Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 504 The Grand Finale (Part Six)

Xue Sui steeled her heart, pushed open the door and entered, lowering her head and saying in a deliberately altered voice, "This humble woman...this humble woman is a newly recommended female physician from the Imperial Medical Academy, ordered to take His Majesty's pulse."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Zhao's gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he suddenly chuckled softly, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery that was hard to define.

"Take my pulse?" he repeated slowly, straightening up slightly and extending his wrist towards her. "Very well, I have indeed been restless and unable to sleep at night lately. Come forward and examine me carefully to see what is the cause..."

His sleeve slipped down, revealing a slender, strong wrist bone.

Xue Sui's throat tightened, and he stepped forward as instructed. Just as he placed his fingertips on the man's wrist, the man grabbed his wrist from behind.

The force was immense, squeezing her bones until they ached, unlike someone who had been ill for a long time.

She looked up in surprise, and unexpectedly met Li Zhao's eyes.

Those dark eyes were unfathomable; there was not a trace of illness or confusion in them.

"What did you diagnose?" Li Zhao stared at her, his voice hoarse yet burning with urgency, each word distinct. "What illness do I have? Is it from overwork, damaging my heart meridian? Or..."

He grabbed her hand and pressed it hard against his left side of his heart.

"Is someone missing from my heart, and I'm tormented by unrequited love?"

Even through the thin fabric, his heart was beating steadily and powerfully...

It tapped her palm again and again.

Xue Sui's heart pounded erratically. He struggled for a moment but failed to break free. Panicked, he blurted out something.

"Your Majesty has mistaken me for someone else!"

"Tell me, who did I mistake you for?" Li Zhao raised an eyebrow, then suddenly raised his other hand, his fingertips brushing past her ear and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture carrying an intimate air.

"You are a mere female physician. You have entered the imperial bedchamber without being summoned. Do you know that disturbing His Majesty's presence is a capital offense?"

Xue Sui's breath hitched.

It turned out that Li Zhao did not recognize her.

Rather, it was because his personality changed drastically after taking the forget-me-not that he became so frivolous and dissolute...

Is it acceptable to flirt with a female doctor in this way, using ambiguous language and behavior?

Li Zhao, oh Li Zhao...

He took the herb of forgetfulness, not the potion of infatuation, so how did he become such a reckless and wild bee?
Her eyes lowered, and a sudden wave of nausea and vomiting hit her as her emotions surged.

It turns out that being treated so lightly and disrespectfully by him as a stranger was such a heart-wrenching experience.

"Your Majesty, please have some self-respect."

She frowned quickly, her face hardening as she struggled to break free.

"I am not someone who can be easily insulted. Since Your Majesty has no further concern, I will take my leave."

"Wait." Li Zhao glanced at her indifferently, his dark eyes revealing no warmth, but his arm suddenly tightened, pulling her into his embrace like an iron hoop.

The familiar, crisp scent swept over her, and the tight embrace made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"Did I let you go?"

Xue Sui stiffened, his stomach churned, and he felt dizzy.

"Don't be afraid! I see you have extraordinary courage and such a handsome appearance, I can't bear to punish you..."

He suddenly leaned down, his breath sticky with an ambiguous itch, and still not satisfied with holding Xue Sui to his chest, he used his large hands to support her buttocks and turned her to sit sideways on his lap.

His reckless actions were like those of a libertine in a brothel, restlessly nuzzling against Xue Sui's neck, greedily inhaling her scent, and then sighing contentedly:

"Such a lovely young lady, why not keep her in the palace to keep me company? Gold, silver, jewels, titles, and honors—I can give you anything..."

His chest was warm and firm, full of seductive words, yet they felt like poisoned needles, each one piercing deep inside...

"If you behave well, I'll pamper you, how about that..."

Xue Sui felt a dull pain in her chest and could no longer hold back, so she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

"Shameless!"

Li Zhaowei was slightly taken aback.

Seeing her angry expression, he touched his burning cheek and then chuckled softly.

"So brave."

He pulled her tightly into his arms again, lowered his head, and his burning lips almost touched her earlobe.

"I enjoy seeing you angry; it's far more interesting than those timid women in the palace..."

"Let go! You madman..." Xue Sui was held captive in his arms, a fine layer of cold sweat seeping from her forehead. Unable to struggle, she was both angry and anxious, and said through gritted teeth, "If Your Majesty does not let go, I will call for help. When the historians write that, it will be the royal family that loses face!"

"Ah!"

Li Zhao smiled, his fingertips gently brushing against the corners of her reddened eyes, his movements suddenly softening.

"Your personality is just like someone else's..."

He squinted at her and murmured something softly.

"Little Doctor, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

As the supreme ruler, the oppressive aura in his eyes when he looks at people is terrifying enough.

Xue Sui instinctively turned her face away, her voice cold and hard: "Your Majesty must be confused... This humble woman has never met Your Majesty before."

"Don't we know each other?" Li Zhao pulled her into his arms tightly, so tightly that there wasn't a gap between them. He then held the back of her head with a little force and stared into her eyes.

"It turns out that even sharing the same bed, sleeping together, and indulging in passionate lovemaking, one can remain completely strangers..."

His powerful heartbeat traveled through the fabric of his clothes, each word resonating so deeply it made Xue Sui's eardrums throb.

"Xue Ping'an, even if you turn to ashes, I will still recognize you..."

Xue Sui looked up abruptly, staring incredulously at his face so close to hers.

"His Majesty……"

Li Zhao saw the fleeting panic in her eyes and chuckled softly.

"Ping An, it must feel terrible to be deceived, right?"

Xue Sui's cheeks flushed, and he felt a little embarrassed at being exposed; even his breathing became erratic.

"So you... weren't sick at all! Those rumors... were all deliberately spread to trick me into coming back?"

"So what if it is?" Li Zhao chuckled, tightening his grip on her as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones. "If I didn't use this self-inflicted injury ruse, would you, you heartless thing, have come back to see me?"

"You lied to me again!" Xue Sui's eyes reddened with anger as she clenched her fist and punched his shoulder. "Li Zhao, you bastard!"

"Yes, I'm a bastard." He let her hit him, lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his tone even carrying a hint of roguishness, "If I weren't a bastard, how could I keep you, this eagle who always wants to spread her wings and fly high? What other way could I have but to lie to you?"

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

It was brimming with the ecstatic joy of something lost and then regained.

"Do you know how I've been these past few months? Come, cut open my heart and let me see..."

He grabbed her hand again and pressed it to his heart.

"There's a hollow here. Day and night, it hurts terribly! It hurts a thousand times more than any love curse backlash..."

Beneath Xue Sui's palm, one could feel his burning heartbeat and taut muscles.

It was as if all the anger, grievances, and worries had found an outlet at this moment.

She took a deep breath. "That forget-me-not...you didn't eat it?"

"I ate it." Li Zhao raised his hand, gently stroking the corner of her eye with his thumb, his gaze intense. "So that's what it's called. Ping An is truly thoughtful. But alas, how could a single herb sever my feelings for you?"

Xue Sui choked back a sob. "The matter of choosing concubines..." "I'm doing this for those noisy old ministers to see," Li Zhao interrupted her, his tone disdainful. "And for you too. I'd like to know, when you heard I was going to take concubines, did your jealousy get the better of you?"

Xue Sui was both embarrassed and annoyed, and turned her face away: "Who's jealous?"

"Stubborn." Li Zhao was in a great mood. He lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips, then kissed her fiercely with a bit of punishing force, as if she were a lost treasure that had been found again. The kiss was endlessly tender until both of them were breathless before they separated slightly.

He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing heavily, his voice low and solemn.

"It's good that you're back. Promise me you won't leave again."

Xue Sui leaned against him, feeling his real heartbeat and body temperature, and the hidden worries of the Love Silk Gu tightly wrapped around her heart.

"Why is the Forget-Me-Not herb ineffective? My senior brother said this herb can not only cure love curses, but also sever feelings and make one forget love..."

“Perhaps it varies from person to person.” Li Zhao patted her back, looking down at her with little concern. “It doesn’t matter if I can’t cure the curse. As long as you’re here, nothing else matters.”

"If the love curse is not cured, one of us will die."

Xue Sui closed his eyes, his throat tightening, and told him exactly what Yuheng and his master had said.

"Without a way to remove the curse, I can't stop feeling uneasy. No, I have to go back and ask my senior brother..."

She said as she stood up.

"Don't go." Li Zhao tightened his grip, pressing her against his chest, so that her heartbeat was close to his. "This love potion is like the red thread tied for us by the Old Man Under the Moon. If you live, I live. If you die, I die. If that day ever comes, I will accompany you on your journey to the Yellow Springs."

Xue Sui was startled. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I'm serious." Li Zhao cupped her face and gently lifted her cheeks.

"Don't go. Whatever happens, I'll take it."

The emperor's resoluteness and deep affection were fully expressed in those dark eyes.

Xue Sui's lips moved, but all the words stuck in his throat.

"Li Zhao..."

"Ok?"

"Don't lie to me like that again next time."

"You woman, you're quite the schemer. You're allowed to run away, but I'm not allowed to lie?"

"Promise me!" Xue Sui insisted.

"Alright." Li Zhao answered readily, then curled his lips into a threatening smile, "However, if you dare to run away again, I will break your legs."

No sooner had these words been spoken than Black Eighteen, who was lying by the bed, let out a dissatisfied howl and flicked its tail.

Seeing this, Xue Sui couldn't help but smile and said reproachfully, "How dare you!"

"See if I dare." Li Zhao laughed, kissed her again, pried open her teeth, and swallowed all her unfinished protests.

"Your Majesty..." Xue Sui gently pushed him away from his chest.

"Be good. Stop making a fuss." Li Zhao stepped back slightly, his nose brushing against hers, his palm sliding across her waist, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Instead of wasting time arguing, let's do something else..."

Xue Sui saw the burning desire surging in his eyes, his cheeks flushed, and his heart pounded faster.

"Jinshu and Ruyi are still waiting for me outside. We had agreed that after examining His Majesty's condition, we would send a message to our eldest brother for advice. The palace gates will be locked soon..."

"I will be quick..."

"how long……"

"Half an hour."

"no!"

"Four-quarters of an hour..."

"……That's too late."

"It can't be just fifteen minutes, can it?"

Seeing that his ears and neck were red from anxiety, Xue Sui suddenly burst out laughing, and his eyebrows and eyes relaxed.

"It's been so long, can Your Majesty hold on for even a quarter of an hour?"

"Xue Ping'an!" Li Zhao's face darkened, and he tightened his grip on her waist.

A man's dignity cannot withstand provocation.

Xue Sui soon paid the price for those words she had said.

Li Zhao acted without the slightest hesitation.

He had been holding back for a long time, his breathing was unsteady, and his body was unusually aroused. Without much hesitation, he rushed in, making her scream and unable to utter a complete sentence...

"Your Majesty, no, I...I have—"

"Shh—" Li Zhao covered her mouth, his dark eyes filled with the urgency of passion, "Don't alarm the outsiders, lest I lose face."

Xue Sui's eyes widened.

Her body, deprived of pleasure for so long, was very sensitive.

His rough handling bent her over, and belatedly realizing her grievances and physical discomfort, her eyes welled up with tears...

She couldn't understand it. Li Zhao looked respectable in his clothes, a cold and aloof person, so how could he have such a fierce and monstrous creature, like someone who could eat people? It made her break out in a cold sweat.

What's even more despicable is that he stripped her completely naked, while he himself was fully clothed, only pulling down his waistband, before trapping her on the soft couch, unceremoniously straddling her, and, as if he hadn't tasted meat in eight hundred years, greedily satisfying himself...

Xue Sui has never cried all these years.

But at this moment, an uncontrollable urge to cry welled up in her eyes, and her body trembled uncontrollably in his arms...

Li Zhao stopped what he was doing to coax her, but was suddenly kicked by her.

"Li, Zhao!"

Her internal organs felt like they were about to fall out of place; she trembled violently all over and gritted her teeth as she cursed his name.

"Li Zhao, get out of here right now—"

"I'm pregnant... I'm pregnant..."

The commotion was quite loud, and Laifu, who was on duty outside, heard this earth-shattering first sentence.

The Empress addressed His Majesty by his name directly…

He even angrily told His Majesty to get out?

This is the imperial palace. Where does Your Majesty want His Majesty to get out of here?
Laifu wiped the sweat from his forehead and focused on his inner thoughts.

Just as they were hesitating, someone entered silently.

It is Yuan Cang.

His expression was solemn. He looked at the closed door, paused for a moment, and then approached Laifu.

"My lord, something has happened to Prince Duan."

Laifu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly waved his hand.

"Didn't you hear His Majesty is... personally attending to important matters? Guard Yuan, even the most urgent matters must wait..."

Yuan Cang frowned and said in a deep voice, "An urgent report from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs: Prince Duan is seriously ill, and his wife is kneeling outside the palace, crying and begging for the imperial physician... If Prince Duan really dies before our eyes, neither of us will be able to explain ourselves..."

Lai Fu was sweating profusely and dared not move his feet. He didn't know when His Majesty's important business would be over and was in a dilemma when he heard several indistinct groans coming from the inner palace. They sounded like groans of extreme pain or satisfaction, mixed with the emperor's hoarse commands.

"Let him come in and answer the question."

Yuan Cang glanced at the sky above, then lowered his head with a complicated expression.

Your Honor, is your master actually... indulging in debauchery in broad daylight?
(End of this chapter)