From cute to empress

Chapter 344: The Miracle Doctor Arrives on the Brink of Life and Death

"General..." The imperial physician hesitated, his brow furrowed as if a mountain were pressing down on his back. "Your humble servant is incompetent..."

"How is His Majesty?!" Zhen Youcai grabbed the imperial physician's collar. Although he was usually calm, he was now confused. His scarlet eyes were full of bloodshot, like a trapped beast forced into a desperate situation.

"General, I'm so sorry..." The imperial physician knelt tremblingly, "Your Majesty's condition, I'm afraid..."

"Impossible!" I clearly heard Zhen Youcai's voice trembling. He could feel my vitality slipping away. The coldness was like an invisible hand, dragging me into the endless abyss bit by bit.

For the next few days, the palace was packed with imperial physicians who came to treat me. They took turns taking my pulse, performing acupuncture, and brewing all kinds of rare medicinal herbs. However, my health showed no improvement and I became even colder. Zhen Youcai stayed by my side day and night, holding my hand and saying over and over again, "Mengmeng, you must hold on. I will definitely find a way to save you..."

He even went to the Jokhang Temple himself, despite everyone's opposition, and invited a highly respected monk to pray for me. The monk, with a kind face and Buddhist beads in hand, chanted sutras by my bed for 49 days. The golden Buddha's light enveloped my body, but it did not bring any warmth.

"The cold and gloomy aura on your majesty is too strange, and I can't do anything about it..." The monk finally sighed, shook his head, and left the palace with a sad face.

Zhen Youcai, who was at his wit's end, believed the slander of the meteorologist, who said that the "Red Flame Meteor" that only appears once in a thousand years could dispel the coldness in his body. So he spared no expense, spending manpower and material resources to build an altar just to capture the fleeting light of the meteor.

However, fate always seems to play tricks on us. The moment the "Red Flame Meteor" streaked across the sky, my body suddenly began to tremble violently. An unprecedented chill spread from deep within my bones. I felt as if I were frozen in a thousand-year-old ice, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

"Mengmeng!" Zhen Youcai exclaimed, and his grip on my hand suddenly tightened. "What's wrong with you?!"

I wanted to speak, but no sound came out. I could only watch him panic and feel the warmth of his palm, which was in stark contrast to my own coldness.

At this moment, a sudden noise came from outside the palace. Then, a palace maid ran in in a panic, knelt down in front of Zhen Youcai, and said in a trembling voice: "General, it's bad... The Prime Minister... He led his troops to surround the palace..."

Zhen Youcai abruptly stood up, his face livid, a murderous glint in his eyes. He gripped my hand tightly and said, word by word, "Mengmeng, wait for me to come back..." My consciousness gradually faded, but Zhen Youcai's voice boomed like thunder in my ears. Prime Minister... coup... Those forces that once supported me finally gave way to their greed and chose this moment to bar their fangs.

I wanted to speak, wanted to tell Zhen Youcai to leave me alone and go quell the rebellion, but my body seemed to be under a spell and I couldn't move. I could only watch as the love and worry in his eyes were replaced by raging anger.

"Damn it!" Zhen Youcai punched the carved railing beside the bed, wood chips flying everywhere, and blood oozed from the back of his hand, but he seemed unaware of it. He just stared at me intently and said word by word: "Mengmeng, wait for me, I will definitely come back, and I will come back with victory!"

He left, carrying with him a murderous aura and the promise he had made to me, leaving the palace where I was imprisoned. I could sense the torment in his heart: on one side was my fading life, and on the other was the kingdom he had fought so hard for. He was forced to make a choice, and no matter which one, it was destined to be filled with pain and sacrifice.

In the days that followed, the deafening cries of killing, the metallic clashing of swords, and the screams of dying soldiers echoed outside the palace, all foreshadowing the horrific nature of the coup. My heart, too, tossed and turned with these sounds, worried about Zhen Youcai's safety and resented my own inability to do anything.

"Your Majesty..." Cui'er, the personal maid, held the medicine bowl, tears streaming down her face, "Please drink some. Even for the general, you must take care of yourself..."

I looked at the bowl of medicine she handed me with trembling hands, smelled the pungent smell, and felt a mixture of emotions. These past few days, I'd drunk countless bowls of this decoction, but my health hadn't improved at all. Instead, it was getting weaker and weaker.

"Cui'er, don't waste your energy..." I squeezed out a few hoarse words from my throat with all my strength, "It's useless..."

"Your Majesty..." Cui'er cried even more sadly, "Please don't give up..."

I smiled weakly and tried to reach out to wipe the tears from her face, but I found I didn't even have the strength to lift my hand. My vision grew increasingly blurry, and my consciousness gradually drifted away. Just when I thought I was about to fall into endless darkness, an old, hoarse voice suddenly rang in my ears...

"I may have a way to save her..." The voice seemed to come from the distant sky, but also seemed to be right next to my ear. I tried hard to open my heavy eyelids, but to no avail.

"Who is it?" Cui Er asked in a tearful voice, with a hint of hope in her voice, "Who is speaking?"

"I am a traveling doctor. I heard that the empress of your country is suffering from a strange disease, so I came to save her." The voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it revealed a convincing power.

"You...can you cure His Majesty's illness?" Cui'er's voice trembled, as if she had grasped the last straw.

"I dare not speak rashly, but you can give it a try." The voice paused, then continued, "It just requires some rare medicinal herbs."

I couldn't hear what was said next, and my consciousness gradually fell into chaos. I only vaguely remembered someone saying something anxiously in my ear, words like "dragon blood grass" and "phoenix gall". These names sounded strange and unfamiliar, but they seemed to have stirred up a ripple in my mind. I wanted to catch it, but I was powerless.

I don’t know how long it was before I woke up again and felt someone holding my hand, warm and strong.

"Mengmeng, you're awake!" The familiar voice was trembling and full of surprise. It was Zhen Youcai!

I tried hard to open my eyes, and what I saw was his anxious and haggard face. His eyes were bloodshot and there was blue stubble on his chin, which showed that he had not had a good life these days.

"Talent..." My voice was hoarse like a broken bellows, "How are you? Coup..."

"Shh, don't say anything and get some rest." Zhen Youcai stroked my hair gently with his other hand, his tone as gentle as if he were treating a fragile treasure. "The coup has been settled, you don't have to worry."

"Quelled?" I was a little surprised, but then I felt relieved. With his ability, it wouldn't be difficult to quell a rebellion, but...

"Then why are you..." I wanted to ask him why he looked so haggard, why there was still lingering worry in his eyes, but he seemed to know what I was thinking and said first: "Mengmeng, don't worry, I have found someone who can cure you."

"Really?" A glimmer of hope ignited in my eyes, but it was quickly extinguished. "But... I heard him say he needed dragon blood grass, phoenix gallbladder, and those things..."

"I know." Zhen Youcai held my hand tightly, his eyes determined. "No matter what the cost, I will find these herbs and I will definitely cure you!"

He stood up, not giving me a chance to speak, and strode out of the bedroom. Looking at his resolute back, I felt both moved and worried. I knew that for me, he could give up everything, even his own life.

"Your Majesty, the general..." Cui'er choked and couldn't speak. I gently patted her hand, indicating that she should not worry.

Zhen Youcai embarked on a journey to find medicinal herbs, knowing full well that this was his and my last hope, and he had to succeed. Cui'er brought me ginseng soup, but I had no appetite at all. I forced a few sips and then pleaded tiredness. She helped me lie down, tucked in the quilt, and looked at me with concern. I gave her a weak smile, reassuring her.

I knew my health was deteriorating, and every breath felt like a knife stabbing me. I forced myself to stay awake, but I couldn't even muster the strength to turn over. Cui'er's eyes were red, and she hesitated to speak. I knew what she wanted to ask: if my body couldn't hold on any longer, when Zhen Youcai would return, and... if there was a future for us.

Don’t I want to know the answer?

Since I traveled to this strange world, from an ignorant young girl to where I am today, I have experienced many ups and downs. I once thought that ascending to the throne would be the pinnacle of my life, but I never expected that fate would play such a cruel joke on me.

The man I love embarked on a life-or-death journey to save me. And I can only lie in the cold of my bedroom, silently praying for his safe return.

Time slipped by, each moment seeming infinitely longer. I tried to stay awake, but I couldn't resist the waves of sleepiness. In my daze, I seemed to see Zhen Youcai standing before me. He was covered in dust, but the joy in his eyes was hard to conceal. In his hands, he held an exquisite box, and inside it was the life-saving herbal medicine.

"Mengmeng, I'm back..." He smiled gently and stretched out his hand to me.

I wanted to grab his hand, but I felt weak all over and could only watch him get farther and farther away from me.

"No, don't go..." I shouted with all my strength, but no sound came out.

At this moment, the door of the bedroom was suddenly pushed open, and a hurried voice came: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something bad has happened..."

I suddenly opened my eyes and saw the gasping meteorologist. His face was pale and his lips were trembling, as if he had seen something terrible.

"What's wrong?" I asked, suppressing my discomfort.

"A strange phenomenon appeared in the sky..." He stammered, "The general..."

"What happened to the general?!" My heart sank suddenly and an ominous premonition came over me.