Chapter 105: Advancing by Retreating

Emperor Jing’s headache was unbearable, with veins bulging on his forehead. When Su Wan burst in, her voice felt like a knife stabbing into his brain. He gripped the arms of his chair tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands standing out in a menacing way.

Except for the first time he took the elixir, which brought no pain, each subsequent dose had been increasingly excruciating. Although his appearance had aged, he felt much younger in many ways after enduring the pain.

The Daoist master said that in the pursuit of immortality, one’s appearance would change and eventually rejuvenate.

This was the first time the headache was so unbearable, making him want to smash his head against the wall and roll on the ground to relieve the pain.

His eyes were bloodshot, radiating a fierce aura.

“Your Majesty—”

Eunuch Li noticed the problem and quickly ran over to support the Emperor.

“What’s wrong with you? Is it another headache? I’ll fetch the imperial doctor.” Eunuch Li called out in his sharp voice, “Someone! Quickly, call the imperial doctor!”

The Emperor’s face turned blue with pain, and cold sweat breaking out on his skin.

“Let me!” Su Wan saw her opportunity and hurried over to take the Emperor’s pulse.

Eunuch Li pushed her hand away. “Young lady Su, the imperial doctor will be here shortly.”

“Has the Emperor experienced these symptoms before?” Su Wan asked, her expression grave.

Eunuch Li shook his head. “Only mild ones.”

Su Wan intensified her tone, “Exactly. The Emperor suddenly has such severe symptoms—if something happens while waiting for the imperial doctor, can you bear the responsibility? I value my life highly and wouldn’t act if I weren’t confident.”

Eunuch Li eventually relented, allowing Su Wan to proceed with the treatment.

Su Wan skillfully took the Emperor’s pulse. The pulse felt normal, with no abnormalities. However, observing the Emperor’s complexion and lip color, she noticed something was clearly wrong.

Applying a bit more pressure, she detected something odd in the pulse. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she focused intently on the pulse, she realized that the Emperor had been poisoned. This discovery was shocking—someone had managed to poison the Emperor successfully.

Who could it be?

Su Wan realized she had been careless. One wrong move could entangle her in a dangerous conspiracy.

She withdrew her hand and said calmly, “The Emperor’s dark eyelids indicate severe lack of sleep, causing the headache. A few acupuncture points will alleviate the pain.”

Eunuch Li was skeptical but remembered that previous diagnoses by the imperial doctor had shown the Emperor to be in good health.

Since pursuing immortality, the Emperor rarely slept and was always highly energetic, somewhat matching Su Wan’s description.

“You may proceed,” Eunuch Li said, helping the Emperor lie back on the large dragon chair.

Su Wan retrieved a needle pouch from her sleeve, extracted a silver needle, and began administering acupuncture to the Emperor. While supporting his head, she quickly slipped a pill into his mouth, making sure her back was to Eunuch Li.

Eunuch Li remained by the Emperor’s side, was vigilant, and signaled for five or six imperial guards to enter. They were ready to apprehend Su Wan at the first sign of trouble.

Qinglan, who had never seen such a display, was trembling like a leaf.

She hoped fervently that Su Wan would make a mistake and be executed.

Then she reconsidered: Su Wan was a member of the Su family. If the Emperor were to die, the entire Su clan could be exterminated.

But if Su Wan cured him… the Emperor would owe her a favor, and she might gain his favor.

Qinglan was about to speak, intending to interrupt Su Wan’s treatment.

“Your Majesty, are you feeling better?” Eunuch Li asked cautiously.

The Emperor moved his eyebrows slightly, still tasting the bitterness of the pill in his mouth, and shook his head. “Better, the headache is gone.”

As he spoke, the Emperor looked directly at Su Wan, her young and radiant face reminding him of Qi Min. Her lively features were strikingly similar.

Emperor Jing propped himself up on the dragon chair, still with the silver needles in his head. He pulled them out and tossed them onto the table, his tone cool as he questioned Su Wan, “You said the Lady of Marquis of Dingyuan falsely accused you when you entered. Explain yourself. If not the dowry she mentioned, which dowry were you referring to?”

Su Wan calmly collected the silver needles and returned to the center of the hall, kneeling beside Qinglan as she replied, “After my biological mother passed away, her dowry remained with my father. When I later got married, not only did I not receive my mother’s dowry, but I wasn’t given a single copper coin as a dowry either.

“My stepsister marrying into the royal family was a great boon for the marquis’s household. They couldn’t provide a dowry, so they gave her my mother’s dowry instead to avoid being seen as impoverished. I was willing to offer it with both hands.”

She covered her face with her hands. When she lowered them again, her eyes were red and brimming with tears. She tilted her head back slightly, stubbornly holding back the tears, and a choking voice, “My maternal grandfather saved the Emperor’s life back then, and the late Emperor awarded the Qi family an imperial edict as a mark of royal favor. Everything else can be given away, but I cannot let anyone else have this.”

“I asked my stepmother to return the edict to me, but not only did she refuse, she also made outrageous statements.”

Qinglan’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected that Su Wan wasn’t after the dowry but the imperial edict. It felt like Su Wan was slandering her.

Emotionally charged, she denied, “I didn’t!”

“Did you not refuse to return the edict to me, or you didn’t make outrageous statements? I haven’t even fully reported the truth to the Emperor, and you are so quick to deny it. Isn’t that a sign of guilt?”

Su Wan’s aggressive stance and the mocking curve of her lips seemed to say, “You’re not the only one who can lie.” She articulated each word clearly: “You said that the Emperor, in his pursuit of immortality, has left the affairs of state to the Regent, was neglecting his duties. You suggested that since the Crown Prince is already grown and capable, the Emperor should pass the throne to him.

You claimed that the Emperor’s focus on cultivation would prevent the throne from falling into the wrong hands. Therefore, you refused to return the edict to me, saying it would help the Crown Prince ascend the throne. Once successful, I would also benefit greatly.”

“I was terrified at the time, thinking how could a mere woman like us decide the fate of the Ji family’s dynasty? But my stepmother was determined and ignored my pleas entirely.

I feared that the marquis’s household would face ruin because of her, so I intended to tell my grandmother to stop her. But who would have thought she would preemptively accuse me!”

“Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly. The late Emperor trusted my grandfather, which is why he bestowed such a great favor upon him, to protect the descendants of the Qi family in critical times as a reward for saving his life.

My grandfather was loyal to the court and would never interfere with the succession, which would go against the late Emperor’s original intention. Otherwise, he wouldn’t rest in peace in his grave.”

Su Wan prostrated herself, her forehead touching the back of her hands on the ground: “It is my own incompetence that I could not protect my mother’s dowry. I earnestly request Your Majesty to retrieve the edict to prevent it from falling into the hands of those who would disrupt the court!”

Emperor Jing was furious, glaring at Qinglan with an intensity she hadn’t anticipated. A mere woman dared to meddle in the matter of the crown prince’s succession.

He was still alive!

Eunuch Li glanced at Su Wan with newfound respect. She had mentioned that the late Emperor’s edict, given to the Qi family, was meant to protect their descendants, repaying the debt of saving his life. Then, she cleverly retreated, asking the Emperor to retrieve the edict to prevent trouble.

By framing her request this way, how could the Emperor actually take the edict back? Instead, he would see her as sensible and feel “compelled” to let her keep it.

Sure enough, Emperor Jing, still seething with anger, said, “This edict was a favor bestowed by the late Emperor to General Qi. Naturally, it is meant for the Qi family descendants and cannot be revoked by me.

Su Li, I order you to return the edict to its rightful owner by the end of today. If you disobey my decree, you will be charged with the theft of the imperial edict.”

(Note: Qinglan’s surname is Li, and as she is married, she is referred to as Su Li.)