When Liu Tong’en received word of Emperor An’s awakening and hurriedly entered the palace, he found the imperial guards, who should have been stationed inside the hall, standing outside. Striding forward, he demanded sharply, “Why are you all here? Where’s His Majesty?”
“His Majesty just woke up and ordered us all out, leaving only Eunuch Feng and Imperial Physician Jiang inside…”
“You fools!”
Liu Tong’en’s anger flared. “Didn’t I tell you to stay by His Majesty’s side at all times? Who allowed you to leave those two alone with him? If anything happens to His Majesty, can you bear the consequences?!”
Cursing loudly, he rushed into the hall, fearing that Feng Lai and Jiang Tian might harm Emperor An.
The court’s situation had grown increasingly tense. The Crown Prince’s power was rising daily, and that castrated traitor Xiao Yan harbored ill intentions toward His Majesty. Even the court’s fickle opportunists were hoping the Emperor would never wake.
Now that His Majesty was awake, what if those two took a desperate gamble…
*Bang!*
The hall doors were flung open. Inside, Jiang Tian, who was administering acupuncture to Emperor An, flinched. The silver needle meant for the Emperor’s arm veered off course, piercing the wrong spot. Emperor An let out a low cry of pain.
“Your Majesty!”
Hearing the Emperor’s pained cry, Liu Tong’en assumed something was wrong. He charged forward, grabbed Jiang Tian by the back of his neck, and threw him aside. Jiang Tian stumbled, crashing into a nearby rack, sending its contents clattering to the floor as he groaned in pain.
“Commander Liu, have you lost your mind?!” Feng Lai shouted in shock.
He looked down at Emperor An’s arm, where tiny beads of blood were forming, and quickly grabbed a silk cloth to press against it. “Your Majesty, you’re bleeding!”
The misplaced needle caused Emperor An to hiss in pain. Seeing Jiang Tian, pale and hunched from the collision, unable to stand straight, he glared at Liu Tong’en and roared, “Liu Tong’en, what are you doing?!”
“Your Majesty?”
Liu Tong’en saw the trembling half-buried needle in Emperor An’s arm and Feng Lai anxiously staunching the blood. Realizing Emperor An was unharmed otherwise, he knew he had misunderstood. He quickly said, “Your Majesty, forgive me! I thought someone was trying to harm you and acted rashly…”
“Imperial Physician Jiang, come check on His Majesty!” Feng Lai interrupted, pressing on the bleeding spot where the needle had struck.
Jiang Tian struggled to his feet, staggering forward to hold Emperor An’s arm. “It hit the pulse point. Eunuch Feng, press harder.”
He pointed to the area above the needle, urging Feng Lai to apply pressure. Then, grasping the needle’s end, he said, “Your Majesty, bear with it,” and swiftly pulled it out before Emperor An could respond, blood splattering his face.
Emperor An bit his lip in pain. Jiang Tian quickly inserted additional needles to seal key points around the pulse, bandaged the Emperor’s wrist, and sighed in relief.
“Fortunately, the needle only went in halfway. If it had pierced through the pulse point and damaged the artery, Your Majesty’s hand might have been ruined…”
After speaking, Jiang Tian slumped back, clutching his shoulder and groaning.
Feng Lai looked over. “Imperial Physician Jiang, you’re bleeding.”
Emperor An noticed the torn spot on Jiang Tian’s back, where blood stained the rack he had crashed into. Jiang Tian’s face was pale with pain, and his own hand had nearly been crippled by Liu Tong’en’s recklessness.
His face darkened as he addressed Jiang Tian. “Go tend to your wounds and have someone check on you. Feng Lai, escort Jiang Tian out.”
Feng Lai understood that Emperor An wanted to speak privately with Liu Tong’en. “This servant will take Imperial Physician Jiang out. Call for me if Your Majesty has any orders.”
Emperor An grunted in acknowledgment.
Feng Lai supported Jiang Tian, and the two carefully exited.
Once the hall doors closed, Liu Tong’en surveyed the chaotic scene, shattered objects strewn across the floor, and faced Emperor An’s grim, clouded expression. Sensing something amiss, he spoke cautiously.
“It was my mistake just now. I acted impulsively, nearly harming Your Majesty, but I was only worried for your safety. Jiang Tian and Eunuch Feng have a history of suspected collusion with Xiao Yan. I feared they might harm you if left alone with you, so I acted rashly.”
“If you suspected them of colluding with Xiao Yan, why keep them in the Yulong Pavilion?”
Liu Tong’en froze, then hurriedly explained, “Eunuch Feng is an imperial attendant; I had no authority to expel him. As for Jiang Tian, after he entered the Yulong Pavilion that night, I had him closely watched. With Xiao Yan’s influence outside, Jiang Tian’s family could be used to restrain him. I feared that if I sent him away, Xiao Yan might send another physician to harm Your Majesty…”
Emperor An’s expression didn’t soften at the explanation; instead, his eyes grew colder. “So, you stayed in the Yulong Pavilion day after day, guarding me?”
“Your Majesty…”
*Bang!*
Emperor An grabbed a medicine bowl from his side and hurled it at Liu Tong’en. “Should I thank you for your loyalty?!”
The bowl wasn’t heavy, and Emperor An, weakened from his coma, lacked strength, but Liu Tong’en was still stunned. He dropped to his knees as Emperor An, leaning against the bed, berated him.
“I am the Emperor, the Son of Heaven! The censors and historians of Da Wei aren’t here for show. If Xiao Yan, the He family, or the Crown Prince wanted their positions to be legitimate, they wouldn’t dare let me die under unclear circumstances. With all the men under your command, couldn’t you surround the Yulong Pavilion and keep an eye on Feng Lai and Jiang Tian?”
“Did I need you to guard me day and night?!”
Liu Tong’en was thoroughly chastised, unable to lift his head. He tried to explain, “But Your Majesty, I was only worried about you…”
“What good is your worry?”
Emperor An roared in fury. “If you were worried about me, you should have worked to salvage the situation, even if it meant stirring up trouble. That would have been better than staying in this hall day after day.”
“Do you know what’s happened outside? Do you know how many courtiers the Crown Prince has won over, how many allies Xiao Yan has in the military, or whether the noble families have struck a secret deal with them? It won’t be long before they overthrow my throne and prop up that traitor second son!”
“This palace is a sieve, the court is full of that traitor’s men, and the outside world is flooded with slander against me, while the Crown Prince and Xiao Yan are hailed as champions of justice.”
“What use is your guarding me? To let me wake up to ruin and disgrace?!”
Liu Tong’en knelt, head bowed, unable to respond. Emperor An, propped against the bed, panted heavily.
How had he chosen such a fool as Liu Tong’en to oversee his private forces, entrusting all his trump cards to someone so loyal yet inflexible, incapable of adapting? Liu had squandered a situation that could have been salvaged, leaving him in this utterly passive position.
If not for his current reliance on Liu Tong’en…
A flash of killing intent passed through Emperor An’s eyes, quickly concealed as he lowered his gaze.
“Do you know how dangerous my situation is now?”==============
You can read ahead to chapterr 770 (100+ extra chapters) here
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