Ch. 1471..1480
Chapter 1471: 1470 Let’s consider it.
The bearded man paused and said, “Right, what you said makes a lot of sense.”
Samiyi smiled at Tan Rou, as if to thank her for getting her out of a tight spot. Tan Rou winked at her, then quietly moved to stand in front of Samiyi. Samiyi understood what Tan Rou meant; she wanted her to answer the bearded man’s questions.
Tan Rou felt Samiyi had fewer opportunities to deal with other people. Although she was very smart, if she ran into someone good at brainwashing, Tan Rou reckoned she would be no match for them. Therefore, such a situation needed to be handled by Tan Rou herself.
“What should I call you?” Tan Rou took the initiative to ask, “My name is Zhuang Rou, from C. This is my friend; her name is Sally.”
Samiyi really admired Tan Rou; she could tell a lie without batting an eye, and no one could tell she was lying.
“I am Gand, the president of the Dawn Society. You can call me Uncle Gand,” the bearded Gand said. “Here, we are all one family. You don’t need to worry about deception or harm.”
...
Tan Rou smiled. No wonder he was a president; he was indeed a clever man. He was reminding Tan Rou not to lie in front of him because here, there was no need for lies.
But Tan Rou didn’t plan to continue on this subject. She deliberately ignored the topic and then asked, “What does the Dawn Society actually do? It’s not a terrorist organization, is it?”
Gand laughed and said, “Our foreign friend really has a sense of humor. How could the Dawn Society be a terrorist organization? Just look at our surroundings—beautiful flowers, bright lights, kind children. Which of these resembles a terrorist organization?”
“You indeed do not quite resemble a terrorist organization,” Tan Rou nodded and said. “But I still can’t trust the two of you. We are just girls and can’t join a mysterious association lightly.”
“We’re not a strange association; we are the Dawn Society, creating a bright future,” Gand kept stressing. “The Dawn Society exists to save people. If you are oppressed and hurt, you can come to us for help, and we will solve your problems.”
“How will you help us solve our problems?” Tan Rou probed, “Like the issue just now—we just encountered a patrol team. What would you do to rescue us if they had caught us?”
“Of course, we would rescue you by the same method,” Gand spoke the cruelest words in the gentlest tone, “If they hold guns to you, we can also hold guns to them.”
Tan Rou and Samiyi exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes. It seemed the Dawn Society was no simple matter; not only could they brainwash people, but they were also willing to use firearms.
This made Tan Rou think of a saying that had been circulating in her country for a long time: “Humanity cannot be saved by scholarship alone.” These days, even cult organizations had evolved; they had given up on thought control and turned to violent means to solve problems.
“Oh,” Tan Rou said calmly, “then you do have some capabilities.”
“What do you say? Would you like to join our Dawn Society?” Gand invited them again.
“Um…” Tan Rou didn’t refuse him immediately, because there were weapons inside the Dawn Society. If they outright rejected Gand’s invitation, they would probably end up riddled with bullet holes, “Can we think it over? After all, we still don’t understand you all. If we rashly join your Dawn Society, we might encounter danger.”
“Of course, you can,” Gand said with an air of mysticism. “Children, you are free, and what we, the Dawn Society, strive for is freedom and happiness. So, I respect your decision.”
“It’s late; you can rest here for the night and leave in the morning,” Gand said. “If you decide to join our Dawn Society, we will definitely welcome you warmly.”
“Hehe, alright,” Tan Rou chuckled falsely, then nodded, “We will seriously consider it.”
Afterward, Gand had Ina take Tan Rou and the two of them to a room to rest. The room was quite clean, but Tan Rou and Samiyi didn’t dare sleep there. After all, it was a strange place, and it was better to be cautious.
Chapter 1472: 1471 money-saving method
“Do you find the lighting here glaring?” Samiyi asked while looking for the light switch, “Should I turn it off?”
Tan Rou replied, “Turn it off, it is a bit glaring, and it’s not good for talking.”
Samiyi thought the same, so they turned off the main light and only used a small desk lamp to illuminate the room. They placed the lamp quite far away because the small desk lamp was also very glaring.
“I wish we had brought our phones.” Samiyi said regretfully, “Although my phone doesn’t have many features, it can still make calls. If I call someone to come over now, we wouldn’t have to stay here.”
“Don’t trouble yourself,” Tan Rou glanced at the time on the wall, “it’s past midnight, and in a few hours, we can leave. If you call someone to pick you up now, you’ll definitely cause unnecessary trouble.”
“Hmm.” Samiyi lay back on the bed without having taken a shower or undressing, planning to lie there for a few hours. “Rou, what do you think the Dawn Society really is? Are they a good organization or a bad one?”
...
Tan Rou also leaned back on the other side of the bed and asked, “Do you want to hear my honest opinion, or just something I say offhand?”
Samiyi said, “Of course, I want to hear your honest opinion. I’m not my brother; I don’t like to hear people boast about themselves.”
“Then I’ll speak frankly,” Tan Rou said, “I think the Dawn Society is not a good organization for the nobility and the monarchy, but for those ordinary people living under oppression, it is a good organization.”
After hearing Tan Rou’s thoughts, Samiyi was silent for a while before she asked, “Do you think we can make use of the Dawn Society?”
Tan Rou didn’t understand what she meant. “Samiyi, have you forgotten what Gand said? From his words, we can conclude that the Dawn Society opposes monarchical rule. You are a princess of the kingdom and will become its king; do you think they will help you?”
Samiyi smiled and said, “They won’t help a member of the monarchy like Samiyi, but they will definitely help an ordinary person like Sally.”
“You plan to contact them as Sally?” Tan Rou asked, “You can’t freely leave the palace; if they need you for something, you won’t be able to come out immediately.”
“I will refuse their other requests,” Samiyi said, “and I’m joining the Dawn Society for their intelligence, not to help them with their work.”
“Your idea is good, but they’re not fools. Do you think they will assist you?” Tan Rou still thought Samiyi’s plans weren’t very practical. A resistance organization like the Dawn Society, which was armed, was very dangerous. If Samiyi’s identity was exposed, the Dawn Society certainly wouldn’t let her off easily.
“Of course not,” Samiyi said, “so I need to think of other ways to make use of them. I consider hiring armed mercenaries to deal with the nobility, which would be a huge expense that I’m somewhat reluctant to pay. But the Dawn Society is different; one of their goals is also the nobility; if I can incite a war between the Dawn Society and the nobility, it will save me a lot of trouble.”
Samiyi’s starting point was very good, but implementation of her plan would be very difficult. First of all, how could she make the Dawn Society fight against the nobles?
“This is your matter; you think about it yourself,” Tan Rou said, “but I won’t join the Dawn Society. My current identity is a foreigner here for a visit, which is not suitable for joining the Dawn Society. Even if I wanted to join, the people of the Dawn Society wouldn’t fully trust me.”
“I know,” Samiyi understood Tan Rou very well, “even if you wanted to join, I would stop you. You’ve helped me too many times; I can’t trouble you further.”
Tan Rou waved her hand lightly, “It’s nothing, we are friends; I’ll help you with some simple things.”
Simple things? The tasks Tan Rou had taken on were far from simple, whether it was treating the King under tremendous pressure or risking her life to accompany Samiyi out of the palace.
But Tan Rou never said “no.” She was someone who valued friendship and family deeply, and for her loved ones, she would do her utmost to ensure the best, always determined to protect them.
Chapter 1473: Joined the Dawn Society in 1472
Tan Rou and Samiyi lay on the bed resting, not having bathed or crawled under the covers to sleep, but simply lying on the blankets for a few hours.
At daybreak, noises began outside, waking Tan Rou. She stretched lazily, then reached out to wake Samiyi.
“It’s time, we should go,” Tan Rou said.
Samiyi rubbed her eyes and slapped her face a few times before suggesting, “Let’s go down and find Gand first.”
Tan Rou couldn’t stop Samiyi, so she had no choice but to accompany her to look for Gand. Just as they were about to leave, Tan Rou suddenly noticed two sets of clean women’s clothing on a rack by the door. The door was already locked, and there was no sign that it had been unlocked, so the clothes must have been arranged before they entered.
The Dawn Society members were indeed thorough, but it was futile. Tan Rou wasn’t a citizen of J country; she could never join the Dawn Society.
...
However, she agreed with the Dawn Society’s philosophy that the rule of the nobility wasn’t suitable for the development of a country. Only by involving every citizen in the nation-building, could a country develop sustainably.
She wasn’t sure whether Samiyi had considered this. Perhaps she hadn’t, as Samiyi was nobility herself, even a leader among them. How could she possibly do something that would harm her own interests?
“Rou, what are you daydreaming about?” Seeing Tan Rou staring at the clothes on the rack, Samiyi thought Tan Rou liked the clothing style, so she said, “Oh, you like these clothes? When we return, I’ll have the tailor make you a few sets.”
Tan Rou certainly didn’t like the traditional attire of J citizens. To protect from the sun, their clothing was large and thick, and since J country was extremely hot, it created a difficult situation: either get sunburnt or die of heat. Tan Rou chose neither; she would stick to wearing her own clothes.
“We can talk about this matter later,” Tan Rou didn’t outright refuse Samiyi’s kindness. “Let’s go find Gand first. Aren’t you supposed to join the Dawn Society? Then let’s hurry and join, and return to the palace as quickly as possible, or we’ll miss treating His Majesty the King.”
As soon as she heard mention of the King, Samiyi’s attitude changed immediately, “Right, the treatment for my brother must not be interrupted. Let’s hurry down to find Gand. I hope the process to join the Dawn Society isn’t too troublesome and doesn’t delay us too much.”
As it turned out, even a rebel organization wasn’t easy to join. They didn’t accept just anyone. Before joining the Dawn Society, Samiyi had to undergo their evaluation.
The Dawn Society had an interesting method of evaluating newcomers: they selected new members through an examination, lasting one hour, during which Samiyi had to answer twenty questions.
Samiyi was stunned; since graduating from college, she hadn’t taken any exam, and even as a king, she wasn’t required to take exams. Yet she needed to take one to join a mere organization, which was really fascinating.
Tan Rou was quite good at exams, but alas, since she wasn’t joining the Dawn Society, she couldn’t provide Samiyi with answers.
After seeing the questions, Samiyi only felt annoyed because, although the Dawn Society’s questions weren’t very difficult, they were extremely tedious, covering astronomy, geography, mathematical logic, and current political events… If she was to write seriously, Samiyi could manage to finish, but the idea of sitting there for an hour was unbearable. She was eager to return to the palace to attend to her duties.
Could their identities have been discovered? They weren’t using a test paper just to probe her, were they? Samiyi wondered.
No matter what, she couldn’t finish writing. Rather than writing nonsense, if she couldn’t pass their test, Samiyi would think of another way, maybe even spending more money to hire mercenaries.
Half an hour later, Samiyi turned in her exam paper, saying, “I can’t write this, your exam is too difficult. If you don’t want me to join the Dawn Society, you could have just told me directly. There’s no need to disgust me like this.”
Gand looked at the messy exam paper and a smile appeared on his face, “Congratulations, my child. You’ve passed our entrance test. From now on, you are a member of the Dawn Society.”
“What?” Samiyi was confused. “Why did I pass the test?”
Chapter 1474: 1473 Cautious President
Gand replied, “People who can become members of the Dawn Society are all very ordinary; they’ve never had the chance to receive a good education nor the time to pay attention to international affairs, so it’s normal for them to not be able to answer the questions on the exam.”
Samiyi felt a chill run down her spine, grateful that she hadn’t taken the test seriously. If she hadn’t been in a rush to return today, she would have definitely sat here and completed the questions.
As long as she completed the test, the Dawn Society would have likely suspected her identity; then, not only would she not be able to leave, but Tan Rou wouldn’t be able to leave either.
“I understand,” Samiyi said, “So what should I do after I become a member of the Dawn Society?”
“You just need to wait for us to assign you tasks,” Gand held out a badge. “This badge belongs to you. Every three days, you must come here for a meeting. When Bata sees this badge, he will let you in.”
Samiyi took the badge and asked, “When is the next meeting?”
...
Gand replied, “The day after tomorrow.”
So Samiyi had two more days to ponder over the Dawn Society’s problems. How could she make the Dawn Society work to her advantage?
“Okay, I understand. I’ll be here,” Samiyi asked again, “Doesn’t our Dawn Society have a way to communicate online?”
Gand nodded and said, “Yes, but you are only a regular member right now. Once you become an officer, you’ll get access to our internal contact methods. Our situation is not particularly safe, so there’s no need for members to communicate. We just need to meet regularly in one place.”
Tan Rou was carefully contemplating the operation mode of the Dawn Society. They were indeed very cautious, as nobody knew who was on the other end of a phone or computer call, so the leaders of the Dawn Society would not risk being exposed by organizing online interactions.
Moreover, offline interactions had many advantages; they prevented excessive communication among members and allowed regular brainwashing sessions to make them more dependent on the Dawn Society.
“Can my friend come over?” Samiyi really wanted Tan Rou to accompany her; it would be safer for them to be together, and Tan Rou was very capable in combat. If her identity were exposed, even if Tan Rou couldn’t get her out, she could at least pass the message to someone else.
Gand glanced at the foreign woman who had been silent, then asked, “Can you guarantee your friend won’t reveal our affairs?”
Samiyi replied, “Of course, I can. My friend may speak a bit of the J language, but she’s unfamiliar with this place; I need to tell her everything. Whatever I ask her to do, she will do. Plus, she’s strong. If we encounter danger, she will certainly protect us.”
With this assurance, Gand was relieved and smiled, “Then she can come with you. Our Dawn Society won’t exclude her because she’s an outsider. We love all people equally, foreigners included.”
Tan Rou’s mouth twitched involuntarily; she had no need for the love of a cult organization, nor did she want to listen to their propaganda.
“Rou, will you come with me?” Samiyi winked at Tan Rou.
Tan Rou asked cooperatively, “Can I come over? Don’t you have to pass a test to become a member? I can’t write the exam, so I probably can’t come, right?”
Gand scrutinized the foreign woman, noting her genuinely puzzled expression. He guessed that the foreign woman could speak the J language but had difficulty writing it, and some things she couldn’t understand without someone translating for her.
“Mr. Gand has already agreed that you can come with me,” Samiyi said happily.
Tan Rou’s expression was calm; she had a look of disbelief towards the Dawn Society, “Well, I would also like to accompany you. It will be safer for the two of us.”
Gand knew that this foreign woman didn’t trust him. Observing her behavior from the previous night, this foreign woman named Zhuang Rou was much more cautious than Sally. Perhaps foreigners all had such wariness when arriving in a new country.
But Gand couldn’t just let this foreign woman go because Ina had already reported their information to him. Ina had said that the foreign woman was very good at fighting and could use a gun, and the Dawn Society was in need of such talent.
Sally didn’t matter, but Zhuang Rou had to stay! Gand thought to himself.
Chapter 1475: Fight has started in 1474
After leaving the Dawn Society, Tan Rou and Samiyi didn’t head straight back to the palace; they walked down the street where Kas and his son Ajila were, but they didn’t go to see Kas and Ajila directly. Instead, they just took a distant look at the father and son.
Ajila was helping Kas arrange the flowerpots, watering while Kas took care of transplanting the green plants. Both father and son wore smiles on their faces, seeming to really enjoy their current life.
Tan Rou stood behind Samiyi, unable to see her expression, but she could guess what Samiyi was thinking.
“Do you want to join them?” Tan Rou asked.
Samiyi initially nodded but, after two seconds, she shook her head, “No, I’d better not disturb them. I guess there won’t be many chances to see them again in the future.”
If Samiyi gave up everything she had now, she could still be with Kas and his son because His Majesty the King had already laid down, unable to limit Samiyi’s movements any longer. So, if Samiyi wanted to leave with Kas, now would be the best time.
...
Samiyi gave up the chance to leave; she had more important things to do.
“Let’s go,” Tan Rou said, glancing at the locator-equipped watch on her wrist. “We haven’t done the treatment today. It’s time to go back and treat His Majesty the King.”
She heard Samiyi sniff and saw her wipe her eyes before finally turning her head to leave.
Tan Rou continued to follow behind Samiyi, almost becoming her personal guard.
Since their clothes were quite eye-catching, they both tried to avoid crowds as much as possible on their way back to the palace; otherwise, it was not certain they could return smoothly.
When coming back, Samiyi didn’t lead Tan Rou through the same gate they had left by but chose a different one instead. This gate was usually used by delivery vehicles and was less likely to be noticed by others, helping to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Once back at the palace, Tan Rou immediately dove into her room to take a bath and change clothes. As for treating the King, that could wait; if the King’s sister wasn’t in a hurry, why should she be?
When Tan Rou came out after changing, Samiyi was also ready, transformed back into that dignified and elegant princess. It was as if the ferocious woman who had lashed out at the patrolmen last night had been nothing but Tan Rou’s illusion.
“Let’s go,” Samiyi said deliberately, “Miss Zhuang Rou!”
Tan Rou wouldn’t be outdone, “Let’s go together, Miss Sally.”
The two exchanged glances and neither mentioned those names again.
“Rou, teach me the language of your country,” Samiyi said. “I would like to learn a bit more of other countries’ languages. When I was in school, I only learned the international common language. Looking back, it seems I know too few languages.”
Since Tan Rou was trapped in the palace with nothing to do, she agreed to Samiyi’s request, “Sure, but my tuition is quite expensive. I wonder if Princess Samiyi can afford it.”
Samiyi laughed, “Some day, I’ll open the palace treasury for you to pick anything you like, anything that pleases you.”
Tan Rou wasn’t interested in treasure; what nation had more treasures than their own Country C? Even her own family had a treasury, rumored to hold an ancient jade over three thousand years old.
After seeing the precious item in her family that could reveal past lives, Tan Rou grew even less fond of other things.
“Samiyi, are there any books in your country’s treasury?” Tan Rou inquired. “I’m quite fond of reading.”
Samiyi couldn’t remember whether there were books inside or not, “You can have a look.”
The two talked as they walked and soon arrived at the palace where the King was resting. Just as they were about to enter, Puli ran out in a fluster. Upon seeing Samiyi, he exclaimed, “Your Highness, Princess, something terrible has happened!”
Samiyi didn’t like their panicked demeanor, “Calm down, speak properly.”
Puli, still in a rush, said, “There’s been a fight, they’ve started fighting inside!”
“Hmm?” Samiyi frowned, “Who has started fighting with whom?”
“Prince Laka and Duke Busodi have come to blows…” Puli articulated excitedly, “And there’s Duke Mahri and others; they’ve turned into a brawl inside. The guards are afraid of injuring those nobles and simply don’t dare to intervene…”
Before Puli could finish, Samiyi took off like the wind.
Chapter 1476: 1475 takes action to stop it
“Princess… Princess…” Puli was amazed at Samiyi’s speed of escape, “The princess runs so fast…”
Tan Rou couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle, “Mr. Puli, aren’t you going to run with her?”
Puli had a look of “Are you kidding me?” on his face, “Miss Rou, I’m too old for running, how could I possibly do that?”
Tan Rou shook her head with a smile, “Then I won’t wait for you, okay!” Having said that, Tan Rou ran away at twice the speed of Samiyi, leaving Puli standing there, dumbfounded.
“Do all foreigners run this fast?” Puli muttered to himself, “Oh, it must be the magic of this foreign woman; I’ve heard that people from their country can even fly in the sky.”
Tan Rou, who ran faster than she could fly, quickly arrived at the outskirts of the “battlefield,” where many guards and maids had already gathered, but they dared not intervene. On one side was Prince Laka, and on the other was Prince Busodi and a host of nobles; they didn’t dare hurt any of them.
...
The Laka people are tall and strong, so one fighting three wasn’t a problem. However, Busodi and his group had more people, roughly around ten—it was impossible for Laka to beat that many.
By the time Samiyi entered the battlefield, people on both sides were seeing red. Their exquisite gowns were torn, and no one’s face was clean; all were marked with blood stains and bruises.
Samiyi shouted, “Stop fighting!”
Unfortunately, no one listened to her; both sides only wanted to beat the other down and were completely oblivious to her cries.
Samiyi clenched her fists; she wanted to intervene and stop the two groups, but her fists loosened again, and she exclaimed angrily, “Someone come and separate them!”
The guard lamented, “Your Highness, it’s not that we don’t want to separate them, but we dare not act! Both of the princes have said that anyone who dares intervene will be punished with extreme penalties!”
Samiyi was nearly fainting from rage because of Laka. It was one thing for Busodi to go mad, but why was he going mad along with Busodi? This wasn’t a fighting arena; this was the King’s bedroom, for crying out loud. How could the King rest with them fighting here?
“Don’t listen to them; you guys go for it and separate them!” commanded Samiyi.
The guards hesitated for a few seconds but finally decided to follow the princess’s orders.
But before they could act, suddenly someone sprang out of nowhere with incredible speed. She brushed past the fighters, and all those engaged in the heated battle became immobile.
Tan Rou clapped her hands and said to Samiyi, “There, done. Take them somewhere else for a lecture, don’t disturb the peace here.”
Samiyi once again witnessed Tan Rou’s miraculous magic and expressed her gratitude, “Rou, thank you, but won’t they start moving suddenly?”
“Don’t worry,” Tan Rou reassured with a smile, “without my release, they won’t be able to move or even speak. But if you want to hear them talk, I could make it so they can only speak without taking any action.”
“No need,” Samiyi waved her hand, “Let them all stay silent; I don’t want to hear their nonsense.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Alright, let me know when you’re done scolding them and I’ll release them.”
Samiyi nodded, then ordered, “Carry them out to the garden outside. They don’t deserve to stay in a cool place.”
Now with more courage, the guards promptly carried Laka and the others out and placed them where the sunlight was most intense.
Samiyi told Tan Rou, “I’m going out for a bit. Make sure you take the opportunity to heal my brother; we can’t let them interfere with his treatment.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Have them stand out a little longer, don’t worry about heatstroke; I have medicine that can treat it.”
Samiyi smiled, “Don’t go back to your country; just stay in mine, I can’t bear to see you leave.”
Tan Rou refused, “I can’t, my family is waiting for me to come back. But before I go, I’ll do my best to help your brother recover. Afterwards, I’ll schedule treatments so I don’t have to stay here all the time.”
Samiyi gratefully said, “Thank you, Rou.”
“You’re welcome,” Tan Rou replied, “Go take care of them to avoid any accidents.”
Samiyi said, “The biggest accident that might happen is them fainting from the sun.”
“Don’t worry, we have the medicine,” Tan Rou laughed.
Chapter 1477: 1476 Price
When Tan Rou entered the room, the King had already woken up. His gaze was very blurry, but his voice was clear.
“What’s all that noise outside?” the King asked.
Tan Rou said, “I don’t know, they were already arguing when I came in.”
The King then asked the chambermaid in the room, “Go see what they’re arguing about. Also, where has the princess gone?”
The chambermaid dared not leave the King’s side easily, so she cast a pleading look at Tan Rou. Tan Rou caught her glance and shook her head, signaling her not to go.
“They are fighting outside,” Tan Rou stated plainly. “Prince Laka, Prince Busodi, and that certain Duke, I can’t recall the other names.”
...
The King’s eyes widened suddenly, “Why are they fighting?”
Tan Rou said, “It’s about you! Prince Busodi and the Duke want to see His Majesty the King, and Prince Laka isn’t letting them see you, so they started fighting.”
The King became extremely agitated and wanted to go downstairs to see for himself, but his current physical condition wouldn’t allow him, and the overly anxious King started to cough violently.
Tan Rou immediately went to his side and pressed him back onto the bed, “Your Majesty, I advise you against moving around. Your body hasn’t recovered yet, and it will get worse if you move about now.”
The King, still uneasy about the outside, insisted, “No, I have to see for myself.”
“There’s no need to worry so much, the princess has already gone to deal with the fight,” Tan Rou reassured him as she opened a locked box by the bedside table. “Please lie down, I am going to begin today’s treatment.”
However, the King stopped her, “Foreign friend, I know you mean well in wanting to save me, but I cannot keep sleeping like this. After your treatment, I always fall asleep, and when I wake up, it’s already the next day; I can’t sleep that long.”
Tan Rou understood the King’s concerns and asked, “Are you worried that Princess Samiyi won’t handle things properly?”
“Not at all,” the King gently shook his head. “I trust she has the capability to handle crises, but she can’t explain why I have not been appearing.”
Tan Rou had also thought about this issue and discussed it with Samiyi, but Samiyi told her not to worry about it. She only needed to be responsible for treating the King; Samiyi would handle everything else.
“If you have any good suggestions, you can tell me, and I will relay them to the Princess,” Tan Rou offered.
“I don’t have a good suggestion,” the King replied. “The only solution is for me to make an appearance. As long as I show myself to them, they won’t be suspicious.”
Tan Rou smiled and said, “Your Majesty, are you not aware of your current physical condition? If you could get out of bed and move, then there would be no need for the princess to deal with these matters.”
The King also knew the state of his health; he didn’t even have the strength to get out of bed, let alone handle public affairs.
“Do you have a way?” the King suddenly asked. “Foreign miracle doctor, if you can cure my illness, then surely you have a way to make me walk immediately, right?”
Tan Rou indeed had a very risky method. She had anticipated this situation and had been researching a way to get the King on his feet all night.
“There is indeed a risky method, but it depends on whether you are willing to bear its consequences,” Tan Rou explained. “I can perform acupuncture on Your Majesty, blocking certain points on your body, making you appear like a normal person for a short time.”
The King immediately said, “That’s the method we’ll use!”
But Tan Rou shook her head, “Wait, I haven’t spoken about the side effects yet. Please listen to the full explanation before you decide.”
Tan Rou continued, “This method can indeed get you standing for a short while, but once time is up, you will become even weaker. For the next three days, you must not move at all, you have to lie in bed, and you will also experience severe bouts of unconsciousness.”
The King hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, “Use that treatment on me. I must go out and take a look at them. And Samiyi, I have many things to instruct her on. Before I die, I must groom her into a suitable successor.”
Tan Rou muttered, “Then you have at least thirty years to teach her.”
Chapter 1478: 1477 Mysterious Power
His Majesty the King asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” said Tan Rou as she took out tools from the cabinet, then she added to the maid, “Whoever you are, come here.”
The maid had been standing at the foot of the bed because Princess Samiyi had ordered that no one should come close when Doctor Tan Rou was treating His Majesty the King, lest they reveal Doctor Tan Rou’s healing techniques.
Tan Rou could only laugh in frustration. If their medical skills were so easy to learn, then everyone would be a skilled acupuncturist.
“Doctor Tan Rou, are you calling me?” the maid asked, puzzled.
Tan Rou thought the guards and maids here were all rather dull; the guards did not stop the fighting between the Prince and the Duke, and the maid did not know to come help her, only moving when called.
...
“There are only two of us standing here; if I’m not calling you, could it possibly be that I’m calling our esteemed His Majesty the King?” Tan Rou said helplessly.
“I’m coming right now!” the maid said fearfully. “Please, don’t punish me!”
Tan Rou said, “I’m not in the habit of punishing people, and I wouldn’t punish you even if you perform poorly, but please move quickly. If we waste time, I can’t guarantee that Princess Samiyi won’t punish you.”
The maid was terrified, hearing that Princess Samiyi might punish her, she quickly sped up.
Tan Rou gave her a sterilized new towel and said, “Your job is to wipe my sweat, but you need to be careful to only do it when I tell you to. Your movements must be quick and light, and don’t cover my eyes entirely, understand?”
The maid was utterly confused. “How can I be both quick and light? And how will I know when you need your sweat wiped?”
With Zhuang Liu absent, Tan Rou had no one to wipe her sweat, which made her miss Zhuang Liu even more. Oh, how she wished he would come quickly.
“I will remind you when you need to wipe my sweat,” Tan Rou emphasized. “Just wipe my sweat the same way you normally would wipe His Majesty the King’s body.”
The maid nodded, “Yes, I understand.”
Once everything was ready, Tan Rou began treating the King. Since she needed to seal the points on the King’s body, it wasn’t going to be an easy job, and the process would be very painful.
“Your Majesty, please bear with it,” Tan Rou said. “Anesthesia can’t be used for the treatment because I need to stimulate your nerves, otherwise you won’t be able to stand and walk.”
The King closed his eyes, “Go ahead.”
Looking at his expression, Tan Rou suddenly felt a desire to laugh. “Your Majesty, I’m here to heal you, not to kill you. Please do not make such a resigned expression. Relax a bit, if you’re too tense, I won’t be able to treat you.”
The King took a deep breath, relaxed his muscles, and then said, “Okay, go ahead!”
After pressing a few spots on his body to ensure he had relaxed, Tan Rou began the needling.
“Uh…” The moment the first needle went in, the King grunted, and his hand immediately tightened again.
Tan Rou cautioned, “Relax, relax, the insertion of the needle indeed might be quite painful, but it only hurts for about three seconds, you just need to endure it.”
“Hmm.” The King released his hand, “Continue, please.”
Tan Rou advised him to close his eyes, thinking that not seeing the needle piercing his body might make him less tense.
The maid nearby watched intently. During the previous treatment, she was farther away and facing away from Tan Rou, so she was unaware of the process.
As she witnessed Tan Rou needling the King, she felt her scalp tingling, as if she started to feel pain herself.
But looking at His Majesty the King, it seemed he was already familiar with Tan Rou’s treatment method and highly approved of it.
Was this the mysterious Eastern power? Rumors abounded that this foreign woman possessed magical powers; she could render a person unable to move or speak, and even make someone roll on the ground laughing—very frightening indeed!
Thinking this, the maid dared not speak any further, nor did she dare to peek again, instead she just silently stared at the floor, waiting for Tan Rou to call her.
Chapter 1479: 1478 to kill you
Down the corridor, Samiyi was sitting there drinking juice, savoring the freshly chilled beverage which tasted very good.
“I’ve already said this is the palace, not a place where you can run wild, but since you disregard my words, I’ll have to use measures to warn you.”
After finishing her juice, Samiyi slowly began to speak, “And isn’t one of you still in confinement?” Her gaze shifted toward Mahri, who would be able to speak soon, and she needed to get an explanation from him.
Puli stood by Samiyi’s side, recounting to her in simple terms the events that had unfolded that morning.
Puli had been accompanying the King, and nothing unusual was supposed to happen, but it seemed that Busodi had received news of the King’s illness, and early in the morning, he had come with people to cause trouble, insisting on visiting the King.
Knowing that Samiyi was not inside the palace, Puli conveyed the message to Laka, who hurried to the King’s chamber only to find Busodi and his men almost reaching the staircase. In desperation, Laka rushed forward and fought with Busodi, and seeing this, Mahri and others joined the fray.
...
Puli’s voice was not soft, and the men standing under the sun could all hear, and if they were able to speak, they would certainly be arguing vehemently by now.
Even though he was baking under the sun, Laka’s face bore no extra expression, standing there quietly accepting his punishment. He had acted impulsively today, but the situation was very critical; if he hadn’t fought with Busodi, then they would have entered the King’s room.
Having heard Puli’s account, Samiyi was somewhat worried, almost being discovered by Busodi and his men concerning the King’s condition. Laka’s risky actions were very effective; without the chaos he created, Busodi might have actually forced his way into the King’s chamber.
“Regardless, it was wrong for you to fight inside His Majesty the King’s chamber!” Samiyi declared, “I know most of you are very dissatisfied, but that does not matter, I do not need your explanations, I only need to see the results.”
Busodi and Mahri were furious, wanting both to give Samiyi a thorough beating and to kill that foreign woman—unable to fathom what Demon Art she used to render them mute and immobile, they felt unbearably stifled.
To be played by these two detestable women—not able to swallow the resentment, Busodi vowed, once he became King, he would order that these two women be thrown into the desolate desert!
Busodi glared at Samiyi; if looks could kill, Samiyi would have been slain ten thousand times over by now.
“Your Highness, it has been nearly an hour; surely the punishment is enough?” Puli, looking sympathetically at the princes about to faint from the sun, said, “Prince Laka did not intend to fight there; please forgive him this once.”
Samiyi also couldn’t bear to see Laka under the sun, but she couldn’t bring him back; if Laka returned, then Busodi and his men would be even less convinced.
Just as Samiyi was in a dilemma, Tan Rou appeared from inside, addressing Samiyi, “Your Highness, do you need to hear their side of the story now?”
Samiyi, as though she had seen a savior, hurriedly said, “Rou, your timing couldn’t be better, quickly lift their magic.”
Tan Rou really didn’t want to explain that she didn’t have magic, but since others believed she had used magic, she would just continue the error rather than explaining different terminology.
Samiyi ordered the guards to take Laka and the others to a shaded area, where Tan Rou was to take care of lifting the “magic” from them.
“You… I’ll kill you…” Busodi, his face red from sunburn, said weakly, “Just you wait… I’ll kill you…”
Tan Rou spoke calmly, “It seems that Prince Busodi might be suffering from heatstroke. Does he need me to treat him?”
Samiyi scoffed, “Then please trouble Dr. Tan Rou.”
Tan Rou took a small medicinal pill from her bag, stuffed it into Busodi’s mouth, pressed on his neck, and then Busodi swallowed the pill.
“Poison! Bitter poison!” Busodi’s complexion turned extremely ugly.
Chapter 1480: 1479 wants to see the King
“Yes, just one of these poison pills is enough to kill a person,” Tan Rou revealed a wicked smile. “Your Royal Highness, it’s best if you don’t speak and save your energy.”
“You…ugh…” The taste of the medicine surged up once again, making Busodi’s complexion grow even more unsightly. The dizziness combined with the unpleasant medicine tortured him to the brink of fainting.
Tan Rou then forced a few more pills down the throats of the nobles lying beside her. The nobles were extremely resistant, but they couldn’t move or speak, so they had no choice but to let Tan Rou push the medicine down.
After administering the medicine, Tan Rou finally allowed them to move. Once they could move, they didn’t trouble Tan Rou but instead turned over to induce vomiting, hoping to eject the poison pills.
Tan Rou shook her head lightly, these nobles really had no sense, couldn’t they see where they were? How could she possibly feed them poison in front of so many people?
When it was Laka’s turn, Tan Rou pressed on some acupoints on his body before administering the medicine. Laka braced himself for the bitterness, thinking he would be given the same treatment, but to his surprise, his medicine was sweet.
...
“Sweet?” Laka began to suspect that Busodi and the others were pretending.
Tan Rou chuckled and said, “This is medicine for treating heatstroke. It’s very effective, just one pill and you’ll be fine. The taste is different, yours is sweet, theirs is bitter, but the effectiveness is the same.”
Laka expressed his gratitude, “Thank you… thank you, Miss Rou”
Tan Rou responded, “You’ve got heatstroke, so rest against the wall for a while, and if you feel unwell, let me know.”
Laka nodded his head and then, with the assistance of the guards, moved to rest against the wall.
Upon hearing that Tan Rou had deliberately given them bitter medicine, Busodi cursed angrily, “Damn foreign woman, I’ll kill you…”
Tan Rou revealed a sneer, “Your Highness Princess Samiyi, someone in front of you wants to kill me, do you allow it?”
“Of course not!” Samiyi looked at Busodi, “Prince Busodi, can you now tell me why you barged into His Majesty the King’s bedchamber?”
With Samiyi’s prompting, Busodi suddenly remembered the day’s purpose. They were not there to pick a fight with Laka, they were there to find the King.
After returning, Kudu told him everything that had happened at the palace, and Kudu speculated that His Majesty the King had fallen ill to the point of not being able to show himself, which is why Princess Samiyi and Prince Laka were both handling state affairs.
Busodi immediately got in touch with Mahri, discovered Mahri had indeed been confined by that woman Samiyi, so he united a large group of nobles to rescue Mahri from his home, and right after, they arrived at the palace.
With Prince Busodi at the helm, a large group of nobles followed, so even the palace guards, who were on watch, did not dare obstruct them too much. They were significant figures, and if they were injured, there would surely be trouble. Hence, the guards turned a blind eye and, after a token resistance, let them in.
If Samiyi and Tan Rou had come back to the palace through the main entrance, they would certainly have encountered those waiting for them at the gate, but they used the service entrance and thus missed the message.
“I want to see His Majesty the King!” Busodi, feeling less heat after taking the medicine, bellowed, “His Majesty is ill, and we must visit him!”
“Exactly, we need to see the King.” With Busodi around, Mahri spoke with more confidence, “If you don’t let us see the King, then you are showing guilt! You wicked woman, you must be seeking to usurp power while His Majesty is ill.”
Samiyi spoke coldly, “Mahri, who released you?”
Mahri retorted, “I only take orders from His Majesty the King. If you want to imprison me, then you need to show a royal command; otherwise, I won’t comply!”
Anger filled Samiyi’s heart, and just as she was about to order the guards to seize Mahri, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Who wishes to see the King?”
Samiyi was startled and immediately turned to see who spoke, “Brother!”
The King nodded slightly, “Samiyi, let me handle the rest.”
Samiyi nodded solemnly, “Yes.”