Chapter 76 (1/2)

The wolf cub has almost arrived at the capital, Zhou Yun Sheng would give Gao Min a month to set the stage.

Half a month later, he made some stewed chicken soup using 100-year old ginseng and had it sent to the Yang Xin Temple.

Li Jin Tian was very suspicious lately, he had a servant test anything he ate. But the Hun pill was a chronic poison, the attack was slow, and the signs of injection into the blood would disappear in half a minute. Even a silver needle wouldn’t detect it, let alone a poison tester. Li Jin Tian has been eating the poison for a month, the toxicity has dissipated, and even the most experienced doctor in Da Yanguo wouldn’t be able to diagnose any abnormalities.

One day, after eating the lunch sent by Gao Min, he went to the imperial study to take care of governmental affairs. Just as he picked up the brush, he suddenly felt a stir in his chest and coughed up black blood.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?” The Head Eunuch felt his soul fly away in fright, he trembled, “This blood’s color is extremely abnormal, is it poisoning? Hurry, we need the imperial doctor!”

“Don’t shout! Make Xu Yuan secretly come over, no one can see him!” Li Jin Tian was the Emperor, he understood why this matter couldn’t spread to outsiders. He couldn’t let this out of the room before the truth was ascertained.

The Head Eunuch did not have time to close his mouth before the hidden spy followed the command.

Xu Yuan posed as a servant to enter the study, he knelt down to read the Emperor’s pulse, then shook his head after a moment- he couldn’t find out anything. He’d only taken two minutes to reach the study, yet the signs of poisoning had already vanished.

“Check this chicken soup.” Li Jin Tian pointed to the soup bowl on the table. Today, the only exception to his diet was the chicken soup sent from Zi Chen Palace. He didn’t want to doubt Qi Xiujie, but he couldn’t read people’s hearts.

Xu Yuan tested the soup and concluded that the chicken soup only had 100-yr old ginseng, it was a tonic that could only help the body.

“… There are more dishes here, continue testing.” Li Jin Tian slumped down into his chair. Except for the chicken soup from Zi Chen Palace, the other foods were all personally overseen by Gao Min. If it was not Qi Xiujie, it could only be Gao Min. That conclusion made his chest burn, it hurt a thousand times more and was more difficult to swallow than even the most dangerous poison.

If the Han pills do not enter the human body, its toxicity can last in the water or food it’s in for a long time. Gao Min had urged the attendants to dump and destroy the dishes as soon as the Emperor ate, but today, for some reason, the Head Eunuch had quietly entered the imperial kitchen and gathered the leftovers neatly into a food box.

After checking the Emperor’s favorite steamed bass, the doctor was surprised a moment, then he immediately threw away the chopsticks in his hands. After hearing the crisp sound of chopsticks falling to the ground, Li Jin Tian trembled. He eventually gritted his teeth and asked, “How is it?”

“Yes, this is the dish, it seems to be Han pills. Because the Emperor coincidentally ate the 100 yr. old ginseng today, it fought with the toxicity and caused you to cough up blood. If not for this ginseng, I’m afraid that you wouldn’t find out about your poisoning.” The subtext was to expect the possibility of death.

To clear any doubt, the doctor punctured the Emperor’s fingertips, took a drop of blood, and dropped it into a special fluid agent for inspection. After a moment, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed, afraid to say it out loud.

Well, it finally came to this step. Is this the so-called fate? So why did God let me be reborn? Perhaps he wanted me to compensate someone, and that person was not Gao Min. Li Jin Tian gave a wry smile, then calmly opened, “Can I be saved?”

The doctor was silent.

Li Jin Tian understood and changed the question, “How many days do I have to live?”

The silence was deep, then the doctor finally whispered, “I p-predict…. perhaps in four or five days, His Majesty’s body will be completely exhausted.”

“Four or five days? So fast.” Li Jin Tian sighed, but his mood was unexpectedly calm. He sent the doctor away, and secretly called in the confidant he’d cultivated for three years.

——————-

Five days later, the Emperor suddenly had an accident, he was bedridden and the situation looked very critical. Gao Min and Gao Lang panicked after hearing the news, the poison effect was about 10 days earlier than their predictions, they still were missing a lot of preparations.

They thought that Li Jin Tian could drag on for a few days, but he seemed to be welcoming his death, he actually refused to take medicine. Instead, he called for the courtier representatives, the princes and their mothers to gather at the Yang Xin Temple, he seemed to want to make his final arrangements.

Gao Min kneeled together with Five Princes at the foot of the bed. Qi Xiujie kneeled by the bedside, followed by the courtier representatives. The princes, concubines, and servants all kneeled three meters away.

“I have no time, I want to explain my last whishes in front of all these people. Fu Shun, transcribe for me.”

Fu Shun was the Head Eunuch, he hurriedly got a pen and paper and listened.

“I and Gao Gui Jun have gotten along for a long time, I deeply love him, after death, I can’t bear to separate. After Gao Gui Jun buries me, I want to be born in different quilts, buried in the same hole. I beg your benevolence.”

Then he took a deep breath, he couldn’t look to see the suddenly pale Gao Min.

“I’m also willing to sacrifice.” Zhou Yun Sheng knocked his head on the ground and quietly opened, but his swollen red eyes and trembling body couldn’t hide his grief.

“You will live a good life.” Li Jin Tian gave a wry smile and waved. Even at this point in time, this person was still so silly. He never got to enjoy a life of honor, so he would let him live a good life in this world, this was the only compensation he could give him.

“I’m willing to sacrifice.” Zhou Yun Sheng kowtowed again.