Chapter Ninety-Six: Conscription

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Huo Lin summoned his trusted ministers to the imperial study.

The whispers during the meeting were suppressed and urgent; the tense atmosphere could be felt even through the heavy palace doors.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the ministers filed out, each with a solemn expression.

Huo Lin sat alone behind the imperial desk, pressing his fingertips hard against his throbbing temples.

The piles of memorials on my desk did not decrease; on the contrary, they became even more alarming due to new military reports and urgent reports of disasters.

Disaster relief funding allocation, military replenishment, and infighting among various factions in the imperial court...

Every single matter is urgent, yet progress is slow.

He had already sent out almost all the people he could use, and he was simply unable to spare the time.

We still don't have enough manpower.

Huo Lin closed his eyes wearily, his mind racing through the faces in the court, finally settling on one figure.

The Imperial Uncle has been idle for so long, it's time to bring him back and put in some effort.

Huo Lin suddenly opened his eyes: "Wang Degui."

“Your servant is here.” Wang Degui bowed quickly.

"Issue an edict to the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence," Huo Lin's voice was cold and unyielding, "Summon Huo Yunxing to the palace immediately, to the Imperial Study, and tell him that I have important matters to discuss with him."

Wang Degui was stunned for a moment. The carefree prince?

That guy is notorious for shirking his duties whenever possible. Can he handle being summoned by the Emperor to discuss state affairs?

However, Wang Degui dared not question it and immediately replied, "Yes, this servant will go right away."

The Carefree Prince's Mansion.

Huo Yunxing was lounging on a soft couch covered with a white tiger skin, listening to a little tune with chilled grapes beside him.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass windows, warm and comforting, making him squint.

This is life! Stay as far away from those awful things in the court as possible.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!" The steward rushed in, looking terrified.

Huo Yunxing lazily lifted his eyelids: "What's the panic? Is the sky falling?"

"It's from the palace. Eunuch Wang, who is close to the Emperor, has come personally to deliver an imperial decree, summoning you to the palace immediately for an audience in the Imperial Study. He says there are important matters to discuss," the steward said in one breath.

This is the important matter that his prince fears most.

Huo Yunxing sat up abruptly, dropping the grapes in his hand in fright.

"What?" His voice changed. "Important matter? What important matter could he possibly have to discuss with me? Disaster relief? War? What do those trivial matters have to do with me?"

Alarm bells rang in Huo Yunxing's mind, and images of mountains of memorials and endless meetings flashed through his mind.

Huo Lin must be driven mad by the affairs of the court; they want to capture him and make him a laborer.

No, no, absolutely not.

Huo Yunxing screamed inwardly, his eyes darting around, and a plan instantly came to mind.

"Ouch!" Huo Yunxing suddenly clutched his stomach. "Hiss, my stomach hurts, it hurts terribly."

"Quick, help me lie down! I must have gotten sick from eating those iced grapes, ouch..."

The steward stared in disbelief as his master collapsed onto the soft couch, groaning and moaning, a few beads of cold sweat even forming on his forehead.

Isn't this...a bit too over-the-top?

Wang Degui was quickly invited in. As soon as he entered, he saw Huo Yunxing with a "pale" face, curled up on the couch groaning, looking like he was about to faint at any moment.

"Eunuch Wang, cough cough..." Huo Yunxing spoke in a weak voice, pretending to be frail.

"Please trouble you to inform His Majesty, Your Highness, that I have suddenly fallen ill with severe abdominal pain and am truly... truly unable to rise. Once I feel a little better, I will certainly come to the palace to apologize..."

Wang Degui's eye twitched slightly. The Prince of Xiaoyao's illness came at just the right time, didn't it?

He bowed respectfully: "Your Highness is unwell, this servant will return to the palace to report to the Emperor, but..."

Wang Degui paused, then said meaningfully, "His Majesty is so worried about the affairs of state that he can hardly sleep day and night. If he knew that Your Highness was so seriously ill, he would probably send the imperial physicians to treat you personally."

Huo Yunxing's heart skipped a beat. Send the imperial physician? Wouldn't that give them away?

He quickly waved his hand: "There's no need to trouble the imperial physician. This is an old ailment of mine. I'll be fine after some rest."

Wang Degui glanced at the grapes that Huo Yunxing hadn't yet gathered up, said nothing more, bowed, and took his leave.

The news quickly reached the Imperial Study.

Huo Lin sneered after hearing Wang Degui's report.

Feigning illness? Huo Yunxing has used that trick eight hundred times already!

He put down the vermilion brush and looked at Wang Degui expressionlessly.

"By imperial decree, since the Prince of Xiaoyao is so ill, it must be because his residence is too deserted and no one is taking care of him. Out of compassion for my uncle, I hereby bestow four beauties upon him and send them to the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence immediately to serve him medicine day and night, so that he can rest and recuperate in peace."

"yes."

Wang Degui accepted the order and left.

Upon receiving this imperial edict, the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion was instantly thrown into turmoil.

Huo Yunxing sprang up from the couch, completely forgetting about his stomachache.

"What? Four beauties bestowed upon you? And they'll serve you medicine day and night?"

Huo Yunxing's vision went black, as if he could see the complete end of his carefree and happy days.

Also, what if that little firecracker Ayina finds out about this...

He simply couldn't bear to think about it.

"Huo Lin, you damned brat, you're trying to kill your royal uncle!" Huo Yunxing paced anxiously around the room.

The steward asked from the side, "Your Highness, should we accept that beauty or not?"

"Shut up!" Huo Yunxing was furious. "Hurry up and help me change my clothes, prepare my horse, and we're going to the palace. If we don't go now, your prince is going to be 'served' to death by a bunch of women!"

In less than half an hour, the carefree Prince Huo Yunxing rushed into the imperial study full of energy.

The speed is so fast, how can there be even a trace of illness?

He wasn't even dressed properly; his shirt was slightly open and his hair was a little messy, clearly indicating that he had rushed over.

"Huo Lin!" Huo Yunxing disregarded all formalities between ruler and subject, rushing in and yelling, "What do you mean? How can you betray your own uncle like this?"

Huo Lin was holding a memorial, reading it slowly and deliberately, and didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the sound.

"Wasn't the Imperial Uncle suffering from excruciating abdominal pain and unable to get up? How come the medicine from the Prince's residence is so effective that it made the Imperial Uncle as nimble as a bird in less than half an hour?"

Huo Yunxing choked upon hearing this, stubbornly arguing, "I...I was just so angry because of your 'favor'."

"Also, let me tell you, you must take those beauties back to me right now."

“Yes, but…” Huo Lin looked at him leisurely, his slender fingers tapping lightly on the imperial desk, making a rhythmic sound, each tap seeming to strike Huo Yunxing’s taut nerves.

"Since Your Majesty is cured and you don't want any beauties, why don't you start attending court tomorrow? That would be a good opportunity for you to help me with these 'trivial matters'."

As Huo Lin spoke, his gaze swept over the mountain of memorials piled up beside the imperial desk, his meaning all too clear.

Huo Yunxing followed his gaze and felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if he could see his future life filled with utter despair.

He opened his mouth, trying to make one last struggle.

"This king...this king..."

Upon seeing this, Huo Lin paused, then let out a cold snort.

"If you refuse again, then you may choose one of the two favors I just mentioned, or both?"