Chapter 131

A pair of large hands wiped away the tears from Gu Yuanbai’s face. Xue Yuan was sweating profusely with anxiety, his rough fingertips moving carefully. “Why are you suddenly crying?”

Gu Yuanbai had never cried in front of anyone before.

But at this moment, he was silently shedding tears that covered his entire face, not making a single sound. It was so quiet that when Xue Yuan finally noticed, he was shocked and his heart clenched tight.

Gu Yuanbai reached out and grabbed Xue Yuan’s collar, his fingers gripping the fabric so tightly that the dark robes wrinkled and bunched up in his hands. Only when the sudden surge of emotion finally subsided did Gu Yuanbai release his grip, murmuring, “Did I really cry?”

Xue Yuan wiped the corner of his eyes, causing Gu Yuanbai to involuntarily close them. The summer air was scorching hot, and when Xue Yuan’s hand touched him, even the tears seemed to stop as if they had been burned.

Xue Yuan took a warm cloth from a palace attendant and wiped Gu Yuanbai’s face, too heartbroken to speak properly. “Don’t cry anymore.”

His blurred vision gradually cleared. Gu Yuanbai slowly blinked, then said, “It’s nothing.”

He suppressed the sudden wave of distress, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that Xue Yuan’s collar had been wrinkled and disheveled by his grip. A flash of embarrassment crossed Gu Yuanbai’s face. He reached out to straighten his robes slightly, then picked up the cloth. “Your hands.”

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Dwl Zwyd pvsse wr kd nsdqwpksd, pvlrrle ypkel vs oyvnb Qw Zwydcyk’p cynj, nsxrzlvlzu cyqqzle.

Gu Yuanbai picked up the documents from the Imperial Medical Bureau again, flipping to the end where the physicians had tactfully listed all the drawbacks.

Gu Yuanbai’s body was too damaged. Even if properly cared for, he would never be able to father children. His weakness was congenital, and he had missed the best time in childhood when his foundation could have been strengthened. Now they could only do their best to supplement his constitution, extend his lifespan, and prevent such constant anxiety, but he would probably never be as healthy as ordinary people who could jump and run freely.

The inability to produce heirs was undoubtedly the greatest blow to an emperor, but Gu Yuanbai accepted it well. As long as he could be better than now and extend his lifespan, Gu Yuanbai was already grateful to heaven and earth.

After Gu Yuanbai nodded his approval, the Imperial Medical Bureau began implementing their treatment plan.

Five days later, on a rainy day, someone came through the rain to report that Prince Hexin’s consort had experienced abdominal pain two days ago and given birth to a daughter that same day. Now mother and child were safe and sound in Prince Hexin’s mansion.

Gu Yuanbai was stunned and suddenly stood up. “A girl?”

The palace attendant said, “Yes, a girl.”

Gu Yuanbai was lost in thought for a moment, murmuring, “A girl is also very good, very good.”

He smiled. “Send someone to notify Prince Hexin, and bestow rewards. Tell the princess consort that whatever she needs, she should just ask. I will make decisions for both mother and child—no one is allowed to neglect them.”

After speaking, Gu Yuanbai began pacing back and forth in the hall. He couldn’t say whether he had been hoping for Prince Hexin’s consort to give birth to a boy or a girl. If it had been a boy, he would definitely have had to adopt the child and raise him at his side—the princess consort wouldn’t be able to raise him herself.

Now that it was a girl, Gu Yuanbai would need to find other children from among the royal relatives.

He sighed, but felt an imperceptible sense of relief in his heart. If Gu Zhao’s child were to become his adopted son and eventually sit on his throne, he would ultimately feel… somewhat uncomfortable about it.

But a girl was different. Precisely because she was a girl, the princess consort would have an easier time too. If she wanted to raise her own daughter, she could do so personally. If she didn’t like this daughter, then she could send her to the palace, and Gu Yuanbai would recognize her as his daughter and give her the noble status of a princess of the realm.

However, the princess consort had always been resilient, and she would probably choose without hesitation to raise her daughter alone.

If that were the case, Gu Yuanbai would do everything possible to compensate both mother and child, serving as their support in place of Prince Hexin.

That Gu Yuanbai allowed Prince Hexin to go to the northern frontier was already imperial mercy, given in consideration of how Prince Hexin had been framed to such an extent. But since Prince Hexin had chosen this path, he shouldn’t harbor any delusions about returning to the capital.

Even if Princess Hexin pleaded for him, it wouldn’t work. Gu Yuanbai had already made concessions and would not retreat another step.

When the clear weather of the rest day arrived, Gu Yuanbai secretly went to Prince Hexin’s mansion to visit the newborn baby.

The midwife brought out the little girl. “Your Majesty, please look—this is Prince Hexin’s mansion’s first young lady.”

The baby was still sleeping, with sparse hair and tiny hands clenched into fists beside her ears. She seemed so small that even a breeze might be too much for her. Gu Yuanbai didn’t look long before having her quickly taken back inside.

The princess consort couldn’t see visitors now, so she sent a maid from her side to relay messages. She asked two questions: first, how Prince Hexin would be dealt with, and second, whether she could personally raise her daughter.

Gu Yuanbai asked in return, “Ask your mistress whether she wants to see Prince Hexin or not, and whether she wants to raise her daughter or not.”

The maid ran back to ask Princess Hexin, who was holding her daughter and gently kissed the little hand before looking up to say, “I don’t want to see the prince. I only want to peacefully raise my daughter.”

After the princess consort learned she had given birth to a girl, no one knew the relief in her heart.

She knew how this child had come to be. If it had been a boy, he would certainly have had to be raised at the emperor’s side. But such heavy, dirty, sinful secrets that made even her tremble and tense up—how could the emperor not hold grudges when constantly seeing her child?

The more Prince Hexin had done what he did because Gu Yuanbai wanted a son, the more the princess consort rejoiced that she had given birth to a daughter.

Her daughter wouldn’t have to bear such twisted emotions from her father. She was clean and pure. Looking at her tiny form, the princess consort’s heart melted completely, and happiness rose within her. She didn’t want this peaceful, warm life to be disrupted by Prince Hexin again.

After hearing the princess consort’s answer, Gu Yuanbai nodded and said, “I understand.”

After leaving the rewards, Gu Yuanbai got up and left Prince Hexin’s mansion with his entourage. All along the way, under the blazing sun with people coming and going on the streets, Xue Yuan suddenly asked, “Does Your Majesty like infants?”

Gu Yuanbai glanced at him. Xue Yuan pretended to ask casually, his gaze wandering over the vendors’ stalls around them, as if he didn’t care about Gu Yuanbai’s answer at all.

Gu Yuanbai imitated Xue Yuan’s manner and gave a falsely polite smile: “I like young children to the same degree that General Xue likes women’s delicate hands.”

“Speak clearly,” Xue Yuan’s handsome face turned stern. When he wasn’t smiling, there was a sinister quality brewing in his features. Though his expression was frightening, in the bustling marketplace he used his sleeves as cover to secretly take Gu Yuanbai’s hand. “When did I ever say I liked women’s hands?”

“If I were to like anything,” he tried to interlace his fingers with Gu Yuanbai’s, speaking vaguely with a hint of frivolity, “it would be hands like these.”

His knuckles were always hard and prominent, coarse and distinct. When they pressed into Gu Yuanbai’s palm, the aching, swollen sensation never disappeared quickly. Gu Yuanbai didn’t like being held by him—it hurt. He also didn’t like having his tongue forced in—it was overwhelming.

When not in the mourning period, he could still find some pleasure in it, but now? It was a good thing Gu Yuanbai didn’t kick him in public.

He frowned and tried to pull his hand away, but Xue Yuan seemed oblivious and gripped even tighter.

Their sleeves concealed the movement of their hands. Xue Yuan held on forcefully for a while, then softened. “Your Majesty, you haven’t let me get close for a whole month…”

He lowered his voice: “You won’t even let me hold your hand.”

Having tasted the flavors of kissing and caressing, Xue Yuan knew they were in national mourning, knew that Gu Yuanbai didn’t want to do anything improper, and he didn’t want to either. He just wanted to occasionally hold Gu Yuanbai’s hand to calm his still-restless heart.

Just to steady his nerves, nothing more.

He sighed and said with genuine feeling, “I’ll just hold it, I promise to be completely proper.”

But to Gu Yuanbai’s ears, this was no different from saying “just the tip.”

Gu Yuanbai’s eyelid twitched, and he mercilessly shook off his hand, turning to have Tian Fusheng come forward to wipe his sweat.

Under General Xue’s glare, Tian Fusheng cheerfully wiped the emperor’s sweat, his face showing joy. “Your Majesty, you seem to have grown taller again. This servant can barely reach you now.”

Gu Yuanbai showed a bit of a smile. “Really?”

“How would this servant dare tell lies?” Tian Fusheng truly felt the emperor had grown taller, and also seemed thinner. As he fanned the emperor, the emperor’s hair danced in the air, with the blazing sun illuminating several golden strands. Tian Fusheng suddenly remembered, “This servant still recalls that Your Majesty had a beautifully painted fan, with landscape colors that seemed to leap off the paper. That fan was even brought to the summer palace by Your Majesty last year, but somehow, this servant can no longer find it.”

Due to Consort Wan’s death, this year the emperor’s birthday and palace banquets would not be held. As for the summer palace retreat, whenever Gu Yuanbai thought of the summer palace, he would think of Consort Wan, and he was unwilling to go there.

It was already August, and Gu Yuanbai had long planned to endure this midsummer in the capital.

When Tian Fusheng mentioned it, Gu Yuanbai became thoughtful. “Could it be the folding fan that Minister Chu once presented?”

Tian Fusheng nodded repeatedly. “Minister Chu’s fan was truly exceptional, crafted with complete dedication. Even now, wealthy families would be willing to pay a thousand gold pieces for such a fan, not to mention Minister Chu’s renowned reputation. His mastery of the six arts of a gentleman, especially his painting skills, is known throughout the capital.”

“A scholar’s calligraphy is worth a thousand gold”—this was exactly what it meant. Gu Yuanbai sighed with feeling and couldn’t help but feel regretful. “When that fan was given to me, I was quite fond of it, but unfortunately, it’s long been lost somewhere.”

The emperor’s belongings, no matter what they were, would be carefully kept by the palace attendants. This fan had most likely been lost by Gu Yuanbai himself, and aside from regret, there was nothing to be done about it.

Xue Yuan listened silently from the side, his smile chilling.

While the emperor held court in the capital, far away on the coast, the Fujian naval forces were engaged in fierce battle with Fusang ships on the sea.