Chapter 8 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip
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“His Majesty arranged that person to reside in Jiaolan Palace?”
Consort Xian’s beautiful face was incredulous. She almost broke her perfectly trimmed nails as she burst out, “Has His Majesty gone mad?”
The palace maid in front of her was startled and said, “Your Highness, please be careful!”
Consort Xian regretted her words as soon as they were spoken, but fortunately, there were no other concubines in the hall at the moment, so the Emperor would not learn of her outburst.
But the most important thing was not this——
How could a man who could not show his face live in Jiaolan Palace, which was only fit for the Empress?
How could His Majesty have lost his mind to this extent!
After confirming that the news was true, Consort Xian suddenly stood up, paced anxiously, and gritted her teeth, “The Empress Dowager cannot possibly let this happen. This mistress must go to Cining Palace!”
………
Li Jinyu waited eagerly for Huo Caiyu to move in next door, feeling very satisfied with himself. With this great god watching over him, those filthy forces shouldn’t dare to come again, right?
After a few more days, he would find a high-ranking monk or Daoist to perform a ritual in the palace and recite reincarnation scriptures for those unjust spirits…
No, wait a minute.
Wouldn’t the high-level monk or Daoist discover his true form?
Li Jinyu suddenly became uneasy. He didn’t want to be exorcised by a high-ranking monk or Daoist before the plot was over…
Come to think of it, Huo Caiyu’s imperial Ziwei aura was good. Although it had great oppressive power, it wouldn’t actively harm him.
Li Jinyu scratched his ear and seriously considered whether touring the palace with Huo Caiyu could drive away the filthy force.
Just then, a eunuch came in to report, “Your Majesty, Young Master Huo refuses to move to Jiaolan Palace.”
The voice trembled slightly, as if afraid that Li Jinyu would be angry with him.
Li Jinyu was stunned for a moment and asked, “Why?”
The eunuch lowered his head, thinking to himself that any good young man would not be willing to submit to others and live in Jiaolan Palace. He didn’t dare to say this. He wasn’t sure if His Majesty was just casually asking or if he was trying to amuse himself, so he could only stutter, “This slave doesn’t know either.”
Li Jinyu frowned as he pondered for a moment. Suddenly, it dawned on him that Huo Caiyu and Emperor Jingchang were at odds, so the former would definitely not want to live beside him.
Now, it was much clearer to Li Jinyu.
Coincidentally, according to the novel, he had to constantly increase Huo Caiyu’s hatred towards him, so he should do the things that Huo Caiyu did not want to do!
“Make him move in there!” Li Jinyu’s face turned stern, adding a line from the original script, “Or you will all be buried with him!”
The eunuch was so scared that his whole body trembled, and he immediately knelt down.
Li Jinyu emphasized again, “Don’t be too polite to him.”
The eunuch looked up in a daze.
“Be harsher to him, do you understand?” Li Jinyu recalled that when he was still an ordinary hamster, his two owners brought in a naughty child who took pleasure in seeing him shiver in fear by making ugly faces at him outside his cage.
He demonstrated to the eunuch the most “fierce and terrifying” expression he could remember.
The eunuch swallowed hard, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead. “Y-Your Majesty wants this servant to meet Young Master Huo in this way?”
Seeing the eunuch’s terrified expression, Li Jinyu felt a little sorry for him. He figured that these innocent people who offended the future Emperor would probably not have a bright future, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and play the bad cop himself.
“Forget it, just go like that.” Li Jinyu thought for a moment, changing his strategy. “You can describe to Huo Caiyu how fierce and terrible Zhen was just now.”
The eunuch nodded. “This slave understands.”
Regardless of whether the eunuch understood or not, he successfully moved Hu Caiyu to Jiaolan Palace.
Li Jinyu slept soundly that night.
Although he didn’t flip the plaque and call for a concubine to sing tonight, the thought of having the imperial aura of Ziwei nearby allowed him to sleep until noon the next day, causing him to miss the morning court session again.
But it didn’t matter, he wasn’t in the mood to face those ministers who were trembling in fear.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Li Jinyu ordered his eunuchs to clear the Imperial Garden in preparation for a stroll. Before he could leave, an old palace maid came to see him and said, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager imparts a message.”
Li Jinyu was taken aback, recalling the last time he was snubbed by the Empress Dowager.
What does the Empress Dowager has to say now?
“The Empress Dowager said that Jiaolan Palace is a prestigious position, and whoever becomes its mistress must possess both virtue and talent, as well as the ability to rule the world like a mother. The Empress Dowager hopes Your Majesty will think carefully.”
Li Jinyu blinked, understanding what the Empress Dowager was trying to say. She was dissatisfied with his decision.
Only the Empress Dowager was allowed to criticize the Emperor in this world. Anyone else who dared to do so would be executed.
Li Jinyu thought for a moment. “Possesing both virtue and talent” was a given. Huo Caiyu was the future Emperor and there was no one more virtuous and talented than him. As for “ruling the world like a mother”, he did not quite understand, but he presumed it meant having the ability to control the world… If Huo Caiyu was going to become the Emperor and even reside in the Jiaolan Palace in the future, how could he not live there now?
Having come to this conclusion, he nodded his head. “Rest assured, Zhen understands the Empress Dowager’s meaning.”
The old woman thought that His Majesty would revoked the decree of letting a man enter Jiaolan Palace. She was just breathing a discreet sigh of relief when she heard His Majesty turn around and ask, “Has the dragon heater in Jiaolan Palace been lit up? Huo Caiyu’s injury hasn’t healed yet, so he musn’t be exposed to the cold.”
The Empress Dowager’s handmaiden was left speechless. How could her mistress feel reassured by this?
………
With the Empress Dowager’s reminder, Li Jinyu remembered his arrangement from yesterday and decided to go see what the Jiaolan Palace looked like.
Jinxiu Pavilion was small and didn’t have a dragon heater, which made it feel cold every time he visited. He gave it to Huo Caiyu so that he could comfortably bask in Ziwei aura when he went over there to leech off its power.
Jiaolan Palace was indeed much larger than the Jinxiu Pavilion, with elaborate carvings and painted beams. Large patches of peonies and orchids were planted everywhere. Although it was still too early in the season for them to bloom, some new shoots had already emerged.
Compared to the grand and magnificent imperial palace, the Jiaolan Palace appeared more gentle. Looking around as he made his way into the palace, Li Jinyu found it quite refreshing. As he approached the main hall, he overheard a conversation from inside.
A slightly hoarse middle-aged man’s voice said, “Young Master Huo, it’s time to take medicine.”
Then Huo Caiyu’s voice responded, “Many thanks, but I’ll take it later.”
“The medicine will lose its efficacy if it gets cold,” the physician’s voice suddenly lowered. “Young Master Huo is a wise man, so please don’t make things difficult.”
Huh?
Li Jinyu’s hearing was much better than that of ordinary humans, so he could clearly hear the conversation even from a distance. He quickly walked over with a frown, pushing open the door and entering the hall.
He immediately saw Huo Caiyu resisting to take the medicine. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The imperial physician, upon seeing Li Jinyu, shrank back and knelt down, saying, “Greetings, Your Majesty. This humble subject is trying to persuade Young Master Huo to take his medicine.”
Li Jinyu looked at Huo Caiyu and asked, “Why aren’t you taking your medicine?”
Taking the medicine was necessary for the body to recover!
Huo Caiyu’s eyes swept over the bowl of medicine, a hint of mockery flashing in his brown eyes. He looked deeply at Li Jinyu and lowered his head to take the medicine. The kneeling physician secretly raised his head, his eyes filled with a hint of fervor.
For some reason, Huo Caiyu’s gaze made Li Jinyu feel particularly uncomfortable. He instinctively said, “Wait a minute.”
Huo Caiyu’s hand paused.
Li Jinyu walked over and picked up the bowl of dark medicine, smelling the pungent odor inside. He wrinkled his brow in disgust and asked the physician, “What kind of medicine is this?”
The pungent smell explained why Huo Caiyu couldn’t drink it. The physician broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “This medicine was specially prepared for Young Master Huo’s injuries. This… good medicine tastes bitter…”
Li Jinyu looked at him, observing his sweaty countenance and recalling the words he had overheard earlier. His expression immediately turned cold as suspicion took over his heart.
Increasing his animosity towards him was one thing, but someone plotting to harm Huo Caiyu was another matter entirely!
Huo Caiyu was his biggest reliance to escape his physical limitations! He couldn’t be harmed before he could usurp his throne!
Li Jinyu took a deep breath, put his hands behind his back, and tried to look dignified. “Then let the imperial physician drink this medicine first.”
The imperial physician relaxed slightly, kowtowed and said, “This subject obeys the order.”
Naturally, he would not directly poison the medicine. This prescription was indeed non-toxic, but it was only effective for skin and flesh injuries and bruises. Instead of promoting blood circulation and resolving blood stasis, it might even worsen the condition, leading to death from blood loss. Ordinary people who drink this medicine would only have diarrhea.
Li Jinyu watched the physician drink the medicine happily and felt a hint of doubt about his own speculation.
However, what he overheard outside was clear, so he tried to probe and said, “Why don’t you try the medicine after you’ve been spanked?”
The physician immediately froze, his eyes widening. His knees fell down with a “thump”.
“Your Majesty, spare this subject!”
Although Li Jinyu was just testing the waters, Emperor Jingchang had done this more than once!
If the physician did not drink the medicine, he could still survive after being beaten. But if the medicine was already in his stomach and he was beaten again, he would inevitably die from blood loss!
This was now confirmed.
Li Jinyu looked at the trembling physician with disappointment, wondering how to deal with him.
To maintain his persona as a tyrant, he could order someone to drag the physician away, interrogate and execute the person behind him, and then sentence the physician to death by caning.
But Li Jinyu had never committed such an atrocity, so the command remained stuck in his mouth.
Besides, Huo Caiyu was watching from behind. If he now dealt with the physician and let Huo Caiyu think he was seeking justice for him, how would he follow the storyline?
After much deliberation, Li Jinyu decided to shoulder the blame himself.
As long as he let Huo Caiyu believe that he had instructed the physician to poison him, he wouldn’t have to kill anyone, and he could also increase his hatred towards him.
Ah, wasn’t he a little genius?
Li Jinyu gave himself a mental pat on the back and looked at the physician, whose frightened face had turned pale. His expression softened and he said, “Zhen is just teasing you.”
The imperial physician originally thought that his life was over, but when he heard this, he was stunned and raised his head in disbelief.
“You did well. You can go now.” Li Jinyu waved his hand to dismiss him.
The imperial physician stumbled out of the door. The spring breeze made him shiver with cold sweat, which woke him up completely. He actually survived under the Emperor’s command?
After dealing with the imperial physician, Li Jinyu turned his head and met Huo Caiyu’s confused eyes. He hesitated for a moment and quickly coughed, “Take care of your injury. Zhen will go back first.”
Shielding the culprit would be enough for Huo Caiyu to deduct favorability points from himself again, right?
Once out of the door, Li Jinyu hurriedly instructed the eunuch next to him in a low voice, “Go and arrest the imperial physician who was just here, and find out who wanted to harm Huo Caiyu!”
Protecting the culprit in front of Huo Caiyu was one thing, but investigating who was causing trouble was another matter.
He would never allow anyone to harm the future Emperor!
Huo Caiyu stood by the window, staring at the magnificent dragon carriage, his expression somewhat subtle.
He understood lipreading.
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