Physician, Not A Consort

Once Ning Nuoli was carried away, Emperor Haoyue let go of Keqing and turned to Lin Haihai to say, “I have a favor to ask, Physician Lin!”

He had addressed himself as the common “I” rather than “this Emperor”, which made it clear the gravity of his request.

“What is it?” For Keqing’s sake, Lin Haihai would offer her help if it was in her power to do so.

“Please save someone for me!” Emperor Haoyue said earnestly. “He’s unconscious!”

“Who is he?” Lin Haihai asked. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to save him!”

“He’s the former emperor of Rong, Murong Jinlin!” Emperor Haoyue’s words struck Keqing like lightning. She trembled and asked, “He’s not dead? He’s still alive?”

Her eyes shone with hopefulness. She wanted it to be true.

Emperor Haoyue looked at her gently and said in a low voice, “How could I possibly hurt him? I knew he was dear to you. If he died, you wouldn’t be able to keep living. And if you were dead, how could I linger in this world? I simply wished to weed out the unrest in the nation for him and cemented the rule of the throne. I never wanted to be the emperor. You should know what I’ve always wanted!”

Behind every word was the blood and tears he had shed. His wish had never changed for the past two decades. How was Keqing going to repay him for his love and devotion?

“How did he end up unconscious?” asked Lin Haihai.

“When I took over the throne, he was flirting with Imperial Consort Yu in the Imperial Garden.” Emperor Haoyue said bluntly. “In a moment of carelessness, he fell off the fake mountain. All guards had left the palace to engage my army, which prevented them from going to his aid in time. He ended up losing consciousness from blood loss.”

“That treacherous son never changed!” Keqing threw up a mouthful of blood. When the regent invaded the palace, Juanzi had taken Keqing away immediately upon receiving the news. Then they ran into a group of assassins. Naturally, Keqing assumed that it was the regent’s doing, which made her resent the man deeply. When news got out that the emperor had passed away, she put two and two together, thinking the regent had killed her son. However, it turned out that her son had been flirting with his consorts even when there was a coup. Anger and disappointment overwhelmed Keqing, threatening to make her faint.

Emperor Haoyue panicked, while Lin Haihai rushed to take Keqing’s pulse. To her delight, the gu in Keqing’s body had been completely removed. The blood she threw up consolidated into thread-like worms once it touched the floor.

“How is she?” Emperor Haoyue asked in a trembling voice.

“She’s alright. Her gu has been dissolved!” Lin Haihai smiled with relief, feeling a great weight lifted from her heart.

“Really?” The perpetual frown on the emperors’ face smoothed over, and his ever-icy expression turned into a smile. “Thank you, Physician Lin!”

Juanzi dropped onto her knees with a thud and kowtowed to Lin Haihai. Tears streamed down her face as she looked up and said, “Thank you, Physician Lin! If not for you, Mistress and I would’ve died somewhere on the street!”

Haoyue’s expression hardened, and his throat tightened. He knew Keqing must have suffered as a fugitive outside the nation, and he thought he was prepared. However, his heart still clenched painfully when he heard Juanzi’s words. He would have to make amends to Keqing for the rest of his life!

“You don’t have to thank me for what I’ve done for Keqing!” Lin Haihai said. She turned around to face Murong Zixuan. She knew he must have gone through some struggle as well. “What was done by the previous generation is all in the past, Zixuan. Please let go of that grudge!”

Only then did Emperor Haoyue discover Murong Zixuan. He gave the young man a cold glance. “Why didn’t you come to the palace to find me if you were back?”

“First, I didn’t know Imperial Uncle had become the emperor,” Zixuan said coldly. “Second, I didn’t think it was necessary!”

“This Emperor had evidence proving that your mother had poisoned the empress dowager, but she ended up committing suicide out of a guilt, and this Emperor hadn’t put the blame on you. Why would you become angry with me?” Emperor Haoyue had always cared about this nephew of his, but they ended up becoming enemies.

“It wasn’t my mother who poisoned the tea, but your Ning Nuoli!” Zixuan bit out, the resentment on his face was painful for Lin Haihai to look at. “She used my kind mother to serve the tea to the empress dowager, but the tea was already poisoned by that point! The empress dowager drank the tea and died of poison. My mother became the prime suspect. Ning Nuoli then held me hostage to force my mother to confess. She admitted to the crime for me, and she was forced to take her life in prison!”

Emperor Haoyue was stunned. He didn’t expect that to be the truth. No wonder Zixuan had insisted on learning martial arts from then on. He must have regretted not being able to fight back when he was held hostage due to his lack of training! With a heart heavy with guilt, Emperor Haoyue patted Zixuan on the shoulder and said with love, “I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through, Zixuan!”

Murong Zixuan almost cried. “I wasn’t the one who had suffered, Imperial Uncle, but my mother!”

“The truth has come out, and the culprit has gotten what she deserved,” Lin Haihai interjected. “Let’s not dwell on tragedies of the past. We should hurry into the palace to check on Keqing’s son!”

She wanted to reach an agreement with the emperor as soon as possible for Rong not to interfere with Daxing’s internal affairs.

Emperor Haoyue looked at Zixuan, seemingly having made up his mind about something. “Would you come to the palace with this Emperor? This Emperor has something to tell you!”

Murong Zixuan looked up at him curiously. “Can’t you tell me now?”

“It’s an important matter. This Emperor would like to spend some time having a detailed discussion with you!” Emperor Haoyue faced Zixuan with his naturally imperious face, his eyes shining with a serious and thoughtful glint.

Murong Zixuan nodded. The group followed the emperor back to the palace.

Lin Haihai checked Murong Jinlin’s pulse before applying needles to remove the blood clots in his veins. Keqing looked at his foolish son with her face covered in tears. He wasn’t fit to be the emperor. Without Haoyue, the power their ancestors had gained would be lost as well.

Emperor Haoyue and Zixuan had been talking in private in the Imperial Study from noon to dusk. Meanwhile, Wangchen and Zheng Feng sat by the lake waiting. Wangchen rested her head on Zheng Feng’s shoulder, feeling the desolation of autumn with her eyes closed.

After some time, she opened her eyes to look at the leaves that had fallen into the lake. “I’m worried about Master. Is she really going to leave this world?”

“There’s no use worrying about her. It’s all in fate’s hand!” Zheng Feng’s expression was dim. The world would have lost its colors when she departed.

“I’ll miss her dearly if she’s gone!” Wangchen couldn’t hide the dejection in her eyes. She’d seen Lin Haihai becoming more and more anxious as she took care of one thing after another. Wangchen knew she was tying up all the loose ends in this world so that she wouldn’t have to worry about everyone.

“You have me. Don’t worry. I’ll be keeping you company in the future!” Zheng Feng said earnestly. It pained him to see the disheartened look on Wangchen’s face.

Wangchen was moved. This man had finally given her his heart. Everything would be just perfect if Master could stay as well!

Lin Haihai looked at them from a distance with droplets of tears stuck to her eyelashes. Zheng Feng and Wangchen had been the two people she was most worried about. Zheng Feng had feelings for her, which was something Lin Haihai only knew after Yu Qing told her. The realization shocked and worried her. Thinking of how deeply Wangchen had fallen for Zheng Feng, she felt incredibly guilty. It was fortunate that Zheng Feng had finally moved on. Lin Haihai wiped away the tears on her face and quietly walked away.

Murong Jinlin hadn’t yet woken up. Lin Haihai had done everything she could to save the foolish former emperor. All patients were equal in her eyes, and he was nothing but a patient to her.

I miss him, Lin Haihai thought. Those he’s sent must have been reporting to him what I’m doing. What about him? Does he miss me? If even being separated for only a little more than ten days feels this torturous, how are we going to face the rest of our lonely life once we’re forever apart?

Once an agreement was reached with Rong, they wouldn’t have to worry about the upcoming war. Prince Pingnan wouldn’t be that big a threat without reinforcement from Rong. Of course, even the most minor war would lead to casualties, and it was best to avoid it altogether. However, Prince Pingnan had been harboring his ambition for too long to give up so easily. Even if he didn’t stand a chance, he would still give it his all, putting everything he had despite the risk.

He didn’t care about his own life, but he would be dragging everyone in this world into a bitter war. Lin Haihai sighed. Power truly begot madness!

From the shadows, a figure emerged. He was dressed in all black, and his face was covered with a black piece of cloth. He bowed to Lin Haihai before presenting her with a decorated box with both hands, saying respectfully, “This lowly guard was tasked to give this to Physician Lin by His Majesty!”

Lin Haihai accepted the box with delight and thanked the man. The man dressed in black disappeared without saying another word.

Lin Haihai held the box in her arms, shedding tears of yearning. They understood each other so well. Their deep love made it possible for them to be in sync without exchanging a word.

Slowly, she opened the box. It was empty save for a letter. She unfolded it and read the only line written on the paper: Can you feel the love I’ve put into the box?

Lin Haihai covered her face and bawled. She was doomed to never reciprocate his deep love! She had thought that he would forget about their relationship with the Forgetness Pill, and she would be the only one tortured by their separation. She was willing to bear the pain for him. After all, she was the one who barged into this era and made a mess of his life. However, she had to leave him with nothing but an apology. That was beyond cruel to him!

Keqing walked up to her slowly. She had been told about everything between Lin Haihai and the emperor of Daxing. While she felt sorry for Lin Haihai, she was also a little angry at her. When two people were in love, both had to take responsibility for the relationship. It wasn’t right for one side to keep giving with the other side being the reluctant recipient. Perhaps he would like to be the giving side as well, but she never gave him the chance!

Keqing was about to say something when Emperor Haoyue and Murong Zixuan approached her gingerly. Emperor Haoyue looked at her lovingly and said, “Would you be willing to go into the mountain with me and lead a life following the rise and fall of the sun?”

Keqing covered her mouth in disbelief. It was a dream she had been harboring for so long. Would he really give up everything to lead a reclusive life with her?

“I’ve given the throne to Zixuan. I’ve seen what he’s capable of. He’s kind-hearted, brave, and wise. He’ll lead Rong into prosperity as well as I do, if not better! Lin’er will be a prince leading a life of freedom. He’ll be assigned with his own territory, but he’s not to get involved in state affairs. That may turn out to be a good thing for him. What do you think?”

Emperor Haoyue smiled faintly, his eyes shining with love. It was the first time in the past two decades that he’d ever expressed his feelings so openly.

Keqing nodded in earnest before putting her arms around the man who had given up on fame and power for her. She had been waiting for this day for forever, and she didn’t know what to say when it became reality!

Lin Haihai walked up to them and said sincerely to Murong Zixuan, “Congratulations! That is a wise decision!”

Zixuan chuckled and gave Lin Haihai a hug. “I’d rather lead a peaceful life with the woman I love instead of shouldering the mantle Imperial Uncle passed to me, but alas, that woman will never return my feelings. I have to take responsibility for the nation so that she can be with the person she loves!”

Lin Haihai pushed him away gently with a bright smile, touched. “Since you’ve become the emperor, there are things I must discuss with you!”

She had to reach an agreement of peace with him. That was the reason she visited Rong in the first place.

“There’s no need for that. Rong and Daxing will sign a peace treaty, forbidding either party from waging a war against the other forever!” Murong Zixuan was a man who valued peace. He didn’t want to see the people of the world suffer due to war, and he understood and respected Lin Haihai’s belief. He knew what Lin Haihai wanted before she even put it into words.

Lin Haihai patted him on the shoulder. “I, Lin Haihai, will be Murong Zixuan’s friend forever as well!”

Murong Zixuan held her hand and nodded seriously.