From below, Qi Hanmiao called out, “Your Majesty, what happened?”
Yin Wuzhi calmly replied, “Nothing.”
Given the emperor’s usual laziness, it wasn’t surprising that he would have Yin Wuzhi speak on his behalf. Qi Hanmiao nodded, reminding them, “Be careful, don’t bump your head.”
The thousand-year-old osmanthus tree was dense with green leaves and tiny yellow flowers, with slivers of sunlight sneaking through narrow gaps.
Since it had rained the previous day, water droplets clung to the leaves. When Yin Wuzhi jumped, the water trickled down.
He used his wide sleeves to shield Jiang Wu’s face, making sure the emperor wouldn’t suddenly wake up from getting wet.
…Not only had he bumped his head, but he’d also been knocked unconscious.
Yin Wuzhi didn’t want to evade responsibility, but truthfully, he’d been the one taking all the blame today. His back was covered in whip marks, his shoulder bruised from the fall, and a handprint still marked his face. He had never endured such inexplicable humiliation in his life.
The emperor hitting his head was certainly not intentional on his part. If Jiang Wu hadn’t insisted on going higher… how could this have happened?
Yin Wuzhi sat on a thick branch, looking down at the unconscious emperor in his arms.
Part of him felt that hiding like this lacked dignity, while another part thought that the emperor deserved it. Yet the looming punishment filled him with frustration.
The unconscious emperor rested quietly in his arms, his limbs limp like noodles. Yin Wuzhi reached down and lifted one of Jiang Wu’s arms, only for it to fall back down. He propped up the emperor’s shoulder, and his head lolled. He nudged his waist with his knee, and Jiang Wu’s entire body sagged.
Yin Wuzhi sighed and placed his hand on Jiang Wu’s head.
The bump was on the top, not immediately visible, but it was a large lump.
It must hurt a lot.
Yin Wuzhi withdrew his hand.
And found himself staring into a pair of lifeless eyes.
“…The emperor has awoken.”
When he had been examining the bump earlier, his sleeve had blocked Jiang Wu’s face, and only when he moved did he realize Jiang Wu had opened his eyes—
Awakened, no doubt, by the pain.
Jiang Wu’s eyes wandered around, taking in his surroundings.
The layered leaves and flowers formed a wall around them, the air heavy with moisture and sweet fragrance, soothing the spirit.
He looked back at Yin Wuzhi. “Beloved Minister Yin doesn’t want anyone to know I hit my head.”
Yin Wuzhi: “Your Majesty…”
“I can keep this secret for you and not punish you.”
“…” So you don’t think this is your fault at all?
Any trace of guilt or remorse Yin Wuzhi had quickly disappeared.
He coldly said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness.”
Jiang Wu ordered him to carry him back to the Taiji Hall.
Jiang Wu sat on Yin Wuzhi’s shoulders with his arms spread wide, his expression filled with disdain and indifference. The people below didn’t dare even glance up at him.
But before they could even leave the Imperial Garden, that imposing air faded. Jiang Wu’s shoulders and arms slumped down, and he weakly tugged on Yin Wuzhi’s hair, saying, “Carry me.”
Sitting too high up, he couldn’t lean forward, nor could he recline backward. His body felt unsupported and exhausted.
Yin Wuzhi mocked, “Isn’t Your Majesty riding a great horse?”
“Carry me.” Jiang Wu tugged at his hair. Though the force wasn’t strong, it was enough to loosen Yin Wuzhi’s neatly tied hair. Stray strands fell onto his nose, and with a sigh, Yin Wuzhi raised his hands and gripped Jiang Wu’s waist.
Qi Hanmiao watched in shock.
He stared as Jiang Wu, limp like a lifeless doll, was grabbed by his waist, flipped upside down, and held in Yin Wuzhi’s arms.
Neither of them said a word as they entered the Taiji Hall.
But the servants were scared out of their wits.
Once inside, Yin Wuzhi retrieved the records of state affairs and approached the dragon bed where Jiang Wu lay. “The sun is out, the horse has been ridden, and the swing has been played. Can Your Majesty now begin addressing state matters?”
“Mm.”
Yin Wuzhi shook out the papers, finally regaining his composure. Just as he was about to start discussing official business, Jiang Wu said, “I’ve decided to leave everything to you, Beloved Minister Yin.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
His calm immediately vanished.
Jiang Wu lazily turned his head and buried his face into the soft pillow. “I was frightened today.”
“Frightened…” Yin Wuzhi thought. Who exactly was frightened today? Don’t you know?
“And,” Jiang Wu closed his eyes, his voice weary, “I feel dizzy.”
Yin Wuzhi caught the hint and coldly replied, “If Your Majesty wishes to hold someone accountable, just say so.”
He wasn’t going to let Jiang Wu use the head injury to keep threatening him.
Jiang Wu pulled the blanket over his head.
He wasn’t lying; he really did feel dizzy, his eyes ached, and he just wanted to sleep.
And soon enough, he did.
When he woke again, it was already dark. Yin Wuzhi sat nearby with a cold expression, upright in his chair. Jiang Wu stirred and was fed a little food. His head still felt heavy, and he asked weakly, “How have you handled the memorials from the imperial study?”
“That is Your Majesty’s duty.” Yin Wuzhi’s tone was as cold as his expression. “I dare not overstep my bounds.”
Jiang Wu’s eyelids lifted. “You didn’t touch them?”
“No.”
He actually dared to disobey.
Jiang Wu thought for a moment and felt his head grow heavier, his breathing becoming labored.
This must be the pressure of work.
Why didn’t Yin Wuzhi help him handle the memorials?
He should be obedient.
If Yin Wuzhi didn’t comply, then the memorials in the imperial study would pile up, more and more… until they filled an entire room.
Jiang Wu’s breathing quickened, feeling as if he was about to be crushed.
Why do people live? he wondered blankly.
Why was Yin Wuzhi so difficult?
Jiang Wu had been trying his best.
Why couldn’t he succeed? When would he finally become the greatest emperor of all time? When would history return to its proper course? When would he finally be killed?
Yin Wuzhi watched as Jiang Wu began to radiate a dark aura: “…”
What… what’s happening?
Jiang Wu’s eyes grew vacant, as if his soul was about to depart.
Yin Wuzhi had seen the eyes of the dead before; they lost their light bit by bit. Jiang Wu’s eyes didn’t have much light to begin with, but now they looked even more lifeless.
Yin Wuzhi observed him closely, watching as Jiang Wu’s face gradually turned red, then blue.
Suddenly, he realized something was wrong—Jiang Wu was showing signs of suffocation!
What was happening?!
He reached out and grabbed Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu let him hold him, his head and long hair hanging limply, looking no different from a corpse.
Yin Wuzhi called out, “Your Majesty?”
He shook Jiang Wu. “Your Majesty!”
Qi Hanmiao rushed in, shouting, “Your Majesty! What’s wrong?!”
“Open the windows,” Yin Wuzhi ordered. Qi Hanmiao echoed, “Open the windows, quick!”
With several bangs, every window that could be opened in the Taiji Hall was flung wide.
The cold night wind rushed in.
Jiang Wu shivered violently, letting out a loud sneeze.
That sneeze saved his life.
Jiang Wu had heard that when a person’s body is near death, it unleashes a survival instinct. At that moment, his body involuntarily opened his mouth, gasping for air as if starved of oxygen.
His face turned from suffocation’s blue-purple to frost’s pale white.
Jiang Wu sneezed again.
Qi Hanmiao finally understood. “Your Majesty, did you catch a cold?”
“It must be a cold,” said Imperial Physician Gu, who arrived half an hour later, sitting by Jiang Wu’s bedside. He advised with great seriousness, “If your nose is blocked, you can breathe through your mouth.”
Jiang Wu knew that, but he had been holding his breath to think about his purple clay teapot.
Imperial Physician Gu recommended keeping only one window slightly open for ventilation and avoiding direct drafts on the patient.
He was indeed a skilled Imperial Physician, and he even noticed the bump on Jiang Wu’s head. He told Yin Wuzhi, “This medicine can be used not only on the head but also on the shoulders.”
Yin Wuzhi, surprised by the doctor’s concern, replied, “…Thank you.”
While Qi Hanmiao left to fetch the prescribed medicine, Yin Wuzhi sat beside the dragon bed.
He knew very well that Jiang Wu’s cold was no coincidence. After lying on the ground for so long and being left unconscious under the shaded osmanthus tree for nearly an incense stick’s time, it was surprising he hadn’t fallen ill sooner.
But… was it really possible that a blocked nose and a cold nearly led to suffocation? Was this for real?
Jiang Wu dejectedly revealed half of his face from under the quilt.
Yin Wuzhi came back to his senses and raised the medicine in his hand. “Your Majesty, let me rub the wound on your head.”
Jiang Wu did not resist.
He realized that it was impossible for a person to succeed in holding their breath to the point of suffocation.
Perhaps there was some force in the universe correcting history, preventing him from doing so, like the pain of suffocation.
Yin Wuzhi held him in his arms and let the medicinal oil drip onto the top of his head.
Jiang Wu rarely made a sound. He always looked despondent, and it was hard to tell if he was in pain. Yin Wuzhi could only be as gentle as possible.
Until Jiang Wu spoke, “It hurts.”
He was incredibly lazy and would only speak when he couldn’t bear it anymore. When he did, his voice was faintly hoarse, as if he had suffered a great grievance.
Yin Wuzhi: “.”
What did this incapable emperor have to be aggrieved about? Who was stopping him from breathing through his mouth?
Yin Wuzhi lightened his touch even more. When he was almost done, he placed Jiang Wu back onto the pillow and said, “Let’s leave it for today. Once Your Majesty recovers, I will report the morning court affairs.”
He got up and was about to lower the bed curtain when he heard Jiang Wu: “……”
Yin Wuzhi: “?”
He held the bed curtain and looked down at Jiang Wu, “Does Your Majesty have any other orders?”
“You go, handle the memorials for me.”
Jiang Wu’s lifeless eyes were misty with cold and pain, making it hard to tell if he was compassionate or indifferent.
Yin Wuzhi replied, “Please do not make this difficult for me, Your Majesty. I hold a lowly position and dare not overstep my bounds.”
“I order you.”
Yin Wuzhi shook his head. “Let’s wait until Your Majesty is in better health. I have no experience and would only disappoint Your Majesty’s trust.”
The bed curtain fell, completely cutting off their eye contact.
Jiang Wu stared at the top of the bed.
Although he felt very unwell, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
He wanted to try holding his breath to the point of suffocation again.
The bed curtain was suddenly opened a bit. Yin Wuzhi, recalling Jiang Wu’s near-suffocation earlier, deliberately left a gap and particularly reminded him, “Your Majesty, remember to breathe through your mouth.”
These people could only narrowly think that he didn’t understand how to breathe through his mouth and would never grasp his true intentions.
Unfortunately, holding one’s breath also required great willpower and lung capacity. Jiang Wu laid weakly on the bed.
After thinking carefully for a while, he came up with a plan.
“Qi Hanmiao.”
“Your servant is here!”
“Go and bring Prime Minister Chen, King Dingnan, Grand Preceptor Wen, Qiu Shangshu…” He recited the names of several old ministers and said, “Bring them into the palace and to the imperial study. Tell them I have urgent matters to discuss.”
Yin Wuzhi heard his father’s name and instinctively asked, “What urgent matters does Your Majesty have?”
Jiang Wu had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Many hands make light work. If each one handles a pile, the imperial study should soon be clear.
The pessimist was truly a genius.
