Chapter 67

When Qin Yan left the bathhouse, he was only wearing a plain silk garment, but his expression had finally returned to normal.

At the moment he was speaking to Chun Mei, Feng Bao had already gone to the study and brought back a silk cloak.

As for where and when to retrieve the official uniform he was wearing when he came back yesterday, Feng Bao dared not ask at this moment.

When Qin Yan reached the gate of the courtyard, a trembling eunuch from the palace stood outside. He had made a trip back to the palace to report, and it seemed that the emperor was not angry. However, he was still trembling with fear because both sides were not to be offended. He only hoped that this ancestor would enter the palace soon so that he could finish this task. It was truly the first time he had seen someone who made the emperor wait.

As Qin Yan stepped over the threshold, he lowered his gaze and said to the eunuch, “Let’s go.”

“Yes, chief.”

***

The palace-arranged carriage moved steadily, and Qin Yan’s brow had remained furrowed since he got in the car.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Wasx ulpvlaeyu sdoyaep, bl oyp ds zsdtla ydtau yv Fw Yk, cwv ayvbla, yqvla vypvkdt bla, kv clnyxl yd yzxspv kdpvkdnvkhl nayhkdt vbyv bl nswzed’v alpkpv. Tl eked’v oydv vs zlv bla ts.

Xaktkdyzzu, bl bye sdzu rzyddle vs ts cynj yde tkhl bla y pxyzz rwdkpbxldv, cwv vbl xsxldv bl pyo bla, bkp elpkal pllxle wdnsdvaszzyczl yde shlaoblzxle bkx.

Fbl pllxle tldwkdlzu bwav, cwv ulpvlaeyu, lhld bla naukdt hsknl nswze xyjl bkx qllz lmvalxl rzlypwal, obknb xyel bkx wdyczl vs pvsr.

Ckd Zyd vbswtbv sq vbl oyu Fw Yk bye zssjle yv bkx fwpv dso, yde qsa vbl qkapv vkxl, bl qlzv y vwt yv bkp blyav. Fbl bye yzoyup clld psxlobyv yqayke sq bkx, cwv oswze pbl clnsxl lhld xsal yqayke sq bkx kd vbl qwvwal?

Gp vbl nyaakytl pvsrrle yv vbl ryzynl tyvl, Ckd Zyd qsanlqwzzu pwrralpple bkp dyxlzlpp alpvzlppdlpp yde nsxrsple bkxplzq.

Oyazu kd vbl xsadkdt, yp vbl ryzynl tyvlp srldle, nswav sqqknkyzp pvyavle nsxkdt swv sdl cu sdl. Yspv sq vblx dseele pzktbvzu obld vblu pyo Ckd Zyd, yde bl eked’v zkdtla cwv oldv pvayktbv vs vbl Ckydikdt Vyzynl.

Rdpkel vbl byzz, Hbw Kkdtuw bye fwpv nbydtle swv sq bkp tszeld pkzj xsadkdt nswav yvvkal yde nasod.

“Zswa Yyflpvu, yal usw tskdt vs olya vbkp nakxpsd-rwarzl tywgl ascl shla uswa swvla tyaxldv vseyu?” Nw Plbyk ypjle psqvzu.

It wasn’t that he wanted to ask too much, but Your Majesty used to wear dark-colored robes. Although, with the Emperor’s remarkable appearance, he could pull off any color, it seemed somewhat unusual for Your Majesty’s habits.

Zhu Jingyu glanced at it and tucked his hands into the narrow sleeves. “Hmm.”

Lu Dehai didn’t ask any further and carefully adjusted the hem of Zhu Jingyu’s robe.

After changing into his regular attire, Lu Dehai went to the kitchen as usual to fetch the daily-brewed medicine for Zhu Jingyu. During spring and summer, the Emperor’s cough was not very pronounced, but once autumn and winter arrived, even the slightest breeze bothered him.

Lu Dehai left, and Qin Yan stepped in.

He was wearing thin clothing, not an official robe. Zhu Jingyu looked at him with a hint of suspicion, but knowing that he wouldn’t get an answer even if he asked, he chose to ignore it.

Ling An, who was originally hidden behind a folding screen, appeared unconsciously and stood behind Qin Yan.

Qin Yan folded his sleeves and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Somebody has accused the transfer salt transportation officer in Qingzhou.”

…

Salt affairs have always been a fundamental aspect of people’s livelihoods. Since the previous emperor’s time, a salt transportation office has been established in the thirteen provinces, directly reporting to the Ministry of Revenue. Since two years ago, there have been a series of private salt cases in Qingzhou, and the root of the problem couldn’t be found. The accusations pointed directly at the salt transportation officer, alleging involvement in corruption and favoritism.

After Zhu Jingyu finished discussing these official matters, he looked at Ling An, who stood expressionless at the door.

“Can you… transfer Ling An back?”

Zhu Jingyu added in a low voice, “I won’t seek death in the future.”

Ling An stood by the door, and when he heard these words, his lips twitched slightly.

Qin Yan raised his gaze and glanced at Zhu Jingyu. “Okay.”

…

On the stone-paved path in the palace, Qin Yan looked back at Ling An and asked, “What has he been doing lately?”

Ling An thought for a moment. “Reporting to the master, His Majesty has been playing with cats.”

“Playing with cats? With whom?”

“It’s with the concubines of the Chuxiu Palace.”

***

Shortly after Qin Yan left, Lu Dehai carried a wooden tray with a bowl of medicinal soup through the palace window. Nowadays, he kept to himself and was no longer as greedy as before. Serving the Emperor faithfully was his top priority. If the Emperor lived well, he could too.

The bowl of medicine, accompanied by preserved fruit, was placed on the table. Zhu Jingyu stared at the brown-colored medicine and suddenly spoke up.

“Lu Dehai, I don’t feel like drinking today.”

Lü Dehai glanced at Zhu Jingyu and didn’t persuade him any further. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

He closed the door and poured the medicine into a jade pearl bonsai tree. The medicine residue was black and indistinct in the soil.

In fact, Lü Dehai had noticed it since early on, but he never said anything.

The truth was that the Emperor had been physically weak since childhood. Even as an infant, he relied on medicine. But the irony was that drinking this medicine only made his cough worse, and he couldn’t sleep well at night. If it was due to the weather, his health should have improved during the spring and summer when he drank less medicine. Rather than saying that his health improved because he drank less medicine, it was more accurate to say that his health improved because he drank less medicine.

However, Lü Dehai couldn’t figure out the exact reason behind it.

“Lü Dehai, it’s been a few days since I last visited Eggheart,” Zhu Jingyu suddenly said.

Lü Dehai turned around and said, “Your Majesty, it’s been eight days.”

Last time, when he returned late from Chuxiu Palace and caught a cold breeze on the way, the Emperor’s cough worsened. That’s why he had been delayed in visiting again. Today, his complexion had slightly improved, and the cough had subsided.

Before that incident, he used to visit every day as part of his routine.

“Come with me to see Eggheart.”

Lü Dehai finally understood why the Emperor was dressed so brightly. He smirked and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The sun was warm and shining on Zhu Jingyu, and after a long time, he felt the warmth seep into his heart.

The master and servant walked slowly to the westernmost courtyard of Chuxiu Palace.

Zhu Jingyu gestured his hand gently, and Lü Dehai withheld the voice he was about to shout.

Zhang Yue’er was taking advantage of the morning sun to give Eggheart a bath. As a small orange lynx, after nearly half a year, Eggheart had grown two sizes bigger compared to the first time it met Zhu Jingyu.

Zhang Yue’er poured water over Eggheart, and its fur clung tightly to its belly, a plump and real cat.

Eggheart comfortably sprawled in the wooden basin, allowing Zhang Yue’er to rub and wash it. Occasionally, it would let out a contented purr.

“Master, let me do this kind of work.” Shuangfu rolled up his sleeves.

“No need; I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

Seeing Zhang Yue’er’s expression, Shuangfu could guess the general situation. Since that day, when the emperror saw Zhang Yu’er climb down from the tree, he had been coming to see Eggheart every day. It was not exactly familiar, but he rushed to see it every day.

But in recent days, the Emperor hadn’t come. Did he not have anything else to do?

“If you want to see the Emperor, Master, I can find Lü Gonggong and speak a few good words to persuade His Majesty to come again,” Shuangfu suggested.

Zhang Yue’er paused her hand that was rubbing Eggheart’s back and lowered her head, saying, “I don’t want to see the Emperor.”

Just as Zhu Jingyu reached the courtyard gate, he happened to hear this statement. He slowed his footsteps and suddenly stopped.

The red sun in the sky was obscured by a cloud, and the sunlight immediately faded, darkening the sky.

The slight liveliness that had appeared on Zhu Jingyu’s face vanished in an instant. He lowered his head, looking at the vibrant colors on his clothes, and chuckled self-mockingly. Then he turned and walked out of Chuxiu Palace.

Lü Dehai sighed and hastened to catch up.

Inside the room, Zhang Yue’er and Shuangfu were completely unaware that Zhu Jingyu had been there.

Shuangfu couldn’t help but tease, “Master, if you didn’t want to see him, why do you keep mentioning His Majesty? And why do you ask me to have the kitchen prepare his favorite pastries every day?”

Zhang Yue’er blushed and said, “Shuangfu, I really didn’t want to see him.”

After she finished speaking, she gently rubbed Eggheart’s little head and muttered softly, “It’s just that Eggheart wanted to see him.”