He dared not let his guard down for a single day until he had captured Xixiu.
"yes."
Shi Zhu responded, then presented the letter and reported, "This letter is not poisoned; I have verified it."
Ye Lingfeng nodded, opened the letter, and read it. Soon, his face turned pale. The letter floated down from his hand and drifted to Shi Zhu's feet. Shi Zhu looked at his usually composed master, whose face had suddenly turned pale. What was wrong?
Shi Zhu quickly picked up the letter from the ground and soon understood why her master's face had turned pale instantly.
It turned out that the letter was written by Xi Xiu. In the letter, she said that Ye Lingfeng had been poisoned with the Ice Jade Cold Poison from the Jade Toad since he was a child. The venom of the Jade Toad was still the most rare poison in the world, and since it was given to him by Xi Xiu since childhood, Ye Lingfeng's blood was already full of Ice Jade Cold Poison. The reason why the cold poison in his body had not taken effect all this time was because Xi Xiu had given him the jade crystal from the Jade Toad that could restrain the Ice Jade Cold Poison. That's why Ye Lingfeng had never felt anything and was no different from an ordinary person. However, because he had Ice Jade Cold Poison in his body, Xi Xiu had warned Ye Lingfeng not to eat cold foods, saying that his constitution was not suitable for eating very cold foods. In fact, it was not that he was not suitable, but that if he consumed cold foods for a long time, it would trigger the Ice Jade Cold Poison in his body and cause the poison to take effect.
Later, Ye Lingfeng ascended the throne and married Ji Hailing. The Empress Dowager began to hate him and intentionally or unintentionally tampered with the imperial kitchen, adding cold foods to Ye Lingfeng's food, which slowly triggered the cold poison in his body.
After Ye Lingfeng ascended the throne, he was so busy with affairs that he forgot about Xi Xiu's advice not to eat cold foods. Sometimes he would find cold ingredients in his food but he didn't pay attention because he found that his body was fine. Later, he continued to eat cold foods, but he never expected that this would trigger the Ice Jade Cold Poison in his body.
That's why he had just noticed the coldness all over his body, as if he were soaking in a freezing pool.
This is just the beginning. The more it goes on, the more severe the Ice Jade Cold Poison becomes. Not only will your whole body feel like you're soaking in a freezing pool, but wisps of cold air will also rise from your head, and your entire body will eventually freeze into an icicle.
The reason west Xiu wrote the letter to the palace was to tell him triumphantly that his Ice Jade Cold Poison was about to take effect, and once the Ice Jade Cold Poison took effect, he would only have three months to live, and even a great immortal could not save him after the poison took effect.
Because the jade toad is one of the rarest things in the world, and besides, the cold poison in his body has now filled his blood and cannot be removed at all.
At the end of the letter, west Xiu wrote triumphantly, "Ye Lingfeng, you killed my son, and you will suffer a terrible death. After you die, I will not let Ji Hailing and your son go. I will make sure they all suffer a terrible death."
After reading the letter, Shi Zhu was filled with shock and, more than anything, anger. She rushed to the Emperor's side and spoke in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, are you really poisoned by the Ice Jade Cold Poison?"
Could it be that His Majesty's pale complexion earlier was due to the onset of the Ice Jade Cold Poison?
Ye Lingfeng nodded, knowing that the Ice Jade Cold Poison in his body had flared up earlier.
Unexpectedly, Xi Xiu was so ruthless, planting the Ice Jade Cold Poison in him since childhood. Thinking of this, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but laugh, a laugh filled with desolation. His handsome face was devoid of any color. It turned out that the happiness within reach was so far away. He was not afraid of death, but what about Ling'er? Although she was very smart, the thought that if he died, she and her son would fall into Xi Xiu's hands caused him immense heartache.
Ye Lingfeng reached out and clutched the front of his shirt, in great pain.
Shi Zhu thought that the Ice Jade Cold Poison in his body had flared up, so she rushed over, grabbed Ye Lingfeng's hand, and took his pulse. Unfortunately, apart from some fluctuations, there was nothing abnormal in his pulse.
It turns out that if this Ice Jade Cold Poison doesn't take effect, one is no different from an ordinary person and no one will notice anything.
"Your Majesty, I will immediately write to Medicine King Valley and ask Shen Ruoxuan to come. Your Majesty will be fine."
“Alright,” Ye Lingfeng nodded slowly, his body filled with a sinister aura of death. A faint smile appeared on his lips, a smile that concealed a chilling and resolute edge: “No one needs to be told about what happened today, especially the Empress and the Empress Dowager.”
He didn't want them to know that he was suffering from the Ice Jade Cold Poison, because he didn't want his beloved to be heartbroken because of his poison, especially Ling'er, who was about to give birth. If she knew about this, he was afraid...
He didn't even dare to think about it. Ye Lingfeng clenched his fists tightly. He felt like he was about to be submerged by the tide. His whole body ached, and there wasn't a single part of him that was unharmed.
His hands instinctively clung tightly to his body. Seeing his master in such pain, Shi Zhu felt a pang of sorrow and rushed out of the study. He ordered Shi Ju to ride to Medicine King Valley as fast as possible and to invite Shen Ruoxuan as soon as possible. Shen Ruoxuan's medical skills were extremely advanced, and he would surely have a way to cure the Ice Jade Cold Poison.
Hai Ling was unaware of these things, but she noticed that Ye Lingfeng's expression was somewhat unpleasant, with a slightly transparent white tinge. Although it did not affect his elegance, on the contrary, this transparent whiteness made the usually domineering and profound man seem aloof and detached from the world. Although he still doted on her and loved her very much, why did she feel that he was hiding something from her?
But when she asked him, he wouldn't say.
At first, she suspected he was sick, but when she secretly took his pulse, she found that he was perfectly fine.
Not only that, but several times when she woke up in the middle of the night, she found that as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw him staring at her intently, and he hadn't gone back to sleep at all.
"Night, why aren't you asleep?"
"I can't sleep, I don't know why. Sometimes I'm really afraid that this happiness will be like a fleeting moment and disappear in the blink of an eye."
Unexpectedly, he became sad. Hailing couldn't help but stare at him and hold his hand tightly: "Ye, is something wrong? Tell me, I will help you. Don't worry about my pregnancy, I'll be fine."
"You silly little thing, what could possibly happen to me? What in this world could possibly be difficult for me?"
At this moment, he became the man she knew again—deep, domineering, and self-centered.
Hai Ling was still somewhat incredulous, her bright eyes wide open, motionless. Seeing her like this, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but smile, leaning down to kiss her forehead: "Sleep. I don't know why, but holding you and watching you sleep makes me feel so energetic. Let me look at you more, so I can feel that happiness is right in my hands."
Hailin closed her eyes, thinking to herself, the night seemed to be becoming more and more poetic and sentimental. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
Ye Lingfeng watched Hai Ling close her eyes, a sad smile curving his lips. "Ling'er, I know you love me. I'm so scared. If you knew you were poisoned by the Ice Jade Poison and wouldn't live much longer, how much pain and sorrow would you feel? The last thing I want is for you to suffer, because you've already endured so much hardship with me. I just want you to be happy and joyful forever, at least not in so much pain."
Inside the palace, there was not a sound. A man held a woman tightly, gazing at her intently, as if if he didn't take a good look now, he would never have the chance again.
Hai Ling sensed something unusual about Ye Lingfeng, so she secretly summoned Shi Zhu to inquire.
Seeing the Empress's concerned expression, Shi Zhu wanted to tell her that the Emperor had been poisoned by the Ice Jade Poison and only had three months to live.
However, upon seeing the Empress's belly, Shizhu stopped herself from speaking. The Empress was due to give birth in less than a month, and if she knew about the Emperor's situation now, she might not be able to handle it. If something unexpected happened, wouldn't that be adding insult to injury for the Emperor? So Shizhu shook her head.
"Your Majesty is overthinking it. His Majesty has been working too hard lately. Ever since Xi Xiu escaped, His Majesty has been on edge, fearing that she might sneak back into the palace to deal with the Empress and the Empress Dowager. That's why he's so tired."
Is that so? Hai Ling thought about it seriously. It wasn't impossible. At least she hadn't found any problems with Ye so far, so it really was that way.
Hai Ling thought to herself, and although she wasn't completely at ease, she wasn't as nervous as before. She waved her hand to dismiss Shi Zhu and said, "Take good care of the Emperor and don't let him get too tired."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Shizhu turned to leave, a tear slid down her cheek. The Emperor and Empress were so loving, and they were about to have a little prince, but why did Heaven treat them this way? It was so unfair.
In the Imperial Study.
Shen Ruoxuan finally arrived, just as Ye Lingfeng's Ice Jade Cold Poison was flaring up. This time it was more severe than before. Not only did he feel icy cold all over, as if he were soaking in a freezing pool, but his teeth were also chattering, and he felt pain all over his body, as if he were being pricked by tiny needles. His head was steaming, and he was in great pain. He curled up on the bed, and he dared not exert any strength to resist this cold poison that came from his blood, otherwise it would only make him suffer more.
Seeing his friend suffering like this, Shen Ruoxuan's heart was already in turmoil. He stepped forward, took Ye Lingfeng's hand, and took his pulse. His expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, he took out a pill and put it into Ye Lingfeng's mouth. After a while, the Ice Jade Cold Poison in Ye Lingfeng's body subsided. His whole body was soaked as if he had taken a bath, and his face grew paler and paler, with even the fine veins clearly visible.