Chapter 51

Chu Zhaoyou chose an early morning, a time when he usually didn’t rise.

Luckily, Xiao Heng had spent the night without sleep, so he received the news in a timely manner and caught up with them just two miles outside the city.

The layers of the Dragon Guard enveloped the Emperor’s carriage, leaving no room to maneuver.

If they were to engage the Dragon Guard, it would be tantamount to challenging imperial authority. Xiao Heng had to rely on all his martial arts training to leap over the ranks of the Dragon Guard.

The Dragon Guard, dumbfounded, watched as the Regent flew over their heads. A few of them even had their shoulders stepped on, but no one dared to throw weapons into the sky.

He was the Regent, and since the Emperor hadn’t openly confronted him, maintaining harmony was necessary.

As Xiao Heng closed in on Chu Zhaoyou, a soldier dressed in ordinary Dragon Guard attire soared into the air, blocking the Regent’s path.

“I pay my respects to the Regent. His Majesty wishes to go to the outskirts to clear his mind. All matters, large and small, are entrusted to the Regent. Unless the sky is falling, His Majesty will not see anyone.”

Zhao Cheng, with a stern expression, listened as the guard reiterated Chu Zhaoyou’s request.

Xiao Heng was forced to stop. The soldier’s skills were impressive, and it wouldn’t look good if they fought in front of Chu Zhaoyou.

He composed himself and looked up, his forehead vein pulsing. “Zhao Cheng?”

“At your service.”

Xiao Heng sneered inwardly.

After Lady Zhao returned to Liangzhou, concerned about Chu Zhaoyou being alone, she sent her husband over?

Xiao Heng: “Are you here to take Chu Zhaoyou back to Liangzhou? There’s no transfer order for leaving your post—”

Xiao Heng’s words paused. After all, this was Chu Zhaoyou’s uncle. Now wasn’t the time to pursue that matter. Chu Zhaoyou could easily claim that he had given the secret order himself.

Zhao Cheng honestly replied, “My wife is worried about her nephew and wanted me to come and check on him.”

It seemed there was a genuine need for this check, as the Regent didn’t even take the Dragon Guard seriously.

Xiao Heng felt relieved. As long as Chu Zhaoyou had not made up his mind to go to Liangzhou, everything was fine.

“Step aside. I have something to discuss with His Majesty.” Xiao Heng watched as Chu Zhaoyou got farther away, feeling a bit irritable.

Zhao Cheng remained silent, refusing to move.

Xiao Heng smiled; it seemed even he had his tough days with Chu Zhaoyou.

“Ten years ago, before Di Yan left the palace, she went to visit the young Emperor and was almost discovered by the Empress Dowager’s people. Who do you think provided cover for her?”

Zhao Cheng’s expression froze. Di Yan had once mentioned to him that before leaving the palace, she had been discovered by a eunuch who had been placed near the Emperor by the Empress Dowager. They had searched for her outside, but the eunuch had suddenly disappeared just as they were about to find her.

Xiao Heng had brushed off this small matter. During his power struggle with the Empress Dowager, he had come to know about Chu Zhaoyou’s aunt. However, he had been too busy to inquire about Di Yan’s whereabouts since then and had not bothered to bring up this minor incident.

Observing Zhao Cheng’s conflicted expression, the Regent realized that leveraging gratitude for favors was quite satisfying.

“I only wish to have a word with His Majesty and will not restrict his movements.”

Although Zhao Cheng found the Regent’s words utterly unbelievable, they were in public view, and both he and Lu Huai were present, so he had nothing to fear.

“Your Highness, please.”

Approaching the carriage, Xiao Heng asked Chu Zhaoyou through the curtain, “Is the prescription you gave me for antiemetics? Do you wish me to make way for certain individuals?”

Chu Zhaoyou: “I didn’t…”

“Then please explain it to me, Your Majesty,” Xiao Heng’s gaze seemed to penetrate the windscreen, seeing through Chu Zhaoyou’s hesitation, provoking him, “Otherwise, I can only assume that, like the late Emperor, you would stop at nothing for the sake of securing the throne.”

Chu Zhaoyou opened his mouth, unable to explain why. This “treatment” was forever shrouded in the shadow of conspiracy.

Chu Zhaoyou failed to realize that he now cared more about Xiao Heng’s opinion than about thwarting the late Emperor’s schemes.

The carriage did not stop, and a prolonged silence enveloped the occupants within.

Xiao Heng gazed at the defensive measures around the carriage, almost suspecting that Chu Zhaoyou had tacitly agreed. Suddenly, he lifted the curtain, and as a refreshing breeze swept through, the Regent surged into the carriage.

The carriage curtain was heavy and cast a gloomy interior.

“Ahh—!” Chu Zhaoyou cried out in pain as his shoulder was struck.

Ignoring all else, Xiao Heng seized Chu Zhaoyou, pulling at his collar to reveal a clear bite mark.

Judging by its size, it was clearly human.

As he looked down, he spotted another bite mark on Chu Zhaoyou’s shoulder.

He lowered his head and bit Chu Zhaoyou’s shoulder.

He would completely cover the traces left by someone else on Chu Zhaoyou’s body; Chu Zhaoyou could only belong to him.

However, he hadn’t drawn blood, a sign of his reluctance.

“Your Majesty!” Zhao Cheng and Lu Huai called from outside the carriage.

Chu Zhaoyou adjusted his clothes, concealing the two overlapping bite marks, and spoke in a cold tone, “It’s nothing.”

“Is the Regent unwell?”

Xiao Heng narrowed his eyes, “If Your Majesty is unwilling to explain the prescription, you are unwilling to dispel my curse. Then allow me to guess— the method provided from the late Emperor’s coffin is the same as Miao Ruoqiu’s.”

The prescription was fake, but Chu Zhaoyou had indeed obtained instructions from the late Emperor’s coffin.

Once Miao Ruoqiu had left, Chu Zhaoyou had produced the prescription, preventing Xiao Heng from pondering anything else.

Sitting in his study all night, Xiao Heng pondered Miao Ruoqiu’s explanation and arrived at a conclusion.

If Miao Ruoqiu could use the resonance gu inside her body to elicit the yang gu from his own body through intimate relations, then as the possessor of the yin gu, there was no reason why Chu Zhaoyou’s chances wouldn’t be as high as Miao Ruoqiu’s!

Chu Zhaoyou’s expression suddenly changed, and he whispered, “What are you talking about!”

Observing his reaction, Xiao Heng sneered, “I’ve guessed it right? The late Emperor was indeed accurate in turning you into someone capable of bearing children. He wanted you to bear my child, but—”

But what? Did the late Emperor misjudge the situation?

Chu Zhaoyou suddenly exploded, covering his ears tightly. “Get out! I told you to get out!”

His voice was strained, almost breaking.

Everyone around the carriage heard it. As the curtain was lifted, the carriage suddenly brightened. Zhao Cheng’s expression was stern, “Regent, please leave.”

Zhao Cheng was now as cautious as he had when Di Yan had been pregnant, fearing that his emotional outburst might affect the fetus. He was worried that he might end up being driven out of his home, just like Di Yan had done to him in the past.

Xiao Heng glanced deeply at Chu Zhaoyou, noting his flushed face and refusal to engage, as if one more word might break him.

Was he afraid of forcing himself on Chu Zhaoyou, or did he fabricate the prescription simply because he didn’t want to be treated?

Xiao Heng didn’t dare to agitate Chu Zhaoyou, fearing that it might be irreversible. He stepped down from the carriage, calmly trailing behind it under Lu Huai’s piercing gaze, as if he would follow wherever Chu Zhaoyou went.

Unfortunately, he was a step too late. Chu Zhaoyou had already become pregnant with someone else’s child. Since he had gone to such lengths, why couldn’t he have revealed the truth a little earlier?

Fortunately, he could wait.

…

The conversation in the capital shifted one after another. In places where the elite gathered, gossip abounded, but the matter of the Regent seeking a Consort had been scarcely mentioned for the past few months.

The old man had inquired in the town and learned that the person was the Regent. After encountering Xiao Heng late last night and finding out about the young fool’s pregnancy, he had tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The chances of getting pregnant aren’t that high, how did this happen? The next day, feeling resigned, the old man decided to go to the Regent’s residence.

After a late sleep, the old man, feeling determined, planned to visit the Regent’s mansion.

The fool seemed rather formidable when awake, so the old man used a plate of peanuts to inquire about the Regent from the elder brother at the guesthouse’s lobby.

“As for the Regent, how would we common folk know? There’s one thing though, last autumn, the Regent posted notices searching for a girl who had looked after him in early October. Everyone said she was the Regent’s wife, but unfortunately, they still haven’t found her.”

The old man almost choked on the peanuts. “What? A girl? The Regent hasn’t found that girl yet?”

What was he saying? He was right saying that they were both fools, one lost and the other not even remembering the difference between men and women!

So, the person he had seen the Regent assisting into the carriage in blue attire wasn’t the young fool?

The old man’s chest heaved. “That is tThe rear entrance to the mansion, right?”

He wanted to see if it was truly forgetfulness or a change of heart.

The mansion’s rear entrance.

Qian Shicheng, much like Xie Chaoyun, was particularly concerned about the Regent’s major life events and often frequented the rear entrance of the Regent’s residence.

There weren’t many people at the rear entrance. At most, one or two young women would visit each day. This place was quite friendly to impostors, so it was hard to say whether they were here to try their luck or just to spectate.

“General Xie, what a coincidence?” Qian Shicheng had just greeted someone when he suddenly widened his eyes, pointing at a girl at the door, speechless.

The girl, dressed in a pink simple dress, was in conversation with a guard. “I’m so hungry. Can I have some food first?”

Her voice was clear and somewhat neutral, her hair simply tied back, and she exuded an air of elegance with her rosy lips and pearly teeth.

The guard, seeing her dusty appearance and realizing she was hungry at mealtime, answered several questions correctly. Her demeanor and appearance were hundreds of times better than the previous impostors, so he agreed, “Alright, alright. You wait here.”

In this land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, the last time they stopped a person like Miao Ruoqiu, there had been a lengthy debate, and the guard had become friendlier as he appreciated her good looks.

Qian Shicheng grabbed Xie Chaoyun, his tongue tied with excitement. “It’s a man! It’s a man!”

Qian Shicheng, having once been duped by a male impersonating a female character, had since developed a natural fear and vigilance towards men disguising as women, honing his keen eyesight.

Why are there so many men pretending to be women in this world? The staunch Qian Shicheng was close to developing a phobia!

Xie Chaoyun was momentarily stunned, only then realizing that Qian Shicheng was referring to the girl who had come to answer questions being a man.

Hmm, really couldn’t tell.

A man… Xie Chaoyun’s expression suddenly changed. A man in women’s clothing!

The Regent had claimed the benefactor was a woman, and the witnesses they had found also said it was a woman. They had never considered the possibility of a man.

If they were to include men in their search, then in this world, there could be someone more convincing than the current “girl” who had the time, the Regent’s affection, and could easily pass as a woman…

Who could it be?

Xie Chaoyun’s hands trembled a bit. He patted Qian Shicheng’s shoulder. “I’m going to find the Regent.”

“Huh?” Qian Shicheng didn’t understand why Xie Chaoyun suddenly seemed agitated, and the next moment, he had disappeared. Indignant, he was about to step forward and expose the person’s true identity.

Suddenly, an old man darted out from a side street, seizing the “girl” by the ear, his anger palpable. “Who are you? So young and yet so unruly, impersonating the young fool!”

Luo Er covered his ears with a sudden “Ah”, shedding his disguised tone and revealing a clear male voice. “I didn’t do anything!”

“And you still deny it! I’ve been observing you for a long time. You can imitate the young fool, quite clever, knowing he’s a man!”

Luo Er’s fair face reddened. “I was just hungry. I heard that as long as you answer questions correctly here, they’ll give you food…”

The old man released him. “I see. I’ll share some of mine with you later.”

Having observed the young man answering questions earlier, He was indeed looking for someone. The Regent had genuinely thought the person was a girl. It turned out he had been played.

“Don’t bother looking for a girl. Which girl would be that foolish? Let me tell you straightforwardly, when I saw your Regent, the person who saved him was a young gentleman. They left the capital together, and he was dressed as a woman, just like this person here.”

Qian Shicheng, the guard: “…”

Their act seemed all too rehearsed, and thus, untrustworthy.

Seeing their skeptical expressions, the old man immediately grew indignant, ready to start cursing, “Your Regent was turned into a fool by the He Xin Gu, and he slept with the other person to dispel it. When he woke up, he couldn’t even remember the other person’s gender. Bah! At the very least, you should reimburse the young fool for the medical expenses! He’s put in money and effort. I said it at the time, the Regent, once he’s sober, he might just abandon the young fool. It’s a disgrace!”

As soon as the keywords “He Xin Gu” and “fool” were mentioned, before the guard could react, Qian Shicheng understood.

After the Regent had openly sought a solution for the He Xin Gu, Qian Shicheng learned the truth from Xie Chaoyun’s account.

This old man seemed to know a lot; perhaps he had truly encountered the Regent.

Qian Shicheng quickly ushered the old man into the mansion. “Let’s discuss this inside.”

The news of the arrival of a renowned physician quickly alarmed the mansion. The Regent had left the city to pursue the Emperor. This information was reported to Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi had just finished recording a lengthy statement from Qin Feichen, the notorious womanizer who could talk endlessly. His head was still buzzing from the interrogation.

“Boss, someone claims to have saved the master.”

Xiao Qi: “A girl?”

“An old man.”

Xiao Qi: “…Go check it out.”

The old man was holding a tea party in the mansion’s hall, emphasizing the urgency of the situation—how he had allowed the young fool to detoxify the Regent only in an emergency. If they hadn’t acted in time, irreversible cognitive damage would have occurred…

Implied in his words was whether there were any lingering effects, whether the young fool might become pregnant. He hadn’t made it clear, but given the urgency of the situation, his actions were understandable.

He identified Chu Zhaoyou’s clothing and pointed out the bite mark on the shoulder, claiming that the Regent had bitten him there. The young fool might be pregnant; it had been five months already. They needed to act quickly.

Qian Shicheng: “Pregnant? So, is this person a man or a woman?”

Xiao Qi, who accompanied the Regent during the interrogation of Qin Feichen, pondered: “A bite mark and pregnancy—why do they both align with His Majesty?”

So, what’s inside the Emperor’s belly…

Maintaining his composure, Xiao Qi took a piece of paper and sketched the outline of a young man with a few strokes. “Esteemed physician, does this person have exceptionally good looks, perhaps something like this?”

“Close enough, there’s a small mole at the end of the eyebrow, but his eyes aren’t as well-drawn.”

Xiao Qi nodded and asked Qian Shicheng, “The day the Emperor went missing, you were patrolling the city. In your opinion, whose martial arts could have taken the Emperor away?”

Qian Shicheng was indignant. “His Majesty said he left before the curfew. If it had been after the curfew, no one could have left without alerting anyone, unless it was the master himself…”

Xiao Qi patted his shoulder. “I’m going to find the Regent.”

Qian Shicheng: “…” Why are you suddenly like Xie Chaoyun?

This situation made him a bit curious and tempted to join in and see what was happening.