Chapter 169: The Little Emperor Runs Away While Pregnant
Wei Wanlan, feeling very sad, cried in the study for two whole hours.
He was facing life and death far too early, and it was an inescapable death sentence at that. His young heart was burdened with excessive despair, but he couldn’t tell the Regent King because the Regent King would grieve with him.
Don’t be sad.
I won’t let you see Zhen die with your own eyes.
Before going to sleep, Wei Wanlan wiped his tears dry, came out of the study, asked for a water bag and cucumber slices to apply to his face, and lay flat on the bed.
Because he had been skipping work recently, the Regent King was burdened with more court affairs and didn’t return until near midnight. After washing up, he entered the tent lightly, carrying a body full of woody fragrance, and hugged Wei Wanlan to sleep.
Without waking Wei Wanlan, he gently pinched his face, touched his head, and pressed his forehead against his…
Wei Wanlan wasn’t asleep.
He knew the Regent King liked him very much.
Even without doing baby-making activities, it didn’t stop the Regent King from always loving to interact with him. Such a big person, yet sometimes very childish.
Wei Wanlan secretly summoned the system in his arms:
—Still no good.
The [Sage Emperor Cultivation System] had no reaction.
Wei Wanlan’s feeling of being completely abandoned by the system grew more distinct. calculating the days, the deadline was at the end of next month. He really wanted to talk to the system; getting two questions right really shouldn’t warrant choking completely to death.
He opened a slit in his eye and looked at the Nine Dragon Mirror from the corner of his vision, remembering that the mirror was truly his only way to communicate with the system…
Bad system!
Zhen will argue with you in the dream!
Wei Wanlan arched his upper body, burying his little head deep into the crook of the Regent King’s neck. His breathing gradually became even and fine, and before long, he fell asleep.
Dream images gradually emerged.
The light wasn’t very strong. Strangely, his vision was blurry. He saw the bed canopy of Zichen Palace.
But he was certain this was a dream because the Regent King wasn’t beside him. It seemed… he was lying in the dragon bed alone, surrounded by the blurry footsteps of palace servants. They sounded, uh, very busy.
There was the smell of herbal medicine in the dream.
There was Physician Fang and other doctors. What’s going on? Why are they all in Zhen’s bedchamber?
A somewhat bad premonition flashed through Wei Wanlan’s mind. Just then, he heard a shout from An Ruyi, the tone very, very anxious:
“Quickly invite the Prince to leave! Oh, Prince, so many famous doctors from the entire Imperial Medical Office are guarding His Majesty. You go wait outside properly.”
“You really can’t exert effort for His Majesty. Besides, this isn’t something that comes out just by pushing…”
What???
What are they doing???
Why is Zhen surrounded by the entire Imperial Medical Office????
Come out—is it the food stuck in the throat? Zhen will indeed get stuck in the end, and then die from an imperial meal inside Zichen Palace, right!
QAQ QAQ QAQ
The chaotic scene in the dream didn’t end.
It became increasingly chaotic, increasingly panicked. Wei Wanlan grew weaker and weaker in the dream until the bed canopy before his eyes turned into a pale golden shadow. He was so tired.
So, was this what dying felt like?
Outside the bedchamber door, the Regent King shouted loudly: “Little Wan! It’s okay, Wanwan!” That voice was hoarse and even carried a trace of sobbing.
How could Su Jingzhi cry? He is so cool and strong. But if he really loses his composure, it must be because Zhen is about to pass away…
Sorry, Regent King.
Wuwuwuwu Regent King, the bad system really wants to kill Zhen. Zhen is done for. Zhen is really totally finished this time!!!
A whole Wei Wanlan, soul lost and spirit scattered, suddenly sat up from the bed surface.
The great chaos in the dream had simply exhausted all his strength. When he woke up, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. His stomach felt a little heavy and painful at this moment. He covered his stomach with his hand, knowing the Nine Dragon Mirror never lied; its reliability was far higher than the bad system.
So, starting now, he must do something.
First, continue to hide the fact that he was dying.
Second, prepare for the state affairs of Great Wei and his own family affairs after his passing.
Third, stay away from imperial meals, run away from home to preserve his life. If he could dodge the death date, he would severely trick that bad system!
Very angry, Wei Wanlan wrinkled his little nose. If he had a tail, it would be slapping the bed surface pi-pa.
Hmph.
Hiding the matter of dying was easy; as long as he didn’t say it, no one would know.
What about state affairs? If Zhen wasn’t there, to whom should the fate of Great Wei be entrusted?
Umm, it must be the Regent King.
To be honest, even though rumors outside were buzzing and raging, calling him an eternal sage ruler, Wei Wanlan knew in his heart what his actual level was.
His departure from the palace this time was truly a matter of life and death.
If it worked and he fooled the bad system, fine. If not, the country and society had to be legitimately given to the Regent King.
…It’s not really a loss.
After all, in the book The Regent King of Great Wei, the original male protagonist became emperor anyway. Wei Wanlan wasn’t greedy.
He summoned Xiao Ji and said he wanted to personally draft an edict, asking Xiao Mengshi [The Warrior] to bring a blank imperial edict scroll.
The Warrior naturally obeyed Wei Wanlan in everything. Moreover, Xiao Ji always harbored a vague fondness and admiration for Wei Wanlan, thinking Wei Wanlan was planning some great event that would go down in history.
Xiao Ji advised thoughtfully:
“Your Majesty, imperial edicts are usually archived by the Secretariat before being issued. So-called imperial edicts are actually made in several copies.”
Wei Wanlan weighed the slender, bright yellow brocade scroll in his palm: “Do you think Zhen wouldn’t know such a thing?” You guessed right, Zhen really didn’t know.
He acted mysterious, while Xiao Ji was too perceptive.
Prime Minister Xiao thought the Little Emperor was mocking him and hurriedly cupped his hands: “It was this humble subject being presumptuous. How could Your Majesty not know? One can sign a blank check in the Secretariat without specifying the content of the edict…”
“Right. Zhen knows.” Like hell I do.
Zhen thanks you, yeah.
The wise and martial Little Emperor Wei Wanlan dismissed Xiao Ji and the surrounding attendants. He dipped his brush in thick ink. There was a tiny hesitation when he started writing, but he still wrote two characters: “Posthumous Edict.”
The edict stated: The Emperor is leaving the palace for personal reasons. If not returned after the New Year, political affairs will be managed by the Regent King Su Jingzhi. If not returned by the following year, the throne is abdicated to the Regent King to inherit the great treasure forever. Respect this.
Who cares if it’s semi-classical and semi-vernacular? No one would say he was wrong anyway. The key lay in the seal.
Wei Wanlan stamped the massive Jade Seal down. The vermilion characters of the seal printed on the brocade surface were piercing and bright.
Having done all this, he now wanted to learn from TV dramas and put the posthumous edict behind the plaque in the study. Umm, a bit high.
Wei Wanlan stepped onto the table, his toes straining to leave the surface, his hands reaching for the plaque with all his might. He couldn’t reach.
So he thought of adding a stool on top of the table. He went to the corner of the study and moved a small round stool over. The height should be enough this time.
Wei Wanlan looked at it and thought it was about right. He was about to stand on it, but suddenly his heart thumped wildly. He felt it was a bit dangerous. He stood hugging the stool for a while, then put the stool down.
…If I fall, wouldn’t I be unable to leave Zichen Palace at all?
The grand plan is important. Must be cautious.
Wei Wanlan nodded to himself. So he picked up the edict and tossed it upward towards the back of the plaque!
The edict unfolded in mid-air and landed behind the plaque. Wei Wanlan rejoiced.
But only half of it went in. The other half didn’t go in; the cloth surface hung down against the plaque, fluttering, revealing exactly two big characters: Posthumous Edict!
This, this, this, cannot be, cannot be QAQ.
Wei Wanlan was nearly scared silly. Thinking of a remedy, he quickly poked his head out of the study to find Xiao Ji, keeping a straight face:
“Mengshi, find a stick.”
Xiao Ji was full of confusion, not understanding the intention.
However, Wei Wanlan acted even more unfathomable, his dragon claw patting his chest lightly: “You understand. Zhen has a great use for it.”
Have you seen the Emperor’s New Clothes? If you can’t see it, you’re stupid.
As for the Emperor’s Stick, it’s about the same. Just guess the function.
How could Xiao Mengshi admit he was stupid? He lowered his head and bowed: “Subject obeys the decree. Subject understands. Subject will handle it immediately.”
A stick was handed in through the door crack before long.
Wei Wanlan took the stick and poked the half-hanging edict up, completing the aftermath work.
Whew, so tired.
Today they had lunch separately. After a nap, Wei Wanlan’s arrangement was to walk by the Taiye Pool. This was also medical advice; Physician Fang told him to move around a bit when he had nothing to do.
Physician Fang was the best; his medical advice was very gentle. Since taking the medicine prescribed by Physician Fang, he hadn’t vomited.
He wondered what Physician Fang had said to the Regent King alone that day?
“Your Majesty, according to your arrangement, government affairs have been moved here today. The envoys from various countries coming to pay tribute are all arranged in the relay station. They will have an audience with the Saint collectively when the time comes.”
Wei Wanlan nodded: “En.”
This was also one of the survival plans.
Recently, the nations had been beaten into submission by them, especially those in the northwest. After Turks, Tubo, Tuyuhun, and others declared vassalage, smaller countries became even more afraid of Great Wei and sent letters requesting to pay tribute one after another.
The Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial put their heads together and decided to display national prestige by gathering them all in one pot for a grand audience ceremony. Incidentally, it would also deter small countries in the southeast and northeast. It was called the “Return of Hearts Assembly.”
The opportunity to escape lay in the Return of Hearts Assembly.
For this kind of ceremonial activity, Wei Wanlan would be dressed up as a grand mascot, his face half-hidden by the tasseled crown, sitting high on the head seat of Hanyuan Hall. He wouldn’t need to say more than a few lines; the fake dummy could completely replace him.
At that time, he would disguise himself as Wei Wanqing and run away.
Also, he didn’t know since when, but the Regent King grasped the propriety between ruler and minister very appropriately. Especially externally, he treated him very much like a Little Emperor. So even if Su Jingzhi participated in the ceremony, his status was high, but he wouldn’t overstep. They wouldn’t be too close, so he wouldn’t discover it.
But he would be reluctant to leave the Regent King.
Wei Wanlan’s heart felt sour and soft, and there was a dull pain in his belly. He stopped walking and sat down. Attendants set up a long table, spread out pen and ink, and placed memorials in front of him.
Sitting in the Wind-Viewing Pavilion, Wei Wanlan looked around. In the distance was water and clumps of scorched-yellow, fluffy reeds.
He thought of it almost a year ago. At that time, he was also here, holding reeds with both hands as cover, secretly observing the Regent King.
Back then, he was quite afraid of the Regent King—afraid the Regent King would kill people, afraid the Regent King would usurp the throne.
Now he wasn’t afraid. Sometimes when he got fierce, the Regent King would even be afraid of him and coax him, saying don’t be angry.
Time flies so fast…
Wei Wanlan rubbed his eyes, suppressing the tears that suddenly welled up. Thinking of the next arrangement, he had many things to do:
“Eunuch An.”
“Your Majesty, please order.” An Ruyi hurriedly bowed to listen to instructions.
Wei Wanlan continued methodically: “Go to the Imperial Medical Office to announce that Zhen wants to see Bai Linyue after handling court affairs. Also, from the treasury, Zhen wants to withdraw some money. No banknotes; Zhen wants two bottles of small gold beads.”
When away from home, gold was easy to carry and best at resisting inflation.
Eunuch An thought the Little Emperor wanted pocket money. Recently, Wei Wanlan often rewarded subordinates, so it wasn’t strange to be short of cash on hand.
An Ruyi lowered his head: “This slave will go do it immediately.”
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