Chapter 81: Life Hanging by a Thread

The Empress Dowager and the Empress both fainted several times from the shock of Princess Danqing’s final diagnosis, which was enough to show just how grim the situation was.

It was said that Princess Danqing had been poisoned with a rare and deadly toxin, and her illness was now beyond cure. Only a mysterious flower growing on the sheer cliffs of Mount Wangyao could save her.

Upon hearing this news, Lie Chang’an struggled to sit up from his bed. He ignored everything else, reaching for the robe at his side, determined to leave the room.

“General!”

His deputy, Qi Zhengfeng, was a brother-in-arms who had braved life and death with him. Seeing Lie Chang’an trying to get out of bed as soon as he heard the news, Qi Zhengfeng hurriedly grabbed him. “Are you out of your mind?! In your condition, how can you enter the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty?!”

He had just endured a hundred strokes with the rod, and lying on his bed, he was barely clinging to life. His body was covered in blood—he’d changed several sets of underclothes, all stained crimson. After finally getting some medicine and lying down for a while, he now insisted on going to the palace upon hearing the news.

“Let me go!” Lie Chang’an clenched his teeth. He was deathly pale from blood loss, cold sweat pouring from his brow. Even so, he struggled fiercely to break free. “Let me go! I must save her! She is dying!”

“I don’t know whether she’ll die or not! All I know is that you’re about to die!” Qi Zhengfeng hadn’t expected him to be so stubborn, nor had he realized just how great an influence the princess had on him. Even on the verge of death, he was determined to use his last breath to save her.

But Qi Zhengfeng refused to join him in this madness.

In his condition, with such severe blood loss, if he truly set out to petition for the journey to Mount Wangyao, he might perish on the road before ever reaching the mountain.

Qi Zhengfeng tightened his hold around Lie Chang’an’s waist, using all his strength to prevent him from leaving. But he forgot that those driven to desperation possess boundless strength—especially when it’s for someone they love.

Lie Chang’an somehow found the energy to roar, shaking Qi Zhengfeng off and sending him stumbling far away. By the time Qi Zhengfeng could react, Lie Chang’an was already staggering toward the main gate, far beyond his reach.

With a sigh, Qi Zhengfeng knew he could no longer stop him.

By the time Lie Chang’an reached the palace, it was already deep into the night.

Physician Hu was stationed at Cloudsmoke Palace, personally overseeing the situation. All the palace maids were in attendance, waiting on the patient. The Empress Dowager and the Empress, completely exhausted, had each come to visit after regaining consciousness, but their strength soon failed them and, at the Crown Prince’s urging, they returned to rest.

The Emperor had also suffered greatly that day. He had not touched a drop of water, and by nightfall, he could hardly hold on. As he left Cloudsmoke Palace, he staggered several times, frightening Eunuch Fan, who had been attending him all day. The eunuch quickly helped him back to Longteng Hall.

The Crown Prince was likewise overwhelmed. The princess was still unconscious, his father, mother, and grandmother all required his attention, and the affairs of state, which his father had not yet managed to address, were now piled upon his shoulders.

When the eunuch announced Lie Chang’an’s arrival at the palace, the Crown Prince was still in his study, reading memorials by lamplight. At the news, he waved his hand, signaling for the visitor to be admitted.

He was not surprised by Lie Chang’an's arrival. The Crown Prince knew well Lie Chang’an’s feelings for the princess—especially since she had risked her life to save him. There was no way he could stand idly by.

As soon as he entered, Lie Chang’an dropped to his knees without a word. “Your Highness, I beg permission to journey to Mount Wangyao.”

The Crown Prince lifted his gaze. In the dim lamplight, Lie Chang’an wore a dark blue outer robe, clearly thrown on in haste; even his belt was left undone. His face was utterly bloodless, cold sweat covered his brow, and deep shadows ringed his eyes. He looked truly terrifying.