Tang Dynasty: Slacking off in the Imperial Kitchen, exposed by Si Zi

Chapter 219 The Wheels of History Keep Rolling

He couldn't say those words.

But everyone understood.

Prepare for the worst!

Li Shimin did not move.

He knelt there, his shoulders twitching.

His mouth was open, but he couldn't make a sound.

The palace doors were pushed open.

Su Mu walked in carrying a stew pot.

He glanced around at the imperial physicians, palace maids, and eunuchs filling the hall.

Then he glanced at Chen Yao, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Preparing for your funeral?"

Su Mu placed the stew pot on the small table beside the couch. The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall heard it clearly.

"The King of Hell hasn't given his approval yet, what's the rush?"

Chen Yao raised his head, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.

Su Mu didn't give him a chance.

"Get out, everyone."

Chen Yao was stunned, and the six imperial physicians looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Imperial physicians, palace maids, eunuchs, all of you, get out!"

Su Mu walked to the bedside, squatted down, and took the patient's pulse.

"The medicine stove was also removed, and the bitter smell of medicine filled the room, which choked away the last bit of yang energy in people."

Chen Yao was getting anxious.

"Mr. Su! How can you do this at such a critical moment..."

'

"go out."

Li Shimin spoke.

His voice was hoarse, but his orders were given without fail.

Chen Yao gritted his teeth and led the imperial physicians out. Palace maids and eunuchs filed out, the medicine furnace was taken away, and the silver needles were put back into their boxes.

child.

The palace doors closed.

There were only three people left in the house.

Su Mu placed his fingers on Empress Zhangsun's wrist. Her pulse was so weak it was almost imperceptible. It beat three times, paused twice, then beat once more and stopped again.

He replaced the three rulers with the cun-guan-chi.

The cun pulse is almost gone, the guan pulse is sluggish and sticky, and the chi pulse is as thin as a thread.

Su Mu withdrew his hand.

"Your Majesty, please rise."

Li Shimin did not move.

"Don't worry, I can't really move around much with you here. Get up and sit down in the chair."

Li Shimin's fingers were still gripping Empress Zhangsun's hand, his knuckles deformed from the pressure.

Su Mu reached out and pried his fingers apart.

Break them off one by one.

"You held her hand, obstructing blood flow, then let go."

Li Shimin's hands were pried open.

He stared at his palms, which were covered in sweat.

Su Mu grabbed his arm, pulled him up from the ground, and pressed him onto the armchair next to him.

"Sit still and don't make a sound."

Su Mu lifted the lid of the stew pot.

The hall was filled with the lingering smell of bitter medicine, but as soon as the lid of the stew pot was lifted, a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out from the pot.

It's not bitter.

The unique fruity acidity of the papaya is enveloped by the rich flavor of the fermentation liquid.

The pine-like fragrance of Poria cocos floats on top, while the sweetness of honey rests at the bottom.

Su Mu used a bamboo skewer to pick up a slice of papaya.

So thin it's translucent, the papaya's veins are clearly visible under candlelight. The fermented liquid has soaked into the entire piece of fruit, giving it an amber sheen.

He placed a slice of papaya on Empress Zhangsun's lips.

The juice from the fruit seeped into the chapped lips.

The first piece.

The second film.

Su Mu's hand was unusually steady.

He used a bamboo skewer to feed the papaya slices one by one, with an interval of no more than ten breaths and no less than eight breaths between each slice.

The system panel flickered in the corner of the field of vision.

[Yun Gao Intensive Treatment Program, Emergency Mode Activated]

[The medicinal effects of the thousand-year-old papaya are now being activated —]

[Lung vascular repair progress: 31% — 32% —]

slow.

too slow.

Su Mu picked up the stewing pot and used a bamboo spoon to scoop half a spoonful of the fermented liquid from the bottom.

The thick liquid clung to the back of the spoon, its color a deep red, and it exuded a strong aroma of angelica and red dates.

He lifted Empress Zhangsun's neck slightly.

With his other hand, he brought the spoon to her lips.

The undiluted liquid trickled down the crease of his lips.

Empress Zhangsun's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The swallowing reflex is still present.

Su Mu fed her a second and a third spoonful.

He stopped feeding him the fifth spoonful.

He placed the empress's head back on the pillow and placed his fingers on her wrist again.

after awhile.

The pulse at the cun position is visible.

Faint, but there it was.

The sluggishness in the Guan pulse lessened by 20%, and the pulse changed from intermittent to barely continuous.

The back of the Su Mu was soaked with sweat.

Continue feeding.

Papaya slices and fermented liquid were alternately applied, with the intervals precise enough for the sheep to count its own heartbeats.

Li Shimin sat in a round-backed chair, his hands gripping the armrests. His fingernails dug into the wood, turning the knuckles of all ten fingers white.

He can't do anything.

The world was his; a single word from him could command a vast army. Yet, in this room, he couldn't even shield his wife from harm.

Su Mu's hands never stopped.

After feeding him the last piece of papaya, he put down the stewing pot and took out the Poria cocos and lotus seed powder from his sleeve.

Pour the powder into your palm, add a few drops of honey, and rub it into a paste with your thumb.

He applied the ointment to Empress Zhangsun's Tanzhong acupoint.

Press down with the heel of your palm and knead slowly.

Three circles clockwise, three circles counterclockwise. The force is not great, but each circle is steady.

The system panel flickered.

[Lung vascular repair progress: 35% — 37% — 40% —]

The numbers are climbing.

Su Mu moved the heel of his palm from the Tanzhong acupoint to the Zhongwan acupoint, and then to the Qihai acupoint. He massaged the three acupoints in sequence, holding each acupoint for thirty breaths.

Empress Zhangsun's breathing began to change.

The high-pitched wheezing sound in his throat disappeared.

Instead, a deep, drawn-out exhalation sound was heard.

The purple on my lips is fading.

It faded little by little, from deep purple to dark red, and from dark red to light pink.

outside the temple.

The little rhinoceros squatted on the threshold.

She was woken up by noise. When her wet nurse ran over with her in her arms, the palace gates were already closed, and no one was allowed to enter.

The little girl was wearing a middle garment, her hair was messy, and her feet were bare as she huddled on the threshold stone.

She didn't cry.

I didn't cry at first.

Little Sizi's nose started to sting.

She buried her face in her knees.

My shoulder twitched, then twitched again.

Then tears started falling.

It fell without making a sound.

One by one, they fell onto the collar of the undergarment, spreading out as dark dots.

Xiao Sizi didn't know when Li Lizhi arrived.

Her elder sister squatted down beside her, putting her arm around her shoulder. Li Lizhi's hands were trembling, but she held on tightly.

"Mother will be alright."

Li Lizhi's voice was strained, and she couldn't even believe what she was saying herself.

Little Sizi raised his head from under his knees.

His face was covered in tears, and his mouth was snot.

"The pot is inside, duck!"

She sniffed.

"As long as the pot is inside, Mother won't die."

Li Lizhi's fingers gripped Xiao Sizi's sleeve.

At that moment, the little ox touched something.

There was an oil paper package stuffed in his sleeve.

She didn't remember when it was inserted.

On the way here, as the wet nurse carried him, Su Mu rushed out and slipped something into her sleeve as they passed the entrance to the Imperial Kitchen.

She didn't have time to look at it at the time.

It's been opened now.

Inside the oiled paper were red, strip-shaped objects, about the thickness of a finger, with a strong smell of chili powder.

A line of text was written on the inside of the oiled paper.

Su Mu's handwriting was crooked and messy.

"Don't worry, wait for the pot after you finish eating."

Little Si stared at that line of text for a long time.

Tears were still falling, but she picked up a spicy snack and took a bite.

hot!

My tongue felt numb from the spiciness, my nose felt sore from the heat, and my tears started falling even harder.

But she didn't vomit.

I chewed it twice and swallowed it.

I took another bite.

The spiciness burned from her mouth to her throat, to her chest, and into her nasal cavity. Her face scrunched up, her mouth gaped open, and tears and snot streamed down her face.

Li Lizhi looked at her.

"Sizi, stop eating..."

'

"The contract must be completed."

Little Sizi held the spicy strips and cried so hard she hiccuped.

"Guoguo said he'd wait for me after the contract is finalized—and the contract will be finalized soon—"

She took another bite.

It was so spicy that I stomped my feet and kicked my legs back and forth on the threshold, but I didn't let go of the spicy snack in my hand.

Li Lizhi's nose suddenly stung with tears.

She turned her head away and rubbed her eye hard with the back of her hand.

Two girls, one big and one small, were squatting on the threshold.

The older one is holding the younger one, who is munching on spicy snacks.

One silently shed tears, while the other cried until his face was covered in chili powder.