Translated by: Sahloknir
"Is it because you want us to feed you personally?”
Inside the Yangxin Palace Hall, the furnishings were exquisitely laid out and the ornaments were all of excellent quality. The room's underground tunnelsI found references to underground heating tunnels used in the palaces of the Forbidden City, but nothing to really explain how they worked. This was also a technique used by the Ancient Romans. They built this heating system called a 'hypocaust' for heat distribution. It was the forerunner of present day heating systems and ahead of its time. I think this is similar to what the author is talking about. Below is an image describing the process.
were kept heated continuously, and the temperature inside was like spring, whatever the season outside.
In comparison, the Qingzhu Pavilion where Wei Lian lived was really depressing and shabby.
The palace attendants lifted the beaded curtain and Ji Yue carried Wei Lian into the bedchamber, opened the bed hangings and placed him on the imperial bed.
As soon as he touched the soft bed, Wei Lian was so comfortable that he didn't want to get up and couldn't wait to roll around on it.
What a divine life the Qin Emperor was leading.
The small wooden bed in Qingzhu Pavilion was so narrow and hard that Wei Lian had difficulty even turning over. Although he remained silent, in his heart he had been grumbling for a long time.
Wei Lian felt a little dizzy, so he thought he had caught a chill from the wind outside. After all, he had knelt in the snow for such a long time, there was no reason he should be completely okay.
He still didn't know what he looked like in the eyes of the Qin Emperor.
From Ji Yue’s perspective, he was rewarded with the view of a stunning beauty.
The beauty's eyes were closed, long eyelashes resting against flushed cheeks and silky black hair scattered across the bed. His long fingers gripped the green silk brocade quilt as his brow knit in a frown, making him look both vulnerable and frail, yet quietly stoic.
He was the embodiment of a peerless, yet delicate beauty.
"Go and ask the Imperial Physician to come." Ji Yue ordered in a low voice.
The palace attendant bowed. “Understood.”
Ji Yue called out to him, "Also, prepare another bowl of ginger soup."
The palace attendant froze for a moment and then bowed once more in acknowledgement.
The moment he turned around he secretly thought, ‘This Wei Shijun is really lucky.’
In all the years he had served his Majesty, he had never seen him care about anyone else.
* * *
Wei Jiang's body was uncomfortable, but he was not yet burning and delirious with fever.
He was someone who had grown up in the perilous environment of the inner palace, and would keep a clear head no matter what the situation was, so as not to let himself be at the mercy of other people.
But he still pretended to be delirious, his eyes tightly closed and his posture soft and weak.
He didn't want to talk to the Qin Emperor for the moment.
It would save him from accidentally saying the wrong thing again and having his tongue removed.
His foggy brain wasn't so sharp right now that he could instantly come up with a lot of things to say to avoid further punishments.
The Imperial Physician soon arrived and checked Wei Lian's pulse.
Wei Lian's hands were beautiful. His fingers were like jade and his wrists were so slender that even a woman's hands were not as lovely as his.
What Ji Yue noticed however were the thin calluses between the thumb and index finger and also on Wei Lian’s palm.
It was the kind of callus that only people who practiced martial arts had.
Ji Yue's eyes darkened.
According to his intelligence reports, Lian Gongzi did not know martial arts.
Could this be another killer sent by the Chu Empire to assassinate him?
Or was he a spy?
* * *
The Imperial Physician quickly finished his examination and bowed to the Qin Emperor, "Your Majesty, Wei Shijun has a high fever due to cold energyEssentially he caught a chill. entering his body, this humble servant can prescribe a medicine to treat the illness."
Ji Yue said quietly, "Examine his knees."
The doctor froze slightly, but still rolled Wei Lian's lower garments up to his knees, revealing a section of white calf.
The knees were black and blue, a shocking sight against the otherwise snow-white skin.
The Imperial Physician was startled, this injury was clearly the result of kneeling for an extended period…
The Emperor's thoughts were hard to gauge. The Imperial Physician did not dare to think deeply, and after a brief examination, he said to Ji Yue, "Although it is serious, it’s good that they’re all superficial injuries, and can be healed by applying some ointment."
Ji Yue smiled wryly, "Then why don't you put it on him?"
What was the point of looking at him, was he expecting him to administer the medicine himself?
The Imperial Physician hesitated. "When ordinary wound medicine is applied there will be pain, if you use yurong ointment, it will be painless and the effect will be quick. This humble servant wonders if your Majesty…"
The ointment was so precious that the only person who used it on a regular basis was his Majesty. Now, seeing that the Emperor seemed to care a little about Wei Shijun, the doctor had the courage to ask this question.
Ji Yue's smile did not diminish, but his words were disdainful, "How can a hostage prince be worthy of using the yurong ointment? It's an honour for him to be given wound medicine."
The Imperial Physician shivered, “Understood."
He thought that his Majesty had asked him to come to see Wei Shijun because he was concerned.
Surely he had thought too far. It wasn’t possible for his Majesty to feel concerned. Poor Wei Shijun, such a pitiful beauty to have met such a heartless Emperor as his Majesty.
The doctor was old and had grandchildren at home, similar to Wei Lian in age. No matter how much he hated the Chu people, he could not help but feel compassion when he saw Wei Lian, who was in such a miserable state at such a young age.
Wei Lian closed his eyes, listening to the conversation between the Qin Emperor and the doctor. In his heart, he gave the Qin Emperor another black mark.
The Imperial Physician took out the wound medicine from the medical box, smeared a little on his finger and carefully touched Wei Lian's knee.
Almost as soon as he touched it, Wei Lian let out a cry of pain and his brow knitted tighter.
The doctor's hand halted momentarily, but seeing Ji Yue's expression remain unchanged, he gritted his teeth and applied more ointment.
Wei Jiang immediately tugged on Ji Yue’s sleeve and called out unconsciously in a sobbing voice, "Mother, don't go…"
Ji Yue, who had suddenly been upgraded to motherhood, "...”
The Imperial Physician's hands were shaking, suspecting that he would be silenced permanently.
Ji Yue lowered his gaze and tried to take his sleeve back, but who knew that the fragile young man was tugging on it with quite a lot of force, and he couldn't make him let go for quite a while.
Ji Yue was a little impatient and tried to shake him off with force when the youth called out again in a hoarse voice, "...A-Lian really hurts."
"Mother…don't leave A-Lian behind." The youth showed an extremely vulnerable look in his dream, "I miss you so much…it’s really unbearable…"
Ji Yue's strong resistance to the youth’s tugging suddenly eased.
He let Wei Lian continue to tug on his sleeve and ordered the Imperial Physician in a cold voice, "Use the yurong ointment. Make him shut up."
The Imperial Physician, "...Understood."
Was he witnessing the birth of his Majesty's nemesis???
* * *
After using the yurong ointment, Wei Lian no longer cried out in pain, and his grip on the Qin Emperor’s sleeve was released.
The pain of having the ordinary medicine administered was actually within Wei Lian's tolerance range. But why did he have to endure the pain when there was clearly a painless method? When Wei Lian was very young, he learned that one should be kind to oneself and fight for any benefits earned by oneself.
Besides, if he could call the Qin Emperor ‘mother’, why not do so?
It was just an act. Wei Lian was very skilled in this business.
He had long practiced such skills ‘acting’ in front of the audience back in the Chu Empire’s royal court.
With the yurong ointment, the wounds on his knees faded at a rate visible to the naked eye, and he would be well again within a day or two.
After applying the ointment, the Imperial Physician bowed and excused himself, leaving the two of them alone.
Ji Yue gazed at the youth on the couch with a somewhat mocking expression.
Since he had investigated Lian Gongzi, he knew that Wei Lian’s biological mother had died early and he only had an adopted mother, Noble Consort YanNoble Consort Yan’s ‘Yan’ 顏 is different from her biological son’s ‘Yan’ 衍., who had later conceived Young Master Yan.
He was the ninth in line for the throne, born after Young Master Lian. Ji Yue didn't need to think about it to know what Noble Consort Yan had in mind when she adopted Wei Lian, wanting a potential heir nearby. However, later, when she had her own son, her adopted son became less important. Otherwise, Wei Lian would not have been sent here as a discarded son of the Chu Empire.
Yet such a woman still had the youth's affection.
He didn’t know if he was stupid or merely faking it.
The ginger soup had already arrived while he was thinking about it, and the medicine was still simmering. Ji Yue picked up the young man and poured the whole bowl of ginger soup down his throat without mercy.
"Cough—" Wei Lian was so upset in the face of such insensitivity, that he couldn't pretend any longer. So he faked ‘waking up’ and coughed.
…He had to wake up regardless. With how rudely the Qin Emperor was pouring the soup into him, it was clear that he intended to shortly choke him to death.
"You're finally awake." Ji Yue smiled peevishly, "Drink the ginger soup yourself."
The youth stared at him dumbly, looking stunned. "You are…"
Not yet sober.
Ji Yue ordered coldly, "Drink. If you don't drink, get out and kneel for another four hours."
The young man was stunned, his expression a little resigned, but he still obediently took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, as if he was truly afraid that Ji Yue would punish him with kneeling again.
He is extremely well-built, and even when he takes a big gulp of soup, his movements are elegant and gentle. At the end, a little bit of the soup stained the corner of his mouth and he carefully licked it away with the tip of his tongue, like a lazy and cute cat.
Ji Yue's mouth suddenly went a little dry as he watched.
At this time, the palace attendant came in again with a bowl of medicine and said, "Your Majesty, the medicine is ready."
Ji Yue picked up the medicine bowl, "Leave."
“Understood.”
The palace attendants withdrew and Ji Yue turned around, only to see the youth shrink back in horror, "I don't want to drink this!"
Ji Yue narrowed his eyes, "What did you say?"
No one had ever dared to say no to the Qin Emperor.
The young man shook his head, hugging his knees and shrinking at the head of the bed, "I smell medicine…medicine is bitter, I don't want to drink it."
Ji Yue threatened, "Kneel if you won't drink."
The youth still shook his head, "I don't want it."
Ji Yue's voice was cold, "Eight hours."
Eight hours—that was a night of kneeling.
The corners of the young man’s eyes reddened, "You order me to get on my knees! I'd rather die on my knees than drink the medicine."
Ji Yue almost laughed in exasperation.
He didn't know whether Wei Lian was always so childish during illness, but he was now very different from the gentle and quiet youth he had seen during the day.
Sure enough, the fever must have addled his brain.
* * *
Wei Lian was not really confused by fever, nor was he unable to drink the medicine.
He had suffered much greater hardships previously, how could he still be afraid of this bowl of medicine?
He had only set boundaries within an appropriate degree.
When sober, he had to be careful and discreet, and only during such times could he reveal a different side to appeal to the Qin Emperor.
Wei Lian was therefore testing the bottom line of what the Qin Emperor would tolerate from him, in order to gain a greater degree of freedom for himself in the future.
Once this limit was exceeded, he naturally knew how to stop when he saw fit.
Now it seems…that the Qin Emperor appears to be eating up this type of behaviour.
At least he wasn't really told to go out and continue kneeling.
* * *
"Are you like this, because you want us to personally feed you?" Ji Yue asked.
Wei Lian remained silent.
He didn't think the Qin Emperor would be that kind.
As expected, Ji Yue's next sentence was, "Since you won't drink the medicine, it's useless to keep your tongue, so we should just remove it."
Wei Lian, "..."
He knew it!
He didn't dare try to pursue the matter.
He felt that if he continued, the Qin Emperor, who was still smiling lightly, would really immediately change his tune and remove his tongue.
A beautiful-looking man with the cold, venomous heart of a serpent.
Wei Lian put on a stunned and frightened look, and then with a bitter expression, he picked up the spoon and finished the medicine in small sips.
Just as he reached the bottom, he quickly showed the empty bowl, "Look, I've finished."
Ji Yue gave a soft "Hmmm," and handed Wei Lian a candied fruit that he had already prepared.
Wei Lian, ‘Ha! After dealing me a blow, you think that giving me sweets will remove my determination to try to kill you?’
Wei Lian, "One is not enough, I want a plateful."
Ji Yue froze for a moment, then gave a low and pleasant laugh.
"You’re amusing like this, it's certainly more interesting than before."
Wei Lian pondered in his mind, ‘Does the Qin Emperor like this type?’
Slightly silly and sweet.
It was fine, he could act like this too.
Wei Lian gazed seriously at Ji Yue, "So, is there more?”
Ji Yue smiled subtly, "Yes."
"But you'll have to bathe first and then come back to have it."
His whole body is cold, so it is still necessary to soak in a hot bath to get rid of the chill.
Wei Lian obediently said, "All right."
Haha, WL’s acting is superb >D
But … I don’t trust that bath xDD
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶