Inside the imperial bedchamber of the Imperial Palace, the coils of dragon saliva incense rising from the gilded beast-head censer curled lazily in the air, yet failed to mask the bitter medicinal stench that permeated the room. The scent was so dense it felt almost tangible, and with every breath, it felt as though one were swallowing a mouthful of crushed gallbladders. Shen Mingyue lay quietly on the carved sandalwood bed, her pale cheeks nearly blending into the plain-colored silk of the pillow.
Her lips wore a sickly grayish-blue tint, twitching faintly without producing the slightest sound. Gu Jinghong sat by the bedside, holding her icy hand, his thumb gently stroking the pale green veins on the back of her hand as if he could thus impart his own vitality to her. The thrilling and desperate decisive battle of three days ago had already ended, but Shen Mingyue still had not awakened.
Instead, she had developed a blazing fever in her unconscious state, her forehead scorching hot to the touch. Fine beads of sweat continually seeped from her pale brow, dampening the pillowcase embroidered with twin lotus flowers; under the spreading stains of moisture, the lotus design blossomed like weeping blood, silently boding an ominous premonition. "Young Master Gu, this is the latest prescription."
Chapter 91