“You want us to personally feed you?”
Editor: Miiya and Avalie
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the furnishings were exquisitely arranged and the interior was adorned with various priceless decorations. With the underground tunnels heating the room, the temperature inside felt like it was spring all year round.
In contrast, it made the Green Bamboo Pavilion, where Wei Lian lived, so much more shabby and barren.
The palace attendants lifted the beaded curtain as Ji Yue carried Wei Lian into his bedchamber. He lifted the bed curtain and placed the youth on the imperial daybed.
As soon as he landed on the soft bed, Wei Lian felt so comfortable that he didn’t want to get up, wishing he could roll all over it.
What kind of divine life was this King of Qin living?
The small wooden bed inside the Green Bamboo Pavilion was painful to sleep on. Not only did it hurt his back, it was nearly impossible for Wei Lian to turn his body. He didn’t comment on it, but he had been protesting inside for a long time.
Wei Lian felt dizzy and faint in the head, which he assumed was from lengthy exposure to the cold weather. After being in the snow for so long, it would be unreasonable to have come out unscathed.
Wei Lian still didn’t know how he appeared in the King of Qin’s eyes.
From Ji Yue’s perspective, it was like appreciating a gorgeously painted beauty.
The beauty’s closed eyes, his long and delicate eyelashes, his two rosy, flushed cheeks, and the thick, dark hair spread on the daybed. The slender fingers unconsciously clenched on the embroidered quilt. Between the furrowed brows, there was forbearance and vulnerability.
An unparalleled appearance tainted with the hint of severe and lingering disease.
“Go and get the imperial physician,” Ji Yue ordered in a whisper.
The palace attendant bent his knees. “Understood.”
Ji Yue then abruptly called out to halt him. “Another thing, prepare a bowl of ginger soup.”
At first the palace attendant was stunned, then he saluted and accepted the order once more.
As the attendant turned around, a thought entered his head. This Wei-shijun really struck it lucky.
After having served His Majesty for so many years, this was the first time that he saw His Majesty show care for anyone.
_
Wei Lian was suffering physically, but his brain hadn’t been burned into mush yet.
He was someone who’d grown up in the deep and perilous back palace and would always keep a clear head in any situation, so he wouldn’t end up at the mercy of another’s hands.
But he still pretended to be burned silly by the fever as he closed his eyes tightly and kept his posture weak.
For the time being, he didn’t want to talk with the King of Qin.
Lest he unwisely answer the wrong thing and have his tongue removed.
His weighed sluggish mind was not as sharp in his current state, so he might not be able to instantly come up with numerous excuses to escape punishment.
The imperial physician soon arrived to check Wei Lian’s pulse.
Wei Lian’s hands were very beautiful. His ten fingers were as smooth as jade, and his wrists were so thin that they even rivaled a woman’s soft and beautiful hands.
But what Ji Yue noticed were the thin calluses around Wei Lian’s palm and between his thumb and index fingers.
The kind of calluses that belonged to martial art practitioners.
His eyes darkened slightly.
According to the report of his intelligence agents, Young Master Lian didn’t know martial arts.
Could this man be another assassin sent by the country of Chu for his head?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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_
The imperial physician quickly concluded his diagnosis, bowed to the King of Qin, and said, “Replying to Your Majesty, Wei-shijun is suffering from a high fever due to the cold that entered his body. This humble subject will prescribe a decoction for him to take.”
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A ruler’s heart was hard to fathom. The imperial physician dared not dwell on it, and after a brief examination, he reported to Ji Yue, “Although it looks serious, fortunately, it is all skin injuries. Applying some ointment will do the trick.”
Ji Yue showed a half smile. “Then why aren’t you applying the ointment?”
What was the imperial physician looking at him for? Expecting him to apply the ointment personally?
The imperial physician said after a moment of hesitation, “The patient will feel pain after applying ordinary wound medicine, but if it was jade ointment, the process will be painless with a faster recuperation. This humble subject wonders if Your Majesty…”
The jade ointment was extremely precious, and it was exclusively for use for His Majesty. Now, since His Majesty seemed somewhat concerned for Wei-shijun, the imperial physician dared to ask this question.
The smile on Ji Yue’s face didn’t diminish, but the words out of his mouth could deal damage. “Would a hostage prince be worthy of using the jade ointment? It’s already a great favor to use ordinary wound medicine on him.”
The imperial physician’s whole body quivered. “Understood.”
He originally thought that His Majesty had asked him to check on Wei-shijun out of distress for the youth.
Sure enough, he was overthinking it. No one could possibly get His Majesty’s tender feelings. It was a pity that Wei-shijun, who was a beauty, perfect from all angles, had to encounter such a heartless king as His Majesty.
The imperial physician was of quite an age, and he had grandchildren in his family who were similar in age to Wei Lian. No matter how much hatred he had for the people of Chu, seeing Wei Lian, who landed in this miserable situation at a young age, it was inevitable for him to feel compassion.
Wei Lian took in every word of the imperial physician and the King of Qin’s conversation with his eyes closed, then he jotted another account on the King of Qin’s record.
The imperial physician took out the wound medicine from his physician’s kit, spread some on his fingers, and carefully touched Wei Lian’s knee.
Almost as soon he touched it, Wei Lian let out a cry of pain and furrowed his brows even tighter.
The imperial physician’s hands paused. Seeing that Ji Yue’s expression remained unchanged, he clenched his teeth and applied more of the ointment.
Wei Lian instantly choked out a sob and pulled at Ji Yue’s sleeve, unconsciously calling out, “Mother, don’t leave…”
Ji Yue, who was suddenly upgraded to a mother: “…”
The imperial physician’s hand also trembled from the worry that he would be silenced.
Ji Yue lowered his eyes and wanted to tug his sleeve back. However, who would have thought that the ill youth could pull on the sleeve with such great strength. For a moment, Ji Yue couldn’t free his sleeve.
Ji Yue was getting impatient. Just as he was about to shake off the hand, the youth called out in a hoarse voice again, “…A-Lian hurts.”
“Mother… Don’t leave A-Lian behind.” The dreaming youth showed an extremely vulnerable look. “I miss you so much… It feels so unbearable…”
Ji Yue suddenly relaxed his strength.
He let Wei Lian tug at his sleeve and coldly ordered the imperial physician, “Use the jade ointment to shut his mouth up.”
The imperial physician said, “…Understood.”
Did he just witness the birth of the bane of His Majesty’s existence???
_
The jade ointment was indeed painless and effective, and after using it, Wei Lian ceased crying out in pain. The hand gripping the King of Qin’s sleeve was also released.
The pain caused by the application of ordinary medicine was actually within the range of Wei Lian’s pain tolerance. But there was clearly a painless way, so why must he endure it? Wei Lian knew from a very young age that people should treat him better. And that he must fight for any advantages with his own two hands.
Not to mention that he couldn’t pass up the chance to annoy the King of Qin by calling him “mother”.
It was just an act, nothing more. He was very proficient in this profession.
He had already mastered the skill of acting according to the situation in the Chu palace.
With the jade ointment, the bruises on his knees faded at a speed visible to the naked eyes, and would likely be fully healed after a day or two of recuperation.
After applying the ointment, the imperial physician bowed and took his leave, leaving room for the two of them.
Ji Yue gazed at the youth on the daybed, and his expression was full of derision.
Having investigated Young Master Lian, he knew that Wei Lian’s biological mother had passed away early, and that he had only an adopted mother, Consort Yan, who also gave birth to Young Master Yan.
Young Master Yan was the ninth in the line for the throne, born after Young Master Lian. It didn’t take Ji Yue much to get an idea of why Consort Yan adopted Wei Lian. To have a successor close by her side. But once she had her own son, the adopted son became less important. Otherwise, the country of Chu wouldn’t have sent Wei Lian over as a hostage prince.
This kind of woman could make the youth yearn for her.
Hard to tell if this youth’s foolishness was real or fake.
During his contemplation, the ginger soup was delivered but the decoction was still being simmered. Ji Yue helped the youth up and mercilessly tilted the whole bowl up, pouring the ginger soup into his stomach.
“Cough, cough…” Wei Lian couldn’t keep his act up with this disturbance and immediately pretended to wake up, coughing.
…He had to wake up even if he didn’t want to. With the King of Qin’s rough manner of feeding, it was clear that the man wanted to directly choke him to death.
“You’re finally awake.” Ji Yue put on a fake smile. “Finish the rest of the ginger soup yourself.”
The youth stared at him in a daze, stunned. “You are…”
He was not fully clear-headed yet.
Ji Yue ordered coldly, “Drink. If not, then get out and kneel for four more hours.”
The youth was shocked and showed an aggrieved expression, but he obediently accepted the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, as if he was really afraid that Ji Yue would punish him with kneeling again.
He was born extremely good-looking. Even as he was taking large gulps of soup, his movements were elegant and gentle. At the end of his drinking, a few drops of soup dripped down from his lips. He carefully licked it away with the tip of his tongue, like a dazed and adorable kitten.
Ji Yue suddenly felt his mouth dry from the sight.
At this moment, the palace attendant entered again holding a bowl of medicine. “Your Majesty, the decoction is ready.”
Ji Yue picked up the bowl and said, “You’re dismissed.”
“Understood.”
As the palace attendant left, Ji Yue turned around, only to see the youth shrink back in fear, saying, “I don’t want to drink that.”
Ji Yue narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
No one had ever dared to say “no” to the King of Qin.
The youth shook his head and hugged his knees as he huddled against the headboard. “I can smell the strong herb smell… The medicine is bitter. I don’t want to drink it.”
Ji Yue threatened, “Kneel if you don’t drink.”
The youth continued to shake his head. “I don’t want to.”
Ji Yue’s voice turned chilling. “Eight hours.”
Eight hours was the equivalent of kneeling all night.
The youth said with reddened eyes, “Then let me continue to kneel! I would rather die on my knees than drink the medicine.”
Ji Yue was smiling from annoyance.
He didn’t know Wei Lian could be this immature when ill, completely different from the gentle and quiet youth he’d seen during the day.
He must be delirious from the severe fever.
_
Wei Lian was really not delirious, nor was he truly unable to stomach the medicine.
He had endured all kinds of bitter hardships, what more could he fear from this bowl of decoction?
He was only acting to an appropriate extent.
When clear-headed, he must be discreet, and it was only at such a time that he could reveal a different side of himself to attract the King of Qin.
Wei Lian was also testing the limits of the King of Qin’s tolerance in order to gain a greater degree of freedom for himself in the future.
Once he exceeded this limit, he would know when to stop in the future.
Now it seemed that…the King of Qin was quite fond of this.
At least he wasn’t really forced to go out and continue to stay on his knees.
_
“Are you doing this because you want us to personally feed you?” Ji Yue asked.
Wei Lian remained silent.
He felt that the King of Qin would not be this kind.
Sure enough, Ji Yue’s next sentence was, “Since you refuse to drink the medicine, what use do you have in keeping your tongue? Might as well remove it.”
Wei Lian: “…”
He knew it!
He dared not venture his quest to test the limit anymore.
He kept feeling like if he continued the act, the King of Qin, who was still smiling lightly, would turn his head immediately and remove his tongue.
To grow up with such a charming appearance but be born with a heart as venomous as snakes and scorpions.
Wei Lian showed a frightened expression before he picked up a spoon with a sad face, taking tiny spoonfuls of the medicine one by one.
As soon as he saw the bottom of the bowl, he couldn’t resist brightly showing his achievement. “Look, I’ve finished it.”
Ji Yue let out a gentle “Mmm” and gave Wei Lian a piece of candied fruit.
Wei Lian: Oh, giving me a slap, then offering a sweet date. You think that will remove my determination to kill you?
Wei Lian said, “One is not enough, I want a whole plate.”
Ji Yue was taken aback and then chuckled pleasantly.
“You’re quite interesting like this, much more than before.”
Wei Lian thought to himself: So this is the type the King of Qin likes?
The silly, innocent, and sweet type?
Not a problem, this was within his acting range.
Wei Lian gave Ji Yu a serious look. “Then, are there more?”
Ji Yue smiled and confirmed, “Yes.”
“But you can only have them once you bathe.”
Being drenched from head to toe by the cold, the youth needed a hot bath to get rid of that chill.
Wei Lian behaved himself and said, “Alright.”
The translator has something to add:
Teo: Posting this chapter so NU will pick up at least one chapter from CG. If readers don’t know, there are three chapters that weren’t translated by me on the other site. Chapter 4, 6 and 8.
So, here is a random chapter 4!
Scam the shitty emperor!!! Love this for you!