CH 10

The lights in the hall flickered, and the two were quietly embracing by the desk. At first glance, they really looked like a couple who loved each other deeply.

Lin Xiaosheng lowered his eyes, thinking of thoughts unknown, the sound of breathing in his ears was long and calm, and after glancing lightly to the side, he could see the young man’s fine long eyelashes and the soft corners of his eyes.

The emperor’s eyebrows suddenly moved. He rubbed against his shoulder, and murmured, “Zhen…..really likes…..”

“En?” Lin Xiaosheng tilted his ear unconsciously closer.

“…..Ham and fresh bamboo shoots soup…..”

“…..”

Lin Xiaosheng couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle. He simply supported the man’s back with his right hand, and slid his left hand under his knees, lifting and hugging him in his arms horizontally. However, as soon as he got up, he stumbled and nearly fell.

Although His Majesty the Emperor had been working hard these days, the food and drink that should be eaten at each meal were not missed at all. And every day he woke up at five and went to sleep at nine, so his life habits were quite regular, as a shameful result…..he had put on some weight.

Lin Xiaosheng steadied himself and carried the person back to the dragon bed. The emperor’s hands laid on the side of his neck, still sleeping soundly.

It was just after the heavy rain, so the hall was a little hot. Lin Xiaosheng was in a daze for a moment, but still gently pressed the hand of the person in his arms back on the quilt, and went to the windows to open a few. The cold night wind blew in, which refreshed and woke up the mind.

He looked up at the dark night sky outside and couldn’t help laughing at his actions.

Although he did not dislike the emperor as much as others expected, his feelings were not as peaceful as that of an ordinary stranger.

Towards him, he had always been contemptuous and indifferent.

Such an emperor who lived his days without doing anything useful, even an ordinary person would be despised by others, let alone the emperor. But he still lived in the palace willingly. He lived in a place where he could control money and power at any time. So long as he ignored some things that made him uncomfortable, for him, he was the most at peace here.

Don’t get involved in useless things, don’t commit useless actions, this was his motto.

But today seemed to be a little out of the norm. Lin Xiaosheng looked at his palm and smiled.

Maybe it was because that person had changed too much.

Lin Xiaosheng was the son of a Jiangning weaving merchant and a courtesan.

The courtesan was the most famous prostitute in the south of the Yangtze River. Not only did her beauty and song moved the world, she also recited poems with a soft, southern accent and enchanted with her graceful sleeve dance, making countless literatis and nobles bow down. Later, this peerless beauty selected the master of Jiangning Weaving, and was carried through the door of his manor in a red soft sedan.

Two years later, she swallowed gold and died in her embroidery room, leaving behind Lin Xiaosheng, who was only one year old. The woman went to the underworld without any worries, leaving a son still suffering in the world.

Lin Xiaosheng still remembered that when he was six years old, the eldest son in the mansion forced him to swallow a pill. That night he felt cold all over his body, and when the chill seeped out bit by bit from his bone marrow, he almost thought he was a corpse.

He remained freezing until midnight, when suddenly something jumped up and burrowed into his thin quilt. The little thing was warm, and he was already delirious. As soon as his fingertips touched it, he desperately hugged it to him tightly. It panicked suddenly, waving its claws and struggling.

Don’t move, don’t move, don’t go.

After struggling for a long time, it gradually quieted down.

Was it tired? Or…..dead?

After a long, long time, the warm little thing moved again, but this time it burrowed into his arms, and after settling somewhere on his chest, it gently rubbed against him.

En?

It rubbed against him again.

Then it started to rub against him continuously, until his chest became hot…..

Lin Xiaosheng suddenly opened his eyes.

What he saw in front of him was a head of long jet-black hair, his chin resting on the top of that head, which was shaking slightly. He lowered his head slightly and stroked the disheveled hair with his hand, feeling a cool and silky texture.

The tip of his finger swept across the person’s cheek, and actually felt feverishly hot.

The emperor was still rubbing against the front of his robe, the snow-white inner robe had been rubbed into a bunch of folds and wrinkles, and his hands were tightly hugging his waist.

Lin Xiaosheng frowned, feeling as if something was wrong, and moved to hold the emperor’s hands, which were cold. After a while of silence, he got up and lifted the curtain and shouted, “Ye Gonggong.”

Ye Mao, who was guarding outside the curtain, startled awake: “What’s the matter, gongzi?”

“His Majesty…..” Lin Xiaosheng stretched out his hand and touched the forehead of the person in front of him, “Seems to be ill.”

“What?” Ye Mao was startled, and quickly lifted the curtain and ran in. The emperor was still lying in Lin Gongzi’s arms, and Ye Mao moved a floor lamp to look at him closer. Seeing that his face was red, but his lips were white, he quickly put down the lamp to touch his forehead, and it was indeed really hot.

“This is clearly a cold.” Ye Gonggong hurriedly lifted the thin quilt and tucked it around the emperor’s neck, and glanced at the open windows beside the bed, “Ai, why are these windows wide open?”

Lin Xiaosheng frowned slightly: “I opened them.”

“Gongzi is too careless.” Ye Mao felt anxious, and couldn’t help but blame, “His Majesty can’t help but get hot after drinking. Yet you keep the window open and the night wind is freezing, how could these layers of gauze stop the chill? As the saying goes, when the body is hot, the cold wind cannot be allowed to blow, it will cause illness.”

It was not like he ever became so ill despite staying up all night indulging in wine and song. Lin Xiaosheng lowered his eyes and looked at the emperor, seeing that he seemed to dislike the quilt being too hot and attempted to raise his hand to knock the quilt off his body, he couldn’t help holding that wrist to stop him.

Ye Mao had already rushed outside and called the little eunuchs to pass on the news to the imperial physician. Lin Xiaosheng was still for a while, but soon got up and got out of bed, closing the few windows beside the bed.

The imperial physician was dazed when he was slapped awake in the middle of the night. After hearing the message, he put on his official uniform and carried the medicine box into the palace tremblingly, fearing that the little emperor was in a playful mood again and wanted to try something novel.

But when he took the pulse in front of the bed, the emperor was indeed ill, and he couldn’t help but let out the breath he was holding.

Ye Gonggong hurriedly flicked his whisk: “Lord, why are you so relieved! His Majesty is ill!”

The unlucky imperial physician was so frightened that he did not dare to even breathe: “His Majesty, His Majesty’s illness is a result of both outside and inside factors, and he also drank alcohol before, so this illness is actually a small cold…..”

Ye Mao took a step forward: “Then I ask my lord to quickly draw up the prescription, and this servant will order someone to concoct the medicine.”

“Yes, yes, this official will go now.”

The imperial physician was led by the little palace maid to the main hall, and Ye Gonggong stomped his feet in front of the bed and turned around.

The eyelashes of the person lying on the bed trembled and slowly opened: “…..Ye Mao?”

Lin Xiaosheng lowered his head.

“Ai.” Ye Gonggong rushed to the bed, “Your Majesty, you are awake.”

Jing Ye supported himself with his hands to sit up, but Ye Mao hurriedly stepped forward and put the pillow forward and helped him up.

“I just had a night’s sleep, but you woke me up.”

Jing Ye had actually woken up already, he just kept his eyes closed and carefully recalled his drunk behavior for a while.

Oh my virgin mary, he had lost such face, how shameful.

The emperor coughed lightly, looked up at Lin Gongzi who was standing beside him: “Lin Qing…..”

When he was drunk, he couldn’t see clearly, but now that he was sober, when he looked at this person again, he noticed that his eyebrows and eyes were long and narrow and slightly hooked at the corners. His nose was high and straight, his lips were thin, his long hair was loose, and the color of his lips against his skin actually made Jing Ye think of a classic line of description.

Skin white like snow, lips red like blood, hair black like ebony.

Jing Ye shook his head and temporarily threw out the strange thoughts that had occupied his head, and said in a hoarse voice: “…..Qing must be tired from taking care of Zhen last night, it likely won’t be able to settle down for a while here. Qing can rest in the side hall instead.” He raised his hand as he spoke, and the little eunuch on the side stepped forward and bowed.

Lin Xiaosheng looked down at him: “This subject thanks Your Majesty.”

On the second day, the emperor did not go to court due to illness, and the officials could not help but talk about it.

“Why so suddenly becoming ill again?”

“You don’t know yet? His Majesty summoned Lin Gongzi last night…..”

“Oh, I see, it’s no wonder…..”

The several officials winked at each other, thinking they knew the reason, and laughed ambiguously.

Feng Ling passed by them, paused, but still flicked his sleeves and walked away.