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墨書 Inktalez
I sat anxiously in the room, my body twisting restlessly. A wave of heat surged in my chest, and something churned in my abdomen, yet it was neither painful nor itchy.
Finally, I waited until dusk and sent a maid to Gao Shuo Mansion. She had been gone for two hours and still had not returned.
The situation had been urgent before, leaving no time for details.
What poison had Gao Shuo put in the wine?
At that moment, as I watched Gao Zhai prepare to hand the poisoned wine over to the imperial physician, I hadn’t thought much of it.
But now, my body felt increasingly wrong. The last sliver of sunlight vanished behind the palace walls, and I felt a sudden jolt in my spine, a piercing pain spreading from my back as if tiny ice blades were churning through my flesh. I gasped in agony.
From my back to my arms, from my chest to my lower abdomen… I curled up on the floor, my body shrinking into a ball, large beads of sweat forming on my forehead and sliding down my cheeks.
The door creaked open, and I struggled to lift my head. The maid I had sent out stood at the entrance, trembling slightly.
“Did Duke Rong say anything to you?” I asked weakly. She shook her head timidly, her movements resembling a rattle drum.
“Did he say anything at all?” I forced myself to endure the pain and leaned against the bed railing, gripping it tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure reflected on the door behind her.
Gao Zhai's dark yellow robe swayed before me as he entered, waving his hand for the palace servants behind him to retreat. His movements were graceful yet commanding as he looked at the kneeling maid and said, “What did Duke Rong say? Speak up so that I may hear it too.”
The maid trembled at his question, terrified: “The prince… he didn’t say anything.”
"Oh, is that so..." Gao Zhai said, looking at me with a half-smile, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
The intense pain coursing through my body momentarily distracted me. I couldn't brace myself and stumbled, falling heavily to the ground.
Gao Zhai dismissed the maid and slowly closed the door, walking towards me. His footsteps echoed clearly in the silent room.
He bent down and lifted me onto the bed, his movements gentle as he tucked the blanket around me, carefully pulling it up to my chin.
"Moonlight Powder," he explained. "Those poisoned by it experience excruciating pain at night and find it hard to sleep. This poison is made from hundreds of herbs, so others cannot decipher it."
He sat beside me, leaning against the bed's edge, murmuring softly to himself. "Gao Shuo has only held military power for half a year. If he were to raise an army now, the soldiers might not heed his command. A few days ago, after you informed him of the false imperial edict, he must have realized that Prime Minister Qi is eyeing his military authority with intent. I think he wouldn't risk sending the antidote into the palace at this moment; if he were caught...”
"I don't understand what the Emperor means," I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes tightly, my brows furrowed. Cold sweat had already soaked my clothes, and a chill ran down my spine involuntarily.
Gao Zhai turned to look at me and said, "The imperial physician will arrive soon. Although he can't cure the poison, at least he can make you feel a bit better." With that, he stood up and walked away slowly.
"Gao Zhai..."
He paused, turning back in surprise. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Your Highness, it seems this is the first time in years you've called me that."
"Gao Zhai, what will it take for you to let us go? Your intentions... Chaoge has no way to repay you but in another life..."
"I don't want another life."
He interrupted me, his tone firm. "I haven't held onto the past. You met Gao Shuo first, and you chose him; I have nothing to say about that. Over the years, I haven't disturbed you at all."
"Then why are you keeping me trapped in the palace now?" I asked, the scene from that night resurfacing in my mind, filled with confusion and pain.
"That's because Gao Shuo is just using you! Back then, he..." Gao Zhai started but swallowed his words. The imperial physician entered with a medicine box, and he stepped back, sitting at the tea table, watching intently as the physician took my pulse.
The physician's expression suddenly turned grave as he trembled and bowed low. "Your Majesty... Consort Rong... she is with child."
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