Chapter 13 Mushrooms in Dreams: "So that a dignified immortal lord doesn't wear a veil like a mountain bandit."
What does this mean?
Yao Ruyi pondered for a long time: Was the emperor testing medicine? Or was he harming himself?
If he heals the wound, wouldn't that waste this opportunity to test the medicine? But what if it wasn't a medicine test? Just thinking about that sword strike makes me feel excruciating pain.
Just as she caught her breath, a mushroom, grumbling and cursing, transformed into a clean-cut young man in the daytime light. Having searched around without finding anything to eat or drink, Yao Ruyi frowned, sighed deeply, and plopped down on the emperor's chest.
"I'll heal you one more time," he muttered. He had just absorbed the blood from the sword to be able to transform back into human form, thanks to the emperor. "Why did you stab yourself? It's almost the New Year, how unlucky."
While smoothing out the scrapes on her wrist, Yao Ruyi stared at Gu Huizhou's face, her eyebrows sharp and her eyes bright. "Your eyelashes are so long, but you look pale."
"Phew—you'll look better once I heal your wounds."
Swaying and wobbling, oh right.
The palm transformed into mycelium before his eyes. The mushroom gritted its teeth, and a section of mycelium was cut off, instantly turning into a material similar to the gauze robe it was wearing. In a few quick movements, Yao Ruyi folded it into a mask and put it on his head. He sat cross-legged on Gu Huizhou's chest, coughing.
He tugged at the corners of his mouth, his face serious. His gaze lingered on the other person's brow, and he slowly closed his eyes. A white halo enveloped the two of them, forming a barrier.
"ah--"
A boy of about ten years old was tied to a wooden stake in the yard in the winter. He gritted his teeth, trying not to scream, but in the next instant, a whip lashed out at him, and the boy finally couldn't help but let out a roar. Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping and seeping into the snow on the ground.
The boy's eyes flashed with ferocity; even at such a young age, a chilling ruthlessness could be seen in them. His smile was sinister as he sneered at the young eunuch before him, "Come on, keep going—"
"ah--"
Another lash struck, the sensation of skin being torn open amplified in the cold wind. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. Swallowing the blood and foam in his mouth, Xiao Gu Huizhou's breath grew weak, his consciousness fading until he finally closed his eyes.
Um?
The emperor raised his hand, which showed neither blood nor frostbite. He looked puzzled; the events of those years often haunted his dreams, yet today it ended here. There had been more than just those two lashes back then.
He imagined later stripping the young eunuch naked, hanging him on a rack, and slowly torturing him with cuts, one by one, in the same cold wind, with a long whip made of rattan beside him. Hundreds of wounds were blurred and torn apart by the whip.
What happened in the end? Gu Huizhou thought about it. He ordered Fifteen to throw the man at the entrance of the Imperial Hospital, but the little eunuch bit his tongue and committed suicide when no one was paying attention. It was really a pity.
"who!"
The hall was clean and warm, but Gu Huizhou squinted as he looked around; this was not the Cloud Palace.
There were no robes he had thrown on the couch, the floor was clean and tidy with no bloodstains, and even his sword was neatly placed on the shelf, shiny and sharp without a speck of dust. The mushroom was also gone from the table.
Gu Huizhou straightened up, feeling no pain in his waist and abdomen. He reached out to touch the wooden box, inside which was only the bottle of medicine powder he had made himself.
The person by the door finally put on the mask, hesitated, and turned around, saying, "I...I am the Immortal Lord."
The emperor smiled and asked softly, "Immortal Lord?"
The person in front of him hadn't even changed his robes, only covering his face with a cloth, yet dared to impersonate a celestial lord in his dream. Gu Huizhou stood up, wearing only an undergarment and barefoot on the ground.
"I, I have come to advise you, do not kill the innocent indiscriminately."
"Indiscriminate killing?"
The man stopped and stood face to face with Yao Ruyi. The two were half a head apart in height. Gu Huizhou looked down at her and asked, "Who did I kill?"
Yao Ruyi blushed slightly. "What do you think?"
"Hmm, let me think about it." The man was stumped. He took the cinnabar beads on his wrist and played with them, making a clear "tap tap tap" sound. "I have personally killed two eunuchs and a palace maid." He thought for a moment, "Hmm, and a beloved concubine of the late emperor."
He laughed again, "If it were an order, the number would be countless."
Yao Ruyi was stunned. He looked at the emperor opposite him with a smile, "That's not what I meant."
"That Immortal Lord truly knows everything." The distance between the two closed again. "The Immortal Lord is talking about an old man. He teaches students heretical doctrines, fabricates stories about emperors, incites scholars to form a rebellious force among the people, and ultimately turns them into an army that overthrows the world. Is this man?"
“Yes, yes, yes,” Yao Ruyi finally understood. “Actually, I already know that this was not his intention. He was instigated by someone and made a big mistake in a moment of confusion. If you hastily convict him, you will be wronging an innocent person.”
"An innocent person has been wronged."
Gu Huizhou turned around and lay back down on his couch. "Was that note written by him?"
"yes."
"Was the book distributed by him?"
"……yes."
"Did he teach the lesson?"
"...I did tell."
"Then tell me, Immortal Lord, how did I wrong him?"
Yao Ruyi's eyes widened; he had actually been tricked by the emperor. "But this wasn't his intention!"
A sneer rang out, "Whose intention was that? Does the Immortal Lord have any evidence?"
No, there really isn't.
The man's thoughts were written all over his eyes. Gu Huizhou looked up and said, "If the Immortal Lord is really free, he should learn how to do his hair and makeup."
Getting ready?
"So that a dignified immortal lord wouldn't wear a veil like a mountain bandit."
"You!" Yao Ruyi quickly reached out and loosened the mask on her face. "If you don't want them to call you a tyrant, you should find out the truth."
"The Immortal Lord is truly kind-hearted, not only thinking of that old bastard but also wasting his energy on me." The Emperor sneered, "I said, have him beaten to death."
The warm air gradually cooled down, and Gu Huizhou, lying on the dragon bed, suddenly opened his eyes.
He exhaled a breath of hot air from his chest, which turned into white mist and dissipated in the air.
Scattered robes lay on the soft couch, and the floor was covered with dried, deep red bloodstains. The longsword was casually placed on the table, but the bloodstains on it looked as if they had been wiped away.
The wound on his abdomen had disappeared, and his skin and flesh were as intact as before. Gu Huizhou frowned and remained silent.
The wounds were healed, but the earth dragon was destroyed.
"Da da da—"
With a cold snort, the Immortal Lord was indeed fair in rewarding and punishing.
-
Outside the palace, at the Ministry of Personnel's residence.
"absurd--"
The angry shout was laced with malice. With a "smash," the scalding tea on the table spilled onto the floor, leaving a wisp of steam in the air. The teacup shattered into pieces scattered on the ground, one shard of which was forcefully embedded into the wall behind it.
With a "whoosh!" it was embedded in the wood.
"Father! Your son was wrong!" Liang Chengfeng's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground, crawling forward. "Father! Please save me! Father, I will never dare to do it again. I will be more careful in the future and I will never be discovered."
"Father, you must help me, otherwise the palace will soon find out about me."
Liang Fu was trembling with rage. How could he have given birth to such a stupid son? "You!"
He sighed deeply, "On the day Liang He returned to the capital, His Majesty asked me why I summoned the students of the capital."
"Then, what did you say, Father?"
With a wave of his long sleeves, he said, "Hmph, I told His Majesty it was because Li Wenjing wanted to teach the scholars, so I was just doing him a favor."
Then it seems Li Wenjing did all of this by herself. Liang Chengfeng was overjoyed, "Then Father, this matter has nothing to do with me. His Majesty has already sentenced him to death by flogging, and this matter will fade away soon."
Then no one will suspect him if he takes action again.
Liang Fu didn't reply, but a cold laugh came from the doorway, "Nephew, you're having some wild ideas."
When Liang Fu met Liang He, he didn't give him a friendly look.
"Second Uncle, what do you mean by that?"
With Li Yunyun by his side, Liang He, whose hair was now tied up and who looked plump and graceful, said, "Greetings, elder brother."
Liang Fu nodded. "Sit down."
"Who is Gu Huizhou?" Liang He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "Do you really think he'll let you off so easily?"
With a muffled "ding," the tea was placed on the table.
"Gu Huizhou is ruthless and vindictive. His ascension to the throne back then was not necessarily legitimate."
Liang Fu waved his hand to dismiss the servants. "You've come today, is there something you need?"
“Of course,” Liang He said with a smile, exchanging glances with Li Yunyun beside him. “Eldest brother has always wanted to uphold the late emperor’s bloodline and fulfill his wishes, so second brother has been sending soldiers to search for him. We just received news yesterday that we have found the whereabouts of the late emperor’s crown prince, Gu Huai’an.”
"Your Highness!" Liang Fu stood up excitedly, "The late Emperor's exile of the Crown Prince outside the capital was a temporary measure to preserve the bloodline. But I never expected that the Crown Prince would never return. I thought His Highness had been killed by Gu Huizhou, but I never imagined this!"
Liang Fu's eyes reddened. "Even if I were to die a violent death now, I would have the face to meet His Majesty." He wiped away his tears with his sleeve. "Are you settled in?"
"Don't worry, elder brother. We've already sent soldiers to guard the area. When the time is right, we can bring His Highness the Crown Prince back to the capital."
"Good!" Liang Fu laughed, pacing back and forth. "Gu Huizhou's ascension to the throne is illegitimate, and he has yet to produce the late emperor's edict. When the time is right, he will have no choice but to abdicate and pass the throne to a more worthy successor."
Liang Chengfeng remained silent, still kneeling on the ground, his gaze fixed on the ground.
"As for riding the wind..."
Li Yunyun smiled faintly, "I think Chengfeng is right. Once Li Wenjing is dead, there will be no way to verify the facts. Even if Your Majesty wants to hold someone accountable, it will be of no use." In just a few days, the woman had shed her girlish naiveté and her every move was dignified and elegant. "However, nephew, it would be best if you did not appear before Your Majesty recently. It would be better if Your Majesty forgot about it."
“But if His Majesty sees my nephew and remembers this matter, he will inevitably cause trouble for my nephew. Therefore, I think it would be better to let Chengfeng leave the capital for a while to avoid trouble.”
"Yes, that's very true." Liang Fu waved his hand. "Feng'er, go pack your things right now. We're leaving the capital tonight to stay in the south for a few days. I'll send someone to write back later."
"Yes, son understands." Liang Chengfeng smiled warmly and bowed to the group in turn. The tears on his face hadn't been wiped away yet, and now they were dry on his face, making his expression look ferocious.
The door creaked shut, leaving only three people in the room.
After a moment of contemplation, Liang He changed the subject and asked, "Is Big Brother still thinking about ousting Gu Huizhou and putting that greenhorn Gu Huai'an in charge?"
"What nonsense! That's the late emperor's crown prince, the future emperor!" Liang Fu glared, as if the late emperor were right beside him and could see his every move.
“Hahahaha,” Liang He sneered, “The Crown Prince? He is naturally dull-witted and indecisive, even worse than the late Emperor! You know better than I why he was banished from the capital for committing a crime.”
"Do you really think he's capable of ascending the throne?"
The royal family has never shown favoritism. Those who can sit in that position are definitely not mediocre. Gu Huai'an couldn't even defeat an unfavored son of a concubine in the cold palace, so it's no wonder he was demoted from the capital.
Liang Fu remained silent.
The late Crown Prince was born with poor aptitude; even after more than a decade of tutoring by several teachers, he only reached the level of an average person. His dullness was one thing, but the royal family would at least ensure his safety for life, as he was the late emperor's most beloved child. But he insisted on considering himself exceptionally intelligent and, at a young age, conceived the idea of amassing an army, raising a private army in the capital. How could the emperor tolerate this?
Liang Fu let out a long breath, "The late emperor had shown me great kindness, and the Liang family swears to protect his bloodline to the death!"
"Bang!" The door slammed shut, and Liang Fu's footsteps disappeared at the end of the covered bridge. Li Yunyun reached out and patted Liang He's shoulder, "Husband, don't worry. My brother is a grateful person. If things go well in the future, he will definitely remember your help."
Liang He felt quite pleased as his soft, boneless hand was held by the man's large hand, and he leaned back in his chair. "Hmm, then I'll listen to Madam."
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