“Cough, cough, cough……” A series of increasingly urgent coughs echoed through the spacious and empty palace, sounding particularly urgent unsettling!
An old palace eunuch brought a cup of warm tea to the thin and pallid King of Bei Ling’s lips. “Your Majesty, have some water to soothe your throat!”
The King of Bei Ling took two sips, pushed the cup aside with his hand, then coughed again a few times, and slowly asked, “Has General Wei Chen
General Wei Chen of Bei Ling, who was mentioned in chapter 7 as having led a group of envoys to Chu Jing, and in chapter 83 as having submitted an impeachment to the First Prince of Bei Ling, An JinLuo.
1 arrived?”
“He should be at the palace gate soon. Please wait a moment longer, Your Majesty!” The old eunuch sighed lightly and put down the cup.
“…… Hong Fu
Not the same Hong (洪) as in Hong (宏) Xu’s name.
2 , you have been by my side for over thirty years, haven’t you?” The King of Bei Ling, with the help of the eunuch, leaned back against the bed and, after a long pause, asked with a sorrowful sigh.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This old servant has been fortunate to serve Your Majesty for so many years!” The old eunuch’s eyes reddened.
“Sigh, now in Our old age, you have to endure suffering with Us!”
“Your Majesty, your words are too much for this servant! This lowly servant’s life is insignificant, and such hardships are nothing to me. But you, Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, being treated this way by the First Prince is truly against the will of Heaven!”
“That treacherous wretch, had We known it would come to this, We should have cut him down with a single stroke and ended it once and for all. What he has done to Us is one thing, but he is also cruel by nature, impulsive, and warlike, truly unfit to be a ruler. If Bei Ling falls into his hands, the common people will surely know no peace! Eventually, the great country of Bei Ling will be ruined by him!” Compared to a tyrant, the King of Bei Ling would rather pass the throne to his third son, An JinYu, who was far away in Chu Jing and sitting idle. Though the ruler might be mediocre, with the full support of his ministers the Bei Ling dynasty could at least continue to survive, lingering on until the birth of a wise and brilliant sovereign in the next generation.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough……” As he spoke, the King of Bei Ling was seized by another fit of urgent coughing.
The old eunuch hurried forward to pat the King of Bei Ling’s back and soothe his breath!
*Creak* The sound of the palace hall doors opening was particularly loud.
A burly man with a towering build strode forward in great strides. He was in his early forties, with a square face adorned with a beard, bronze skin, and tightly knit brows. Clad in gleaming silver armor and a long cloak, he seemed all the more like a man forged of iron, resolute and unyielding. At a single glance, one could not help but be awed by his commanding presence!
“Your subject greets Your Majesty, may you live for ten thousand years!”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 98 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“No need for such formalities, General!”“Has Your Majesty’s health improved after taking the medicine?” Wei Chen asked, looking at the King of Bei Ling.
“It has improved quite a lot! It is all thanks to the General for bringing in a doctor from outside the palace to treat Us. Otherwise, We are afraid We might not have lived until now.”
The King of Bei Ling’s words made Wei Chen’s heart ache. The once wise and benevolent ruler had now been reduced to such a state by the First Prince’s rapacious designs that, even while ill, he was forced to secretly summon a doctor from outside the palace, who disguised himself as a palace eunuch in order to enter and treat him!
“Your Majesty, you must take care of your health!”
The King of Bei Ling nodded slightly, then said, “Regarding Our third son JinYu, how are General’s plans progressing?”
“Everything is ready. We now just need to wait for the right moment!” Wei Chen replied, respectfully cupping his fist in his hand.
“Everything now depends upon you, General!”
“This subject will not fail Your Majesty’s trust!”
***
When ZiLi woke up, he felt dizzy and nauseous, fighting the urge to vomit. The aftermath of a hangover was truly unpleasant!“Hehe, finally awake? You can really sleep, eh!” The teasing voice from behind made ZiLi open his eyes wide.
“Uh? What time is it now?”
“It is already the next day, and I have just finished the morning court!”
“Baby, you really slept the whole day! It seems I cannot let you drink too much next time!” What concerned Hong Xu more was that this little thing turned into a little pervert when drunk, kissing everyone. It was fine if it was just him, but it could not be anyone else!
Yawning, ZiLi got up. Ming Yue and the others had already prepared hot water for him to wash up. After dressing and fixing his hair, he faced the long awaited sumptuous breakfast and had just begun to indulge when a palace servant came to report, “The ‘Holder of Panacea’ requests an audience!”
Hong Xu raised an eyebrow, saying, “Let him in!”
The ‘Holder of Panacea’ walked in unhurriedly, giving Hong Xu a courteous bow. Heaven knew how much the ‘Holder of Panacea’ did not want to bow to this irritable man, but that man was the Emperor, so there was no choice!
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 98 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“‘Holder of Panacea’, have you eaten? If you haven’t, why don’t you join us?” ZiLi warmly invited. Despite this person’s often prickly words, ZiLi did not find the other unlikable!“I happen to not have eaten yet, so I will gladly accept!” Hong Xu thought the other would refuse, but who would have thought, the ‘Holder of Panacea’ sat right down!
“Truly a rare guest. What brings you here, ‘Holder of Panacea’?” Hong Xu was displeased with this man who always seemed to be at odds with him!
“Nothing major. Today, I just want to ask Your Majesty for a person!” the ‘Holder of Panacea’ said unhurriedly.
This is unusual. Who could he possibly want that made him come personally to ask?
ZiLi’s eyes widened in curiosity, then he grinned mischievously and asked, “Who is it? Is it a great beauty?”
“Heh heh, no! The person I want is just a little medicine attendant from the Imperial Medine Hall who made a mistake, Mo Shou! This shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Mo Shou? How is Mo Shou doing?” ZiLi asked eagerly. Worried that Mo Shou would be implicated again because of him, ZiLi had not dared to look for the other since his return! Now, hearing news of Mo Shou, ZiLi naturally felt eager to hear about him. This eagerness did not sit well with Hong Xu!
“What do you want him for?” Hong Xu asked, looking at the ‘Holder of Panacea’.
“I want to make him my disciple!” The ‘Holder of Panacea’ replied straightforwardly.
“You can, but We have one condition.”
“What condition?”
“He cannot leave the Imperial Palace.”
Hmph, you might as well just tell me I’m not allowed to leave the Imperial Palace! The ‘Holder of Panacea’ thought, raising an eyebrow.
“I also have a condition.”
“Even when asking for a favor, you have conditions? Fine, tell Us what they are!”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 98 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“I want the key to your pharmacy.”“You can have it!”
“Then it’s a deal!”
ZiLi glanced at one, then the other. Indeed, when there is a common interest, there are no permanent enemies!
***
“Mo Shou――”Mo Shou, who was sorting medicinal herbs, suddenly looked up and saw ZiLi with a big smile on his face. “Big brother Su?”
ZiLi gently punched him and said, “Do you really have to be so shocked? Stop what you are doing and come with me!”
“Where to?”
“To the place where you can become a disciple and take on a master!”
“But……”
“No buts! If you are worried that your crimes will prevent you from taking a master, don’t be. The Emperor has already pardoned your crimes! You were implicated because of me. Now, if you can become the disciple of the ‘Holder of Panacea’, it will ease my heart. Do it for your big brother Su, don’t say no, okay?”
“……All right!”
“Come on, buddy, let’s go!” ZiLi said cheerfully, hooking his arm around Mo Shou’s neck.
The ceremony for becoming a disciple was actually very simple. One just needed to pour a cup of wine, bow once, and call out ‘master’ to complete the ceremony. If it were a proper sect, the master would then explain a bunch of sect rules, but the ‘Holder of Panacea’ was a lone wolf, without a sect, and this was his first time taking a disciple, so the formalities were naturally omitted. Now, Mo Shou was no longer part of the Imperial Medicine Hall and had become the disciple of the ‘Holder of Panacea’. Therefore, following his master’s instructions, he moved into the empty Jade Tower, where the ‘Holder of Panacea’ was temporarily staying.
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