Chapter 338: with translation of chapter title

Emperor Longqing sat in the outer hall drinking tea, his eyes slightly drooping as he waited for news from the inner chamber's physicians.

He appeared calm and carefree on the surface, but was somewhat nervous inside.

He had once given Xiao Yin a chronic poison; when it manifested in Qi Sha Gu, Xiao Yin nearly died, yet somehow was sent back to Shang Jing.

Those military families guarded Xiao Yin tightly, leaving him no further chance to strike.

But he knew how strong the toxin was; even now Xiao Yin occasionally suffers flare‑ups, each like a raging beast.

He had been waiting for the day Xiao Yin's poison would finally strike, yet since that wretch married Gu Jiu Ling, his health has been improving, which makes him especially anxious.

Xiao Yin is of royal blood and was the late Prince's favorite younger son; back then, had he not been so young and his temperament unbound—disliking restraint and lacking any ambition to usurp the heir—this whole empire might now be his for the taking.

The late Prince often praised Xiao Yin as gifted and talented in both civil and martial arts, only faulting his somewhat arrogant, indecisive nature.

Whenever he recalled this, Emperor Longqing became maddened with jealousy.

When Xiao Yin was born, his mother consort died, and his empress mother raised him by her side.

How could a child without a mother consort's care earn the emperor's favor?

Even because of Xiao Yin's existence, every time the emperor visited the empress mother's palace it was to see this little son, as if he were merely a decorative object.

Countless times when he fell ill or wanted to see the emperor, the emperor did not come; the empress mother, to get the emperor to look at her son, would even clothe Xiao Yin lightly and send him outside to play, and when he caught a chill and fell sick at night she sent a messenger to tell the emperor that "Old Nine is ill," prompting the emperor to rush over to see Xiao Yin and, incidentally, her who was also ill.

Thinking of this, Emperor Longqing's buried hatred surged; his dried fingers clenched the tea cup so hard that his joints turned a bluish‑white.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the warm chamber, and several physicians hurried out.

Led by Physician Zhang, a few senior physicians knelt slowly before Emperor Longqing: "Your Majesty, Prince Rui is not seriously ill; he merely fainted from over‑exertion after a long journey."

Emperor Longqing felt a stir in his heart, a flash of disappointment leaking into his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, coldly gazing at the physicians: "Are you sure Prince Rui has no serious problem? If your diagnosis is wrong, beware that I will chop off your heads."

The palace physicians flinched, then kowtowed fiercely: "Yes, Your Majesty, Prince Rui truly has no serious ailment. He is merely exhausted from riding all night."

Emperor Longqing was rendered speechless, a cold shadow flashing across his expression while a massive wave of fury rose in his heart.

How could this be? Absolutely impossible!

He also knew that Xiao Yin had used the southern frontier's gu poison over the years to counteract the toxin he had given him, but once that poison entered the body, combined with the southern gu…

…although it could ease the toxin's flare‑ups, when it finally erupted the malignant growths in Xiao Yin's seven veins and eight channels would explode, killing him painfully.

Now these mediocre physicians dare tell him Xiao Yin is fine, that nothing is wrong?

He suddenly thought of Gu Jiu Ling, whose medical skill is regarded as god‑like throughout Shang Jing.

Could Gu Jiu Ling truly have cleared Xiao Yin's poison and healed him?

He sprang to his feet, pointing at the kneeling Physician Zhang at the front, and whispered sharply: "Rise! Get back in and examine Prince Rui's condition carefully."

Emperor Longqing gritted his teeth and said: "Prince Rui is my youngest brother; if anything happens to him, how could my heart remain calm?"

"Continue taking the pulse; you all go in as well."

Still uneasy, Emperor Longqing personally entered Xiao Yin's warm chamber and stood aside watching the physicians retake Xiao Yin's pulse.

The other attendants in the room, seeing Emperor Longqing enter, were startled and knelt repeatedly.

A rustling of clothing scraping the floor came from all sides.

Physician Zhang's forehead beaded with fine cold sweat; as a close aide of Empress Dowager Ning An, Emperor Longqing naturally trusted him.

He vaguely sensed the deeds Emperor Longqing and Empress Dowager Ning An had done to Prince Rui back then.

He knew some matters were better left unseen; if he exposed them, he might die without even knowing how.

He carefully sat on a chair at the side, and once more lifted his hand to feel Xiao Yin's wrist.

At this moment Xiao Yin remained unconscious, his complexion pale, his hair knot disheveled, looking utterly gaunt.

Physician Zhang again focused his mind and probed Xiao Yin's pulse; aside from some weakness, there was nothing unusual.

He had previously taken Xiao Yin's "peaceful pulse," noting a lesion at the left rib side that he vaguely sensed was problematic.

Perhaps Xiao Yin would later die from a disease arising at that spot, but this time the pulse revealed no trace of that lesion, which astonished him greatly.

When he earlier felt the peaceful pulse, he could clearly locate that dangerous thing, yet now it was gone—could it be Gu Jiu Ling…

Thinking of this, Physician Zhang felt a surge of jealousy; Gu Jiu Ling, so young yet so skilled, he wondered who taught her.

With Emperor Longqing standing nearby, the few of them dared not be lax.

Physician Zhang meticulously focused on Xiao Yin's pulse, found nothing amiss, then rose and knelt again before Emperor Longqing.

"Your Majesty, Prince Rui is indeed exhausted to the extreme, his body weak, his spirit overly sorrowful, which caused his fainting; there is no serious injury."

Emperor Longqing stared coldly at the physicians kneeling before him, his eyes flashing a chilling frost.

His hand, hidden in the sleeve of his dragon robe, gradually tightened.

Emperor Longqing had not expected Xiao Yin to be unharmed; the long‑suppressed poison had apparently been eradicated, leaving the physicians unable to detect any trace.

At that moment he wanted to draw his sword and slay Xiao Yin on the bed, but the room was full of Xiao Yin's retainers, so he could not act.

Emperor Longqing was momentarily choked with frustration and said nothing.

The kneeling servants and physicians, each with a heart full of dread, felt the air grow oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

When Emperor Longqing remained silent, no one dared rise; a vague thought arose among them that something was off about him.

Ordinarily, hearing that one's own younger brother fainted but was fine would bring great relief, yet now they sensed Emperor Longqing's disappointment.

After a long while, Emperor Longqing finally said slowly: "You all stay here and watch carefully; if Prince Rui makes any mistake, I will take your lives!"

Emperor Longqing turned, cast one more glance at the bed where Xiao Yin lay, then, unwillingly, led his men away.

Ling Feng and others personally escorted Emperor Longqing out, then returned to the Eastern Garden.

He had just entered, only to see his own Prince staring blankly at the silk curtain above, the light in his eyes gone, leaving only cold gloom.