First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Her eyes were clear, and she didn't look sleepy at all.

Gu Junxi looked at Mu Lingye's tired sleeping face, and quietly took out a calming pill she had prepared beforehand from her sleeve and twirled it under Mu Lingye's nose.

Mu Lingye's eyelashes fluttered, and she fell into a deeper sleep.

Gu Junxi then put away the calming pills, removed Mu Lingye's hand from her body, put on her shoes, and got out of bed.

Gu Junxi found Xi'er, stared into her eyes and asked, "Xi'er, do you know what happened while I was asleep this morning? Did Senior Brother come and talk about my physical condition?"

When Yao Duzhong arrived, Gu Junxi was still asleep, but he had already given her acupuncture. As someone who studied medicine, she had some suspicions, though she wasn't sure.

Xi'er thought that Gu Junxi was pregnant and didn't want Gu Junxi to worry about knowing her physical condition, so she hesitated and refused to tell the truth.

"The Valley Master of Medicine is here, but only to give you a routine check-up; he didn't say anything else."

"Xi'er, do you think your master is stupid?" Gu Junxi's face turned cold, and she deliberately spoke harshly to scare him: "Am I your master or is the Emperor your master? Now you've even learned to hide things from me. It seems that I can't tolerate you here."

Xi'er has always followed Gu Junxi's lead, so how could she possibly lie to Gu Junxi?

The thing she could accept most was leaving Gu Junxi's side.

Gu Junxi startled Xi'er with just one sentence.

Xi'er immediately knelt on the ground and told the truth.

"My lord, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just didn't want you to worry anymore. The Emperor feels the same way."

Gu Junxi felt a pang in her heart and helped the crying Xi'er up.

Knowing that he had frightened Xi'er, he smiled and comforted her.

"Okay, I know. I believe you too. But I have to face these things sooner or later, and there's no point in hiding it from me. I'm going to see my senior brother now."

When Gu Junxi arrived at Yao Duzhong's place, Yao Duzhong was fiddling with the medicine in his hand.

Eucommia ulmoides resides in the palace, and Mu Lingye had previously decreed that all medicinal herbs in the palace's treasury are at Eucommia ulmoides' disposal.

Medicine King Valley has no shortage of rare medicinal herbs, but it still can't compare to the Imperial Palace.

After all, tributes came from all corners of the world, and almost all the precious items flowed into the imperial palace.

The eucommia ulmoides remained in the palace, and every day, looking at these precious medicinal herbs, he was as happy as a mouse that had fallen into a rice jar.

"Senior brother."

"Junior Sister, what brings you here?" Yao Duzhong was surprised that Gu Junxi would come in person, and turned around to pour her a cup of tea.

After taking a sip of tea, Gu Junxi got straight to the point: "Senior brother, I only have a few days left to live."

Eucommia ulmoides was taken aback and frowned: "Who told you that you only have a few days to live? Although your physical condition is getting worse and worse, and it is indeed to the point where the Gu worms must be removed, your chances of survival are still very high. It's almost 40/60."

"You mean I only have a 40% chance of surviving after being stripped of the Gu, right?" Gu Junxi was in low spirits and had almost easily gotten the information out of Yao Duzhong.

This situation was actually pretty much what she had expected, no wonder Mu Lingye was behaving so strangely.

After a moment of silence, Gu Junxi asked, "Senior brother, what will happen if I don't remove the Gu poison?"

"I'll become more and more sleepy and thinner every day. But I can't guarantee how much longer I'll live."

"So, it's still possible for me to live long enough to give birth?" Gu Junxi found the key information she needed from this.

Eucommia ulmoides nodded: "You are now more than four months pregnant. Folk customs always say that you will give birth in ten months. In reality, the actual delivery only takes nine months, so you can still make it to the delivery. But after the child is born, all the nutrients in your body will have been drained by the child and the Gu worms. At that time, you will only have death as your only option."

“But this is enough.” Gu Junxi smiled with relief, turned and left without saying anything more to Yao Duzhong.

After staring at Gu Junxi for a long time, Yao Duzhong figured out the meaning behind Gu Junxi's words.

Gu Junxi is determined to protect the child and will not choose to remove the Gu worm.

Sensing something was wrong, Yao Duzhong chased after her, blocking her path, and earnestly advised, "Little sister, you can have another child, but you only have one life. You should think it over carefully. Although I can't guarantee 100% that I can successfully remove the Gu worms for you, I have already removed Gu worms for the Emperor and the late Emperor, so I have accumulated some experience."

"Senior brother, there's no need to persuade me anymore," Gu Junxi interrupted Yao Duzhong.

Her pale face was filled with determination; clearly, her mind was made up and no one could persuade her otherwise.

"I believe in your medical skills, but I am also a medical student. No doctor can be absolutely certain that they can cure a patient. Rather than gambling on that 40/60 chance, I'd rather cherish the time in front of me and go find my master and Qingyanzi myself."

“Actually, Su Li was right when she said something in a fit of pique. She suffered so much because I owe her. If Gu Yuanbai had taken me away, she wouldn’t have suffered so much. We are sisters from the same mother, so why should she always be the one to suffer? Before I die, I must bring her back safely.”

The reason I didn't personally go with Murong Yuan to find Su Li before was firstly because the political situation in the court was still unstable.

Secondly, he was also clinging to a gambler's mentality, always thinking he could find his master soon. That way, it would be easier to find Su Li after the curse was lifted. But after waiting for so long, he was still stuck in the same place.

Although I haven't spent much time with Gu Junxi, I know that she has always been stubborn.

Judging from Gu Junxi's tone, Yao Duzhong already knew that Gu Junxi had made up her mind.

No matter how much he tries to persuade him, it's all in vain.

As a doctor, I have witnessed too much birth, aging, sickness and death.

A phrase I often say is, "Respect the life trajectory of others."

Eucommia ulmoides sighed heavily.

"When do you plan to set off? Should we tell the Emperor about this?"

Gu Junxi also sighed heavily, and looked up at the setting sun that covered half the sky with blood-red color: "There's no time like the present, let's do it tonight. I still won't tell A-Ling about this. If he finds out, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave."

"Hmm." Yao Duzhong nodded dejectedly. He couldn't help with this matter; all he could do was offer emotional support.

However, he was still somewhat unwilling about Gu Junxi's situation. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Junior Sister, you can go ahead, but you must come back before giving birth. I will use this time to study the removal of the Gu poison again. I will try my best to save you and the child."

"Thank you, senior brother." Gu Junxi's pale, bloodless lips twitched slightly as she bowed to Yao Duzhong.

When Gu Junxi returned to her bedchamber, Mu Lingye, who had been given a calming incense by Gu Junxi, was still asleep.

Gu Junxi lay back down next to Mu Lingye, gently tracing the outline of Mu Lingye's face with her fingertips, wanting to firmly remember Mu Lingye's appearance.

"I really want to put you in a bundle and take you with me when I leave."

Gu Junxi drew the image for a long time, only stopping after she was sure she could remember Mu Lingye's appearance.

But she was still reluctant to part, so she reluctantly rested her head on Mu Lingye's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

She kept moving back and forth like this, changing positions and lying on either side of Mu Lingye until midnight.

As some moonlight streamed in from outside, Gu Junxi knew she couldn't delay any longer.

Despite her reluctance, she gave Mu Lingye some more medicine before packing her things to leave.

As soon as Gu Junxi stepped out of the palace, she saw Xi'er, whose eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, standing guard at the palace gate.

Xi'er yawned and pitifully tugged at Gu Junxi: "Master, can Xi'er come along?"

As expected of someone who has been by Gu Junxi's side since childhood, Xi'er was able to discern Gu Junxi's motives as soon as Gu Junxi's emotions changed slightly.

Gu Junxi also stared at Xi'er's adorable round face with reluctance. Her biggest regret now was not finding a good husband for Xi'er.

Although she was confident that even if she died, Mu Lingye would treat Xi'er well, things were still different in the end.

Gu Junxi stepped forward and pinched Xi'er's round cheeks. The girl had long since shed her immaturity and had gained the charm of a woman.

But in her eyes, Xi'er will always be the adorable little boy who drags his tiny body along her side.

That's great, Xi'er has finally changed her past life, which ended tragically in a fire.

Together they ushered in new changes, although she may now have to leave even sooner.

But if Xi'er can carry on with her good fortune and continue to live in this world, that would be a very good thing.

“Xi’er, I’m going to find my little sister and can’t take you with me. You are my maid, but to me, you’re more like my own sister. You must stay here and help me protect A-Ling. If any other women try to get close to A-Ling, you must drive them away for me.”

Gu Junxi, without blushing or skipping a beat, seduced Xi'er.

Xi'er was relatively simple-minded, and Gu Junxi's words made some sense; she was somewhat convinced. However, she was still worried and reluctantly tugged at Gu Junxi's sleeve: "Will you really come back?"

"Silly girl, this is my home. If I don't come back, where else can I go? Be good, understand?" Gu Junxi then rubbed Xi'er's head.

Xi'er was still reluctant, but she finally let go and watched Gu Junxi's figure disappear from sight.

After leaving her own bedchamber, Gu Junxi saw Xuan Ying again. Facing Xuan Ying, Gu Junxi changed her story once more.

He simply said that he had something urgent to attend to and needed to go to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

He also specifically instructed that Mu Lingye was unwell and would not attend the morning court session tomorrow, and that Xuan Ying should not disturb him.

Xuan Ying was not as familiar with Gu Junxi's physical condition as Xi'er was. He always trusted Gu Junxi, so he had almost no doubt about what Gu Junxi said and let her leave.

As the Empress, and one whom the Emperor greatly trusts, and who has declared to everyone that he, as Empress, enjoys all the same rights and privileges, Gu Junxi's path out of the palace will be even smoother in the future.

With almost no obstacles along the way, Gu Junxi had already left the imperial city and then the capital.