145 Poison! (1/2)

Qiu Jianhan was fuming inwardly but he could only play along; feeling somewhat out of sorts, his face had taken on a sour expression.

He spoke with a long face, ”Why do I feel that this old official does not really understand Your Majesty’s words? Your Majesty is at the prime of life; I'm certain that you are feeling worn and distressed due to worrying about the empire’s affairs, but why would you feel helpless?”

The emperor rubbed at the spot between his brows again and said grimly, ”Of late, I have been listless, and insomnia has become a nightly problem.”

Yun Yang’s eyes were directed at the spot between His Majesty’s brows.

Why did His Majesty keep on rubbing at that particular spot?

How could he not know that the old marshal was admonishing him?

It seemed that the emperor was so dismissive of his affairs recently so much so that as astute and quick-witted as he was, he could not fathom the implied meaning of the old marshal’s question.

He did not even notice the tone the marshal was using; even worse, he failed to observe Qiu Jianhan’s despondent expression.

It was a peculiar situation indeed.

Yun Yang coughed and asked in concern, ”I notice that Your Majesty has been rubbing at that area between your brows. Is Your Majesty feeling a throbbing pain there?”

Qiu Jianhan turned his head immediately, his gaze flying to the spot that Yun Yang had mentioned.

As on official, it was taboo to look at the emperor directly or on even at a parallel level; needless to say, it was even moreof an affront to direct your gaze at the emperor’s lethal point. The emperor’s closest officials were not exempted from this, but how could the old marshal be concerned of such taboo right now?

He had noticed earlier that the emperor had been massaging the spot between his brows far too often previously, but he had not been overly concerned about it. After all, His Majesty had been having the habit for several years now.

He had long forgotten when exactly it was that the emperor had picked up this practice.

”Yes, I do feel a throbbing sensation around the center of my brows. It’s very uncomfortable. I feel dizzy all day long and am tempted to head to bed, but when I’ve laid myself down, I can’t fall asleep. I keep thinking of these affairs of state. In the end, I gave up trying to sleep.”

His Majesty's voice was troubled even as he continued to rub at his forehead.

It was as if the motion had become a subconscious reflex and was not controlled by the mind anymore.

Yun Yang replied, ”I see. I hazard that Your Majesty must be overly worried about the affairs of state and have over-exhausted yourself. Adding these two together, it’s easy to overwork your body. However, I don't think you've experience much success by rubbing your forehead like that. This nephew has learned of a few relaxation techniques from some experts; should this nephew be so bold as to offer a massage for Your Majesty?”

As he spoke, he gave a surreptious glance at the old marshal, speaking volumes with his eyes.

Qiu Jianhan understood the unspoken message, and played along. ”Since this child is so filial, why not let him try, Your Majesty? Let the younger generation show some degree of filial piety.”

The emperor’s body was not something an ordinary person could simply lay a finger on; what was more, his head.

Just a slight mistake would be considered a heinous crime, a familial extinction catastrophe!

Qiu Jianhan’s words had undoubtedly brought about a certain degree of risk to himself.

Having had a hand in persuading the emperor to relent, he would definitely be pulled into the whirlpool if Yun Yang had ulterior motives; a nine familial extinction would be inevitable by then.

”Yes, that would be a good idea.” His Majesty put his hand down and closed his eyes tiredly, sitting relaxedly on the chair.

Yun Yang positioned himself behind him and stretched his hands to place both his index fingers at the emperor’s temples.

The Endless Divine Art quietly worked its magic.

Qiu Jianhan stood right in front of the pair, his entire body slightly tilted and ready to act; his eyes bored holes into Yun Yang’s hands.

If Yun Yang made any wrong moves, the old marshal would not hesitate to kill him. Although he trusted him wholly, he could not help but feel slightly nervous seeing Yun Yang's hands at the emperor's temples.

Yun Yang’s Endless Divine Art had only gone through the emperor’s meridians once but his expression had turned dark immediately.

The old marshal’s heart grew heavy as well, watching his expression. When Yun Yang retracted his hands, the emperor had fallen into a deep slumber.

Perhaps this was the one and only period of quality rest the head of the empire had experienced in many years.

”How is he?” the old marshal asked nervously.