Chapter 43. He can no longer be the retired emperor.
If you were to ask Senior Brother Gu why the puppet she created couldn't have sex, your words would probably shock him!
In short, Lady Chongqi was quite troubled, but because the issue was too private, she couldn't press the matter further. Xiao Xiao confided in the Grand Tutor's wife, but was too embarrassed to say more. After sitting for a while and chatting about everyday matters, she took her leave.
After seeing her off, Shi Mi remained in a daze, unable to come to his senses for a long time.
Madam Yang's descriptions wove a web in her mind: eager, impatient, and full of confidence... She remembered Lu Min saying last night that he couldn't hold back anymore. If she hadn't stopped him then, he probably would have cried so much today that he wouldn't have been able to go to the council hall.
Thinking of this, I suddenly felt sorry for him. What if he had the same symptoms as General Yang? Wouldn't all his efforts to seduce men during this time have turned into self-humiliation?
She covered her mouth, and what should have been a lamentable situation suddenly made her feel a little amused. But laughing out loud wouldn't be appropriate, so she made herself a cup of tea and turned to focus on admiring the lotus leaves and flowers outside.
This question naturally made her feel uneasy, and she became increasingly reluctant to leave the dark room. With the Nine Chapters Manor safe and stable, she focused intently on her carving, making twice as fast as before. She even managed to sneak back to see her senior brother.
Her senior brother was also making rapid progress, showing her the torso and limbs of the Holy Emperor, which were already taking shape. Refining the form required more mental effort than casting, but since the framework was already set, at least there was no need to worry about making mistakes.
Taking a rare moment of leisure from her busy schedule, Shimi asked Yandian to quickly bring up the food box, which contained the snacks she had instructed the chef to prepare. She and her senior brother set up a tea table in the corridor, lowered the bamboo curtain halfway, and leisurely chatted and enjoyed tea in the dappled sunlight streaming through the curtain.
Just then, Fifth Hai walked by in the courtyard. She waved and said, "Fifth, come here."
Fifth Hai walked to the corridor and bowed respectfully. "Uncle-Master, what are your instructions?"
Shimi really wanted to ask that question, but he didn't know how to say it directly, so he probed indirectly, "You're already a bit older, not a child anymore. I want to ask you, if you met a woman you liked, have you ever thought about getting married?"
Fifth Sea was puzzled by her strange question, "The Yanren are nothing but a pile of refined iron and fine wood, why would they need to get married?"
Shimi was stumped by his question and quickly shook her shawl to defuse the situation, "Your master is more concerned about your inner self. You are smarter than those three, and I'm worried that they might have thoughts but not be able to express them, so I'm asking you so I can be more informed."
Fifth Sea smiled, shook his head, and walked away.
Having gotten no results from her inquiry, Shimi asked her senior brother, "If you become Emperor Shengyuan and then Empress Song, and they know that you are husband and wife, will you develop feelings for each other over time?"
Gu Jingguan said no, "They'll just look down on each other. In their eyes, the other is always just a block of wood." He paused, tilting his head to look her over, "Have you encountered some problem that you can't overcome?"
Shi Mi hurriedly said no, "I changed the clothes of the General of the Heavy Cavalry before, and his wife came to see me and said he was very strange..." He was too embarrassed to ask the rest of the question, so he swallowed it back.
Strangely enough, it seemed quite ordinary to Gu Jing: "How could it not be strange for a living person to become half-human? Temperament can change, and so can behavior."
She cautiously pressed on, "Can it change back?"
Gu Jingguan said, "It's hard to say. Different physical abilities and mental states will produce different results."
Now Shi Mi was even more uncertain. Lu Min's symptoms seemed to be the same as General Yang's, but they hadn't tried that kind of thing yet, and she didn't know what would happen when the time came. During this period, she was still a little worried because of his excessive enthusiasm, but when she thought of the puzzled look on the Heavy Cavalry Lady's face, she suddenly felt relieved.
He picked up his cup and clinked it with Gu Jingguan's in a cheerful gesture. "Senior brother, drink up."
Seeing that the gloom between her brows was gradually dissipating, Gu Jing raised his cup and slowly drank the tea in it.
Summer had already arrived, but because Chong'an City was located in a deep gorge, the towering mountains in the distance constantly brought a cool breeze, so summer came later here than in other places.
Suddenly, a sharp, desperate cry rang out, and a cicada's song burst forth from the poplar tree outside the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo curtain, casting dappled shadows. Gu Jingguan squinted at the world outside the corridor and said, "Hurry up, work day and night, and we'll definitely finish within three months. However, Emperor Shengyuan sent the Imperial Censor to Zhongdu not only to oversee the case of the Grand Princess, but also to arrest Yan Shi! I think Lu Min has a heavy burden on his shoulders. I wonder what excuse he'll use to get through these three months."
This matter was outside Shimi's considerations. In any case, on the path of revenge, the most difficult person to deal with was Lu Min. Now that a temporary reconciliation had been reached, and in terms of cunning and scheming, he was second to none, so he could naturally overcome any difficult problem.
That's what she thought, and that's what she said. Gu Jingguan smiled slightly after hearing this, "You trust him a lot."
Shi Mi said, "Since he wants to use us, he should naturally share the risks. Don't worry, senior brother, such a treacherous and cunning person has plenty of ways to deal with things."
She was right about that; when it came to scheming and plotting, Lu Min was never inferior to anyone.
Imperial Censor Li has been in Chong'an City for over half a month now, and while the case remains unsolved, he has also gotten himself into trouble. Yanren, lying in bed feigning illness, had Lu Min write all the secret letters. He solemnly reported to Emperor Shengyuan that he was feigning illness to secretly investigate. The case is difficult to investigate, but some leads have been made. He asked His Majesty to remain calm and wait for the opportune moment; everything will naturally become clear.
Thus, Emperor Shengyuan of Shangdu had to remain patient. Half a month later, Imperial Censor Li wrote a letter saying that there were sorcerers in Zhongdu who were skilled at manipulating dreams, and that the case of the Grand Princess might be related to this person. As for Yan Shi, whom Emperor Shengyuan was more concerned about, he searched everywhere but found no trace of him. Perhaps the rumors were wrong, or perhaps the sorcerer was hiding too well. He would give His Majesty an explanation after some more time.
On the day Shi Mi emerged from the dark room in the late afternoon, Lu Min soon returned upon hearing the news and told her in detail about the correspondence with Shangdu.
"If we just drag this out, won't the people in Dragon City become suspicious?"
"If the censor solves the case as soon as he arrives, wouldn't that make me look incompetent?"
That's true. Shimi thought for a moment and then asked, "You dragged the Nightmare Master out to take the blame, so it seems you've already found him."
He sat by the window, his eyes downcast, and said, "Yes, although capturing them is not easy, we can always lure them out with some tricks. To be honest, I used to look down on these sorcerers, but after nailing him to the rack and interrogating him severely, he spilled out many unheard-of interesting stories like beans from a bamboo tube. I realized that there are so many secrets in the world that I don't know. Listening to them one by one is really interesting."
Shi Mi frowned. "Just because you suspected someone, you arrested them and tortured them? Although I also think that old man is strange, isn't what you did a bit too much?"
He glanced at her and said coldly, "I'm someone who only cares about results. Nightmare Masters deal with all sorts of people; without some tricks, you can't get the truth out of them."
Shi Mi suddenly remembered that he had indeed framed the Nightmare Master before, and she had never revealed to him that the Grand Princess was a puppeteer. After all, getting to the bottom of things would involve his father, and the grudge between Senior Brother Gu and his father would inevitably be brought into the open, which would only cause him more suspicion and bring no other benefits.
So she guiltily smoothed her hair and asked, "Did you get any useful information from them?"
He fell silent for a long time before saying, "I never expected to find the answer to a problem that has troubled me for many years here. It's a lucky coincidence."
This piqued her curiosity, and she pressed him for an answer, but he shook his head and said nothing.
But then he asked her, "I thought I had kept my bone poisoning a secret very well and had never told anyone. How did you find out?"
Speaking of this, it is indeed somewhat mysterious. "Back then, I was digging up the corpses of the defending generals on the ancient battlefield, and I dug for several nights in a row. On the last night, someone put a note on my bundle, which said that Grand Tutor Lu Min was stabbed in the 'flute bone'. At that time, I even thanked the heavens and was grateful to the righteous man for guiding me. Now that I think about it, that must have been the person who poisoned you. Seeing that you were not dying, they asked me to find a way to send you on your way."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and smiled bitterly. Under his sleeve, he rubbed a dark stone between his fingers and murmured, "I have to thank my mother for leaving me this medicinal jade. Without this jade, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to survive for more than four years."
Rare treasures always pique people's interest. Shi Mi stared at his hands and said, "I've heard my sister-in-law mention that your mother was a princess of the Baiyi tribe. The Baiyi are a mysterious tribe, and they must produce many good things."
Seeing her eyes light up, he handed her the jade medicine.
Shi Mi took it and examined it. It was warm to the touch, but not the kind of warmth that comes from being warmed by the human body; it was warmer, as if it had been soaked in hot water. He then held it to his nose and smelled it. A fragrance of thatch grass shot straight to his head. It was no exaggeration to say that he felt instantly refreshed and his seven orifices cooled down.
"What a loving heart! Even though your mother is gone, she still protects you." Shimi sighed and handed the jade back. Although she and Lu Min were mortal enemies, a mother's love was the most precious treasure in the world and could not be desecrated.
But he didn't take it, only saying, "You keep it. From now on, this medicinal jade will protect you, and you will protect me. It's more reassuring to have it on you than to keep it myself."
Shimi said no, "You gave away the things your mother gave you so casually, how can you have any conscience?"
He smiled and said, "Where would I give it away so casually? If I gave it to a stranger, I would be unfilial. But if I gave it to my savior, my mother would only praise me for doing a good job."
He seemed to have changed his strategy, no longer addressing her as "Madam" so casually. This sudden change in behavior, where he acted with restraint and propriety, made Shimi feel that his symptoms were becoming more pronounced.
"Do you need something from me? Is it time for you to extend your life again?"
He raised his eyes slightly. "Your life must be extended, and the jade must be given to you. Keep it safe, consider it a gift from the Baiyi princess you've never met."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Shi Mi stopped declining and kept the money for him, just in case he needed it in the future.
However, having accepted a gift, she felt indebted to him. Just a few days ago, she had been gloating that he would likely suffer the same fate as General Yang, but seeing his sincerity today, she felt a little guilty. Unsure of what to do, she inquired, "Has the General of the Heavy Cavalry returned to report for duty? How do you see him?"
He casually replied, "I went into the council chamber yesterday to carry out my official duties. There was nothing unusual. Everything is fine."
Shi Mi gave an "oh," intending to ask him about General Yang's energy and toilet habits. But then she thought the question was rather strange and hesitated for a moment before deciding against it.
He, on the other hand, genuinely praised her cooking skills. "He was kept in the dark and didn't notice anything at all. Although he was still a bit weak, he was in excellent spirits and handled his official duties without any fuss. It's just that last night, the generals insisted on washing away the bad luck on him, so he went to a restaurant and had a couple of drinks. He used to be a heavy drinker, but this time he got completely drunk after just a few drinks and kept calling out his wife's maiden name, searching for her everywhere."
Shi Mi panicked immediately, as the symptoms sounded exactly the same.
My mind was in turmoil when I heard him say, "Don't meet with the General of the Heavy Cavalry in the future. I'm afraid that if he sees you, he'll be thinking about you day and night and won't even care about his wife."
This is no joke; the Yan people's attachment to Yanshi is an unchangeable nature. Especially since the Heavy Cavalry General is still in the dark, if he were to inexplicably discover that he has fallen for the Grand Tutor's wife, the matter would become quite complicated.
Knowing the risks and benefits, Shi Mi didn't immediately agree, but was secretly relieved that the remaining five guard generals didn't need to be used, saving a lot of trouble.
She turned her head to look at him again; he was leaning against the armrest of the armchair, staring blankly out the window. After a long while, he turned to her and said, "From now on, you don't need to do the blessing yourself; leave it to them."
Surprised, Shi Mi asked, "How did you suddenly come to this realization?"
He lowered his eyes and said, "My persistence has put you in a difficult position, and I regretted it afterwards. I shouldn't have let myself go like that. Since I've made up my mind to change, it's better to do it sooner rather than later. That's the decision."
The person who is deluded senses something is wrong, probably because they have noticed something is wrong with their body, so they have started to give up on themselves and no longer want to have children.
What else could he say but pretend he knew nothing? He decided to hand the task over to Yan Dian, since she was an expert and had been in charge of Madam Jie. However, Lu Min refused, saying that although Yan Dian was a puppeteer, she was also a female puppeteer, and he did not want a woman to get close to him.
"I'll feel more at ease if I leave it to Ali." His silent gaze into the distance always revealed a sense of melancholy, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Shi Mi couldn't bring himself to do it, "Forget it, Ali Dao is too stupid, he can't learn magic."
But this aftereffect has indeed become the biggest mystery in her mind. The last time Madam Yang came to see her was seven or eight days ago, and she hasn't heard from her since. She doesn't know if she has recovered or is still observing.
Unable to wait any longer, she simply had Ali Dao drive the carriage and went personally to the residence of the Heavy Cavalry General to inquire.
Madam Yang greeted her politely and described in detail her husband's change, saying that he hadn't said anything when he sold off his concubine. He had originally planned to send the concubine's son to be a Boy Scout, but later, considering that the child was his master's flesh and blood, he gave up the idea.
Shi Mi only wanted to know if his abilities had been restored; he had no intention of beating around the bush. Madam Yang said that the divine path had been progressing these past two days, and they were busy with ramming the earth, so they hadn't had time to test it.
"But I see he's still drooling and full, just like before." He smiled shyly after saying that. "We've been married for so many years, who cares about this anymore? As long as he can change his mind, it doesn't matter if we lose this one thing."
As the wife has already said that, she, as an outsider, can't very well urge him to have sex.
Shimi returned with regret, too ashamed to face Lu Min, hiding in the dark room. He only showed himself when he could no longer refuse, and seeing that Lu Min always seemed preoccupied, Shimi didn't know how to comfort him.
Before the window of his small bedroom, the rosewood recliner still stood. He loosened his clothes, leaned back in the chair, and the moonlight shone on his face. He murmured to himself, "If I have a son, I will cherish him dearly and never let him be harmed."
Shi Mi stood beside the chair, clutching the iron box. This man, who never showed his true feelings, was now genuinely pitied.
"It's normal to gain some things and lose others in life," she offered a dry, comforting reassurance. "Look forward to the future; what's meant to be will be, so don't worry."
He looked at her, his eyes slowly shifting, his slightly reddened rims seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words, gently spreading in his every glance.
Shi Mi didn't dare look at him too much; his eyes were too sad, and such a look seemed out of place on his face.
She silently chanted the incantation, carefully dripping blood onto the red line. When she looked up again, she didn't receive a passionate gaze. He had his eyes closed, his head tilted to one side, and only his eyelashes were visible, trembling as if tears were about to fall at any moment.
This time she was even more certain that he must have realized he was incompetent and that all his hopes for the future were just empty talk; he could no longer be the emperor emeritus.
What to do? She had carefully and meticulously analyzed all the functions of the eunuch, but she had never considered the most important aspect of human nature: food, sex, and desire. Now, the man's confidence and self-esteem were completely shattered. Nothing is more devastating than looking perfectly healthy but actually being a eunuch! Logically, she planned to discard his heart after the deed was done, but while he was still himself, Shimi couldn't help but feel ashamed.
"You should rest," she said softly, and left the small bedroom.
Looking through the window, his posture remained unchanged. His Adam's apple bobbed with sorrowful sobs, making him appear even more vulnerable and tragic.
Shi Mi rubbed his face, agonizingly reflecting on his shortcomings and blaming himself for not being skilled enough. If all else failed, he'd go back and seek further instruction from his master, hoping to at least restore his confidence before he completely disappeared. He hadn't had it easy either; seemingly glamorous, he'd never truly experienced a good day. If his life were sung as lyrics, it would be a long and tragic elegy.
However, she had been standing there for too long, and when he opened his eyes again, he seemed somewhat surprised to see her standing by the window.
"Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you afraid?" He sat up and slowly closed his clothes.
Shi Mi muttered to himself, "I wasn't afraid before, and I have even less reason to be afraid now."
He didn't hear what she said clearly. He slowly tightened his belt and said breathlessly, "His Majesty is really urging Li Qiao. Give me a precise time when your work will be completed."
After careful calculation, Shi Mi concluded, "It will take at least two more months."
He hesitated for a moment, "Two months... okay, two months it is."
Over the next two months, arrangements had to be made step by step, gradually building up Emperor Shengyuan's anticipation. Even if there was a summons from the capital, even greater incentives had to be offered to persuade Emperor Shengyuan to extend the deadline. Thus, a secret letter was sent every half month, detailing everything from Fuyao's collusion with the sorcerer in the east to the discovery of the Grand Princess's whereabouts; from the capture of a puppeteer to the discovery of the sorcerer's hiding place.
The last letter, written with alum water on a Buddhist scripture page, was presented to the emperor and revealed by fire. Its contents were enough to leave Emperor Shengyuan speechless.
Your Majesty, I have recently been secretly investigating the unusual activity in Chong'an City and have learned a horrifying truth: Grand Tutor Lu Min is likely not the real person, but a puppet. The Grand Tutor has been poisoned by the "Flute Bone" for over ten years and was on the verge of death. How could he have healed himself? The old wound on his neck vanished into thin air, and his ear canals closed on their own—something no flesh and blood could accomplish. I humbly beg Your Majesty to examine whether the Grand Tutor has a red line on his chest, a vital point. This matter is extremely critical; I earnestly request Your Majesty's judgment.
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