Chapter 60 - 56 Heartbreak_3
But at this moment, they were just an anxious and uneasy couple.
"I have seen Your Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress."
The elder nodded nonchalantly, not even bothering to bow—it was the Mountain Master’s prerogative not to bow before the sovereign, especially since the Emperor himself had been his student from a young age.
"Mountain Master, please come and see. Le Ling, her heart condition has flared up again."
The Emperor sighed deeply, looking sorrowfully at the pale-faced young girl on the bed.
Li Leqing, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Emperor and Empress Xue, possessed natural, exceptional beauty and was skilled in painting and poetry. She was most cherished by the Emperor and Empress. Her only affliction was a congenital heart condition, preventing her from standing or moving about for extended periods.
The elder quietly walked forward and placed his fingers on the girl’s wrist to take her pulse. After a moment, he opened his eyes. From within his robes, he took out a sheet of yellow paper and, using his finger as a pen, inscribed a talisman on it with swift, elegant strokes. He then gently affixed the talisman to the girl’s wrist.
Only then did he stand up, step back slightly, and say in a low voice to the Emperor and Empress, "The Princess has a congenital heart defect. The condition progressively worsens as her blood circulates. It has grown more severe since I last examined her.
I have used a Turtle Breath Talisman to slow the Princess’s heartbeat and retard the progression of her heart condition. Henceforth, Your Majesty should send someone to the Academic Palace every three months to collect the Turtle Breath Talismans I prepare.
However, it remains... merely a palliative, not a cure."