baixiao’s eyes were red, his voice trembling.

But Xie Fuyi didn’t respond… He couldn’t respond anymore.

In the end, Ye Baixiao didn’t get this chance.

…

The light chiffon curtains, faintly overlap the shadows of two figures.

“You bullied me again!” The young emperor’s eyes reddened, glaring at him angrily.

Ye Baixiao panicked his hands and feet at a loss. He hurriedly explained, “N-no, it’s not bullying, I like you… Only you…”

“You like me, but you still bully me like this!” The young emperor’s jet-black eyes blazed like fire, stunningly beautiful.

Ye Baixiao swore, “Then you can retaliate against me, bully me back, I won’t resist.”

The young emperor felt a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat lightly. “How should I do it?”

To prevent the emperor, who was already in poor health, from being strained further, the regent took matters into his own hands, teaching the emperor how to retaliate against him step by step.

But in the end, he angered the young emperor by being pressed down to eat an orange, and was kicked out with one foot.

…

Ye Baixiao suddenly opened his eyes. He had actually fallen asleep and dreamt of the emperor!

What a beautiful dream it was.

His eyes were a little moist at the corners. Time in a world without you feels so long, how has it only been five years?

He touched his hair, which had turned white over just five years—

“In this world, the surname ‘Xie’ will reign forever. I will use my life to guard you.”

Jiang Yingyao’s gu poison grew deeper by the day. He stayed in the room where Xie Fuyi had once resided, and he hadn’t left the room for a long time.

As for Qinghe, he kept his promise. He guarded the imperial mausoleum for a lifetime, accompanying him for a lifetime.

…

【Ding——Plot Points in this world: 0; Character Points: 0. The cannon fodder role-play mission failed.】

Looking at the result of another failed cannon fodder role-play mission, Xie Fuyi wasn’t too emotional, as he was prepared for it. Fortunately, he received three full points of heartbreaking value, which spared him from punishment.

He didn’t rest. In the next world, he would definitely play a successful cannon fodder role!

Xie Fuyi was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t even read the script before entering the new world directly.