Luminous Pearl 9
When Xiao Congzhi woke up in the early morning, he felt weak all over and his throat was burning.
Xiao Congzhi took two deep breaths and slapped his back twice.
In fact, Xie Mowen had woken up long ago, but he was too lazy to move. When he was hit, he just tightened his arms and held Xiao Congzhi even tighter.
...
"Ugh..." Xiao Congzhi groaned softly from his throat, and after recovering, he cursed in a hoarse voice, "That's really too much."
Last night, Xie Mowen clung to him three times, each time very forcefully, and no matter how much he begged for mercy, it was no use.
Xie Mowen looked at Xiao Congzhi and smiled. He had held back for the past few days, but he couldn't stop yesterday.
He said contentedly, "Yes, let me hold you for a while."
Xiao Congzhi relaxed, feeling comfortable in Xie Mowen's warm embrace. He drifted off to sleep again, still holding the blanket.
Xie Mowen understood that Xiao Congzhi was truly exhausted. Feeling somewhat guilty, he fetched hot water and cleaned him up. Then, suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly left Zichen Palace.
Physician Xu of the Imperial Medical Academy was peacefully grinding medicine when someone suddenly barged into the room.
Upon closer inspection, isn't this His Majesty's male favorite?
Physician Xu had met Xie Mowen, but he didn't know exactly how Xie Mowen was dealt with after His Majesty fell into a coma. At present, Physician Xu guessed that Xie Mowen had been restored to his favor, which was truly remarkable.
"I don't know..." Physician Xu suddenly realized that he didn't know the man's name.
Xie Mowen quickly said, "Physician Xu, you don't need to be so polite. I came here because I wasn't feeling well."
Physician Xu did not initially have any ulterior motives.
Because Xie Mowen looked very healthy, Physician Xu even reached out to take his pulse. However, Xie Mowen immediately dodged, and then stammered, "No, I just feel uncomfortable somewhere."
Xie Mowen felt that if he wanted to cover it up, so be it. Physician Xu had been in the palace for decades; he should know what was going on. He couldn't very well let him come here and tell him that he had slept with the Emperor last night and was now asking what medicine he should take afterwards!
But Physician Xu was a frank and straightforward person, and asked directly, "Young Master, you are not in a lower position, so what is bothering you?"
Then, a sudden realization struck him, and he asked in alarm, "Is His Majesty unwell?"
Xie Mowen: ………
However, now that the matter was out in the open, Xie Mowen no longer tried to hide anything and frankly said, "I don't feel unwell, but I heard that I need to take some medicine?"
Physician Xu was furious when he saw that this person knew nothing, yet dared to... dared to... He launched into a tirade, giving Xie Mowen a thorough lecture, going over all the precautions, leaving no detail unattended.
Xie Mowen was listening and taking notes when suddenly he asked, "What? It can cause a fever if it's not cleaned up in time?"
"Yes!!" Physician Xu replied, his heart trembling.
I stayed up too late last night and fell asleep right away. This morning I was sticky again, because I didn't clean it up in time.
Just as I was getting worried, I heard a noise at the door.
A young eunuch from the Zichen Palace, sweating slightly, hurriedly called into the room, "Imperial Physician, His Majesty has a fever this morning."
Physician Xu was taken aback. He glanced at Xie Mowen and then, with trembling hands, began to pack up his medicine box.
Xie Mowen was also very worried. He was frightened by what Physician Xu said and became very obedient, following Physician Xu back to Zichen Palace.
On the way, Xie Mowen remembered the Imperial Guards' duty and sent the little eunuch to deliver a message to Commander Yan.
After the young eunuch left, and with no one around, Physician Xu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Young Master..."
"Mo".
Physician Xu nodded and said, "Young Master Mo, His Majesty is the Son of Heaven and should never submit to another man."
Xie Mowen did not answer, as he felt that Physician Xu had something left unsaid.
"The monarch of the world is above all others, and his status is extremely noble. Although I do not know how Young Master Mo and His Majesty made this decision, it is very inappropriate. Now that Prime Minister Jiang is in power, real power has been lost, but His Majesty will always be the supreme ruler of the dynasty."
Imperial Physician Xu sighed deeply: "If this old minister is to speak with a bit of seniority, it is because I have watched Your Majesty grow up and I do not wish Your Majesty to suffer because of Prime Minister Jiang."
"Is Physician Xu afraid that His Majesty will give up on himself because he is powerless to wield power?"
Physician Xu did not respond, which was an admission of consent.
“He’s not that kind of person,” Xie Mowen said crisply.
Physician Xu looked at Xie Mowen in surprise, realizing for the first time that this male favorite also possessed the aura of someone in a high position.
Xie Mowen continued, "I won't say much about matters of the bedchamber. But neither he nor I have any contemptuous intentions, so Physician Xu can rest assured."
When they returned to the Zichen Palace, Ge Yun and a group of palace maids who had been serving him were already back and were busy attending to Xiao Congzhi.
Xiao Congzhi leaned against the headboard. Judging from his complexion, there didn't seem to be any major problem, only a slight pallor.
Xie Mowen still felt sorry for him and a little guilty. Xiao Congzhi beckoned him over, and he went over, squatted down on the edge of the bed, took Xiao Congzhi's hand, lowered his head, and remained silent.
Seeing the pain in his eyes, Physician Xu dutifully reached out to take the patient's pulse.
This is clearly a case of excessive indulgence!
But he said, "Your Majesty has caught a cold. Did you open the window last night?"
It's the height of summer now, and even if the nights are slightly cool, it's not easy to catch a cold unless you're sweating.
That's a question that's both direct and tactful.
Xiao Congzhi had no choice but to reply, "Yes."
"It's alright. I will prepare a prescription, and you will be fully recovered in less than three days."
"Thank you for your help, Physician Xu."
With too many bystanders, Physician Xu couldn't say much, only glancing towards Xie Mowen.
Xiao Congzhi smiled wearily and waved gently at Physician Xu.
Physician Xu sighed inwardly and resignedly went to the low table next to him to write the prescription.
After Physician Xu left, the palace maid took the prescription to prepare the medicine, and Ge Yun was busy going to inform the Empress Dowager. The number of people in the room gradually decreased, and Xiao Congzhi took the opportunity to send away a few people who were left to do nothing.
Xie Mowen then stirred slightly, gently rubbing Xiao Congzhi's hand, and asked guiltily, "Does it hurt?"
"I have a low-grade fever, I don't feel unwell, I'm just tired. I was just woken up by Ge Yun, otherwise I could have slept a little longer."
"It was my fault."
"Now you're behaving yourself. You went to see Physician Xu?"
"Okay. I understand much better now, and I won't do it again."
Xiao Congzhi lowered his head and rubbed his chin against Xie Mowen's head, chuckling softly, "Just stop bothering me."
Xie Mowen got up and hugged Xiao Congzhi tightly, touching Xiao Congzhi's still warm forehead, his face full of bitterness.
"Shouldn't you be on duty with the Imperial Guard?"
"I sent a eunuch to tell Commander Yan that I won't be going this morning."
"..." Xiao Congzhi felt that something was wrong, but at the moment, he still wanted to be held, so he didn't delve into it. Instead, he buried his face in Xie Mowen's arms, smelling the familiar and favorite scent, and closed his eyes in peace.
Xie Mowen adjusted his sitting position to make Xiao Congzhi more comfortable, and even used his hand to lift Xiao Congzhi's neck, patting it slowly as if to lull him to sleep.
After a long silence, Xie Mowen suddenly asked.
"Although Physician Xu said it was a cold, the Empress Dowager won't suspect anything, will she?"
Xiao Congzhi was not asleep. Upon hearing this, he lazily replied, "I've been completely infatuated with you lately. The Empress Dowager isn't blind, otherwise why would you expect me to agree to the selection of concubines a while ago?"
"..."
"It's all just a matter of the bedroom, so Madam Jiang won't really care."
"Um."
"But there's no guarantee that the Empress Dowager won't turn against you, so be careful these next few days."
“…”
Xie Mowen had lunch with Xiao Congzhi before returning to his post at the Imperial Guard. Only then did he discover that rumors were already flying everywhere.
"Have you heard? That new guy actually went to serve the emperor last night."
"What? You don't know? That person was originally in Xuanhe Palace."
"Ah? Is it that male concubine? I remember he was brought back from Liuyuan Pavilion."
"Yes, yes, wasn't there a rumor back then that His Majesty wanted to spend 25,000 taels of silver to redeem someone from prostitution?"
"He's a male prostitute?"
"It's not for redeeming her; the money is just for buying her virginity."
"How come I heard that His Majesty encountered this while traveling the world?"
"It makes no difference; in short, he went to serve the emperor again last night."
"Your Majesty has been indulging in excessive sexual activity, and he developed a fever this morning."
"true and false?"
"How could this be false? The imperial physicians have all gone and said it was just a case of catching a cold."
"On such a hot day..."
"You don't understand. You sweat easily during sex, and you're more likely to catch a cold if you get a chill."
"Um... I remember his surname is Mo, right? What about him?"
"His Majesty is ill, how can he get out of bed! He took leave this morning, and the one who came to see Commander Yan was a eunuch from the Zichen Palace."
Upon hearing this, Xie Mowen was at a loss as to whether to advance or retreat.
"Hey, do you think we should be punished for causing His Majesty to have a fever?"
"His Majesty is so infatuated with her that he would never punish her."
"Wait, the man who was arranged to be with us also had a beautiful face, could he also be..."
"That's hard to say, but if His Majesty wants male concubines, why can't he put them in the harem? Why does he insist on putting them in the Imperial Guards!"
"Why does the Imperial Guard have so many effeminate women who use their looks to please others?"
"It's probably because of the Empress Dowager. If she finds out, she'll probably say something."
Xie Mowen, with genuine feelings and a sense of self-interest, believes that taking leave this afternoon is a wise move.
Thinking this, Xie Mowen took heavy steps, intending to return to Zichen Palace to keep Xiao Congzhi company, but was stopped by Xiao Sizhao.
Xiao Sizhao looked quite smart in his Imperial Guard uniform, but his brows and eyes were full of worry.
When Xie Mowen heard the rumors and misunderstood them, he said, "You don't need to worry about those idle gossips."
"But is what they're saying true? Did you really sleep with me last night?"
"..." Xie Mowen thought this person was Xiao Congzhi's cousin, pursed his lips and nodded slightly.
Suddenly, Xiao Sizhao's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Then can you take me to see His Majesty?"
"?" Xie Mowen thought for a moment and asked, "Do you hope to persuade His Majesty to assume personal rule?"
Xiao Sizhao nodded vigorously: "Yes!"
Xie Mowen wondered why so many people were trying to persuade Xiao Congzhi to take power. Could this be the true Son of Heaven, the inevitable trend of the times?
Although it appears to be constrained by the Jiang clan, the situation is becoming increasingly clear.
“I will ask His Majesty about this matter first. But Xiao Sizhao, if His Majesty has the ability to rule personally, he will certainly do so. If not, it is not possible for others to create a wise ruler for all ages with just a few words. Otherwise, what is the difference between you and the Jiang family who control the court?”
After Xie Mowen left, Xiao Sizhao pondered his words for a long time, but still couldn't understand them.
In the past few days, Xie Mowen, Qi Ming, Zhang Hesheng, Sun Rang, Xiao Sizhao and others have been urging Xiao Congzhi to assume personal rule. Although this has fulfilled Xiao Congzhi's wish, these people only think that Xiao Congzhi is a good person who can be persuaded and wants to assist him in implementing his own goals after he assumes personal rule, rather than being impressed by Xiao Congzhi's imperial talent and thus pledging their loyalty.
As Xie Mowen said, in his view, this behavior was no different from that of the Jiang family. This was probably why Xiao Congzhi had not been able to distinguish between truth and falsehood for many years and did not regard these officials as his own people.
When they returned to the Zichen Palace, everyone inside pretended not to see Xie Mowen, keeping their eyes down. Xie Mowen smoothly entered the inner room and saw Xiao Congzhi resting on the bed.
Xiao Congzhi opened his eyes upon hearing the sound and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Xie Mowen walked over, pounced on the bed and hugged Xiao Congzhi, complaining with a hint of grievance: "Now the Imperial Guard is spreading the word that I served you in your palace yesterday, and that you keep male lovers in the Imperial Guard."
Xiao Congzhi was holding Xie Mowen's waist with one hand and supporting his hair with the other. Upon hearing this, he realized what had been bothering him earlier.
"Then it's probably spread throughout the entire palace."
"..."
Xiao Congzhi gently patted the head nestled against his neck and said, "This is my fault."
"Hmm~" Xie Mowen responded, reached out and hugged Xiao Congzhi, turned over and lay down on his side, then pulled Xiao Congzhi's head to his chest, "Your cousin said he wants to see you and advises you to take charge of the government."
"There's no need for another person to try and persuade me."
"Then I'll find a reason to refuse later."
"Um."
As Xiao Congzhi listened to Xie Mowen's heartbeat, a wave of weariness washed over him, and his breathing gradually calmed down.
Meanwhile, in the Empress Dowager's palace, Jiang Yangze finished discussing matters in the court and came to sit with the Empress Dowager for a while.
Jiang Yangze: "What exactly happened? It's all over the previous dynasty!"
The Empress Dowager chuckled lightly: "I don't know what kind of bewitching potion that male vixen gave the Emperor. My men saw that male favorite in the Imperial Guard earlier yesterday. When asked, they said it was arranged by Yan Hong, but Yan Hong insisted that it was just someone who looked similar."
"It's just a cover-up! The emperor asked Yan Hong to arrange for his male favorite to be placed in the position."
“I think that when the emperor suddenly fell into a coma, this male favorite went to the Ministry of Justice and was then arranged to return to the harem. The emperor would be afraid that I would do something about it.”
Jiang Yangze sneered: "Arranging for him to join the Imperial Guard, I can't believe he even thought of that."
"The Right Army of the Imperial Guard can be considered a loyal minister, and he had no other choice but to do this."
Jiang Yangze: "What's going on with Sun Rang? He went to Zichen Palace last night?"
“The fact that Prince Rong went with him is probably related to that male favorite. After all, Sun Rang is an extremely rigid person, and it’s not easy for him to release someone from the Ministry of Justice.”
"Then Prince Rong went to act as an intermediary. The Emperor really cares about that male favorite."
"That's right. Last night, I dismissed the palace maids so I could have a secret rendezvous with my male lover. I played too much and didn't close the window. I even had a fever this morning."
"Ridiculous! But I do like his wasting his life, but it's not right for him to be constantly involved with men. I heard he even planted a man in the Imperial Guard?"
"Father, don't worry too much. The Emperor has been acting unusually excessively these past few days, probably because we went too far in our conversations. He's feeling stifled and needs to vent. He's probably looking for men for that reason."
"But you still need to keep the matter of having offspring in mind."
"Of course, my daughter is already making arrangements for the talent show after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Um…."
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