Last time the Emperor decided to join the history classes!
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Yin swallows down her resentment and takes a seat, all the while keeping her eyes on the teacher. Not once did she glance at the Emperor. His eyes, on the other hand, are fixed on Yin's pallid face; because the minute she entered, he saw something was wrong, very wrong. All kinds of questions raced through his mind and he was desperately trying to find an answer to all of them. Her pained and unhappy expression somehow made him feel useless. The past three weeks Yin had been doing better; the maids reported him of all her actions and every time he had visited the harem, he would watch over her every move without her being aware of it. He was confused, she had improved so much... What could have happened, he wondered. The Emperor is lost in thought, he doesn't pay attention to the teacher, who is glaring daggers at Yin.
Unlike Yin, she keeps her gaze fixed on the ground while one wave of pain after another crash through her spine and brain. With every new wave, awhite light flashes in the corners of her eyes, limiting her vision gravely. The lush and flamboyant embroidery of the cushion she was seated on, blurrs into a splotchy, rusty red. Every word the teacher utters turns into a continuous hammering on her eardrums. The whispers of the women, who were happy she seemed so embarassed for being late, were a mere beeping in her ears. Doing everything in her power to keep sane and stop from screaming out, she grits her teeth and balls her hands, grabbing hold of her hanfu tightly. When the teacher notices her state of distress, a small, sly smirk creeps up his face. He decided it was the right time to call her out. Mid-senctence he pauses his rant about one of the greatest and most devestating wars the history of this country had know. Then he strikes, he asks his question, fully aware of her current incapability to answer him correctly.
"Miss Yin, how did the Third General of the North plan on winning from the Wind-clans?"
Yin barely registers the question asked and quietly grunts. The splitting headache was creating a chaos inside her head that interrupted her train of thought. In the back of her head she registered the question and she knows she already has the answer ready, but... Her mind was racing, searching from one end to another to fint the answer.
"Miss Yin, I will give you one more chance. How did the Third General of the Nort plan-"
"SHUT UP! I got your fucking question, just shut the FUCK UP!" is what she wanted to yell in his face, but the current explosions in her head prevented her from doing so. Instead, she ignored the man and went over every possibility. No black spots on my skin... no freezing toes or fingers, so it's not blackshadow... If only I could lessen the pain! What was his question again? Did I already eat today? How would mother be doing? I wonder what's for dinner. What date is it today? Yin's train of thought is incomprehensable for even herself.
No burning feeling in my stomach or convulsions, so it's not Dragonroot... Sweat dripped of her forehead and her face contorted in strain to keep herself together. Hellionweed, hellionweed... what were the symptoms for hellionweed? Did I already take a bath today? No! Yin!Thinks straight! Hellionweed... vomiting, nasea, convulsions...
"Miss Yin, please remove yourself from my class, you are not paying attention!" the teachers firmly stated. In his head he was doing a dance of joy, finally he had humilliated the wench and even in front of the Emperor! His plan was working! Again, Yin barely registers the man's request. Slowly she raises to her feet, stopping midway when something drips onto her folded hands. Her head snaps up, looking for a leak in the ceiling, but find none. Am I hallucinating? She looks down to her hands and a crimson red splotch on her white hanfu sticks out like a sore thumb. It smelled like blood, it felt like blood... The bloodstain grows bigger by the second, blood now also staining the dark oak floor with its dark color. As if she were part of a slow motion, she slowly raises her hand to her nose. Like she had thought, her nose was bleeding profusely. All around her, the women gasp in shock and disgust. Some even squeeked in fright, the possibilty of her carrying a contagious disease had some of them shaking in fear.
"Excuse me while I go to the physicist..." Yin mutters and turns to the door. The minute the Emperor saw the blood on her hands and face, he stood up and went after her. As soon as he left, the rooms explodes in a cacophony of sounds. The concubines-to-be are astounded, the Emperor had left without a word, going after the peasant, the most unlady-like woman they had ever seen... after the woman that cursed like a sailor! And the Emperor was worried about her! Gossip fills the room, the strangest of theories are made up. All the while, the triumphant teachers tries to calm the women, to no avail.
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Outside, Yin calmly listens to the rumor inside the classroom while trying to make out the way to the physician. Then all of a sudden, the Emperor stands in front of her. She wills her eyes to focus on his, which seem worried. She registers movement, his lips, he is talking to her... For some reason his voice sounds distorted, as if she was being held under water. Warm liquid drips down the sides of her neck, staining her white cloathes with its crimson color even more. Blood was running out of her ears in small rivulets. Time was running out for her, just like she was running out of blood. Of course, angelchalice... nose, ears and mouth bleedings, pain in the nervesystem... how did I not notice this before!
"Yin, are you-" Loud coughing interrupts his sentence. Yin was holding her hand in front of her mouth to prevent blood splattering all over him. Her breath was wheezing as she tries to contain herself.
"I think I should go find the physician now." Yin grimaced at all the blood. "At least I know what kind of poison was used on me," she snorts at her own joke.
"What?! Poison? Who did this to you? What kind of poison?" he continuously asks her questions, while trying to contain his growing anger.
"It's angelchalice, or, like it's more commonly called, bloodchaos," she calmly states, not panicking because she knew someone had poisoned her. "If you'll excuse me-"
"You don't seriously think I'm going to let you go on your own?! You could faint while getting there! You could bleed out and die right there!" he exclaims in exasperation. He clenches his fists to keep his anger from rising any further. How could this woman think so lowly of me! I'm trying to help her for goodness sake!
"Well, then, let's go," Yin says, too exhausted to argue with him, "before I lose the blood I still have left," she dryly states while turning to the left.
"That's not the way to the physician... It seems like it was a good idea to come with you after all," he says with a victorious grin plastered on his face. Yin rolls her eyes at his comment, even though the mere movement had her head splitting in pain, and turns the other way.
"That's also not the way to the physician. Here," he says while picking her up in his arm, "this will be quicker."
"What do you think you're doing! Unhand me right now!" Yin weakly yells at him.
"Not a chance," is his short reply. Yin was eager to wipe the smirk of his face, but assaulting the Emperor, a man who was trained in warfare since birth, while poisoned wasn't such a good idea.
Yin tries another approach. "You're getting your clothes all dirty! Those clothes must be worth a fortune!"
He slightly shakes his head, recognising the clever way she tried manipulating his mind.
"Let's just get you to the physician and worry about my clothes later. And by the way, I am your husband and Emperor, you should chose your words more carefully-"
Yin rolls her eyes again, "fist of all, you're my husband-to-be, we're not married yet, secondly, this simply is the way I am. If you don't like it, send me back home!"
That should shut him up for a while, she thinks.
"Somehow, you really remind me of someone... the closest friend I ever had..." he says, choosing to ignore her short rant of sending her home. Doing that would make him feel empty all over again, Yin had somehow filled up the gaping hole his dear friend had left him with.
The weight in his arm shifts and he feels her going limp. Panick squeezes its cold, clammy hands around his troath, but he pulls himself together and rushes to the physician.
"Make way," he yells at every oficcial, every soldier that crosses his path. Some of them attempt to help him, but soon give up, because of the determined look on his face. When the Emperor was so determined, there would be no-one that could get in his way and live to see another day. He breaks through the paper slide-door that seperates him from the physician, not having patience to put Yin down and open the door.
"Your majesty, wh-"
"Help her! She's being poisoned with angelchalice! Quickly!" he ushers the old man. Understanding the gravity of his words and seeing the blood smeared all over her clothes, he snatches up a few potions littered here and there. After mixing the correct amounts of every ingredient into a bowl, he hands it to the Emperor while taking a look at Yin.
"She is far gone, your Majesty... I don't know if the potion will work-"
"I don't care, better safe than sorry!"
"Your Majesty, please hear me out!" the old man wheezes. "If the potion is administered too late, it will either have no effect or have terrible side effects. I can of course try to diminish them, but it's not safe to say it will work... She is a fighter, I can see, she might survive on her own... but one can never be sure. It is your call, your Majesty. Don't give it to her in the hope she will recuperate on her own, or give it to her with a high risk of side effects."
The Emperor looks at Yin, really looks at her, sees her beauty and her flaws. The blood staining her face, hands and clothes contrasting heavily with the paleness of her skin and the brightness of her hanfu. He is being torn apart, don't give it to her... give it to her... With conflict in his eyes, he holds her in his strong arms. He sighs loudly and grabs hold of the bowl. He closes his eyes, making sure it was the right decision, and puts it to her lips. They part slightly and her feels her weak breath fanning his face. Her face slightly contorts in pain as she slowly drinks the disgusting potion.
He looks at the physician, looking for comfort, but the old man knows he has to be realistic. "I do not know whether or not she will live, your Majesty. She is in a very critical state right now. Her death will be close to inevitable..."