Chapter 093

Chapter 93: Use This Chance to Drive Her Out

Under Consort Yu’s warning gaze, Yu Jiao Jiao did not dare say a word.

With her ears finally quiet, Yu Zhi Yi stopped wasting time and said to the emperor: “Your Majesty, Her Highness is not sick. Evil energy has invaded her body and is slowly eroding her mind.”

She continued: “The prescriptions from the imperial physicians could not expel that evil, but they were tonics that strengthened her foundation. They awakened Her Highness’s own defenses. She seems unclear, but her mind is actually present. She is busy fighting the demonic entities and has no attention left to control her words and actions.”

“But the fake divine physician’s medicine destroyed the beneficial effect of the earlier prescriptions. With her support broken, Her Highness fell into a coma.”

In fact, a coma was the best outcome. If she were awake under these conditions, or suddenly woke now, that would be truly dangerous.

Knowing Yu Jiao Jiao’s long dislike for Yu Zhi Yi, Consort Yu kept her gaze locked on the girl the whole time Yu Zhi Yi spoke. In this situation, whether Yu Zhi Yi had a way or not, Yu Jiao Jiao could not be allowed to open her mouth. Even if Yu Zhi Yi failed or made things worse, as long as it had nothing to do with Yu Jiao Jiao, Consort Yu could later help her niece and nephews distance themselves.

But while she held down the niece, she did not foresee the foolish nephew.

Yu Zi Xuan barked in anger: “Nonsense! Her Highness is only ill. What evil invasion? Stop playing tricks!”

Yu Meng Qin failed to stop his brother and felt a stab of regret, though in his heart he agreed with him.

Yu Zhi Yi did not spare them a glance. [As Red Luan likes to say: when people you dislike say nasty things, if you cannot ignore them, just treat them like gas in your belly. Why get angry at a few puffs of stink?] No point lowering her own class.

She faced the emperor and said: “Your Majesty, I need a few things to wake Her Highness.”

The emperor studied her and asked again to be sure: “Can you truly cure the empress dowager?”

Yu Zhi Yi nodded: “I can.” She added, “But we must act fast. Her Highness has been harried by that evil for too long and is very weak. Before, those strengthening medicines let her barely hang on. Now that their effect was ruined, the evil will lash back hard. If it succeeds, the consequences will be unbearable.”

The emperor had heard of such uncanny matters before, but the people who handled them were usually Daoist masters from Dragon-Tiger Mountain or revered monks with many years of cultivation. Yu Zhi Yi’s fortune-telling a while ago proved she could divine, but that did not mean she could dispel yin filth. Even so, because she spoke of danger, he dared not delay. Better to treat the dead horse like a living one and try.

“Very well, name what you need,” he said.

Eunuch Hu immediately took out paper and pencil. Ever since Princess Jia Luo popularized pencils a century ago, taking quick notes in moments like this had become much easier.

Yu Zhi Yi listed the items. When everyone heard them-cinnabar, talisman paper, incense and the like-Yu Zi Xuan nearly started mocking again, but this time Yu Meng Qin stopped his foolish brother in time.

He and Consort Yu had reached the same idea. No matter the outcome today, if the few of them faded into the background, there was a good chance they could slip free. Yu Zi Xuan was unhappy but did not argue with his elder brother. Hmph. He would watch with wide eyes as that ungrateful imposter embarrassed herself. Once the fraud was exposed, he would push hard while she was down. Best of all would be using this chance to have their parents drive her out of the Yu Clan.

While the palace bustled to prepare what Yu Zhi Yi asked for, Prince Xiao Yao also heard the news that the empress dowager had fallen into a coma and that Yu Zhi Yi had been summoned.

Since the palace banquet, he had felt ashamed and had not gone out for a long time. But when he heard that his empress mother was in danger and that it involved Yu Zhi Yi, he could not sit still and decided to enter the palace at once.

You Bing Yue had come to see him about something and heard the servant’s report. She frowned and said: “Prince, Your Majesty is completely fooled by that woman, to think she can treat the empress dowager?”

Prince Xiao Yao answered after a pause: “It might not be an illness. If it’s something uncanny, that woman might really have a way.”

You Bing Yue felt he was getting as foolish as Du Zi Heng whenever Yu Zhi Yi was involved. She said: “Prince, if I’m not mistaken, your Imperial Family members all carry protective items, don’t they?”

The higher the status, the more they believed in such things, and powerful families had their favored masters. Their children often wore charms to ward off evil. As the emperor’s birth mother, the empress dowager would certainly have such protections. Modern wealthy families were like that too.

Prince Xiao Yao knit his brows: “You are right. Since this prince was born, Empress Mother prepared protective items.” He thought further and added, “Empress Mother and Imperial Elder Brother both have them.”

You Bing Yue nodded: “The Imperial Family’s protections are extraordinary. Even if there were a true malevolent spirit, how could it get close? I say Yu Zhi Yi is faking it. She’s using this to nail down the title of ‘Divine Maiden.’”

Prince Xiao Yao’s gaze turned cold: “She dares to make a move on Empress Mother? This prince will not spare her.” He looked at You Bing Yue with gratitude and said, “Without you, Empress Mother would become her tool. But now…” His beautiful phoenix eyes filled with chill: “This prince will make her learn the price of using members of the Imperial Family.”

The palace attendants moved quickly. In less than half a quarter-hour, they brought everything Yu Zhi Yi wanted.

Following her directions, they set up a simple altar, and she laid the talisman paper on the table before it.

The emperor asked with some doubt: “Official Yu, is this enough?”

As someone used to grand state rites, this altar looked very rough to him.

Yu Zhi Yi said calmly: “It is simple, yes, but time is short, and there’s no chance to arrange a great altar. Once I clear the evil from Her Highness and remove the hidden danger, I will perform a proper rite and eliminate the root completely.”

In truth, she did not need an altar at all. That evil was something she could dispel with a flick of her fingers. But before coming she had cast a hexagram, and the sign told her one word: delay. [I don’t know what Heaven wants me to delay, but I’ll follow it.]

Now that the altar was set, she had no more excuse. She prepared to begin.

She had just lifted her hand when an angry male voice rang out: “Stop!”

Yu Zhi Yi’s hand paused, and she turned.

Seeing Prince Xiao Yao and, behind him, Vice Minister Yu and his wife, she suddenly understood. [So that was it.]