Chapter 55
The emperor had been seriously ill for a long time, and the Ministry of Rites had already been preparing for his funeral. Unexpectedly, Chu Zhengde gave him a new prescription. After drinking it for two days, his condition improved and he regained consciousness.
He was an emperor with neither merits nor faults. He reigned for more than twenty years without achieving any great achievements, nor was he a spendthrift. He just lived a mediocre life while guarding the country left by his ancestors. Although he was suspicious, he was diligent in state affairs. As soon as he woke up, he summoned the prince and asked him about the situation at court during his illness.
Everything else is fine, but the matter of Gu Fuzhou is the most difficult. Before the emperor woke up, Xiao Cheng had withdrawn the Tianjiying guards around Gu Fuzhou under pressure. But those generals still refused to calm down. After learning that the emperor had woken up, they all petitioned for a meeting, as if they had suffered a great injustice and must come to the emperor to file a complaint.
The emperor lay on the dragon bed and threw the memorial of Duke Wu at Xiao Cheng's feet: "Look at what you have done!"
"I don't think I'm wrong." Xiao Cheng looked ahead and said stubbornly, "There are many suspicious points about Gu Fuzhou. If we can't find out the truth, how can we let him be free in the capital and do whatever he wants. Father, do you really trust him?"
The emperor said angrily: "You still don't know your mistake!"
Xiao Cheng knelt down and said, "Father, please tell me clearly what crime I have committed."
The emperor shook his head: "You are still too young."
When it comes to suspicion, the emperor is not much better than Xiao Cheng. But after all, he has sat on the throne for so long that he is well versed in the art of checks and balances and always puts the overall situation first in everything. It is true that Gu Fuzhou is suspicious, but now is far from the time to break up with Gu Fuzhou. Although Gu Fuzhou was in the capital, he was still the focus of the military generals in the capital and the 300,000 troops of Yongliang. Apart from him, Dayu could never find another god of war who was victorious in every battle.
Dayu and Western Xia fought for so many years, almost emptied the national treasury, and many soldiers died on the battlefield. No matter how big the matter is, we have to make concessions in the face of the war in the northwest. Even if Gu Fuzhou is suspicious and arrogant, as long as he can win the battle, it is not the time to touch him. After we pacify the northwest, we will settle accounts with him one by one and bring up all the old accounts. Are you still afraid that we won't be able to convict him?
The emperor has a thorough understanding of people. He knew that Xiao Cheng was tough, refused to admit defeat, and was arrogant. If he ascended the throne in the future, he would never follow the path of a wise ruler who won people over with virtue and accepted good advice. You can rule the world strictly, but once you lose the hearts of your generals, what use will it be even if you have thousands of troops?
The emperor was already exhausted from his illness. He cursed twice and could no longer muster up the energy. He called out, "Jing'er."
Xiao Cheng's eyes narrowed. He couldn't remember the last time the emperor called him that.
"Take a good look at people's hearts," the emperor said, "other people's hearts, including your own."
The human heart is nothing but the most useless thing in the world. Xiao Cheng lowered his head and sneered silently: "Thank you for your guidance, father."
Xue Ying said: "Your Majesty, General Gu is here."
The emperor said with all his might, "Let him in. Cheng'er stay and help me comfort Gu Fuzhou."
Xiao Cheng held his breath and said, "Yes, Father."
Soon, Gu Fuzhou walked into the hall under the guidance of the eunuch. The tall man was dressed in military uniform, with a dark red cloak that reached the ground behind him, bringing a sense of coolness.
Gu Fuzhou was about to kneel down to pay his respects when the emperor smiled and said, "My dear minister, there is no need to be polite. Xue Ying, please take a seat."
Gu Fuzhou said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing the emperor's smiling face, Gu Fuzhou probably guessed why the emperor did not let him have a candlelight chat with Lin Qingyu late at night and called him into the palace.
The emperor first asked about his health, and seemed relieved to learn that the remaining poison had been cleared. He then brought up the matter of the Tianji Camp, saying that the prince's original intention was to protect him, but who would have thought that it would cause dissatisfaction among the generals.
"This is the first time that the Crown Prince has been acting as regent, so it is inevitable that he may have made some mistakes. Now that the matter has been resolved, you will need to help the military officers to explain the situation to them."
The emperor's words sounded like he was showing concern for his subjects, but in fact he was protecting his son in every way. I have to say, old ginger is still spicy. Gu Fuzhou nodded slightly, and said in a reserved and deep manner: "I understand."
The emperor coughed twice, took the tea from Xiao Cheng, and said, "Come to think of it, you are already thirty years old."
"I am thirty-one years old this year." Gu Fuzhou had a bad feeling. Generally speaking, asking about age is used to urge people to get married.
The emperor smiled and said, "You are already thirty-one. When I was your age, I already had several princes. It was because I kept you in the northwest that your marriage was delayed."
Even the sentence structure urging marriage was exactly as he expected. Gu Fuzhou said: "The northwest has not been settled yet, and I have no time to worry about family affairs."
"You can't say that. You've been away on military campaigns for years, how can you live without someone in your house?" The emperor thought for a moment and said, "My seventh princess is in her prime, what do you think, my dear?"
Xiao Cheng quickly understood the emperor's intention. Betrothing the princess to Gu Fuzhou could, on the one hand, appease the military generals and let them know how much Dayu valued them; on the other hand, having a wife by Gu Fuzhou's side would be much more useful than a guard.
Xiao Cheng smiled and said, "To be honest with you, Father, I have admired General Gu for a long time, and I think she will not object to this marriage."
Gu Fuzhou refused outright: "I appreciate the Seventh Princess' admiration for me, but I already have someone I like."
"Tell me, which family is this lady from? I can grant you a marriage."
...Here they go again. If you like arranging marriages so much, you might as well stop being an emperor and become a matchmaker instead.
Gu Fuzhou said: "Then I still don't have it."
Xiao Cheng said coldly: "Gu Fuzhou, do you think this is a joke? If you say yes, then yes, and if you say no, then no?"
The emperor scolded, "Prince." Then he said slowly, "Since there is no one, I will let you and the Seventh Princess meet another day. If you don't like each other, I will ask the Queen to pick one you like from the noble ladies. No matter which one you like, I will make the decision for you."
Gu Fuzhou wanted to refuse, but the emperor started coughing again, not giving him a chance to speak: "I am tired, my dear minister, please leave."
The emperor's condition improved, and after a few days of recuperation he was barely able to stand up and sit. Chu Zhengde took the most credit in this matter, and the emperor wanted to reward him greatly. However, Chu Zhengde told the emperor that the new prescription was not prepared by him, but by the seventh-rank imperial physician Lin Qingyu.
The emperor was impressed by the name and asked, "But is it the male wife who came up with the prescription for the plague?"
Chu Zhengde said: "It is this person."
The emperor had been ill for so long, it was rare for someone to be able to cure him, so he didn't care about whether he had a male wife or not: "Pass on my oral order, Lin Qingyu will be promoted to the fifth rank imperial physician."
In Dayu, the highest-ranking person in the Imperial Medical Bureau was the fifth-rank judge, followed by the fifth-rank deputy judge and imperial physicians. Lin Qingyu saved the emperor's life and was promoted three levels in a row. He was now on par with Chu Zhengde, and his official position was equivalent to that of the Chief Censor of the Censorate.
When Lin Qingyu went to the emperor's bedroom to express his gratitude, a male servant was accompanying the emperor. The servant was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, and as slender as a girl. But he was seen sitting on the footstool with his head resting on the emperor's lap, looking well-behaved and cute, like a pet.
When the emperor saw Lin Qingyu, he hesitated and said, "I... have seen you before?" If he had seen a face like this before, how could he have no impression of it at all.
Lin Qingyu said: "Half a year ago, I had the honor of seeing the emperor."
The emperor looked at him for a long time and said, "You and Chu Zhengde will serve the emperor together from now on."
The so-called attending the emperor meant that he and Chu Zhengde would routinely diagnose the emperor's pulse, give him acupuncture, and prescribe medicine every day, just like a close minister to the emperor. But when he thought of the way the emperor looked at him, Lin Qingyu actually hoped that Chu Zhengde could take away the credit from him. Unfortunately, although the old man has different political views from him, he is also a very principled person and disdains to take credit for the younger generation's achievements.
When Lin Qingyu walked out of the Imperial Hospital after finishing his shift that day, he saw Gu Fuzhou standing against the palace wall, his arms folded, his face gloomy, his head down, and no one knew what he was thinking about.
"General."
Gu Fuzhou stood up straight and smiled, "Doctor Lin."
Lin Qingyu asked: "Why is the general here?"
"The Queen Mother invited me to the palace to appreciate the flowers. After that, I came to pick up Doctor Lin from get off work."
Why did the Queen invite Gu Fuzhou to appreciate the flowers for no reason? The last time she invited people to appreciate flowers was when she was selecting a concubine for Xiao Cheng.
The two men waved away the eunuch who was leading the way and walked to a deserted place. Gu Fuzhou hesitated to speak: "Qingyu."
"explain."
Gu Fuzhou took a deep breath and asked in a low voice: "Are you willing to marry me?"
Lin Qingyu paused: "What?"
Gu Fuzhou put his hands together and placed them on his forehead: "Please be kind and take me home with you."
Lin Qingyu looked at him twice with a weighing gaze, and said without hesitation: "No."
Gu Fuzhou had already guessed that Lin Qingyu would refuse, but he still choked up and asked unwillingly, "Why?"
Lin Qingyu was puzzled: "Why should I marry you?"
Gu Fuzhou tried to brainwash her: "I married you once, don't you want to marry me once and regain your dignity as a man?"
"Not really."
Gu Fuzhou seemed to be wearing a mask of pain: "But if you don't marry me, I will be forced to marry again."
Lin Qingyu frowned: "Again? Granted marriage?"
Gu Fuzhou told Lin Qingyu that the emperor wanted to marry the seventh princess to him. It turns out that today's flower-viewing party of the Queen's group is a blind date between him and the Seventh Princess.
Lin Qingyu smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Isn't this good? You don't like men, that means you like women. The Seventh Princess is beautiful, gentle and considerate, and she is a royal branch and jade leaf, more than enough for you."
"That won't work." Gu Fuzhou said seriously, "I'm actually only eighteen years old. In my hometown, men can't get married until they are at least twenty-two years old."
"If that's the case, why can you marry me?"
Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, "If it were you, it wouldn't be a big deal to marry and have children early - just let the law punish me, I accept it."
Lin Qingyu's face became quite uncomfortable. Gu Fuzhou took the opportunity to climb up the ladder: "Doctor Lin, please think about it. Don't you think it would be very prestigious to marry a war god home?"
"No." Lin Qingyu said coldly, "General Gu is dead, and his soul has gone to who knows where. You have taken over his body, and it would be fine if you didn't continue his glory as a god of war, but do you want to make him bear the title of 'male wife'?"
"I have no choice." Gu Fuzhou was so depressed that he began to make specious arguments, "You saved the emperor, and he came to me to arrange a marriage. You should be responsible for me."
Lin Qingyu sneered: "You really have the nerve to say that. If I don't save the emperor and let Xiao Cheng ascend the throne smoothly, your situation will be even more difficult."
Gu Fuzhou sighed: "Okay, then go and do your thing, don't worry about me, I won't bother you anymore. It's okay, I can find a way to solve this matter myself. I'm fine."
Lin Qingyu's eyebrows jumped: "Can you please not use General Gu's face to make such a pitiful expression. Men should also put on some makeup and wear a phoenix crown and a red robe when they get married. If you were still Lu Wancheng, it would be okay to do this. But now you are Gu Fuzhou, using General Gu's body to put on makeup and apply flowers on your forehead-" Lin Qingyu imagined the scene and his mouth twitched slightly, "I'm afraid that if I lift the veil, I will have a nightmare after seeing it."
Gu Fuzhou was stunned. He never expected that Lin Qingyu rejected him not because of some reliable reasons like "male homosexuality is not allowed", "two men getting married is against heaven", "one should marry a virtuous wife, you are too lazy", but... because she thought he looked ugly in his wedding dress and flower ornaments?
Gu Fuzhou savored Lin Qingyu's words and carefully tested: "You don't want to marry, are you willing to... marry again?"
Lin Qingyu thought for a moment: "Or, there are other ways."
As soon as Gu Fuzhou met his secretly excited eyes, he knew that the beauty was going to do something bad again.
"Come to my house tonight." Lin Qingyu said.
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