Ji Wushang carefully lowered his head and went in, followed by Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting.
Upon entering, Ji Wushang saw the Empress sitting dignifiedly on the chaise longue, exuding elegance and grace. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and in front of her was a small tea table with an incense burner emitting a pleasant floral fragrance.
There was heated charcoal on one side, filling the hall with a warm temperature. Ji Wushang felt the warmth as soon as he entered.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress! May Your Majesty live a thousand years!" Ji Wushang stepped forward, then knelt down and said.
Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting also knelt down at this moment, saying, "May Your Majesty be well."
"Rise, all of you!" The Empress put down her teacup. "Bring seats."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Ji Wushang bowed again, surprised that they had already clashed so quickly.
Huangfu Ting and Huangfu Yu were somewhat shocked to see Ji Wushang sit down, but at this moment the Empress said, "Yu'er, Ting'er, you two sit down."
"Yes, Mother." Huangfu Ting bowed and said.
Huangfu Yu nodded, "Thank you, Mother."
Ji Wushang sat upright, ready to answer the Empress's questions at any moment. His eyes were clear, looking straight ahead, unperturbed by favor or disgrace.
The extra palace maids around were dismissed, leaving only a few to serve.
The Empress finally spoke, "I heard that yesterday, both Miss Yao and Miss Yuan were sent out of the palace by Granny Wang? Miss Wushang, I heard that you were there at the time. Tell me what happened."
Ji Wushang nodded, his face serious, and said, "Your Majesty, although I was there at the time, I only exchanged a few words with the two young ladies before leaving with Miss Shangguan. Granny Wang was also watching at the time, but I did not expect that the two young ladies would burst into laughter after walking not far. I was really surprised and did not know why such a thing happened."
The Empress scrutinized Ji Wushang, trying to determine if she was lying. Indeed, what Wang Mama had told her was roughly the same, but she had a feeling that this little girl was somewhat different. The Empress then turned her gaze to Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting, noticing their gaze was fixed on Ji Wushang, and gave a soft snort.
Huangfu Ting quickly looked away and took a sip of tea.
Huangfu Yu still looked at Ji Wushang with a rather presumptuous air, and Ji Wushang had no choice but to make no move.
"Oh?" The Queen looked at her. "Very good."
"This humble woman dares not speak presumptuously." Ji Wushang stood up at this moment, respectfully.
The Empress smiled, her smile returning to normal. "Someone, bring tea."
Immediately, a palace maid came forward with a cup of tea. Ji Wushang still kept her head down, not daring to move. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." The little palace maid placed the tea in front of Ji Wushang. Ji Wushang looked at her, then picked it up and found that the tea was very hot. However, she had no choice but to drink it. If she didn't drink it, it would be considered disrespectful to the Empress, and she would be executed.
Ji Wushang narrowed his eyes, while the Empress opened her eyes and looked at Ji Wushang, saying, "The tea won't taste good once it gets cold."
"Yes." Ji Wushang obediently brought over the teacup, then opened it. A fragrant aroma immediately wafted out. Ji Wushang glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he flicked a small amount of medicinal powder from under his fingernail before gently lifting the lid to taste the tea.
He took only a small sip, then put it down, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
"Hmm." The Empress turned to look at Ji Wushang, waved for the maid to leave, and then said, "I've heard that your paintings are extremely skillful. I wonder if you could paint one here?"
Ji Wushang was startled, wondering what she was up to. But then she felt a wave of discomfort in her stomach, and her face turned pale. Ji Wushang struggled to stay composed and said, "If Your Majesty does not mind, I am willing to present my humble work on the spot."
"Good! Someone, bring us pen, ink, paper and inkstone!" The Empress immediately called for people when she saw that Ji Wushang readily agreed. However, Huangfu Yu saw that large beads of sweat were flowing down Ji Wushang's forehead and his lips were full of tears. A voice in his heart said, "Could it be that the tea given by the Empress was poisoned?"
"Miss Ji, what's wrong?" Huangfu Yu couldn't help but stand up and look at Ji Wushang.
Ji Wushang tried his best to stand firm. "It's nothing, thank you for your trouble, Sixth Prince."
The Empress was surprised when she looked at Ji Wushang. She hadn't ordered anyone to poison her. If she had, and Ji Wushang had been poisoned in front of Huangfu Yu and Huangfu Ting, wouldn't that tell everyone that she, the Empress, had actually poisoned a young lady from an official family?
"Someone, summon the imperial physician!" the Empress said. "Wu Shang, what's wrong with you?"
Ji Wushang gently shook her head, then knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I am simply exhausted. Please forgive me. Please do not summon the imperial physician; I only need... rest." She hadn't poisoned her, but what if the poison took effect when she returned to her residence? Who knew what she was trying to do? Yao Jinhan had been sent out of the palace, and she had won the championship, being present at the time. How could she not suspect her? How could she let her go? Of course, she had to escape!
The Empress looked at Ji Wushang expressionlessly. "The imperial physician will definitely have to see him. After all, this happened right here in my palace. If I don't cure you, Ji Wushang, I'm afraid people will laugh at me!"
"Mother, who would dare to laugh at you? Please don't think so much. Miss Ji looks fine, so please don't worry." Huangfu Ting stood up and spoke.
Ji Wushang nodded, then kowtowed.
Just then, the imperial physician arrived with the eunuch. The Empress waved her hand and said, "Go and see what's wrong with the young lady."
"Yes." The imperial physician was only in his thirties, with a clean-shaven face. Ji Wushang looked up, surprised. This... wasn't this the Ghost Doctor's face? If the imperial physician in front of him were a few years older and had a beard, he would definitely look exactly like the Ghost Doctor!
Ji Wushang was shocked, but the imperial physician was focused on treating Ji Wushang and did not notice Ji Wushang's surprised gaze.
However, the Empress noticed all of this. Could it be that Ji Wushang knew this imperial physician?
But Ji Wushang's eyes quickly dimmed. This imperial physician gave him a different feeling. This can only mean that people can look exactly the same, but feelings can never be the same.
At this moment, the imperial physician had finished his examination and knelt before the Empress, saying, "Your Majesty, the eldest young lady is not seriously ill. She is just tired, which has caused some blood and qi imbalances, resulting in her pale complexion. Please allow me to prescribe some medicine so that the eldest young lady can take it back to her residence and properly decoct it for her to take."
"Granted." The Empress nodded, and Ji Wushang thanked her again.
The Empress smiled slightly. "Since Miss is tired, let her go back! Someone, escort Miss out of the palace."
"Yes." Ji Wushang, supporting his weary body, knelt down to pay his respects. "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
When Ji Wushang walked out, a ruthless glint flashed in the Empress's eyes. This girl was incredibly clever! She had originally planned to sabotage her painting so that she would never be able to paint again! Her face looked so much like someone else's, making her want to kill her immediately!
Ji Wushang sat in the carriage, watching it drive out of the palace gates before finally feeling relieved. He rubbed his temples, took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.
My spirits immediately changed. If I had a mirror, I would definitely have seen the color gradually return to my lips.
——
"I already warned you, I don't know if you're stupid or mentally challenged!" Yi Yun Muchen looked at Bei Gong Jue Shi, who was lying flat on the pile of grass. His lips were black, indicating that he was seriously poisoned.
Not far away was the venomous snake that had been cut in two. After being attacked, Bei Gong Jue Shi grabbed the snake with his right hand and, to Yi Yun Muchen's astonishment, tore it in half and threw it on the ground. But then he too collapsed to the ground.
Yi Yun Muchen drew a dagger from her waist and cut a deep gash in her wrist. Blood gushed out, and Yi Yun Muchen frowned. "What bad luck! I was thinking of using your martial arts to protect me, but I ended up having to save you!" As she spoke, she brought her blood close to Bei Gong Jueshi's thin lips. His lips were now pressed into a beautiful, sexy curve, but the black color of his lips made it hard to see their sensuality.
Besides, Yi Yun Muchen had no interest.
This powerful guy must be rich and powerful. If it weren't for the fact that he saved her once, Yi Yun Muchen would have abandoned him without hesitation and left without a second thought.
Blood flowed into his mouth, and he felt a sweet sensation. He couldn't help but suck on the cool liquid. Yi Yun Muchen frowned. What did this man take her blood for? Water? Something to drink at will? She was about to pull away, but seeing the longing in his eyes, Yi Yun Muchen's heart softened. Just this once, she wouldn't owe him anything else!
Yi Yun Muchen felt a little dizzy. She didn't know how much of her blood he had drunk. She had grown up in the midst of Gu poison and other toxic substances since she was a child. She had tasted all kinds of herbs and eaten many poisons. She followed her master and even tested Gu poison on herself. That's how she got her body that was immune to all poisons. Her blood could even be used as an antidote.
But he seemed tireless, sucking incessantly as if he wanted to drink all her blood dry!
Yi Yun Muchen finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto Bei Gong Jue Shi's body. At the last moment, his arm was removed, but blood was still flowing.
He didn't know how much time had passed, only that when he woke up it was already evening. Opening his heterochromatic eyes, he felt a pressure on his chest, and a very bloody smell.
Bei Gong Jue Shi was shocked. Had he been murdered? He struggled to his feet, then helped him up, turned him over, and laid him flat on the haystack. Only then did he notice a long cut on his wrist, and upon closer inspection, some blood was seeping out! His lips were deathly pale, and his face was completely bloodless. He was already disheveled, but now he looked even more like a starving beggar.
"I'm not dead, yet you've committed suicide?" Bei Gong Jue Shi couldn't help but say, but as he said this, he felt something on his lips. He reached out and touched it, and to his surprise, he saw blood!
Suddenly, Bei Gong Jue Shi understood. He had been wondering why he had been bitten by a snake, but he hadn't expected to wake up. It turned out that the snake had fed him its own blood! This meant that he had indirectly killed the snake by drinking its blood?
Bei Gong Jue Shi rushed forward, reached out to check his breath, and found that he was still breathing faintly. He immediately pressed acupoints on his body to stop the bleeding from his wrist. He then quickly took off his own robe, wrapped it around him, and tore off some fabric from his own clothes to help bandage his wrist.
Bei Gong Jue Shi thought, "No, he can't die." He sat on the pile of grass, then straightened Yi Yun Muchen and turned him around so that his back was facing him. He then used his inner strength to strike Yi Yun Muchen's back.
Instantly, Yi Yun Muchen felt a surge of warmth, and a hint of emotion appeared on his face.
After transferring his internal energy, Bei Gong Jue Shi regulated his breathing and immediately turned him over. His eyes were closed, but to Bei Gong Jue Shi, those were incredibly long eyelashes. This boy, when he grows up, will probably be androgynous... Ugh, Bei Gong Jue Shi cursed himself inwardly. What's important now! His blood could save him, so there must be something wrong with him!
Just then, a voice as small as a cat's came from Yi Yun Muchen's mouth.
Bei Gong Jue Shi immediately looked at him, "How is it?"
Yi Yun Muchen seemed to have just gone through a life-or-death struggle before opening his eyes, but when he saw Bei Gong Jueshi staring at him, he was startled and immediately took a step back. "You're alright as long as you're not dead! Don't get so close!"
Bei Gong Jue Shi narrowed his eyes, unconcerned by his resistance. Everyone has their own wariness, which Bei Gong Jue Shi could understand. "Your blood can cure poison?"
"Yes, so you didn't die. You don't need to thank me much. Go and get some food as a way of thanking me! I'm hungry," Yi Yunmu Chen said very quickly.
Bei Gong Jue Shi's face darkened. "Go and get some food!" Did she think he was a beggar like him? He needed food!
"If you want to eat, go find it yourself. I don't have any." Bei Gong Jue Shi cut off his hope. "You didn't answer my questions. I asked you, how did you get entangled with those black corpses? And who exactly are you!" His crimson eyes were even more bloodshot now, especially after drinking Yi Yun Muchen's blood.
Upon hearing this, Yi Yun Muchen felt a headache coming on. Why did he still remember such a question? Yi Yun Muchen suddenly fell backward. Bei Gong Jueshi was startled and went to look, only to see that he had already closed his eyes and had apparently fainted.
Damn it.
Bei Gong Jue Shi had no choice but to patiently tidy him up before leaving.
Just as he walked out, Yi Yun Muchen heard that no one was around, slowly opened his eyes, jumped up, saw that no one was there, and rushed out.
But it crashed into a wall of flesh!
"Is it fun to lie to me?" The sinister words came from his mouth. Yi Yun Muchen took a step back, looking in horror at the man who was walking towards him. He was tall and looked like a god as he walked over.
Yi Yunmu Chen smiled as if his expression had changed, "Well, I was really hungry, so I thought I'd go out and get something to eat."
"I've tolerated your repeated lies, but people have their limits. When you've exhausted my patience, you should have considered the consequences!" Bei Gong Jue Shi clenched his fists and walked towards him. "I'm asking you one last time, or you'll go to hell!"
Yi Yun Muchen looked at him, his face full of fear. This man, he couldn't get close, he couldn't... Involuntarily, Yi Yun Muchen tried to put his hands behind his back, but Bei Gong Jue Shi's figure was faster than his hands! In that instant, he had already brought him to the corner of the wall, and his big hand was now gripping Yi Yun Muchen's neck!
Yi Yun Muchen was shocked and tried to free his hands, but his left hand moved with lightning speed, locking his hands in place. His hands were still tightly gripping, and Bei Gong Jue Shi knew that he was definitely holding a handful of medicine. Even if it wouldn't kill him, it would definitely knock him unconscious! He absolutely wouldn't let him leave like this without knowing why!
"I don't have much time to waste with you. You've exhausted my patience!" He had a cruel smile on his lips, and there was still blood of Yi Yun Muchen on his thin lips.
"Let me go! What kind of hero are you! Bullying an unarmed person, what kind of person are you! If you're so tough, fight my brother!" Yi Yun Muchen shouted angrily. "I saved your life, and this is how you treat me!"
“I once saved you, so we are even!” Bei Gong Jue Shi said coldly.
"Bastard!" Yi Yunmu Chen shouted angrily.
"I have never said that I am a good person."
"Can't you just pretend to be a good person?"
"Don't change the subject." Bei Gong Jue Shi's bloodshot eyes became even more alluring at this moment.
"I am Chen Mu, that's right. I don't know how I got involved with those black corpses. I only found out about them from you! I've never encountered them before!" Yi Yun Muchen's speech quickened. "I grew up in the mountains and often ate various herbs, so my blood can detoxify! Are you satisfied now?"
"Not satisfied." Bei Gong Jue Shi's tone was cold. This brat actually dared to lie to him?
"The fact that you were able to run to me for help before the black corpses caught up with you shows that you were on guard. Even if you don't know martial arts, you must have extraordinary talent! Those black corpses are from the Western Regions royal family. The fact that they came looking for you means your identity is definitely not simple. Do you still dare to lie to me?"
Yi Yun Muchen looked at him, then suddenly lowered her head. She hadn't expected him to be able to analyze this...
"You didn't confess either! Your name is definitely not some bullshit Gong Shijue!" Yi Yun Muchen would drag everything into this if he wanted to be right. Besides, was it fun for him to be choking her like this? Was it fun to lock her between him and the wall?
"And is this how you ask questions? You grabbed me by the neck and forced me into this corner!" Yi Yunmu Chen burst into tears.
Shouldn't he let himself go?
“My name is Bei Gong Jue Shi.” Surprisingly, Bei Gong Jue Shi released his right hand that was gripping him and then revealed his name.
Yi Yun Muchen was stunned and stared at the person in front of him in disbelief. However, his mind was filled with memories of three months ago, when he had overheard something in the palace.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty intends to have the Prince of Zhenbei's son, Beigong Jueshi, marry the Princess."