Chapter 55

Chu Zhaoyou felt a bit embarrassed and decided not to watch the acupuncture session, opting to calmly step outside for some fresh air.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief, “Finally left. Last time he was watching me so intently—”

He abruptly changed his tone.

The Regent was quick on the uptake, “One hundred taels.”

“Last time he was watching me so intently while I was giving you acupuncture. His gaze was so stern; I thought I was treating the emperor’s favorite concubine,” the old man said as he worked, skillfully combining treatment with storytelling to divert the patient’s attention—truly a healer in every sense.

As a sharp pain shot through the back of his head, Xiao Heng grabbed the armrest, his veins standing out on the back of his hand, yet his eyes were filled with a smile. Imagining Chu Zhaoyou’s expression, he felt a warmth in his heart.

Having been repeatedly deceived, he had grown accustomed to not seeking care. He disregarded minor aches and pains, and it was precisely this indifference that led him to overlook the unusual sensation at the back of his head, allowing him to confidently forget another person’s love and care for him.

People had let him down, but he had let Chu Zhaoyou down even more deeply.

As Chu Zhaoyou stepped out not far away, he spotted a young lady in the pavilion—tall, slender, not the usual type seen around the Regent’s residence.

“I’ll just go and enjoy the flowers.”

Chu Zhaoyou circled around and purposefully approached the pavilion, finally getting a clear view of the person.

It was a man.

A man dressed as a woman, here to participate in the Regent’s competition, the same person who had inspired Xie Chaoyun?

Rumor had it that he had been deceived into coming here with promises of free meals for participating in the competition, and that’s why he had risked his life to come.

Chu Zhaoyou didn’t think he was foolish. He seemed more like a privileged young man who had been overly protected. Perhaps he was just like Chu Zhaoyou himself, running away from home in a fit of rebellion.

“Are you Lu Er?” Chu Zhaoyou asked.

Lu Er turned around, seeing the Great Chu Emperor, and awkwardly knelt to perform the proper etiquette. “This subject pays respects to Your Majesty.”

Anyone placed in the garden by the imperial guards had been thoroughly searched to ensure they were unarmed and posed no danger—essentially, they were powerless.

Chu Zhaoyou felt a sense of familiarity and gestured for him to sit and offered him some melon seeds. “I heard you’re a friend of the physician?”

Lu Er replied truthfully, “No, the physician said he’d share his meal with me, so I followed him in. Everyone was too busy to kick me out.”

He glanced at Chu Zhaoyou with starry eyes. If no one were watching, he might have reached out to hold his hand. “I feel especially close to Your Majesty when I see you.”

Chu Zhaoyou, cautious, asked, “Are you trying to borrow money from me?”

Lu Er replied, “… I can provide collateral.”

Chu Zhaoyou pondered. This person had a refined appearance and an air of wealth. While others avoided the Regent’s residence, he dared to come and enjoy the food and drinks. It was likely that his family was quite wealthy.

“What do you have to offer as collateral?” Chu Zhaoyou’s smile was friendly. Today, he could contribute to the national treasury.

The imperial guards accompanying Chu Zhaoyou found themselves with a headache. What kind of fate led to a conversation about borrowing money within three sentences of meeting?

Lu Er cautiously glanced at the imperial guard and pulled out a circular jade pendant from his pocket. “I don’t have much on me, just this. One hundred taels, how about it?”

Chu Zhaoyou lowered his head and saw a fine piece of creamy white jade, delicate and lustrous. The craftsmanship was exquisite—a pair of circular jade pieces, interlocked like a collar, intricately carved from a single block of jade with auspicious patterns and a coiled dragon at the juncture.

Chu Zhaoyou was momentarily speechless. Could he have encountered a fellow practitioner?

Anxious, Lu Er reluctantly added, “And if you add five more taels, I’ll sell it to you.”

He wouldn’t dare sell it to anyone else, fearing trouble, but selling it to Chu Zhaoyou posed no risk.

Chu Zhaoyou gestured for the imperial guard to step back and spoke in a hushed tone, “Tell me, you’re  just like me right?”

Startled, Lu Er replied, “Can you tell so easily?”

Chu Zhaoyou tapped on the table. Some habits were exclusive only to those who have been emperors, especially the use of a dragon-patterned jade pendant.

“You’re too poor. Why didn’t you get some money from the treasury before coming here?” Chu Zhaoyou expressed disdain. It was foolish to leave home without money, especially for someone not in their right mind.

Defiant, Lu Er retorted, “The physician said that when he met you, you only had five taels on you.”

“Six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

Chu Zhaoyou was caught off guard, his cheeks flushing. “That was me encountering a dishonest pawnshop. Even for your jade pendant, I can only offer five taels!”

Lu Er felt dejected. “Can’t you give a little more?”

“Then tell me first, who are you?”

“I am Lu Jinghuan from the Kingdom of Dayan.”

The Kingdom of Dayan, situated to the south of Chu, was approximately one-tenth the size of the Great Chu. Both nations were neighboring the land of Yuechi. The ruler, Lu Jinghuan, held high esteem in the hearts of the people, even though the actual power was held by the National Preceptor, and the young emperor himself was still learning the strategies of ruling, leaving the political power in the hands of the National Preceptor with little prospect of ruling himself.

Chu Zhaoyou suddenly felt a sense of sympathy. No wonder he had felt an immediate kinship with Lu Er. It turned out to be a shared sense of bitterness among fellow puppet emperors.

Lu Er sighed, “The National Preceptor is too terrifying, and the imperial tutor he appointed is even more ruthless. I couldn’t bear it any longer.”

Seizing the opportunity while the National Preceptor was away managing a water crisis, Lu Er left a note and departed. The Great Chu was known for its strength, and he had heard that even the Regent was not to be trifled with. The National Preceptor certainly wouldn’t openly search for someone in the Great Chu, so he had come here.

Rushing too quickly, Lu Er had very little money with him, and upon arriving in the capital, he found that the last of his money had been stolen.

Yesterday, he had made up his mind that if he couldn’t find a meal, he would reveal his identity at the Regent’s residence, hoping that, for the sake of the friendly relations between the two countries, the Great Chu would inform the Kingdom of Dayan and have someone come to fetch him.

The National Preceptor would be angry, but it was still better than starving to death.

He looked at Chu Zhaoyou, “Can you take me in? The National Preceptor said he would lock me in the imperial tomb until I had memorized the Sixteen Histories. I don’t want to stay in the imperial tomb.”

That’s the Sixteen Histories! It would take a year to finish reading them all.

Chu Zhaoyou thought to himself, Why are you using my script?

Undeterred, Lu Er extended his wrist. “See this bruise? It’s from being locked in a room and forced to study. The sea of books is boundless, and I can’t be confined like this for the rest of my life. The National Preceptor uses the excuse of education to avoid ruling, so I want to follow you from now on.”

One puppet following another—was there any hope for success?

Chu Zhaoyou asked, “Do you know Qin Feichen?”

Lu Er paused. “I don’t. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing,” Chu Zhaoyou thought to himself, finding it amusing. Was Zhang, the eunuch, spinning romantic tales to Qin Feichen the way Lu Er was trying to persuade him?

Lu Er had lived a life of privilege, so leaving home had not instilled much caution in him. It seemed that the outside hadn’t tested him much. However, fearing the National Preceptor wasn’t a pretense, and Chu Zhaoyou wasn’t entirely convinced.

“Here’s the plan: you’ll become the apprentice of the physician, assuming a disguised identity, and accompany me into the palace where it’s safe.”

If the National Preceptor of Dayan did indeed harbor ambitions of seizing power, his ambitions likely extended beyond just Dayan. Ambitious people always went hand in hand with territorial expansion. As a precaution, having Lu Er by their side would provide an extra means of resolution in case of future conflict. After all, he was a ruler in his own right. If Lu Er were to starve to death in the Great Chu, it would give others an excuse to cause trouble, so it was best to keep him under close observation.

Lu Er readily agreed, with the condition that Chu Zhaoyou wouldn’t tell the National Preceptor about their whereabouts.

Chu Zhaoyou agreed.

Meanwhile, Xiao Heng had been undergoing acupuncture for an hour, expecting Chu Zhaoyou to check on him in between. He tried to maintain a carefree demeanor, but was ultimately left waiting as Chu Zhaoyou didn’t show up at all. Unable to recall anything, he felt too embarrassed to make any demands, so he begrudgingly had Chu Zhaoyou and the physician escorted into the palace.

The physician and his apprentice were settled in a nearby side hall close to the Funing Hall, ensuring they could respond promptly if needed.

The Regent replaced all the palace guards with trusted personnel, not only increasing the force but also ensuring strict confidentiality.

Subsequently, he had his study’s writing materials moved to the Funing Hall, preparing to make it his long-term office.

Chu Zhaoyou intercepted the Regent’s bedding, “This won’t do.”

Xiao Heng replied, “You’re right, Your Majesty. The palace won’t miss one of my beddings.”

“You should return to your residence and let me stay here alone.”

Xiao Heng felt a tinge of nostalgia. In the past, he could have boldly said, “I want to try the dragon bed, okay?” But his priorities had changed. He had no choice but to negotiate with a pleasant tone, “The physician said it’s best to have someone keep watch at night.”

“No,” Chu Zhaoyou replied sternly. The Regent managed affairs during the day, and having him keep watch at night would only disturb his sleep. It wouldn’t be bearable. Besides, now that the Regent knew they had shared a bed once, could they really just share a blanket innocently?

Chu Zhaoyou’s face felt warm, fearing that the Regent might ask him some embarrassing questions.

He was torn—hoping the Regent would remember, yet also feeling nervous. If only the Regent could selectively forget certain memories.

In any case, Chu Zhaoyou was in a state of uncertainty, unable to face the Regent calmly, unable to articulate the reasons for his discomfort.

“I’ll sleep in the outer chamber,” the Regent compromised.

The Regent’s tone was unusually gentle now, not even using “I” repeatedly, almost addressing himself as “your servant.” But the term “servant” was too distant from the king, and perhaps the Regent didn’t like using it, especially when he was aiming to become the one by the king’s side.

Chu Zhaoyou glared, “How dare the Regent encroach upon the Emperor’s bedchamber? Are you trying to usurp the throne?” He had to leave quickly; the Regent was being too accommodating, and if he said another word, Chu Zhaoyou might end up agreeing.

During his moments of foolishness, he lacked restraint and inadvertently made Chu Zhaoyou cry, ignorant of the consequences.

When he was more lucid, he pondered further.

Xiao Heng took a deep breath, quickly diverting his attention, recalling the first time he spent the night in the Funing Hall, waking up to find his belt buckle undone.

Chu Zhaoyou had seemed quite flustered at the time, indirectly trying to make him admit that he had undone the belt himself.

The belt buckle was so intricate that if Chu Zhaoyou had undone it, it could only mean he had studied it before.

Xiao Heng silently berated himself for being so dense. Chu Zhaoyou had shown so many flaws, yet he had continued to follow Chu Zhaoyou’s lead time and time again!

After five days of treatment, the Regent only recalled a few indescribable fragments, and he dared not speak of them. These fragmented memories made him acutely aware of how kind Chu Zhaoyou had been to him.

He was afraid that Chu Zhaoyou might misunderstand and think that he was only concerned about what had happened between them in bed.

He still hadn’t remembered everything, and dreaming of this was indeed rather unjustifiable.

So, every day, he drank tea to calm his nerves, hoping that the next day he might remember something else, enabling him to rightfully claim credit and gain some benefits.

Council Chamber.

Xiao Heng finished reviewing the memorials and, picking up a neighboring country’s missive, quickly skimmed through it. “The Kingdom of Dayan says their emperor has gone missing.”

Xie Chaoyun nearly choked on his water. “Cough, cough… I say, Your Highness, since when did you start drinking such bitter tea?”

Not only was the tea bitter, but Xiao Heng was cracking jokes while sipping it.

“How did he go missing?” asked Xiao Heng.

“They didn’t specify. They only mentioned that he suddenly went silent in the capital of the Great Chu, and now he’s coming to look for him,” Xiao Heng replied, closing the missive. It was clear that this was a mere courtesy call, and the Kingdom of Dayan’s representative was likely already within the Great Chu’s borders.

Xie Chaoyun took some pleasure in the misfortune of others. He and Xiao Heng were quite familiar with the National Preceptor of the Kingdom of Dayan, having cooperated many times in the past.

Cold and composed, Xie Chaoyun had always felt that the National Preceptor seemed more like a pure-hearted monk rather than a national preceptor.

“Wow, who would’ve thought? Don’t you think he might be overreacting this time?” Xie Chaoyun remarked.

Putting himself in the National Preceptor’s shoes, Xiao Heng replied, “If I were him, I’d have turned the world upside down by now.”

“Who do you think worries about their emperor like you do?” Xiao Heng gave him a cold look, feeling a sudden wave of apprehension about the Dayan emperor, who was somewhere unknown.

Chu Zhaoyou had almost bolted!

He had been planning to spend the night in the Funing Hall, but now Xiao Heng was feeling hesitant. He couldn’t push too hard; he was afraid that Chu Zhaoyou might develop a rebellious mindset, much like Lu Jinghuan.

It had been three days since he had the dream, and in reality, Xiao Heng hadn’t even been able to touch Chu Zhaoyou.

Without his memory restored, everything was off-limits.

Xiao Heng vaguely realized that Chu Zhaoyou was feeling a bit embarrassed and was unable to break free from it.

Xie Chaoyun suggested, “You envy how kind he was to you when you were acting foolish. It’s simple; just act foolish again.”

“People tend to sympathize with the weak. You’re the mighty Regent now. Can you be treated the way a fool is? Haven’t you noticed? His Majesty is swayed by kindness, not force.”

Xiao Heng pondered, “Does that make sense?”