Chapter 84 Heart Pierced Like a Blade

The Crown Prince once again stood by the bedside, gazing at Gu Li from a distance.
The air was heavy and oppressive; the person lying upon the bed showed no signs of improvement, instead growing thinner and more frail with each passing day.
They watched helplessly as her life slowly slipped away, powerless to stop it.
The Crown Prince fled the room in panic, so unsettled that he forgot to pay his respects to the Empress who sat nearby, for he did not dare to look.
The Empress sat motionless at the bedside, staring straight at Gu Li. Her eyes were hollow, the light within them fading with time until, at last, all hope was extinguished.
The Crown Prince’s heart felt as though it were being torn apart.
For the first time, he became a deserter, bereft of the faith that had always sustained him, and lacking the confidence to comfort others.
There was still no word from General Chang’an; perhaps he had already perished on the road.
Stumbling out of the room, the Crown Prince suddenly heard muffled sobs.
He looked toward the corner and saw a palace maid sitting on the steps, clutching her head and weeping bitterly.
He recognized her: Jasmine, the maid who had attended Gu Li since childhood.
Even she knew that Gu Li could not be saved.

The Crown Prince felt as though a bone were lodged in his throat, his eyes reddening.
For the first time, despite his lofty status, he found himself utterly powerless.
He composed himself for a long while before finally stepping forward and saying, “There is still one day left. Don’t cry. The Princess is blessed; Heaven will surely protect her. Nothing will happen to her.”
His voice trembled, uncertain whether he was comforting her or himself.
Jasmine lifted her head, tears streaming down her face and her mind in a fog. She forgot to pay her respects when she saw the Crown Prince, and upon hearing these words, she clung to them like a lifeline, nodding incessantly, “Yes, yes, the Princess is blessed by Heaven. Nothing will happen to her, absolutely nothing.”
But as soon as she finished, she could not help but cover her face and sob uncontrollably.
Jasmine was heartbroken.
For nine days, she had attended the Princess without rest, watching helplessly as the poison took hold, consuming her beloved, vibrant Princess and leaving behind only a frail and emaciated shell.
Jasmine’s heart ached as she wept.
The Princess was someone she cherished, someone who had never suffered any hardship—how could things have come to this?
She knew that General Chang’an had gone to Wangyao Mountain in search of the antidote, so she held onto hope, believing that the formidable and capable General, who had always managed to save the Princess, would surely rescue her once again.
Yet as the days slipped by, her certainty wavered.

All Jasmine could do was lean over the Princess, speaking to her, laughing and crying, saying anything she could in hopes of rousing her, but it was all to no avail.
She did not know if the Princess could hear, but she wanted her to know that someone was always by her side, that no one had given up on her.
Jasmine understood the Princess’s suffering; even though she lay unconscious and could utter no words, Jasmine simply knew. For even in her coma, the Princess clung tightly to her fists, her hands gaunt and sinews bulging, pain forcing her to bite her cracked, pale lips until blood seeped through.
The Princess must desperately want to live.
She was still so young, still surrounded by so many who loved her. She hadn’t yet had the chance to tell General Chang’an that she loved him.
But who could save her?
Jasmine despised the one who had poisoned her, hated them with all her heart—why such cruelty, why must they be so ruthless as to doom the Princess?
She vowed, if ever she learned their identity, she would stop at nothing to kill them.
No one would ever harm her Princess.
No one would take her Princess away.