CHAPTER 564: CHAPTER 546 DEEP AFFECTION

After diagnosing Fengyu’s pulse, Zhang Lingzheng did not find any Gu worms in her body. His main expertise was not in poisons and Gu worms, making it hard to distinguish. From the pulse, he did not detect anything unusual.

Xie Xun immediately ordered all the Imperial Physicians to be called to the side hall.

At the same time, he dispatched Feiying with a guard unit to Ningzhou to bring back Dugu Jing to the Capital City. This was a Gu worm from the Beiman, and naturally, the Beiman people would be more familiar with it. Yuwen Jing was absolutely not speaking carelessly when he was angered; Xie Xun feared he had control over Fengyu’s life, which is why he kept him around for so long.

"Third Miss, have you felt any discomfort recently?" Zhang Lingzheng had seen the pulse record before Emperor Jianming’s Gu poisoning outbreak. The pulse records filed in the Imperial Hospital were naturally falsified; even Judge Zhang dared not write the truth. However, Judge Zhang privately wrote the real pulse record, keeping it in the Zhang Family. After knowing Fengyu was implanted with Gu worms, Judge Zhang also gave the pulse record to Xie Xun and Fengyu.

When Emperor Jianming’s Gu worm acted up, there were evident symptoms of emotional instability, irritability, insomnia, mood swings, and lack of appetite, as well as signs of gloominess and melancholy. At that time, Judge Zhang and others could not diagnose the Gu worm, only knowing about it because Yuwen Jing was aware Emperor Jianming was poisoned and deliberately sent people to remind them, with assistance from the Beiman, they then realized the late emperor was affected by Gu worms, but they could find nothing unusual from the pulse.

Xie Xun felt panicked after reviewing Emperor Jianming’s pulse record.

Gloominess, lack of appetite, insomnia, irritability... all were symptoms of Fengyu. Fengyu’s irritability was particularly suppressed; others couldn’t notice it, but Xie Xun could sensitively feel it, which is why he let Fengyu handle affairs in the harem, mainly to give her things to do and distract her. Xie Xun thought it was due to Feng Shu’s death and Fengyu became ill due to pent-up emotions.

If it were Gu worms...

"I haven’t noticed anything unusual." Fengyu herself couldn’t detect anything strange; Zhang Lingzheng pondered secretly, this Third Miss again...

Truly an unlucky person!

He genuinely did not want to treat her; now that Xie Xun was the emperor, the Empress could not be a frail and sickly woman. But thinking about it, if it weren’t for Xie Xun, she wouldn’t be so plagued by disasters.

The more than ten Imperial Physicians quickly gathered in the side hall, and upon hearing it was a Gu worm, Judge Zhang was deeply troubled. How had he encountered another Gu worm? Back when Emperor Jianming’s Gu worm was out of control, he had to bear the responsibility. Such Gu worms were quite rare in Beining and nearly no one raised them.

"Your Majesty, this kind of Gu worm... I know very little about it and it’s hard to judge. Let the Imperial Hospital conduct a joint diagnosis. In the case of Emperor Jianming, the illness was treated by my father..." but despite treatment, the Gu worm was never properly controlled.

Judge Zhang could read between the lines from his son. Xie Xun was the new emperor, and everyone feared angering him; no one dared to speak the truth at this moment. Fengyu watched as the Imperial Physicians trembled with fear while kneeling, and anyone unaware might think Xie Xun was a tyrant.

"Your Majesty, we will certainly do everything in our power to research Third Miss’s condition." Judge Zhang could only say this; currently, there was no cure for Fengyu.

Fengyu, seeing the troubled Imperial Hospital, gently grasped Xie Xun’s hand and softly spoke, "Zhixu, let me talk to you, have everyone else leave the room."

"All of you, leave!" The Imperial Physicians breathed a sigh of relief and slowly retreated.

Xie Xun sat by the bedside, holding her in his arms, even then unable to suppress the dread in his heart. Yuwen Jing... truly malicious to the extreme, attacking on the sly; everyone thought Chen Mo had taken Fengyu to West State because Yuwen Jing wanted to use Fengyu to threaten Ningzhou. But unexpectedly, Yuwen Jing never intended for Fengyu to live from the start.

The victor becomes the king, the loser the villain, and even if he failed, he could still exact revenge on Xie Xun. If he had won, he could use Fengyu to control Feng Shu, achieving multiple goals in one stroke, a plan with no loss.

"Ayu, I’ve already sent Feiying to Ningzhou to seek Dugu Jing. I will cure you."

Fengyu also felt deeply saddened, thinking that everything was settled, and she could peacefully make it past eighteen, considering living past eighteen as mere words. Now, those words were coming true.

She had over three months until her eighteenth birthday.

The situation was urgent!

"Yuwen Jing used Gu worms to control Emperor Jianming, and now he’s trying the same trick. This Gu worm must have been passed from the Beiman. The Beiman recently made peace talks with us, with promising results. If they discovered I was poisoned with a Gu worm, Dugu Jing might demand an exorbitant price, even if it means giving up a town. Would you give it, or not? Back then, he dared come to the Capital City for peace talks; we should have known that Dugu Jing did not fear life or death and was both brave and resourceful. He inherited the will of the former Beiman King and wished to lead his people past the Sha Ling Tian Mountain. If it means trading my life, I must give up three towns. Ningzhou and the Beiman have been at war for many years, and the soldiers at the border have endured hardship for a century to prevent the Beiman from crossing. You cannot abandon generations of life and blood for me. Zhixu, you just ascended the throne, with everything needing attention. Do not wage a great war for my sake, I... accept the will of fate, let things take their course." Fengyu’s tone was gentle and calm; she absolutely would not allow Xie Xun to make a deal with Dugu Jing. Dugu Jing sought more than wealth or his own life; he cared whether his tribe could live comfortably and securely.

Xie Xun also could not make a trade between Beining and Dugu Jing.

It was a deadlock.

"There will be a way!" Xie Xun murmured to himself, feeling panicked inside, "Ayu, there will be a way. I won’t accept this fate; you are to grow old with me, with endless blessings and longevity."

Fengyu suddenly felt very sad but did not show it. She did not want to make the atmosphere unbearably painful, thinking the Gu worm would be just that. Even with only three months of life left, she wanted to spend it well with Xie Xun.

Xie Xun treated Fengyu as the apple of his eye, unwilling to let her out of sight for a moment, keeping her from returning to the Feng Family at night, only sending Nuanyang back to convey a message.

Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao exchanged strange looks, hesitant to speak, wanting to scold, yet feeling they couldn’t scold Xie Xun now and had to keep it bottled inside. Although Xie Xun’s actions would surely spark gossip.

Neither Xie Xun nor Fengyu cared anymore.

With a Gu worm inside the body, it could burst and cause death at any time, who still had the mind to worry about rumors?

Xie Xun also found a suitable reason, saying Yuwen Jing had imprisoned Master Miao Yun in the palace, and now in critical condition, Fengyu stayed in the palace to care for Master Miao Yun.

Master Miao Yun had not yet awakened, in a dire situation, also being treated by the Imperial Hospital. Having been tortured for nearly a year, she was emaciated, breath as faint as threads. Fengyu remained by her bedside, personally attending to her.

"Master, I am Ayu. We haven’t seen each other for six years. In these years, you have traveled the world and must have visited many places, traversing the vast land, even Sannan. You were always a free spirit, trapped in Xiangguo Temple for years, finally free to roam the seas, yet because of Ayu, you were humiliated; all of it is Ayu’s fault," Fengyu spoke softly, "Ayu apologizes to you here."