CH 6

It was the middle of the night, but Ping An Palace was still bright with the lights lit.

The fourth Gongzis, Gu Hong, Li Tingqiu, Lin Xiaosheng, and Lu Baizang all sat quietly in the main hall. Except for the palace servants they brought, there were no servants from Ping An Palace in the hall. Some of the palace servants received the imperial physicians in the sleeping chamber, and some sent prescriptions and ran errands to urge the medicine brewing in the imperial kitchen, and the rest were ordered to go to Junxiang Hall to kneel and pray for the emperor’s health.

The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse, and most of the officials in the capital have already received news.

Some were happy and some were worried.

However, Feng Ling had no time to care about any of this. When he heard the news, he got up and put on his official robes and ran towards the palace, but was stopped by Madam Feng who asked, “What are you doing willingly getting close to that kind of incapable ruler?”

“Mother!”

“Let him go.” Old Lord Feng stood by the window with his hands behind his back, “If something happens to His Majesty, would we be safe and sound? An incapable dragon is still a dragon. Without a dragon at the head, the world will be thrown into chaos.”

“The capital will be thrown into chaos.” Gu Hong lowered his head and stared at the steam rising from the teacup, “The Jing family line is too sparse. No matter how immoral he was in the past, he is also a proper emperor of the Jing family.”

The young man frowned slightly, “Do you understand, Ting Qiu?”

Li Tingqiu was silent.

“Lord Tanhua, the emperor treating you like this, aren’t you moved at all?” Lu Baizang said with a smile, “If he could eat that slop you made, it definitely proves his devotion to you.” (TN: tanhua=third place on the imperial palace examination)

Lord Tanhua raised his head and glared at him.

“What are you glaring at? The dishes you cooked? Even my Lu Huihui wouldn’t eat it.”

Lin Xiaosheng laughed aloud: “Lu Huihui dislikes even you, how could it give face to Ting Qiu?”

“That’s true.”

Li Tingqiu: “…..”

The several people naturally went off the topic with “Will Huihui eat a bite if Ting Qiu sacrifices his sex appeal” and other similar scenarios, completely ignoring Li Tanhua’s expression that was turning as black as coal. At this time, a small medicine boy suddenly came in from outside and said to Gu Hong, “Gu Gongzi, shifu asks you to go to the side hall to help prepare the prescription.”

“En.” Gu Hong responded and said to the other three: “I’ll leave first, you all can continue to wait. Ting Qiu.” He called to a certain someone who had become lost in his thoughts, “The Imperial Army never came to arrest you, I think it was because His Majesty had already relay word before falling into a coma, that you are not to be punished.”

Li Tanhua froze, and then turned his face to the side in a sulky manner.

Gu Hong followed the medicine boy to the side hall, and when he looked up, he saw Feng Ling kneeling silently beside the imperial physicians.

Gu Hong was surprised: “Lord Feng.”

Feng Ling raised his eyes and when he saw it was him, he hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands: “This official is worried about His Majesty, so I came to wait here. I heard that Gu Gongzi’s medical skills are very good, please be attentive.”

“But of course.” Gu Hong smiled, “Lord Feng might as well go back to the manor and wait for the news.”

“This official…..this official will rather wait a little longer.” Feng Ling lowered his head, “Gu Gongzi, please go ahead.”

Gu Hong’s eyes flashed slightly, but he still smiled modestly and went in.

Imperial study room.

There was no one here. Holding a stack of documents, the black-clothed guard stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon there were footsteps coming from far to near, and with a creak, the door opened.

The black-clothed guard handed over what was in his hand: “According to the Master’s intention, they have all been recorded one by one.”

The person took it steadily and said, “Good, go back and do not move for now, don’t startle the snake.”

“Understood.”

After a night of chaos, in the end it was a false alarm. The imperial physicians wiped the sweat from their foreheads, put the heads tied to their belts back on their necks, and went back to their respective homes as tired as a dog.

In truth, the most painful thing was the mental torture, alright! For fear that they would be dragged out and executed for not healing the emperor, for fear that the emperor had been cured only for the emperor to say, “How could you useless trash let Zhen be unconscious for so long?” or “Zhen’s head hurts to death, was it you, you little bastards?” and then had them dragged out and executed.

Anyway, the emperor had done all these before.

Ye Mao entered the main hall with huge dark circles under his eyes, and said to the four people in the hall, “His Majesty ordered Li Gongzi to see him.”

Li Tingqiu moved forward silently, and Lu Baizang asked with a smile, “Did His Majesty say anything after waking up?”

“His Majesty said: That you could extract such a strange poison from everyday cooking ingredients, Li Gongzi is truly a talented person.”

Li Tingqiu: “…..”

Li Tingqiu followed Ye Mao to the door of the sleeping chamber, and Ye Gonggong bent at the waist: “Gongzi, please wait a moment, this servant will go in and pass the message.”

The former nodded slightly, and Ye Mao entered the hall and announced, “Your Majesty, Li Gongzi is here.”

“En?” The emperor’s slightly hoarse voice sounded, “Good, let him come in, the sky…cough, it’s almost dawn.”

“Yes.”

“It’s too bright, put out two of those lights, cough, cough…..”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ye Mao sighed and had a little eunuch put out the lights. He came out and asked Li Tanhua to enter the hall, “Li Gongzi, please come in.”

Li Tingqiu followed Ye Mao past several silk screens, and saw the palace servants coming and going, packing up the cushions that the imperial physicians had been sitting on and the tables used to consider the prescriptions. Finally, Ye Mao stopped in front of a beaded curtain, turned and said to him: “His Majesty wants to be alone with Gongzi, so this servant will be waiting outside.”

He nodded, and when the palace servant lifted the bead curtain, he lowered his head and entered the emperor’s bedroom.

He had been here many times. The incapable ruler in the past ignored the government and indulged in song and wine every night, and he would be summoned every few days. Sometimes when he looked at this room, his heart would be full of hatred, hate for the emperor, and hate for himself. The aspirations of serving the country that had never faded for twenty years were buried in this luxurious Ping An Palace.

Learn the civil and martial arts, to dedicate to the imperial family. How ironic!

Li Tingqiu clenched his fists, raised his head to look at the emperor, but saw that the other was also looking at him.

He seemed to be really ill, his cheeks were pale, his eyes were a little dull, his lips were dry and cracked due to dehydration, and he appeared very haggard. The only little palace maid remaining carefully placed behind him a cushion, and then stepped back with her head lowered.

“Li Tingqiu.” The emperor suddenly called out his name.

“This subject is here.” He bowed and saluted, his expression ice cold.

Jing Ye chuckled: “You really burned that article about…..drought management?”

“Since this subject said that he would burn it, he would definitely burn it.”

“…..” Jing Ye looked at him for a while, and couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile, “If Zhen said, Zhen has read your remarks carefully and thought…..en, that it is so-so, only somewhat feasible…..”

Li Tingqiu raised his head sharply.

“Your Majesty doesn’t need to tease this subject.” Lord Tanhua said coldly, “The article has been burned, so there is no need to argue whether it is feasible or not.”

“Burned? You were actually willing to do so.” The emperor smiled and touched under the pillow, taking out a scroll, “Zhen knew you would burn it, so Zhen has kept a copy secretly, how about it?”

The young man was stunned.

“Would an article transcribed by the emperor himself really be lacking?”

“…..” Li Tingqiu pursed his lips and was speechless.

“As soon as you go out later, Ye Mao will read the imperial edict: Imperial Consort Li Tingqiu, disrespects the emperor, prepared a poisonous imperial meal that has caused His Majesty to be in danger, to be taken into custody on the same day, and be demoted to a criminal prisoner.”

Jing Ye looked at him, and pointed at the article in his hand with his finger, “And shall be exiled to the southwest.”

There was silence in the room.

“Ting Qiu, come closer.” Jing Ye suddenly beckoned with his hand. Li Tingqiu hesitated for a while, but walked over, and saw that the other took out another bright yellow object from under the pillow. “Here, Zhen secretly issued another decree to you. You are not allowed to see it now, go out and find a place where there is no one else, and then read it alone.”

Lord Tanhua with the beautiful jade face hesitantly took the imperial decree and the paper the article was transcribed on, and bowed: “Then this subject will take my leave now.”

The emperor smiled and said, “Li Tingqiu, Zhen ruined your future in the past, and now Zhen will pay you back.”

The young man paused, turned around, and left.