Yun Ling was still bleary-eyed with sleep as she wiped the water droplets from her face.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The Empress took a deep breath and dismissed her attendants. Once the room was empty save for the two of them, the Empress glared at her, demanding with icy precision, "Who... was it?"
Yun Ling looked up, bewildered. "Who was what?"
"The man you were whoring with!"
Yun Ling paused, then waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, just a handsome courtesan."
The Empress recalled Xiao Quanzi’s earlier report, in which he claimed the Crown Prince was heading to a brothel. She had assumed it was merely an excuse. Who could have known...
The Empress flew into a rage, her expression one of utter exasperation. "You actually lowered yourself to be with a male prostitute?"
"Mother, you mustn't put it that way. It would be more accurate to say that I paid for his services."
The Empress choked on her own breath, unable to utter a single word despite her mouth moving for several moments.
Yun Ling only wanted to send her away so she could return to her dreams. "Didn't you tell me to ensure the succession? I'm simply working on it! If I let someone else do it, there’s no blood relation; what if it’s discovered one day? That would be a capital crime—confusing the royal bloodline. It’s different if it comes from my own belly."
"And if your belly begins to swell, how do you intend to explain it?"
Yun Ling stifled a yawn. "That’s simple! I’ll just volunteer for a post far away from the Capital. I’ll give birth and come back—no one will be any the wiser."
The Empress’s brows furrowed tightly. She stared at Yun Ling for a long moment, said nothing, and turned to leave in silence.
Yun Ling changed out of her damp robes and climbed back into bed.
In the dead of night, a gentle breeze stirred the bed curtains. Suddenly, Yun Ling felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar, jolting her awake.
What was happening? Why had the temperature dropped?
Before she could process the thought, an overwhelming agony swept through her entire body. Every bone in her frame felt as if it were being gnawed on by ants, and her internal organs felt as though they were being gripped by a massive, crushing hand.
The pain was unbearable.
Yun Ling thrashed on the bed, struggling to force herself upright. Cold moonlight spilled across her face, and as she glanced into a nearby bronze mirror, she caught a glimpse of her own horrific reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot, and red, spider-webbing veins had crawled across the corners of her eyes.
It reminded her of the markings on Jin Sili’s face before he went mad. But his were black, and hers were red.
*No way.* Was Jin Sili’s "pink eye" contagious?
Biting her lip, she mustered every ounce of strength to call out, "Come—someone! Bring the Crown Princess..."
Recognizing the distress in her voice, the maid on duty cried out, "Your Highness? What is the matter?"
"Go, quickly!" Yun Ling urged, her voice tight with pain.
The maid understood. *Ah*, she thought, *the Prince has been struck by lust in the middle of the night.*
An incense stick of time later, Song Shixue’s voice sounded at the door. "Your Highness, I have arrived."
A weak, gasping voice came from within the room: "Crown Princess, come in. Everyone else... leave."
Song Shixue entered the inner chamber, where the sound of suppressed moaning reached her ears. The room was dim, the lamplight flickering, and she could only vaguely discern the figure on the bed. She approached, but when her eyes landed on the face of the person on the bed, she was stunned.
She hurried forward, grabbing a wrist to take a pulse. But the moment she touched it, Song Shixue’s shock only deepened. Too much information flooded her mind for her to digest at once.
After checking the pulse, Song Shixue took a small red pill from her waist and placed it in Yun Ling’s mouth. Yun Ling swallowed it without a hint of doubt.
Song Shixue froze.
She then pulled the curtains to shield the bed, ordered a large tub of hot water to be brought in, and dismissed everyone else. With great difficulty, she helped Yun Ling into the hot water.
After soaking for half an hour, the red markings on Yun Ling’s face finally faded. She opened her eyes and offered Song Shixue a weak smile. "Thank you."
Song Shixue asked the question that had been weighing on her for a long time. "How did Your Highness know that I possessed medical skills?"
"You have your secrets, and I have mine," Yun Ling paused. "What contagious disease have I contracted?"
"Your Highness has been afflicted with the Yin Gu. The parasite favors yin energy. If a man is infected, he must endure the pain of his meridians being torn apart every seven days. Within ten years, he will die a painful death, unless—" Song Shixue hesitated, casting a look at her. "Unless the man finds a woman of the pure-yin constitution and consummates the relationship. The parasite will transfer, but the woman will be drained of all her vitality and die within a year."
*Damn it!* I knew Jin Sili was behind this!
But if even she didn't know about her own pure-yin constitution, how could Jin Sili have known? She remembered the aphrodisiac incense from before and asked, "What happens if a man with the Yin Gu also ingests an aphrodisiac?"
Song Shixue looked at her deeply. "An aphrodisiac will trigger the toxicity of the parasite, turning it into the most potent of spring drugs."
No wonder Jin Sili had acted so strangely back then.
But now was not the time to dwell on that. She looked at Song Shixue with a grave and earnest expression. "Is there any bug repellent that works on this cursed parasite?"
Song Shixue tilted her head. "?"
"To completely eradicate the parasite from the body, the only way is to find a Jiuyang Flower to refine into an elixir. But I have only heard of the Jiuyang Flower in legends."
Upon hearing this, Yun Ling’s tone remained as light as a breeze. "So, you're saying I only have a year to live?"
Song Shixue pursed her lips, not knowing how to respond.
The room fell into silence once more. A moment later, Yun Ling tilted her head and looked at her. "You don't seem to care much about my gender?"
"Your Highness is an intelligent person; you must have guessed that I am merely trying to utilize your status. As for your secrets, I dare not ask, nor will I speak of them. As the world sees it, you and I are husband and wife. Only when Your Highness is safe can I thrive under your protection. Therefore, Your Highness, I will certainly help you find the Jiuyang Flower."
Her gaze was unwavering and sincere.
*She truly is the heroine,* Yun Ling thought. She smiled, her expression softening like melting snow. "This is the first time I've seen you like this. I'm not used to it."
Or perhaps, it was the first time she had seen her without a mask. In the past, whenever Song Shixue faced her, she always acted coy; this was a rare moment of genuine honesty.
Under such teasing, Song Shixue’s expression became unnatural, and she averted her gaze.
Yun Ling didn't say it, but she knew the Jiuyang Flower truly existed. According to the plot, after Jin Sili ascended to the throne, he attacked Nanping and seized the royal treasury, where the Jiuyang Flower was kept.
However, the plot never mentioned that Jin Sili was suffering from a parasite. It only stated that after Jin Sili took his own life, the Jiuyang Flower remained in the treasury, forgotten. Later in the story, the male lead suffered from a strange poison and required the flower; the heroine, Song Shixue, had taken it to refine an antidote for him.
She didn't know why Jin Sili hadn't used the flower to cure himself, choosing instead to end his life.
Putting these thoughts aside, Yun Ling looked at the sky outside. "I need to dress. You may leave."
Song Shixue nodded.
Once she was alone, Yun Ling went to the desk, ground the ink, and picked up her brush. It was nearly time for court. She changed into her court robes, standing tall as a pine, her expression solemn, and stepped into the assembly hall with the memorials in her hands.