Chapter 27

From Xiao Heng, Chu Zhaoyou learned that Madam Wu was originally a palace maid in the imperial harem. At the age of 25, she was released from the palace and had remained unmarried. At the age of 27, she was introduced to and married General Xie as his concubine.

General Xie had suffered severe injuries on the battlefield several times and, at the age of only 40, had accumulated a multitude of internal and external injuries. He had no intention of taking a concubine, but Lu Lihua had persistently urged him to find someone to care for his injuries and to help manage the marriage of his two children.

Fearing that he would inconvenience the young lady, Lu Lihua had mentioned that she had a former palace maid who was honest and skilled in caring for others. She had been unmarried since leaving the palace and was feeling anxious about her own marriage.

So, Madam Wu married into the general’s residence. Coming from humble origins, she didn’t make a big fuss about it. They had a simple family meal together, and the children called her “mother,” and that was that.

Not long after she married into the family, General Xie’s old injuries flared up and soon took his life.

Upon observing the symptoms of Madam Wu’s poisoning, Xie Chaoyun realized that something was amiss. When the imperial physician arrived to examine her, it was confirmed that she had been poisoned with a colorless, odorless, and extremely lethal toxin.

In order to lower Xie Chaoyun’s guard, Madam Wu had initially used his marriage as an emotional ploy, subtly reminding him to arrange a marriage for his sister and providing an example of a suitable match.

As soon as the topic of his sister’s marriage was brought up, Xie Chaoyun’s focus shifted to Chaoyue, nearly costing him his life.

Madam Wu had always been in good health, free from minor ailments. Even when she ingested the poison alongside Xie Chaoyun, she showed no symptoms. It wasn’t until the Regent kicked her, causing internal injuries, and the guards broke her arm, that the lethal toxin began to take effect. Madam Wu’s mouth overflowed with blood, and if Xiao Heng hadn’t noticed the abnormal amount of bleeding, it might have been mistaken for excessive force on his part.

As a military general, Xie Chaoyun naturally had old and hidden injuries. Madam Wu administered a large dose of the poison, and even though Xie Chaoyun was in better physical condition than his father, he couldn’t withstand the dose.

The Xie family had been loyal and devoted, and when General Xie died, the Empress Dowager was still in power. Madam Wu resented his refusal to submit and resorted to poisoning.

Many former palace maids released by the Empress Dowager were her pawns, and even now, Xiao Heng hadn’t completely eradicated them. Once pawns fell silent, they quietly infiltrated the households of various ministers, their whereabouts unknown.

With the Empress Dowager under house arrest by the Regent, the silent pawns began to stir up trouble. Failing to complete her mission and facing suspicion from Chaoyue, Madam Wu chose to poison herself, ensuring she couldn’t be harmed in the future, and dragged Chu Zhaoyou down with her in a fit of rage.

Madam Wu was just one of many similar individuals. Xiao Heng captured the head eunuch of the imperial harem and, through severe interrogation and the extraction of hidden informations by the Regent’s household, finally obtained a relatively complete list.

Although Xie Chaoyun’s aunt, Lu Lihua, wasn’t on the list, she had been coaxed by the Empress Dowager at some palace banquet and had become enthusiastic about matchmaking.

Chu Zhaoyou had some understanding of her mindset. Xie Libai, the eldest son of the general’s residence, was mediocre and weak, far less promising than his younger brother. After his brother’s death, his nephew emerged as a rising star, surpassing his father.

With her husband being ineffectual and the eldest branch being overshadowed, Lu Lihua couldn’t resist when the Empress Dowager extended an olive branch at the height of her power.

The Imperial Guards surrounded the general’s residence, and both Xie Libai and his wife were imprisoned.

Chu Zhaoyou sighed as he rubbed his stomach. “Who did I provoke? I almost ended up taking Xie Chaoyun’s place in heaven.”

He felt nervous. Xie Chaoyun’s 200,000-word plot point had passed, and now it was his turn, right?

Even though there were still 200,000 words left, if the author’s writing went off the rails, with the Regent writing three chapters over a meal and the public’s awe and admiration for him being praised for ten chapters, droning on until 400,000 words, and the Regent exiling the puppet emperor and ushering in a new era of male lead dominance…

He sat up in bed, determined to come up with a solid excuse this time.

What if this matter was □□?

He carefully thought it over again, eliminating the uncertain parts and retaining the information he found credible.

Chu Zhaoyou anxiously awaited Xiao Heng’s arrival, unable to stop his mouth from chattering when he felt tense.

Cui Geng faithfully recorded Chu Zhaoyou’s minimal food intake over the past two days, feeling that the king wasn’t really ill.

In reality, the Regent had placed Cui Geng there to intimidate Chu Zhaoyou and keep him in line, not to secretly carry out misdeeds and then scold him. He wasn’t actually so deranged as to check every day.

In fact, the Regent was not very keen on reading Cui Geng’s detailed records, which were akin to public executions.

You could say he was making up excuses, but the Regent himself felt guilty, right? Xiao Heng didn’t have the face to admit it, so he simply turned a blind eye.

He completely forgot that he had promised Xie Chaoyun to stay away from Chu Zhaoyou for a while. It took less than a morning to overturn that decision.

The only person who could somewhat supervise him, Xie Chaoyun, couldn’t bring himself to speak up due to the debt of saving his life. He could only watch from a distance and occasionally taunt his sister, “See, you have no chance.”

In October, Chu Zhaoyou had missed quite a few morning court sessions due to nausea. He had never been so unruly even when he was studying.

“My drama teachers back then were all acquaintances of the old man. How could I dare to skip?” Chu Zhaoyou whispered, as if he had been attending court sessions punctually for the first three days of the month.

When he saw Xiao Heng approaching, he immediately weakly lay back on the bed.

“My stomach feels a bit bloated.”

Bloated, uncomfortable, nauseous.

Eunuch Xue struggled to show a concerned expression. “Shall I massage it for you?”

It wasn’t bloating; it was clearly a pretense.

Xiao Heng’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of concern. “Are you feeling better today?”

Chu Zhaoyou asked, “Has everything been taken care of with the Xie family?”

“Yes,” Xiao Heng replied, staring at him. “Your Majesty, can you talk about Madam Wu’s matter?”

Every time he came, he asked about Xie Chaoyun’s affairs. Chu Zhaoyou rolled his eyes inwardly and cautiously replied, “When I was young, I overheard the Empress Dowager mention a colorless, odorless poison… Later, when Miss Xie entered the palace, I chatted with her for a bit and found General Xie’s death to be somewhat suspicious. The symptoms matched the description of the poison the Empress Dowager had mentioned.”

Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, his face devoid of emotion. “So you suspect Madam Wu because of this?”

“Yes, General Xie is a prominent border general and rarely returns to the capital. I was concerned that she might resort to old tricks, so I warned Miss Xie. Madam Wu usually keeps to herself, and she only comes out on General Xie’s death anniversary.”

Xiao Heng pressed further, “Every time Your Majesty praises Xie Chaoyun, is it also a warning to him?”

“Well… you could say that.” I just casually praised him, it’s not like it costs anything.

Xiao Heng declared, “Your Majesty, refrain from praising him in the future. Otherwise, I will suspect that you are deliberately trying to win over the military.”

Chu Zhaoyou pursed his lips. I saved him, can’t he praise me in return?

He inadvertently let his thoughts slip, and Xiao Heng glanced at him. “You really hope that Xie Chaoyun will look at you differently?”

Chu Zhaoyou nodded honestly. “Has General Xie received an education? Can he not praise people? If not, you can ask him to write an article and have someone else write it for him. Regent, please convey this message for me.”

Xiao Heng’s temples throbbed. “Are you suggesting a private exchange?”

He had to help convey messages too?

“General Xie is under your command. I wouldn’t dare ask him to repay a favor, but can’t I at least ask for a few words of praise?” Chu Zhaoyou was furious. “If not, Regent, why don’t you praise him instead?”

“You—” Xiao Heng was actually considering this suggestion.

Chu Zhaoyou looked up at him expectantly, eager to see what the Regent Prince would say. He saved Xie Chaoyun with minimal effort, but to this old dog, it was a great favor!

After struggling to find the right words for a while, the Regent, who had never flattered anyone, despite hearing plenty of flattery, and had a severe lack of vocabulary, finally spoke.

Under Chu Zhaoyou’s eager gaze, Xiao Heng pondered repeatedly.

Finally, he awkwardly said, “You’re doing a decent job as an emperor, not causing trouble.”

The Regent blushed slightly.

Decent job as an emperor? Perhaps that was indeed a compliment, at least for the Regent.

Chu Zhaoyou felt stifled. Couldn’t he at least say that he looked good?

“I’m going to take a nap,” Chu Zhaoyou announced.

Xiao Heng frowned. “Your Majesty has been sleeping a lot lately.”

Chu Zhaoyou shot him a resentful look. The Regent was now even managing his sleep? He didn’t respond, but found a warm spot in the bed and curled up under the covers.

“Only let him sleep for half an hour, then wake him up. If he refuses to wake up, just pull back the covers.”

Oversleeping can lead to fatigue and even insomnia at night. Although Xiao Heng thought Chu Zhaoyou was in good spirits.

Chu Zhaoyou remembered the last time the Regent had pulled back his covers, feeling that it was a shameful act that was too numerous to count.

As the Regent walked away, Chu Zhaoyou emerged from under the covers and gestured to Cui Geng, his face showing no signs of drowsiness.

“Next, everything I say, please record it accurately, not a single word less,” Chu Zhaoyou instructed Cui Geng.

Cui Geng had a bad feeling about this.

Chu Zhaoyou then began to rant non-stop, “The Regent threatens me every day to usurp the throne. He’s so arrogant, serves him right for being 27 and still unable to find a wife! He’s turning 28 soon, and no girl in her right mind would look at him. I declare that he will be single for the rest of his life!”

“Write faster, I still have…”

The Regent was busy with state affairs, and Cui Geng was adept at mental note-taking. He could record several dozen pages in a day.

 Chu Zhaoyou observed that the Regent didn’t have time to review the daily records, so he vented his frustrations.

“Wait, Your Majesty,” Cui Geng interjected.

Chu Zhaoyou had to teach him shorthand, “I’m a good person, and I only have a few words to curse. Replace these words with symbols, memorize them, and you can write half as much.”

Cui Geng had an epiphany, “I’ll start recording. On the fourth of November…”

“The fourth of November?” Chu Zhaoyou heard a sensitive time point and suddenly jumped up from the bed.