Chapter 55 Changing the World: Shen Zizhan, What Does the Empress Dowager Think?
Yixian Terrace is situated halfway up the mountain, at the highest point in Linchao City. It offers a panoramic view of the entire city and can be seen for hundreds of miles around.
The construction of the palace required not only the transport of every stone and piece of wood by manpower and animal power, but also the collection of treasures from all over the world, inlaid with gold and jade, in an extremely luxurious manner. After spending a fortune and taking decades, on the day the palace was completed, the King of Xixia personally inspected it. Seeing the magnificent palace and the vast scenery, he couldn't help but have the idea of moving the capital, but was dissuaded by his court officials.
At that time, the Canglang tribe was growing stronger, and every year in early spring when the miasma was weakest, it attracted not only merchants from all over the world, but also the greedy Canglang Iron Cavalry.
Moving the capital to a place where an army could besiege the city at any time was clearly not a wise move.
Later, Yixiantai became a post station for receiving envoys from all directions.
The garden, built to the scale of a palace, is well-arranged with smooth, winding stone steps and bonfires lit every ten feet.
The firelight was dazzling, as bright as day.
The King of Feng walked in front, while the Grand Preceptor You, walking behind, was complaining incessantly about Feng Qi's actions.
"The farewell banquet was ruined by the princess. We also contributed to helping the Great Qi fight the Canglang tribe, so we should have gotten a share! Alas... before the king could even discuss with Lord Pei how to divide the Tianju Horse Ranch, the princess took it upon herself to trick Queen Chu into drinking the Jade Trembling Branch..."
"The effects of Lady Chu's medicine are taking hold, and Lord Pei's medicinal catalyst needs to be brewed overnight. I'm afraid the matter at Tianju Horse Farm will have to be postponed..."
"The princess is fond of Lord Pei, so why not offer him that jade-green cup? Even if you can't stay, leaving behind an heir would be good..."
Feng Qi drank quite a bit of wine during the banquet, and as the alcohol took effect, she became unsteady on her feet and needed to be helped down the mountain.
In the firelight, her cheeks were flushed, and she mumbled indistinctly, "Grand Preceptor... I! I—I'm a person who always repays kindness. Lord Pei saved me twice, so... I should repay him once..."
She mumbled incoherently, "Give him back just once... and then I can let go... then I can let go..."
The Queen of Feng Kingdom was quite open-minded. She gently stroked Feng Qi's head and said softly, "It's easy to let go now. Go to sleep, Aqi. Your older sister will always be with you."
She only had one younger sister, Feng Qi, and over the years, she had watched helplessly as her sister became increasingly entangled with a man from the Great Qi Kingdom, even willingly abandoning her princess status and demeaning herself to become a concubine in a foreign land. In her eyes, this meant abandoning the dignity of the Xixia royal family.
However, in order to fulfill her sister's deep affection, she ultimately tried to secure a formal status for her by proposing a "marriage between two countries." Yet, even offering 60% of the tax revenue from the capital city every year could not move the heartless man.
Fortunately, Feng Qi finally came to her senses.
The King of Feng instructed the Grand Preceptor You: "It's the first time that Lady Chu has tried the Jade Trembling Branch. They probably won't be able to set off tomorrow. Remember to have someone prepare a few extra days' worth of provisions for their carriages and horses."
National Preceptor You nodded: "Yes, two cups is a bit too much. Fortunately, Lord Pei is tall and strong and is a military general, so it should be enough. If not, there is still Lord Shen."
Both the Queen of Feng Kingdom and the National Preceptor of You Kingdom had taken the Jade Trembling Branch in order to preserve their youth, and they knew that the medicine was extremely potent, and the less experienced a woman was in the world, the less she could withstand it.
Considering how inseparable the young Empress Dowager and Lord Pei were on ordinary days, they didn't take the jade trembling branch thing to heart, since it was just something to add to their enjoyment.
Just as they were about to reach the foot of the mountain, they suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps.
Following the candlelight, one could see Commander Lin, drenched in sweat, hurrying down the steps. He rushed towards the King of Feng, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked for someone.
Upon hearing who Lin Mu wanted, the King of Feng and the Grand Tutor You exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
———
That night, Physician Hu went to bed early, but Lin Mu suddenly barged in and pulled him out of bed like a radish being pulled from a quilt. Before he could even put on his shoes and socks, he was led into a room barefoot.
The room was filled with a warm, fragrant aroma, and purple silk curtains hung down on all sides. Behind the curtains, a slender figure lay on the couch, and the faint sound of a woman's suppressed, rapid breathing could be heard.
Physician Hu quickly lowered his gaze and reached out to touch the section of fair, pink wrist that was exposed outside the tent.
A moment later, Physician Hu's expression changed drastically. He glanced at the Regent, who was standing silently beside him, and knew that what the Regent was about to say concerned whether he could return to his hometown.
He carefully chose his words and replied cautiously, "The Empress Dowager's illness is a sign of excessive internal heat rising upwards, indicating that yin cannot restrain yang. We need to find someone with abundant yang energy to draw out the excess heat for Your Highness. Once yin and yang are in balance, you will recover completely."
A woman's low, husky voice came from behind the curtain: "Is there any other way?"
"Then we'll have to suppress it forcefully. First, we'll use acupuncture to draw blood, then immerse the body in ice water—half a bucket of water and half a bucket of ice. If the patient can endure it for an hour, perhaps the damage can be mitigated..."
Feeling the watchful gaze from behind, Physician Hu wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Your Highness's constitution is delicate; I'm afraid you won't last even the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Even if you do, the cold entering your body... will leave you with lifelong symptoms of wind-cold obstruction. There's really no need for you to tough it out..."
"I understand. Physician Hu, please prepare to administer acupuncture."
"Pei Qing, please send someone to the ice cellar."
Physician Hu opened his medicine box and was about to take out the silver needles when he felt a tightness on his shoulder and was then carried away by two guards.
From within the purple silk curtains, the young Empress Dowager's startled and furious shout rang out: "Pei Muwei, what are you doing?"
"Your Highness, please forgive me for not being able to comply." The man strode forward, his hand forcefully reaching into the curtain, but he suddenly stopped.
Physician Hu knew he was doomed and didn't want to die a fool, so he mustered his courage and turned around to look into the still-open lattice door.
A slender hand peeked out from beneath the half-open curtain adorned with intertwined floral patterns. That hand tightly gripped a phoenix hairpin, its sharpened tip pressed firmly against her snow-white neck...
Physician Hu was lowered outside by the guards. Barefoot on the paving stones, he wiped away his tears and said, "Commander Lin, my mouth is sealed tight. I guarantee I won't say a single word..."
Two imperial physicians accompanied the westward journey. Physician Huang was a fifth-rank official and was responsible for taking the pulse and examining the young empress dowager. Physician Hu was only an eighth-rank accompanying physician and was responsible for taking care of the other people in the caravan.
Lin Mu placed his hand on the hilt of his knife and sighed, "I'm sorry, I originally wanted to see Physician Huang, but he went out drinking tonight. Don't worry, my knife is very sharp, it won't hurt..."
Physician Hu cursed Lin Mu's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, thinking, "Of course you say it doesn't hurt if the knife doesn't fall on you."
He closed his eyes resignedly to his fate.
Just as Lin Mu was about to make a move, the carved palace doors suddenly flung open, and the Regent walked out with a tense face, his eyes deep and almost black, his cold voice suppressing his anger:
"Go to the ice cellar and get some ice."
Lin Mu sheathed his sword and beckoned his men to rush towards the ice cellar.
Pei Muwei glanced indifferently at Physician Hu, who was slumped on the ground, and said coldly, "You stay here and prepare to perform acupuncture and bloodletting on the Empress Dowager."
————
Yixiantai was built to the scale of a palace and had ice cellars available all year round.
In the bathhouse, Jin Tong poured a bucket of ice into the tub and couldn't help but shiver from the cold. In the corner, there were several buckets of ice piled up, the translucent ice blocks emitting wisps of cool air.
Jin Tong felt that the ice in the entire room was not as cold as the chill emanating from the Regent.
The man stood there gloomily, like a thousand-year-old snow-capped mountain covered in snow, surrounded by a raging blizzard, ready to explode at the slightest touch of a snowflake.
Chu Yueyuan was quite the opposite; she was like a vibrant red peony in full bloom, with a slightly flushed cheek, a hazy crimson at the corners of her eyes, and a moist, bright red lip. Even her slender fingers, which were supporting her on the edge of the bathtub, were tinged with a thin pink.
She was extremely hot.
Physician Hu had already bled her, but it felt as if a fire was burning inside her body, making her blood bubbling and churning.
"Keep pouring." Her red lips parted slightly, and her breath was scalding hot; she could even hear the sound of blood rushing through her eardrums.
Jin Tong gritted her teeth and could only curse Feng Qi for never being able to give birth to a daughter in her life while pouring ice cubes into the bathtub.
The ice shards floated on the water's surface, rising and falling, shimmering like jewels.
Chu Yueyuan stared at the crystal-clear shards of light. She reached out to test the water temperature and felt it wasn't cold enough.
But she was almost at her breaking point.
She hurriedly took off her jade-colored embroidered flower-patterned outer garment, stepped onto a low stool, and was about to jump into the tub when her arm was suddenly pulled by a man beside her.
His hands were so cold, just the warmth she desperately needed, and the cool sandalwood scent emanating from him became an alluring aroma.
Chu Yueyuan's thick eyelashes trembled slightly. She suppressed her inner desire and said in a trembling voice, "Release me."
"Just now, Imperial Physician Hu did not explain clearly to the Empress Dowager that frostbite has several stages. Initially, the skin will turn white and become numb. At this time, Your Highness can still bear it to some extent..."
Pei Muwei's voice was flat as he slowly said, "The longer Your Highness stays in the ice water, the more itchy and burning sensations will occur on your body. At that time, Your Highness must endure it, because your skin will be like a thin sheet of paper that absorbs water, and it will fester if you scratch it..."
"Even if Your Highness manages to endure this stage, only half an hour will have passed. In the last half hour, your skin will change from pale to blue, then to black. The pain will disappear, your nails will fall off, your bones will become necrotic, and in the end, we'll have to cut off the festering sores on your hands, feet, arms, and thighs..."
Chu Yueyuan hesitated for a moment as she listened to his chilling description.
Pei Muwei stared at the woman's sparkling eyes, his voice softening slightly: "Let this humble subject serve as Your Highness's medicinal ingredient. On the day I ascend the throne, I will make you Empress. If you disobey, you will not have a good end."
No sooner had the vow been made than the young empress dowager broke free of his hand and stepped resolutely into the bathtub filled with crushed ice.
The icy cold water could only relieve the heat in Chu Yueyuan's body, but the lust within her body was still burning in her bones, as if it would not stop until the last drop of her blood was burned away.
The ice floes on the water emitted a misty, cold vapor, and her face quickly turned from rosy to pale, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Pei Muwei originally thought that the young empress dowager would no longer be stubborn after suffering, but seeing the woman's face turn from pale to bluish-black, and her rosy lips turn purple, her hands, which were tightly gripping the edge of the bathtub, never let go.
In a standoff, the ruthless one always prevails.
"Come out!" Pei Muwei reached out to pull her out.
Chu Yueyuan shook her head vigorously: "No!"
Pei Muwei's head throbbed. He stared at the pale-faced woman, suppressing his anger as he asked, "What exactly does Your Highness want in order for me to detoxify you?"
Finally, the time has come to put forward the conditions.
Chu Yueyuan lowered her eyelashes, her voice trembling: "Unless... Minister Pei is willing to swear on my life that when you ascend the throne, you will send me to the imperial mausoleum and never let me stay in the palace... If you break this oath, I will suffer a terrible death..."
Pei Muwei's hand, which was resting on the edge of the bucket, suddenly clenched tightly, the veins on his back bulging, and even his knuckles turning white.
She's gambling, gambling with her importance in his heart!
What a despicable woman!
He asked in a hoarse voice, "Why is Your Highness unwilling?"
Chu Yueyuan raised her head, looking at his reddened eyes, her voice trembling, yet revealing absolute determination: "I don't want to be your empress, I don't want to stay in the palace. If Pei Qingru wants me, then... let's be a couple for a while, asking for no promises, just romance."
The woman's clear and resolute gaze was like a sharp sword, mercilessly cutting into his heart.
Pei Muwei laughed. When a person laughs in extreme anger, the corners of their lips are clearly upturned, but the smile in their eyes is gloomy.
He had thought that the Empress Dowager kissed him that day because he was moved by his promise to be the legal wife. Even though there were still thorns on the road ahead, he felt full of power in the woman's soft lips and tongue. He had a sharp sword in his hand and could cut down any thorns.
But what the woman wanted was not a promise of a lifetime, but a fleeting, passionate encounter.
This sharp sword pierced straight into his heart, tearing it to shreds.
Pei Muwei closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently, as if suppressing some kind of impulse. When he lifted his eyelids again, his eyes were pure black, with a hint of ferocity.
"Since the Empress Dowager does not care about reputation, apart from this humble servant, could other men serve as the medicinal ingredients for Your Highness?"
Chu Yueyuan was stunned for a moment, even suspecting that she was delirious from the fever and had misunderstood the Regent's meaning, and she did not respond for a long time.
Pei Muwei could no longer bear to see the woman shivering in the icy water, so he bent down and scooped her out of the bathtub.
Chu Yueyuan's outer garment fell into the water, and the soaked light pink tube top tightly hugged her exquisite figure, outlining her full breasts, slender waist, and straight, snow-white calves.
Once out of the cold water, the potent effects of the drug were released again. Pressed against the man's firm chest, feeling the rise and fall of his strong body, her breathing became rapid, and her cheeks flushed with a sickly red.
"Put me down, the time hasn't come yet..." In the struggle, the shrinking fabric could barely contain her burgeoning beauty.
Pei Muwei took another deep breath, then simply hoisted the woman onto his shoulder and kicked open the door to the bathhouse.
Jin Tong, who was waiting outside, was startled and quickly covered Chu Yueyuan, who was soaking wet, with a prepared quilt.
After tossing the young Empress Dowager onto the bed, Pei Muwei straightened up, his cold eyes like stars, looking down at her with a hard tone: "Who does Your Highness want as the medicinal ingredient tonight?"
Chu Yueyuan then realized that the Regent was serious.
After soaking in the bath for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she realized that the Regent was not trying to scare her. If she continued to soak, she feared that she would freeze to death before the jade trembling branches inside her body were completely expelled.
But when it came to choosing a man to serve as the medicinal ingredient, Chu Yueyuan's mind went completely blank.
Suddenly she felt a burning sensation in her nose. She lowered her head, and a few drops of blood flowed down her nasal cavity, landing on the silk quilt.
The blood that seeped out was dark red.
Pei Muwei's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately ordered Physician Hu to come in and bleed Chu Yueyuan again.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager's illness cannot be delayed any longer. She couldn't endure the ice bath, and now the medicine is backfiring. Her Highness is starting to experience symptoms such as palpitations and nosebleeds. If this continues, her life may be in danger."
After giving his instructions in one go, Physician Hu slung his medicine box over his shoulder and hurried away.
Pei Muwei's gaze fell on the couch, where the young empress dowager was still stubbornly persisting. Her skirt was rolled up due to her painful twisting, revealing her snow-white ankles. Her straight jade feet were curved in an alluring arc, with her ten toes slightly curled, each step on the water-red silk quilt felt as if each step was stepping on his heart.
"Shen Zizhan, what is the Empress Dowager's opinion?"
In a short while, the effects of the medicine surged through Chu Yueyuan's body, and the burning pain, even more intense than before, almost overwhelmed her reason. When she heard the Regent mention a name, she nodded in a daze.
Pei Muwei clenched his fist, his face darkened, and remained silent for a few moments before turning and leaving.
"Wait a moment... I need to find someone else."
Pei Muwei stopped in his tracks, feeling his heart skip a beat, his eyes gleaming beneath his half-closed eyelids.
“If it were Zheng Lu, he would be mute and wouldn’t reveal what happened tonight. After it’s over, Pei Qing could spare his life.”
Pei Muwei's chest heaved violently a few times, and he sneered, "Your Highness is still concerned about other people's lives at a time like this, you truly have the heart of a bodhisattva!"
Only towards him was she truly venomous.
Even though Chu Yueyuan was brainwashed by the fever, she could still hear the sarcasm in his tone.
Seeing the Regent leave in a huff, Jin Tong knelt by the bed and helped Chu Yueyuan remove her soaked clothes and change into dry undergarments.
Touching the woman's frighteningly hot skin, Jin Tong cried out in distress, "Anyway, it's a medicinal ingredient. What man won't do? Why is the Empress Dowager so stubborn with the Regent?"
“Zhenglu is a mute. What good fortune has he accumulated to serve the Empress Dowager? Your Highness, you might want to reconsider. I have seen that Your Highness truly treats you well!”
Chu Yueyuan downed another cup of cold tea, but the burning heat in her body was still not suppressed. She shook her head and smiled: "Father used to treat Mother sincerely. Even your gambling father was sincere to your mother at first."
In the beginning, who wasn't sincere?
True feelings are genuine, but enduring feelings are hard to come by.
Especially the emperor's emotions, are like the colorful clouds in the sky, or fragile glass, all of which are beyond his control.
———
When Zheng Lu was lifted onto the chess platform by Lin Mu's swift and fiery movements, his mind was still reeling.
A night breeze suddenly rose, and the lanterns under the eaves swayed in the wind, causing the shadows of people on the bluestone slabs to flicker.
Zheng Lu raised his head, his gaze meeting the man's dark eyes, colder than the night itself. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly lowered his head, looking timid and fearful.
He couldn't speak, but if he could, he would surely kowtow and beg for mercy, because he saw undisguised murderous intent in the man's eyes.
Pei Muwei's tall figure was stretched long and gloomy by the moonlight. He stared coldly at Zheng Lu, who was crawling on the ground, his eyes as sharp as daggers, wishing he could slice the person in front of him to pieces.
After a long silence, he took off the sandalwood prayer beads from his wrist and said calmly, "Take him there."
"Your subordinate obeys." Lin Mu pulled the limp Zheng Lu into a room.
The incense burner, inlaid with filigree and rubies, was burning with sandalwood incense to purify the air, but it still couldn't mask the cloying sweetness in the room.
The room was dimly lit by a single glass lamp, casting a faint glow that revealed a delicate, graceful figure gently wriggling beneath the bed curtains.
The carved wooden door opened silently, and a gust of cool wind rushed in, causing the lamp in the glass lamp to flicker twice before going out.
The figure on the ebony and gilded elephant-patterned bed paused, and a soft female voice came from inside the tent: "Zhenglu, is that you?"
The man standing in front of the tent did not reply; only the moonlight illuminated a pair of black boots embroidered with gold thread, which were stepping on a brocade coral carpet.
"Alas... I was delirious with fever and forgot that you can't speak."
A gap was lifted in the light purple grape-patterned bed curtains, and a slender, delicate hand slowly emerged, its white skin tinged with pink in the moonlight.
The woman curled her fingers, her voice soothing and captivating: "No need to light the lamp, come here..."
The shadow cast on the small screen beside the bed, a symbol of longing, gradually magnified, carrying the chill from outside and seeping into the warm, fragrant gauze curtains.
Chu Yueyuan's fingers, tinged with a faint pink, suddenly gripped the silky fabric, eager to let the cool air adhere to it.
Or perhaps she seduced that aloof and cold person.
The sudden chill brought her back to her senses. She suddenly wanted to see the other person's face clearly, but the tent was pitch black, and she could only barely make out the man's outline.
A sense of unease rose in Chu Yueyuan's heart. She suppressed the heat in her body and leaned closer to smell his scent. She found that he had just finished showering and only had a light, faint soapy fragrance on him.
So she took his hand and carefully felt it, and felt a thin callus on the fingertips of the man's right hand. In addition to playing the flute, Zheng Lü also played the zither, so it was not surprising that he had calluses on his hands.
Unable to distinguish between the calluses from sword practice and those from playing the zither, she had to lift his sleeve and finally felt a crescent-shaped scar on his forearm.
Chu Yueyuan remembered that Zheng Yin had said that both of them had a raised birthmark on their forearms, Zheng Yin's on his left arm and Zheng Lu's on his right arm.
Moreover, after Zheng Lu was pulled onto the bed by her, he remained stiff and motionless. Just as she was groping him, she could feel his tense muscles and his slightly heavier breathing.
But he remained very restrained throughout.
The doubts that had just arisen in Chu Yueyuan's heart vanished instantly, replaced by an ever-increasing desire.
She comforted the tense Zheng Lu, saying, "I accidentally drank the Jade Trembling Branch tea. I called you here to help me counteract its effects..."
At this moment, the effects of the medicine within her body were at their maximum, and Chu Yueyuan's breath was hot. She swallowed hard and said, "I have only one request: the mark of virginity on my body must not be broken. If you dare to cross that line, I swear I will make sure you die a gruesome death..."
This is why she chose Zheng Lu.
As the heir apparent of the Xixia Kingdom, Zheng Lu had served many women and was very experienced. There was no affection between the two of them; they were only together to counteract the effects of the drug and would not lose control and cause irreversible damage.
She was about to return to the Great Qi, and she had to keep her virginity intact. Only a Grand Empress Dowager who upheld her chastity could rightfully go to the imperial mausoleum to guard her husband's tomb after the new emperor ascended the throne.
Her virginity mark was not only a symbol of the royal family's honor, but also a shield to prevent Pei Muwei from keeping her in the palace.
Zheng Lu was clearly surprised by her request. After a few moments of silence, Chu Yueyuan saw the figure in front of her nod.
"I am ready, you...you may begin."
After explaining everything, Chu Yueyuan gave up suppressing the desire within her. She smelled the faint scent of soap approaching, and then a tingling sensation came from her earlobe. She involuntarily moved closer to him, hoping that he would use the coolness of his body to extinguish her heat.
An enchanting atmosphere quietly arose beneath the narrow curtains.
He cradled the back of her head, the familiar movements, the familiar techniques, even the sound of his breath lingering in her ear was so familiar that Chu Yueyuan couldn't help but picture the man's deep eyebrows and handsome eyes in her mind.
But he's not himself...
Chu Yueyuan felt pleasure in her body, but a strange bitterness was quietly spreading in her heart, as if an invisible thread was binding her heart. She didn't know the reason for this pain, only that the heavier the kiss on her ear, the more her heart was bound.
She cried.
The man cupped her face and gently kissed away the tears on her cheeks. Just as his thin lips were about to touch hers, a crisp clapping sound suddenly rang out from the dark tent.
"Don't kiss me here!"
Chu Yueyuan's mind was about to be consumed. Her slap was not forceful, but it landed solidly on the other person's cheek.
The man's clothes had long been torn off. Although it was difficult to see clearly in the darkness, one could discern that he was physically strong, with broad shoulders, a lean waist, and a powerfully heaving chest.
Chu Yueyuan was suddenly struck by a realization: Zheng Lu's figure was actually that good?
Before she could think any further, the man had already bent down, trying to silently avenge the humiliation he had just suffered with his lips and tongue.
Chu Yueyuan suddenly arched her back, trying to close her legs, but was forced open by the other person's strong hands. She bit her lip tightly, not wanting to reveal any emotion, her slender hands sinking deep into the man's thick black hair, clenching and then releasing...
——
The Daqi convoy was unable to depart on time for its return journey.
Imperial Physician Hu announced that the young Empress Dowager had drunk too much at the farewell banquet and needed to rest for a day.
Upon hearing this news, Lord Sun, who was eager to return to his homeland, beat his chest and sighed: "One is influenced by one's company. The little empress dowager has only been in Xixia Kingdom for two months, and she has already learned the ways of wine pools and meat forests, indulging in extravagance and debauchery!"
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