Chapter 18

This—this is flagrant indecency in broad daylight!

The pair had been embracing for only a short while when a sharp, shrill voice echoed from beyond the door.

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you urgently."

It was Eunuch Xi, the Emperor's personal attendant.

Before Gu Jin could respond, the person in his arms stiffened, his arms tightening around Gu Jin's waist. Lu Huaigui pressed his chin against Gu Jin's shoulder, pinning him in place.

Gu Jin sighed softly, gently stroking Lu Huaigui's back.

"Let go now, hmm?"

Lu Huaigui didn't move, so Gu Jin didn't struggle, allowing himself to be held.

His body still trembled, his fingers weak, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.

Clearly, the physical symptoms of the transformation hadn't subsided.

Seeing this, Lu Huaigui tightened his embrace, his lips brushing almost imperceptibly against the nape of Gu Jin's neck.

Gu Jin's body went rigid.

The latticed door slid open abruptly, and Eunuch Xi stepped one foot inside. "Your Highness, why haven't you received the imperial decree yet—"

Through the gauze curtains, Eunuch Xi caught sight of the two intertwined figures. He froze mid-stride, the rest of his sentence abruptly cut off.

"This Prince is indisposed," the Crown Prince's deep, husky voice rang out, as if suppressing some hidden torment. "Kindly announce the decree from outside."

This... this isn't merely indisposition—it's blatant lewdness in broad daylight!

Eunuch Xi cleared his throat and announced, "By His Majesty's imperial edict: 'I, stricken by a severe illness and confined to my sickbed, hereby summon the Crown Prince and Crown Prince Consort to the palace to fulfill their filial duties. They shall depart immediately without delay. Thus decreed.'"

After the imperial edict was delivered, the room fell silent.

Barely audible breaths drifted from behind the curtained bed. After a long moment, a jade-white hand parted the curtains.

Gu Jin's inner robes were disheveled from Lu Huaigui's caresses, a faint blush tinting his usually impassive face. As he rebuttoned his collar, he frowned and muttered, "Why has he fallen ill again?"

Eunuch Xi offered no reply, only cupping his hands in a respectful gesture. "Your Highness, you'll understand once you accompany this humble servant to the palace."

Gu Jin nodded slightly. After Eunuch Xi withdrew, he summoned Chunting to help him change.

Soon after, Gu Jin emerged, leading Lu Huaigui by the hand.

Given the urgency of the imperial summons, the carriage was naturally from the palace.

Eunuch Xi waited beside the carriage. As the pair approached, he announced, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Prince Consort, let us depart."

Gu Jin responded with a noncommittal "hm," his face expressionless. Lu Huaigui, however, shot Eunuch Xi a venomous glare as they passed, then discreetly turned his gaze away.

After they boarded the carriage, Gu Jin asked him, "What's wrong?"

Lu Huaigui's eyes were dark and silent, but his hand, resting on his knee, clenched tightly.

"I just think they're pushing things too far."

"They?" Gu Jin reached out, gently prying Lu Huaigui's tightly clenched fingers open, one by one, until she held his hand in hers. "Who are 'they'?"

Lu Huaigui's gaze flickered slightly at the warmth and dryness of Gu Jin's palm.

"Years ago, when my father was stationed at the border, he suffered grievous injuries," Lu Huaigui said, a faint, bitter smile curving his lips. "Eunuch Xi was the military supervisor at the time, yet he refused to send reinforcements, claiming the border was too far from the capital and urging my father to hold out longer."

"All because my father had never bribed him."

Eunuch Xi and his ilk—court eunuchs close to the emperor—grew rich by demanding bribes from officials high and low, lining their own pockets.

Lu Huaigui's father, an upright and forthright man, neither understood nor cared for the court's petty machinations, scorning such corrupt practices.

As a result, he was constantly targeted and obstructed at every turn.

"It was only thanks to the Prince of Ruyang's timely rescue," Lu Huaigui said, his eyes darkening, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "otherwise my father's bones would have long since been buried in the desert sands."

"Your Highness was injured at the Palace Banquet. Eunuch Xi never comes early, never comes late, but appears at this very moment. Isn't he clearly trying to—"

A hand suddenly settled on the crown of his head.

Lu Huaigui tilted his head back, only to see Gu Jin's thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression impassive.

Gu Jin's voice remained cold, but he slowed his words, letting them flow like a clear spring through Lu Huaigui's heart. "If you don't want to smile, don't force yourself."

Gu Jin's palm gently stroked the crown of Lu Huaigui's head, and the smile vanished from the corner of Lu Huaigui's lips.

Boundless hatred, when directed at Gu Jin, transformed into a sea of grievance.

Lu Huaigui abruptly reached out and wrapped his arms around Gu Jin's waist.

Gu Jin's body tensed. After a moment of rigidity, he raised his hand and pressed it against the back of Lu Huaigui's neck, gently soothing him.

"I will definitely investigate General Lu's case thoroughly and ensure justice is served."

Lu Huaigui shook his head, crumpling the fabric of Gu Jin's robes between his fingers. "It's too late. So much time has already passed."

The great fire had consumed more than just General Zhenyuan's Residence—it had incinerated the unspeakable corruption that festered in the imperial court.

"It's not too late." Gu Jin's back wound had yet to fully heal, causing him to furrow his brow slightly as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. "As long as General Lu receives justice, it's never too late."

As they spoke, the carriage had already stopped outside the palace gates.

Eunuch Xi's high-pitched voice rang out, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Prince Consort, we have arrived."

Gu Jin grasped Lu Huaigui's forearm and leaned forward slightly. "Let's go."

Lu Huaigui murmured in acknowledgment, slowly releasing his grip.

His head hung low, eyelids lowered, concealing the emotions swirling in his eyes. He trailed obediently behind Gu Jin.

But Gu Jin reached back, grasped Lu Huaigui's hand, and held it firmly in his palm.

Together, they stepped down from the carriage.

Eunuch Xi led the way, walking slightly ahead and to the left.

As the Crown Prince Consort, Lu Huaigui should have lowered his gaze and followed behind his husband. Yet Gu Jin held his hand, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

He kept Lu Huaigui firmly on his right, shielding him with most of his body, obscuring Eunuch Xi from view.

The snow fell even more heavily now.

Along the imperial road, several young eunuchs were sweeping the snow. Seeing the group, they knelt in unison. "Eunuch Xi, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Crown Prince Consort."

Eunuch Xi waved them off and led the pair toward Xuanzheng Hall.

Inside the grand hall, a throng of people stood in solemn silence, mostly elderly ministers, with a few imperial princes among them.

The urgent summons had clearly been issued to more than just the two of them.

The dragon throne sat empty in the hall.

A cough echoed from the eastern side. "Eunuch Xi..."

Eunuch Xi immediately headed east.

He traversed a deep, winding corridor and stopped at its end, bowing to the figure behind the curtain. "Your Majesty, all the officials have gathered. Shall I proclaim the Imperial Decree?"

The Emperor coughed violently again. Eunuch Xi understood, took the Imperial Decree, and strode to the center of the grand hall.

All the officials lowered their heads and knelt.

"In recent days, I have been bedridden due to illness, neglecting state affairs. However, a nation cannot be without its sovereign for even a day, nor can governance be neglected. From this day forward, Crown Prince Gu Jin will act as regent on my behalf. By Imperial Decree."

Upon hearing this decree, the grand hall fell into an even deeper silence.

The officials kept their eyes fixed on the ground. After a brief stir among the princes, they too quieted down.

After the proclamation, the officials began to disperse.

As Lu Huaigui, hand in hand with Gu Jin, was about to leave the hall, Eunuch Xi stepped forward. "Your Highness, Crown Prince, please remain. His Majesty wishes to speak with you privately."

Gu Jin frowned and glanced sideways at Lu Huaigui.

Outside, thick snowflakes were falling again. The cold in Lu Huaigui's leg bones would likely worsen.

"Go wait at the Eastern Palace," Gu Jin said. "I've ordered charcoal braziers prepared. Warm yourself if you feel cold."

Lu Huaigui nodded slightly and murmured his assent before releasing Gu Jin's hand and stepping out of the hall.

The Eastern Palace wasn't far from Xuanzheng Hall. Led by a young eunuch, Lu Huaigui crossed the Imperial Garden and walked a few more steps east.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince Consort, we have arrived."

Lu Huaigui looked up at the palace before him. The Eastern Palace, once a place of chilling dread in his memory, now radiated a warm, inviting glow.

As dusk settled, candles had already been lit. Their soft, yellow glow reflected on the window lattices, contrasting with the heavy snow falling outside.

Lu Huaigui turned to the eunuch and said, "Thank you, Eunuch, for guiding me here."

"Oh, you flatter me, Your Highness," the eunuch simpered. "I only hope you'll say a good word for this humble servant to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Naturally," Lu Huaigui replied with a thin smile. "But my influence is limited. I have little voice before His Highness."

"How could that be?" the eunuch protested. "You are the Crown Prince Consort! Everyone in the palace knows His Highness dotes on you above all others."

The corners of Lu Huaigui's lips curled slightly. "Is that so? Then I'll take your auspicious words to heart, Eunuch."

After a few more pleasantries, the eunuch withdrew. Lu Huaigui turned back, his fleeting smile vanishing, his eyes darkening with shadow.

Just the usual sycophants, eager to curry favor and kick those beneath them.

Back when he was merely the Crown Prince's temporary resident, before their marriage, everyone avoided him like the plague. They called him the Crown Prince Consort, but even the lowliest palace maids could step all over him.

"Noble Consort Liu, Your Majesty is gravely ill! You mustn't go!"

Lu Huaigui turned his head slowly toward the source of the voice.

A young palace maid in a pale blue ruqun dress was trying to block the path of Noble Consort Liu, a woman of cold beauty with her hair styled in an elaborate cloud-like bun.

Noble Consort Liu immediately raised her hand and slapped the maid across the face. "How dare you question This Prince's actions? Do you even know your place? If the Crown Prince hadn't stolen my son's position, would I even need to visit His Majesty now?!"

The maid knelt, clutching her cheek, and frantically kowtowed. "Your Ladyship, spare me! Your Ladyship, spare me!"

Lu Huaigui narrowed his eyes. Noble Consort Liu was the mother of the Third Prince, favored beyond measure, and wielded supreme authority over the Six Palaces. Her arrogance and tyranny were notorious.

Unwilling to engage in conflict, Lu Huaigui lifted his foot to step across the threshold.

But then, her sinister, eerily flat voice rang out from behind him. "Oh, isn't this the Crown Prince Consort?"

Lu Huaigui whirled around.

Noble Consort Liu had released the maid and was gliding toward him with an elegant, sweeping gait.

"Isn't this the Crown Prince's... lowly slave?" Noble Consort Liu's glass-bead eyes pinned him down, her gaze sweeping down from her superior height with obvious pleasure.

"Long time no see," Noble Consort Liu remarked casually, her gaze sweeping over Lu Huaigui's face. "Have you forgotten how to perform the proper courtesies? I am, after all, half an empress. Shouldn't you have come to thank me after your wedding?"

Lu Huaigui trembled, his head bowed in silence.

He felt as though he had been transported back to the day he first arrived at the Eastern Palace.

Back then, he had forgotten to greet Noble Consort Liu, and one of her palace maids had slapped him.

Noble Consort Liu, idly playing with the crimson henna on her fingernails, had pointed a finger at Lu Huaigui's swollen cheek. "Since you don't know how to perform the courtesies, then have him flogged to death. Oh, you're the Crown Prince Consort now? The Crown Prince said you're no different from a lowly slave, so spare his life. Just don't beat him to death."

A Noble Lady's words come slowly—that was the first time Lu Huaigui truly understood the meaning of that phrase.

Each word Noble Consort Liu uttered fell slowly, like a freshly sharpened blade flaying his heart alive.

Like lingchi, the death of a thousand cuts.

"Enough, enough," Noble Consort Liu said with feigned magnanimity. "Even if you won't express gratitude, then at least offer me a cup of tea."

Lu Huaigui slowly raised his head and suddenly smiled.

"Very well, Your Ladyship," he replied.