Chapter 360 - I got you (1/2)

”The Empress dowager seems to be resting in peace -”

”Resting in peace?” Lei Xing exclaimed as her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. The Emperor glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and Lei Xing realized that she had sounded a bit too excited just then. She lightly cleared her throat and awkwardly said, ”Are you sure?... Well, just be sure. Check her again.”

{...She's dead? Finally! - I mean, not that she's done anything to me recently but - Screw it! She's DEAD!!! Who knew it would be this easy? Hahahahahaha - Oh wait! My poor Emperor. Awwn, well, don't worry, I'll comfort you...a lot~..}

Lei Xing turned to the Emperor with shining eyes filled with mixed emotion. If people were not around, she would hug him tightly. As much as he liked to pretend not to care, she knew he was a big softie on the inside. He would need much consoling despite his cold and strained relationship with Empress dowager. After all, she was still his mother and she knew he had once yearned for a good relationship with her.

The Emperor slightly narrowed his eyes at Lei Xing's odd expression, not quite sure what was going through her head but he would deal with Lei Xing later. So the Emperor turned his attention back to the head physician, who was kneeling by the Empress dowager's bed, and asked, ”So what exactly is her condition?”

{...What condition? Resting in peace is resting in peace. There's no condition to evaluate, my poor baby *sniff* (づ◡﹏◡)づ...}

Lei Xing went over to the Emperor and held one of his arms, gently rubbing it as she softly said, ”It'll be alright. These things happen. It's nature's natural course… It was her time.” She said, closing her eyes with a solemn nod.

The Emperor was even more confused with Lei Xing's behavior. But he ignored her for now and turned back to the head physician, who had also been looking at Lei Xing in confusion. When the physician saw the Emperor looking at him, he promptly reported, ”Your majesty, there is nothing wrong with the Empress dowager. She's simply asleep -”

”Asleep?!” Lei Xing exclaimed, eyes opening wide as her mouth hung open. The head physician nodded and Lei Xing's face twitched, ”Wait. You - You meant resting in peace as in asleep?!”

The head physician nodded again, ”...Is there some other kind of resting in peace?” He tentatively inquired, glancing at the other faces in the room for an answer.

Lei Xing scoffed as she dropped the Emperor's arm, and scratched her forehead as she stepped towards the head physician and asked, ”Not even unconscious, but asleep?”

The head physician was confused but nodded, and tentatively responded, ”She is really just asleep...” As if to drive home his point, the Empress dowager suddenly stirred with a frown and rolled over to her side, facing away from them.

With that, the people in the room heaved a collective sigh of relief - well, mostly. Lei Xing just stared at the woman in bewilderment.

”And her head injury?” The Emperor inquired. The head physician furrowed his brow before asking, ”Is it certain that she was hit with the teapot?”

”What? Do we look jobless enough to make a joke out of that too?” Lei Xing irritatedly mumbled under her breath, now pouting, glancing off to the side.

”Why are you asking that?” The Emperor asked.

The head physician looked at the Empress dowager's back and responded, ”...If she was hit as was described, then there should be an injury or some sign of the effect. But there is nothing. She did not react to any of my proddings and does not seem to be in any discomfort... Although, I will be more certain after she wakes up. But for now, she seems healthy.”

{...Healthy? *scoff* Well, of course, I didn't actually expect that she was going to die from a knock to the head but seriously?! Is this woman's head made from uranium or something?! No injury? Ridiculous! Quack, you're a quack - No, no, it's this woman. She's a quack! Tch, giving false hope -_-)'...}

Lei Xing inwardly scoffed, while an invisible Ah Jin who had been hanging in the corner of the room sighed in relief. It was good that she arrived just in time. She had been waiting for Lei Xing to return to her palace so that she could give her farewell. But Lei Xing seemed to be taking much longer than anticipated, so Ah Jin decided to go check up on things at the Empress dowager's palace. And she just so happened to arrive as Ling mama was bringing the teapot down on the Empress dowager's head.

Ah Jin had quickly frozen the scene, which was a bit difficult with Lei Xing and the Emperor there. But she managed to hold it for a few seconds, which was enough for her to put the Empress dowager to sleep. As for Ling mama's teapot, it had hit Ah Jin's hand which had been hovering above the Empress dowager's head.

Luckily, she chose the right time to appear. Otherwise, she would have been in trouble if they had really killed the Empress dowager before Doctor Lou got what he wanted out of her existence.

”The Empress dowager has the divine protection of the heavens so naturally she is protected...” Monk Du said, drawing attention to his position in the back. Most people were surprised, especially Ah Jin who panicked and disappeared - worried he might have caught on to her presence. Ah Jin had no idea when he had arrived in the room, but then again, she had been preoccupied with trying to figure out what exactly she had felt when she touched the Empress dowager. She felt a familiar, yet sinister energy just then. It was very odd, but it confirmed her suspicion that the woman was definitely not ordinary. She had to be different for Doctor Lou to be so interested and worried about her case.

The woman was definitely not ordinary.

Meanwhile, back in the Empress dowager's room. Monk Du's words had earned quizzical frowns from both Lei Xing and the Emperor, albeit for different reasons. Lei Xing was still stewing over the Empress dowager's seemingly impervious nature and Monk Du's statement had only further irritated her sensibilities.

{... Hmph, divine protection my a.s.s. If the Heavens are that jobless then I need to talk to their manager about a couple of things (≖_≖ )...}

”I thought your potion was supposed to prevent an incident like this? Yet, her outburst seems even more violent now...” The Emperor queried with a frown.

Monk Du bowed his head and promptly explained, ”As I explained to her, it only offers temporary relief and not true liberation. For it to work, it still requires her to keep her emotions in check which...” He trailed off, not needing to explain that she obviously had not heeded his instructions. He then sighed and said, ”The sooner we leave, the better. Otherwise, I fear it will only get worse...”

The Emperor's frown deepened. He turned back to the bed and looked at his ”sleeping” mother for a bit, in thought. Then he turned to Eunuch Li who was sitting on the side, being bandaged up, and sighed before saying, ”You should rest while you can. I will have someone else see to the arrangements.”