TPATTHU Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Reaching the End of the Line, This Subject is Powerless to Reverse Fate

Shen Zhejiang was lost in thought when he suddenly felt the bedding being pulled away from him. In the next instant, something was thrust into his hand. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a ruler.

Xiao Zhinian stood before Shen Zhejiang, nonchalantly holding out his palm, as if offering himself for punishment. He peered at Shen Zhejiang through his eyelids and said softly, “In the past, when I made mistakes, Teacher would always use the ruler to strike my palm. If that is what it takes to ease Teacher’s anger, then Teacher may strike me as he wishes. In any case, I cannot bring back the lives of those five people.”

Shen Zhejiang was somewhat bewildered.

He had not expected Xiao Zhinian to resort to such a method. However, Xiao Zhinian was no longer a child, and the so-called punishment with a ruler was merely a way to frighten naughty children.

Now, it seemed to be nothing more than a trick to coax him, giving both him and himself a dignified way out.

“Your Majesty has his own decisions, which are beyond my control. I still maintain that ‘all land under the sky belongs to the Emperor’, and the realm and its people are all Your Majesty’s. Who to kill and who to save is solely Your Majesty’s decision. What virtue or ability do I possess to interfere?”

Shen Zhejiang gently placed the ruler on the side of the bed, his tone revealing exhaustion. The torn wound had not yet fully healed, and his consciousness felt as if it were being scorched by fire, muddled and unclear.

He forced himself to endure, speaking these words to Xiao Zhinian, wishing he could sleep a little longer…

Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhinian, seized by some inexplicable rage, suddenly raised his hand and violently swept the ruler to the ground. He leaned in close to Shen Zhejiang, one hand reaching for his chest, the cold touch causing Shen Zhejiang to shudder.

In contrast, Xiao Zhinian’s words seemed even more callous.

“‘All land under the sky belongs to the Emperor’… indeed.” This sentence seemed like a fuse, igniting Xiao Zhinian. He repeated it several times, his eyes growing colder, “Teacher is likely unaware of what happened in court today. I will tell you. Qingzhou suffered a mountain avalanche. The Minister of Justice and the Vice Minister of Rites were ordered to go and provide disaster relief. The journey is fraught with danger, and another avalanche is highly possible. Does Teacher believe that if an accident were to happen, Han Zitang would still have a chance to return?”

He stopped there.

Shen Zhejiang’s eyes widened slightly, a surge of anger rising in his chest, almost uncontrollably raising his hand to slap Xiao Zhinian.

“Pa!”

The crisp sound startled both Liu Bao and Zhao Taiyi, who had reached the door of the hall. Fortunately, Liu Bao’s announcement of “Zhao Taiyi has arrived” had not yet been uttered. He sighed, wondering why they were arguing again, and quickly signaled Zhao Taiyi to retreat further away to avoid being accidentally injured.

Inside the inner chamber, all was silent, except for the wisps of mist rising from the surface of the Wenhua Pond, enveloped in clouds.

A bright red mark quickly appeared on Xiao Zhinian’s handsome face, Shen Zhejiang’s fingernails even scratching his skin, leaving three terrifying claw marks.

But Xiao Zhinian seemed to have lost the sense of pain, leaving only desolation: “Who did Teacher strike on behalf of with this slap? Han Zitang?”

Shen Zhejiang said coldly, “Han Zitang is my friend. If you dare to touch him, I…”

Xiao Zhinian laughed, a bloodstained laugh: “What will Teacher do? Could it be that you will kill me? In your heart, is Han Zitang more important, or am I?”

“Incomprehensible,” Shen Zhejiang avoided him, turning his head and coughing, his lungs seeming to be on fire. He suppressed the coughs and continued, “Your Majesty, please leave. My words are unpleasant, I fear they will displease Your Majesty…”

Suddenly, his cheeks were pinched, forcing him to meet Xiao Zhinian’s eyes flashing with anger.

“Shen Zhejiang! How much of a place do I occupy in your heart?! Tell me!” Xiao Zhinian, like a rabid wolf, kept pressing Shen Zhejiang for an answer, blurting out, “You are so protective of Han Zitang, have you slept with him? Compared to him, who makes you more comfortable?”

Like a sharp knife, it pierced Shen Zhejiang’s heart, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

“What crazy things are you saying… cough cough…”

Shen Zhejiang raised his hand, but this time Xiao Zhinian anticipated it and grabbed his wrist.

Xiao Zhinian said harshly, “So what if I am? Teacher is now my Shen Consort, only I can have you!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he frantically tore at the few remaining clothes on Shen Zhejiang’s body, completely disregarding Shen Zhejiang’s feelings.

“Cough cough! Cough!”

So painful…

Shen Zhejiang was powerless to resist, but still stubbornly pushed Xiao Zhinian away, coughing, even coughing up blood, but Xiao Zhinian showed no pity, let alone stopped.

“Your Majesty! Something bad has happened, Your Majesty!!”

“Aunt Lan, please wait! His Majesty is attending to important matters, do not disturb him!”

Just then, a flurry of anxious and chaotic voices came from outside the hall.

Xiao Zhinian was annoyed by the noise. When he raised his head, he saw Shen Zhejiang turning his face away to cough up blood, bright red blood flowing from between his fingers. Suddenly, his whole body froze.

“Royal Physician!!!”

A furious roar echoed throughout the Wenhua Pond.

Footsteps scattered in disarray. Liu Bao and the others were ordered to enter the inner hall. Inside, everything was in a mess. Xiao Zhinian’s nine-tasseled coronet, which he hadn’t had time to remove after court, had been thrown into a corner in a fit of rage. Scraps of clothing littered the floor. Even more shocking was Xiao Zhinian.

He was disheveled, kneeling on one knee on the bed, using a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the person lying on the bed, his hands trembling, unable to hold the handkerchief steady several times.

This scene filled the three who entered with dread.

Without turning his head, Xiao Zhinian roared, “Why are you not coming over?!”

“Yes, yes…”

Zhao Taiyi dared not delay, nor dared to look up at the bed for even a glance, trembling as he placed his hand on the wrist extended from under the blanket.

But as soon as he took the pulse, he felt even more uneasy. How could this pulse be so similar to one he had felt before?

Could it be that this person…

Xiao Zhinian scolded, “What is the illness? Why would he suddenly cough up blood?”

Zhao Taiyi was startled by his shout, but he had a clearer understanding in his heart: “Your Majesty, this is because the root of the illness has been consuming his vital energy for a long time, coupled with a sudden surge of anger attacking his weakened lungs.”

Xiao Zhinian knew that Shen Zhejiang’s foundation was poor, and Shen Zhejiang had been injured repeatedly in Luo City, which was simply adding insult to injury.

Xiao Zhinian said with reddened eyes: “Use any method, save him!!”

Zhao Taiyi was in a dilemma, kneeling and retreating two or three steps, kowtowing: “I dare… I beg Your Majesty to forgive my bluntness, I have served in the Imperial Hospital for nearly forty years, and I have only encountered this kind of pulse three times…”

“Enough nonsense, I want you to save him, not to listen to your long-winded speeches!”

Xiao Zhinian suddenly stood up, the curtains sliding down with his movement, fluttering behind him, obscuring the person inside.

The chill emanating from him seemed to freeze the heat in the Wenhua Pond into ice, forcing Liu Bao and Aunt Lan, who were standing a little further away, to feel cold all over and kneel on the ground.

Zhao Taiyi felt a chill on his head, as if he had made up his mind, resigning himself to his fate: “The first time I felt it was more than thirty years ago, the pulse of the late Grand Imperial Concubine Jing. The late Emperor and Emperor Xian ordered me and my teacher to prepare a prescription to save her, but the lung disease was deeply rooted and could not be reversed. A year later, Grand Imperial Concubine Jing gave birth to a prince and then passed away.”

“…”

Xiao Zhinian didn’t know why he could be bothered to listen to Zhao Taiyi say these irrelevant things, but he still suppressed his anger.

Zhao Taiyi paused and continued: “The second time was the pulse of the former Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Shen Zhejiang, and the third time is today.”

Xiao Zhinian had a premonition in his heart, his eyes full of sharpness: “What do you want to say?”

Zhao Taiyi went all out: “What I mean is, the person on the bed has reached the end of the line, and I am powerless to reverse fate!”