Chapter 473 It's tough.
The Imperial Medical Academy has indeed recently purchased a large quantity of aphrodisiac and kidney-tonifying herbs, all of which are labeled as "for relieving summer heat." Although the officials do not understand medicine, they know that aphrodisiac herbs have nothing to do with relieving summer heat. Such an attempt to cover up the truth only makes the flaws more apparent.
The palace servants around the emperor said that the emperor did not like to be taken care of personally, never needed servants to help him bathe, and often had symptoms of back pain and weakness.
The soldiers who witnessed the great battle between the Emperor and the Sixth Prince of Lanyu Kingdom stated that they saw with their own eyes that the Emperor was severely injured, and his lower body clothing was almost completely soaked in blood. At that time, the Sixth Prince of Lanyu Kingdom's men had a tight formation and many hidden weapons, and judging from the bloodstains on the Emperor's lower body, it was highly likely that he was injured in a sensitive area.
Meng Xingyuan, on the other hand, became a complete coward. No matter how the officials tried to coax or plead with him, he refused to step out of the mansion again.
Every single one of these matters is suspicious, and there is no concrete evidence whatsoever.
But when so many doubts come together, they become irrefutable evidence.
Although the officials were extremely reluctant to believe it, as the results of the investigation were gradually revealed, they had to accept the fact that the emperor's virility had faded and he was unable to have children.
Although everyone refrained from discussing the matter in order to save face for the emperor, too many officials knew about it. They would "accidentally" let it slip to their wives at home, and the officials' wives would then leak a few words to their relatives and friends. The news that the emperor had a hidden illness and was unable to have children spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
The officials had already tacitly accepted the emperor's abdication, and when the emperor sent messengers to summon certain officials to the palace to assist with the handover, they no longer resisted.
The transfer of imperial power was completed in just two days.
Wen Zhiming returned to Fengyi Palace under the cover of night.
Everything that needed to be moved from Fengyi Palace had been packed up and neatly placed in the side hall, making the main hall and sleeping quarters look much more spacious.
Meng Lingge's original personal maids have all been properly arranged.
The palace maids who serve her now, although they haven't known each other for long, have developed a bond of kinship with Meng Lingge because of her kind and considerate nature. Many of them are reluctant to part with Meng Lingge and hope to go to the northern frontier with her.
Meng Lingge thought that she and Wen Zhiming were going to the Northern Frontier to do something practical, and since the journey was long, it was not advisable to bring too many servants.
In the end, only two maids who had no relatives in the capital were selected, named Xiaoyuan and Xiaoman.
To help her adapt as quickly as possible, Xiaoyuan and Xiaoman have been serving her in the inner chambers for the past two days.
Upon Wen Zhiming's arrival, after the two bowed, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but remind him.
"Your Majesty heard some gossip today..."
The rumor, which I don’t know where it came from, said that the emperor was injured many years ago and was unable to have sex. He was in a hurry to abdicate because the illness was incurable and could no longer be concealed, so he had no choice but to abdicate and leave the capital.
Those people were telling a very detailed story, with all sorts of witnesses and evidence. At that time, they and Meng Lingge were about to leave the courtyard when they heard two young girls chatting animatedly outside the gate.
Xiao Yuan and Xiao Man were so angry that they wanted to rush out and teach the two girls a lesson, but Meng Lingge told them to pretend they didn't hear it and not to argue with others about it.
Then Meng Lingge didn't go out all day and stayed in her room, which made the two of them really worried.
They served the Empress in the inner chambers for two days. The messy bed and the rosy complexion of the Empress every morning proved that the Emperor and Empress were intimate every night. The Emperor not only had no problem in that area, but should be quite skilled.
Those rumors were spread by people with ulterior motives, but the Empress was too proud to admit it. Perhaps she was afraid that the more she refuted them, the more the rumors would spread, so she could only hide in her room and sulk.
Now that the Emperor has arrived, Xiao Yuan wants to explain the matter to him, so that he can find out the person spreading the rumors and put the Empress at ease.
She had barely begun speaking when Wen Zhiming said calmly.
"I understand. There's no need to concern yourself with this matter."
After saying that, he went into the room, closed the door, and left Xiaoyuan behind him stamping her feet helplessly.
Meng Lingge was taking off her hair in front of the dressing table. After untying the hair tie that held her hair up, her thick black hair fell naturally, making her neck look even longer and whiter.
Wen Zhiming took two quick steps, naturally took the comb from Meng Lingge's hand, and gently combed her hair, his fingers occasionally brushing against the back of Meng Lingge's neck as if by accident.
Meng Lingge's cold and indifferent expression slowly softened. As the man's hand brushed behind her ear once more, she seemed to only then notice Wen Zhiming and looked up at him.
"Oh, so it's Your Majesty with a hidden ailment who has arrived. Your Majesty and I have been married for nearly five years, and I only learned today that Your Majesty is impotent. Then who was it that made love with me on this bed yesterday, the day before yesterday, and all those countless nights in the past?"
Wen Zhiming nervously observed Meng Lingge's expression. Although there was anger in her eyes, there was no resentment. Her tone was slightly stern, yet she still referred to herself as "your concubine." Most importantly, Meng Lingge did not resist his intimacy.
Knowing that Meng Lingge wasn't really angry, Wen Zhiming lowered his head and chuckled lazily. He stepped closer, bent down, and lifted Meng Lingge off the embroidered stool. Meng Lingge let out a soft cry and instinctively wrapped her arms around Wen Zhiming's neck.
The next moment, Wen Zhiming sat down in the spot where Meng Lingge had just left, and Meng Lingge was held tightly in his arms.
He rested his chin on Meng Lingge's head and murmured softly.
"My lady, the one I make love with every night is the real me. The emperor who is impotent is just a facade to get the officials to agree to my abdication and thus lead them to investigate."
Wen Zhiming's voice was low and filled with utter grievance.
“My wife, now everyone except you thinks I have a hidden illness and am infertile. If you don’t want me, then I’ll have no one left to want me…”
He had only told Meng Lingge that he had a way to get the officials to agree to the matter.
Meng Lingge never expected that his method would be to spread rumors that she was impotent.
This man is really...
Meng Lingge sighed, "Is this the foolproof plan you told me about? You don't want people to talk about me behind my back, but do you think I'd want others to think of you like that...?"
She was too embarrassed to say that word.
The two maids said they originally thought there was still a real man in the palace, but they didn't expect the emperor to be almost like a eunuch. The empress has really suffered these years.
Meng Lingge was both amused and exasperated.
She wasn't actually that angry. After all, others thought she was suffering, but since marrying Wen Zhiming, she had never suffered in that area.
"My wife, are you worried about me?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhiming's voice became cheerful.
"I only care about my wife's opinion. What others think of me doesn't matter. As long as my wife knows I have no hidden illness, that's enough. They can talk about me, laugh at me, or even scold me, as long as they don't talk about my wife."
"I have no idea……"
Meng Lingge extended her fair finger and tapped his chest: "Now everyone in the capital knows that I married an emperor who is impotent, and have been living as a widow for several years. Public opinion is powerful, and I don't even know if you have any hidden ailments..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
