Chapter 91: The Free and Easy Young Marquis (24)
Emperor Haoyuan was bedridden, and affairs of state were being handled on his behalf by the Fourth Prince, Xiao Jinchi. Inner palace affairs had also been handed over to Consort Shu and Consort Yan. It had to be said that Xiao Jinchi had planned everything long ago, which was why he was able to stabilize the situation so quickly after the palace chaos.
Huo Xian went into the palace to visit Emperor Haoyuan, but Xiao Jinchi was also in the Emperorâs bedchamber. What he saw was a scene of “filial devotion.”
“Father, won’t you have a little more?” Xiao Jinchi was feeding Emperor Haoyuan.
Emperor Haoyuan waved his hand. “Yi-er is here. Come to your uncle.”
Huo Yuan stood outside the bedchamber, communicating with Huo Xian in their mental space: [Huo Xian, our guess was right. Xiao Jinchi currently has a mechanical lifeform on him.]
Huo Xian remained composed. As he approached the dragon bed, before he could speak, Xiao Jinchi said, “Father, haven’t you always wanted to see my future cousin-in-law?”
Huo Xianâs steps faltered, and Emperor Haoyuan seemed to be reminded. “Right, Yi-er, where is your soon-to-be wife? Your uncle has heard that you two are inseparable!” The latter half of the sentence carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Uncle, Yuanyuan isn’t a woman. Thereâs no need to worry about the ‘defense between men and women,'” Huo Xian laughed, then signaled for Huo Yuan to come in.
Huo Yuan wasn’t intimidated either. The only downside was that he had to kneel when meeting the Emperor, and Emperor Haoyuan was in a bad mood and wouldn’t let him get up.
“Uncle, Yuanyuan is your future nephew-in-law. Itâs still cold now; what if his health is ruined by kneeling?” Huo Xian didn’t know if Xiao Jinchi had struck Emperor Haoyuan again, but it didn’t stop him from ignoring the rules in front of the Emperor and personally helping Huo Yuan up.
“Father, Cousin really treasures his future wife. If you ask me, we should pick an auspicious date for them to wed as soon as possible.” Xiao Jinchiâs gaze rested on Huo Yuanâs face for a few seconds, a flash of regret in his eyes.
Regret for what? Regret for that brilliant light of luck on Huo Yuanâs body. If Huo Yuan were a woman, Xiao Jinchi would definitely have married him. He didn’t mind him being a man either, since Huo Yuan was even more beautiful than the palace consorts. But on second thought, the throne was already in his pocket, and Huo Yuan had no background or foundation; his inner palace would only consist of daughters from the court officials.
Furthermore, by having Huo Xian marry a male wife, he was also cutting off any thoughts Huo Xian might have of ascending the throne. The people would not accept a male Empress, and a childless Emperor had no reason to exist. As for taking concubines? Sorry, with Emperor Haoyuanâs decree, he wouldn’t even have the chance to take concubines.
Huo Xian noticed that every time Xiao Jinchi made a suggestion for Emperor Haoyuan to act upon, he would first call out “Father.” When Emperor Haoyuan looked at him, he would gaze into the Emperorâs eyes as he spoke the rest.
[Hypnosis! Huo Xian, Xiao Jinchi is hypnotizing Emperor Haoyuan!] Huo Yuan caught him in the act.
[Mm.]
After hearing Emperor Haoyuan personally instruct the Imperial Astronomers to select an auspicious date for Huo Xian and Huo Yuan and have the decree sent to the Princessâs Manor, the smile on Xiao Jinchiâs face deepened. In high spirits, he left the uncle and nephew alone. Before leaving, he gave Huang Yu a look.
“Huang Yu, take Huo Yuan to have some tea and snacks,” Emperor Haoyuan ordered calmly.
Huang Yu wanted to stay, but he didn’t dare be too obvious. After acknowledging the order, he intended to take Huo Yuan away. Anyway, after taking him for tea, he could come back. It would be good if he could catch even a snippet of their conversation.
“Yuanyuan, go on. Don’t run off,” Huo Xian told Huo Yuan.
He definitely wouldn’t run off, but stalling Huang Yu should be no problem.
After Huang Yu and Huo Yuan left, Emperor Haoyuanâs relaxed expression tightened instantly. He grabbed Huo Xianâs hand, his tone urgent and forceful. “Yi-er, you must be careful of Chi-er. He knows evil arts. It was he who used evil arts to beguile me.”
Huo Xianâs eyelid twitched. He comforted him, saying, “Uncle, calm down. Take your time. What exactly happened?”
His calm emotions were transmitted perfectly to Emperor Haoyuan, whose breathing steadied. “After I took the medicine Medical Immortal Du left, my mind became clearer and clearer. I remembered everything I had forgotten. It was Chi-er who kept whispering in my ear that you had killed me. In my dreams, I was pierced through the heart by your arrows multiple times, and Siyuan was wearing the dragon robes… He knows evil arts, Yi-er. Chi-er learned evil arts, which is why his eyes can see. Huang Yuâ and Huang Yuâ the eunuchs and maids in the palace all listen to him. Yi-er, you must remember, when you speak to him, you must never, never, NEVER look into his eyes.”
Even at this point, Huo Xian couldn’t in good conscience say that Emperor Haoyuan didn’t care about his nephew.
“There is one more thing of vital importance. Listen carefully…” Emperor Haoyuanâs expression turned serious as he signaled for Huo Xian to come closer.
Huo Xian followed the instruction.
As Emperor Haoyuan said more and more, his expression was gradually replaced by shock. “Uncle, did you really…”
Emperor Haoyuan stopped him from speaking further. He pulled out two Tiger Tallies from under his bedding and handed them to him, his tone grave. “Remember. Do not forget.”
A sense of foreboding rose in Huo Xianâs heart, but Emperor Haoyuanâs mind was made up. Knowing that saying more was useless, he took the Tiger Tallies with both hands and knelt on one knee. “This official accepts the decree.”
Emperor Haoyuanâs tense face slowly relaxed. After a moment, a few more traces of worry appeared. “The orphan of the Crown Prince… I hope you can protect him as he grows up.” Although he trusted this child he had seen grow up since infancy, he also knew that power moves peopleâs hearts. The Crown Princeâs orphan was the legitimate grandson of the imperial family and was also qualified to inherit the throne.
“Uncle, Yi-er doesn’t plan on taking concubines,” Huo Xian said with a smile.
Emperor Haoyuan was stunned. He frowned, then his expression smoothed out again. “You are still young, quick-witted, and have never done evil. Heaven will protect you, unlike me… I used conspiracies and intrigues to stabilize my throne, and now I’ve ended up in this state. I suppose itâs retribution for my evil deeds.”
“…Uncle.” Huo Xian had a bit of a headache. He wanted to tell Emperor Haoyuan that the Second Princeâs intellectual disability and the Fourth Princeâs blindness were because he was blood-related to Consort Shu and Consort Yan.
Later, Huo Xian had asked the Princess, only to find out that Emperor Haoyuan was a bit obsessive about maintaining the purity of the imperial bloodline. The consorts in the inner palace weren’t lacking in daughters from court officials, but among the six consorts who had borne imperial children, with the exception of Noble Consort Wang Yujie, everyoneâincluding the Empressâwas related to Emperor Haoyuan. The Empressâs blood relation was quite distant, so she wasn’t a good reference point, and the Crown Princeâs deficiencies were from the womb. Among the other four consorts, Consort Shu and Consort Yan were Emperor Haoyuanâs biological cousins. The mothers of the two princesses were daughters of concubines; they were related but had no blood connection, which was why the two princesses were physically sound.
But seeing Emperor Haoyuan in this state, he still couldn’t bear to tell him the truth. If he knew that the purity of blood he pursued was the real cause of his childrenâs frailty, Emperor Haoyuan probably wouldn’t be able to accept it.
“Yi-er, I want to give Chun-er…”
“Uncle.” When Huo Xian heard the name “Chun-er,” he knew what Emperor Haoyuan wanted to say. He quickly cut him off and said with a serious expression, “Uncle, in this life, I will only have Huo Yuan as my wife. I will not take concubines and will not have children. Even if I… I promise you, I will protect this empire for you, but it will be temporary. I will raise Xi-er to adulthood.”
Hearing these words, a deep furrow formed between Emperor Haoyuanâs brows. “Yi-er, don’t be ridiculous. That Huo Yuan is a man.”
Huo Xian showed a pleasant smile. “He is a man. Because he is a man, I am fond of him and want to marry him.”
Emperor Haoyuan was greatly shocked. Was marrying a male wife not just a temporary measure for the Huo family?
Emperor Haoyuan was speechless for a long time. Huo Xian, however, remembered something else and changed the subject. “By the way, Uncle, the Third Prince… who exactly is he?”
Huo Xian stayed in the palace until Emperor Haoyuan fell asleep before leaving. When they left, Xiao Jinchi even came to see them off and said he would send a wedding gift on their wedding day to congratulate them in advance.
[He can’t hide his smugness anymore,] Huo Yuan said.
[Now that his eyes are gradually recovering, the Crown Prince and Xiao Jinli are either dead or as good as dead, and since Iâm marrying you, more than half of the world has already fallen into his pocket. Thereâs no need for him to hide anymore,] Huo Xian saw through it clearly.
Huo Yuan pouted. [By the way, Huo Xian, when you were talking to Emperor Haoyuan, there were several little eunuchs squatting outside. Also, the tea and snacks today both had Mind-Bewildering Grass in them. I suspect Mind-Bewildering Grass has become a staple food in the palace.]
[Mind-Bewildering Grass isn’t common in the Central Plains. Even if the inner palace turned their vegetable patches into gardens for it, they wouldn’t be able to grow much. Unless the leeks in the Imperial Kitchen are all Mind-Bewildering Grass, but no place is truly impenetrable. Leeks have a strong scent after all; if too much Mind-Bewildering Grass was mixed in, it would be easy to find out.] Huo Xian analyzed rationally. [So it should be used in a targeted manner… after we go back, go to the clinic and have Medical Immortal Du give you some medicine.] To give Huo Yuan tea and snacks laced with Mind-Bewildering Grassâhe would remember this debt.
Huo Yuan wanted to say that such a tiny amount of toxicity wasn’t worth mentioning, but considering Huo Xian was worried about him, he obediently agreed and asked: [What did you and Emperor Haoyuan talk about?]
The two of them had talked about quite a lot. Regarding the “poisoning,” Huo Xian had received a definitive answer. He had also confirmed what Xiao Jinli had said from Emperor Haoyuanâs mouth. The young Emperor had essentially “picked up” the throne, but internal and external troubles had never ceased, forcing him to be cold-blooded and ruthless. However, although he used all sorts of schemes, he had never thought of using Wang Yujie to trade for the stability of the empire.
However, Wang Yujie was overly calculating. The Wang family was just an ordinary noble house. She knew that the future Empress would need to be from a great family, so she made a huge gamble. Unfortunately, she lost everything. Even so, she still succeeded in making Emperor Haoyuan feel guilty toward her, and she used that guilt to enter the palace as a widow and become the most favored consort.
She was indeed a unique person in the inner palace. The Emperor gave her wealth, glory, and status, but he also gradually discovered that she was no longer that well-read, gentle, and simple girl from their youth. Despite this, Emperor Haoyuan didn’t distance himself from her. He took the blame upon himself, felt guilty toward her, and was willing to hold up a piece of the sky for her in the inner palace.
Off track…
A small vegetable patch had been started in the Palace of Celestial Music, and leeks were a common dish there. When Emperor Haoyuan went to the Palace of Celestial Music, the Noble Consort would always personally cook a leek dish for him. Although he didn’t like them, he never went against her kind intentions.
Leeks are aphrodisiacs. He only thought she was unwilling to give up and wanted to use them to add weight to her position. Unfortunately, her “leeks” served as a wedding gown for someone else.
Xiao Jinchi was smug now, and he did indeed have the right to be. Emperor Haoyuan, the Noble Consort, Xiao Jinli, Yang Jindong, and so many other big figures had been played like puppets in his hands. As the one who reaped the rewards, how could he not be smug?
[If Xiao Jinli isn’t Yang Jindongâs son, then whose son is he?] Huo Yuan asked curiously.
[Heâs the youngest son of a farming couple. They were too poor and had too many children, and all of them had issues. The couple was worried he would have issues when he grew up, so while he was still able to cry, they sold him.]
[A family where all the children had issues… no wonder Xiao Jinliâs mental state was like that,] Huo Yuan said. [Why did Emperor Haoyuan buy a child to give to the Noble Consort? Didn’t she have one of her own?]
Huo Xianâs steps paused.
Huo Yuan walked a few steps, then stopped and looked at him in confusion. [Huo Xian?]
Huo Xianâs expression was a bit difficult to describe. Meeting those beautiful, curious eyes, he lowered his eyelashes and replied: […It passed away.]
Passed away… it hadn’t. Instead, it was born with its face covered in black birthmarks. It had been sent away in secret the moment it was born.
Huo Xian: What happened to the ‘not touching the world line at all’ thing? What about the ‘three generations of beggars’ thing? Can the Management Bureau be any more unreliable?!
Translator’s Note:
Tiger Tallies (č珌 – HÇfĂş) are ancient Chinese tokens used for military command; you need both halves to move the army. And the ending! It turns out there’s a connection between the original host’s mission and this “sent away” child. Thanks for reading!
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