Rebirth As a Fatuous and Self-indulgent Ruler
chapter-116

Translator: Storm in a Teacup

What happened to Lady Rou really made Long feel… uncomfortable.

It was not because Lady Rou did something wrong, but… because of his old self.

He found the death of the former emperor was so unworthy and… ridiculous.

Look, the woman he pampered had actually been betraying him every day, but he knew nothing about it.

At last, the empress who was not rebellious in the beginning was forced to revolt.

Although Shi had been cultivating his own forces, he did that just to protect himself.

If the former emperor hadn’t gone too far, Shi wouldn’t really kill him.

Shi’s good education wouldn’t allow him to do such a thing. But what about the stupid emperor? For such women as Lady Rou who had actually betrayed him, he offended Shi so many times and did countless things that only a fatuous ruler would do. As a result, he lost the popular support and even lost his own life!

Shi found it was really lamentable.

Seeing that Long was in a bad mood, Shi held his arm. “What’s the matter?”

Long shook his head with a wry smile. “Nothing. I just feel… a little uncomfortable.”

Shi puckered his lips. “Lady Rou deserves to die. Your Majesty, you don’t have to…”

“I’m not upset because of her,” Long hurriedly said that because he didn’t want Shi to misunderstand that he still liked that woman. “Qingzhou, I just feel like… I’m such a failure.”

Shi paused for a while, but he looked more relaxed. Then, he said softly, “Your Majesty, you’re thinking too much. It’s all Lady Rou’s fault and she deserves to die.”

“She really deserves it.” Long smiled. The former emperor treated Lady Rou very well, but in spite of that, Lady Rou still cheated on him and dated her lover secretly in the palace, which was really intolerable!

Just then, Zhang Yuan asked for an audience outside.

Long and Shi looked at each other, thinking that Zhang might have figured out what the powder was.

So, they let him in.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Your Grace.”

“You may rise.” Long waved. “What kind of powder is it?”

“Your Majesty.” Zhang looked very serious. “The powder is made from geranium, Malan flower and Mawei grass. The mixture of the three kinds of toxins is similar to that in Your Majesty’s body!”

Hearing this, Shi hurriedly said, “His Majesty has been poisoned?”

“Yes, I suspect that, but I still need your cooperation, Your Majesty.”

“What should I do?” Long looked very calm.

Hearing this, Zhang hurriedly began to get prepared.

Zhang asked the servant to bring a basin of vinegar, and then he took out a golden needle and a dagger.

“Your Majesty, please don’t mind.”

Long shook his head and stretched out his arm. Shi frowned and stood beside Long.

Zhang apologized again and then carefully made a cut on Long’s arm with the dagger.

Blood dripped straight down into the basin of vinegar.

Then, something strange happened. After Long’s blood was mixed with the vinegar, the transparent liquid gradually turned light purple!

Coldness flickered in Shi’s eyes.

“Your Majesty, please bear it,” Zhang said, while taking out the golden needle and stabbing it into the wound that had been cut.

“Hiss…” Long gasped in pain.

Shi got nervous and held Long’s the other arm more tightly.

Feeling Shi’s tension, Long slightly turned his head and it was strange that he didn’t feel so much pain as earlier. He also comforted Shi. “It’s alright.”

Shi bit his lower lip hard.

Zhang pulled out the golden needle, and then quickly stopped the bleeding and dressed the wound for Long.

Later, Zhang looked at the golden needle and saw that there was a light gray substance on it besides a little blood.

Zhang let a long breath out. “Your Majesty, I know what kind of toxin it is.”

Hearing that, Shi asked immediately, “Do you know how to detoxify it?”

Zhang nodded. “Yes. The culprit is really vicious. If the toxin stays in human body for more than three days, even if there is an antidote, the patient will lose all his internal power and there will also be sequelae on the patient’s limbs.”

Rage flickered in Shi’s eyes. “Oh? Three days?”

“Yes.” Zhang nodded. “The toxin is very strong, but it is hard to detect in the early stage. If I had not been fortunate enough to see my master treat such a poisoned patient when I was young, I would not even know what the toxin was.”

Shi breathed out a long breath…

Long frowned slightly and looked at Shi with concern. Then, he said to Zhang, “Doctor Zhang, since you know how to detoxify it, then do it quickly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Allow me to get prepared.”

After Zhang left, Long looked at Shi. “Qingzhou… don’t think too much.”

Shi pressed his lips together. Then, he said, “If we hadn’t found something suspicious in time and hadn’t taken Lady Rou and that maid back immediately, you would have…”

Shi stopped speaking. The hidden anger in Shi’s eyes made Long’s heart ache.

“Qingzhou…” Long took Shi’s hand. “Look, I’m fine now, aren’t I? Heaven is watching up there. The evil people won’t get what they want.”

Shi’s body was very stiff. After Long hugged him for quite a while, Shi finally became a little relaxed.

Then, Long pointed to his arm and said like a poor little boy, “It hurts.”

Shi pursed his lips. “Doctor Zhang has applied some ointment for you. Please bear it, Your Majesty.”

Long curled his lips. “Qingzhou…”

Shi said slowly, “What do you want, Your Majesty?”

“Are you still angry?” Long asked at once.

Hearing Long’s words, Shi really wanted to laugh. “Don’t just worry about me. You should worry more about yourself!”

Long blinked. “Why should I worry about myself? I’m totally fine, aren’t I?”

Shi got angry. “That’s because you’re just lucky this time!”

Long blinked again. “Alright, let’s be more careful in the future. None of those women in the harem will have the chance to get close to me, okay?”

Shi became speechless because he didn’t expect that was the conclusion that Long had reached.

Seeing that Long was smiling at him flatteringly, Shi knew that Long didn’t want him to be angry…

Therefore, Shi stopped saying anything, but he decided that he would be more careful in the future.

Since Shi calmed down, Long also felt relieved. He only wished that his dear lover could not look that serious!

Doctor Zhang was quite capable and efficient.

Soon, he came again and prepared everything.

That night, Long felt so terrible that he even wished he could die immediately!

Long hadn’t expected the detoxification to be so painful. Plus, he hadn’t fully recovered from his earlier injury. So, in the end, Long almost fell into a coma!

Shi worried about Long very much. With great concern, he took care of Long all night without accepting anyone else’s help.

Meanwhile, coldness gradually filled Shi’s eyes and heart. He swore that he would surely make the person who hurt Long suffer what Long was suffering at the moment.

While Shi was thinking and waiting, the dawn broke.

Shi stayed up all night, but he didn’t look tired or sleepy at all. Instead, he looked rather cold and indifferent.

Long opened his eyes sleepily in the early morning. When he saw Shi in front of his bed, he closed his eyes again…

Shi had been watching Long, so he saw that Long woke up earlier.

Seeing Long fall asleep again, Shi knew that Long got relaxed when he saw his lover was there.

In that case, Shi also felt relaxed.

Long didn’t wake up until noon and Shi was no longer there by then.

Thinking of how worried his empress was when he was in a coma, Long felt really sorry.

He sat up from the bed very easily, which gave him the feeling that he had fully recovered.

Sure enough. Long got out of the bed and he didn’t feel powerless or any pain at all!

Long grinned.

He finally felt like a normal person again and he hadn’t had that feeling for quite a long time.

While Long was enjoying it, Shi came in.

“You’re awake?” Shi walked quickly to Long.

“Yes.” Long nodded and tilted his neck. “I feel so comfortable, just like before.”

Shi smiled. “Good, I’m glad you finally recovered. Doctor Zhang also said that you would feel very comfortable when you woke up.”

“Yes.” Long stretched his arms and kicked. “Not bad.”

Looking at Long, Shi couldn’t help laughing.

Long touched his belly. “Well, what time is it? I’m hungry.”

Hearing this, Shi immediately said, “I’ll ask the servants to bring some food here.”

Long nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”

Shi hurriedly went to order the servants.

Long washed his hands and sat down at the table in the inner hall.

Soon, Shi came back.

Then, the servants brought lunch there.

Shi carefully tested if the food was poisonous. Seeing that Shi was so meticulous, Long blinked.

“Well, I guess the food has been tested before it was sent here, hasn’t it?”

Shi said, “Doctor Zhang gave me this silver needle, which has been soaked in special liquid medicine. Even if the toxin can’t be detected by others, I can find it with this silver needle.”

“Oh? That’s good…” Long nodded.

“Okay.” After Shi tested the dishes one by one, Long began to have lunch with his dear empress.