Hu Xiaotian said, "I cannot bear that responsibility, so I am perfectly free to stand aside. If I do nothing, the Empress Dowager will certainly die. If I intervene, she still has a thread of hope. The choice is yours." His gaze swept over them. "Before I open her skull, you must gather members of the royal family and senior ministers to stand as my guarantors. Whatever happens to the Empress Dowager during treatment, I must not be held responsible. Otherwise, find someone more capable."
His words stunned them. Su Yujin and Zhou Desheng went over to Hu Buwei, and the three huddled together to discuss the matter. They soon reached a decision. Hu Xiaotian was right: judging by the Empress Dowager's condition, she was doomed if he did not intervene. They also had their own calculations. They would agree to his terms first. If he cured her, everyone would be happy. If she died in his hands, even if they did not hold him accountable, the people of the Fragrant Kingdom would never let him off.
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Thus, agreeing to Hu Xiaotian's demand was only a stopgap measure. Zhou Desheng went out to prepare the document Hu Xiaotian wanted.
By then, Hu Xiaotian had prepared his instruments. He asked Su Yujin to help seal Long Xuanjiao's acupoints. He had chosen her not merely because her martial arts were formidable and she could locate acupoints precisely, but also because she possessed an excellent chilling technique. At a critical moment, she could help cool the Empress Dowager's head. It also meant he had dragged someone else into the line of fire: if anything went wrong during surgery, Su Yujin would not escape responsibility either. Still, judging by the present circumstances, Hu Xiaotian felt confident about treating Long Xuanjiao.