FID – Chapter 1073

Chapter 1073 — How Many People Want You Dead?

These past few days, the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau had been in utter turmoil.

First, they pooled all the strength of the entire bureau to examine His Majesty for signs of poisoning, yet they found nothing.

Then, the Emperor’s most beloved Prince Shunyang summoned imperial physicians to treat an itching rash on the back of his hand. They failed again! And in the end, it healed on its own.

Immediately after, the Saintess of the Gu Medicine Clan also came to them, asking them to examine her for some strange poison within her body. Still no results!

One failure after another made them look utterly incompetent!

They were nearly doubting themselves, wondering whether they had truly mastered their craft at all.

Otherwise, how could it be that after more than ten, even several dozen years of dedicated study, not a single one of them could solve these medical puzzles?

This feeling was not only crushing, but also terrifying.

They were imperial physicians. If imperial physicians proved useless, would the Emperor still keep them around?

That fear only deepened when the Saintess of the Gu Medicine Clan left with a stormy expression.

Why had the Princess Consort of Nanling slipped into the Xiliang imperial palace? And if she did sneak in, could she not refrain from poisoning people at random?

She was practically a walking plague god!

Seated in the carriage returning to Yun Palace, Shan Lai’s expression remained cold and heavy.

As the carriage rumbled along, the window curtains occasionally lifted, letting the street lights spill inside. They flickered and faded, casting shifting shadows across the woman’s eyes, making them dark and unreadable.

It was hard to guess what she was thinking.

“Go to Prince Shunyang’s Manor.”

The next day was the Deity Festival—Xiliang’s grandest celebration.

Xiliang devoutly worshipped gods and Buddhas; temples could be found everywhere within the kingdom, and the common people firmly believed in the spirits’ power.

Liu Yusheng knew that she would definitely not be able to enjoy peace on such a day, so when she was awakened before dawn, she wasn’t surprised at all.

She allowed the palace maids to dress her up, letting them fuss with her hair and face.

Only once she left Changshou Palace would she have any chance of contacting Feng Qingbai and Xue Qinglian.

The two of them must still be in the palace, just unable to reach her.

At the hour of Chen (7-9am), the old Emperor arrived at Changshou Palace. When he saw Liu Yusheng’s attire, satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

She wore grand ceremonial robes in pure black, her face covered by a black veil, revealing only a pair of luminous, flowing eyes.

Her usual calm and gentle temperament was completely transformed.

She now appeared noble and aloof, with an air of profound mystery.

“Beautiful,” the old Emperor nodded approvingly.

The way he looked at her was as if she were entirely his possession. It made Liu Yusheng feel sick.

“Escort Saintess Qian Mei to the palanquin.”

Liu Yusheng stared at the old Emperor coldly. “I am the King of Nanling’s Consort, Liu Yusheng.”

“No. You are Qian Mei, the Saintess the Saintess Tribe offered to us. In Xiliang, there is no King’s Consort named Liu Yusheng. She has never been here.”

Liu Yusheng’s pupils contracted slightly, then she let out a cold laugh.

Self-deluding old wretch.

All for the sake of pursuing immortality—he actually tried to erase the fact that she had ever come, intending to claim her openly as his own and use her to extend his life.

She used to think her group of troublesome friends were shameless, but compared to the old Emperor, they were nothing but amateurs. This man wasn’t merely thick-skinned; he had no shame at all.

Following the Emperor’s orders, the palace maids and eunuchs came forward and took Liu Yusheng by the arms on both sides, guiding her forward. Perhaps knowing how highly the Emperor valued her, none of them dared use too much force in fear of hurting her. This made the situation slightly more bearable for Liu Yusheng.

The royal sacrifice to the gods was a grand and solemn affair.

Liu Yusheng was arranged to ride in the same imperial carriage as the old Emperor. Peering through the gauzy curtains surrounding the dragon palanquin, she saw the masses below—crowds upon crowds dressed in ceremonial finery, numbering in the hundreds and thousands.

Just the members of the Xiliang royal family, along with their accompanying womenfolk, numbered in the hundreds.

Five generations present,from the eldest to the youngest; one could easily imagine the scale.

Beyond them were the civil and military officials of the entire court, the palace maids and eunuchs attending them, and the officers and guards responsible for security. The procession leaving the palace stretched out like a dragon, its tail nowhere in sight.

Liu Yusheng glanced at the scene outside only once before withdrawing her gaze. Sitting beside the old Emperor, she lowered her eyes and said nothing.

The old Emperor wore his bright yellow dragon robe, his expression stern and humorless. He radiated authority even without anger, and the sheer imperial presence around him was suffocating.

Liu Yusheng treated that oppressive aura as though it were nothing; she seemed completely unaffected.

The old Emperor wasn’t surprised by her reaction. “Those who live beside people of high status naturally absorb some of their bearing. Their temperament becomes different from ordinary folk, and their insight is worlds apart. You’ve been well taught.”

Taught? Taught your sister, she cursed silently.

He was implying that after marrying Feng Qingbai, she had become accustomed to being beside someone in a position of power, and thus no longer reacted with the fear common people felt.

Liu Yusheng gave a cold laugh and turned her head away, ignoring his words and letting him prattle on as he pleased.

“All my life, I have pursued longevity. Many have secretly said that my methods are absurd. But look, I’ve lived to ninety. Among the many short-lived emperors throughout history, I am the one who lasted the longest. That proves my pursuit was not wrong. Otherwise, what’s the point of striving all one’s life to sit on the dragon throne, only to enjoy barely a decade of glory?”

The old Emperor acted as though he couldn’t see Liu Yusheng’s resistance or disgust, speaking to her with great enthusiasm, “In my pursuit of longevity, I have never neglected state affairs. I am not like those emperors who wash their hands of government and become muddle-headed and incompetent. Under my governance, Xiliang has grown stronger by the day. One day, it will stand at the peak of the continent, the sole great power. If you are willing to help me, to let me live a little longer, your name will surely be inscribed on the honors of that future glory.”

“What’s the point of living longer? Are you proud of outliving your children and grandchildren one by one? Do you not realize that you’ve sat on that dragon throne for too long, so long that countless people beneath you want you dead, want you gone this very instant? At any moment, you might die at the hands of your own descendants.” Liu Yusheng smiled faintly at him. “You sit at the very peak of power, yet you’re still so obsessed with clinging to authority, refusing to give others a chance to rise. Do you really think your children and grandchildren are all obedient and docile?”

Five generations under one roof.

Among commoners, such a sight was a tremendous blessing.

But in the imperial family, it was a completely different matter. It meant that four generations below the emperor spent their entire lives watching that dragon throne, knowing they would never get to sit on it. In the end, before the first generation died, the younger ones were already in their graves. After tasting that bitterness, the royal descendants were bound to rebel.

The old Emperor fell silent. His drooping eyelids lifted slightly as he regarded Liu Yusheng with an unreadable expression.

Liu Yusheng was quite pleased.

She liked seeing him uncomfortable.

And besides, he couldn’t kill her.

The imperial procession had already exited the palace and reached the main avenue of the capital. Citizens knelt in rows on both sides of the street, shouting in unison—the noise shaking the sky.

After circling through the city, the procession left the gates, heading toward the imperial temple in the outskirts.

Liu Yusheng did not understand the rituals of Xiliang’s sacrificial ceremony. She thought they would go straight to the temple, but unexpectedly, there was a temporary palace midway.

It existed for the royal family to rest during the journey.

After half an hour of brief respite, they would depart again.

Inside the temporary palace, Liu Yusheng saw Shan Lai again—as well as Prince Shunyang.

The two came to pay respects to the old Emperor, but she had no idea what they discussed; she was dismissed.

She sat behind a screen beside the main hall. Through the narrow gaps in the screen, she could only see the silhouettes of the three conversing.

After the audience ended and they were about to leave, Shan Lai glanced in her direction. That look made a tight knot form in Liu Yusheng’s chest.