“Father Emperor, I am Murong Lichen! Do you still recognize me?”
Murong Lichen felt the old emperor’s hand still moving and was overjoyed.
The old emperor knew it was Murong Lichen, so he slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Murong Lichen’s face clearly, two tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
“Chen… Chen’er, you came… to see, see Father… Emperor… Father… Emperor misses… you very much,” the old emperor said with difficulty.
Hearing this, Murong Lichen wiped away his tears and sniffled.
“Father Emperor, your son misses you too.” Murong Lichen suppressed his tears.
When the old emperor heard Murong Lichen say, “Your son misses you too,” his tears flowed even more fiercely.
“Father Emperor… I, I’m sorry to you and Little Jiu in this life. After… after Father Emperor… dies, you… leave Haojing immediately. Go as far away as possible. It’s best to never… never return to Haojing. Murong Qiansong, that scoundrel, he… he won’t let you off,” the old emperor finished speaking intermittently.
“Father Emperor, you won’t die. Your son has found the best divine doctor in the world to treat you,” Murong Lichen comforted him.
“No, there’s no need. Father… Father Emperor doesn’t have much… time left, Chen’er.”
The old emperor shook his head.
Just then, Leng Ruo Li suddenly spoke, “North Chen Emperor, if you truly care about Murong Lichen, you should live well and deal with your scoundrel son Murong Qiansong. Otherwise, your princes and grandsons may not escape Murong Qiansong’s clutches and will all be executed by him.”
The North Chen Emperor heard the pleasant voice by his ear and realized that a young man and woman were standing in his sleeping quarters.
“Father Emperor, these two are my senior brother and senior sister-in-law, also the Cold King and Cold Princess Consort of Tian Wu Kingdom. My senior sister-in-law is an extremely skilled physician. Your son invited her into the palace tonight to treat you,” Murong Lichen introduced truthfully.
“I, I thank you both!” The old emperor glanced sideways at the Cold King and his consort, then thanked them.
“Alright, Third Prince, time is pressing. Let me quickly examine your Father Emperor’s condition.”
Leng Ruo Li’s clear and bright black eyes swept over the old emperor lying on the bed, who was already exuding a deathly aura.
“Okay, then I’ll trouble Senior Sister-in-law to help me check Father Emperor’s condition.”
Murong Lichen cupped his hands towards Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li nodded slightly.
Then, she went to the old emperor’s bedside, extended two fingers, and carefully felt his pulse. Her willow brows furrowed. This old emperor was not ill, but poisoned.
However, to determine what poison he had ingested, a small sample of his blood was needed for analysis.
Leng Ruo Li immediately took out the blood-drawing equipment prepared before entering the palace from her sleeve pocket. After obtaining the old emperor’s permission, she drew a small amount of blood and directly dropped it into the instruments in her spatial laboratory for testing.
Leng Ruo Li then re-examined all the old emperor’s bodily functions. The results were not too bad. The internal organs were not severely damaged. As long as the poison was identified and neutralized, and his body was properly regulated, if there were no unexpected complications, the old emperor could still live for another ten years.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the results of the old emperor’s blood test were also out. He had been poisoned with *Strychnos nux-vomica* poison. As far as she knew, *Strychnos nux-vomica* was only found in the Nanzhao Kingdom on this continent. Nanzhao and Bei Chen were so far apart. How could the old emperor have been poisoned by Nanzhao’s *Strychnos nux-vomica*? This must have been the work of someone with ulterior motives.
Although this poison was not difficult to neutralize, to eliminate future trouble, the person who administered the poison must be apprehended.
“Senior Sister-in-law, how is my Father Emperor’s illness?” Murong Lichen asked anxiously.
“Third Prince, your Father Emperor is not ill but poisoned, with a poison found only in the Nanzhao Kingdom – *Strychnos nux-vomica*,” Leng Ruo Li said, her words astonishing.
“How could *Strychnos nux-vomica* appear in our Bei Chen Kingdom? Could Murong Qiansong be colluding with people from Nanzhao Kingdom?” Murong Lichen’s thick eyebrows knitted.
“This is not surprising, because Murong Qiansong has been colluding with the leader of the Dark Night Pavilion and the master of Ghost Valley. I suspect that the leader of the Dark Night Pavilion is very likely a person from Nanzhao Kingdom,” Jun Mo Han explained to Murong Lichen.
However, the three of them said these things without any regard for the old emperor. The old emperor heard every word of their conversation, and he was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
Murong Qiansong, that scoundrel, was actually colluding with the Dark Night Pavilion and Ghost Valley. What about the common people of Bei Chen Kingdom?
“Senior Sister-in-law, can my Father Emperor be cured?” Murong Lichen asked with a face full of worry.
“Yes, the antidote is actually very simple. Ordinary doctors can also neutralize it,” Leng Ruo Li replied with certainty.
“Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister-in-law to help my Father Emperor detoxify.” Murong Lichen cupped his hands towards Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li nodded.
Immediately, she took out the medicine capable of neutralizing *Strychnos nux-vomica* from her sleeve pocket.
In fact, the method to neutralize *Strychnos nux-vomica* poison was simple, and ordinary doctors could neutralize it with herbs, but she used modern medicine, which was faster.
First, Leng Ruo Li injected the old emperor with a dose of sodium pentobarbital to inhibit the central nervous system and stop convulsions. Then, she gave Jun Mo Han a look. Jun Mo Han quickly understood her meaning and immediately pulled Murong Lichen out of the inner chamber. She then took out the medicine and stomach-washing equipment from her system space to wash the old emperor’s stomach.
After Leng Ruo Li finished washing the old emperor’s stomach, he gradually fell asleep due to exhaustion. She then flashed into the small kitchen in her spatial dimension and used licorice, mung beans, windproof grass, *mingteng*, indigo *qingdai* (to be taken orally), and ginger, each in appropriate amounts, decocted in water. She let it cool to lukewarm before bringing it out for the old emperor to take.
Originally, it required four doses to be taken consecutively, but because their trip to the palace was very troublesome, Leng Ruo Li thought of a way. She put the remaining three doses into small sealed bags and hid them under the old emperor’s pillow, so he could drink them when he was alone.
After the old emperor drank the medicine, he woke up again half an hour later and then called Jun Mo Han and Murong Lichen back in. Leng Ruo Li explained the medication instructions to the old emperor in front of them.
After being treated by Leng Ruo Li, the old emperor felt much more energetic, and his vision was no longer blurry.
“Cold Princess Consort, after your treatment, I feel much better. My head is not dizzy, and my eyes are not blurry… Thank you very much,” the old emperor said with a wry smile.
“Your Majesty, as long as you cooperate carefully with my detoxification, you can get out of bed in two days,” Leng Ruo Li said with a smile.
“Alright, Cold Princess Consort, I will definitely cooperate with your detoxification. However, it is already Yin hour (3 to 4 o’clock). You should leave the imperial palace quickly. Someone will be in to inspect soon,” the old emperor reminded them.
“We’re leaving immediately!”
After Leng Ruo Li finished speaking, Murong Lichen walked to the bedside and said a few words to the old emperor, making him burst into tears.
Afterward, the three bid farewell to the old emperor and left his sleeping quarters.