Chapter 304: Chapter 301 Resentment and Poison

“He’ll be fine. He is the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, blessed with great fortune.”

Sang Jue steadied her shoulders, consoling her, “There must be some misunderstanding. Ruoshui… I’ll take you back first.”

He intended to send her back to Qingning Palace and then go to see Sang Ruoshui to investigate the truth.

“No.”

Sang Yan shook her head, with tears streaming down she said, “I can’t go back. I can’t. He’s injured, in a very dangerous state, and I have a husband-killing fate–it will only harm him.”

Sang Jue didn’t believe in these superstitions, his intuition pointed to foul play, but seeing her in such a state, he refrained from saying more and instead asked, “Then where do you want to go?”

He was unfamiliar with the Imperial Palace and didn’t know how to arrange things for her.

It was too cold.

She needed to return somewhere warm.

Qiuzhi spoke up, “Second Master, let’s go to Qifeng Palace. It’s the private chamber that the Emperor arranged for the Empress. The Empress also left for her wedding from there.”

Hearing this, Sang Jue nodded and supported Sang Yan on their way to Qifeng Palace.

The palace’s floor heating was turned on.

As they entered, a warm breath rushed towards their faces.

He helped her sit on the bed and made arrangements, “Prepare some hot water for the Lady to soak her feet. Also, make some hot soup. Attend to the Lady carefully and make sure she rests.”

Afterward, looking at the stupefied Sang Yan, he spoke softly, “Are you feeling any discomfort? Shall I call the Imperial Physician?”

Hearing ‘Imperial Physician,’ Sang Yan thought of He Ying, her emotions surging again, “You go take care of him! Stay by his side! Someone might try to hurt him…”

She couldn’t guard He Ying herself and felt extremely uneasy, so she had no choice but to entrust the brother of her original self.

Their existences were bound to share each other’s glory.

Sang Jue understood the stakes and nodded in agreement, “Alright. I’ll go. You rest well and don’t think too much.”

Sang Yan couldn’t help but worry excessively.

After pushing Sang Jue away, all she could think about was the convulsing, blood-vomiting man.

Her heart ached.

Her head throbbed.

She felt like she was being tormented in a cauldron of boiling oil.

It was too unbearable.

She felt like she was suffocating.

Qiuzhi brought some hot tea and gently persuaded her, “Lady, please drink some hot tea to warm up. You mustn’t fall ill.”

Sang Yan couldn’t bring herself to drink it, but knowing Qiuzhi was right, she forced herself to take it down.

The hot tea was indeed scalding.

It numbed her tongue.

After two gulps, she finished it and saw the palace maid carrying in the hot water, allowing them to remove her shoes and soak her feet.

The warmth spread from the soles of her feet.

It quickly enveloped her entire body.

Her body fully warmed up, but her heart was freezing cold as if it had been pierced by a knife, blowing gusts of cold wind through the large hole.

“Lady, you haven’t eaten anything all day. Please try to eat a little.”

Qiuzhi brought some bird’s nest porridge.

Sang Yan ate a bit reluctantly, and then sent Little Guizi to inquire about He Ying’s injuries.

Little Guizi returned quickly with news, “The Emperor is still unconscious. It is Doctor Luo who’s dressing the Emperor’s wounds now, and the bleeding has stopped.”

What he didn’t mention was that the Emperor had developed a high fever.

The situation was even more critical.

Unaware of the details, Sang Yan felt some relief hearing that the bleeding had stopped. Yet, she was so agitated that she paced restlessly around the palace.

She paced around until the third period of night.

Qiuzhi reminded her that it was time to sleep.

She did lie down in bed, but she was unable to sleep; as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of Sang Ruoshui attacking He Ying with a knife surfaced in her mind.

At that time, she was under a red veil, oblivious to everything.

It was Sang Ruoshui’s crazy laughter that startled her.

By the time she lifted the red veil, it was to the sight of He Ying being stabbed.

How she regretted it!

If she had noticed Sang Ruoshui’s presence earlier, if she had been just a little quicker to stop her, would he have been spared?

And earlier still, if she had hardheartedly sent Sang Ruoshui out of the palace–

She couldn’t bear to think further.

The more she thought, the more remorseful she became!

Oh, Sang Ruoshui!

Tears streaming, she clenched her fists, wishing desperately to kill her.

“Lady–”

Nanny Hu hurried in, her expression tense and her eyes carrying a hint of fear, “Lady, something terrible has happened!”

Sang Yan sat up in shock, her face drained of color, her mouth agape, “Is it the Emperor–”

“It’s not that. Not that. It’s Princess Consort Sang–”

After catching her breath, Nanny Hu revealed the truth, “It’s Princess Consort Sang from the Prison Department–she bit her tongue and committed suicide.”

Sang Yan felt relieved upon hearing that Sang Ruoshui had met with trouble: “It’s Sang Ruoshui ah! She deserves death more than anyone!”

But she shouldn’t have died at this time!

Nor should she have died so easily!

Her heart became spiteful as she sneered, “Bit her own tongue to commit suicide? Is she dead?”

Nanny Hu shook her head, “Not completely dead. Looks like she’s close though. Good thing she was found in time. My Lady, would you like to have a look?”

She was enticing Sang Yan to the Prison Department.

That’s where this scheme would end.

How could Sang Yan know it was all a setup?

She was unable to sleep and was troubled, so she got out of bed.

Qiuzhi wanted to follow.

Nanny Hu glanced at her and instructed, “You go take a trip to Qingning Palace, then go check on the Emperor’s condition.”

Qiuzhi subconsciously felt something was amiss and looked to Sang Yan, “My Lady?”

Sang Yan nodded her head.

Before going to bed she had sent Little Guizi to Qingning Palace, and still hadn’t seen anyone return.

Indeed, someone ought to give it another look.

Let that be Qiuzhi.

In the Imperial Palace, she had no sense of insecurity whatsoever.

Little did she know, once the Emperor collapsed, all sorts of demons and fiends would come out to play.

So she took a few palace maids and eunuchs and followed Nanny Hu to the Prison Department.

The Prison Department was an underground prison.

Sang Ruoshui was locked in the innermost cell, collapsed on the ground like a corpse, her mouth corners stained with dried blood.

She had bitten her own tongue, but she had not died.

The pain made her lucid.

It seemed like she had wounded He Ying?

No, not it seemed like.

It was real.

The fresh blood on her hands was clear evidence.

“Uuuuu–”

She covered her mouth crying, bewildered by how she ended up murdering him.

It felt like she had been in a prolonged dream.

Upon awakening, the man she loved fell heavily to the ground.

“No… not… wasn’t supposed to…”

Her tongue was injured, and she could not articulate a complete sentence.

Moreover, every time she opened her mouth, fresh blood spilled from the corners.

What should she do?

How was He Ying doing?

She didn’t want to kill him.

But how did she end up killing him?

“Greetings to the Empress–”

The prison guards stood outside the door.

Upon seeing Sang Yan, they knelt one after another.

Sang Ruoshui, hearing the sound, brightened up, her weakened body seemingly gaining strength as she crawled on her hands to the door.

Like an animal struggling on its deathbed.

Through the wooden prison door, she saw–wrapped in a red cloak–her.

The hat of the red cloak was made of red fox fur.

Enveloped in a thick layer, it looked warmly inviting.

When the red fox fur clustered around the woman’s snowy white jawline, it made her skin appear porcelain white.

Delicate as a porcelain doll.

How glaring!

Why did she kill He Ying instead of her?

She must have gone mad!

Sang Yan thought so too.

Even though Sang Ruoshui was a case of unrequited love, she shouldn’t have laid a finger on He Ying.

While it’s said women shouldn’t make things difficult for each other, Sang Ruoshui had no such realization.

She should have been the one to face difficulties.

Why did she lay hands on He Ying?

“Why?”

She looked down at the pitiful and disheveled woman on the ground and asked, “Sang Ruoshui, why did you do such a thing?”

Sang Ruoshui shook her head, trying to speak with a mouth full of blood, “I don’t know… I don’t know… what happened?”

What she wanted to say was–I don’t know. I don’t know how this happened. It felt like something had taken control of me.

But her tongue was injured, severely slurring her speech.