The Sickly Beauty Official Faked His Death and Now the Tyrant Has Gone Mad - Chapter 31

The clouds dispersed, the wind cleared, and the moon peeked out once more, its gentle light spilling across the earth. Stars dotted the sky, and the night over Jiangnan seemed even brighter than in the north.

Su Yang could no longer hear Ji Wuyou’s pleas beside him “Don’t drive me away, shut up.” All that remained in his ears was the voice he had just heard.

It was Lin Huaiyu. There was no mistake.

Seven words, yet they made Su Yang’s eyes redden.

For the past year, he had only been able to hear Lin Huaiyu’s voice in his own fantasies, repeated over and over until it had long lost its authenticity. No one had spoken to him in that clear, cool tone again.

Now, hearing it once more, Su Yang felt as though an eternity had passed.

He wanted to hear Lin Huaiyu say a few more words, even if it was in anger, just like before.

But his feet were rooted to the spot. He dared not take another step forward, nor make another sound.

Lin Huaiyu’s voice was clear and bright, yet his tone was lazy, tinged with a hint of anger. Su Yang had finally found him and didn’t want to provoke his ire again.

He restrained the urge to rush in and see Lin Huaiyu, his chest heaving rapidly, betraying his excitement.

He had finally found Lin Huaiyu. He had finally seen Lin Huaiyu again, heard his voice once more.

The wind brushed against the hem of his robe, the dark patterns rippling like waves on a green pond.

Seeing him like this, Ji Wuyou lowered his voice and sneered, “I told you he was someone you couldn’t reach. Your Majesty, now tell me, shouldn’t you be humble?”

Su Yang shot Ji Wuyou a cold glance, his eyes as deep as an unfathomable abyss.

But Ji Wuyou wasn’t afraid of him. He wanted to retaliate for the earlier setback, his mouth running incessantly. “Speaking of which, Lord Lin was once the prime minister of Great Yong. Yet he faked his death in a fire and went into hiding in this small town, living under an assumed name. Who do you think is to blame for that?”

Su Yang remained silent. Before he was certain it was Lin Huaiyu inside, he had been trading barbs with Ji Wuyou effortlessly. Now, he said nothing.

Seeing him like this, Ji Wuyou grew even more smug. The mighty emperor of Great Yong, brought low like this, what a delight.

“But I must thank Your Majesty. Now that Master Yuxi is no longer Prime Minister Lin, I’ve been given an opportunity.” Ji Wuyou’s words were sharp, with no regard for consequences.

Su Yang’s gaze darkened. Though he said nothing, his eyes had already turned into sharp blades, piercing Ji Wuyou a thousand times over. If Lin Huaiyu weren’t resting, he would have already pressed this man’s head to the ground.

Yet at this moment, he seemed nailed to the spot.

And Lin Huaiyu’s words were that invisible nail.

Seeing Su Yang’s icy stare, Ji Wuyou paused for a moment before remembering that the master of this place was Lin Huaiyu. Considering the history between Su Yang and Lin Huaiyu, he couldn’t help but twist the knife. “Your Majesty, why are you here? Master Yuxi went to great lengths to leave the capital. Now that you’ve come looking for him, aren’t you just causing him trouble? Or do you think Prime Minister Lin still wants to see you?”

Su Yang could bear it no longer. He closed his eyes and said in a low, heavy voice, “Shut up. You’re disturbing him.”

His voice was hushed, but the boundless fury within was unmistakable.

Su Yang’s figure was imposing. Ji Wuyou cautiously glanced inside the house, and seeing no other movement, he finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit like a guilty thief.

He also lowered his voice, retorting to Su Yang, “What good person are you pretending to be now, Your Majesty? There are plenty of people taking care of Mr. Yuxi now. Even if you are the Emperor of Dayong, he has nothing to do with you anymore. If you want to see him, you’ll have to wait in line.”

Su Yang shot him a glare and snorted coldly, “None of your concern.”

Seeing him stubbornly refuse to admit defeat, Ji Wuyou chuckled, “Oh, I forgot. You might even be worse off than us. You probably don’t even have the right to wait in line. After all, Mr. Yuxi likely only harbors hatred for you now.”

Suppressing the surging anger in his chest, Su Yang thought that if he weren’t afraid of Lin Huaiyu disappearing from his sight again, he would drag Ji Wuyou out and beat him up right now.

As time passed, the sky gradually brightened in the east, the sunlight slowly illuminating the horizon, turning a small portion of the sky into a bright golden yellow before rising steadily with the passage of time.

Dawn had broken.

Su Yang had stood in the courtyard outside Lin Huaiyu’s door all night, while Ji Wuyou leaned against a tree, watching him.

Su Yang calculated the time, estimating that Lin Huaiyu should be awake by now. But when the usual time for Lin Huaiyu to wake up arrived, there was still no movement inside the house.

Su Yang couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Could something have happened?

As Su Yang took a step forward, Ji Wuyou immediately spoke up, “What are you doing again? Didn’t you say not to disturb Mr. Yuxi?”

Without turning his head, Su Yang’s voice was as cold as shattering ice, “He hasn’t woken up yet. I’m worried something might have happened to him.”

Ji Wuyou, however, seemed accustomed to this and even yawned, “There are no classes today. Mr. Yuxi won’t wake up until Dr. He comes to examine him and wakes him.”

Su Yang frowned deeply. Lin Huaiyu had always woken up at this time, even when he had been… exhausted by him the previous day, he would still wake up at this hour the next morning.

Ji Wuyou seemed to guess what Su Yang was thinking. Glancing at the sky, he smiled and said, “Isn’t this the time for the morning court session, Your Majesty? You don’t think Mr. Yuxi is still the Prime Minister of Dayong and needs to attend court, do you?”

Su Yang’s expression froze.

That’s right. He had long ago ordered Lin Huaiyu not to attend court. Even when Lin Huaiyu was still imprisoned in the Qinchun Palace, he hadn’t been allowed to attend court then.

A year had passed, and Lin Huaiyu’s waking time was no longer this hour.

Su Yang slowly exhaled and stood back in place.

Now, he no longer understood even the slightest details of Lin Huaiyu’s daily habits.

Even Ji Wuyou knew more than he did.

After a long while, the sun was high, its intense rays beating down on Su Yang. His black robe was steaming with heat, while Ji Wuyou hid under the shade of a large tree, watching him with a smile.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard. Su Yang looked toward the corridor and saw a man in a lake-blue robe, carrying a medicine box, hurrying over.

The man was already somewhat advanced in years, with white hair and a white beard, but Su Yang recognized him as the former head of the Imperial Hospital, He Qingli.

He Qingli didn’t even look up or notice Su Yang. Lin Huaiyu’s courtyard had so many people standing around every day that he couldn’t be bothered to look at each one.

He Qingli only saw the striking red figure under the tree and said to Ji Wuyou, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, could you please go and prepare the medicine?”

Ji Wuyou replied with a cheerful laugh, “Got it!”

His tone carried a hint of boastfulness.

He Qingli paid him no mind and continued walking, heading straight for the room where Lin Huaiyu was sleeping.

Su Yang quickly spoke up to ask, “Has his poison not been cured yet?”

Only then did He Qingli pause. The voice sounded somewhat familiar. He turned to look in Su Yang’s direction, taking a moment to recognize him before stepping forward and saying, “So it’s Your Majesty. This humble subject was so focused on attending to Master Yuxi that I didn’t notice who was standing in the courtyard. Please forgive my negligence.”

Su Yang raised a hand, his expression unchanged. “No need for formalities, Headmaster He. Has my teacher’s poison not been cured yet?”

He Qingli nodded but offered no further explanation, simply saying, “This humble subject must attend to the treatment now.”

Naturally, Su Yang did not object.

He Qingli pushed open the door to the room. The bed was empty, but on the daybed near the window lay a slender figure, robes draped loosely over them. The person was so thin that even the robes barely formed a slight curve on the daybed, appearing so light that a gust of wind from outside might carry both person and clothes away.

The light from the window fell upon the figure, like a delicate veil covering them, gentle and serene.

Yet the rise and fall of their breathing was so faint, as if even the thinnest, invisible veil could suffocate them.

He Qingli watched for a long while. Even though he saw this scene every time he visited, his heart still ached with worry for Lin Huaiyu.

He still remembered the day he saw Lin Huaiyu again in Jiangnan.

Lin Huaiyu was covered in blood, his robes stained with the blood he had coughed up. His pale face was devoid of color, with only his lips stained a deep crimson.

He Qingli was startled when he saw him, but he quickly understood what had happened and immediately began diagnosing and treating him.

He managed to keep Lin Huaiyu alive, barely pulling him back from the brink of death. Yet even so, Lin Huaiyu remained teetering on the edge. He Qingli had consulted every medical text and tried countless prescriptions, but he still couldn’t completely rid Lin Huaiyu’s body of the poison.

Just as Zhou Li had said, Lin Huaiyu’s poison had lingered for too long, corroding his heart and meridians. To completely eradicate it was as difficult as reaching the heavens. It required not only many rare medicinal herbs but also bloodletting to draw the toxins from his blood. This was not a task that could be accomplished in a day, and He Qingli couldn’t guarantee whether the toxins could truly be fully expelled.

He Qingli looked at Lin Huaiyu on the daybed and sighed softly, as he always did, waking him gently. “Time to get up. The sun is already high in the sky!”

Only then did the person on the daybed stir. Lin Huaiyu slowly opened his eyes, taking a moment to focus before his gaze settled on He Qingli. Seeing the medicine box by He Qingli’s side and the needles being taken out, he silently averted his eyes and complained, “Now, the moment I open my eyes, I see your needles. Even in my dreams, it’s your needles. You’re more terrifying than the King of Hell in children’s stories.”

He Qingli walked over to Lin Huaiyu’s daybed with a smile and scolded him, “Do you think I enjoy coming here every day to stick needles in you?”

“Give me your hand,” He Qingli said bluntly.

His tone was familiar and casual, showing no regard for Lin Huaiyu’s status as the emperor’s teacher or the prime minister of Great Yong.

Lin Huaiyu extended his hand, pushing up his sleeve to reveal a pale forearm covered densely with needle marks.

He Qingli inserted the needle into Lin Huaiyu’s hand and said, “The other one.”

Lin Huaiyu obediently extended his other hand. This arm was different from the other, covered entirely in knife scars.

He Qingli simultaneously drew out a small, coldly gleaming silver knife, glanced at Lin Huaiyu, and pressed it against his arm.

Lin Huaiyu closed his eyes, and the next moment, he winced with a soft hiss.

Su Yang stood outside the door. Ever since He Qingli had entered, he had been listening intently to the sounds inside. Now, hearing Lin Huaiyu’s faint cry, his eyes reddened.

He wanted to rush in to see Lin Huaiyu. Lin Huaiyu had always been afraid of pain, and He Qingli’s treatment was likely not easy. Lin Huaiyu must be suffering.

But he dared not enter now, afraid that seeing him would disrupt the treatment, and afraid.

Afraid that Lin Huaiyu, seeing his reaction, would look at him with hatred…

He could only stand there, waiting quietly.

After a while, He Qingli removed the needles from Lin Huaiyu’s hands, bandaged them, and placed them back on the couch.

Apart from the moment the small knife cut his skin, when Lin Huaiyu felt a slight pain, he felt nothing during the subsequent bloodletting and other procedures.

He Qingli had sealed his five senses with needles. Every time blood was drawn to draw out the poison, He Qingli did this; otherwise, he would have long since died from the pain.

Now, unable to see, hear, or feel, he thought about sleeping again. He Qingli did not disturb him further, only sitting nearby to watch over Lin Huaiyu in case of any adverse reactions.

Outside, Su Yang remained standing, waiting for Lin Huaiyu. It seemed that unless he saw Lin Huaiyu, he would stand there forever.

The courtyard seemed to grow quiet once more.

But before long, another voice came from outside. Lin Fei was blocking someone, but the person insisted on entering, followed by two servants carrying two boxes.

Seeing that he couldn’t stop them, Lin Fei hurried to the door of Lin Huaiyu’s room to block the way.

Fortunately, the visitor did not intend to force his way in. He simply placed the boxes in the courtyard, straightened his clothes, and addressed the people inside the room: “I am Jing Fei, the second prince of Daxing. I wish to meet Master Yuxi. I heard that Master Yuxi requires rare medicinal herbs. I have prepared some as a token of greeting.”

However, no one responded to him at that moment.

Jing Fei blinked but said nothing, looking at Lin Fei, who offered no explanation.

Jing Fei then glanced at Su Yang standing nearby, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, followed by understanding.

Nowadays, everyone knew that Su Yang had publicly announced his search for Lin Huaiyu, with wanted posters plastered all over Dayong for a year without being taken down.

It was no surprise to find him here.

Since even the Emperor of Dayong was standing here, he might as well stand and wait too.

The courtyard remained quiet, the breeze gentle.

Suddenly, the window of Lin Huaiyu’s room made a sound, and everyone looked over.

It was not Lin Huaiyu who opened the window but He Qingli, who propped it open to let in some air.

On the couch, Lin Huaiyu lay on the beauty couch. The breeze drifted into the room, gently stirring his clothes and hair. The man lay there with closed eyes, like a painting unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

One feared that speaking would shatter this beautiful scene.

Su Yang gazed at the peacefully lying Lin Huaiyu, his breath catching.