Chapter 54.1 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip…
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The feast was underway, with a decorative screen separating the imperial family and the court officials. As Huo Caiyu cautiously maneuvered around the screen, an unsettling feeling mingled with his brave resolve. To his surprise, His Majesty was nowhere to be seen.
He turned to the eunuch by his side and inquired, “Where is His Majesty?”
With a bow, the eunuch replied in a respectful tone, “His Majesty and two imperial concubines have momentarily departed.”
The purpose behind their sudden departure at this particular moment became self-evident.
Huo Caiyu’s face slightly changed, and a hint of sadness flickered in his eyes. The impulse he had built up just moments ago suddenly deflated, and the hand clenched in his sleeve quietly loosened.
He casually asked, “Which two concubines?”
“Noble Concubine Xian and Noble Concubine Liang.”
Huo Caiyu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He didn’t recognize Noble Concubine Liang, but Noble Concubine Xian was naturally not unfamiliar to him.
She was the niece of Prime Minister Ye.
Prior to the Prime Minister’s downfall, Noble Concubine Xian had been confined by His Majesty, leaving her seemingly fallen out of favor in the eyes of others.
While an ordinary concubine would not have stirred much interest, Huo Caiyu couldn’t help but pay closer attention when the surname Ye was involved.
It was better to be more attentive than to overlook things. With this justification, he turned towards the direction of His Majesty’s sleeping chamber.
The imperial palace had been purged a few times, so now there were probably not many palace maids daring to defy the rules or take matters into their own hands. However, with the Emperor’s birthday being so chaotic, it might provide an opportunity for someone.
Huo Caiyu reached the entrance of the sleeping chamber and furrowed his brow, listening intently.
Inside the chamber, two women were engaged in a slightly trembling conversation.
“Will we be alright like this?”
“What could possibly go wrong? Once we give birth to a little prince, even if His Majesty doesn’t like it, the Empress Dowager will protect us!”
“But… could this medicine harm our bodies?”
“It might harm His Majesty, but what are you afraid of?”
Huo Caiyu’s expression changed, and he forcefully pushed open the palace door and barged in!
On the dragon bed, Li Jinyu weakly leaned against the headboard, his clothes partially undone. His cheeks had an abnormal flush, his eyes tightly shut, and he murmured something unintelligible.
Below the dragon bed, two consorts held a pill in each hand, poised to swallow them.
Upon hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, one of them became frightened and accidentally dropped the pill from her hand, which fell to the ground with a soft “da”.
However, the other consort’s face changed, and she quickly swallowed the pill in her hand. Then, with a swift kick of her toe, she fiercely sent the dropped pill flying, disappearing without a trace.
After taking the pill, Noble Concubine Xian became much calmer. She took a step forward, blocking the path to the dragon bed, and turned to face the door with a sharp gaze. “How dare you! How can the Regent Prince casually barge into His Majesty’s sleeping chamber? Could it be that you’re plotting rebellion!”
Huo Caiyu was familiar with the Emperor’s sleeping chamber almost as much as the Emperor himself, so he wasn’t frightened by such words.
The Emperor’s condition was clearly abnormal.
Without patience for the two consorts, Huo Caiyu drew his sword from his waist with a metallic sound, its cold brilliance shining. Instantly, the two consorts paled as if their faces were made of white silk.
Noble Concubine Liang directly knelt on the ground, trembling as she pleaded, “Thi-this c-concubine is innocent!”
Noble Concubine Xian silently cursed her as a fool.
Wasn’t that admitting their guilt?
Her face turned pale, but she still clung to a glimmer of hope, forcing herself to say, “I am a Noble Concubine personally bestowed by His Majesty. Can the Regent Prince control the court and also control the harem?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Caiyu’s sword tip was aimed at her throat, rendering her unable to utter a single word.
Noble Concubine Liang’s eyes rolled back, and she unexpectedly fainted on the spot.
Huo Caiyu’s sword intimidated Noble Concubine Xian, allowing him to stride forward to the dragon bed. He embraced the Emperor in his arms and directly placed his hand on Li Jinyu’s wrist, feeling his pulse.
His expression changed.
The Emperor had been given a strong aphrodisiac!
His gaze instantly turned icy, colder than the sword’s edge moments ago, as he directed a chilling look at Noble Concubine Xian.
This kind of powerful aphrodisiac was different from the typical stimulants used by wealthy young gentlemen or brothels. It would undoubtedly harm His Majesty’s body!
He could tolerate the three thousand consorts in the Emperor’s harem, but he could not tolerate anyone attempting to harm his Majesty!
Noble Concubine Xian held her throat weakly, leaning against the side. Noticing Huo Caiyu’s gaze, she realized the situation had been exposed. However, she regained her composure and smiled enchantingly. “The aphrodisiac that His Majesty consumed has two types, positive and negative. Only when the person who consumed the positive type shares a bed with someone who consumed the negative type can it be neutralized.”
Huo Caiyu sneered, pointing his sword at Noble Concubine Xian’s throat. “Hand it over.”
“I only had one pill of the negative type, and I have already taken it,” Noble Concubine Xian recalled the scene when Huo Caiyu entered earlier and prayed that he hadn’t noticed Noble Concubine Liang dropping the pill. She forcefully continued, “The longer the positive type stays within His Majesty’s body, the greater the damage to His Majesty’s health. If the Regent Prince has any concerns, he should first help His Majesty neutralize the aphrodisiac.”
Besides its aphrodisiac effects, this medicine also aided women in conceiving.
Noble Concubine Xian didn’t explicitly mention it, but Huo Caiyu had a fairly accurate guess.
Clearly, Noble Concubine Xian realized that with the Prime Minister’s downfall, she no longer had any backing and could only rely on herself to rise within the harem.
There were only three things that consorts could rely on: the Emperor’s favor, a powerful family background, or bearing the Emperor’s heir.
Currently, His Majesty has neither a son nor a daughter. If Noble Concubine Xian successfully gained favor and became pregnant, even if she commited a great offense, it was likely that both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager would protect her…
Huo Caiyu thought it over carefully, feeling a mixture of sadness and bitterness.
In his arms, His Majesty continued to squirm due to the effects of the drug, uttering incoherent words and emitting an alarming heat.
Huo Caiyu decided not to follow Noble Concubine Xian’s intentions and called out loudly, “Guards! Take Noble Concubine Xian and Noble Concubine Liang away and detain them temporarily!”
Noble Concubine Xian paused, her eyes widening suddenly. “Huo Caiyu! Are you willing to sacrifice His Majesty’s life?! In just a moment, if His Majesty cannot be given the antidote, he will die!”
“Even if His Majesty’s condition is alleviated, His Majesty would not choose you,” Huo Caiyu coldly replied. “You had better pray that this Prince finds another pill immediately. Otherwise, I will have to slice you open, tear your belly apart, and retrieve the pill you swallowed from your stomach.”
Noble Concubine Xian trembled in fear.
After having the two consorts who dared to harm His Majesty taken away, Huo Caiyu was about to order the palace attendants to thoroughly search the floor of the bedchamber. However, he saw a small black cat dart out from the corner and approach him. The cat extended its front paws, revealing a tiny black pill between its paw pads.
It turned out to be the pill that Noble Concubine Liang had accidentally dropped earlier.
Huo Caiyu looked at it with a hint of surprise, stooped down, and picked it up, not forgetting to compliment, “Good cat.”
The little black cat rolled its eyes and turned away, leaping off.
Huo Caiyu held the pill between his fingers, gently sniffed it, and then checked His Majesty’s pulse. He had to admit that with his medical skills, he couldn’t simply unravel the effects of the medicine on His Majesty.
The scent of this pill didn’t resemble anything from the Central Plains…
What should be done then?
His Majesty lay on his chest, his breath scorching, uttering incoherent words like “smells good” and “hot” and calling out “Huo Caiyu”. From those fragmented murmurs, one could discern the discomfort in His Majesty’s body.
Now, the best solution might be to find a reliable consort who can alleviate the effects of the medicine for His Majesty.
As he yearned and contemplated, Huo Caiyu felt his heart twist like a knife.
What could be more agonizing than personally sending the person he loved into someone else’s bed?
Huo Caiyu’s fingertips trembled slightly. But in just a moment, he made up his mind.
Compared to his hidden, unmentionable, and treasonous thoughts, His Majesty’s well-being was far more important.
While he pondered which consort would be more suitable, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
Li Jinyu had been affected by the aphrodisiac, and they had been intimate for a while, yet he seemed oblivious to certain changes that should have occurred…
Huo Caiyu furrowed his brow tightly, pressed his lips together, and whispered, “This official oversteps his boundaries.” With his right hand, he reached into His Majesty’s partially undone inner garment.
Then his facial expression changed subtly.
Had His Majesty truly not changed…?
Before he could comprehend, His Majesty suddenly trembled all over, and between his breaths, he let out a soft and lingering moan, causing a tingling sensation to shoot up Huo Caiyu’s spine.
Shortly after, His Majesty’s body went limp.
Huo Caiyu withdrew his hand in a daze, furrowing his brow with a subtle expression on his face.
Looking at Li Jinyu again, his body still radiated intense heat, showing no signs of any alleviation from the effects of the medicine.
It seemed that a negative type antidote was indeed needed.
He grabbed Li Jinyu’s wrist, carefully feeling his pulse, and amidst the rhythmic pulsations, he keenly sensed a slight anomaly.
If it weren’t for this recent dose of the aphrodisiac, perhaps it wouldn’t have been noticeable that His Majesty had been poisoned before.
What kind of poison could it be?
What were its dangers?
Was His Majesty’s lack of response due to the influence of that poison?
When did the poisoning occur?
How could the consorts not have noticed?
Huo Caiyu felt a sense of turmoil within his heart.
However, the continuous sounds of His Majesty’s distress brought him back to reality.
The most important thing now was to relieve His Majesty of the drug’s effects.
But if His Majesty was unable to recover, then even the Three Palaces and Six Ministries would be of no use.
Huo Caiyu gazed at the corners of His Majesty’s eyes, which had become slightly flushed due to the effects of the drug. He pursed his lips and felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken.
After developing feelings for His Majesty, he subconsciously searched through various books and resources on relationships between men, learning about many things he had never known before.
The pleasures between men were different for the one who took the submissive role, compared to the one who took the dominant role.
In His Majesty’s current state, even if certain things were not possible, if he were in the submissive role, he could still experience the intimacy between men.
After collecting all that information, he dreamt for several nights in a row about pinning His Majesty beneath him, desecrating in his dreams the person he held in the palm of his hand.
But it was all just a dream in the end.
And now…
Huo Caiyu’s fingertips trembled once again.
Just now, when he witnessed His Majesty being drugged, he did have some dark and selfish possessive thoughts in his heart. However, those thoughts were quickly dispelled.
Instead of using deceitful means to possess His Majesty, he would rather see His Majesty living a carefree and joyful life to the fullest.
Should there be a day when he could have His Majesty, he hoped it would be out of genuine affection and willingness, rather than compromising for other reasons.
Would His Majesty be happy if he took advantage of his vulnerability and forcefully claimed him?
Surely he wouldn’t be.
Therefore, he endured the anguish in his heart and thought of finding a consort for His Majesty to detoxify him.
But now…
Huo Caiyu lowered his head, his gaze fixed on His Majesty’s flushed face.
Li Jinyu’s consciousness had become somewhat blurry, and he mumbled incoherently, occasionally saying, “Huo Caiyu, I feel so uncomfortable.”
In his subconscious, His Majesty still seemed willing to rely on him, right?
Amidst a lingering sense of sourness and a tinge of sadness, Huo Caiyu’s heart was aching.
But in the end, he couldn’t fully protect His Majesty. If he hadn’t been plagued by his own trivial self-blame during the banquet and had been attentively watching over His Majesty’s well-being, would Noble Concubine Xian have succeeded?
Perhaps tomorrow, His Majesty’s anger, disgust, and hatred would be his punishment?
Huo Caiyu tightly closed his eyes, then suddenly tilted his head back and swallowed the small pill in one gulp.
Afterwards, he gently held His Majesty in his arms and lay down together on the dragon bed.
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Aaah yeeesss, old good s*x pollen~
Thank You for the chapter (๑ơ ₃ ơ)♥