When the blood no longer spurted out, Sun Simiao inserted several needles in succession on Li Er’s head, took gauze and pressed it on the wound on Li Er’s head, pressing firmly. Li Er’s moaning gradually quieted down and soon became normal breathing.
Sun Simiao removed the gold needles and turned to the Empress, saying: “His Majesty’s blood and vital energy are excessively full. In the future, he must restrain his anger. Bloodletting is a method that can only be used in absolutely unavoidable circumstances. If used too many times, it will no longer be effective. This time was very dangerous. Once the blood vessels in the head burst, even immortals cannot save him. Be warned, be warned.”
Zhangsun sighed and said: “In that position, where is there a single day of leisure? Many thanks to the Daoist.”
Sun Simiao nodded to the Empress and said: “His Majesty now needs quiet rest. Don’t have so many people crowded around here. This old man will go rest in the side hall for a moment. After His Majesty wakes, summon this old man to come take His Majesty’s pulse again.”
Zhangsun had the eunuchs accompany Sun Simiao to rest in the side hall. She herself dismissed those concubines, leaving only Yang Fei, Yin Fei, and one imperial physician waiting in the palace.
After a long while, Li Er finally woke. The first words from his mouth were “I’m so angry I could die.” Who knew that as soon as these words came out, Zhangsun immediately burst into tears, causing Yang Fei and Yin Fei to cry along with her.
When the three of them cried, Li Er was very puzzled. A tearful Zhangsun was rare to see. During the Xuanwu Gate incident, when Zhangsun entered the palace to clean up the harem, she only vomited after coming out but didn’t cry. How could she cry like this now?
His eyes swept around and discovered the imperial physician prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. Touching his neck, he found three scars. Suddenly he felt his vision seemed a bit blurry—there seemed to always be a mosquito obstructing his sight.
Sniffing the medicinal smell in the hall, he asked Zhangsun: “Was I just now in great danger?”
“As soon as you returned, you flew into a rage, throwing and smashing things in the study. Before long, you felt a headache, then you lost consciousness. The imperial physician prepared medicinal soup but it was completely useless. Fortunately, this concubine ordered people to summon Daoist Sun. He said you were suffering from anger attacking your heart, your blood and vital energy too vigorous, so he used a silver knife to remove much blood from you. Only then did you sleep peacefully. Four shichen have passed before you woke.”
“Your Majesty, this concubine is a woman and doesn’t wish to interfere in court affairs. I only beg you to take utmost care of your dragon body. For us sisters, you should also take care. You cannot continue getting angry like this. This concubine would rather you use killing to calm your fury than continue harming your own body like this.”
Li Er heaved a long sigh and said to his three wives: “I have exhausted all my efforts for this realm, but today, someone regards me as a tyrant like Jie or Zhou, even saying that after death, he’ll be burned to ashes and scattered at the city gate to help me drag back enemy footsteps so I can flee faster. I very much wanted to chop off his head on the spot but still held back and returned to the palace. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, which is why this calamity occurred.”
“Who?” Zhangsun squeezed these two words harshly from between her teeth, fierce light blazing in her eyes.
Li Er shook his head helplessly and said: “Forget it, forget it. He’s just someone who doesn’t fear death. If you go kill him, you might be playing right into his hands. Then the history books will have something to write about, and our couple’s reputation will be completely ruined. Better to just endure it.”
When Sun Simiao entered, Li Er was pouring out his grievances to his three wives. When reaching particularly aggrieving parts, he didn’t even hear the eunuch’s announcement. Suddenly seeing Sun Simiao at the door, his face immediately turned bright red.
“Your Majesty, please continue. This is very good. This is the best method for relieving one’s heart. This old Daoist is a physician. As long as it’s beneficial to the condition, nothing is excessive.” Sun Simiao’s expression was blank, rigid as a piece of wood.
Li Er shut his mouth. He couldn’t be as shameless as Yun Ye.
After Sun Simiao took Li Er’s pulse again, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted Li Er’s eyelids to examine his eyes and shook his head, saying: “Though this poor Daoist hurried as fast as possible, unexpectedly he was still one step too late. Your Majesty’s eyes already have shadowy double vision. This is stagnant blood entering the eyes. If not eliminated, there will be future troubles.”
Zhangsun hurriedly asked: “How can it be eliminated?”
“Reducing internal heat can brighten the eyes. Quiet rest for half a month, daily coarse tea and plain food, supplemented with vinegar and celery, taking soup medicines that clear stagnation and invigorate blood, and there will be no impediment. Your Majesty absolutely must not underestimate this.” Sun Simiao provided the prescription, then prepared to leave. It was best to spend as little time as possible where the Emperor and Empress stayed.
“Many thanks to the Daoist.” With eyes closed, Li Er still thanked Sun Simiao.
Yun Shou and Helan couldn’t leave the palace. Not only could they not leave, countless imperial clan children also couldn’t leave. Today Zhangsun didn’t appear at the school hall. Several etiquette old masters deliberately exempted them from their lessons. All coming from wealthy families, seeing armored soldiers everywhere in the palace, they knew something major had happened.
The Emperor was ill. This news was strictly locked inside the palace. The announcement to the outside was that the Emperor, having felt something in his heart, decided to go into seclusion for half a month to comprehend certain principles.
Xinyue was now extremely sensitive to changes in the court. With her husband absent, she had to watch over this household. Now the gates of Li Jing’s household didn’t even close at night. As long as passersby walked past his gate, they could clearly see the activities inside. Even the screen wall used to protect privacy had been removed.
Needless to say about Wei Zheng’s household—every day Wei Zheng wore ninth-rank official robes to work at the city gate. Wei Shuyu deliberately came to the Yun household to request some golden nanmu wood. Now the craftsmen at his house were working day and night to rush-make coffins, making as many as three at once. No one believed the Emperor would settle accounts with his foolish son. Preparing three coffins was for properly laying out Wei Zheng and his wife, and Wei Shuyu.
Fang Xuanling had already reported illness for a month, turning a deaf ear to outside matters. He only knew to hold his little grandson and wander around everywhere. The frequency of coming to the Yun household to freeload pastries was increasing.
During this time when the Emperor was comprehending the great way, the marketplace was much more desolate. When Xinyue’s carriage passed Yanlai Tower, she could see those gaudily dressed singing courtesans idly leaning on the railings chatting. There had never been such a state before.
Those dandies leading leopards and handling hawks had disappeared without a trace, all shut inside their homes by their elders and not allowed out. Quite a few noble officials had strong objections to the academy system of resting one day every seven days, requesting the academy only needed to give two days off at Qingming and New Year’s Eve each year. When there was nothing happening, don’t send students back home—keeping them confined at Jade Mountain was good.
Xinyue looked at her own gate, sometimes having it opened, sometimes having it closed. She even urged Old Ancestor that the whole family should move to Yuezhou to live for a few days. Dongyu had even prepared a fast boat at the dock awaiting orders. As long as there was any disturbance, Xinyue would immediately have Dongyu take the whole family by boat to flee to Yuezhou. If Yuezhou wasn’t far enough, she prepared to go to Yongzhou.
Xiao Wu had returned. After playing with Yun Xiang for a while, really unable to bear watching Xinyue’s restless appearance, she stepped forward and said to Xinyue: “Master’s wife, what are you afraid of? Afraid Master will be defeated in battle and in the end the whole family will suffer along with him?”
Xinyue said to Xiao Wu with tears streaming: “Your master is at the frontier. Facing him are several million barbarians. He only has fifty thousand men. How can he win? Your master’s wife—I now treat every day I pass as profit. Look—the Wei household, the Li household, and look at the great households in Chang’an City. Which one isn’t living in trepidation, fearing His Majesty’s fury will fall on their own heads?”
“If this household only had me and your master, your master’s wife wouldn’t be afraid. Anyway, if your master has an accident, I’ll just follow him. But now it won’t do! Your master’s wife can’t die and doesn’t dare die. The lives of several dozen people in the whole family all press on your master’s wife’s shoulders. If I fail to consider even one thought, there might be a catastrophic disaster.”
Xiao Wu frowned and finished listening to Xinyue’s tearful complaint, then said with amusement: “Master’s wife, when it comes to people, our Great Tang now has close to a hundred million people. How many barbarians are there? Campaigning and fighting isn’t the whole family, old and young, surging forward together to brawl. There needs to be method.”
“My master hasn’t even told you he’ll be defeated. What are you worried about? You’re not unfamiliar with Master’s temperament. If the success or failure of this battle would affect the lives of the whole family, do you think with my master’s wisdom, he would accept this hot potato?”
“Moreover, even if my master is defeated, it’s nothing. Those old dukes have lost plenty of battles. Just that Xue Wanche—he was even captured alive, had his head shaved bald and was sent back. Did you see His Majesty behead his whole family? Didn’t he still marry the princess to him to ease his mind?”
“This principle you’re talking about—how can fifty thousand men defeat several million people—this reasoning you know, how could His Majesty not know? Those fifty thousand men are all sons of Guanzhong, are the elite, are the Great Tang’s foundation. Who can afford to lose them?”
“Since they weren’t sent to have my master and them go die, that means the court has contingency plans. His Majesty isn’t comprehending some great way—actually, he’s ill. Little Shou and Helan haven’t returned home for five days, saying the Empress kept them there. But Grandfather Sun also disappeared! I went to the medicine hut to ask. They said five days ago, guards came on fast horses to request Grandfather Sun enter the palace. As a result, Grandfather Sun rode a horse himself and rushed off.”
“In this world, the person who could make my Grandfather Sun so panicked he didn’t even take a carriage and rode a fast horse—besides His Majesty, I can’t think of who else has this face.”
Speaking to this point, Xiao Wu smiled eerily and said quietly to Xinyue: “His Majesty fell ill. It must be a serious illness. That’s why my Grandfather Sun was so alarmed.”
“Actually, this is beneficial to our household, and a great benefit at that.”
Seeing Xiao Wu deliberately keeping her in suspense and not speaking, Xinyue irritably slapped Xiao Wu twice and said angrily: “You dead child! Your master’s wife is so anxious she’s about to hang herself, and you’re still playing games. Speak quickly! What benefit does our household have? As long as we’re safe, your master’s wife will thank heaven and earth. We don’t want any benefits.”
Xiao Wu giggled once and quietly said in Xinyue’s ear: “If His Majesty carelessly dies from illness, the Crown Prince will inherit the great succession. With my master and His Highness the Crown Prince’s friendship, won’t we be able to take great advantage?”
Xinyue cried out and reached out to start hitting Xiao Wu again. Xiao Wu chuckled and stuck out her back to let her master’s wife vent, while carelessly winking at Yun Xiang.
After Xinyue finished hitting Xiao Wu, she warned her not to speak nonsense. But her entire spirit and energy were different. The demeanor of a little woman was gone. As soon as she went out, she was still the formidable Yun family matron.