Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 460 Swallow
Inside the Zichen Hall.

The delicate wisps of incense lingered in the air, permeating every nook and cranny.

Li Zhao leaned against the cold palace door, breathing heavily.

His outer robe was already loose, and the collar of his inner garment was torn open, revealing his sweaty neck and taut collarbone.

The awakened love potion surged wildly through his heart, and his body trembled slightly, unable to suppress the pull of passion and pain...

His left arm hung down, his left hand clenched into a fist, and beads of blood slowly seeped from between his fingers...

Those were cuts he made on his arm with shards of porcelain to stay conscious.

Fresh blood dripped onto the cold ground, leaving a dark red stain.

A few steps away by the bed, Xie Weilan was dressed in a pink nightgown, her makeup exquisite, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red, her hands tightly twisting the sash, her eyes glazed and terrified.

She tried several times to approach Li Zhao, but was intimidated by his terrifying aura and dared not go forward.

The Crown Prince before her was completely different from the dignified, aloof, and imposing heir she remembered.

He was like a beast trapped in a cage, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing heavy, and his whole body exuding a terrifying ferocity, as if he would suddenly pounce and devour people at any moment.

She knew what tonight meant.

This is His Majesty's bestowal of a marriage, and also a fulfillment of his wishes.

As a daughter of the Xie family, she was unwilling to easily tarnish her purity, but she dared not disobey the emperor's will—especially when the little expectation in her heart for the honor of becoming the Crown Princess was overwhelmed by the drug's effects and when she faced Li Zhao's restrained and alluring appearance, her last bit of reserve was lost.

"Your Highness..." she began, her voice trembling, tears welling in her eyes, "This humble woman...this humble woman is here by imperial decree to serve Your Highness...Your Highness, please look at this humble woman..."

She moved slightly forward, her skirt rustling.

"His Majesty said... if I fail to perform my duties properly, the Xie family will also be held accountable... I beg Your Highness to have mercy..."

"Despicable!" Li Zhao's voice was frighteningly hoarse, as if it had been sanded, and every word contained the pain of extreme restraint.

"Is the Xie family's integrity such that you have to trade your innocence for honor?"

"Your Highness... I didn't want to either..." Xie Weilan trembled with fright, slowly knelt down, covered her face with her hands, and began to sob in suppressed sobs.

"I feel so unwell, it's like my body is on fire... Your Highness... I beg you... Your Highness, please help me..."

"I told you to get lost!" Li Zhao forced out the words through gritted teeth, his voice filled with murderous intent.

The Love Silk Gu had already recognized its master.

Apart from Xue Sui, no one could soothe the restlessness within him...

The woman's fragrance, her voice, and even the breeze she brought as she approached filled him with nausea...

"Take one more step closer, and I will kill you!"

Xie Weilan was so frightened that she trembled and staggered back to the bedside, sobbing softly.

"Why does Your Highness dislike me so much...? I am the daughter of the Xie family, Your Highness's cousin... I am educated, I can play the zither, and I can manage a household... If Your Highness is willing to take me, I am willing to serve Your Highness for the rest of my life, to be your slave..."

Li Zhao suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "You think you're worthy?"

Xie Weilan fell completely silent, only suppressed sobs remaining.

She used to be proud and arrogant, and had never been so humiliated.
She wanted nothing more than to point her finger at Li Zhao and give him a good scolding right there and then.

But she knew that if pushed too far, Li Zhao really would... kill her.
-
Time passed slowly in agony.

The howling of the wind and snow outside the palace seemed to have subsided, and the sky was turning a bit gray.

Daylight broke...

The wound on Li Zhao's arm was still bleeding, and the blood stained his sleeve, a shocking sight.

Xie Weilan was breathing rapidly and her body was trembling.

The strong incense, combined with her fear of inexperience, tormented her until she gradually lost her mind. She began to unconsciously tear at her clothes, revealing small patches of snow-white skin, and letting out unbearable moans.

"Your Highness...this humble woman means no harm..."

Desire finally overcame fear, and she crawled toward Li Zhao with unfocused eyes.

"The candles have gone out...and dawn has broken...no one will come to save us...This is His Majesty's decree...Your Highness, please take me..."

"Don't touch me!" Li Zhao's eyes were filled with disgust and violence as he suddenly swung his arm.

The force was so great that she cried out in pain and fell back down.

"Your Highness..." Xie Weilan clutched her wrist, tears streaming down her face from the pain.

"Your Highness has lost a lot of blood... This humble woman only wanted to help Your Highness... bandage your wounds... Your Highness, please allow this humble woman to take a look..."

"Don't make me say it a third time!" Li Zhao's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Take one more step forward, and I will not acknowledge you as a member of the Xie family."

His blood was surging wildly, testing his self-control. He almost violently resisted the scent of any woman other than Xue Sui, which brought him excruciating pain as if his body was being torn apart...

Just then, Xuanji Zi's deliberately profound voice came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the spring night is too short. Why make things difficult for yourself and Miss Xie? Following the will of Heaven is the right way..."

Li Zhao gritted his teeth: "You heretic! I will surely cut you into a thousand pieces... grind your bones to dust!"

Xuanji Zi chuckled softly outside.

"Your Highness should focus on the present. If this matter cannot be resolved today, Your Highness and Miss Xie may find themselves unable to leave Zichen Palace."

After saying that, he gave instructions to the guards outside the door.

"Without my order, no one is allowed to leave their post..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of light footsteps approached.

Several palace maids dressed in light green palace attire carefully stopped outside the door, carrying food trays.

"His Majesty has ordered that some refreshments be sent to His Highness and Miss Xie, so they don't go hungry and ruin their good match..."

Since being summoned to the Zichen Palace yesterday, Li Zhao has not eaten anything.

Xuanjizi narrowed his eyes slightly and gestured for the guards to step forward.

He peeked out as soon as the window was opened a crack.

The hall was in disarray. Xie Weilan was disheveled and sobbing. Li Zhao leaned against the door, panting, his arm stained with blood, clearly still resisting.

Xuanjizi snorted coldly.

"Put your stuff down."

"Yes, Immortal Master." Several palace maids responded, carefully bringing in the food platters and placing them on the table. They watched as the guards opened the window, then quickly retreated to the side, not daring to look any longer.

Just then, Wang Chengxi's voice came, sounding somewhat urgent.

"Immortal Master, His Majesty has awakened and is coughing badly. Please go and see him immediately..." Xuanji Zi responded, then called out loudly towards the palace gate, "Your Highness, Miss Xie, a match made in heaven, do not hesitate any longer. I await your good news..."

Having said that, he walked away with a triumphant gait.

Wang Chengxi glanced quickly toward the palace gate.

The food tray was handed in, but the window wasn't completely closed.

His gaze shifted slightly. "You lot, all of you, step back. What kind of behavior is this, peeking around and offending His Highness? Hmph... Do you think you're worthy of my attention? Go, go, go! Just stay in the corridor. Zichen Palace is surrounded like an iron barrel. Are you worried about anyone escaping?"

Although the guards had their doubts, they dared not disobey the trusted eunuch and retreated one by one. No one noticed that one of the palace maids who had just delivered the meal was missing.
-
The hall was temporarily quiet again.

Li Zhao closed his eyes, focusing his mind once again on suppressing the Gu poison, beads of sweat rolling down his chin.

Xie Weilan slumped on the cold ground, staring blankly at the snacks on the plate, her mind in turmoil from the surging effects of the drug.

She was so thirsty.

This is so painful.

Suddenly, she let out a soft moan, struggled to her feet, and staggered toward Li Zhao, her eyes unfocused, murmuring, "Your Highness...please...take me..."

She was practically crawling, her posture disheveled, revealing the most primal and ugly state under the control of drugs...

"court death……"

A fierce look suddenly appeared in Li Zhao's eyes.

Just as she was about to pounce on him, he suddenly raised his hand, grabbed the copper food plate next to him, and smashed it precisely on the back of her neck.

Xie Weilan didn't even utter a sound. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed limply, like a pile of boneless mud.

Li Zhao was slightly out of breath, and there was even more cold sweat on his forehead.

This strike nearly exhausted his strength, and the heat within him intensified. He felt his consciousness gradually fading...

So hot.

It was so hot that my vision blurred and my breath felt like it was burning.

At that moment, the window clicked very softly three times.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound is so faint that it is almost imperceptible unless you listen carefully.

Li Zhao glanced at the unconscious Xie Weilan, assuming that Xuanjizi had discovered her, and was about to reprimand her when the window was pushed open a crack, letting in a blast of cold wind...

A slender figure dressed in the attire of a low-ranking palace maid nimbly flipped over and landed silently.

She quickly closed the window and turned around.

A pale, cold face, yet his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Li Zhao felt a tightness in his throat, thinking he was hallucinating.

"Ping An, you... have appeared..."

Xue Sui's gaze swept across the scene inside the hall, glanced at the unconscious Xie Weilan, and finally settled on Li Zhao's blood-soaked hands.

She forcefully suppressed the palpitations brought on by the resonance of the Gu worms, rushed to Li Zhao in a few steps, squatted down, pried open his mouth, and stuffed two black pills into it.

"Swallow."

Li Zhao's mind was already hazy. He only felt that the cold fingers carried a familiar scent that haunted his dreams. He almost instinctively obeyed her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and he swallowed without hesitation.

"You swallowed it without even asking what it was?" Xue Sui felt a pang of sadness mixed with tenderness, and couldn't help but scold him.

Li Zhao looked up, took her hand, and said, "What you gave me... even if it were poison, I would drink it."

Xue Sui frowned, looked down to check the wound on his arm, and bit her skirt without hesitation.

A sting.

She tore off the lining of his palace dress and used it to bandage his wounds and stop the bleeding.

Her fingertips were soft, and when they touched his burning skin, they brought him a shivering sense of comfort...

Li Zhao gazed greedily at the face so close to his, as if trying to etch her image into his very bones.

"Peace..." His voice was hoarse, with a hint of pleading, "I can't hold on much longer... Since you've entered this dream world, please help me..."

Xue Sui's men paused.

Did he really think he was dreaming?
"What dream?" Xue Sui's bandaging gestures were extremely practiced, without even raising his head. "It's me, Your Highness, please wake up."

Li Zhao was slightly lost in thought.

The Zichen Palace was surrounded like an iron barrel. Xuanjizi had just left when the guards were already outside the door. How did she get in?
"How are you..."

Li Zhao was interrupted by Xue Sui before he could finish speaking.

"Don't speak, shh..."

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside.

It was Xuanjizi who had returned and was questioning the guards.

Xue Sui's eyes sharpened, and he quickly helped Li Zhao lean against the door, then leaned close to him, listening intently to the sounds outside.

"Did you hear any strange noises just now?" Xuanji Zi's voice was tinged with suspicion.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, there was no unusual sound."

"Huh, why is there no sound at all now?" Xuanji Zi's voice was sinister, clearly showing disbelief as he walked towards the gate.

"Your Highness, listen to me." Xue Sui leaned close to Li Zhao's ear and whispered, "In a moment, you'll be acting out a scene for me."

Li Zhao tried hard to understand what she was saying.

He was suffering greatly, with the woman he longed for right in front of him. The rampant poison and desire within him seemed to have found an outlet, becoming even more turbulent.

His breathing suddenly became heavy, and the bloodshot in his eyes intensified.

"I... will do whatever you say..."

Xue Sui did not hesitate.

She took a deep breath and shoved Li Zhao against the door, making a dull thud.

At the same time, she let out a suppressed yet unbearable groan, tinged with sobs, imitating the voice of a woman controlled by desire.

"Your Highness...be gentle..."

　Li Zhao: My readers can attest to my innocence...

　　Xue Sui: You'll be in trouble later.

　　(End of this chapter)