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The Strongest Fox-Demon (81)
The Emperor had been in the habit of taking pills for several years. Li Yufeng was not proficient in medicine, so he didn’t notice any problems before. After Chu Xiang got the elixir and tested it, she stated with certainty, “Harmful ingredients have been added to this elixir. The effects are not obvious, but long-term consumption will render people less energetic and with damaged organs. Before you know it, your body’s foundations have deteriorated.”
When Chu Xiang said this, Chief Li was waiting nearby. His head snapped up and he said in disbelief, “Your Highness, is what you said true? Th-This e-elixir is something that the imperial concubine persuaded His Majesty to take!”
Li Yufeng’s expression turned a bit ugly. He squeezed the pill and frowned. He said, “If Xiang’er says so, it must be true. I never thought they would be so bold. I had no intention of sitting on the throne before. I didn’t even return to the capital. The second son is the next emperor. What were they thinking? How dare they assassinate Imperial Father! Can’t they wait that long?”
“People will never feel at ease unless the throne is in their hands. Ambitious people naturally want to ascend the throne quickly, or in other words, ambitious families also want to reap the benefits right there and then,” Chu Xiang said lightly while sipping hot tea.
Li Yufeng glanced at her: “Xiang’er…”
Chu Xiang pulled him up and said with a smile, “Let’s go. Let’s go and see your Imperial Father. For the sake of his kindness to you, I will recognize him as a family.”
Li Yufeng smiled and held her hand, and took her to the Emperor’s bedchamber. Chief Li was surprised. He had the impression that all demons were snobbish and charming, but this princess’s demeanor was more like that of the mistress of the house, a model mistress. Her virtue was enough to make her the empress. This was something he really never expected.
Chief Li quickly arranged the palanquin to prevent the untrustworthy palace people from seeing Chu Xiang. Chu Xiang was supposed to be in the town, but if she appeared in the palace for no apparent reason, it would be difficult to explain.
The Emperor also only kept trustworthy servants in the palace. When he saw Chu Xiang, his first thought was that her appearance was the doom of many men. He also wondered whether his son had taken a fancy to her appearance at the very start.
The emperor coughed twice, hesitating and not knowing what to say. She wasn’t an ordinary lady from someone’s family. She was a thousand-year-old fox demon, or more accurately the fox demon who didn’t give his son a title. What was the right title to call her?
Before he could open his mouth, Chu Xiang had already sized him up and approached him. She also turned around and smiled at Li Yufeng, “So, you look like this at old age. You really resemble your father.”
Li Yufeng was used to her peculiar attention, so he laughed and retorted, “I won’t look like him. You forgot, I have anti-aging techniques.”
Chu Xiang nodded. “Hmm, point taken. You will still be this handsome after a hundred years.”
The Emperor froze, unable to believe that anyone would discuss this matter right in front of him during his lifetime. Was he that old? He has taken good care of himself, right? How old was he? Besides, what did they mean by old? Was his son disliking his looks? And was his future daughter-in-law expressing her satisfaction with his son’s face?
Was his son really a henpecked husband who relied on his appearance to please his wife? Shouldn’t he be thankful that he gave birth to a handsome son?
Li Yufeng assisted his father to lean on the soft pillow and asked, “Imperial Father, what’s on your mind?”
“Cough, it’s nothing.” The Emperor stroked his face without any trace and smiled at Chu Xiang. “You are Chu Xiang, right? In the past few days, Yufeng often mentioned you, saying that you have the world in your heart, and you are benevolent and kind. How are the villagers in town? Has the epidemic improved?”
“They are fine, and they will recover in a few days.” Chu Xiang gestured for him to stretch out his wrist and checked his pulse. She smilingly said, “Yufeng is fond of showering me praises, but I’m not that benevolent. I’m fine with doing something with just a lift of a finger, but if it’s something I’m forced to do, I won’t be happy doing it.”
The emperor understood what she meant, which was normal. How could a thousand-year-old fox demon be bound by any rules at will? She must do something as she wished. However, he was more concerned about his people and asked, “Are you good at medicine? Since the beginning of history, plagues have been devastating disasters. I am powerless at the moment and handed this matter to Yufeng. If this yields good results, it will be a great merit.”
Chu Xiang nodded. “This plague is a bit related to me, to say the least. Of course I won’t let them die.” She glanced at the Emperor. There were no outsiders present so she said bluntly, “Plague is very difficult for ordinary people, no doubt about that, but for me, it is not a big deal. There’s no need to worry. None of them will die.”
“Oh, wonderful. Then I can rest assured.” The Emperor had never seen a demon save people like this. He didn’t know what Chu Xiang was capable of but her words were quite convincing. He really couldn’t afford to be suspicious. He thought for a moment and asked again, “I heard from Yufeng that your sister went to the south to tame the water, is that right?”
“She’s back, and she will return there in two days. However, there’s a snake demon over there with other little demons helping with disaster relief. Snake demons are much better at controlling things related to water than fox demons like us, so things won’t be too serious.”
“Oh, oh…” The Emperor has been an emperor all his life, and he has never heard of such disaster relief operations. A snake demon with a group of little demons??? So the flood would be controlled by a snake demon??? Would this work?
He looked askance at Li Yufeng, and Li Yufeng said, “Imperial Father, don’t worry about this. Xiang’er sent a little demon to help with the disaster. I also sent a lot of people and allocated funds. With this two-pronged approach, things certainly will not get too serious. You’d better pay more attention to your own health. How could you dare to eat things indiscriminately?”
“I have no idea that there are problems with the pill.” The Emperor frowned. He was dying to scold his concubine and Prince Qi, but when he glanced at Chu Xiang, he shut his mouth. He decided to maintain a good image in front of his future eldest daughter-in-law. No matter what, he must give his son a leg up. What if his beauty-loving daughter-in-law gets annoyed with him?
After Chu Xiang carefully examined his pulse, she wrote a prescription and handed it to Chief Li. “Prepare the medicine for His Majesty as written above, once in the morning and in the evening, and his spirit will turn for the better. His body will also be more comfortable and relaxed. However, after consuming the elixir for several years, there is nothing that can be done about your longevity.”
The Emperor patted Li Yufeng’s hand and smiled. “It’s okay, as long as my body and bones are comfortable, and I am not forced to live long. I’m fully satisfied, seeing you safe and sound.”