The day Xiao Jie ascended the throne was an auspicious day. It was also an exceedingly normal autumn day. Lin Qingyu, though he has an official position but because it was only as fifth-rank imperial physician, add to that his status as a male wife, rendered him unqualified to participate in the enthronement ceremony. However, he was still able to stand in the midst of a group of civil servants. To either side of him were the Assistant Minister of Revenue and the Jian Yi Senior Official. Not only that, but he was the youngest among these fifth-rank officials; only twenty years old this year.
Some people said that he was able to stand here because of General Gu’s honor; others believed that Lin Qingyu himself was favored by the new emperor and the empress dowager. Lin Qingyu was allowed to walk freely in the palace, frequently visiting the Qinzheng Palace and Fengyi Palace. It could be seen that this person wasn’t just a simply Imperial Physician. There were rumors in the palace that the new emperor had offered Lin Qingyu his pick of any position he wanted, even jesting that the position of prime minister was open to him. But Lin Qingyu had declined. Lin Qingyu said that he wanted merely to be an imperial physician.
At the announcement that “the emperor has arrived”, all the ministers knelt down and kowtowed. Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou were no exception. The ground was quite hard and Lin Qingyu felt uncomfortable on his knees. The red carpet was spread all the way from the gate of the palace to Zichen Hall. The new emperor walked down the carpet, passing the civil and military officials one by one; finally, setting foot on the long steps to Zichen Hall.
In the Dayu, black was a color to be respected. The dragon robe was mostly black and gold. Pure black inlaid with gold threads, embroidered with a nine-clawed dragon. The hem of the dragon robe was extremely wide, dragging over the long steps, covering the emperor’s feet. Every time the emperor took a step, the ceremonial crown on his head would make a sound, the golden beads colliding.
Following the new emperor was a reserved, androgynous-looking eunuch. This man was dressed connoting his status as the one in charge of the Si Lijian stared fixedly at the emperor’s back. He followed him up the long steps, setting foot into the Zichen Hall and finally making their way towards the throne.
Xiao Jie sat down on the dragon throne. He opened his mouth, said something and the minister of rites said, “All rise—”
Lin Qingyu stood up and looked at the dragon throne from a distance. Though Xiao Jie had donned on the luxurious dragon robe, he was still nothing more than a pretty idiot; not worth mentioning. Lin Qingyu spared him only a glance before focusing on Xi Rong.
It was ridiculous. No matter how much Xi Rong hated his status as a castrate, for Xiao Jie, for power, he had no choice but to once again be a court eunuch. At least, this time he was head of the court eunuchs.
After the enthronement ceremony, Lin Qingyu was about to return to the Mansion with Gu Fuzhou, when he was found by Xiao Songzi, saying that the emperor had invited him to Qinzheng Palace. Lin Qingyu asked, “Say so clearly, was it the Emperor who invited me or Eunuch Xi?”
Xiao Songzi was now the eunuch in charge of serving tea in the Qinzheng Hall, any sign of trouble within Qinzheng Hall would appear right under his nose. “The invitation came from the Emperor,” he said, “Eunuch Xi is busy with the Empress Dowager’s move from Fengyi Palace to Ci’an Palace.”
“Doesn’t seem to be anything serious.” Gu Fuzhou said, “Go ahead, I’ll wait for you in the Imperial Garden.”
Lin Qingyu came to the Qinzheng Hall. Xiao Jie was surrounded by several palace maids, helping him change. Xiao Jie grinned when he saw him. “Imperial Physician Lin, you’re here. Take a seat first. I… Zhen will be finished here soon. Xiao Songzi, serve Imperial Physician Lin some tea.”
After some time, Xiao Jie was back in his regular clothes. He complained, “This dragon robe is really too hard to wear and the ceremonial crown was so heavy, I though it would break my neck.”
Lin Qingyu said: “The dragon robe is heavy so as to reflect the demeanor of the Emperor.”
Xiao Jie was quite self-aware, “But Zhen’s aura isn’t imposing enough. I can’t even wear the dragon robe with enough style. If it were my brother, the Crown Prince… I mean Third Brother, Third Brother would be more suited to wearing something like this.”
Saying something like this in front of an official, in Lin Qingyu’s eyes, Xiao Jie was already the walking definition of “stupid”. No matter how smart Xi Rong maybe, averaging out his intelligence with Xiao Jie, he would be nothing more than half a fool.
“—Or even Sixth Brother.” Xiao Jie kept babbling on, “Imperial Physician Lin, have you seen Zhen’s Sixth Brother?”
Lin Qingyu nodded, “I’ve seen him.”
Xiao Jie said excitedly, “Isn’t he good-looking?”
“En.”
“Zhen has always thought Sixth Brother to be the handsomest young man in the entire world. If I were my Imperial Father, I would definitely not have left him in Jinyang Garden, separating him from his mother for so many years.” Regret appeared on Xiao Jie’s face. “He would be a sight for sore eyes in the palace.”
Lin Qingyu said, “The Empress Dowager has brought the Sixth Prince back to the palace. His Majesty will be able to see him often in the future.” Now that Xiao Jie has ascended to the throne, Xiao Li was no longer merely the Sixth Prince. After getting the Empress Dowager’s approval, he granted Xiao Li the position of Feudal King with the title ‘Huai’.
Hearing these words, Xiao Jie cheered up once again, “Sixth Brother and you as well, you two are the ones I like seeing the most – ah, and A’Rong too.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t have much interest in talking with an idiot. “For what matter has His Majesty sought out this official?”
“Oh, that’s right.” Xiao Jie turned his neck, “Wearing that ceremonial crown the entire day, my neck is now so sore. I heard that you are very proficient in acupuncture. Would you perform acupuncture on me?”
“Excuse me.” Lin Qingyu touched Xiao Jie’s neck, “Does it hurts here?”
Xiao Jie let out a “hiss” and frowned. “Right there!”
Lin Qingyu said, “For ordinary sprains, acupuncture is not necessary. A hot compress will be sufficient.”
Thinking that Gu Fuzhou was still waiting for him, Lin Qingyu did not stay long in the Qinzheng Hall. As he was walking out of Qinzheng Palace, he happened to Xi Rong who was on his way back from Ci’an Palace. Xi Rong maintained and refined and courteous manner. “Greetings, Imperial Physician Lin.”
Lin Qingyu gave a soft reply and headed in the direction of the Imperial Garden. Xi Rong directed a sharp look towards to his back. As soon as he entered the hall, he asked Xiao Jie, “Is something the matter that His Majesty sought out Imperial Physician Lin?”
Xiao Jie had his neck tilted, waiting for Xiao Songzi to apply a hot compress. “Oh, my neck feels sore. Zhen had him take a look at it.”
Xi Rong approached and took the towel from Xiao Songzi. “Leave things here to me. You may all withdraw first.”
When the palace maids and eunuchs retired one after another, Xi Rong put the hot compress on Xiao Jie’s neck for him. “Next time His Majesty feels ill, do not go to Imperial Physician Lin. He is not the only one who has excellent medical skills in the Imperial Hospital.”
Xiao Jie was puzzled. “Why?”
Xi Rong said calmly, “Imperial Physician Lin and General Gu are not loyal to the Emperor.”
Xiao Jie stared at him and said incredulously, “That can’t be!”
“Oh?” Xi Rong’s lips ticked up. “This husband and wife pair was able to support you to the throne, naturally, they also have a way to turn you into the second Xiao Cheng. Otherwise, why would Lin Qingyu want the Empress Dowager holding court behind a curtain? Why would they have Gu Fuzhou in charge of the imperial guards?”
Xiao Jie listened ignorantly, “They’ve helped us so much. It’s only right that we give them something in return.”
Xi Rong was well-aware of Xiao Jie’s character and he knew talking to him was useless. And so, he said, “In any case, His Majesty should heed my words and stay away from Lin Qingyu.”
Xiao Jie felt quite reluctant. “But…”
The strength of Xi Rong’s hand suddenly increased, almost strangling Xiao Jie’s neck. He leaned against Xiao Jie’s ear and said gravely, “Your Majesty, how long have you and Lin Qingyu known each other? And how long have we known each other? Do you want to believe him over me?”
Though someone was already grabbing his neck, Xiao Jie was still completely unaware of the approaching danger. He only knew that Xi Rong seemed angry, so he hurriedly said, “Alright, I promise. I’ll stay away from him in the future. Don’t be angry.”
Gu Fuzhou was hanging out in the Imperial Garden, waiting for Lin Qingyu. Empress Dowager Wen was fond of chrysanthemums and the new emperor planted all kinds of chrysanthemums in the imperial garden to show his filial piety. This was the season for when chrysanthemums were in full bloom. There was a certain kind of charm strolling through all the flowers.
Gu Fuzhou took a short walk and found a stone bench to sit down on to rest. Just as he was getting bored, he inadvertently caught sight of a young man dressed in luxurious clothes squatting behind the rockery. Although he hadn’t seen the boy’s face, he had already guessed his identity. The only one who could wear such fancy clothes in the palace was Xiao Li.
Gu Fuzhou asked the eunuch accompanying him, “Is this King Huai?”
“Yes.”
“What on earth is he doing?” Gu Fuzhou looked amused, “Playing in the mud?”
The eunuch said, embarrassed, “This servant does not know.”
Gu Fuzhou looked at Xiao Li’s back. His brows furrowed slightly. He was about to step forward to take a look and get to the bottom of it, when he heard Lin Qingyu’s voice coming from behind him. “General.”
With his beautiful wife there, Gu Fuzhou lost all interest in looking at anyone else. “Hey, you finally got here.”
Seeing his long-suffering expression, Lin Qingyu said, “I thought you like waiting for me?”
“That’s right.” Gu Fuzhou smiled, “But I prefer being with you.”
The two returned to the Mansion. Huan Tong was busying about in the yard. When Lin Qingyu asked, he learned that Huan Tong was getting ready to distribute charcoal to each room.
“Is it already time to use charcoal fire?” Lin Qingyu said softly, “Life flies by so fast.”
In the blink of an eye, winter was just around the corner.
Huan Tong said, “It’s not that cold yet but I was afraid the Young Master would be cold, so I thought of preparing the charcoal braziers already.”
A cold wave came charging in that night. It was indeed much colder than during the day. Before going to bed, Lin Qingyu added a few pieces of charcoal to the brazier and just as he was about to light it, he was stopped by Gu Fuzhou. “You’re already going to use charcoal fire when it isn’t even winter? Then what will you do in winter? Go out with a quilt? Has Doctor Lin not heard of the saying ‘Keep warm in spring, stay cool in autumn; don’t rush to take off winter clothes in spring or put them on in autumn’ ?
Lin Qingyu looked at him. “But I’m cold.”
“It won’t be cold if we sleep together.” Gu Fuzhou said naturally, “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone change the bunk bed to a big bed.”
Lin Qingyu lowered his lashes. “En.”
Gu Fuzhou said, tone upright and honest, “Then tonight, let’s squeeze in together first.”
With Gu Fuzhou’s body heat, even in winter, sleeping with him under the quilt was warm. Lin Qingyu slept on the inside, facing the wall. Gu Fuzhou hugged him from behind, his chest against his back.
Lin Qingyu has always occupied the bottom bunk. The pillows and quilts were suffused with a light medicinal scent.
After a while, Gu Fuzhou said, “Qingyu, don’t turn your back to me. I’ll end up pinning you hair down.”
Lin Qingyu turned over and faced Gu Fuzhou. “Satisfied? Now, go to sleep.”
Gu Fuzhou said, “I’ll sleep in a while.”
Lin Qingyu subconsciously grabbed the quilt. “What are you waiting for?”
Gu Fuzhou said nothing and kissed him.
The bottom bunk was too small and the two of them were so close together they couldn’t hide even the slightest movement from each other. Gu Fuzhou seemed a little surprised, as if he’d found something extraordinary. “Qingyu, you have a reaction.”
Lin Qingyu’s face burned hot. He forced himself to calm down and said, “Why can’t I have a reaction? I’m not Xi Rong.”
He was a normal man. When he makes out with someone he likes, naturally, he will have a reaction.
Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, “That’s not what I meant. Didn’t you say before that you have no interest in this matter? Because that pair of eyes of yours have seen too much.”
Also, Lin Qingyu’s temperament was too cold, as though e would never be dominated by worldly desires. For such a beauty to become like becuase of his kiss, there was nothing in life that could top this.
They had no idea when it happened but the two now changed position, with one on top of the other. Lin Qingyu tried his best to remain calm, “Don’t you want me to have a reaction?”
“How could that be?” Gu Fuzhou pinned his hands on the bed. He leaned over to look at him, “I am honored that you’d be aroused because of me.”
Gu Fuzhou saying this made Lin Qingyu even more ill at ease. “Ignore it. I’ll be fine in a while.”
“Why would I wait a while then?” Gu Fuzhou smiled, “I’ll help you.”
Lin Qingyu’s eyes widened slightly.
“No need to be polite. I want to do it. If you feel embarrassed, you can help me out too.”
Lin Qingyu didn’t agree. He also didn’t refuse. Simply keeping quiet.
Gu Fuzhou knew that he was willing. Lin Qingyu wouldn’t be one to act coy regarding tthis matter. But he hoped that Lin Qingyu could say so. He even badly hoped that Lin Qingyu would take the initiative to invite him.
Gu Fuzhou said in a disappointed tone, “You aren’t willing?”
Lin Qingyu: “…”
Gu Fuzhou put on a look of sadness. “Handling this for myself get my hand sore. Right now, I’m offering to help you out but you’re not even grateful for the offer.”
Lin Qingyu: “…”
“Fine, I’ll content myself with staying at the kissing and hugging stage.” Gu Fuzhou heaved a huge sigh of despair. “Who made it so that Doctor Lin would have no interest in this matter? Since I like you, I’ll like you everything about you, including your coldness.”
Lin Qingyu was driven to the edge of his patience. “Enough. If you keep talking, I’m going to wilt.”
Gu Fuzhou seized the opportunity, “Qingyu?”
Lin Qingyu tilted his head, his lashes trembling violently. “…Do as you wish.”
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