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Startled, Hua Zhu Yu was at a loss for words . She didn’t know how they learned of Ji Feng Li’s illness . But they were all sick themselves . If they were to remain out here in the strong night breeze, their illness could take a turn for the worse, possibly ending their lives . They knew the danger yet still came to plead for him .

But could she really tell them he was ill from something more than just the sickness?

“Please get up, don’t kneel here . ” Hua Zhu Yu couldn’t think of anything else to say and could only step forward to help them up .

“Yuan Bao Daren, if you don’t agree to save Lord Chancellor, we will kneel here the whole night . ”

These people were all sick, so why were they so stubborn?

Just for the sake of saving Ji Feng Li, would they forsake their own lives? Could it be, in the hearts of the people of Xuan Zhou, Ji Feng Li held that much importance? Despite being a powerful official with an eye for the throne, the people still chose to support him . Of course, Hua Zhu Yu was also aware that they didn’t really care who was Emperor . In their eyes, a good Emperor was someone who acted on behalf of the common people and that was all they wished for .

“I beg you sir, please save Lord Chancellor!” a patient pleaded in between coughs .

“You will save Lord Chancellor right, Yuan Bao Daren?!”

When Hua Zhu Yu’s gaze swept across the crowd, she saw their thin and pallid faces . When she met their sad, imploring eyes, her heart softened .

Her mind was in chaos .

Must she really save him?

Amid their pleadings, Hua Zhu Yu went back into the kitchen . Carrying a bowl of medicine, she came out and presented it to them . “This is the medicine I intend to deliver to Lord Chancellor . If you all continue to kneel here, how am I to deliver this medicine? You should all return and rest . I have my own ways to save Lord Chancellor . ”

Her words were effective . Everyone stood and drew back to get out of her way when they saw her bring out the bowl of medicine .

As she walked out, her blue robes quivered along with the night breeze, reflective of her present state of mind .

Recalling the events that transpired in the bridal chamber that night, she remembered how the fine jade cup of marital wine slipped from her hands, shattering into pieces on the floor . She remembered the heart-piercing, bitter pain thereafter when her body became paralyzed and collapsed upon it . His words echoed in her ears: “Why bother asking? Even the jade cup does not question why you broke it . ” Her mind then flashed to the scene at Liang Zhou where she fought and cleared a bloody path in attempt to rescue her father . He sat on that high platform, watching her struggle below . That wintry night also came to mind, followed by Jin Se’s miserable cries .

Everything was suddenly obscured by those sad, imploring gazes .

Save him! Don’t save him!

Save him! Don’t save him!

Brushing up against her cheeks, the night breeze brought a sense of chill .

Suddenly, she halted her steps, realizing that she had somehow ended up at Ji Feng Li’s door . His courtyard was exceedingly quiet . The people following behind her had also stopped in their tracks . Without a peep, they stood there, gazing at her with anticipation in their eyes .

translations at peachblossomgrove . com

Turning around, she gave them a reassuring smile, beautiful and bright .

“You all should go back, I will surely save him!” Her voice was slightly cold, yet calmly resolute, carried into the room . Without another glance their way, she entered the room .

Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating .

Lan Bing sat beside the bed with his hands covering his face . Though she couldn’t see his face, she noticed his fingers were slightly trembling . With a mournful expression, Imperial Physician Zhang stood on the side, patting his shoulders .

Hua Zhu Yu approached the bed and placed the bowl of medicine on the table . “Lan Daren, Imperial Physician Zhang, you both should take a step outside . ”

Startled, both of them lifted their heads, staring at her in a daze .

“Yuan Bao, what do you intend to do?” A thread of hope surfaced in Lan Bing’s sad eyes that was hard to conceal .

“Save Lord Chancellor, of course . You both should leave . Only return when I say so . Otherwise, I can’t guarantee he’ll survive the night! What? You don’t trust me?” Hua Zhu Yu coldly asked as she furrowed her brows .

Lan Bing and Imperial Physician Zhang stared at Hua Zhu Yu in disbelief . At this hopeless moment, they did not expect this little eunuch to come, asserting that he will save the Chancellor .

“I trust you!” they said as they nodded their heads and headed to leave, lightly shutting the door behind them .

The room was left in silence . Hua Zhu Yu slowly sat down beside the bed and took a look at Ji Feng Li . He laid there lifelessly with his eyes closed . His complexion was exceedingly pale, almost transparent, bringing emphasis to his striking pair of dark brows .

She stood and went over to the table for a teacup . With a small dagger, she slit her arm . Fresh, red blood spilled down her snow-white wrist, pooling in the cup, drop by drop .

When the outbreak occurred that year in Western Liang, there was medicine to combat and control the spread of the illness but there were many who were so gravely ill that the medicine was not effective, resulting in their passing . When the outbreak finally came to an end, the treating physician came up with a method of using the blood of those that were cured as medicine . This method was something that the physician had secretly told her .

Hua Zhu Yu never thought that she would one day use this method . She took out a brocade handkerchief and used it to bandage her arm before slowly taking the cup over to the bed .

She stared in the cup at the pool of red that was her very own blood . Never did she expect one day to use her blood to save her enemy!

She helped Ji Feng Li lean back against the bedding and fed him her blood with a spoon . But he was unconscious so any blood she fed him, spilled from the corners of his mouth .

Hua Zhu Yu was distraught . This was her blood and she didn’t want to have collected it for naught .

After staring at the blood for a moment, she came to a resolution . Gritting her teeth, she raised the cup and poured the blood in her mouth . Then slowly, she lowered her lips to Ji Feng Li’s .

His cold, parched lips made her heart gave a jump . Trying to suppress her present emotions, she focused on slowly feeding him .

Dyed by the blood, their lips were scarlet red .

Her prior resolution began to falter and she wondered whether she was making the right choice in saving him? Would she regret this decision down the road?

With lips dyed red and eyes glinting with coldness, she didn’t appear to be saving him, but rather biting him instead .

She had decided to save him because the people had begged her but deep down she knew a part of it was also due to her own selfish desires .

Dying in this way was simply too good of an ending for the likes of Ji Feng Li . She still had to defeat him and witness his suffering as he fell from grace .

Soon enough the cup of blood was fed .

Using a cloth, she wiped his lips clean and lowered him down to lay flat on the bed .

She had only heard of this method, but never tried it out before . Since she wasn’t certain it would work, she didn’t dare leave . She placed a wet cloth on his forehead and remained there . After two hours had passed, his fever seemed to have lowered somewhat and his breathing also calmed . She decided to feed him some more of her blood so she took the small dagger and inflicted another wound on her hand .

Near the break of dawn, she checked his forehead once more and found that his fever was completely gone . As long as his fever had subsided, his illness could be said to be half-cured . Hua Zhu Yu let out a sigh of relief, she didn’t expect this method to be so effective .

She stood to leave but suddenly her wrist was seized by Ji Feng Li .

“Don’t go… . Don’t leave me…” his lashes quivered as his brows knitted together in discomfort as though he was having a nightmare .

Don’t leave me? Who did he think she was? Hua Zhu Yu coldly smiled . Ji Feng Li had grabbed right at her wound, making her brows furrow together from the pain . Quickly, she withdrew her hand with force .

“Don’t go…” he said in a voice tinged with pain as his hand reached out once more to take hold of her wrist . This time he held on tightly, like a drowning man grasping at straws . “Don’t go… Don’t leave me… Mot…”

She couldn’t catch his last words for he was mumbling under his breath, incoherently .

Who he didn’t want to leave, she did not know .

His soft plea was steeped in anguish, making it hard for others to listen to .

Unknowingly, a sliver of pain gnawed at her heart .

Ji Feng Li came from an underprivileged background . To become the Left Chancellor that he was today, he surely must’ve endured countless hardships . In the beginning, she had agreed to the marriage precisely due to this reason . Within the capital city, there were many noble, distinguished men that only knew how to rely on their family backing like Huangfu Wu Shuang . She thought that it was admirable Ji Feng Li relied only on his himself and his abilities .

But this admiration was gone with the wind; she only held hatred for him now!

translations at peachblossomgrove . com

Gazing at him coldly, she placed the cup down on the table . With her free hand she tried to remove his . Suddenly in this moment, his lashes flickered and his eyes opened, cold and clear, as he gazed at her silently .

Ji Feng Li was definitely one of a kind . He fever had just broke and he already regained his consciousness .

Not expecting this, she froze in surprise and the two were left in a strange position .

Ji Feng Li was holding onto her wrist while her other hand was holding onto his .

Abruptly, they both let go .

A complicated look surfaced in his eyes as he turned to look elsewhere .

She took a step back and said with a smile, “It’s great that Lord Chancellor has awakened . I shall go prepare the medicine then . ”

“Wait!” His unfathomable eyes narrowed as he coldly stared at her before saying, “Nevermind . Call Lan Bing in . ”

Hua Zhu Yu sounded in assent . Before taking her leave, she made sure to take the bloodied cup with her . If someone saw they would surely figure out how she had saved him and she didn’t want it made known to him that she had used her own blood just to save him .

She quickly left the room .

Lan Bing and several guards were waiting outside . Upon seeing her, Lan Bing rushed forward, asking, “How is Lord Chancellor?” With bloodshot eyes, he seemed like he would choke her then and there if she didn’t give him the answer he was looking for .

“Lord Chancellor called for you,” Hua Zhu Yu replied before quickly leaving .

Resting on the bed, he looked at Lan Bing through narrowed eyes and asked, “Did Yuan Bao stay here last night? Was there no one else?”

Lan Bing replied with a smile, “Yes, Lord Chancellor! Not only were you sick, you were also poisoned . Imperial Physician Zhang had no means to save you yet Yuan Bao said he had a way so I let him stay here to take care of you but I don’t know what method he used that could be this miraculous . ”

Ji Feng Li furrowed his brows as a coldness flashed in the depths of his dark eyes .

Last night when he was lost in consciousness, he vaguely sensed a pair of hands, cool to the touch, like the snow in early spring, appearing in the night, gently stroking his forehead . Though the fingertips were cold, the palm was warm . When placed on his forehead, it brought a sense of warmth he had never felt before . He also faintly felt something soft and delicate like the petals of a flower fall on his lips . He didn’t know what it was, but what else on this earth could be that soft apart from… .

Ji Feng Li suddenly shut his eyes, not daring to continue that train of thought .

“Lan Bing, call two guards over to wait on me . As for Yuan Bao, let him go take care of the other patients!” Ji Feng Li slowly instructed .

Lan Bing was not clear of the reason so he quickly asked, “Why? Wasn’t Yuan Bao taking good care of you? If not for him…”

Ji Feng Li suddenly narrowed his eyes, glaring at Lan Bing . “No reason! Just do so!”

Lan Bing nodded in assent . Seeing Ji Feng Li’s ice cold face, he didn’t dare continue questioning .

“Have you found anything in regards to the poison?” Ji Feng Li coldly asked .

“Tong Shou discovered that the poison was hidden in the candle, when lit, the poison evaporates into the air . It is an odorless poison and the dose is very small, only if one inhales it for long periods of time will one be poisoned . Imperial Physician Zhang had said that once your illness is controlled, he will make the antidote to detoxify the poison . During this time, many people came and went from your tent, they might have blended in with the patients . ” Lan Bing said in a lowered voice . “Don’t worry about these matters . Lord Chancellor, is there anything you’d like to eat, or how about you rest some more?”

Ji Feng Li nodded, “I’ll sleep for a while longer . ”