After Discovering The Emperor Was A Woman… - Chapter 8

In a world where medicine was neither scientific nor advanced, even a minor cold could easily claim someone’s life.

Granted, this was still a martial-arts novel where people could use qinggong and skim across water.

But no matter how many miracle physicians or wonder drugs existed, they could not necessarily pull someone back when she already had one foot in the underworld—unless, of course, that person was the protagonist.

As insignificant cannon fodder whose name had never even appeared in the novel, Liu Jiuning possessed no protagonist’s halo whatsoever. Had she appeared in the story, she might at least have been guaranteed to survive until her moment in the spotlight.

But now, bedridden and barely able to move…

Who could say what would happen?

Even Liu Jiuning herself lacked confidence.

In all fourteen years of her second life, she had never been this seriously ill. She had once suffered something similar in her previous life, but back then, she had been hospitalized, given oxygen, injections, and medicine. They had drawn her blood several times a day and even performed a bone marrow test. It had taken an entire month before she was finally discharged.

Perhaps people simply became more emotionally fragile when they were ill.

The more she thought about it, the worse Liu Jiuning felt.

As for why her illness had become so severe…

She guessed it was because she had been drenched in the rain yesterday and then stood beneath the blazing sun today. Going from cold to hot so suddenly was bound to cause trouble.

In her previous life, even sitting beneath an air conditioner for too long had been enough to make her sick.

As for all the old monk’s talk about righteous energy overcoming evil and deficiencies of yin or yang, Liu Jiuning’s swollen head was throbbing too badly for her to understand a single word.

“Mas… Master, do you think there’s still any hope for my firm determination to live until ninety-nine?”

While the old monk took her pulse again, Liu Jiuning used all her strength to voice her deepest wish.

She only wanted something to hope for.

Otherwise, how could she possibly force down that traditional medicine, which tasted even more horrifying than Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid?

“This old monk is advanced in years, and my hearing is no longer very good. Benefactor should refrain from speaking, conserve her strength, and drink her medicine.”

Master Changkong withdrew his hand from her wrist and motioned for someone to tuck the blankets more securely around Liu Jiuning.

Only then did he turn and discuss the sudden, severe illness with Liu Zhuoyi.

Once again, Liu Jiuning had been silenced with the words drink your medicine. She lay on the bed with nothing left to live for, endless sorrow spreading through her beautiful eyes.

Mainly because every part of her body felt terrible, and she lacked the strength to make any other expression.

Through her feverish haze, she listened to the old monk and her eldest brother talking. She vaguely heard the old monk mention that she had failed to take her medicine on time.

…

She admitted that she had not listened.

But had that not been because of the context?

Liu Jiuning had been the one to bring up taking medicine, and the old monk had merely continued the subject. Naturally, she had assumed he was joking with her.

Of course, she could not deny that the medicine itself had probably been intended to prevent illness.

But even a three-year-old child knew how awful medicinal decoctions tasted. Why would the energetic, healthy-looking Liu Jiuning have drunk one?

While she was thinking incoherently, a small bald head quietly appeared at the bedside.

With a grave expression, the little monk said, “Benefactor Jiuning, good medicine tastes bitter. You absolutely must not refuse your medicine again. Master said this illness is rather serious, so you have to be careful. If you truly find it too bitter…”

His little face scrunched up.

After thinking for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and whispered with great reluctance, “Then this little monk will give you the candied dates I secretly hid away.”

…

Looking at the childish little monk, Liu Jiuning did not know whether to laugh or cry.

She opened her mouth and answered softly, “I’ll take my medicine on time. I can’t take your precious candied dates, so keep them and eat them secretly yourself.”

Unfortunately, her voice was far too faint.

Even the little monk leaning over the bedside could not make out what she had said.

“I’ll prepare your medicine for you later. I specifically asked Master not to add too much coptis. With this little monk’s sweet candied dates as well, it should not taste too bitter.”

The little monk continued murmuring sentence after sentence. He rolled his prayer beads between his fingers and added, “Amitabha. Benefactor Jiuning, you must recover soon.”

He was clearly truly worried about Liu Jiuning. He had even forgotten to use the respectful form of address he usually employed with her.

Deeply moved, Liu Jiuning quietly slipped one hand out from beneath the blankets and tried to stroke his bald head.

She had only just succeeded in escaping when the little monk abruptly shoved her hand back beneath the covers.

Then came his earnest lecture, delivered in an adorably young voice.

“Benefactor Jiuning, you cannot behave like this. You must not be willful at a time like this. You have to keep yourself properly covered, or the wind pathogen may enter your body again. Then Master might have to prescribe several more medicines for you. If that happens, this little monk will not have enough candied dates.”

Amused and helpless, Liu Jiuning listened as the little monk began counting exactly how many candied dates he possessed.

Once she recovered, she would definitely have someone secretly deliver him a large bag.

Though not too many, or he might damage his teeth.

And if she did not recover…

Or if the emperor acted before she had the chance…

Then she would leave behind instructions for her eldest brother to secretly give the little monk candied dates without letting the old monk know!

He would have to deliver them regularly too!

Lost in her feverish thoughts about the little monk’s candied dates, Liu Jiuning did not even notice when everyone except her maids left the room.

When she finally regained some awareness, a large bowl of medicine had appeared before her, neither quite black nor quite yellow.

“Young Miss, it is time to take your medicine.”

Cuizhu held the temple’s enormous bowl as she spoke softly. Then she took out a small porcelain jar.

“Little Master Minming specially prepared candied dates for you as well.”

She first tested the medicine’s temperature against the back of her hand before continuing.

“It is neither too hot nor too cold. The temperature is just right. I will help you sit up. Drink the medicine first, then lie back down and rest. All right?”

Her words sounded like a question.

In truth, the maids had no intention of respecting their mistress’s opinion. The eldest young master had given them strict orders that she must finish every drop.

If she refused, they were to summon him so he could force it down her himself.

Of course, none of them believed he would truly treat Ninth Young Miss so harshly. He would probably coax and persuade her until she drank it.

In reality, Liu Jiuning had no intention of refusing her medicine.

She treasured her life far too much. Now that she was genuinely ill, how could she possibly refuse treatment?

The old monk had ruined her reputation in this regard!

How could he take the playful jokes between them seriously?

With Cuizhu’s help, Liu Jiuning sat up. The moment she saw Lühe place a small spoon into the medicine, she hurriedly waved her hand.

The strangely scented concoction was already bitter enough.

If she had to drink it spoonful by spoonful, would that not become a long and terrifying ordeal?

“Young Miss, Eldest Young Master said that you must drink this medicine.”

Hearing Lühe’s words, Liu Jiuning silently reached for the enormous bowl and leaned forward until her mouth rested against its rim.

She was not refusing to drink it.

She merely intended to be brave and finish it all in one go.

Seeing how cooperative their mistress was, the maids stopped hesitating and slowly tilted the bowl to help her drink.

After swallowing the entire enormous bowl of medicine, Liu Jiuning nearly vomited.

The taste was overwhelming.

She could not even bear to look at the bowl again and closed her eyes in despair.

Naturally, she had not forgotten the candied dates the little monk had sent.

She silently stretched one hand toward Cuizhu.

“The Imperial Preceptor instructed us not to give you too many candied dates, or they may interfere with the medicine. For now, I can only give you half of one.”

As Cuizhu spoke, she placed the tiny piece of date into her mistress’s mouth.

It truly was an extremely tiny piece.

So tiny that the sweetness vanished the instant Liu Jiuning noticed it.

With the bitter taste still clinging stubbornly to every corner of her mouth, she nearly sank into despair.

She lay back down in misery and soon fell into a deep sleep under the medicine’s effects.

Perhaps her illness was simply too severe, or perhaps the medicine itself had a sedative effect. Every day, Liu Jiuning woke only briefly when it was time to drink porridge or take her medicine.

The rest of her time passed in feverish, muddled sleep.

Sometimes, she felt certain she was awake. She even found herself considering how she would quickly and cleanly eliminate a witness like herself if she were the emperor.

Yet her eyes opened so rarely that it felt as though she might never open them again in this lifetime.

She had no idea how many days passed like this.

Then one day, Liu Jiuning woke to find herself wrapped in so many layers that she resembled a ball. With the maids supporting her, she was placed on a small litter carried by the guards and then transferred into a carriage.

Through her haze, she seemed to see the emperor dressed in black standing alone beneath a tree not far away, staring coldly at her.

…

Wait.

Was something not quite right here?

How had the emperor, who had been poisoned and severely wounded, recovered as though nothing had happened, while Liu Jiuning, the person who had saved her, had fallen gravely ill and now looked ready to depart this world?

Before she could make sense of it, the jolting carriage forced her back into unconsciousness.

She was already so weak that she could no longer endure the additional trial of motion sickness.

Even after returning to the Liu estate, Liu Jiuning’s condition showed no improvement. She remained feverish and drowsy, unable to stay truly conscious.

She vaguely knew that many people came to see her, but she lacked the energy to notice who they were.

In her haze, she also seemed to remember numerous physicians coming one after another to take her pulse through a handkerchief.

With her consciousness beginning to scatter, Liu Jiuning felt she did not need more medicine.

She needed a cardiac monitor, oxygen, and blood tests.

Ordinary traditional physicians probably could not cure this illness.

Despite those thoughts, her desire to survive remained extremely strong. Whenever medicine was brought to her lips, she always opened her mouth and swallowed it.

She wanted to live.

She wanted to keep living.

She had never been able to fulfill the regrets of her previous life, and she had not yet lived enough in this one either. She had never experienced life as a nun. She had not properly repaid her elders’ love.

She still had far too many regrets…

While Liu Jiuning struggled desperately to survive, an imperial decree arrived at the residence of the elderly Chancellor Liu.

Accompanying the decree was the entire Imperial Medical Bureau.

The emperor had personally selected the ninth young lady of the Liu family as empress.

The decree claimed that the emperor had fallen in love with her at first sight at Anchang Temple.

…

Had the ninth young lady of the Liu family not been so gravely ill that her family was already preparing her coffin, someone might actually have believed it.

The court officials all suspected that the emperor wanted to place a woman of distinguished birth who was already close to death in the empress’s position. Afterward, the emperor could claim to have been unable to forget her and use that display of deep devotion to silence the scholars and common people of the realm.

As for this supposed love at first sight?

Hah.

Even the most delicate and alluring beauties had only earned a single slash from the emperor’s sword and lost their heads.

The Chancellor’s young daughter had not even fully grown up yet and was notorious for causing trouble wherever she went. She did not look like someone capable of making a stone blossom.

Of course, perhaps that was simply the emperor’s taste.

But the Liu family’s young girl had already been ill for more than a month. Rumor had it that her condition had become critical while she was still at Anchang Temple.

Old Chancellor Liu had summoned numerous imperial physicians, yet she showed no sign of improving.

Throughout that entire month, the emperor had never once mentioned this matter.

Only after waiting so long had the emperor finally issued the decree.

Those who understood naturally knew what it meant.

Those who did not could only be called fools.