Chapter 219 The Road to Imperial Power
The night was cool and still.
The number of trunks brought from Ganzhou was far too many, including many precious medicinal herbs, as well as valuable utensils and jewelry.
As Xia Mama tidied up with Chunzhi, she became increasingly alarmed, for she learned from the lady's maid that these were all the lady's private property that she had brought back.
These items were not bestowed by His Majesty, and it is unknown what this woman's background is, yet she possesses so many valuable items.
Pei Yanzhi returned to the imperial palace at the beginning of the morning, and Wu Yang brought over all the government affairs that had been left over in the past few days.
Clearly, they intend to stay here for quite some time, completely disregarding any rules or regulations.
However, that is the rule!
Upon seeing His Majesty's arrival, Granny Xia immediately curtsied.
Pei Yanzhi waved his hand: "You may all leave."
Ji Shu was currently with her back to him, counting the medicinal herbs she had brought from Ganzhou. These were the herbs she was going to brew and drink every day after he received acupuncture.
These top-quality medicinal herbs were all taught to her personally by the old man; they were his most prized possessions, and were extremely rare and hard to find elsewhere.
After taking inventory, she nodded in satisfaction, then turned around and saw Pei Yanzhi staring intently at her.
She walked over, casually picked up the teacup he had poured, took a sip, and said, "Don't you need to go back to the palace?"
Pei Yanzhi smelled the faint medicinal fragrance on her body, pulled her into his arms, and made her sit on his lap.
He put his arm around her waist and said, "Didn't you say you were going to start acupuncture tomorrow? Why don't you just bring all the things that need to be done over here?"
"If there is any emergency, Wu Yang will come to me."
After saying that, he poured another cup of tea and pushed it in front of her, saying, "You just arrived today and have already been busy taking inventory. Are you exhausted?"
Ji Shu said in a calm tone, "I just didn't want you to die too soon, so I had to do it all myself."
Pei Yanzhi chuckled dryly. He'd gotten used to it by now, getting teased by her every now and then.
At this moment, there were only three glass lamps in the room, casting a hazy light and shadow, which gave off a rare sense of warmth.
Pei Yanzhi felt as if he possessed a priceless treasure, and thought that his life was already complete.
Ji Shu suddenly spoke up: "After these seven days of acupuncture are over, I will move out and continue to run my pharmacy."
Pei Yanzhi was slightly taken aback, not expecting such urgency, but he also knew what he had promised back then.
He paused for a moment, then said "okay".
"Would you like me to help you choose a house?"
Ji Shu sensed his emotions, stepped out of his embrace, and sat down on a chair to the side.
Looking at him, she said, "I've already found a house, so don't overthink it. I just think your palace is too big, and it will be inconvenient for you to travel around every day."
"You know, what I hate most is being restricted and having trouble."
"The simpler things are, the better."
She paused, her voice softening slightly: "Even if I move out, you can still come every day, and the same goes for Qinghe."
Pei Yanzhi sighed softly, "I can agree to this, but you must stay in the palace for a few days every month, is that alright?"
Ji Shu glared at him, and Pei Yanzhi gently pulled her into his arms. "Our family has finally come together. Can you really bear to let us continue to be separated like this?"
Ji Shu couldn't help but say, "What kind of separation is this, right under your nose?"
He lowered his head and kissed those lips, whispering indistinctly, "Don't I know what you're like? If I hadn't taken the initiative to find you, you would have definitely forgotten me far away."
"It's getting late, let's go to bed!"
Ji Shu knew exactly what he was thinking. She grabbed his restless hand and said seriously, "I forgot to tell you these days. Tomorrow we will start taking medicinal baths and getting acupuncture. The most taboo thing is sexual intercourse."
"For the next two months, we must not abstain from women."
Now that he has a beauty in his arms, he is forced to abstain from sex; isn't that just forcing him to endure hardship?
Pei Yanzhi's face stiffened, and he almost suspected that she was doing this on purpose, deliberately trying to torment him.
Ji Shu raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "If you're going to treat the illness, then treat it properly. You don't want all your efforts to be in vain, do you?"
Having said that, she broke free from his arm and said towards the door, "Chunzhi, bring Qinghe over and tell him that his father has arrived and we'll have dinner together."
Pei Yanzhi: "..."
The next day, dawn broke.
Ji Shu then got up to prepare for today's acupuncture treatment. His old ailment was ultimately due to the lack of timely treatment for a long time, which allowed the cold to penetrate into his lungs.
First, a medicinal bath with the above-mentioned high-quality medicinal materials is needed before acupuncture can be performed to unblock the meridians, followed by moxibustion for warming and tonifying.
This process continued for forty-nine days.
After having breakfast and still not seeing anyone, he instructed Chunzhi, "Go to the study and invite His Majesty here. Tell him that everything is ready."
Chunzhi hurriedly responded and left.
When Pei Yanzhi walked in, a strong, pungent smell of medicinal herbs filled the air in the bathhouse.
He frowned slightly, and when he saw Ji Shu standing with her hands on her hips looking at him, she said after he entered, "Alright, Your Majesty, take it off."
As he instructed, after removing her clothes, she entered the medicinal bath. Pei Yanzhi watched her sitting to the side and suddenly said, "If I only have a little over a year to live, Shu'er, will you regret it?"
The man's voice was low, tinged with hesitation and uncertainty about the future.
His voice betrayed his uncertainty about the future. Ji Shu understood that he hadn't been afraid of death when facing the King of Qin that day; the only thing he feared was...
However, it's just that I can't be with her and her child for long.
Ji Shu felt a pang of sadness. In the end, she wasn't entirely confident that she could cure him. Even if it was only ten years of companionship, she felt it would be worth it.
Feeling distressed, she couldn't help but say, "What discouraging things are you saying? If you don't live a good life, do you expect Qinghe to call someone else's father?"
"There are so many powerful and influential men out there. How can you be sure that after you leave, I won't run into someone like you again?"
Steam rose from the bathroom, and Pei Yanzhi felt a pang of pain in his heart. Yes, this was exactly what he had been most worried about.
"Are you blaming me for not passing the crown prince position to Qinghe?"
Ji Shu was stunned. She had never thought of it this way before. That position was, in essence, the ruler of the world.
But the helplessness involved is something that ordinary people can hardly bear.
If possible, she would prefer Qinghe to be an ordinary person, rather than living a lonely life in that position.
Until death, there will never be a truly kindred spirit.
Pei Yanzhi gazed at her: "Shu'er, that position is lonely and isolated. I've been like that since I was a child. I went to war with my grandfather when I was a teenager and have seen life and death many times."
“Xingjian has been groomed to be the ruler of Yanzhou since childhood. The court is treacherous and unpredictable. If one is not careful, he will be doomed.”
Pei Yanzhi's voice was deep and solemn, with an indescribable seriousness. He raised his hand to wipe away the moisture from her hair.
"Qinghe is still young. If possible, I would rather let him make a good choice than have me push him down a path of no return."
"Once you embark on the path to imperial power, you can only turn your back on your family and friends, with no possibility of turning back..."
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