Chapter 1553

In mid-July, after finally becoming leisurely due to the improved relationship between the two masters, the Azure Splendor Hall once again welcomed a new round of careful busyness.

Palace maids and eunuchs carrying water basins and medicine bowls filed in, each keeping their heads lowered and daring not to look at anything, fearful of bumping into the masters or seeing something they shouldn't.

Inside the Azure Splendor Hall, it was again the usual oppressive heaviness; it seemed the joy of the past half month had been illusory, only this pain and bleeding were real.

The only difference from before was that the emperor's body had recovered, so he no longer needed to lie helplessly in bed waiting for the imperial physician to cut his wrist.

In short, Jin Chen this time intended to bleed himself, and Imperial Physician Liu dared not defy him, merely waiting aside.

Outside the screen, Xie Zhiwei still lay on the noble consort's chair, his black hair hanging to the floor unattended, draped in a loose long robe, lost in thought, his phoenix eyes vacant as they fixed on the slowly rising incense.

Jin Chen took the sharp dagger from Imperial Physician Liu's hand, instinctively glanced toward the screen, but his gaze was drawn to the eunuch beside Xie Zhiwei whose expression was unnatural; he furrowed his brow, and his eyes naturally fell on the empty bowl that person held.

He was responsible for later collecting the blood, then adding the medicinal ingredients and directly handing the bowl to Xie Zhiwei to drink.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?" Imperial Physician Liu saw he delayed moving, worried about missing the time for Xie Zhiwei to take his medicine, and thus urged him twice.

Jin Chen raised his hand to signal him to be quiet, "Let the prince come in."

"Yes."

The chief palace maid hurriedly went outside the screen; upon hearing, Xie Zhiwei glanced several times toward Jin Chen and slowly nodded.

"Your Majesty." Xie Zhiwei sat down beside him; upon seeing the dagger in Jin Chen's hand, his gaze darkened a fraction, and his tongue almost bit until it bled.

Jin Chen then drew him into his embrace, pulled his hair behind his ear, their temples rubbing as he asked, "That little eunuch outside holding the bowl, do you recognize him?"

Xie Zhiwei, already heated from the backlash of his cultivation qi flowing in reverse, softened at once in Jin Chen's arms when embraced, clinging bonelessly to his neck to steady himself, and upon hearing the words looked outward.

"I don't recognize him; he must be a newly assigned eunuch."

He was filled with obsession and resentment toward himself, his thoughts consumed by jealousy without distinction, and upon seeing that the little eunuch had a fairly delicate, pale face, his gaze instantly turned murderous.

"Could it be that Your Majesty, seeing his good looks, also wants to take him into the harem?" Xie Zhiwei asked, his serpentine delicate arms already tightly encircling Jin Chen's shoulders, as if he needed to cling to him to survive.

"I'm not that desperate either." Jin Chen blushed, understanding a bit more of the handsome prince's jealousy, his fingers hooking his black hair as he played with it, "You sure know when to be jealous."

Only then did Xie Zhiwei withdraw his murderous gaze; the earlier heaviness and oppression eased a bit more, and as he tried to rise from Jin Chen's body he was pressed down, silently raising his brows in puzzlement.

Jin Chen summoned Imperial Physician Liu forward and asked, "If the prince drinks the blood first then takes the medicine, will it affect the efficacy?"

Imperial Physician Liu hurriedly replied, "As long as the interval does not exceed half an hour, there will certainly be no problem."

Jin Chen then relaxed, with one arm embracing Xie Zhiwei to let him lean against his opened right shoulder, his left hand holding the dagger and making only a small incision there, he scratched his chin and said, "These days are different from before; why go through that extra step?"

Xie Zhiwei curled up in the embrace, his eyes fixed on the seeping wound, he pressed his shoulder and lowered his head to suck the blood; his still-warm body instantly began to tremble faintly, growing ever hotter.

The scent of blood mixed with agarwood in his breath became ever more alluring; Xie Zhiwei resembled a restless phantom, letting a few drops of blood he couldn't swallow in time flow down without paying them any heed.

Jin Chen pressed the back of his neck, gently stroking as if caressing a cultivated enchanting ghost.

Imperial Physician Liu really dared not watch this scene, but since Jin Chen gave no word to let him leave, he could only kneel as if he did not exist.

Fortunately Jin Chen still remembered that someone was kneeling here, yet he did not immediately order Imperial Physician Liu to leave; first he gave the chief palace maid a glance, she being one who had served since childhood, she instantly understood the emperor's intent and rushed outside the screen to make a move to seize the bowl from the little eunuch's hand.

"Hey!" The little eunuch, just then nervous, his heart and eyes full of worry that the prince would not need the bowl to drink blood, when suddenly about to be snatched away he instantly reacted.

He had been exposed! No wonder the little emperor suddenly changed his mind!

The little eunuch brandished a dagger with a backhand, yet stabbed the chief palace maid, failing to notice Liu Feng entering from the door; his petty skills could not compare to the emperor's personal attendants, and he was subdued alive after just two moves.

Hearing the commotion, Xie Zhiwei weakly withdrew from his muddled consciousness, wanting to rise and look, yet Jin Chen pressed the back of his neck, his low, hoarse voice cutting off his curiosity.

"Don't get distracted."

Just those three short words made Xie Zhiwei's already tingling waist go even softer; he let out a soft hum and leaned completely against Jin Chen's chest, his trembling lashes sinking into a new round of hazy oblivion.

"Bring the bowl over." Jin Chen said in a low voice.

"Yes."

The chief palace maid brought the bowl over, separated by a handkerchief; Imperial Physician Liu immediately took it and examined it carefully.

Jin Chen was not in a hurry either, seemingly having no intention to assign blame; as time passed second by second, only the sound of his bent fingers tapping the bed could be heard.

Thump, thump, the little eunuch clearly had not yet been punished; first he was utterly terrified by the imperial majesty, trembling and wanting to bite his tongue to kill himself, when Liu Feng promptly noticed and delivered another punch.

Imperial Physician Liu finally noticed something odd about the bowl's bottom, startled and pale, he knelt and bowed: "Your Majesty, there is deadly poison in the bowl's bottom!"

In that instant, the already quiet Azure Splendor Hall became deathly silent; the palace maids and eunuchs guarding outside the screen dared not even breathe, fearing the emperor's wrath would visit upon all the palace folk.

Jin Chen's tapping beneath the bed ceased, he lifted a hand to lightly stroke Xie Zhiwei's back, his voice cold: "What poison?"

This... I cannot tell for the moment; I only know it is harmful to the Prince's body. If Your Majesty has not noticed, I fear... I fear it may cost the Prince's life.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the attendants in the hall fell to their knees, trembling and breaking out in cold sweat, feeling utterly strange in their hearts.

For an emperor to undergo bloodletting is a matter of great importance; each month it requires the strictest methods to eliminate any danger, so how could a poison-laden eunuch have been allowed to enter today?

"Liu Feng, take this eunuch down and interrogate him thoroughly."

"You must quickly find out exactly what poison this is." These words were addressed to Imperial Physician Liu.

Imperial Physician Liu repeatedly agreed, yet did not just leave the Azure Splendor Hall like that; no one knew whether there was still an insider watching in secret, so he only had a senior palace maid go to the Imperial Medical Office to send word, and had his young disciple bring the medicine box over.