Chapter 175: Don't threaten everyone

Liao Min's face goes completely pale, as she watches Han Yu's unmoving form slumped in Xi Zirui's spread arms.

Her horror soon turns to accusation as her gaze drifts to Xi Zirui. "This is all your fault, Xin dog."

The worst part is that Xi Zirui has a hard time disagreeing with her.

He's the one who set all these events in motion by thinking he was the smarter person in the room.

"Physician," he shouts, his voice creaking like splintered bamboo as he tries to call the guards back. "Someone call the Imperial Physician."

The guards make it back to the holding block quickly, their worry diminishing significantly when they realize Xi Zirui isn't the one injured.

"Help this Emperor take him to his quarters, and make sure the Imperial physician is there to treat him," Xi Zirui says, trying to carry Han Yu on his own, before two guards rush to his side to help him.

There's probably no stopping the talk that's going to happen now. People will definitely speculate about the nature of his relationship with Han Yu after so many guards have seen him so worried and distraught. 

Xi Zirui will worry about the repercussions once Han Yu is well.

He can't die just as he gets his memories back, Xi Zirui wouldn't be able to handle that. He's sure this world's Han Yu is fond of him, despite all his bluster, but he wouldn't call him 'Rui-er' that's for sure.

---

The guards deposit him on an adjacent room to Xi Zirui's, stretching out a cot for him to lay on.

The physician arrives seconds after them, an elderly man carrying a wooden box filled with the tools of his trade. He looks sweaty and panicked, but he jumps straight into examining Han Yu after a perfunctory bow to Xi Zirui.

Xi Zirui tells everyone to leave the rooms, so that Physician Ouyang can do his job, but he remains, hovering close by, his eyes fixed on the man's elderly, knotted fingers.

The physician takes Han Yu's pulse, extracts a sample of Han Yu's blood that he adds several tinctures too. Whatever reaction happens must mean something to him, because he hums and turns to Xi Zirui with a solemn expression.

"He won't die," he says, his voice grave. A shudder of relief softens the tension in Xi Zirui's bones, but Physician Ouyang isn't done. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the same poison that afflicted His Majesty."

"Then he will be fine," Xi Zirui presses on, too startled to focus on anything else.

"He might recover fully, as his Majesty has done, or he might suffer from side-effects of the poison in his system. This untalented physician isn't able to say so at this time."

Xi Zirui understands. He thanks Physician Ouyang for his help, and tells him to wait in the next room for a moment. 

Physician Ouyang is clearly confused by this request, but does as Xi Zirui tells him.

Once they're alone, Xi Zirui kneels by Han Yu's side and runs his fingers through his sweaty braids, his heart seizing at the bone-white pallor of his smooth skin.

"I'll be right back," he says, lowering his lips into Han Yu's dry ones. "I'll take care of you."

He raises himself to his feet, steadying himself for the performance he'll need to deliver soon, and calls Physician Ouyang back.

"This Emperor will have to trouble Physician Ouyang a little while longer." He clasps his hands behind his back and gives the elderly man a sobering look. "Please look after the barbarian while this Emperor returns to the feast."

Physician Ouyang stammers, his bushy eyebrows squirming like fat caterpillars above his droopy eyes. "This- this unskilled healer, wouldn't-"

Xi Zirui cuts him off before Physician Ouyang can devolve into more humble excuses. "It will be just Physician Ouyang and the patient in the room, no one else will have access to it." Xi Zirui pauses for effect. "I trust that Physician Ouyang will be able to keep an eye on him in my absence."

Physician Ouyang clasps his hands together in front of his chest to hide their shaking and bows to Xi Zirui.

The implications of his words are obvious. Since the good doctor confirmed that Han Yu wasn't going to die from the poison, if something happens to him during Xi Zirui's absence, Physician Ouyang will have to answer for it.

Xi Zirui instructs the guards outside the doors leading to his quarters that no one is allowed inside, until he returns.

He also tells a few of them to enter through his bedroom, without disturbing the adjoining room where Han Yu is, and to patrol his private courtyard -- just for good measure.

He reminds everyone that if someone enters his quarters in his absence he'll hold the guards personally responsible and send their severed heads to their families.

He tells himself he only means it as an empty threat all the way back to the great hall, to impart on them the urgency of doing as he says.

He can't quite convince himself.

---

The animated chatter of the great hall shutters down as soon as Xi Zirui walks through the double doors, an eunuch hurriedly announcing his presence. 

It's as if someone has pressed pause on a tv show as everyone stares at Xi Zirui in expectation of what he's going to do.

"This Emperor apologizes for leaving everyone waiting," Xi Zirui says, as soon as he's seated. "Now that this unpleasant matter has been dealt with, please feel free to continue enjoying yourselves."

The music resumes at once, and several people raise their glasses to him, but where previously they were animated in their discussions, now that Xi Zirui is back it's almost as if they are obligated to enjoy themselves, their smiles strained and their laughs too loud.

Xi Zirui watches all of them, wondering how many of them went there tonight expecting to see the Emperor die.

It's clear that this is much bigger than Bai Mi's grab for power, in fact, looking at the scene in front of him, he thinks that her actions were probably precipitated by someone else's movements.

Su Xueyi is talking with another official, his expression serious and grave, as if he's badly shaken up by what has just happened, unlike some of the other guests.

It only makes him look more guilty.

Xi Zirui remains seated in his throne, his mind whirring with concern for Han Yu, wondering how he's doing, wishing he was beside him.

After some two agonizing hours crawl by, he figures it's been long enough, and that he can retire to his own quarters without setting any more tongues wagging about his worry for the barbarian.

The Empress Dowager is the first to rise once he announces he's retiring. Briefly, Xi Zirui wonders if he should go to her side, but she disappears through the curtain, and into the side door, followed by a group of aides.

"Minister Su, a word," Xi Zirui says, tilting his head towards a small adjoining room.

He makes his way inside, not bothering to see if he's followed.

Su Xueyi closes the door with a soft thud. "How may this lowly official assist his majesty?" 

"Minister Su can start by telling me why one of the dancers he hired tried to kill me." 

Su Xueyi immediately kowtows, banging his head so violently against the floor that Xi Zirui almost jumps back.

"This lowly official begs his Majesty to cast those thoughts out of his heart," he says, his voice wavering. "While it's true this official was in charge of most of the entertainment for the night, it wasn't him who hired the dancers."

"So who did?" Xi Zirui asks, out of patience for Su Xueyi's simpering show of subservience.

"Carelessly, this official focused only on the guestlist, and left the entertainment for the palace eunuchs to arrange."

Xi Zirui lets out a forlorn sigh. He doesn't have any patience for this, and for Su Xueyi's endless excuses.

"Deliver a list of all the eunuchs who hired the entertainment for tonight's feast to this Emperor's quarters by tomorrow," he says, and leaves Han Yu behind without a single look back.

---

Xi Zirui can hear some sort of commotion as he draws nearer to his rooms.

A group of guards is gathered in a circle around someone smaller, and as Xi Zirui makes his way closer the group of red-faced guards parts to reveal Ji Limei in the middle of them.

"Your Highness," Cao Fei exclaims, standing to attention. "This guard was patrolling the courtyard as his Majesty requested and found youngest princess' maid trying to make her way into his Majesty's room."

She tries to pull away from the taller guards keeping her in place by the shoulders, but her diminutive figure is no match for their strength.

There's a fire burning in her limpid eyes that gives Xi Zirui pause. She's looking at him as if she can't stand the sight of him.

"Release her," Xi Zirui tells Cao Fei and the other guards. "It's time this Emperor and miss Ji had a word."