Read Novel Full Chapter Ch122.1 - Grape Flavored Imperial Gong (1)
Chapter Ch122.1 - Grape Flavored Imperial Gong (1)
Translated by Hua Li ^_^
Into the Imperial Arc we go!
【Ding!! Master, wake up quickly!!!】
Gou Liang struggled to open his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering but ultimately fruitless.
He felt hot and weak all over, his mind a blur. Even the system’s cries in his sea of consciousness seemed far away and he couldn’t really hear it.
【Master, detected highly toxic substances in the host’s body. Xiao Si has activated a special mode for you, maintaining your vitality for twelve hours. You are currently within the target range of the mission, it is recommended to remain as you are…】
“Doctor Zheng, is Lord Chu in any danger?”
The Chief Eunuch in attendance, Eunuch Tong, glanced at the Emperor’s cold expression, and cautiously inquired of the physician.
Doctor Zheng respectfully replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Chu’s pulse is strong, his life is not in danger. This humble servant will prescribe him a medicine, which, if taken for three days, can remove the poison. However…”
Eunuch Tong glanced at the Emperor’s face, then continued, “There’s no one else present here, Doctor Zheng. Speak your mind plainly, what’s troubling you?”
Doctor Zheng quickly knelt down and apologized, then hesitated to speak, “According to the toxicity of this medicine, Lord Chu should be… vigorous and robust. However, at present, he appears dormant… It’s likely that the dosage of the medicine was too heavy, damaging his foundation. In the future, it may… hinder his offspring.”
Eunuch Tong sighed softly, his face showing a slight change.
He looked at the Emperor, and indeed, the latter’s brow furrowed.
Eunuch Tong hurriedly lowered his voice and asked: “Is there still a possibility of cure?”
Doctor Zheng said cautiously: “Wei Chen can’t make a conclusion yet. We still have to see Master Chu’s recovery to know how much physical loss he has suffered. But to what extent he can recover is still not known.”
Eunuch Tong asked the Emperor for instructions and His Majesty replied, “You may go and prepare the medicine, but remember, this matter must not be spread.”
Doctor Zheng quickly acknowledged and left.
After he departed, the room fell silent, leaving only Gou Liang’s dull and painful groans.
Eunuch Tong looked at Gou Liang with pity – the suffering he was enduring was truly undeserved.
Today, the Empress Dowager sent some cooling soup to the Emperor through the Empress. The Emperor never had a good impression of this Empress, so he didn’t even glance at what she sent. Instead, he generously gave the soup to Mr. Chu Mo, who had come to serve as a reader in the Hanlin Academy today, seeing him sweating profusely, presumably from the heat.
Who would have thought that the Empress would be so audacious as to mix potent aphrodisiacs into the soup!
Mr. Chu, after drinking this bowl of soup, immediately collapsed and couldn’t get up. When the imperial physician arrived, he was almost on the verge of death, but fortunately, he managed to hold on.
But for Eunuch Tong, he might as well have died. According to what the physician said just now, Mr. Chu’s ability to father children might be affected, and even his manhood might be rendered useless in the future – how would that be any different from eunuchs like them who had been castrated?
Thinking of this, Eunuch Tong looked at Gou Liang with sympathetic eyes.
“…What is he saying?”
Eunuch Tong was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly heard the Emperor’s voice, his heart tightening.
Fortunately, he didn’t mess things up. He listened carefully to the key points of the Emperor’s words and approached to listen to Gou Liang’s muttering.
“Bi Xia… so hot… Bi Xia…”
After hearing this clearly, Eunuch Tong was horrified. His Majesty the Emperor asked again: “What did he say?”
Eunuch Tong was so shocked that he knelt down on the spot, not knowing how to answer. He replied with a cold sweat on his head: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Mr. Chu…”
He felt that Gou Liang was pitiful enough and wanted to cover up for him, but in front of His Majesty the Emperor, he would not do it if you beat him to death. Not daring to deceive His Majesty, he was so nervous that he stuttered.
The emperor didn’t have much curiosity at first, but when he saw this, he became interested and stepped forward.
He then heard Gou Liang murmuring in a low voice: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty… I feel so uncomfortable…”
The plaintive calls carried a deep sense of dependence and longing, even the usually composed Emperor’s expression changed slightly upon hearing them.
—Doctor Zheng just said, if one loves someone, drinking the elixir of passion will make them see that person as the object of their desire!
Lord Chu’s beloved… was actually Us?
Lord Chu dared to harbor such thoughts about the Emperor, truly audacious!
The master and servant both harbored such thoughts, and for a moment, an indescribable awkwardness pervaded the room. Meanwhile, Gou Liang, unaware of it all, continued to softly call out “Your Majesty”, truly oblivious to his own peril.
Eunuch Tong’s forehead was covered in layers of sweat, bowing his head, afraid to see the Emperor’s expression, fearing to offend the dragon’s majesty and suffer the consequences.
What he didn’t expect was that the Emperor was not upset about it. He was just puzzled: although Lord Chu was born with a somewhat feminine appearance among men, handsome and graceful, he was still a man after all. How could he harbor such feelings towards him?
Thinking so, the Emperor couldn’t help but glance at Gou Liang.
He saw his cheeks flushed, long lashes fluttering, eyes tightly closed with a hint of eagerness between his brows, slightly parted lips revealing hidden emotions, exuding a charm that was irresistible. The Emperor thought that he looked much more lively and vivid than his usual stern and solemn demeanor. He also wondered how the renowned top scholar of the capital turned out to be so exceptional, but why would he think of assuming a female role beneath him as a man…
The Emperor hurriedly interrupted his thoughts.
Coughing uncomfortably as if trying to cover his ears, he said somewhat uneasily, “This matter, no third person must know about it. Do you understand?”
Eunuch Tong didn’t dare to say anything.
The Emperor placed his hands behind his back and said, “You don’t need to follow me. Carefully attend to Lord Chu… All matters must not be entrusted to others.”
Eunuch Tong understood that the Emperor was afraid that Gou Liang’s shocking words would be overheard by others, so he readily agreed. After respectfully seeing off the Emperor, Eunuch Tong sat down on the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, looking at Gou Liang on the bed with a complex expression.
He thought to himself: Misfortune brings blessing. If it weren’t for you innocently suffering on behalf of His Majesty, just relying on your rebellious thoughts alone, according to His Majesty’s temper, your head would have been relocated.
Doctor Zheng personally brewed the medicine and fed Gou Liang two doses. Although he hadn’t fully regained consciousness, the high fever on his body finally subsided.
Seeing that the palace gates were about to close, and it was inconvenient for outsiders to stay in the palace, the Emperor ordered Eunuch Tong to personally go and escort Gou Liang out of the palace.
On the other hand, when the Guardian General learned that Eunuch Tong had personally escorted his second son back, he was surprised and hurried to greet him.
Seeing the anxious look of General Chu, Eunuch Tong explained gently, “You don’t need to be too courteous, sir. Today’s heat was too intense, and Lord Chu fell ill while on duty. His Majesty took pity on his hard work and allowed him to rest in the palace for a while. This time, His Majesty also specially sent a royal physician to accompany him in the mansion to take care of Lord Chu, and granted him three days of rest.”
General Chu, upon learning that it wasn’t his second son who had caused trouble, heaved a sigh of relief and bowed three times in the direction of the palace, expressing his gratitude for the Emperor’s great kindness.
When Gou Liang was carried back to the mansion, Lady Chu hurriedly rushed over. Seeing her son, who was fine this morning but now pale and unconscious, she was frightened and burst into tears.
General Chu repeated Eunuch Tong’s words, comforting her.
In fact, he knew that things wouldn’t be so simple. But since the Emperor said so, his second son absolutely couldn’t have a second ailment. After probing Doctor Zheng’s tone, he learned that his son’s life was not in danger. General Chu pondered that he would wait for his son to wake up before asking what had happened, and put down all his doubts for now.
As for Doctor Zheng, he remembered Eunuch Tong’s previous instructions. Although he didn’t understand why Gou Liang had to be left alone, he took the opportunity to dismiss the attending servants and personally came to check his pulse every other hour.
When everyone had left, Gou Liang finally opened his eyes.
After drinking the second bowl of medicine, he woke up, but he was weak all over and his target was not by his side, so he simply pretended to sleep.
On the way back from the palace to the mansion of the Guardian General, Gou Liang had already sorted out the soul mirror of the original owner.
The original owner’s surname was Chu, named Mo, with the courtesy name Zigui, just twenty years old, and was the legitimate second son of the Guardian General’s mansion. He was intelligent and talented, well-versed in various subjects, and had outstanding literary talent. At the young age of seventeen, he achieved great success in the imperial examinations, becoming the champion scholar of the ninth year of Chenwu.
As for why a legitimate son of the Guardian General’s mansion chose not to inherit his father’s military career but instead pursue a literary path, the reason must be mentioned because of the characteristics of the current world.
In this world, people have two genders – men and gers.
The so-called gers have an appearance similar to men, but their bodies bear two types of reproductive organs and can bear children.
Gers and men were easily distinguished. They bore a floral mark on their foreheads at birth, with the flower’s appearance varying depending on their constitution. The brighter the color, the better the development and fertility of the Ger.
However, once Gers reached the age of eighteen, they experienced a five-day period of intense emotions each month, making them inseparable from men. As a result, their social status was significantly lower. Year after year, under the control of men with ulterior motives, they became completely subservient to men.
And this social structure is closely linked to the centralized rule of monarchy, with its most fundamental manifestation being:
According to ancestral regulations, from the royal family to the common people, the gender of newborns must be registered in the government records shortly after birth. Falsifying gender is considered a serious crime that brings disaster upon the entire family.
In this era, Gers faced numerous restrictions, the most stringent being: they were not allowed to participate in imperial examinations, join the military, engage in court politics, or inherit property.