After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

The sudden nausea made Chu Junci's face turn pale. He clutched his chest, forcibly suppressing the discomfort.

Across from him, Mo Yan stared blankly at him. "You find me disgusting?"

"..."

"That's why you rejected my advances and even... gagged?"

The romantic atmosphere vanished completely. Mo Yan, his face grim, suddenly remembered something: "Wu Xu, summon the imperial physician!"

An impossible guess filled his mind, making him feel that his behavior was somewhat ridiculous.

Mo Ci wasn't from that village, so how could he...?

But what if?

He sat on the other side, his heart pounding.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Ji appeared carrying a medicine chest: "Greetings, Your Majesty; greetings, Empress."

"Show it to Aci."

"Yes."

Liu Ji placed the examination handkerchief on Chu Junci's wrist and carefully took his pulse with lowered eyebrows.

A few breaths later, a look of shock flashed across his eyes, which he quickly suppressed.

How is that possible?

Subconsciously holding his breath, Liu Ji withdrew his hand and probed again. This time, everything was calm and there was nothing unusual.

He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the diagnosis had indeed been wrong.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Liu Ji lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress is in good health."

"Nothing else unusual?"

"no."

"..."

Mo Yan remained silent for a moment, secretly thinking how ridiculous he was.

"Get out of here."

"Yes."

After Liu Ji took his leave, the two people in the hall fell silent once again.

Mo Yan lost interest, got dressed, and walked outside.

"Wait a minute," Chu Junci called out to him.

Mo Yan stopped, his back to him, without turning around.

Are you hurt?

He had just smelled a faint scent of blood, which seemed to be coming from Mo Yan's waist and abdomen.

Do you even care if I get hurt?

With that, Mo Yan strode out of the palace: "From this day forward, guards will take turns standing guard outside Qiyue Palace. No one is allowed to enter or leave."

Chu Junci was imprisoned.

At the same time, a rumor spread in the palace that the Empress had angered the Emperor and had been abandoned by him.

The Imperial Study.

Mo Yan took off his robes, revealing a wound on his waist and abdomen from which blood was seeping out. Wu Xu sighed, "Your Majesty should also take care of your health."

Although Feng Zhong's knife was not fatal, it still pierced Mo Yan's flesh.

"Zhou He will not act unless Feng Zhong sees me injured."

"This servant is referring to the Empress's side."

Mo Yan paused, then fell silent.

After removing the gauze to reveal the everted wound, Mo Yan placed the dagger in the candlelight.

The weapon that stabbed him was poisoned by Feng Zhong. Even though he took an antidote pill immediately, the wound was still somewhat black, and some parts had even rotted.

The dagger turned red under the heat of the flames. Mo Yan remained indifferent, then swung it sharply at the wound, causing blood to gush out.

His face was pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "Medicine."

Wu Xu hurriedly sprinkled medicine powder on the wound, stopped the bleeding, and then helped him wrap it with new gauze.

"If Your Majesty had treated the wound immediately, it wouldn't have dragged on to this point."

"Shut up."

He knew what Wu Xu meant and warned, "Aci is my man, Wu Xu, don't be like the Imperial Preceptor."

"…yes."

"Get out of here."

Wu Xu withdrew and stood outside the hall, unable to help but recall his last meeting with the Imperial Preceptor.

His Majesty ordered the Imperial Preceptor to be imprisoned. On the third day of his imprisonment, the Imperial Preceptor committed suicide.

Before he left, he went to see him off.

That day—

Inside the spotless prison cell, the Imperial Preceptor, dressed in a white Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed.

Hearing his slow approaching voice, she opened her eyes and said, "You're here."

"Did the Imperial Advisor know I was coming?"

"Heavenly secrets".

He smiled and said, "I know what you're going to ask me."

"If that day ever comes, the medicine from Mo Ci's heart's blood will be the most potent."

A fleeting memory crossed Wu Xu's mind, and he thought to himself: I hope that day will never come.

otherwise……

He clenched his fists and remained silent.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

For several days in a row, Mo Yan was immersed in official duties. He dared not be idle, for fear that he would not be able to resist going to Qiyue Palace.

The memory of Aci's escape and nausea that day was still vivid in his mind, making him somewhat afraid to face it...

On the other hand, his injuries have not yet healed, and he can rest and recuperate properly once he calms down.

So for several days in a row, they did not meet.

Rumors about the Empress falling out of favor intensified. Inside Qiyue Palace, Lu Shu looked anxious: "Empress, perhaps this servant should go and invite His Majesty over?"

"No need."

Chu Junci placed a chess piece down: "Whether he comes or not is his freedom."

"Can……"

With a heavy sigh, Lu Shu lowered his head.

As soon as I stepped out of the courtyard, I overheard people gossiping: "What's with all the high-mindedness? He's just fallen out of favor."

"Exactly, did they think His Majesty would always dote on him? How laughable."

"What are you saying!"

Lu Shu interrupted them: "How dare you speak ill of the Empress? Be careful, or I'll tell His Majesty, and he'll beat you to death!"

The eunuchs left sheepishly, and Lu Shu was furious, but powerless to do anything about it.

All I can do is pray in my heart: Your Majesty, please come to the Moon Palace soon.

Another day.

Inside the Imperial Study, Mo Yan was reviewing memorials, his wound throbbing slightly.

It's unclear what kind of poison Feng Zhong fed him, but for several days now, his wound has been healing extremely slowly, and he still experiences occasional pain.

The imperial physician came to examine the patient but couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he had to give up.

After finishing reviewing the last book, Mo Yan put down his vermilion pen. Thinking of Chu Junci, whom he hadn't seen for several days, he felt an overwhelming longing in his heart and finally stood up: "Let's go to Qiyue Palace."

As he walked down the street, he imagined what Aci would look like when she saw him. Would she be angry or happy? Or would she be indifferent?

Having imagined several versions of Chu Junci in his mind, Mo Yan curled his lips, then suddenly felt an itch in his throat and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The blood splattered on the ground was particularly shocking.

"His Majesty!"

His vision went black, and Mo Yan's consciousness gradually faded.

He eventually collapsed to the ground.

In his final moments before losing consciousness, he gazed towards the direction of Qiyue Palace, his lips moving as he murmured, "Aci..."

"His Majesty!"

He was completely plunged into darkness.

Zichen Palace.

The Imperial Guards surrounded the area tightly, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. Inside the hall, Dean Liu looked troubled.

There were basins of water on the ground, but now they were all stained red with blood. The person on the bed had his eyelashes closed and his brows furrowed. He could not sleep well even in his unconscious state.

"Imperial Physician! What's wrong with His Majesty?" Wu Xu asked anxiously.

"His Majesty has a lingering poison in his body that has not been cleared. The medicine that Feng Zhong fed him with the dagger this time was something that would stimulate the flare-up of the remaining poison."

"If the two were separated, each being a separate entity, things wouldn't be like this, but unfortunately..."

He shook his head as he spoke: "If His Majesty had been treated immediately when he was injured, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

"It's also my fault; it wasn't detected a few days ago."

"Now, after several days of adjustment, the remaining poison within His Majesty's body has been fully unleashed!"

"Then, what should we do now?"

Wu Xu was so frightened that his lips turned pale and his fingertips trembled.

"The only solution now is to find medicine that can cure the toxins in His Majesty's body."

"I remember the Imperial Advisor once said that the snow lotus from Falling Snow Cliff can cure His Majesty's poison."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xu gritted his teeth: "The snow lotus on Falling Snow Cliff has disappeared; we can't find it anywhere."

"There is only one thing in the palace now... that can save His Majesty's life."