Gu Mingzhen first saluted the emperor. In the past, the emperor would immediately cancel this kind of kowtow.
But today, perhaps because the emperor was in a bad mood, or someone had said something bad about him in front of the emperor, Gu Mingzhen knelt down firmly on the ground paved with gold bricks, and the cold chill penetrated into the gap between his kneecaps without even a cushion.
He was nervous, but he performed the ceremony properly and looked up at the emperor.
However, the emperor was completely hidden in the backlight, and his face could not be seen clearly. Even if one wanted to guess something, it was impossible to do so.
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At first glance, Gu Mingzhen almost didn't recognize the old eunuch who was half-bent over beside the emperor.
Looking closely, I found that it was Eunuch Wei.
When Eunuch Wei saw Gu Mingzhen, he was shocked at first, then his face was full of joy, and then his face was filled with panic, his lips trembling, as if he had been frightened by something.
Gu Mingzhen couldn't help but take a closer look at himself. His clothes were still the same, not dirty, not spilled with tea, and his feet were not caked with mud...
This is thanks to the palace servants who scrubbed the gold brick floor clean, leaving it spotless and as shiny as a mirror.
Gu Mingzhen frowned and glanced around, only to find that there was no strange person around.
The emperor asked Eunuch Wei to help him up, and he simply asked out loud the doubts in his heart:
"Eunuch Wei, what's wrong with you? You don't look well. Are you in good health?"
Eunuch Wei gave a bitter laugh: "I'm old, old, useless!"
As he spoke, he stumbled a bit.
Gu Mingzhen hurriedly reached out to help him, but Eunuch Wei observed etiquette and dodged in a panic. His sleeve brushed against Gu Mingzhen's hand, and a round and slippery thing fell into Gu Mingzhen's palm.
Gu Mingzhen was startled, and hurriedly gathered the thing in his palm. He continued to make the gesture of helping Eunuch Wei. Eunuch Wei took a few steps back and completely dodged.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I am afraid that I will never be able to do any proper work again in my current state."
As he spoke, he retreated tremblingly.
If it weren't for the fact that the emperor was still there, Gu Mingzhen would have been unable to help but chase him and ask him what was wrong.
The emperor snorted softly, but to Gu Mingzhen's ears, it sounded like thunder - could it be that Eunuch Wei had done something wrong and offended the emperor?
At this moment, the thick and heavy atmosphere made Gu Mingzhen feel like a small insect trapped in pine resin. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not get rid of the heaviness. His heart was stuffy and he couldn't breathe.
The entire imperial study was in complete silence.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke: "You are really loyal."
The voice was hoarse and unclear, and Gu Mingzhen felt it was a bit unfamiliar.
He couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart, but he smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, Old Wei has been loyal to you for so many years. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard. If his health is really failing and he can no longer serve you, you might as well give him some rewards and let him leave the palace to live out his days."
The emperor said calmly, "Don't worry about this. I know what's going on."
Gu Mingzhen choked and didn't know how to continue.
The voice of this sentence was also not loud, a little vague and a little unfamiliar. As Gu Mingzhen listened, an almost crazy idea popped up in his mind that made his whole body stiff. Suspicion was like wild grass growing wildly after the rain, so dense that it could not be suppressed.
The emperor raised his eyelids and glanced at Gu Mingzhen:
"Why are you so anxious to see me? What's the matter? Have you been wronged and are you looking for my support?"
Gu Mingzhen was stunned. Where did this come from?
The emperor's attitude towards him had always been very friendly and courteous, although when he was in a bad mood, he seemed a bit unpredictable...
But he had never been so unreasonable and sarcastic as he was today. Furthermore, why did his voice sound so strange?
Gu Mingzhen's mind raced, while he endured the awkwardness and responded carefully:
"I don't have anything to say, I'm just feeling wronged for His Majesty."
"oh?"
"The Emperor wants to expand his harem; this is clearly a boon to his followers! But some ignorant people are making up lies to tarnish His Majesty's reputation! I feel so sorry for you!"
While Gu Mingzhen was trying his best to overcome the urge to vomit, he also tried to say these disgusting words very naturally, as if he was originally a flatterer with no bottom line.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Mingzhen felt that the sharp gaze that had made him uncomfortable had softened considerably. If he wasn't still in the presence of the emperor, he really would have raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
…
After coming out of the palace, Gu Mingzhen went straight home. When he got home, he locked himself in his bedroom and strictly forbade anyone to approach him. He wanted to get a good night's sleep.
Afterwards, he hid in the quilt and opened the small thing that Eunuch Wei had stuffed into his hand - it was an exquisite white wax ball.
The small wax pills look no different from the pills we use every day, except that they are more delicate and smaller, making it easy to put them into your pocket.
If it is not convenient to put it in a purse, it is not difficult to hide it under the tongue, stuff it into the bun, or mix it into the medicine bottle you carry with you.
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