Chapter 170: Wei Little Wan Bares His Belly
Imperial Medical Office, Case Files Room.
The old Miao doctor, Bai Linyue, sat in a wheelchair in a corner of the room. A blanket embroidered with totem patterns covered his legs. Having not been seen for several months, he appeared even more withered and aged.
“Your Majesty.”
Bai Linyue had not concerned himself with worldly affairs for many years, so the old man’s eyes always shimmered with a clear light, distinct from the many others in this palace.
Wei Wanlan went straight to the point. “Zhen wants to ask: is there a way to dissolve the life-and-death connection of the Twin Life Gu?”
A hint of confusion appeared in Bai Linyue’s eyes, and he tilted his head very slightly.
That inquiring look made Wei Wanlan feel inexplicably guilty. He quickly straightened his posture to describe the situation in detail. “It is not because Zhen is having a conflict with that person, but because Zhen…” He paused. Even with someone as transcendent as Bai Linyue, he couldn’t reveal the secret.
Wei Wanlan changed his phrasing. “The Gu was originally planted to save a life. Dissolving the Gu now is also to save a life, to prevent trouble before it happens.”
Bai Linyue gazed at the Emperor with his wrinkled eyes.
Wei Wanlan explained on his own accord:
“The Gu worm is in his body, meaning his life is forever tied to another’s. This is very dangerous!”
“Zhen does not want him to die. Zhen wants him to live well, forever.”
The Case Files Room filled with the rustling sound of insects.
Wei Wanlan’s voice was clean and revealed a firm determination.
He was the supreme existence clad in dragon robes; at first listen, his words seemed filled with an Emperor’s domineering nature.
But savoring the content of his request, Bai Linyue felt an inexplicable astonishment.
Bai Linyue had lived too long. In these twilight years, he had never stepped out of the Case Files Room. His contacts were limited to flowers, herbs, Gu worms, and the medical records of nobles.
The rare splash of color in his monotonous life surprisingly came from the current Son of Heaven of Great Wei.
He saw a pure passion in Wei Wanlan, like the clear springs of the Miao stockades, like the sunlight over Erhai Lake… He was already the supreme ruler of the world, yet he could go to such lengths for another person.
What the people of the Central Plains called a “heart of a newborn child”—this must be it.
Unfortunately, there was no solution for the Twin Life Gu.
Once the Gu worm is planted, it lives with the body. If one could plant it at will and dissolve it at will, how could the Miao border’s Gu poison arts stand in a league of their own, becoming the most difficult to pry into yet most fascinating skill in the world?
Regretfully, Bai Linyue prepared to bow to Wei Wanlan to ask for forgiveness.
But at a certain angle facing the light, he saw a tiny tear hanging from Wei Wanlan’s eyelashes, like the sun shining on dew upon a flower branch.
Bai Linyue’s heart was touched. His eyelids drooped slightly. in the end, he could not bear to see Wei Wanlan disappointed. He took the words already at his lips and turned them into a gentle curve.
He said to Wei Wanlan, “Much joy, long peace. Eat enough coarse grains and cereals, meat and vegetables every day. Take good care of yourself, and the Gu can naturally be resolved.”
Bai Linyue’s meaning was: live well.
If the Emperor had planted the Gu on himself, as long as the Emperor was healthy, his sweetheart would surely be able to live as long as heaven and earth endured.
Wei Wanlan actually had a good impression of this old Miao doctor, but hearing this answer, which seemed somewhat perfunctory, he still voiced some doubt.
“It is that simple?”
“The Great Dao is simple. Moreover, Your Majesty, Gu worms also have lifespans.” Bai Linyue cupped his hands with slow movements.
This logic flowed; it sounded plausible.
Wei Wanlan nodded his little dragon head lightly. He was always easily deceived by people worth trusting. He nodded to the old Miao doctor.
“Thank you, Elder, for your guidance.”
…
Leaving the Case Files Room.
Wei Wanlan summoned the Vice Minister of Rites and the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial to explain the entire process of the Return to Heart Assembly to him properly. The Return to Heart Assembly was critical to his plan to trick the system and escape; he had to be familiar with every step. If he accidentally ran off while identity verification was happening at the venue, he would be done for.
It was just that calling the two of them to work overtime at night felt a bit rude.
Wei Wanlan’s solution was to bestow a banquet—a dinner to be eaten together in the Purple Tuan Hall, with himself and the Regent.
At that time, Wei Wanlan was completely unaware; he thought it was just adding two pairs of chopsticks.
It wasn’t until he saw the two summoned officials, dressed in neat court attire, standing as stiffly as the statues of page boys flanking a deity in a Confucian temple, saying “Your Majesty is wise” on the left and “Thank you, Your Majesty” on the right, that Wei Wanlan felt he should probably pick a different setting for discussing business in the future.
If Zhen has a future…
Wei Wanlan thought blankly.
Su Jingzhi, on the other hand, didn’t say a word from start to finish. Occasionally, he would add a cleanly peeled large shrimp to the Little Emperor’s bowl. He twisted the shrimp heads and lifted the shells with practiced ease, his movements calm and elegant.
It made people inexplicably want to finish reporting official business and leave immediately.
Was that a shrimp he was peeling?
Was it not their skin he wanted to peel?
The two officials felt like pitiful prey that had mistakenly wandered into a lion’s territory, with absolutely no opportunity to display their character or talents. Preserving their lives was the priority; even if their preparations went to waste, they had to leave. Once the business was discussed, they would leave.
“Then, Your Majesty and the Prince, please continue your meal. We subjects shall take our leave.” The two bowed and retreated out of the palace doors, their etiquette impeccable.
Wei Wanlan was also eating somewhat absent-mindedly. Since he had already obtained the intelligence he wanted, he didn’t stop them. Let’s let each other off the hook; everyone has it hard.
The hall doors had just closed.
Su Jingzhi gently pushed a small bowl across the dining table. A dozen white, chubby, peeled large shrimp lay in the bowl. With his obsessive-compulsive disorder, he had stacked them neatly.
“Eat while it’s hot.”
Wei Wanlan snapped back to reality, smiled, propped his chin up, and leaned close to Su Jingzhi. “Did you make them leave quickly because you were worried the shrimp would get cold?”
“It tastes fishy when cold. Besides, those two both wanted to get closer to Your Majesty. This Prince saw the shape of their mouths reciting their drafts.”
The dignified Regent was actually tattling.
Wei Wanlan carefully chewed the shrimp and swallowed slowly, his cheeks puffing out. “Delish.”
In the dim lamplight, he was fed a multi-grain pastry by Su Jingzhi. The mix of five grains was rich in nutrition and could resolve the Twin Life Gu.
Wei Wanlan ate it too. As he chewed, he felt a bit like crying. “Regent.”
Su Jingzhi enjoyed continuing the feeding, waiting for what followed.
“You are truly good.”
“…”
How to put it… hearing this compliment from the little dummy suddenly didn’t feel surprising, just too polite. It was like he had something weighing on his mind; acting out of character meant something was up.
What little secret was the little guy hiding?
Su Jingzhi originally thought Little Wan had come up with some willful request for him to agree to. After all, Little Wan knew his limits and wouldn’t go too far out of line; whatever Ancestor Wei said, went.
But a wave of uneasiness barged into his heart.
That momentary flash of thought dragged him back to the long nights in Turkic territory. He still remembered when he was coaxing the fallen Wei Wanlan, Little Wan had said some very strange things, as if he didn’t belong to this place.
Cola, fried chicken, fried yogurt…
Why did I have to transmigrate here…
His mind tightened violently!
He had to get close to the little dummy immediately, to make sure he wouldn’t suddenly run away, wouldn’t be swapped out halfway.
“Wanwan, do you still remember you promised this Prince one thing?”
“Eh, which thing? Zhen seems to have promised quite a few… like sleeping at the hour of Hai, waking at the hour of Mao, taking a nap at noon. Some were achieved, some were not,” Wei Wanlan said honestly.
“Do not leave without saying goodbye,” Su Jingzhi said solemnly.
Wei Wanlan’s body trembled slightly, and he instantly felt breathless.
How could he forget? Even if he concealed it well, Su Jingzhi was sharp and clever!
Every time he wanted to trick Su Jingzhi, it was very, very hard to succeed. Most of the time, he ended up paying a double penalty.
Wei Wanlan lowered his eyes guiltily and ate the shrimp, chewing it blandly, using silence to change the subject. Once full, Su Jingzhi dabbed his lips with a soft cloth, cleaning him up neatly.
Su Jingzhi was treating him as a very precious existence.
Wei Wanlan knew this. He went over and sat on the Regent’s lap.
The maids and eunuchs had long since tactfully withdrawn.
He felt very ashamed. Because of the secret of the book-transmigration mission, he couldn’t let the Regent be heartbroken; he wanted to handle it himself. Just like when Su Jingzhi was poisoned with a strange toxin and wanted to quietly die outside, both of them had hearts that considered the other.
Wei Wanlan hugged Su Jingzhi and hummed:
“I’m full. I ate a bit too much. Rub my tummy.”
Thinking he could divert the Regent’s attention, Wei Wanlan acted shamelessly, pulling the Regent by his sleeve back to the sleeping quarters to lie flat, letting that warm, large hand rest on his skin.
His palm had calluses; rubbing caused a slight stimulation, a little stinging and a little ticklish. The feeling was very strange.
“Wanwan,” the Regent spoke.
Wei Wanlan opened his deer-like eyes. “What is it?”
“There is meat on your belly,” the warm, deep voice resonated within the bed curtains. “A very thin little layer. Grown just recently.”
Hey, how could someone suddenly bring up such an awkward topic?
As a COSER, Wei Wanlan paid great attention to image management. He checked his hands and feet in record time, and even lifted his legs, finding no changes. Only when his hands covered his belly did it feel soft.
It seemed a bit of meat had really stuck there QAQ.
Wei Wanlan curled up into an unhappy ball.
“No more rubbing. Dieting from now on. Just reducing the belly; Zhen will do sit-ups.”
The Regent sincerely advised against it. “Imperial Physician Fang forbids strenuous exercise.” Even if he didn’t truly know what a sit-up was.
“Then sleep! Sleep to lose weight! If I sleep enough, I won’t know I’m hungry.” Saying this, he didn’t let him rub anymore. Wei Wanlan pulled Su Jingzhi down to lie alongside him, facing the Nine Dragon Mirror on the ceiling of the bed.
That mirror allowed him to see both himself and the Regent directly. The Regent was tall and occupied a large portion of the dragon bed. Meanwhile, blinking two large eyes, he was examining their reflection in the mirror.
Sharing the same bed, stuck together like glue and lacquer.
Can Zhen remember this image forever?
When I miss you while living outside, I can dig it out from my memory to look at.
Wei Wanlan buried his head into the crook of Su Jingzhi’s neck, taking a few fierce sniffs of the wood-scented fragrance on Su Jingzhi’s body. His hands and legs clung to Su Jingzhi as he hummed:
“…Want to do the baby-making thing. Front side.”
!!!
This was the first time Wei Wanlan had actively solicited him.
All that asceticism Su Jingzhi had cultivated in recuperation for so many days went to hell in Wei Wanlan’s few short words. His blood boiled instantly. The little ancestor was still arching around on him, teasing him, kicking his two legs back and forth under the quilt.
Clearly, he was speaking of matters of passion, yet it made one feel Little Wan was incomparably innocent.
Unfortunately, old Imperial Physician Fang’s medical orders stood before them.
Su Jingzhi gently placed his hand on Wei Wanlan’s belly, exploring downwards, and carefully helped him find relief once, not having the heart to continue. Not until Wei Wanlan’s forehead was sweaty and he was willing to sleep did Su Jingzhi get out of bed to fetch clear water and a soft cloth to clean him up again.
Before getting out of bed, he heard the little dummy talking in his sleep:
“…Wooden buckets fall in Purple Tuan Hall, red rain falls from the sky in Chang’an.”
???
Su Jingzhi was baffled.
But actually, this was logic he had forcibly pieced together; due to his nature, he needed a clear answer too badly.
In reality, Wei Wanlan was saying:
Wait until Zhen tricks the bad system; I will never deceive you again.
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