Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
To be honest, Yan Liqiang didn’t expect this incident to blow up, or more like he didn’t expect Eunuch Liu to blow things out of proportion.
Everything Eunuch Liu and the rest saw in his room was, of course, only a show he had put on. The only reason he put on such a great show was ultimately because he didn’t want to participate in that blindfolded contest with Shi Minzhang.
Yan Liqiang didn’t know what kind of trump card Shi Minzhang had up his sleeve. Putting aside the danger, Lin Qingtian and the rest were totally taking this blindfolded contest as an opportunity to dictate his life and death. That was why they came to threaten him with such confidence. From that alone, it was evident that Lin Qingtian and the rest saw that the odds were stacked against Yan Liqiang in participating in the contest.
It went without saying that Yan Liqiang also had his own trump card that was kept a secret. Even if it was a blindfolded contest, he might not necessarily be the loser. However, that would also mean his trump card was bound to be exposed. The most f*cked up part was the fact that no one would bat an eyelash if Shi Minzhang killed him. Yet, if it was the other way round, the only thing that awaited him would be the Shi Clan’s crazy revenge.
Unless Yan Liqiang’s head was caught between the doors, he definitely wouldn’t be willing to participate in a contest that would cost his life if he lost and still might cost his life if he won.
Even so, Yan Liqiang couldn’t go against the Emperor and the Grand Chancellor’s wills. Hence, over these two days, he had been racking his brain to come up with the ideal outcome for the blindfolded contest — ending it with a draw in such a way that he and Shi Minzhang couldn’t kill each other. Both of them would be so wounded that they would lose their ability to fight. This ending would justify himself to the Emperor and also reveal a bit of his strength to show the others that he wasn’t someone that could be manipulated. Not only that, the Shi Clan wouldn’t turn into mad dog either.
After the contest ended, he would then return to Gan Province, leaving the Imperial Capital and its deep, murky waters behind.
If Lin Zhe hadn’t sent an assassin after him, things would have probably gone down this way. However, Yan Liqiang immediately discovered better options presented to him upon the assassin’s arrival. It was even better than a draw, as he wouldn’t have to participate in the blindfolded contest openly and avoid getting killed. Not only that, but he could also turn himself into a victim to win the sympathy of the Emperor and the public. Finally, he could save himself from being Lin Qingtian’s target for a short while and ultimately become a ‘skunk’ that Lin Qingtian would dread. With this trick, he could kill three birds with one stone.
Since the idea came to Yan Liqiang, he would, of course, execute it.
The scene was perfect without any flaws and melodramatic enough. The guy who was sent to assassinate him was simply a gift to Yan Liqiang. It wasn’t until Eunuch Liu deployed all the troops to escort Yan Liqiang to the Imperial Capital that the latter realized that things had slightly gone out of his control and a little beyond his expectations. The eunuch intended to blow this incident up.
Even if Yan Liqiang was awake or perfectly fine, he had no choice but to continue feigning death under such circumstances. He couldn’t possibly jump up and tell Eunuch Liu that he was fine and that there was no need for so many men to escort him to the imperial physicians in the Imperial Capital…
Whatever happened after that, Yan Liqiang could only play along with Eunuch Liu. At any rate, he was supposedly ‘unconscious’ so he wouldn’t know what Eunuch Liu did…
Eunuch Liu instructed the Imperial Capital’s city gates to be opened in the middle of the night and personally sent Yan Liqiang to the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Yan Liqiang was still ‘unconscious’ when he arrived there. He only sensed that he was being surrounded by a bunch of people who administered first aid to him. They dressed his wounds and fed him medicine. Yan Liqiang ‘briefly’ woke up once during the process and was then examined by two imperial physicians. Not long after the examination ended, Yan Liqiang ‘lost consciousness’ again…
After being tormented for one night and losing a few hundred milliliters of blood, Yan Liqiang, who had never slept in before, finally enjoyed his beauty sleep. He didn’t wake up again until the next afternoon…
The room in the Imperial Academy of Medicine was clean and comfortable. The faint fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered in the room. The sun was shining brightly and it was a beautiful day outside.
“Deputy Manager Yan is awake, Deputy Manager Yan is awake…!”
The first thing Yan Liqiang saw when he woke up was Little Li’s surprised face. Then he saw Little Li shouting happily before he ran out of the room.
“Woof… woof…!” Goldie, who had been lying on its stomach by Yan Liqiang’s bed, immediately got up. It placed its front paws on top of the bed and barked twice in excitement, looking at Yan Liqiang who had just woken up with its tongue out.
Goldie stayed by Yan Liqiang’s side ‘loyally’, following him from Deer Villa to here. Eunuch Liu felt that it was a really sentient being, so he didn’t chase it away either.
Yan Liqiang chuckled when he saw Goldie, who could win an Oscar for Best Animal Actor. He reached out to pat Goldie on its head and winked at it, hinting the latter not to be this excited to avoid drawing any suspicions.
Footsteps rang from outside the door. In just the blink of an eye, the Emperor, Eunuch Liu, and one of the imperial physicians who treated Yan Liqiang before came in. A few guards were guarding the entrance of the room.
The Emperor indeed exuded a powerful aura. When he entered, the places where his dragon robe swept by dazzled Yan Liqiang’s eyes.
“Gree… Greetings… Your Majesty… Cough, cough, cough…”
He didn’t expect the Emperor to come. Yan Liqiang ‘struggled’ to get up from the bed in his surprise. However, his movements were sluggish due to his rather ‘weak’ body. He was not only physically ‘weak’; even his voice sounded the same. Just when he was going to speak up in a rush, he choked and started coughing.
“Quickly lie down, lie down. No need to be so courteous, Liqiang. We just arrived at the Imperial Academy of Medicine and wondered how you were doing. When We heard you had woken up, We couldn’t help but come see you!” While speaking, the Emperor sat down by Yan Liqiang’s bed. The Emperor had Yan Liqiang lie down, and then sat on the chair by the bed. He looked at Yan Liqiang with concern and even pulled the blanket up for him. Eunuch Liu and the imperial physician who treated Yan Liqiang before stood behind the Emperor respectfully.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I guess I managed to stay alive somehow. Little did I expect Lin Zhe to hate me so much even though I only met the Grand Chancellor’s nephew once…” Yan Liqiang forced a smile.
“Imperial Physician Huang said that Liqiang’s dantian will no longer be able to condense Qi…”
“I didn’t know happened…” Yan Liqiang smiled bitterly. “I was training when I sensed something flying toward me from the window so I rolled from my bed to the ground without thinking. At that moment, I felt the vital Qi in my dantian shake before it scattered. Although I was fortunate enough to kill the intruder, I fainted from my injury. When I woke up for the first time last night, I felt some anomaly in my dantian. I only knew I fell into Qi deviation and my dantian is unable to condense Qi anymore after the two imperial physicians examined me…”
The Emperor looked at Yan Liqiang with sympathetic eyes before a murderous expression appeared on his face. “Rest assured, Liqiang. We will definitely seek justice for you this time and not let the assassin go unpunished!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. For now, I only wish to recover. Even if my dantian will no longer be able to condense any Qi, as long as I can move, I shall participate in the blindfolded contest in a few days. To repay Your Majesty’s kindness, I shall fight for your dignity even if it means putting my life at stake. I simply cannot allow those people to mock Your Majesty…” Yan Liqiang got so worked up that he started coughing violently as soon as he finished speaking. He was coughing so hard that his face turned red. Even the blue veins on his neck and temple bulged.
At this very moment, the Emperor was truly moved. He grasped Yan Liqiang’s hand. “Liqiang, do not worry yourself with the blindfolded contest. Lin Qingtian canceled the contest on his own accord during the court assembly this morning. You should rest well here to recuperate from your wounds. After you have recovered, We have an important task to entrust to you!”
“Your Majesty…” Yan Liqiang’s eyes instantly reddened and glistened with tears as he choked back a sob. At this moment, even the Oscar statuette was waving its hand at Yan Liqiang.
“Rest well here, Liqiang. Do not worry about anything else…” The Emperor gently patted Yan Liqiang’s hand before he stood up and spoke to Imperial Physician Huang. “The Imperial Academy of Medicine must do their utmost to heal Liqiang’s wounds. If the Imperial Academy of Medicine lacks any medicinal pill, you may directly request anything from the Imperial Vault…”
“Your humble servant will definitely try his very best!” The imperial physician quickly replied.
“Good.” The Emperor then turned to look at Eunuch Liu, “I shall leave Liqiang in your care for the next few days!”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty. Your old servant knows what to do!” Eunuch Liu replied with a bow.
The Emperor then left without staying too long. Eunuch Liu only told Yan Liqiang the incident during the morning court assembly today after the Emperor left.
Yan Liqiang was quite speechless after hearing that. He also finally understood why the Emperor showed so much concern for him just now. This outcome was probably much more beneficial to the Emperor compared to defeating Shi Minzhang in the blindfolded contest…
For the next two days, Yan Liqiang paid no attention to other matters and only focused on his recovery…
