Emperor Lin turned over the small book and said with a smile, “My Little Five is not only a little lucky star, but also a little blue sky. With you being so good and impressive, I truly don’t know how many men under this sky are worthy of my Fifth Princess.”
There was a hidden meaning in his words. Lin Feilu knew that the marriage she had been avoiding two years ago was about to be brought up again, so she quickly said, “No one deserves it! Let me enjoy my own beauty!”
Emperor Lin laughed, “You silly girl.”
After chatting for a while, Lin Feilu was so hot that she was sweating. Seeing that it was spring and the weather was not particularly cold, she wondered why the stove in Emperor Lin’s Yangxin Palace was still burning vigorously. She looked at the palace servants around her and realised that everyone, including Lin Ting, were all flushed.
After a while, a palace servant brought a glass of water and reminded, “Your Majesty, it’s time to take your medicine.”
Lin Feilu was startled, “Father Emperor is sick?”
Emperor Lin merely shook his head and said with a smile, “It’s just some tonic pills.”
Lin Feilu, “Tonic???”
She walked over and watched Peng Man open a box. There was a red marble-sized pill in the box, and Emperor Lin ate the pill with some water.
Lin Feilu frowned and asked, “Where did you get the pill? Did the Imperial Hospital make it?”
Peng Man smiled and said, “It was from a Taoist priest who travelled to the capital. His Majesty discussed Taoism with him for three days. The Taoist leader said that His Majesty’s position as a True Dragon Emperor was fated with the Taoist practices, so he made a special trip to the capital to refine medicinal pills for His Majesty.”
Lin Feilu was simply appalled.
Was he trying to repeat the mistakes of Emperors such as Emperor Taizong and Emperor Yongzheng of the Tang Dynasty(1)?
(T/N: Both Emperors were historical figures and recognised as strategic yet wise Emperors of their time. Unfortunately, both passed away due to their consumption of quack miracle elixirs or medicinal pills that were thought to benefit their health)
Were all Emperors easily confused once they reached old age?
Emperor Lin was nearly fifty. When he was younger, he was very diligent in handling political affairs and was, in fact, a tad too hardworking. Now that he was getting older, he had gotten less powerful. After taking this medicinal pill, he recovered a lot of energy, making him seem to have regained his youthfulness. Therefore, he highly respected this Taoist priest.
Lin Feilu originally wanted to persuade him to be cautious, but Emperor Lin’s stubborn temper made him even more arrogant in his old age. He wouldn’t listen to her words at all, not to mention that this elixir’s effect was very significant. She had merely questioned him once, but when she saw that his eyes were gradually showing signs of displeasure, she consciously shut up.
Not long after, there were court officials who wanted to meet the Emperor, so Lin Feilu and Lin Ting retreated.
After walking out of the Yangxin Palace, Lin Feilu breathed a sigh of relief, “The heat was truly killing me.”
Lin Ting fanned her with his sleeves, and his tone was slightly laced with worry, “Father Emperor’s body doesn’t seem to be as healthy as before.”
Lin Feilu said, “We merely left for a year, and Father Emperor was already starting to take medicinal pills? What sort of good stuff is that anyways, and why didn’t the Imperial Doctors advise him about it?”
Lin Ting said, “Since Father Emperor is taking it, it probably does work, so you don’t have to worry about it too much. Besides, you should know of Father Emperor’s temperament. Hence, don’t bring this matter up again, lest he starts to dislike you.”
Lin Feilu didn’t know how to explain to him that unknown elixirs were equivalent to poison. After all, she didn’t gain this knowledge through her studies, so she could not bring up the examples of the past Emperors’ causes of death. In the end, she only let out a sigh but said nothing more.
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