Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Still Alive, Truly Impressive

The Empress Dowager and Rong Yin were at a stalemate. Neither was willing to back down, yet neither could do anything about the other.

A moment later, the Imperial Physician whom Rong Yin had sent for arrived.

The Empress Dowager immediately blocked him. "There’s no need for an examination. Doctor Zhou has already written a prescription. Don’t tell me your medical skills are superior to Judge Zhou’s?"

Doctor Zhou held the title of Judge in the Imperial Hospital, while the man the Regent King had summoned was merely a common Imperial Physician, a rank below him.

Doctor Han looked toward the Regent King. He had openly sided with the Regent King, and at a critical moment like this, he would naturally only take orders from him.

With a single glance from Rong Yin, two guards immediately stepped forward to block the Empress Dowager’s attendants. Ducking low, Doctor Han dodged their attempts to stop him and slipped inside.

As Doctor Han hurried to take the Little Emperor’s pulse, the Empress Dowager, seeing her plot about to be exposed, instantly dropped all pretense.

"Guards! Seize them for me!"

The Empress Dowager’s heart was filled with terror. She felt no guilt for having poisoned the Emperor; what she feared was the exposure of the Emperor’s identity as a woman.

Once the Regent King discovered the Emperor was a woman, the Little Emperor would surely be dethroned. A woman on the throne, deceiving the entire realm—everything she had worked for would be lost.

No one could have predicted that the clash between the Empress Dowager and the Regent King would erupt so suddenly.

The two factions clashed inside Zichen Palace. Blood splattered everywhere, and soon, several bodies lay on the floor.

The Regent King’s men were outnumbered and soon lost the upper hand, forcing him to draw his weapon.

The Chief Eunuch, Wang Hai, was surprisingly skilled in martial arts and traded blows evenly with Rong Yin. But Rong Yin had no intention of settling things with him. He dodged an attack and went straight for the Empress Dowager.

With a sword at her throat, the Empress Dowager was forced to call a halt to the fighting.

Just then, Doctor Han finally finished his diagnosis.

"Prince, Your Majesty is not suffering from a cold, but a rare poison. I have already performed acupuncture to alleviate the symptoms."

The Emperor had told him it was the Mandarin Duck Knot. He hadn’t known what kind of poison it was, so he could only diagnose the problem based on the Emperor’s description before daring to use acupuncture.

He wrote out a prescription as he spoke. "This poison is difficult to neutralize. I will try a conservative course of treatment."

Rong Yin sheathed his sword, walked to the Dragon Bed, and pulled over a stool. "From now on, I will stand guard here," he declared. "If the Empress Dowager makes another move, she will be charged with regicide!"

Rong Yin’s reinforcements had arrived. If the Empress Dowager were to press the attack now, she would surely be at a disadvantage.

The Empress Dowager did not leave. Instead, she had the bodies on the floor removed and took a seat in the outer hall.

She didn’t know if the Imperial Physician had discovered the Emperor was a woman. But since Doctor Han hadn’t said anything, there was still a chance.

For now, she could only remain here and wait out the Regent King.

Doctor Zhou approached the Empress Dowager and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty’s pulse is currently chaotic. No matter how skilled Han Yang is, he won’t be able to discern anything from it."

A normal physician would only doubt their own skills; they would never suspect something as preposterous as the Emperor being a woman.

Furthermore, with the Emperor’s pulse in such turmoil, the subtle difference between a man’s and a woman’s would be impossible to distinguish.

The Empress Dowager finally let out a sigh of relief, but she still didn’t dare to leave. She absolutely could not let the Regent King find out.

Thanks to Doctor Han’s acupuncture and medicine, Xiao Yang gained a moment of respite. She did seem to feel a little more comfortable.

However, it was all temporary. The relief was a drop in the ocean. After a brief reprieve, an even greater wave of agony would crash down, making the torment worse than before.

To protect the Little Emperor, Rong Yin remained until late into the night, looking as if he planned to take up residence in the palace.

The Empress Dowager, on the other hand, couldn’t take it anymore. She left Wang Hai to keep watch and returned to her own palace.

「At midnight」

Doctor Han returned to check on Xiao Yang. After giving her some medicine, he performed acupuncture and bloodletting.

Once he had finished, he saw the Regent King, who had been feigning sleep, open his eyes. Only then did he walk over.

He lowered his voice. "Prince, I went back and did some research. Your Majesty’s symptoms match a poison called the Mandarin Duck Knot. In the martial world, some call it an aphrodisiac, but it is a non-lethal toxin."

"This poison was accidentally created by the Holy Daughter of the Southern Domain Witch Clan while she was attempting to create the Unity Gu. Once a poisoned individual engages in intimacy, the poison can never be cured. It’s like maggots clinging to bone, tormenting the person for the rest of their life. It was originally used to torture unfaithful lovers, but somehow, over time, its reputation changed into that of a potion that ensures marital fidelity."

Han Yang was almost certain the Empress Dowager was the one who administered the poison, all to control the Emperor. ’The poor Little Emperor,’ he thought.

"Prince, the afflicted must absolutely not engage in sexual intercourse. Through acupuncture, detoxification, and enduring for seven days—though the process will be a living hell—it is the only way there is any chance of being rid of this poison."

Rong Yin said, "Understood."

After Han Yang left, Rong Yin lifted his gaze to the Dragon Bed. The young emperor, lying on the bed, looked as small and delicate as a girl.

’She’s only sixteen,’ he thought.

Rong Yin had someone prepare the daybed and slept there to keep watch.

His loyalty to the Imperial Power was owed to the late Emperor for saving his life, and to Emperor Taizhong for his tutelage.

Yet tonight, what he couldn’t get out of his mind was the Little Emperor’s mad leap from the palace wall, and the surprising strength in that soft, delicate embrace.

’Whatever,’ he thought. ’I’m a generation older. I’ll just think of it as looking after a child.’

Han Yang’s bloodletting and the several bowls of medicine he’d administered had indeed brought Xiao Yang significant relief. For this one night, at least, she could sleep through the pain.

「The next morning」

When she woke up, she felt an ache in every joint of her body.

It was the fourth day.

’Still alive. How impressive of me.’

With great difficulty, she got out of bed to relieve herself.

It was only when she came back from behind the screen that she saw Rong Yin asleep on the daybed.

He was still in yesterday’s clothes, lying perfectly straight on his back with a thin blanket draped over him.

Rong Yin’s face was genuinely stunning. The kind of facial structure you couldn’t create even with 3D modeling. Not a sharp, v-shaped chin, but a perfect oval shape with a clearly defined jawline. His skin was fair and healthy, his features deep and chiseled. He was, in a word, perfect.

He possessed both the stern, heroic aura of a military general and the elegant, cool detachment of a civil servant. Noble and ascetic, yet undeniably masculine.

’If he were in my era,’ she thought, ’he’d have the kind of god-tier looks that appeal to everyone, the absolute pinnacle of the domineering CEO archetype.’

"It seems Your Majesty is feeling better."

Rong Yin’s eyelids fluttered open, his ink-black eyes clear and cold.

Xiao Yang’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "My thanks, Regent King. How might We repay you, Prince?"

Rong Yin rose and straightened his sleeves. "Your Majesty studying diligently and being a good emperor would be the best reward for me."

The smile vanished from Xiao Yang’s face. ’He just has to say things I don’t want to hear.’

Without another glance at her, Rong Yin turned and walked away, utterly cold and detached.

’And yet, he really did help me.’

Bi Fang entered, leading attendants to help Xiao Yang wash up. Palace Attendants brought in breakfast, along with the medicine she had to drink.

Xiao Yang ate a few bites before picking up the medicine bowl and downing it in one gulp. The medicine was bitter, but after four days of agony, she would gladly swallow anything if it could lessen that feeling of despair.

Xiao Yang hadn’t even set the bowl down when a set of footsteps approached.

The Empress Dowager stepped through the doorway. Her relatively calm expression contorted with rage the moment she saw Xiao Yang sitting at the table, looking completely fine. "Xiao Jin," she snarled, gritting her teeth, "you truly are my good and filial son!"