Chapter 358
**Chapter 356: Sun Qingmei**
With Mo Xun's personal assistance, a bowl of medicine to alleviate the spread of poison was finally prepared. The taste was not bitter; instead, it carried a faint sweetness and fragrant aroma.
Mo Xun carried the medicine into the room.
Shen Wei lay there like a puppet devoid of consciousness, struggling to swallow the liquid. Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei in his arms, carefully pouring the medicine into her mouth, drop by drop.
Mo Xun sighed and gently informed Li Yuanjing, "If the noble consort can survive tonight, the poison within her will be somewhat suppressed. If she cannot make it, the coffins from the Imperial Household Department may come in handy."
Li Yuanjing remained silent.
On this spring night, the sky was dark, with a cold moon and distant stars.
The candles in the gilded palace lanterns burned low, their wax dripping and soaking the candlesticks, inch by inch growing shorter. The chamber was eerily quiet, the fragrance of the medicine wafting softly from the bronze incense burner. Li Yuanjing leaned against the bedside, his gaze locked on the unconscious Shen Wei.
Death's pallor covered Shen Wei's face.
No longer vibrant.
Memories of the years spent with Shen Wei flashed through Li Yuanjing's mind like a fleeting panorama, causing his heart to ache painfully, as if something was lodged in his throat.
Sadness, fear, confusion.
He grasped Shen Wei's icy hand. Her hands had always been warm and comforting throughout the seasons. Now, that delicate, fair hand felt chillingly cold, hanging limply as Li Yuanjing held it.
His voice was hoarse: "Weiwei, it was my fault."
He realized he could no longer live without Shen Wei.
Li Yuanjing stayed in Yongning Palace all night.
No one knew how he spent that night.
Until the first light of dawn began to break, the faint morning glow slowly dispelling the darkness. Mo Xun forced himself to shake off his fatigue and entered the chamber to check Shen Wei's pulse.
Mo Xun said, "My medicine is effective; the poison within the noble consort has been somewhat suppressed. However, the toxicity is too severe. Despite my best efforts, I can only extend her life for another half month."
Having not slept a wink, Li Yuanjing's chin was covered in stubble.
His handsome face looked haggard and exhausted.
Li Yuanjing placed Shen Wei's cold little hand back under the brocade quilt, his voice hoarse: "I understand."
With the immediate danger averted, Li Yuanjing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Eunuch Deshun inquired from outside the palace, "Your Majesty, will you be taking a day off from court today?"
The morning court session was approaching. If Li Yuanjing wished to stay in Yongning Palace to care for Shen Wei, he could issue an edict to take a day off.
Since ascending the throne, Li Yuanjing had never taken a day off.
He looked at Shen Wei, who had temporarily escaped death, and then gazed out at the dim morning light.
He worried for Shen Wei, feared her death. Yet, he bore the weight of the nation on his shoulders, not daring to let his guard down for a moment.
As an emperor, he was first and foremost the ruler of the realm, and only secondarily Shen Wei's beloved.
"Proceed with court as usual," Li Yuanjing said slowly as he rose, his body swaying slightly. Having not slept all night, he was mentally and physically drained.
He instructed the palace attendants to take good care of Shen Wei, sent someone to Cining Palace to relay a message to the Empress Dowager, and ordered that matters of the harem be handed over to Zhang Miaoyu. Once everything was settled, Li Yuanjing, not bothering with breakfast, took a sedan chair to attend court.
Today was particularly busy.
With the fall of the Duke of Yunzhou, Li Yuanjing designated Yunzhou as a military training ground and established a new port for transporting goods from the south. Additionally, there were promotions in the Ministry of Personnel, discussions on new household registration policies in the Ministry of Revenue, decisions regarding the punishment of the Lu family in the Ministry of Justice, agricultural irrigation matters in the Ministry of Works, and the spring floods of the Changhe River... various issues piled up on his desk.
Li Yuanjing worked tirelessly through the morning before finally finding a moment to breathe.
At noon, he went to Yongning Palace to check on Shen Wei. She remained in a coma, the aura of death lingering around her, her breathing barely perceptible.
Li Yuanjing studied Shen Wei's face intently, and only when exhaustion washed over him did he take a brief rest on a small couch by the bed.
...
...
A hawk soared across the sky, gliding over the dry air of Liangzhou City.
Within the general's residence, an urgent imperial edict arrived, hastily delivered to Shen Mieyue and Sun Qingmei.
Shen Mieyue was taken aback: "My sister was perfectly fine; how could she be poisoned? No, I must return to Yanjing to check on her!"
Shen Mieyue was anxious and restless.
As the eldest brother of the Shen family, he had always cared deeply for his younger siblings. Shen Qiang was farming and living a generally smooth life; Shen Xiuming was serving as an official along the coast and was being promoted steadily. But only Shen Wei, trapped in the treacherous depths of the palace, was the one he worried about the most.
The more he thought about it, the more urgent he felt, hastily ordering horses to be prepared.
Sun Qingmei stopped him, her tone calm: "The emperor has decreed that I must swiftly deliver medicine back to the capital. If both of us return to Yanjing, who will guard this vast Liangzhou City?"
Moreover, as a general stationed at the border, he could not simply enter the capital without summons.
If Shen Mieyue rashly returned to the capital, he would inevitably face criticism from court officials, raising the emperor's suspicions.
Shen Mieyue's face flushed with anxiety: "But if something happens to my sister, how can I face our father in the afterlife?"
Sun Qingmei patted Shen Mieyue's hand, her beautiful face steady: "The detoxification pill will be delivered. With Doctor Mo here, the noble consort will be fine. You must continue to guard Liangzhou, strengthen the military, and I will return to Yanjing immediately."
Sun Qingmei still had a detoxification pill in her possession.
Years ago, she had encountered Doctor Mo in the countryside and received three detoxification pills. She had given one to Princess Zhaoyang.
The remaining two pills had been kept with her. Last year, when Shen Mieyue was poisoned by a rare toxin while defending against the barbarians, Sun Qingmei had given him one of the pills to save his life.
Now, she just happened to have one left.
After a moment of thought, Shen Mieyue could only nod in agreement. He retrieved his heart-protecting armor and solemnly handed it to Sun Qingmei: "Be careful on your journey. My sister's life is in your hands. Safe travels."
Having fought alongside Sun Qingmei for many years, Shen Mieyue knew she was a woman of remarkable strength, equally skilled in both literature and martial arts, not inferior to seasoned generals. A journey of a thousand miles, day and night, posed no difficulty for her.
"Yes, you take care too," Sun Qingmei replied without further ado, quickly arranging for horses and travel documents.
This chapter is not yet finished; please click to the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Sun Qingmei took only one deputy with her.
As the wind and sand rose, two magnificent steeds galloped out of Liangzhou City, racing towards the distant Yanjing City.
The black and gold banners of the Qing Kingdom fluttered in the breeze as Shen Mieyue stood atop the city wall of Liangzhou, facing the dry winds of the desert, watching the graceful figure of his beloved depart.
Shen Mieyue rubbed his rough face, worry flooding his heart.
...
...
Sun Qingmei was a woman of strong will. After leaving Liangzhou City, she rode tirelessly along the official road, resting only three or four hours each day.
When the horses grew tired, she would change mounts at the relay stations.
"General, there are floods in Nanzhou, and the official road is submerged, making it impossible to ride," the deputy reported, pulling on the reins with an anxious expression.
Sun Qingmei sat atop her steed, pulling out a map of the Qing Kingdom from her satchel. Her gaze swept over the mountains of Nanzhou.
Sun Qingmei was exceptionally intelligent; she could always make sound decisions in the shortest time. She calmly said, "We'll bypass Nanzhou, go through Lingcheng, and then take the official road along the canal. It will be a longer detour, which may be more exhausting."
The deputy smiled, admiration on his face: "If the general isn't tired, how could I dare to complain?"
In Liangzhou City, no one dared to underestimate this renowned female general.
Sun Qingmei tightened her grip on the reins, turning her horse away from the flooded Nanzhou and continuing to gallop forward.
As night fell, the sweat-blooded horses were panting heavily. Sun Qingmei and her deputy prepared to rest for three hours at the official residence in Lingcheng. Lingcheng was remote, with a small population, close to the larger city of Nanzhou.
The deputy presented their credentials to the county magistrate, who promptly came out to greet them. Sun Qingmei, still mounted, asked the county magistrate of Lingcheng, "Why are there so many laborers in the city?"
Table of Contents
