Chapter 5
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It’s now early February, and the cold wind was biting. The imperial physician in the palace was doing everything possible to keep the Emperor’s condition stable, and Gu Yuanbai was cooperating well. Fortunately, apart from the near-fatal cold, nothing major has happened since then.
In his spare time, he tries to recall the plot of “Quan Chen,” the drama adaptation of “The Jade in the Palm of the Regent’s Hand,” a BL novel. Gu Yuanbai doesn’t know the specific plot, but he knows the drama is very popular, especially the socialist brotherhood portrayed in it.
Gu Yuanbai is in a state of “heard of it, familiar, but not understood” regarding this socialist brotherhood. He’s also unfamiliar with the two main characters in the book. After sending someone to inquire, he found that neither of the main characters showed any signs of liking men so far.
Gu Yuanbai washed his face, took the towel to wipe the water, and casually asked, “Is there a Nanfeng Pavilion in the capital?”
Tian Fusheng took the hand towel from the Emperor’s hand and replied, “Yes, I heard there are quite a few.”
Gu Yuanbai smiled. No wonder after he died, Xue Yuan only became a regent.
Both main characters in the book are men, and neither of them can be treated as mere playthings in Nanfeng Pavilion. Xue Yuan couldn’t leave behind heirs, so what’s the point of holding a position without descendants?
Presumably, after he dies, the future regent can only support a puppet emperor from among the royal relatives. As long as the successor is clever and can endure, there may be opportunities to rise.
Tian Fusheng, standing aside, observed the smile at the corner of the Emperor’s lips, and his mind was filled with countless speculations.
Did the Emperor suddenly ask about Nanfeng Pavillion because he also wanted to favor men?
However, in the entire capital, who is worthy of receiving the Emperor’s favor?
Nanfeng Pavillion’s people are absolutely forbidden from meeting the Emperor.
Tian Fusheng’s mind suddenly settled on an ethereal figure.
Chu Wei, the son of Chu Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites, who held the official rank of Fifth Rank.
***
As the Lantern Festival banquet approached, security in the palace became extremely tight. The flower thief, who had been captured, was subjected to intense interrogation and finally broke after two days. The interrogators reported this to Gu Yuanbai.
“The thief is willing to talk, but he wishes to see Your Majesty one last time,” the interrogator said. “I suspect he harbors ulterior motives. Please decide whether to see him or not, Your Majesty.”
Today, the emperor wore a slightly thinner indigo cloak. The dark color accentuated his snow-white complexion. Hearing this, he nodded, “Bring him up. I want to hear what he has to say.”
After a while, the assassin was brought in. Since he was to appear before the emperor, they had washed the blood off his body. Despite his clean prison clothes, a strong smell of blood lingered.
Gu Yuanbai stepped forward and stood a short distance away. “What do you have to confess to me?”
The assassin had endured two days of interrogation. His hair stuck to his pale, bloodless face, his lips were cracked, and his eyes were bloodshot. His exposed fingers were covered in scars, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright.
In a weak voice, he asked, “If I tell you, will Your Majesty let me go?”
Struggling to look in Gu Yuanbai’s direction, the assassin’s blood-drained face slowly flushed upon seeing the emperor clearly.
Gu Yuanbai smiled at his words, “If you speak, I’ll make sure the person behind you accompanies you to the afterlife.”
The assassin, feeling wronged, said, “Your Majesty, there’s no one behind me.”
Just as Gu Yuanbai was about to speak, a tickle rose in his throat. He turned slightly and coughed into his hand.
For a moment, the entire palace was filled only with the sound of his coughing. The assassin looked up to see the little emperor coughing until his eyes were teary.
The emperor, who had ordered his torture for two days, who could face his miserable state without a change in expression, was brought to tears by a mere cough. This thought made the assassin’s heart itch as if tickled by a feather.
With genuine sincerity, the assassin said, “Your Majesty, you really should release me soon.”
Gu Yuanbai coldly laughed, his voice hoarse from coughing, “Are you threatening me?”
The assassin shook his head, “No, but if you don’t release me soon, my father will break both my legs.”
Tian Fusheng, standing nearby, snorted, “Who is your father?”
The assassin grinned, “My father is Li Bao. I am the youngest in my family, and my name is Li Huan.”
The hall fell silent. Gu Yuanbai stepped forward abruptly, his expression dark as he squatted beside the assassin, gripping his chin, “You are my former Grand Tutor’s youngest son?!”
Tian Fusheng was equally shocked, staring at the assassin. This was the son of the former Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Li Bao?
The assassin, half-beaten to ruin, looked at the emperor’s white-knuckled fingers gripping his chin, knowing how much strength and anger were behind the grip. With a bitter smile, he said, “I committed a grave mistake and have endured your punishment for two days. These injuries won’t heal in less than a year. If Your Majesty’s anger is appeased, please spare my worthless life for telling the truth.”
Gu Yuanbai released him, his expression fluctuating.
The assassin added, “If Your Majesty is still angry, allow me to return home and inform my father. He is already seventy and cannot bear a shock. After I report to him, I will submit myself to your punishment.”
Gu Yuanbai’s anger stemmed from the impossibility of summoning Li Bao to the palace to admit guilt.
The esteemed tutor, revered and with countless disciples, could not die under the emperor’s wrath.
Gu Yuanbai laughed in frustration, clutching his chest as Tian Fusheng hurriedly supported him to a seat.
The hall was in chaos, and the assassin hadn’t expected it to turn out like this. He widened his eyes, watching as a group of people surrounded the Emperor.
“He knows I won’t tell Li Bao,” Gu Yuanbai’s hand clenched until it turned white. “He knows I have to spare him for the sake of his father’s reputation.”
Tian Fusheng exclaimed urgently, “He attempted to assassinate the Emperor, which warrants the extermination of his entire clan!”
“He’s my Grand Tutor!” Gu Yuanbai gritted his teeth. For the young Emperor to ascend the throne, Li Bao’s assistance was indispensable, and the young Emperor was very close to Li Bao. Moreover, this kid was very clever and bold. From beginning to end, he only claimed to be a flower thief and never even got close. Where did the assassination attempt come from?
After a quarter of an hour passed, the imperial physician arrived to check the Emperor’s pulse, while the assassin laid on a stretcher, gazing earnestly into the crowd.
He truly couldn’t move, his whole body aching. Seeing this scene now, he couldn’t help but feel some regret.
Gathering his strength, the assassin shouted loudly, “If the Emperor is still angry, then continue punishing me! My life, Li Huan’s life, can withstand any amount of punishment!”
Someone fiercely kicked him, shouting sternly, “Shut up!”
A stick of incense later, Gu Yuanbai, pale-faced, dismissed the crowd.
Li Huan, watching the emperor’s expression, swallowed the blood in his throat.
That day, Li Huan had been out with a courtesan by the river. While frolicking, they fell into the water. In the reeds, they could still breathe, and the underwater flirtation was even more thrilling, so he did not rush to surface. When he did come up for air, he saw the emperor walking by the river.
Li Huan involuntarily sank underwater. The river was murky, and he clung to the courtesan, diving into the reeds. The dense reeds obscured their view, and fearing any noise from the woman next to him, he covered her mouth and restrained her limbs, peering through the cracks at the people on the bank.
The people on the bank looked down at the water, unaware that someone in the reeds was watching them.
Though Li Huan was clearly not underwater, he felt suffocated, holding his breath until the Emperor left before finally pulling the woman ashore. Due to his nervousness, born of ignorance and unawareness, he nearly cost someone their life.
Who could have known that the person they saw that day was the Emperor? Who could have guessed they were looking at the Emperor’s face?
Gu Yuanbai paused for a moment, his eyes darkening. He asked coldly, “Who let you into the palace?”
Li Huan opened his mouth but remained silent.
“Whether you speak or not, it doesn’t matter to me,” Gu Yuanbai said. “Who can tell if you’re telling the truth? I will investigate personally. Once I find the source, I will summon Young Master Li to the palace again to see if I’ve caught the right person.”
Every word from the Emperor was calm, without emphasis, but Li Huan felt a chill down his spine.
Gu Yuanbai continued with a smile, “Take Li Huan back to the Tutor’s residence. Bring the finest medicines and have a hundred palace attendants follow. Make a grand, lively display as you escort him to the Li residence!”
The head guard saluted, “As you command.”
“If Grand Tutor Li asks,” Gu Yuanbai added, “tell him the truth. If he wishes to enter the palace to plead guilty, let him wait until his son has recovered.”
“Understood.”
Li Huan smiled bitterly as he was carried out of the palace. This grand display was more than what the Emperor would use for his own outings.
The Emperor’s two days of punishment weren’t enough to quell his anger. He planned this grand gesture, which Li Huan had thought the Emperor wouldn’t do to avoid shocking his father to death.
But he realized that in the Emperor’s mind, while there were feelings for his father, it was more important to appease his own anger, even if it meant risking his father’s life. Now, even if his father died from anger, people would say it was because of him, the rebellious son. Moreover, they would praise the Emperor’s benevolence and the Emperor’s grace towards the Li family.
From now on, his father would no longer be able to boast of his relationship with the Emperor.
“Sigh,” Li Huan sighed deeply and said to the guard beside him, “Guard, if my father doesn’t ask, please don’t tell him voluntarily.”
The guard remained expressionless, with a hint of anger.
After a moment of silence, Li Huan opened his clenched fist, revealing a strand of hair. With difficulty, he tucked it into his clothes and gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
The sovereign, with a divine appearance.
Status, power, the world—everything was held by that one person. The Emperor, nurtured by the entire Great Heng territory, even had hair smooth as silk.
The next time he wanted to see the Emperor, he would have to wait until his injuries healed.
***
After Li Huan was sent back, Grand Tutor Li Bao indeed tried to enter the palace to plead guilty. Gu Yuanbai refused to see him and had him sent back home. This back-and-forth continued for three days, and Li Bao, previously energetic, suddenly looked every bit his seventy years.
Everyone who needed to know about Li Bao’s three attempts to enter the palace knew. To outsiders, it seemed that overnight, Li Bao had fallen out of favor with the Emperor.
A few days later, some palace guards were executed. Their blood-soaked bodies were transported to the Li residence at night, causing Li Bao to faint in shock.
Upon waking, Li Bao sat dazed in the ancestral hall. When dawn broke, he wrote a thousand-word letter of apology to the Emperor.
After submitting this heartfelt, tear-jerking letter, Li Bao anxiously waited for news from the palace. His eldest son, already an official but of mediocre talent, was stuck at the lower ranks but still had hope for advancement.
But now, the entire family knew everything was ruined.
The eldest son wore a pained expression, as did everyone else.
Li Huan was bedridden, recovering from his injuries. The family couldn’t scold him now but still harbored resentment.
How could he dare to intrude into the palace?
That was the imperial palace! The inner court! The Emperor’s residence! How could Li Huan be so bold?
Li Bao looked haggard. He had never experienced such an ordeal. The current Emperor treated his ministers well and was particularly close to him. Now, he couldn’t even enter the palace to see the Emperor.
Eventually, an envoy from the palace arrived.
The envoy, with a calm demeanor, exchanged a few polite words with the cane-supported Li Bao before stating, “The Emperor sympathizes with the Tutor’s health. Since Young Master Li is severely injured, the Li family should focus on his care. Therefore, there’s no need to attend the Lantern Festival banquet.”
Attendance at the banquet was a sign of being in the political inner circle of Great Heng. Now, being excluded meant the Li family was ousted from this circle.
Everyone’s expression stiffened. Li Bao’s hand trembled violently. He knelt, voice choked, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness.”
The Emperor was truly angry.
For the first time, the kneeling members of the Li family clearly understood their predicament.
After angering the Emperor, did the Li family still have a future?
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