Emperor Xian of Han smiled in relief. Just then, a sudden twisting pain seized his abdomen, sending cold sweat pouring down his body as he collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty!"
Grief filled Empress Fu's heart as she gathered Emperor Xian of Han into her arms.
Enduring the pain, Emperor Xian of Han smiled bitterly. "If there is another life, I will never be emperor again. Practicing medicine in the countryside or the mountains would be fine."
"I have always wanted to be a physician, to save the dying and tend the wounded."
As he spoke, he raised his head again and gazed spellbound at Empress Fu's face. "Empress, I... I want to marry you again in my next life... would you... would you marry... me?"
As the poison took effect, black, poisoned blood began spilling from the corners of his mouth, and his words grew indistinct.
"I would, Your Majesty. I would."
Empress Fu's face was already drenched in tears. She wept as she wiped away Emperor Xian of Han's blood, which would not stop no matter how much she wiped.
Emperor Xian of Han grinned, only to cough up another great mouthful of blood, adding another shade of dark red to the crimson-and-black dragon robe he wore.
His consciousness was already fading, and everything around him began to blur.
Emperor Xian of Han suddenly remembered an afternoon many years before, when he had lain with his head in his grandmother's lap while she sang him to sleep.
How carefree those days had been.
The light faded from Emperor Xian of Han's eyes. His head tilted limply to one side, and his breathing ceased entirely.
"Your Majesty!"
Overcome with grief, Empress Fu held Liu Xie's corpse and wept bitterly, her sobs like a cuckoo's mournful cries.
Liu Xie stood