Reborn, I was pursued by the Prince of the Broken Sleeves

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Consort Xiao, dressed in magnificent robes, knelt on the cold bluestone slab, her hairpins disheveled.

Ye Mo knelt beside her, his back straight, like a sword that refused to bend.

The palace servants, catching a glimpse of it from afar, all paled and hurriedly made their way around it, as if it were the center of a vortex that would devour people.

Su Manman rushed over with Li Dequan and her heart sank when she saw this scene.

She hurried forward: "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine!"

Consort Bai raised her head, tears streaming down her well-maintained face: "Avalanche grass was even found in my garden! The Emperor was shocked and furious, and on the spot... Manman, I am innocent!"

Her voice choked with sobs, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Li Dequan urged urgently, "Princess, please come quickly, His Majesty is the most important person to attend to!"

Su Manman and Ye Mo exchanged glances and instantly conveyed their meaning—the situation was critical, they would discuss it later.

Stepping into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the smell of medicine and the oppressive atmosphere were almost suffocating.

The Great Qian Emperor lay lifeless on his dragon bed, his face as pale as paper.

The Empress Dowager sat beside the couch, her face ashen. The Empress and the concubines held their breath and bowed their heads. The princes stood at the end, each with a solemn expression. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

As soon as Su Manman entered, she became the focus of everyone's attention, with those gazes filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and even schadenfreude.

“Princess Anlan!” The Empress Dowager’s voice was as cold as ice. “Last time, you were so confident that the Emperor had recovered and only needed to rest.”

Now that the Emperor's old illness has relapsed and he is unconscious, what explanation do you have?

If His Majesty's old illness relapses, then your method of cutting out his heart and taking his blood will have been wrong. Can you bear the guilt of harming the Emperor's health and plotting against the imperial heir?

The royal family is ruthless; they can turn on you faster than flipping through a book.

Su Manman suppressed her anger and curtsied, saying, "Please allow me to take Your Majesty's pulse first."

"Granted!" The Empress Dowager's tone was even colder. "If the Emperor does not wake up after you administer the acupuncture, regardless of whether you are the future Princess Consort of Qi, the crime of deceiving the Emperor will be punishable by immediate execution!"

Suppressed anger surged within her chest, and Su Manman almost wanted to storm off.

She finally took a deep breath: "Your subject obeys the decree."

She stepped forward to take his pulse; though the pulse under her fingertips was erratic, it concealed a vibrant life force.

The Emperor's body was like a battlefield, where the previously stalemated toxins and medicinal effects were fiercely battling each other. This fainting spell was actually an opportunity for destruction and rebirth.

She took out the silver needles, her movements steady and swift.

Each needle precisely pierces the vital acupoint, guiding the righteous power within the body to relentlessly eradicate the remaining lesions.

Retract the needle and move back.

Su Manman said calmly, "His Majesty will wake up within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"Still waiting?" A sharp female voice immediately rang out. It was Consort Wan, who was usually at odds with Consort Xiao. "Princess Anlan, are you perhaps stalling for time to find a way to escape punishment?"

“That’s right! You were the one who guaranteed His Majesty’s safety last time, and look at you now?” someone echoed.

"Consort Bai was banished to the Cold Palace because of a single avalanche grass, and more than a dozen avalanche grasses were found in Consort Xiao's palace. The evidence is conclusive, so how can she be let off lightly? Prince Qi is also implicated!" Her words were barbed, and her aim was directly at the two people kneeling outside the palace.

The Empress, who had been silent all along, sighed softly, her tone gentle yet each word piercing: "Sisters, please calm down. Sister Xiao is deeply favored by the Emperor; perhaps it was just a momentary oversight."

As for Prince Qi... alas, he has been away from home for many years, and it is inevitable that he has become estranged from His Majesty and has become somewhat cold-hearted. But blood ties would not lead him to do such a rebellious thing.

Those grasses... perhaps they were seeds blown in by the wind and grew unexpectedly.

These words, seemingly pleading for mercy, actually firmly branded Consort Xiao and Ye Mo with the labels of "arrogant because of favor," "discord between father and son," and "high suspicion."

This empress, who had never fought or vied for power in the past, finally revealed her hidden brilliance.

With the emperor seriously ill and Prince Jin losing power, she clearly wanted to clear the way for her son, the eldest prince.

Su Manman sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of it on her face: "Everything will be decided by His Majesty when he wakes up."

She stepped aside, stood with her head bowed, ignoring the gazes that seemed to scorch her.

The waiting time always feels long.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn seems to stretch out for a very, very long time.

When the incense in the incense burner finally burned out, the person on the dragon bed let out a long sigh and slowly opened their eyes.

"Your Majesty," the Empress Dowager called out first, "how are you feeling?"

The Emperor slightly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the group of people before finally settling on Su Manman beside him. "I feel much better. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mother."

"That's good!" The Empress Dowager picked up a handkerchief and wiped away the hot tears from the corner of her eyes. "Only when His Majesty is in good health can I rest assured!"

"Hmm!" The Emperor was silent for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, I am fine! You may all return first. Princess Anlan, please stay. I have something to ask you!"

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Manman, her eyes filled with a warning.

Su Manman understood what she meant and quickly nodded and lowered her head, "Yes!"

The others left the bedroom, leaving only Su Manman and Li Dequan by the bedside.

The Emperor gazed at her intently and asked, "How is my health?"

"His Majesty is not seriously ill. He merely encountered the avalanche grass, which triggered an old ailment. As for the poisoning of His Majesty, I have found a permanent solution!"

As she spoke, she pulled a small blue porcelain bottle from her sleeve. "This is a detoxifying pill that can cure all poisons. Once Your Majesty takes it, you will be immune to all poisons. This mere avalanche grass will no longer be able to affect Your Majesty's health!"

The emperor's eyes lit up, and Li Dequan, who was standing next to him, excitedly stepped forward, took the bottle of pills, and handed it to the emperor.

The Emperor held the porcelain medicine bottle in his hand, but did not open it to take the medicine. Instead, he looked at her with an inscrutable gaze and asked, "How do you explain the avalanche grass in Consort Xiao's garden?"

This is a really strange question.

Su Manman remained unfazed. "Consort Xiao enjoys growing flowers, but she doesn't like growing grass. She knows very little about avalanche grass and has no connection with the people of Huanyue Kingdom. This matter has nothing to do with her!"

"Who does that have to do with? A blade of grass in the Imperial Garden can be related to Consort Bai, so how could dozens of blades of grass in Consort Xiao's palace garden be unrelated to her?"

“Of course it has nothing to do with it!” Su Manman’s voice was cold. “Consort Xiao’s family is weak. Since she entered the palace, her honor and disgrace have been entirely in His Majesty’s hands. How could she possibly have the intention to harm His Majesty?”

"For my son!" The Emperor of Daqian felt somewhat saddened upon hearing this. "The concubines in the palace all want their children to become the crown prince and the emperor. What does it matter if they harm me for that?"

“She won’t!” Su Manman was not afraid of his pressure. “Her son has been guarding the frontier, fighting enemies on the battlefield, protecting the people of Daqian, and his life has been hanging by a thread countless times.”

“If she wanted her son to become emperor, she wouldn’t have let him take such a risk.”

"Only by allowing him to accumulate military merits and win the hearts of the people can she freely win over the hearts of the court officials, and thus push him to the throne."

"Hehehe!" The Emperor of Daqian's serious speech amused Su Manman instead.

"Is being the emperor tiring, Your Majesty?" Su Manman raised her eyes, her large eyes looking at the Emperor of Daqian with clear eyes and a sincere tone.

The Great Qian Emperor was taken aback, his expression slightly annoyed. "What do you mean by that?"

"This humble woman is merely curious. As the emperor, one must handle state affairs, maintain balance among court officials, and coordinate the harem. There are endless affairs to attend to every day. Throughout one's life, one must attend court and leave court, while also enjoying the favors of the harem. Is this the kind of life that everyone desires?"

The emperor was speechless when asked the question, and said unwillingly, "As the emperor, I have supreme power."

Su Manman chuckled, “Everyone loves power, but not everyone is keen on seizing power.”

"Then why did you try so hard to save me? Wasn't it to help Prince Qi, Ye Mo, ascend the throne as emperor?"

The emperor's question was quite direct.

The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point.