nycdaug Chapter 61 Shocking Change
Chapter 61 Shocking Change
After the banquet, the nobles dispersed, leaving only scattered noises echoing in the palace corridors.
Consort Liu had already prepared a bowl of hangover soup. She walked straight in and gently comforted him, "Your Majesty, have you drunk too much today?"
Li Longji sat in the imperial study, troubled by a sudden sharp pain. His brows furrowed slightly, and he casually rubbed the painful spot a couple of times.
He looked at Liu Huafei and shook his head slightly. He reached out and took the bowl of hangover soup, took a small sip, and quickly threw the bowl back to Liu Huafei. A strange feeling of suffocation suddenly came over him.
At this moment, Li Longji felt as if his throat was being tightly squeezed, causing him immense pain.
Suddenly, his face changed color, his whole body convulsed involuntarily, and then he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "pfft."
This sudden turn of events threw everyone present into a panic.
Consort Liu cried out in alarm, the porcelain bowl in her hand shattering on the ground. She rushed to Li Longji, supporting him in fear, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
The eunuchs and palace maids in the imperial study scurried about like headless flies, unsure of what to do with what.
In the chaos, Gao Chen rushed to Li Longji and glared at the two eunuchs, shouting, "Quickly, carry His Majesty to the low couch!"
The eunuchs hurriedly lifted Li Longji and placed him on the exquisitely carved low couch in the imperial study.
Gao Chen frowned secretly; all of this had happened too suddenly.
He was on high alert. Why would the emperor suddenly vomit blood when he was perfectly fine? There must be something fishy about it.
"Listen up, everyone! Anyone who dares to spread rumors or leak even the slightest information will be executed without mercy!" Gao Chen decisively gave the order amidst the panic.
His voice was cold and deep, which frightened the palace maids and eunuchs present so much that they trembled involuntarily.
When Consort Liu saw Li Longji being carried away, her mind was in turmoil.
She stared intently at the shattered soup bowl on the ground, and couldn't help but wonder, "Could this soup be poisoned?"
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy Consort Liu became. Looking at the changes in Li Longji's expression, she felt even more guilty and remorseful, thinking, "If something were to happen to His Majesty, how would I conduct myself?"
The noise in the Imperial Study was cut off as the door closed, and the air seemed to freeze.
Soon, imperial physicians, who were exclusively for the emperor's use, were successively sent into the palace for emergency treatment.
Their brows were furrowed, and fear clung to every face, as if Li Longji had contracted some incurable disease.
Under the watchful eyes of Consort Liu and Gao Chen, numerous imperial physicians cautiously examined Li Longji, discussed his condition, and then wrote out a prescription.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Ultimately, Physician Wang decided to first stimulate Li Longji's acupoints with acupuncture.
After the injection, Li Longji gradually woke up, but his face was very different from before—stiff and motionless, and his speech was slurred.
"Why... are you all like this?" Li Longji struggled, finding that his voice could not be clearly conveyed, so he tried to get up.
But his hands and legs seemed to have lost all strength, hanging limply at his sides.
Li Longji was somewhat flustered, and this powerless state terrified him.
If this matter were to become known to the outside world, wouldn't the Tang Dynasty be plunged into internal strife?
No, I absolutely cannot fall.
However, the more Li Longji struggled, the more he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Gao Chen noticed this change and inwardly realized something was wrong. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you have only suffered a stroke. Please rest assured, we will do our best to treat you."
When Li Longji heard the word "stroke," he trembled with anger.
"I...I have actually come to this!"
"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious. Your concubine will do everything in her power to restore your health." Consort Liu immediately knelt before Li Longji's bed, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Ha, my court, it's actually..." Li Longji's gaze wandered listlessly, his eyes filled with exhaustion.
Looking at Li Longji's helpless and desperate expression, Gao Chen felt extremely heavy-hearted: if the outside world knew that the emperor had become as powerless as a cripple, it would surely cause a huge upheaval.
This news must absolutely not be leaked.
As time went by, the atmosphere in the imperial study became increasingly oppressive, and Li Longji's despair and resentment grew stronger in the room.
He wanted all these people to leave the Imperial Study, but he was also afraid they would leak the information.
Wait until late at night.
Li Longji lay on the low couch, staring helplessly at the ceiling, lost in deep thought.
Why did I suddenly suffer a stroke when I was perfectly healthy?
Past events flashed through Li Longji's mind like fleeting clouds, and he gradually began to suspect that someone had secretly poisoned him.
Thinking of this, Li Longji recalled the last bowl of soup he drank, and a nameless rage gradually brewed in his heart.
Consort Liu knelt silently beside Li Longji under the moonlight.
Gao Chen stood aside, recalling everything that had happened at the banquet that day, and finally began to doubt Liu Huafei's bowl of soup.
But now is not the time to pursue this matter.
We can only wait until His Majesty recovers before making a decision.
The night in Chang'an was still deep, and the palace was even more silent.
Inside the imperial study, the lights were bright, but they could not dispel the fear in everyone's hearts.
Li Longji lay reclining on a low couch, his gaze unfocused, his face pale, and hoarse sounds emanating from his throat, as if he wanted to speak but could not articulate his thoughts clearly.
Inside the hall, Gao Chen, Consort Liu, and the imperial physician exchanged glances, maintaining a tacit silence. All their questions remained unanswered, unable to be voiced.
Gao Chen stepped forward slowly and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, are you feeling any better?"
Li Longji moved his head slightly, trying with difficulty to answer, but unfortunately his tongue simply wouldn't obey him.
He frowned and swallowed several times.
Finally, in a muffled voice that no one could hear, he said, "I... am unwell... and cannot... get up."
These simple words took a lot of his energy, and his voice was filled with undisguised pain.
Gao Chen tightened his grip on the whisk, feeling utterly helpless.
If the emperor can still issue an edict, the situation can be stabilized even without his appearance.
But now, His Majesty is not only unable to speak, but his hands are also too weak to lift a pen.
He knew these were symptoms of a stroke, and that even the imperial physicians would likely be powerless to save him, and that this would likely continue for a long time to come.
Consort Liu was anxiously guarding Li Longji's bedside, completely unaware that Li Longji's gaze was filled with anger.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is here and will surely cure your illness. You can rest assured," Gao Chen reassured Li Longji from the side.
Although Li Longji was unwilling, he had gradually accepted the current situation.
Despite feeling somewhat hopeless, I'm still trying to come up with a solution based on my own situation.
"Your Majesty, you only need to rest and recuperate. We will do our best to help you," the imperial physician said softly, his eyes revealing a hint of sincerity.
But I had absolutely no confidence in myself.