I was dark and he couldn’t see but Jiang Xing could imagine what kind of expression Lin Qingyu had on right now. He got up and lit the lamp. The light penetrated the gauze curtain, illuminating the dragon bed a warm pale yellow.
Jiang Xing sat down on the bed with his legs apart He pulled Lin Qingyu out of the quilt and carefully scrutinized the other’s expression. Just as he imagined, he was looking helpless and at a loss. He put Lin Qingyu on his lap and wrapped his arms around him from behind. He said, “Of course, you can. You can love me as much as you want and how much that is is exactly as much as I want.”
Lin Qingyu lowered his eyes and said, “If the way Heaven deals retribution onto me is to by making the one I love suffer…”
“If that were the case, why does Heaven keep giving me a chance to come back from the dead? Wouldn’t it be better to simply make me stay dead?”
What Jiang Xing said made some sense but Lin Qingyu was still worried. He said, plagued by lingering fear, “Maybe if I’m any worse, they really will take you away.”
“They? Who’s ‘they’?”
“I don’t know.” Lin Qingyu murmured, “They can’t get to me so they bully you. Because they know that this is the best way to torture me.”
“You have to think about it from another angle. ‘They’ just can’t bear to see you suffer, so they keep sending me back again and again. Last time I was sent to the Northwest and you were miserable for half a year. This time, they let me return to the city immediately after I died and I was able to find you as soon as I woke up.” It was as though Jiang Xing had woken up from a dream, “My God, Qingyu, you are a beauty of fortune favored by Heaven!”
Lin Qingyu asked again, “Why would they favor me?”
Jiang Xing pretended to think, “Maybe it’s because you found the antidote to the epidemic a few years ago?”
Lin Qingyu shook his head. “I can’t claim credit for that by myself.”
“You’ve done enough.” Jiang Xing told him, “Better than most people.”
Lin Qingyu smiled, as if he had been coaxed into feeling a little better.
Jiang Xing breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as he relaxed, he started to feel sleepy again. “Besides, the National Teacher said that Xiao Li’s body is my original body in the Dayu. The first two don’t fit me and the soul wasn’t a match for the body. Naturally, it couldn’t have lasted long. I just had to die twice more to get back to my actual body. What does this have to do with you?”
Lin Qingyu thought for a long time but still decided in the end, “Regardless, I will do less bad things in the future.”
“Don’t, Baobei. Do what you want to do. If you change yourself for our relationship then that’ll make me a scumbag.”
Jiang Xing knew Lin Qingyu too well and Lin Qingyu’s malice would never arise for no reason. He didn’t need Lin Qingyu to suppress his instincts. Rather, he needed all these other idiots to mind their own business and stop messing with his wife.
Lin Qingyu looked back at him and asked, “Then if other people still come to provoke you and I in the future, can I still do bad things to them?”
“Of course, you can. You can do whatever bad things you want to them.” Jiang Xing put his chin on Lin Qingyu’s shoulder, narrowed his eyes and said, “Even as a sickly invalid like Lu Wancheng I was able to take care of the aftermath for you. Now that I am sitting upon the imperial throne, why shouldn’t you be allowed to play around as you please? Baobei, do not worry, I’ll take care of it if something goes wrong.”
Lin Qingyu laughed. “I am a powerful minister and you are a puppet monarch. What are you talking about ‘taking care’ of things for me?”
Jiang Xing did his best to hold back his sleepiness and patiently explained, “If even an idiot like Xiao Jie could get Cui Lian and the Tianji Camp to be loyal to him just by sitting on the dragon throne, just imagine what I can do. There are so many things that I can do now by virtue of this position.”
Jiang Xing always knew how to make him feel at ease. Lin Qingyu’s heart settled down and he said, “It’s getting late. I’ll go back to the side hall to sleep.”
Jiang Xing was so sleepy that he hugged Lin Qingyu and threw them back together onto the bed. “You’re here already so why go?”
Lin Qingyu hesitated. “If tomorrow the eunuch who comes in to serve you in the morning sees…”
“It’s alright, the only one who waits on me in the mornings is Xiao Songzi.”
Lin Qingyu also didn’t want to be separated from Jiang Xing. So he found a comfortable position in his arms, curled up in a ball and fell asleep.
The next day, Xiao Songzi came in to serve His Majesty as usual. He was surprised to find that the Emperor was already up. What shocked him even more was that there was a figure behind the bed’s curtain canopy.
“Your Ma-…”
Jiang Xing raised his finger to his lips. “Shhhh.”
Xiao Songzi covered his mouth. He stared and shook his head as if to say that he didn’t see anything. When the two proceeded to the outer hall, Jiang Xing asked, “Where did Master Lin go after presiding over General Gu’s funeral yesterday?”
Xiao Songzi said, “Master Lin took Wu Guogong, General Shi, General Wu as well as Shen Gongzi to Dali Temple.”
Taking the generals and Shen Huaishi to Dali Temple must have been to discuss the matter regarding the robbery of the provisions from Jiangnan. So, that was the reason why he had to put in so much effort to get Lin Qingyu back to normal? A few words from Xi Rong had agitated Lin Qingyu so much that he couldn’t sleep and so he threw himself into his arms for comfort?
Hmph, that needs to be taken care of.
Jiang Xing put on his dragon robe and said, “Go and call Shen Huaishi.”
Shen Huaishi has not yet arrived when Xu Junyuan came asking to see him. He came to ask Jiang Xing for his leave.
“Now that the Emperor has trustworthy people around him, His Majesty has no need for this minister. The clamors in the palace is not conducive to my spiritual cultivation. I would like to return to Changsheng Temple and devote myself to praying for the Dayu and the emperor.”
Jiang Xing said, “You came just in time. Zhen has something to ask you. According to what you said, I am now using my own original body. My soul shouldn’t go running around anymore, correct?”
Xu Junyuan nodded and said, “Replying to the Emperor, yes, it’s shouldn’t.”
Jiang Xing had said the same to Lin Qingyu but Lin Qingyu still got worked up over nothing. Psychological problems sometimes needed external support. Maybe a physical reassurance could be effective in giving Lin Qingyu some peace of mind.”
“Do you have maybe a ‘Soul-settling Jade’ or something like that?”
“Soul-settling Jade’? Xu Junyuan wondered, “What is that?”
In other words, there wasn’t any such thing. Jiang Xing looked Xu Junyuan up and down, his gaze zeroing in on the jade pendant around his waist. “That.”
At this moment, Xiao Songzi brought in Shen Huaishi. “Your Majesty, Shen Gongzi is here.”
Shen Huaishi has known the true identity of the emperor for some time. After digesting this information for so long, he could now, with much difficulty, reconcile the Gu Fuzhou he knew with this young emperor in front of him. This was also due to the fact that Jiang Xing’s personality was simply too distinct, especially during time when he made no effect to hide it. You would not be able to find another in this world that gave off the same feeling.
Shen Huaishi was about to kneel down to salute when he heard the emperor say, “You don’t need to be polite in front of me. I heard that Master Lin took you to Dali Temple yesterday.”
Shen Huaishi nodded. “Yes.”
“Did he say how Xi Rong was going to be dealt with?”
“Master Lin left the matter to us. General Wu means to let him experience Dayu’s torture.”
Jiang Xing disagreed, “Xi Rong can endure even waterboarding. How can everything else compare to that? When dealing with a person like him, attacking the heart is the best strategy.”
Shen Huaishi asked, “What does His Majesty have in mind?”
Jiang Xing smiled and said, “Nothing brilliant but you might wish to consider it. For example, you could take Xi Rong to Jinyang Garden and —” Jiang Xing paused, “have him commit suicide.”
Xu Junyuan was curious, “Why Jinyang Garden?”
Jiang Xing said casually, “The scenery there is beautiful.”
When Xu Junyuan understood, he couldn’t help being quite surprised. This was not like Jiang Gongzi’s style. This was more like something Lin Qingyu would do.
Come to think of it, Jiang Gongzi was gradually adapting to his new identity.
The so-called Imperial throne encompassed all under heaven. The emperor held power over everyone, all were within his mind.
Hearing movement in the hall, Jiang Xing waved the two of them back.
Lin Qingyu was tying up his hair when he saw Jiang Xing come in. He asked, “I missed morning court. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Jiang Xing said, “I just woke up too. I have something to show you.”
“What is it?”
Jiang Xing opened his hand and a jade pendant tied with a palace sash hung from his finger. “This is the legendary Soul-settling Jade.”
Lin Qingyu was suspicious, “‘Soul-settling Jade’?”
“With this, my soul will be firmly attached to this body and it won’t go flying around the Dayu ever again.” Jiang Xing was making it up, “I heard from Xu Junyuan that this was made from a piece of jade found at the very top of Kunlun Mountain. A piece of spirit stone, nourished by the aura of heaven and earth has become a spiritual…”
Lin Qingyu: “…”
He had just mentioned this matter last night and Xu Junyuan already took the initiative to send this over? How could there be such a coincidence? But Jiang Xing was trying so hard to appease him that he didn’t want to disappoint Jiang Xing.
Lin Qingyu chuckled softly, “I see. I feel very relieved.”
A few days later, news came from Jinyang Garden. Xi Rong refused to comply with the order. He refused to hang himself in the garden. After dragging on for an hour, his throat was sliced by Shi Pei’s sword. Blood flowed from his mouth and neck, soaking the ground, even the peach blossoms in the garden seemed a little more delicate and charming.
It was said that before he died, he had only one request, “A’Jie, don’t look.”
The day after Xi Rong’s death, Xiao Jie too went mad. It might not be quite accurate to use the word ‘mad’. He made no fuss nor did he have any violent outburst. However, his eyes lost their luster. He uttered not a word, leaving himself to the mercy of others. Just like how Xiao Li was before, it seemed as though nothing but a delicate shell remained.
After Lin Qingyu learned of this, he asked Xiao Songzi to send a bottle of medicine to Xiao Jie. Jiang Xing asked him, “Is Master Lin going to do something bad, or is he going to do something good?”
Lin Qingyu smiled lightly. “Your Majesty is free to venture a guess.”
In March, the grass grew and the warblers flew. The spring blossoms flourished. This long winter was finally over.
Under the tireless teaching of the Empress Dowager, although His Majesty still didn’t talk much, his words have become more and more fluent.
Ordinary princes, once they learned to speak, moved on to learning hw to recognize characters, followed by the Four Books and the Five Classics, then historical studies and policy discussions. The Empress Dowager devoted herself to the cultivation of His Majesty and seldom intervened in government affairs. Lin Qingyu was left alone with his trusted aides to drag this slacker emperor’s country forward. Finally, he pushed onto the position of prime minister.
Lin Qingyu has never passed the government examination. A mere imperial physician was unexpectedly able to become the head of a hundred offices at this day and age. Some people say that he got to where he was now by treading on two dead husbands. Some people say, his methods were superb and wondered what sort of potion he had fed the previous emperor and the empress dowager. And still others disagreed, persisting in their belief that Lin Qingyu had relied on his face.
However, no matter how unpleasant the things people said in private, they still had to respectfully address him as ‘Prime Minister Lin’.
On this day, Lin Qingyu happened to pass by the Imperial Hospital and he saw many new faces. These people were all medical officers who had just entered the palace and some of them seemed to be about the same age as he was when he entered the palace.
A medical officer was walking along, frowning and lost in thought. Who knows what he was thinking, when his acupuncture bag fell to the ground, he did not even notice. Lin Qingyu bent down and picked it up. He said, “Stop.”
The medical officer turned his head when he heard this. He was met with the sight of a crane embroidered on an indigo uniform of office. Above that was a beautiful and fierce face.
The medical officer was stunned and only returned to his senses when he heard the eunuch cough. He hurriedly knelt down and said, “Gre-greetings to the Prime Minister.”
In this palace, there was only one person who could have such a beautiful face wearing a crane-embroidered official uniform.
Lin Qingyu looked at the acupuncture bag for a while and then returned it. The medical officer was overwhelmed by this favor from a superior and took it with trembling handds. Blushing, he said, “Thank you, Prime Minister.”
Lin Qingyu was momentarily dazed. He said, “You best be on your way.”
Sure enough, compared to handling government affairs, he still preferred the art of healing and cultivating Gu. Unfortunately, since Xiao Jie ascended the throne, he has not had time to do the things he likes.
When Lin Qingyu returned to Xingqing Palace, he felt inexplicably tired when he saw the mountain of scrolls on the table. He forced himself to open one of them, a report from Wu Youyuan from the Northwest. According to the report, the Northwest Army had successfully captured a large city in Xixia. This was the first city in the southeast of Xixia, with a population of tens of thousands. They didn’t want to hurt the surrendered soldiers and civilians, but Xixia’s surrendered soldiers secretly colluded with the civilians, causing no end of trouble for the Northwest Garrison.
Wu Youyuan was proficient in the art of war and quickly matured into his role as a general after Gu Fuzhou’s death. However, he didn’t know the first thing about governing a country. He could easily capture a city, but he didn’t know how to govern one.
Lin Qingyu picked up his brush and was about to evaluate the matter, when a voice came from outside, “The Emperor returns to the palace—”
Jiang Xing waved away the others and complained, “I finally got free from Ci’an Palace — what are you doing?”
Lin Qingyu’s tone was cool, “What else?”
Jiang Xing keenly noticed the grievance in Lin Qingyu’s tone. He walked behind Lin Qingyu and said, eagerly-attentive, “Your Excellency, you have worked hard. Shall I give you a shoulder massage?”
Lin Qingyu didn’t stop Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing massaged his shoulders just right, relieving a little bit of his fatigue. After a while, he said, “My legs are also sore.”
Jiang Xing pushed away the scrolls, freeing up a small space on the table. He carried Lin Qingyu onto it so that he could wait on him.
Under Jiang Xing’s careful ministration, the beautiful prime minister was touched everywhere. Even Lin Qingyu’s official uniform was massaged into disarray. Jiang Xing, who was still a hot-blooded young man, inevitably started to feel a little frisky. He asked politely, “Qingyu, can you spare some time for me to take advantage of you?”
Lin Qingyu hadn’t been in any mood to handle official matters in the first place. And so, he stretched out his hand and asked, “And how do you plan to take advantage?”
Jiang Xing’s breathing tightened and he said with a smile, “Lord Prime Minister, you’re getting Zhen painfully hard.”
Lin Qingyu said regrettably, “However, this minister still has a mountain of report to get through.”
“It’s fine, I’ll help you look through them later.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t believe it. “You know how to?”
Jiang Xing said absent-mindedly, “I can give it a try.”
Ever since Lin Qingyu begun attending court and overseeing government affairs, he held a brush every day. A thin layer of calluses had formed on the pads of his fingertips. Jiang Xing couldn’t bear it anymore and asked, “Qingyu, the ointment you gave me last time…”
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes. “Do I look like someone who carries that sort of thing on me? You didn’t want it when it when I gave it to you last time and now it’s gone. You’re too late.”
Jiang Xing just smiled. “You don’t need to carry it. In the future, I’ll carry it with me. If it’s gone, it’s fine. Forget it, let’s play something else this time.” Saying that, he bowed his head again, closing in on him.
Lin Qingyu’s eyes widened and his voice trembled, “You…”
He didn’t know where to put his hands and accidentally knocked against the scroll beside him. The piled up scrolls suddenly toppled over and scattered all over the ground.
Jiang Xing found the table too inconvenient, so he carried Lin Qingyu to the bed. It was warm within the lotus canopy and sweet fragrance suffused the air.
By the time Lin Qingyu got down from the dragon bed, it was already late. Afterwards, Jiang Xing pestered him into taking a nap and thus passed the entire day. Thinking of the piles of things waiting for him to deal with, Lin Qingyu felt a little regretful. He shouldn’t have put off handling business to do improper things with this ‘incapable ruler’ in broad daylight. He was afraid he was going to have to work through the night once again.
Lin Qingyu returned to the desk, only to see that the scrolls that had fallen had been picked up at some point and placed neatly on the desk.
Whenever he was in the same palace as Jiang Xing, the servants dared not enter without permission — So, did Jiang Xing take care of it?
Lin Qingyu opened Wu Youyuan’s report. Inside were three words written in his handwriting: divide and conquer.
He turned to a certain someone completely passed out on the bed. He turned thoughtful.
Jiang Xing has been salted fish for too long. It was time to drag him to handle serious matters.
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