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Join the ServerBlood came out mixed with the saltwater.
Even after he finished vomiting, the Emperor’s hematemesis did not cease.
As he had already lost a significant amount of blood, the complexions of everyone watching turned dark.
The Imperial Physician repeated the process of feeding him saltwater and inducing vomiting three more times.
The court ladies were kept busy moving back and forth to clear away the water and the contents the Emperor had expelled.
Iryeon gave strict instructions to the court ladies that every time they went out to discard the blood-stained water, they had to do so without being seen.
She then hurried to wipe away the blood that had pooled on the floor.
The Chief Eunuch attended to the Emperor personally.
After removing the dragon robe and changing him into fresh sleeping robes, he laid him upon Haeryeong’s bed.
Not a single person opened their mouth; they simply moved their hands and feet diligently to bring the situation under control.
Once the bed was settled, the physician applied acupuncture to the Emperor.
Dozens of long and short needles were inserted into acupoints across his entire body.
After drawing out the blackened blood through the needles and cupping, he placed mugwort moxa on the spots.
The scent of burning moxa and its smoke drifted harebrained through the room.
The Emperor was now completely motionless.
Fortunately, the vomiting of blood had finally stopped.
However, the Emperor’s face remained a dark, deathly shade, bearing testament to his poisoned state and showing no sign of improvement.
Haeryeong watched the Emperor, who had grown gaunt in a mere moment, and waited for the physician to finish the treatment.
After focusing all his effort on placing the moxa, the physician turned to the people who were waiting for him to speak.
“I have performed every possible treatment.”
“All that remains now is to hope that His Majesty can endure.”
“As he was originally a man of robust health… we can only hope he overcomes this through his own strength.”
Haeryeong nodded to the physician and commended his hard work.
“You have done well.”
“You shall remain in the Empress’s Palace for the time being to look after His Majesty.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I shall do so.”
Since his condition might shift abruptly in this poisoned state, it was best for the physician to keep a constant watch.
Thus, the physician wrote a prescription for Iryeon to fetch medicinal herbs and remained at his post.
After Iryeon sent Mok to the Bureau of Medicine, Haeryeong took a moment to organize the situation.
Then, he suddenly noticed Song-ah kneeling before the door of the inner chamber.
“Song-ah.”
“Pardon? Yes, Your Highness.”
Trembling violently, she bowed her head.
“Tell me the name of the eunuch who delivered the tea to you.”
“It was Eunuch Jo from the Great Hall, Your Highness.”
Hearing those words, Seok-hwan and Haeryeong exchanged glances.
Seok-hwan looked at Haeryeong with a face set in a hard mask and lowered his body.
Kneeling on one knee, he awaited Haeryeong’s command.
Haeryeong looked down at him silently before giving his order.
“Bring Eunuch Jo here.”
“You must be cautious to ensure he is not seen by others.”
Rumors of the Emperor being poisoned could not be allowed to spread yet.
Identifying the culprit was the priority.
It would be a disaster if the terrified culprit fled or took his own life.
While Seok-hwan went to seize Eunuch Jo, Haeryeong approached the side of the Emperor who lay occupying his bed.
The Emperor’s breathing was so faint that it could barely be heard even from up close.
Haeryeong touched the back of his hand to the man’s cheek, only to recoil in shock at the icy temperature.
The cold, damp sensation felt as though he were touching something other than a living human.
Though he had never seen one personally, he imagined this was what a corpse felt like.
Haeryeong realized anew that the man truly could die, and he clenched the hand that had touched him into a fist.
The Chief Eunuch, who had been guarding the bedside, guided Haeryeong to a chair.
“Your complexion is poor, Your Highness.”
When told to rest and not overextend himself, Haeryeong shook his head and let out a sigh.
He exhaled a trembling, sob-like breath and lamented to the Chief Eunuch.
“Your servant simply cannot understand what His Majesty is thinking.”
“How can a man be so terminal?”
The Chief Eunuch, whose eyes had been red for some time, let out a small sigh and bowed his head.
“How can anyone truly understand the thoughts of another?”
“Even I, who has spent a lifetime by his side, do not fully know him; it is no wonder Your Highness feels this way.”
Haeryeong sat in the chair with the man’s support and pressed a hand to his forehead.
His head throbbed and his body shook uncontrollably.
Perhaps because the tension had finally broken, his shoulder began to tingle with a feverish chill.
Even the wound that had been healing started to throb.
Covering his mouth with the hand that had been on his forehead, Haeryeong slumped forward over his knees.
It felt as though the weeping he had been barely suppressing was about to erupt again.
‘What if something happens to the Emperor?’
It was a question entirely foreign to Haeryeong, who had always worried only about the Emperor killing him.
Among the countless scenarios he had imagined, the Emperor meeting with misfortune had never been one of them; it was only natural.
He was afraid.
He feared for the Emperor, and he feared his own heart, which still could not find it in itself to forgive him.
His chest churned so violently he wanted to simply lose consciousness.
‘How can my hatred be this deep?’
On one side of his heart, which worried that the Emperor might draw his last breath, sat an unbearable resentment toward the man for putting him through such an ordeal.
How could a person be like that?
How could he act so cruelly just to ease his own conscience?
Haeryeong recalled the man’s expression as he let go of his hand and clamped his mouth shut to stifle a scream.
The image of him drenching his chest with blood that flowed from his mouth surfaced at the same time, and the tears he had been holding back finally burst forth.
However, even Haeryeong could not clearly explain why he was crying.
Was he crying out of worry for him?
Or was he simply crying because his own heart was in pain?
Without knowing the exact reason, Haeryeong wept while thumping his chest.
Struggling to swallow the sobs that tried to force their way through his tightly shut lips, he pounded his chest with his fists.
Iryeon approached and knelt by his side.
“Your Highness… Your Highness, please do not weep so.”
She wrapped her arms around Haeryeong’s slumped back and sobbed quietly.
Her plea for him to stop only made Haeryeong’s heart churn more.
Weeping only grows louder the more one is comforted.
As Jongseon and Jeong-a also swarmed to embrace him, Haeryeong finally broke into full wails.
Recalling the Emperor’s cold body heat, his fingertips that had touched him trembled.
Haeryeong, who had been weeping as one with the court ladies, only regained his senses when he heard Seok-hwan’s telepathic message.
[I have apprehended Eunuch Jo, Your Highness.]
Haeryeong lifted his head at the man’s blunt voice and issued a command to Iryeon.
“Guide Captain Yoon to an empty inner chamber.”
“Tell him I shall come to interrogate Eunuch Jo personally, so he is to wait.”
As Haeryeong whispered blankly with a drenched face, Iryeon wiped her own tears with her sleeve and nodded.
She ordered the other court ladies to prepare the room immediately adjacent.
She insisted he stay close by, as no one knew what might happen to the Emperor’s condition.
While the court ladies went to ready the room, Haeryeong straightened his body and squeezed his eyes shut.
Lukewarm tears flowed thick and heavy down his cheeks.
Breathing slowly with his eyes closed, Haeryeong finally managed to calm his racing heart after a long moment.
He felt something cool nearby.
Opening his eyes, he saw Su-yong holding out a towel soaked in cold water.
“Cool your eyes, Your Highness.”
Haeryeong took the towel and silently wiped his face.
He meticulously removed the traces of blood and tears that remained, then placed the towel over his swollen eyelids before addressing the man.
“Thank you.”
Su-yong offered no reply.
However, Haeryeong could feel the man’s gaze on his skin.
Su-yong simply stood there watching until Haeryeong finally removed the towel from his face.
Having barely regained his composure, Haeryeong looked up at him.
The man wore an incredibly complex expression.
Then again, it was only natural for him to look that way.
Given the Emperor’s current state and the man’s own position, things were bound to be complicated.
“Why do you… not try to rest a little? The Captain will handle the interrogation of Eunuch Jo on his own.”
When the voice expressing concern for him left the man’s lips, Haeryeong truly came back to himself.
Standing up with eyes that were much clearer, Haeryeong squared his shoulders and replied.
“I cannot do that.”
“This matter concerns His Majesty and myself; I intend to see it through to the end with my own hands.”
Haeryeong felt a sense of responsibility for the Emperor ending up in such a state.
Of course, he believed it was entirely the Emperor’s own fault.
However, it was also true that the man had drunk the poison because of him.
Therefore, he felt he had a duty to witness this matter clearly until the very end.
Haeryeong cast one last look at the Emperor and left the bedroom.
Su-yong and Iryeon followed quietly behind him.
Just before he stepped through the open door, the remaining Manchul saw him off.
“Safe journey, Your Highness. I shall remain here to look after His Majesty.”
“I leave him in your hands, Chief Eunuch.”
Haeryeong replied and set off.
Perhaps because his startled and tense body had grown heavy, his footsteps felt infinitely weighted.
Entering the empty room beside the bedroom, he found Eunuch Jo—who appeared to have been seized in his sleep, as he was still in his nightgown—bowing his head.
Haeryeong sat in the chair prepared for him and spoke quietly.
“I am told it was you who delivered the tea to the court lady of the Empress’s Palace.”
“Do you know the nature of the tea contained within that paulownia box?”
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