The Little Consort's
Eps. 79: You Can't Go!

Long Ji Man, the young and spirited King of Dongling Kingdom has just returned from court at Taiji Palace after almost a full day of work. Today's agenda is so solid. In addition to reports from ministers, they also asked for time to discuss the autumn hunt, which is a routine activity of the kingdom every year.

If not for being a tradition, Long Ji Man would not have wasted the money to hold the hunt. As Li Anlan said, humans have to downsize in order to become rich. Palace expenditures always swell every year, while taxes from the people are often late to be paid. As a result, Long Ji Man was forced to cut the salaries of ministers and court ladies to reduce spending. Can't be bigger pegs than poles.

The man sat in his big chair. The fragrance of Li Anlan's body mingled in the air, slamming into her sharp nose. That woman must have been here a while ago. She wanted to know what other commotion her little empress had made today.

"Tianzhi!" call Long Ji Man. Wang Tianshi entered out of nowhere.

"What is the Royal Empress doing today?"

"Report, Your Honor. Lady Huang played arrows with the servants and shot arrows into the hair of Consort Ling, Consort Shui, and Consort Lixia after they had a fight today."

Long Ji Man smiled wryly.

"There again?"

"Nothing, Your Grace. Uh, there is, Your Majesty. Madame Huang asked permission to climb Feiyun Mountain, but returned to Xingyue Palace because Her Majesty was not around."

Long Ji Man was a sign of understanding. Mount Feiyun? Ah, the woman must not be satisfied because at that time she only took him to the guesthouse, not to the high and majestic peak.

From the outside, Xiao Biqi who was standing guard at the door was shocked by the arrival of Xie Roulan, the personal servant of the Noble Empress. The servant girl came with a gasp of breath and a worried look. His cheeks were red and sweat soaked his white forehead.

"Easim Bi, is my mistress here?"

Getting such a question, Xiao Biqi frowned. Wang Tianshi had just said that the Grand Empress returned to her palace, but her servant instead came here and questioned her master.

"Isn't Madame Huang in Xingyue Palace?"

Xie Roulan shook her head. Since this afternoon, she had not seen her master show her nose in Xingyue Palace at all. She thought her beloved master was here, so she caught up with him to bring him back to Xingyue Palace.

"What's this?" long Ji Man asked in the doorway.

"Your Majesty, is my mistress here?"

"Hasn't Huang An back from earlier?"

Xie Roulan shook her head again. He really had not seen his master set foot in his personal palace. Xie Roulan where might dare to lie to a king like this. If it wasn't for fear, he wouldn't have come all the way here.

"Squeaky. Where'd she go?"

"Your Majesty, could something bad have happened to my mistress?"

"Std.... Don't talk so much!"

"But, if he's not here or in Xingyue Palace, where is he now? My Nyonyaku doesn't memorize the streets in this palace. Your Majesty, we must look for him."

This servant is right. Instead of panicking and continuing to wonder, it was better to immediately look for Li Anlan. The man then deployed the entire bodyguard in the palace to help look for Li Anlan. In an instant, Dongling Kingdom's palace turned like a corpse-seeking place. Every corner of the palace is not free from inspection.

An hour had passed, but the search still showed no results. Long Ji Man was instantly worried, fear creeping into his bone marrow. Various bad prejudices began to alternate overshadowing his mind and brain. That woman, where exactly is she?

A bodyguard galloped towards Long Ji Man. As soon as he got in front of his king, he handed a silver magnolia flower-shaped hairpin to Long Ji Man while looking down.

"Your Majesty, we found this near the guardrail of Lake Houchi bridge" said the bodyguard.

"Isn't this my lady's?" seloroh Xie Roulan's.

"You sure?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am very sure. The servant himself put it up this morning."

"Great!"

Long Ji Man ran as fast as he could to leave his palace. When he reached the bridge of Lake Houchi, he glanced into the dark water. Without a second thought, the man took off his long robe with his crown. Long Ji Man immediately jumped into Houchi Lake without any consideration.

Long Ji Man continued to swim and dive. The deeper, the darker the vision. In the water, he continued to search and search, hoping to find clues or at least some signs that the woman had been splashed here.

The calm lake water on the surface had a torrent beneath it. Long Ji Man was repeatedly stunned by the current, but continued to survive with all the strength that existed. After a long time, his net captured the shadow of a woman lying on the bottom of a muddy lake.

Long Ji Man immediately grabbed the figure's hand. The woman's face turned blue, her eyes closed tightly. In the eve and overwhelming worry, Long Ji Man brought him back to the surface of the water. Xiao Biqi and the bodyguards, along with Xie Roulan shouted as their king's head poked out from within the lake with the head of a woman.

"Your Majesty!"

"Mrs!"

Long Ji Man carried Li Anlan's already limp body to the edge of the lake. Xiao Biqi and Xie Roulan immediately rushed over. The servant girl who was with Li Anlan everyday started to cry. Why does the master look like a corpse?

There was no color on his face! Her lips turned blue, her cheeks began to swell and her body temperature was already very cold. Long Ji Man carried Li Anlan's body to Xingyue Palace, then asked his guards to immediately bring Physician Tao Zhun here. On the bed, Li Anlan's limp body was laid down. Water washed the bed.

"Hurry and get some change of clothes!" long Ji Man shouted half. Xie Roulan returned with a set of dried hanfu complete with her underwear.

Forgetting the boundary between men and women, Long Ji Man tore off the wet hanfu Li Anlan was wearing, replacing it with a dry one. The strand prevents wetness, he first throws sprais and mattresses, then replaces them with dry ones. Xie Roulan and Xiao Biqi turned around as their king dressed one by one.

"Where is Tao Zhun? Why is he so slow?"

"Servant here, Your Majesty!"

Tao Zhun came with a breath of breath. When he saw the person who always called him a shaman lying with a blue face and a very cold body temperature, Tao Zhun was surprised instead of playing. Why did she become a zombie?

He started to check on Li Anlan. Beside the bed, Long Ji Man stood with a worried look on his face. He was scared, he was really scared. Long Ji Man was so afraid that the woman lying before him was no longer Li Anlan who had a breath, but Li Anlan who had already lost her heartbeat. His fear outweighed his fear when the rebels attacked his kingdom.

"How is he doing?" long Ji Man asked after a while. That question made Tao Zhun bow.

"Say, how's it going?"

"Sorry, Your Honor. Madam Huang's pulse was extremely weak and barely felt. Perhaps, it might not last long," Tao Zhun said softly.

"Whatchu mean? Tao Zhun, quickly find a way to maintain his breath!"

"Your Majesty, Mrs Huang has been in the water for too long. His blood vessels froze, his nerves barely functioning. Here, this is outside my power."

Long Ji Man sat down in a doldrums. He approached Li Anlan's stiff body, held her hand and provided warmth, hoping for her body temperature to improve and her pulse to return to normal. The hand was cold as ice. In fact, the color of his skin is in line with the color of his nails.

"No, Huang An, you've got a lot of sense and you're great. You can't give up so soon! Huang An, wake up!"

Xie Roulan was crying. Xiao Biqi and Tao Zhun and Wang Tianshi lowered their heads deeply. The gallant king they loved looked so fragile as a twig in autumn.

"Me.... My daughter-in-law!"

At the entrance, the newly arrived Empress Dowager Han Yuemei also immediately sat down listlessly. The daughter-in-law whom he had not even spoken to, was now lying stiff in bed. The looming death threshold made the atmosphere in the room within Xingyue Palace so gripping and pitiful.

"Huang An, you can't leave! I'll never let you!"

For the first time, they saw their king shed tears.

"Check everyone in this palace! I want the killer arrested!" long Ji Man's orders furiously. He swore, he would find the culprit who made his Royal Empress like this!

"Key of the Harem Palace! No one can leave the palace without my permission!"

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Long Ji Man's tears, not just his own tears. It was the tears of the Queen Mother, the tears of the soldiers, and the tears of her subordinates. The noble Empress who was on the verge of death, made the sky in Dongling Kingdom even darker. The moon no longer wants to shine.

...***...