Chapter 6 Mushroom's Silence: The mushroom went back to its flowerpot and secluded itself to reflect on its past.
Yao Ruyi sat on the emperor's chest, staring blankly for a long time, before finally having to admit a fact. He had absorbed too much of the emperor's blood, which greatly increased his cultivation level, causing him to lose control of his strength.
I accidentally healed the wound.
The mushroom remained silent; the mushroom was at a loss.
Mushroom could only silently help Gu Huizhou put on his clothes before returning to her flowerpot to reflect on her actions.
Early the next morning.
Cui Xiangzhu was also unclear about what had happened. He only knew that his emperor had stayed in the palace for an extra half hour for some reason and wouldn't let anyone in to serve him, which made him very anxious.
"Oh dear! What trouble has Your Majesty gotten into this time!"
Cui Xiangzhu paced anxiously, but he dared not push the door open; he only had one head and he had to protect it.
Inside the hall.
Gu Huizhou stood before the bronze mirror, his robes loose. He held medicine in his left hand and tugged at his robes in silence. His expression was unreadable; he simply stared intently at his reflection.
He looked in the mirror, then looked down at his lower abdomen.
Gu Huizhou: "..."
Gu Huizhou's gaze lingered on the medicine bottle in his hand. He wasn't confident enough to believe that the medicine had become more effective. Unusually, a look of confusion and bewilderment appeared in the man's eyes.
After a long while, Gu Huizhou put on his robes and summoned the palace servants outside the door.
Overjoyed, Cui Xiangzhu wept, his eyes brimming with tears as he walked at the front. "Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with your health? This servant will summon the imperial physician to examine Your Majesty!"
He also knew that his emperor liked to concoct elixirs, and that countless emperors throughout history had died from taking them, and no one could say for sure how effective they were...
Gu Huizhou remained silent, and Cui Xiangzhu knew that his words had been wasted again. He sighed inwardly and began to busy himself with the preparations. When he saw that only one piece of pastry remained on the plate, he finally smiled.
"If Your Majesty likes these pastries, this servant will order more to be made and sent to Your Majesty. This is a new chef from Jiangnan who recently arrived."
pastry?
Gu Huizhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw that on the table by the window, there was only one plum blossom pastry left in the jade dish. His gaze lingered for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Cui Xiangzhu had brought a whole plate of six pastries neatly arranged on it last night.
Watching the palace servants adjust his robes, Gu Huizhou carefully examined the bedchamber, his eyes narrowing as he scanned every corner. There were no signs of anyone entering. Besides, if someone had really come in, it was impossible for Thirteen and Fourteen not to have noticed.
He couldn't have been completely unaware.
After the palace servants had left, Gu Huizhou had seen enough. He strolled to the soft couch by the window and slowly sat down. He reached out and touched the orange-red cap of the mushroom; he vaguely remembered that this mushroom had been planted in the very center of a flowerpot.
Why are you on the side now?
A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Could it be some deity descended to earth to heal my wounds, and then casually ate some of my tea and snacks and even moved my mushrooms?"
He looked at the mushroom and spoke slowly, a smile playing on his lips. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was a young master discussing poetry and painting with someone.
Yao Ruyi froze, not daring to utter a sound.
He maintained this state until the emperor returned from his morning court session. As dawn broke, a ray of sunlight streamed through the window onto him. The sound of footsteps grew clearer as they approached. Was the emperor angry again?
Mushroom shifted his position, getting closer to the edge so he could touch the porcelain basin. Although he wasn't afraid of the cold, it was still quite chilly to lean against it in the winter.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Cui Xiangzhu followed behind, breathing heavily. He was almost two heads shorter than Gu Huizhou, who walked incredibly fast when he got angry, so Cui Xiangzhu could only jog to keep up.
Gu Huizhou sat down on the soft couch, picked up the cup of sake on the table and drank it all in one gulp. His rather bewitching eyes slightly raised, Gu Huizhou said coldly, "Tell me, should I just kill him?"
Cui Xiangzhu was sweating profusely, and could only nod and agree with what the emperor said. He only dared to think this to himself; if he were the emperor, he would be angry too.
Oh dear! What kind of mess has General Liang made!
"When I sent Huayu to the General's mansion, the guards there said that General Liang hadn't returned home after the morning court session. So the eunuch settled Huayu in the mansion. I never expected that General Liang would actually..."
He actually claimed to be sick and asked for leave!
Gu Huizhou's temper had calmed down considerably by this time. He picked up his wine glass and swirled it. "Liang He went to the brothel early this morning and even sent a message through the steward to ask for leave from me."
"Why don't I pass this throne to him?" After careful consideration, "Perhaps Liang Chengfeng, the eldest son of the Liang family, is also capable of shouldering this important responsibility."
Cui Xiangzhu was dizzy and confused. He simply didn't understand what this person was doing. He could have just charged him with deceiving the emperor.
Finally unable to hold back, he spoke up: "Why doesn't Your Majesty punish him for deceiving the emperor?"
Gu Huizhou didn't speak, but Cui Xiangzhu was stunned for a moment before he figured it out himself.
His Majesty has only been on the throne for two years. It is precisely because of the victory this year that the people are able to eat and dress well, which is why they have spoken a few good words about His Majesty. As early as two years ago, rumors had been circulating among the people that His Majesty was plotting a rebellion and usurping the throne.
Not to mention that Liang He was one of the victorious generals this time, and in the hearts of the people, he was like a god descending from heaven. However, the Liang family has been making moves big and small non-stop lately, and we can't even make a move against them, which is infuriating just thinking about it.
"Your Majesty, please take good care of your health!"
Gu Huizhou waved his hand, "Invite my Grand General from the brothel. I want to discuss the matter of abdication with him."
Gu Huizhou spoke so lightly, but Cui Xiangzhu almost fainted. He quickly retreated, thinking that General Liang was in real trouble this time! With his meager military achievements, he didn't even know if they would be enough to save his life.
It was nearly lunchtime when Liang He, led by Cui Xiangzhu, stood outside the Imperial Study.
"General, please wait. This servant will go in and inform His Majesty."
Liang He nodded, "Thank you, sir."
Gu Huizhou heard the noise outside. He was sitting leisurely on the dragon throne, reading memorials. His other hand occasionally tapped the cap of a mushroom. It was fuzzy and slippery. Gu Huizhou even stopped playing with the string of prayer beads he had been carrying and focused on playing with the mushroom.
If the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital saw this, they would probably be furious. This wasn't just playing with that mushroom; it was practically beating their heads!
Cui Xiangzhu quietly approached Gu Huizhou and whispered, "Your Majesty, General Liang has been brought here."
Gu Huizhou closed the memorial, yawned leisurely, and noticed that it had started snowing outside the window sometime earlier, making the snow from last night even thicker. He leaned to the side and said, "I'm tired."
After saying that, he got up and went to the soft couch on the inside to take a short rest. Soon, a steady breathing sound could be heard.
Cui Xiangzhu was taken aback and could only quietly retreat.
Yao Ruyi was still on the table. Through the window, he clearly heard Cui Xiangzhu and Liang He say, "What a coincidence. His Majesty has retired for the night. General Liang will wait here."
If Yao Ruyi were to transform into human form right now, who knows how wide her grin would be, with the cap of the mushroom swaying slightly from side to side.
As expected of the emperor, controlling a mere general is a piece of cake for him. He listened to Cui Xiangzhu's footsteps fading into the distance outside the window, while Liang He, standing in place, was breathing more and more heavily.
Keep getting angry.
General Liang's breathing was quite soothing. He hadn't slept well all night, filled with anxiety, and now he couldn't hold on any longer. Yao Ruyi found a comfortable position in the flowerpot, warmed herself by the heater, and soon fell asleep.
He was awakened by the sound of two people talking when he woke up again; it seemed that two hours had passed.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"Rise, Liang Aiqing."
Gu Huizhou had just woken up. Yao Ruyi saw that his eyes weren't fully open yet, and he was lazily leaning back on the dragon throne, looking extremely comfortable. Yao Ruyi was envious; she also wanted to sit like that. It must be more comfortable than sitting on the ground.
No one spoke for a long time. Yao Ruyi saw Liang He turn his wrist and Mushroom frowned.
"I heard that General Liang went to the brothel this morning?"
In short, Yao Ruyi noticed his lowered eyes narrow slightly.
"Your Majesty, I was drunk yesterday and felt unwell with a severe headache. Fortunately, I have a friend who lives in a brothel year-round. He is most skilled at brewing hangover remedies and is well-known in the capital."
"I have a terrible headache and don't want to miss tomorrow's morning court session. So I went to the brothel to find medicine myself."
Gu Huizhou asked thoughtfully, "Is the general's headache any better now?"
"Your Majesty, I am now out of danger."
"Aside from being completely cold, there shouldn't be anything wrong," Yao Ruyi thought to himself. He had just seen the general shivering, and even his eyelashes that had just thawed from the ice.
"Great, that's wonderful."
Gu Huizhou laughed a few times, "Liang Aiqing, look, it's a good thing I summoned you to the palace, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to hear the reason for this matter, and I'm afraid I would have punished you for deceiving the emperor."
A moment of solemnity flashed across Liang He's face. He stiffened for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your subject dares not."
Gu Huizhou nodded, "Of course I know. By the way, I saw yesterday that you were quite fond of that palace maid, and I had someone send her to your residence early yesterday morning. Minister Liang, you should go back now. I think that palace maid has been admiring the general for a long time."
Liang He smiled politely, but couldn't hide the disdain in his eyes. He bowed respectfully to Gu Huizhou, then turned and walked out stiffly.
Yao Ruyi chuckled inwardly, thinking that he would probably continue to feign illness tomorrow.
Gu Huizhou's smile hadn't faded. He didn't actually have anything to say when he was summoned today, but since others had made him unhappy, he had to retaliate in kind.
Gu Huizhou had a great appetite, and since it was already afternoon, he didn't ask anyone to cook too much.
The imperial kitchen quickly delivered several dishes that Gu Huizhou liked. If they could please the emperor, their situation would be much better.
The room was filled with a delicious aroma, making the mushroom on the table so tempting that it kept wanting to move closer.
Yao Ruyi cleansed his heart for the eighty-eighth time. He is a mushroom, he doesn't need to eat, he is a mushroom, he is a mushroom, he is a mushroom...
He tried to recall their conversation to distract himself from the dishes.
The emperor's last words were all derogatory, without explicitly mentioning it. Other generals who return victorious are married to noblewomen, even princesses. Yet here, the emperor bestowed upon him a palace maid.
That'll probably disgust him for a while. Yao Ruyi thought to herself, "That sentence is so sweet... no, so obvious. Even he can tell, so the general must have realized it immediately too."
Now it seems I don't know whether tomorrow's illness will be from the cold or from the heat.
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Mushroom: Go Tyrant!!! [Blue Heart][Blue Heart][Blue Heart]
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