Hearing the eunuch’s words, Wanqing couldn’t help but cast a suspicious glance at Prince Ning beside her.
“It wouldn’t hurt to take a look.” Noticing the indifference in Wanqing’s expression, Prince Ning hesitated for a moment before speaking, despite his own surprise at the emperor’s recent changes.
“Very well.”
Though Wanqing held no affection for this so-called emperor, she agreed. The thought of her birth mother—how he had outwardly adored her, even establishing trade routes between Celestial Ascendancy and Daqi in her name, and building a palace in her honor that still stood after her death—left a bitter taste.
Rumors said he forbade anyone from entering the palace to disturb her memory, personally overseeing its maintenance. Yet, from what she’d heard from Prince Ning and the Empress Dowager, after her mother’s death, he had repeatedly refused to make her favorite pastries himself. For such a heartless man, and given his treatment of Leng Mingye, Wanqing had no desire to engage with him.
Still, at her brother’s suggestion, she offered a faint smile and nodded.
“Very well. Then, we’ll trouble Eunuch Xu to lead the way. However, I’ve promised Marquis Mu to ensure the safe entry and exit of the Second Young Lady Mu from the palace…”
Prince Ning sighed at his sister’s demeanor. Though their recent interactions and certain unsettling details she’d shared had given him pause, he couldn’t refuse Eunuch Xu’s request for her to see the emperor.
While he trusted her abilities, his father’s recent strangeness—especially the poisoning of Leng Mingye, as mentioned by Liu Yufeng—left him wary. With a neutral tone, he turned to Eunuch Xu.
“Your Highness need not worry. The emperor is merely suffering from illness and, upon hearing from the Empress Dowager’s attendants of the Second Young Lady Mu’s medical skills, wished to seek her assistance…”
Eunuch Xu, sensing the misunderstanding, quickly reassured them.
“Then all is well. Please lead the way, Eunuch Xu.”
Unable to refuse and with her brother’s support, Wanqing nodded calmly and followed.
After winding through the palace corridors under Eunuch Xu’s guidance, they finally arrived at the study where the emperor awaited.
“Second Young Lady Mu, His Majesty is inside the study. Your Highness may accompany her…”
Eunuch Xu announced loudly, then quietly reminded Prince Ning.
“Thank you, Eunuch Xu.” Prince Ning gave a brief nod of gratitude before leading Wanqing inside. Upon entering, he immediately knelt before the figure seated on the dragon throne in golden robes.
“Your son pays respects to the emperor. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years.”
Wanqing, though inwardly reluctant to kneel—a custom she found excessive—followed suit, lowering her head.
“Your subject greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years.”
“Rise, Chen’er.” The emperor set aside the memorial in his hand and glanced at Prince Ning before turning his gaze to Wanqing. “So, you are the Second Young Lady Mu, the one who cured the Empress Dowager’s ailment?”
“Your Majesty, this humble one is indeed Mu Wanqing of the Mu family. As for the Empress Dowager’s condition, I merely happened to be familiar with such illnesses.”
Wanqing met his eyes, noting the brief hesitation and subsequent calm in his gaze. Suppressing a cold smile, she continued.
“Is that so? You are too modest, Second Young Lady Mu. Tell me… who is your mother?”
Emperor Leng Yingjie studied her face, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. Her resemblance stirred something in him, and he pressed further.
“…My mother was but a courtesan, later a concubine of the Mu household, hence rarely seen. I studied medicine under Old Man Yao of the Medicine Valley, which is how I gained some knowledge of healing—enough to treat Her Majesty’s ailment.”
At the mention of her mother, Wanqing felt a strange detachment. Though this man shared blood with her and bore some resemblance to Prince Ning, his aura was inscrutable, distant.
His connection to Empress Sun and Sun Fengyu’s schemes made her suspect his involvement. Yet here he stood, acting as though meeting her for the first time, even feigning surprise at her resemblance to Consort Hui.
The contradictions unsettled her. Unlike the warmth she felt from Bai Gu or Prince Ning, this man only left her wary and uncertain.
As she pondered, his deep eyes remained fixed on her. With a composed smile, she stepped forward, unashamed of her origins despite their supposed disgrace.
“Ah, a disciple of Old Man Yao. No wonder you possess such skill at a young age… In that case, examine my pulse.”
Emperor Leng Yingjie nodded, extending his wrist.
“As Your Majesty commands.”
Wanqing approached, fingers lightly resting on his pulse. Yet as she focused, she noticed his gaze lingering—not on her, but through her, as if seeing another. There was longing, regret, and something she couldn’t name.
“Your Majesty?”
Even after finishing her diagnosis, he still stared. Uncomfortable, she spoke up.
“Ah. And what of my condition?”
He blinked, as if snapping back to reality.
“If I’m not mistaken, Your Majesty has been afflicted with a rare gu poison. To cure it, one must first identify the toxins used to nurture the gu worms, then counteract them with corresponding antidotes to expel the parasites.”
The diagnosis surprised even her, but she relayed it calmly.
“Truly, a master’s disciple shines. Is there a cure?”
“There is, though it will be troublesome.”
She met his eyes confidently.
“Wonderful! Second Young Lady Mu, prepare the antidote at once!”
His sudden enthusiasm took her aback as he seized her hand eagerly.
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