Chapter 35 Mutual Massage: The Bad Mushroom asked, "Your Majesty, are you comfortable?"
The night was much the same as the previous night; under the clear sky, the capital was even brighter than the night sky over the outskirts. People cast long and short shadows in the moonlight, and the eunuchs on both sides of the corridor stood dutifully in a row, holding lamps. They didn't raise their heads, standing there like wooden statues. As Yao Ruyi reached the corner of the corridor, she suddenly remembered the stone sculpture that the emperor had cleaved into several pieces with his sword last time.
It has already been repaired by someone arranged by Cui Xiangzhu.
He sometimes really admired Eunuch Cui's energy, spending all his time by His Majesty's side taking care of him while also managing these trivial matters.
He was different. He had only practiced swordsmanship all night and slept for a few hours this morning, but by this afternoon he seemed to have been drugged.
He pounded his head on the table, the warm sun making the side hall cozy. He had dreams again and again, one fragmented dream after another strung together.
"Young master! Can you hear what I said?" Wang Qianshan's deafening voice resounded in Yao Ruyi's ears, keeping him awake for half an hour.
After half an hour, his gaze started wandering again. He tried biting the back of his hand with his teeth, but it didn't work very well.
In order to ensure that he absorbed all of today's lessons, Wang Qianshan even went so far as to petition the emperor to keep him in the side hall overnight, until after midnight before he finally left.
Yao Ruyi rubbed her sore shoulders. The pain from swinging her sword last night surged back like a tidal wave. Her arms were numb and swollen. She should have listened to the emperor.
He'll feel better after soaking in hot water when he wakes up today.
Thinking about how she had reminded her husband to review the poems he had learned that day before going to bed when she saw him off, Yao Ruyi felt even sleepier.
Walking through the long corridor, Yao Ruyi headed straight for his bedchamber. He wished he could just collapse onto the bed. Or perhaps he wouldn't even need to wash up, and could simply transform into a mushroom and fall into a flowerpot.
Only the young eunuch remained outside the palace; even Thirteenth Eunuch was nowhere to be found. Yesterday, I saw Fourteenth Eunuch, so perhaps the two of them have new assignments.
The brick-red door was solemn and dignified. The eunuchs on both sides lowered their heads and dared not look directly at it. The light inside was dim and the room was quiet.
His Majesty is probably already asleep.
Yao Ruyi pushed open the door and tiptoed inside. The candles in the hall seemed to have been extinguished, with only one or two remaining as if they were left for someone else. He also saw hot water that had been prepared in advance.
"I'm back."
Yao Ruyi was almost startled. He turned around and looked at Gu Huizhou, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He quickly patted his chest and nodded, "Yes, I just saw the master onto the carriage."
He finished speaking and yawned, his eyes welling up with tears. Someone casually rubbed them with their hands. His eyes, which hadn't had a chance to rest for a long time, were a pale pink and pitiful, mixed with water stains.
"Come over after you've finished washing."
The emperor spoke in a deep voice. He was only wearing a red undergarment. Although the emperor had changed to wearing bright yellow, Yao Ruyi felt that Gu Huizhou might prefer red and black.
He wasn't fond of bright yellow, but no one in the Yun Kingdom, except the emperor, dared to use that color.
This makes it almost impossible to see the bright yellow color on Yao Ruyi.
Several bottles and jars were placed on Gu Huizhou's dragon bed. Each one was quite large, much larger than the jar that had previously contained the Golden Wound Powder. From a distance, it looked as if a family of jar makers was holding a clan meeting.
Yao Ruyi, dressed in his undergarments, walked over while rubbing his arm, and plopped down on the dragon bed with a nonchalant air. "Your Majesty, what is it?"
After saying that, he yawned again.
Gu Huizhou watched him sit down, a thoughtful look flashing across his eyes, gone in an instant.
With a yank of his hand, Yao Ruyi's loosely fastened undergarment fell off in an instant. He became much more awake. His skin, which had just been wiped clean, was pink and tender from the steam of the hot water. He shivered for a moment when he encountered the cold air, but then returned to normal.
Still so fair-skinned.
"His Majesty!"
Yao Ruyi reached out and grabbed him, his brows furrowing. "What are you doing?"
"Apply the medicine."
Oh, it's for applying medicine.
Yao Ruyi moved his hand away, grinning foolishly. He even took off his shirt to make it easier for Gu Huizhou to move, revealing his fair and slender upper body.
"Thin" isn't quite accurate. Yao Ruyi's shoulder, upper arm, and chest muscles have all improved significantly. He likes to massage them when he showers, and they feel much better than before.
He glanced lightly at the person opposite him.
His abdomen was still so slender; he would have to ask Thirteen how he managed to get his abdomen to be like His Majesty's in the future.
Gu Huizhou's expression darkened. He looked at the person in front of him who had stripped naked without any precautions, and a nameless anger surged up. "Immortal Lord, please have some self-respect."
My gaze swept over both shoulders; the right side was slightly swollen, a result of practicing swordsmanship all night.
Yao Ruyi, who had been inexplicably mocked, yawned again. He didn't know why he had been criticized again. But he was used to it; His Majesty always said some strange things, and he just listened.
There's no need to give any response.
"Bear with it."
As soon as the man finished speaking, Yao Ruyi felt a pair of large hands applying ointment. It was then pressed firmly against his right shoulder blade and neck, causing him to hunch over and shrink back.
Why is it so hot again? If you don't know how to make medicine, you shouldn't make it at all.
The ointment on the large hand was getting hotter and hotter, to the point that even the ointment felt like it was burning. A resentful gaze swept towards Gu Huizhou again.
"Hmm—"
With each thrust, the pressure increased, causing Yao Ruyi to grimace in pain. He quickly retreated, but after a couple of steps, he was pressed against the pillar, with nowhere left to go. "Your Majesty! I won't press anymore, it hurts—"
To everyone's surprise, Gu Huizhou didn't care. He let out a deep breath and followed, the distance between the two even closer. His large hand showed no mercy as he squeezed the shoulder again.
The thumb, with a hint of selfishness, traces across the collarbone and finally rests on the shoulder socket for support and power.
"Hmm—"
With the final touch, the throbbing pain and tension in his shoulder vanished. The large, iron-like hands finally showed mercy, lightly resting on his shoulder. Tears welled in Yao Ruyi's eyes, a mixture of resentment and relief at surviving a close call. He turned to look at his shoulder.
Even though the large hand hadn't been removed, he could still see the red mark on his shoulder through the gap, with the shape of several fingers imprinted on it.
But now that the tense muscles in my shoulders have relaxed, I can feel a sense of comfort everywhere.
"Oh."
That disdainful chuckle immediately provoked a wave of dissatisfaction.
Mushroom felt his shoulder was indeed much better, but he lacked confidence. However, the light laugh seemed to be a disdain for his insignificant endurance. He pretended, "It doesn't hurt much. I made a sound because I feel very comfortable."
"Heh." This time Gu Huizhou genuinely laughed; this guy didn't even bother to think before he started lying. His subordinate secretly shifted his shoulders, checking if the massage had been effective, then immediately felt indignant about his pitifully low stamina.
"Oh, really?"
A pair of stubborn eyes boldly met the emperor's gaze, and she confidently declared, "Hmm, it doesn't hurt."
Both men wore faint smiles. Yao Ruyi wore a standard smile, one he had practiced since the day he transformed from a mushroom, and now it was a perfected skill. But he always felt that the emperor's smile was full of deeper meaning.
"Is the Immortal Lord alright?"
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
"Come and help me."
It's only natural for things to go back and forth, so "okay."
The two switched directions. Mushroom looked at the bottles and jars on the bed and a little thought popped into his head. He applied the ointment to his hands and was quite dissatisfied to see that Gu Huizhou had only taken off half of his clothes. His eyes swept over the bulging chest and finally rested on the emperor's right shoulder.
With its eyes crinkling into crescents and a smile like a little fox, the orange-capped mushroom itself was secretly rubbing its hands together, ready to show off its skills.
Both Gu Huizhou and the mushroom had practiced for three hours, but Gu Huizhou's condition was not as serious as the mushroom's. He only had mild acid reflux, which would have been fine in a couple of days if left unattended.
But a mischievous thought crossed his mind, and he said, "Let's begin."
Two people, each with their own ulterior motives, smiled at each other.
Those hands, covered in ointment, were incredibly strong; they gripped his right shoulder tightly. Gu Huizhou could even imagine the satisfaction Yao Ruyi felt.
The bad mushroom asked, "Your Majesty, are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, continue."
His lowered gaze and relaxed demeanor drew deep displeasure from the person opposite him.
Yao Ruyi's smile tightened, her lips pursed as she exerted force, and blue veins bulged on the back of her hands from the excessive force.
He was still naked, and his fair skin bore the marks of the emperor's hand from the recent kneading, as if branded onto his shoulder.
Gu Huizhou shifted his gaze from the white expanse, his breath trembling.
"ah?"
Yao Ruyi missed her target the next moment. Why did His Majesty suddenly stand up? Did he feel pain?
Secretly pleased, she asked, "Your Majesty, does it hurt?"
Gu Huizhou, panting heavily, grabbed an outer robe from the side and quickly put it on. His voice was low and hoarse. "You go to sleep first."
He turned and strode away from the bedchamber.
Yao Ruyi felt he had regained some ground and diligently tidied up the bottles and jars on the bed. He had felt wide awake just moments before, but now he was all alone.
Lying on his golden nanmu bed, he pondered Wang Qianshan's instructions, "Go through the poems and songs..."
"Poetry, lyrics, and songs, today..."
He tilted his head and fell asleep.
Yao Ruyi didn't know when Gu Huizhou returned. He vaguely heard the sound of the door opening and closing, but he couldn't open his eyes. He turned over and fell asleep completely.
"Oh dear, Lord Baili looks terrible. When he saw Lord Han in court this morning, he almost couldn't hold back his laughter. This old servant nearly burst out laughing."
Yao Ruyi listened with great interest and asked, "Was it about yesterday?"
The emperor went to discuss state affairs with the thirteenth and fourteenth emperors. Yao Ruyi did not follow; he and Cui Xiangzhu were chatting happily in the courtyard.
"The 19th Party Congress member's guess was absolutely correct. It happened just yesterday morning."
"Originally, after General Han's wedding, Miss Han Siwen was supposed to continue her journey south to Jiangnan to handle the accumulated affairs of the Chamber of Commerce." The chief eunuch was not very old, and he seemed perfectly at ease sitting with Yao Ruyi.
"General Han and Baili Qingxiao, the eldest son of the Baili family, escorted Miss Han out of the city gate. The common people passing by would only glance at her and not look at her much. But just as Miss Han was about to leave the capital, the second son of the Baili family suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
Cui Xiangzhu scoffed, "He's confessing his feelings to Miss Han in front of passersby."
"Miss Han is a respectable person and did not want to hurt the Second Young Master's feelings, so she spoke in a more tactful way. Who knew that the Second Young Master seemed not to understand what she was saying."
Yao Ruyi hurriedly asked, "What did Baili Wenhan say?" He had seen Baili Wenhan express his love for Han Siwen at Han Jiqing's banquet before, which was not exactly respectable.
"Alas, I can't even bring myself to say what the Second Young Master said."
After hesitating for a long time, as if his words were burning his tongue, Cui Xiangzhu slapped his thigh and said, "He promised Miss Han that if she could marry into the Baili family in the future, he would make her the head of the household. He didn't ask for many children, just two sons within two years."
He also said that Miss Han had secretly expressed her feelings for him years ago, and now that he had taken the initiative to confess his love to her, there was no longer any barrier between them.
Yao Ruyi's face twisted in a grimace. "And then?"
Cui Xiangzhu imitated it perfectly. "General Han's face turned black at that moment. He almost couldn't help but punch the second young master back into his mother's womb, but the eldest young master wouldn't tolerate it. His own younger brother said such shameless things, so he had to consider the reputation of the Baili family."
"He slapped the man so hard that his nose bled profusely, and the servant covered his mouth and took him away."
"Not to mention the Second Young Master's injuries..."
Cui Xiangzhu shook his head, "How can I have children?"
"The people had already formed a circle around her, but Miss Han left without saying a word. In less than an hour, the news spread throughout the capital. It was said that Lord Baili was furious. He lashed the second young master several times with his sword, almost knocking him unconscious."
"The Second Young Master has been kept in confinement for quite some time now, so as not to embarrass himself when he comes out."
Yao Ruyi laughed heartily. Baili Wenhan had been acting without thinking lately, and he was no match for the eldest son of the Baili family who had been frequently going out recently.
"Hmm, it's time to lock it up for a while."
After the two finished speaking, the door on the other side opened, and two more people that Yao Ruyi didn't recognize came out.
It's not that he didn't recognize them; after all, one of them looked somewhat familiar to him, like Fifteen.
Thirteen and Fourteen led the two men over. Thirteen waved to Yao Ruyi, "Come and meet us, we're all brothers."
"Fifteen, sixteen."
After saying that, he introduced Yao Ruyi to the two of them, "Our Nineteen is really something!"
Fifteen nodded, while Sixteen waved enthusiastically, "Little Nineteen, hello."
Yao Ruyi smiled and said, "Hello."
The two said goodbye and left. Yao Ruyi asked Thirteen and Fourteen, "Did something happen?"
Fourteen's expression was grave. "A letter has arrived from Jiangnan. The matter of provisions is not solely the responsibility of the magistrate of Jiangzhou County."
"A message came from Jiangnan on the 16th that Lord Lan and Lord Xu have entered Jiangzhou City and discovered something amiss."
————————
Today's portion was too short.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com