Li Man'er used the acupuncture point-sealing technique with golden needles to open the sealed acupoints on Li Shu's body one by one.
Li Shu had never suffered from a stroke. He had merely been sealed at his major acupoints by Li Man'er's special method, creating the illusion of blood stasis and blockage.
Li Shu slowly regained consciousness. He was shocked when he saw Li Man'er. He hadn't seen this rebellious daughter of his in a long time. How could she suddenly be sitting by his bedside?
"You..." Li Shu startled himself. He could actually speak? It was just that he was too weak and had been silent for too long, so his voice was particularly faint, and his words were disjointed, only managing one or two syllables.
Even so, Li Shu was overjoyed and wanted to express his feelings word by word, "You, hurt, me."
Li Man'er smiled and leaned closer to examine him. Then she whispered, "Although this is a marquis's mansion, everyone inside and out is my person. Even if you shout, no one will hear you. I am harming you because you deserve it. All your misfortunes are your own doing, ever since you allowed Cui Shi to harm my mother, ever since you allowed Guo Shi to abuse me, you were destined for a terrible end. Li Shu, do you know why you are still alive?"
Li Shu seemed to recall something and shouted, "Holy, holy, dan."
His throat was dry and hoarse, sounding quite dreadful.
"Yes, the elixirs. The elixirs you took back then were only semi-finished products, with little potency and poor effects. Naturally, your death was delayed. If you had died earlier, how could things have gone so smoothly?"
"You, you dare, usurp..."
Li Man'er sneered, "I did not. This empire belongs to the Emperor, and it will be passed to his son. The Prince and I will take nothing. What can you, a dying man, do even if you know? Who would believe you?"
"Li, Man'er..." Li Shu's eyes were red, as if saying he hated himself for not strangling her in the first place.
Li Man'er no longer cared. She leaned closer again and whispered in Li Shu's ear, "The real Li Man'er died long ago."
Li Shu's eyes widened, "You, you..."
"Your daughter died long ago, at the Princess's mansion, struck on the back of the head and killed. I am a vengeful ghost from another world, here to avenge her."
No wonder!
Li Shu cried out in agitation, this explained everything. Why Li Man'er seemed to have suddenly changed, why she had become so capable out of nowhere. All her talk of repentance, of hiding her strengths and feigning foolishness, was a lie.
Li Shu reached out, as if to grab Li Man'er, but alas, he no longer had the strength or ability.
"Having a father like you was her misfortune. When you die, and see her, you must apologize properly." After saying this, Li Man'er waved her hand, and the powder hidden in her sleeve drifted out.
No matter how unwilling Li Shu was, he could only fall unconscious. His life was about to end.
Li Man'er opened the door and said to the members of the Li family, "The Marquis's condition is poor. Prepare for his funeral!"
Li Qingyun seemed unable to accept this outcome and roared at Li Man'er, "Nonsense! Father won't die. It's you, you don't want to save him, you harmed him."
Li Man'er slapped him directly. Li Qingyun was sent reeling, almost falling to the ground.
"You dare hit me?"
"I dare hit you! Slandering royalty without proof, do you not wish to live!"
Seeing Li Man'er's furious expression, Li Qingyun's arrogance vanished instantly.
He could not afford to offend the current Li Man'er. She was the Ninth Princess Consort, the wife of the Regent.
"Life and death are fated, who can escape? I am a married daughter. How have you taken care of me normally?"
No one dared to speak. They all hung their heads dejectedly. Bai Shi, in particular, felt that with Li Shu's death, the Li family would fall apart. Li Man'er would not care about their lives or deaths, nor would she care about their division of property.
"Bai Shi, Liu Shi, you two have been acting like you hold great power. You've been quite happy these days."
The two named women were quite frightened. They thought, did Li Man'er know about them accepting gifts?
"Riding on the coattails of a tiger, enjoying yourselves, aren't you?" Li Man'er snorted coldly and walked past everyone without even glancing at them, getting into her carriage and returning to the prince's mansion.
The next night, Li Shu breathed his last in his sleep, and the Li family began to arrange the funeral.
Without Ning Shi's dowry, they could not afford a funeral of too high a standard. However, Li Shu's coffin was made of golden nanmu, which he had prepared earlier. That was fortunate for him.
Li Man'er did not show her face at all. If others wanted to accuse her of being unfilial, they had no grounds, as everyone knew how Ning Shi had died.
Everything had settled. Everything was over.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the young emperor was six years old.
His reign as emperor was truly stifling. He had to study both literature and martial arts, rising before dawn every day. After a quick bite to eat, he would go to the study to listen to his teachers. He had to learn everything from the Four Books and Five Classics to governance and statecraft.
He only had two and a half days off per year, completely lacking the innocence of a child.
However, Li Qingshu was very good at educating children. Although the young emperor was unhappy, he knew it was his duty.
"Endure hardship to become a superior person," this was what Ninth Auntie said.
However, Ninth Auntie had not had a baby yet. Why was that?
The young emperor wanted to know, but he was too embarrassed to ask. He was the ruler of a nation, how could he concern himself with such matters?
Huang Yuhe, her belly distended to a sharp point, paced back and forth in her courtyard.
After walking a couple of circles, she felt a sharp pain in her lower back, and her abdomen seemed to sink.
Xiao Tao was heartbroken. "Madam, please rest."
"No, I am carrying twins. I need to walk more to facilitate delivery..." Before she could finish, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, followed by a gush, as if something had broken and was flowing down.
Xiao Tao almost jumped. "Madam, your water broke! Quickly, someone, help Madam to the birthing room!"
A group of people hurried to support Huang Yuhe and took her to the birthing room.
This was Huang Yuhe's second pregnancy, so although everyone was caught off guard by the premature arrival of the two little ones, they quickly regained their composure.
"Breathe out, breathe in..."
Huang Yuhe cooperated with the midwife and said, "Xiao Tao, unless it's absolutely necessary, no, do not disturb the Princess Consort."
"I know, I know, Madam, save your strength and stop talking."
Childbirth was a physically demanding task.
In the evening, Huang Yuhe gave birth to a pair of twins. Both children were healthy, though a little thin.
She sent someone to deliver a message to Li Man'er, asking her to be sure to attend the "washing the three-day-old" ceremony.
Li Man'er was also happy for her. In ancient times, it was still important to have sons to establish one's position. Although this was somewhat superstitious, it was an undeniable fact.
She gave the messenger a red envelope and said cheerfully, "Tell your Madam to rest well. I will definitely attend the washing ceremony."