Chapter 134: Another Day Alive…

It felt like a sledgehammer had swung down, ruthlessly smashing against Shangguan Liqian’s heart.

Her pulse stuttered, coming to a dead stop for a terrifying heartbeat.

Disregarding all sense of decorum, Shangguan Liqian dropped to the ground, her hands reaching out in a frantic blur to steady the falling woman.

Meeting Luo Wushuang’s phoenix eyes, which were clouded with a flicker of agony, Liqian’s movement faltered for a fraction of a second. She shifted into a half-kneeling position, carefully gathering the Empress into her arms and cradling her against her chest.

“Wushuang, what happened? How do you feel?” Liqian’s voice was thick with a frantic urgency and a tremor she couldn’t suppress.

Looking up into her sister’s worried eyes, Luo Wushuang forced back the searing pain radiating from her knees. She managed to pull her lips into a weak smile while nestled in Liqian’s embrace, trying to offer some comfort.

“I’m fine. Sister, don’t worry.”

Seeing the cold sweat beading on Wushuang’s forehead even as she forced that smile, Shangguan Liqian’s calm facade finally shattered. Her usually indifferent features were overtaken by a mask of anxiety and panic.

Liqian took a deep breath, fighting to maintain some semblance of composure. She turned to the palace attendants behind them and barked a sharp, concise order.

“Prepare the Dragon Sedan immediately! Summon the Imperial Physicians!”

Seeing Liqian lose her cool over her brought a bittersweet spark of joy to Wushuang’s heart, but it was quickly overshadowed by guilt.

“Sister…”

Before she could offer any more reassurance, Liqian cut her off.

“Don’t speak for now.”

Liqian’s heart was racing. That familiar buzzing in her ears had returned, drowning out the world. She couldn’t process any of Wushuang’s comforting words; her mind was trapped in a loop, replaying the terrifying image of Wushuang suddenly hitting the ground.

The thirty-two-bearer Dragon Sedan appeared before them in record time.

Shangguan Liqian bit her lip hard, the sharp sting of blood finally centering her mind. She leaned down, scooped Wushuang up in a steady, firm hold, and began walking toward the sedan one step at a time.

She had seen Wushuang in many undignified states before, but none had ever made her blood run cold like this.

An indescribable dread settled in her gut. Liqian desperately tried to soothe herself internally—It’s fine, she’ll be fine, Wushuang has to be fine…

But her stiff posture and the way she subconsciously worried her lip until it bled betrayed the storm raging inside her.

Seeing the droplet of blood at the corner of her sister’s mouth, Wushuang’s eyes grew red with regret. It was her fault. She had made her sister worry this much.

“Sister…”

Wushuang opened her mouth to speak, but the moment she saw the fragile, forced composure in Liqian’s eyes, she fell silent.

Liqian looked down at her briefly but said nothing.

She settled Wushuang into the Dragon Sedan with extreme care. It wasn’t until they had traveled a significant distance down the long palace path that Liqian managed to steady her breathing. Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke.

“Why did you fall so suddenly? Do you feel unwell anywhere else?”

Seeing that Liqian was finally allowing her to speak, Wushuang hurried to answer.

“I don’t feel unwell. It was just like last time—my knees suddenly buckled. Sister, please don’t worry.”

As she finished, Wushuang nuzzled into Liqian’s arms like a seeking puppy. However, she was beginning to realize the gravity of the situation herself. This wasn’t the first or even the second time.

In moments when her sister wasn’t looking, she had collapsed like this before. But none of those instances had been as severe as today.

Because the physicians had previously claimed nothing was wrong, she hadn’t taken it to heart. But now…

Wushuang’s hand instinctively drifted to her throbbing knees. Behind Liqian’s back, she hissed through her teeth, her face contorting in a silent wince.

God, that hurts!

The faint sound of her sharp intake of breath didn’t escape Liqian’s ears. Her brow furrowed as she looked down at the woman in her arms.

“Has this happened other times recently?”

Meeting her sister’s stern gaze, Wushuang swallowed hard. She didn’t dare hide it any longer and whispered, “A few times.”

Liqian’s expression darkened instantly. “When?”

Wushuang reached up to smooth the deep crease between Liqian’s brows, hesitating before she spoke. “Once was the day the foreign envoys arrived.”

Liqian’s eyes narrowed.

The day the envoys arrived? Wasn’t that the first time she had gone to the Hall of Diligent Government to meet Wushuang?

Court had been dismissed for a while, but Wushuang hadn’t returned. Fearing the audience with the envoys hadn’t gone well, Liqian had gone to check on her. Before she even saw Wushuang, she had been forced to endure the preening and posturing of the Prince of the Western Regions.

She remembered seeing the Imperial Physician in the side hall that day. What had Wushuang said back then?

She claimed she had summoned the physician to check the Western Prince’s brain. Liqian had felt something was off at the time, but she hadn’t pressed the issue.

Now, she deeply regretted not digging deeper. When had Wushuang ever been that kind-hearted? That excuse had clearly been nothing but a lie to gloss over the truth.

Once the realization clicked, Liqian shot her a fierce glare.

Wushuang winced under that “vicious” look, offering a placating, sheepish smile before continuing her hesitant confession.

“And another time was…”

As Wushuang spoke, Liqian’s face grew more and more somber. The buzzing in her ears intensified until, despite the proximity, she could barely hear Wushuang’s voice.

Watching Wushuang’s lips move, Liqian fought down a rising wave of agitation—not at Wushuang, but at her own helplessness.

“Be quiet for now,” she interrupted. “We will talk after the physicians have finished their examination.”

“Oh,” Wushuang chirped obediently, falling silent.

Truthfully, aside from her aching knees, she felt perfectly fine now. But looking at the state of her sister’s complexion, she didn’t dare say another word.

The Dragon Sedan moved smoothly and swiftly through the layers of palace gates, soon arriving at the Phoenix Hall.

Liqian waved off the palace maids who tried to assist, carrying Wushuang into the bedchamber herself. Almost the moment she laid her down on the bed, the Imperial Physicians arrived, looking like they had sprinted for their lives.

After a hurried greeting, the physicians took a moment to catch their breath before stepping forward one by one to check the Empress’s pulse.

After a meticulous round of examinations, even these highly skilled doctors couldn’t help but exchange confused glances.

Judging by her pulse, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Her Majesty. Her pulse was strong and vigorous—extraordinarily lively, in fact. If anything, her “internal heat” was a bit high.

It seemed the Empress had taken their previous advice to heart; she was likely suppressing her physical impulses, leading to a build-up of internal frustration.

Aside from that, she was the picture of health.

So why would a woman in her prime suffer from such frequent, sudden weakness in her knees?

Refusing to believe their own findings, the physicians took turns again and again until Wushuang began to grow visibly impatient. Only then did they stop.

Seeing the group of doctors remaining silent, Liqian’s frown deepened, the worry in her eyes intensifying. Was it so serious that even the Imperial Physicians were stumped? What was happening to Wushuang?

The moment the doctors stepped back, Liqian spoke up.

“Is there something wrong with Her Majesty’s health? Why does she keep collapsing for no reason?”

The physicians looked at each other, their faces pale with hesitation. They didn’t know how to answer.

Finally, the elderly Head Physician stepped forward and bowed. “We have observed Her Majesty’s pulse, and there are no abnormalities. We truly cannot find the cause of this ailment.”

Liqian’s heart tightened. Her voice turned uncharacteristically sharp.

“You are the Imperial Physicians! How can you not even find a cause?”

Liqian, who always wore a mask of gentle grace, had never shown such a fierce, commanding side in public before.

The physicians were terrified, dropping to their knees in a chorus of thuds. “Our skills are limited! We truly cannot find any underlying illness!”

Looking at the trembling men on the floor, Liqian took a deep breath, forcing down her panic. She commanded, “At least tend to Her Majesty’s wounds first.”

“Yes, yes immediately!” Seeing that the Lady Shangguan had regained some level of calm, the Head Physician let out a silent sigh of relief.

He had truly feared that she, like the Empress, might call for their heads in a fit of rage. Fortunately, Lady Shangguan still possessed her reason.

The Head Physician personally attended to the Empress, his hands moving with practiced speed to treat the scrapes on her knees. Once finished, he led the group of physicians out of the Phoenix Hall, fleeing like beaten dogs.

Thank the Heavens, they thought as they hurried away. Another day alive…