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Why did he seem to care about his leg now?
Gu Jiao was unable to guess Xiao Liulang’s thoughts for a moment. She briefly pondered and pointed to the birthmark on her face, "Then would you mind that I look so ugly?"
She didn"t know that the birthmark on her face was a gecko cinnabar and thought that it would be with her for a lifetime.
Xiao Liulang opened his mouth.
Fool.
How could he mind?
Besides, that thing would fade away.
When she became so perfect, would she still think someone as flawed as him was worthy of her?
Gu Jiao didn"t understand his sudden change of emotions. After thinking seriously, she asked, "Do you have something on your mind? Is it because of what I said last night? You don"t want me to see you bathe?"
"No." It had nothing to do with that at all.
Gu Jiao"s big eyes brightened, "So you want me to see you bathe?"
Xiao Liulang: ...How did things become so unclear?
Voices of Eunuch Wei and the Emperor could be heard outside the door.
Gu Jiao quickly lay down.
Xiao Liulang intended to place the peeled orange on the table, but her little hand reached out, took the orange from him, and held it in her hand, hiding it under the blanket.
"It"s mine." She said.
……
Xiao Liulang met the Emperor in the main room.
The Emperor inquired about Gu Jiao"s condition, and Xiao Liulang naturally said that she had shown improvement compared to yesterday. She was awake in the morning and only rested after having lunch.
The Emperor felt that he had come at an inconvenient time. He had come to ask about that medicine.
"Where does Your Majesty feel uncomfortable?" Xiao Liulang asked. If it was a minor ailment, he could call an imperial physician over to treat the Emperor. If it was a serious illness, he would have to let JiaoJiao "wake up" again.
The Emperor had spent the night without sleep, and he looked haggard, as if he were seriously ill.
The Emperor said, "Zhen wants to ask if there is an antidote to the black medicine. Zhen... cough." He cleared his throat and continued, "Zhen has been at odds with my imperial mother for many years, and it"s mostly because of the effects of this medicine. Now that the truth has come to light, Zhen wants to inquire about the antidote."
Xiao Liulang looked at him in confusion.
You were already referring to her as ‘my imperial mother’, do you really still need an antidote?
Gu Jiao had mentioned that there was hardly any medicine effect left within the Emperor"s body. Otherwise, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing wouldn"t have risked giving the Emperor another dose.
Now that the truth had come to light, under the stimulation of the truth, it was likely that the remaining effects of the medicine would disappear completely.
But Xiao Liulang was no longer the naive young boy he used to be. He had his own thoughts, calculations, and even some official’s shrewdness.
He sighed and lowered his gaze, "Originally, there was no antidote, but JiaoJiao once concocted a pill specifically designed to counteract the effects of negative drugs. It should have some effect."
"Is that true?" The Emperor"s eyes instantly brightened.
Xiao Liulang said, "Let me fetch it for Your Majesty to try. JiaoJiao"s medicines are all safe, and if it doesn"t work, it won"t harm the body either."
The Emperor"s expression turned joyful. "If it truly works, Zhen will remember your contribution."
Xiao Liulang said, "The medicine was made by JiaoJiao, it is her achievement, not mine."
Although he said that, the Emperor still acknowledged the contributions of both individuals.
He had wronged Empress Dowager Zhuang for many years, and there were things he had forgotten himself. Perhaps by taking the medicine, he would be able to remember everything.
Moreover, there seemed to be some barrier between him and Empress Dowager Zhuang that prevented him from moving forward. He speculated that it must be the effect of the black medicine.
If Xiao Liulang knew what he was thinking, he would surely tell him, ‘That"s just your awkwardness as a son, Your Majesty!’
Xiao Liulang quickly fetched the pills, a total of three of them.
In fact, they were meant for promoting hair growth for Gu Chenglin and had no significant side effects.
The Emperor, being in his middle age, had some concerns about hair loss, so taking some hair growth pills would also be beneficial for him.
Xiao Liulang handed the hair growth pills to the Emperor and said calmly, "In theory, one pill should be enough. If the effects are not sufficient, you can take another one."
Implicitly, three pills were more than enough.
"Will it really work?" The Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, you must trust JiaoJiao"s medical skills." Xiao Liulang replied.
"You"re right." The Emperor paused for a moment, and then thought of something. He asked, "What if Zhen takes too much? Will the effect be doubled or backfire?"
Xiao Liulang looked deeply at the Emperor and responded, "It will probably double the effect, and you might become... especially clingy."
"Ah..." The Emperor was startled.
He definitely didn"t want that. He was the ruler of a country, the supreme authority. How could he turn into such a state?
One pill.
One pill would be enough!
The Emperor suddenly felt a sense of relief. He temporarily placed the medicine bottle on the table in the main room and went to the restroom.
Old Chief sneaked out from the kitchen. Zhuang Jinse had come over today and was playing cards next door. He was currently making brown sugar rice cakes for Zhuang Jinse.
He asked, "Is there really an antidote?"
Xiao Liulang said, "No, it"s just a hair growth pill."
Old Chief: "..."
When the Emperor came out of the restroom, Old Chief had already returned to the kitchen. The Emperor planned to take the antidote back to the palace, but unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Zhuang came over from next door after finishing a few rounds of card game.
The mother and son unexpectedly met at the doorway.
The Emperor became nervous and said, "Imperial mother..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn"t even glance at him. She snorted and walked past him.
"Your Majesty, are you returning to the imperial palace?" Eunuch Wei asked.
The Emperor hesitated for a moment before saying, "No, Zhen... Zhen will stay here for dinner and return to the palace with my imperial mother later."
The Emperor decided to stay for dinner, and no one dared to say anything.
Today, the young men in the family, Gu Yan and Gu Xiaoshun, went to their craftsmanship cla.s.s, and Little Jing Kong went to Xu Zhouzhou"s house to play.
At the dining table, there were only Empress Dowager Zhuang, the Emperor, Yao Shi, Old Chief, Xiao Liulang, and Gu Jiao, who had just woken up from her nap.
The pills given by Gu Jiao were a bit big and couldn"t be swallowed easily, so they had to be dissolved in water.
Before eating, the Emperor handed the medicine bottle to Eunuch Wei.
Eunuch Wei brought over a bowl of dark and murky liquid. The Emperor endured the unpleasant smell and managed to gulp it all down.
The Emperor grimaced and said, "Why is it so bitter? How many pills did you put in?"
Eunuch Wei was puzzled and replied, "Weren"t there only three pills in total?"
The Emperor"s face changed, "You... You put them all in?"
Eunuch Wei was even more astonished, "It was Your Majesty who told this servant to put them all in."
The Emperor had no recollection at all!
Eunuch Wei wasn"t lying. He did ask, and the Emperor did respond as such with a grunt. However, at that moment, the Emperor was preoccupied with thoughts of Empress Dowager Zhuang and didn"t really hear what Eunuch Wei said.
Thinking of Xiao Liulang"s mention of the medicine"s "especially clingy" effect, the Emperor became extremely uneasy.
"Your Majesty, what"s wrong?" Eunuch Wei asked with concern.
The Emperor took a deep breath and said, "Nothing, Zhen... Zhen is the supreme ruler, Zhen won"t do anything embarra.s.sing... Zhen can endure... Zhen is totally rational..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang finished her meal and it was time for her to return to the palace. She stood up to leave.
The Emperor clutched his chest.
Was the medicine taking effect? Why did he suddenly feel the urge to catch up to her?
"Your Majesty?"
This couldn’t be. His heart was racing!
"Your Majesty?"
Eunuch Qin a.s.sisted Empress Dowager Zhuang as she boarded the carriage.
No, he couldn"t chase after her!
The medicine"s effects were too strong. Who knew what he might blurt out!
The Emperor forced himself to endure!
Eunuch Qin closed the curtain for Empress Dowager Zhuang, removed the footstool, and sat on the outer seat of the carriage.
The wheels of the carriage slowly began to roll.
The Emperor"s heart tightened, and he suddenly reached out towards the carriage, "Imperial mother! Don"t you want your Little, Little Hong anymore!?"
Everyone in the room sprayed out a mouthful of tea——
Um, should they tell His Majesty that the antidote was fake...Raz P."s Thoughts
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