Chapter 29: There is no joy without human misfortune. My lower abdomen hurts again. ...

“Cough, cough cough…”

Startled suddenly, the nausea he'd just suppressed surged up, and the sour stomach acid stung his throat. He coughed feebly a few times, barely managing to suppress it, and commanded Xiaobai in a hoarse voice, "Get him out."

There was no good reason for Li Shijun to come here. Most likely, he was jealous when he saw Emperor Jingming coming. He was physically tired and even more tired mentally. He didn't want to see anyone alone and had no time to play with him.

"Bang!"

Almost as soon as Wenzheliu finished speaking, there was a sharp sound of breaking the door, and Li Shijun's anxious questioning got closer.

"Wen Zheliu! His Majesty came to you right after the court session. You are truly capable! What did His Majesty say to you? Did His Majesty touch you?"

A barrage of questions came one after another, like a dense rain of arrows, piercing Wen Zheliu directly.

No pain, no itching, but annoying.

Wen Zheliu coughed violently a few times, turned his head, and dived into the quilt like a fish entering the sea, turning a deaf ear to what was happening on the other side of the shore.

"You flirt with His Majesty, but ignore me. What a scheming person! Do you know who my mother is? She's someone you, a mere servant, can't afford to offend! Humph, drink this sterilization soup, and I'll leave you alone!"

"Infertility Soup"?

Before Wen Zheliu could figure out the trick, his collar tightened again, and warm liquid poured into his mouth from the corner. Wen Zheliu had just finished vomiting and was feeling nauseous.

He couldn't even swallow sweet sugar at this moment, let alone such a sour and smelly medicine?

"Ugh, ugh!"

Wen Zheliu spat out the medicine that he had just taken, and was scolded by Li Shijun again.

"You, a foxy girl, still dream of getting pregnant with a dragon child?"

He paused, then swung his arm with a clanging sound, likely signaling someone to clean up the bitter medicine that had been spilled. "Someone! Hold him down!"

"You, what are you going to do?"

Xiaobai's voice finally rang out beside his ears, slightly trembling: "Young Master Wen is the emperor's chosen servant, and Changle Palace is the residence of the late emperor's husband. It is extremely noble. How can we allow you to be so presumptuous!"

"So what?"

Li Shijun said arrogantly: "Wen Zheliu, do you really think His Majesty cherishes you so much?

"Let me tell you, you're nothing but a discarded pawn! His Majesty is right outside the palace right now, and I brought so many people in right in front of His Majesty! His Majesty didn't say a word, so stop being so arrogant!"

The smell of willow branches being broken makes me choke.

He covered his chest and coughed intermittently, his ears were buzzing, and he didn't hear what Li Shijun said at all.

He originally wanted to wait until he felt better before taking action to drive out this group of rabble.

Suddenly, there was a "whoosh" sound of wind beside me, followed by a series of clanging sounds, the shackles on my hands and feet were removed, and a series of miserable screams lingered in my ears.

"Guard Bai, what do you mean?"

Fists whirred and whirred, and Li Shijun's voice sounded extremely angry and frustrated: "Wen Zheliu has been abandoned by His Majesty. As His Majesty's servant, you should know what this means. Why are you still protecting him like this?"

"As a guard at Changle Palace, I know exactly who I should protect and who I should drive away. I don't need your advice, Li Shijun.

"But you, Li Shijun, have repeatedly disobeyed His Majesty's orders, trespassed into forbidden areas without permission, and offended distinguished guests. What is your punishment?"

"You're using His Majesty to pressure me? Then go ahead and sue me! Go to the Yangxin Palace and sue me! Let's see what His Majesty says!"

Xiaobai's voice was steady: "According to the rules of the harem, you should beat him out with sticks. I can kill him first and ask for permission later - come, beat him out!"

"You, how dare you! Guard Bai, how did I offend you? Why do you treat me like this?"

Li Shijun's voice gradually faded away. Wen Zheliu rubbed his chest up and down with his cold hands and finally caught his breath. He knew where Xiaobai was, but he did not turn his head. He just stared blankly ahead with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

"So protective of me?"

"...You are a member of a royal family, and you shouldn't be bullied."

Everything in front of him was white, and Wen Zheliu felt dizzy after keeping his eyes open for too long. He couldn't help but close his eyes to relax for a moment: "The so-called golden branches and jade leaves you mentioned have long been slaves of the princess's mansion, hated by everyone in the harem. What is there to protect?"

It was clearly a roundabout question, but he said it in a calm and composed tone.

"Slave...I feel sorry for you."

Xiaobai spoke intermittently: "I have a younger brother, who is about the same age as you, but he enjoys a good life in the noble man's house, while you..."

"That's just in time. I have an older brother." Hearing him repeatedly start the conversation and then stop abruptly, Wen Zheliu opened his eyes and continued, "He should be about the same age as you."

Xiaobai hesitated and fell silent.

"I haven't asked for your last name yet?" Wen Zheliu asked.

"My surname is Bai." Xiaobai replied.

"What's your name?"

"It's also white."

"……in vain?"

Wen Zheliu always felt that this name was somewhat familiar, but he didn't know where he had heard it.

He frowned and thought for a long time, then reached forward, touched Xiaobai's shoulder, and patted him twice: "I'll still call you Xiaobai."

Xiao Bai chuckled for a while and made small talk: "It's rumored that Master Wen likes sweet things. Is that true?"

"Not bad." Wen Zheliu nodded.

"Please wait for me to come."

Wen Zheliu waited quietly for a few breaths, and with a flick of his nose, he caught a glimpse of the faint sweet scent coming towards him.

"Sir, this is the most delicious dessert in the imperial kitchen. It's still hot. Please try it!"

"The best," Wen Zheliu raised an eyebrow, "Can it be my turn?"

"As ordered by His Majesty, your portion was supposed to include dessert, but this food was so delicious that the bunch of servants outside the door ate it all up right after the Imperial Kitchen delivered it... If you want to punish them, then punish them. I didn't eat a single bite!"

"But you are their leader. If we don't punish you, how can we serve as a warning to others?"

Wen Zheliu sat upright on the couch, his fingertips tapping the quilt intermittently. "You said that these snacks were divided up as soon as they were delivered. Then, is this the one they had left over?"

"Master, please forgive me! This was a new gift today, and I didn't let them share it!" Xiaobai fell to his knees with a plop. "You are right. It is because I didn't discipline my subordinates that I suffered such consequences. I am willing to accept the punishment!"

"As punishment, serve me food."

Wen Zheliu had just finished coughing violently, and his voice was still hoarse, but it was as sweet as the gurgling of a mountain stream. "We are new master and servant. Your first mistake is excusable. Next time you do it, I won't punish you so lightly."

"Sir, your great kindness is undeniable. I will always remember it in my heart. From now on, I will follow your lead and will never do the same again!"

Xiaobai shouted so loudly that Wen Zheliu's ears began to buzz again. He turned his head inconspicuously, rubbed the acupoint with his hand for a while, and finally heard the sound of falling snow outside again, and then he said.

"You want to rebel against His Majesty for me?"

There was another "thump" sound in my ears, as if Xiaobai's knee hit the ground.

"I see you are extraordinary, and I am willing to follow you till death!"

“Not from the pond”?

He was smart since he was young. Although he was not liked by his peers, he always received a series of unique praises from his elders. This "unique" was just one of the compliments he heard most often.

"Then go after me," Wen Zheliu said, taking a sip of tea. "If you behave well, I might agree."

"Thank you, Master Wen!"

Xiaobai has a simple and honest voice, like a big yellow guard dog that has won the favor of its owner and is wagging its tail. The dog does not mind the poverty of its family and will bark loudly when it gets a bone in its mouth.

Xiaobai's tolerance reminded Wen Zheliu of He Jiuyue, who doted on him when he entered the princess's mansion.

Perhaps he didn't sense the mother's breath, or maybe he swallowed some air after eating too fast, and his stomach ached slightly. Wen Zheliu slowly covered it with his hand and slowly closed his eyes.

Bandits are rampant where she is. Is she okay now?

"Princess, Shan Zhi is right above here!"

There are many rivers in the southeastern territory, the river valleys are rich in water vapor, and the basin is prone to rainfall at night. He Jiuyue ordered the Red Armor Army to station halfway up the mountain and led a team of elite soldiers up the mountain alone, just when a rainstorm occurred.

A damp smell hit my face, mixed with Chen Jin's slightly blurred voice in the rain.

She rode her horse to He Jiuyue's side and said, "But the road we have to take is blocked, we can't get up!"

He Jiuyue raised his hand, signaling the elite Red Armor Army following behind to stay where they were and wait for orders: "Why is there a traffic jam?"

"It's strange, when I came down this morning, the road was fine," Chen Jin scratched his head, "but now, there are several trees blocking it, and we can't get through."

He Jiuyue raised an eyebrow.

She has been here for three or five days. Although it rained for the first time today, it was a coincidence that the tree broke at this very moment, right on the road she had to take.

Is it a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?

"You take them here and wait. I'll go up and take a look."

He Jiuyue walked forward lightly, and with the help of the thin moonlight in the rain, he could see the scene clearly, and his pupils shrank.

The broken end of the tree stump is so clean that it doesn't look like a natural disaster, but rather a man-made one.

"Boom—"

Thunder suddenly sounded beside his ears. He Jiuyue was drenched in rain and didn't feel cold just now, but now he felt cold from the inside out and shivered violently.

She led the elite troops up the mountain and started a sudden uprising. Who revealed their whereabouts?

"Sir, are you satisfied with my service?"

"Fine."

After eating most of the sweets, Wen Zheliu walked in the yard for a while to digest the food. Feeling weak, he went back to the couch to take a nap for a few minutes. Suddenly, he was awakened by a vague pain between his teeth. When he regained consciousness, he found Xiaobai massaging his shoulders.

"Go away." He waved lazily.

Suddenly, a yellow light appeared in front of my eyes, and I was startled when I heard the willow being broken.

...yellow light?

Ever since he became blind, the world has become black and white. Where does the yellow light come from?

The orange light gradually faded away. Wen Zheliu blinked several times in a hurry. The scene in front of him was sometimes far away and sometimes near. He felt dizzy and closed his eyes.

After five times of this, Wen Zheliu was finally able to get a general idea of ​​the scenery inside the house.

Xiaobai said that Changle Palace was where the former emperor's husband lived. He felt strange at first. How could such a desolate place be worthy of his residence?

Looking at it now, it is really luxurious, just a little old.

There was no one watching him, so Wen Zheliu stopped pretending. He rubbed his legs, which had become a little soft from sleeping, and stood up with the help of the bed. He walked slowly around the room, and finally stopped in front of the window, looking at the moon with his chin in his hand.

The snow that had been falling all morning stopped, and it happened to be a full moon.

The cold white round plate hung high in the air, and Wen Zheliu was vaguely reminded of the string of crystal clear round candied haws covered with syrup that He Jiuyue bought for him.

He loves sweets and has grown up in luxury. In his eyes, he can distinguish dozens of types of humble crispy candies.

The making process of that string of candied haws is simple, but it is really sweet.

Although it caused his toothache to flare up in the middle of the night and kept He Jiuyue awake, He Jiuyue that night was truly gentle, even more tender-hearted than an oil lamp at night... It's a pity that there will never be another one.

He felt suffocated in his chest and sighed when he heard the willow being broken.

He hated the bright moon hanging high in the sky, but not shining on him alone.

“Hmm!”

The cold moon was still in the sky, but Wen Zheliu could no longer raise his head. He just clutched the clothes on his abdomen with his bare hands and slowly bent his usually straight back.

Wuhuan is not here, and my lower abdomen hurts again.