Silence reigned in the hall once again.
Ye Shu gripped the soft silk quilt, his knuckles taut and white before he managed to control himself from passing out again.
He was asked what else he wanted to say?
Did what he said now still matter?
Jin Wang, however, showed great patience, as he watched him silently.
The two were stock-still for quite a while. Ye Shu shivered as he asked, âI-If I told you that I did what I did for your own good, would you believe me?â
Jin Wang, obviously not expecting him to say that, gave a slight nod. âGu wishes to hear more.â
Ye Shu stealthily sized him up.
Jin Wang had always been invisible, and even the attendants who had followed him for years found it difficult to fathom his inner thoughts. He was capricious and unpredictable; one second he might be talking jovially with someone, the next he could be killing them over a word out of place.
Accompanying a ruler was as perilous as lying with a tiger, they said.
Ye Shu was so nervous that his stomach cramped, he rubbed his abdomen and summoned up his courage to say, âIâŠâŠ This subject discovered that Western Xia secretly sent spies into the capital, which is why IâŠâŠ this subject falsely cooperated with it. This subject did all of these things in order to draw them out and help Your Majesty eradicate foreign enemies.â
âOh?â Jin Wang said in equanimity. âContinue.â
âAs for the commander of the imperial guards, he has long been rebellious, and this subject naturally acted to wipe out all those who are plotting against the court.â Perhaps he was overly nervous that the more Ye Shu spoke the clearer his thoughts became, making up so much that he almost believed himself. âAlso, didnât Your Majesty receive news from the spies beforehand that there would be an assassination last night?â
Jin Wangâs eyebrows quirked. âMinister Ye wanted to say that this matter concerns you?â
Ye Shu looked incomparably sincere. âThis subject didnât dare to inform Your Majesty of the plan in advance for fear of leaking it, and could only pass on the news by this means. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and resourceful, and cooperated seamlessly with this subject. Now this isâŠâŠâ
A light knock on the door interrupted.
Jin Wang raised his hand to stop Ye Shuâs words and called out, âCome in.â
Several maid servants entered the hall with trays in their hands.
Ye Shu immediately smelled the aroma of the dishes and then his stomach rumbled.
Jin Wang smiled. âHungry?â
Ye Shu hadnât eaten a grain of rice since he transmigrated. He had a chronic condition of having a stomachache that tended to recur whenever he was hungry. Moreover, he even had to be given emergency treatment when the pain got severe.
Jin Wang got up and spoke gently, âCome, eat while you speak.â
Ye Shu followed after Jin Wang to the table, where the test-for-poison servant had finished testing the dishes in turn.
Jin Wang waved for the servants to retreat and pulled Ye Shu to sit down.
Ye Shu glanced at him rather suspiciously.
What a picture of brotherly love between a saintly ruler and an auxiliary minister.
If he hadnât read the book, he would have thought he had transmigrated into a novel about socialistic bromance.
The stabbing pain in his abdomen was becoming more pronounced. Ye Shu didnât intend to give himself a hard time, so he obediently lowered his head to the porridge.
Jin Wang didnât touch his chopsticks, looked at him off to the side for a moment and then said in a warm voice, âMinister Ye just said that you were the one who revealed the news of the assassination to Guâs spies?â
Ye Shuâs movement somewhat paused, but his expression still looked natural. âYes.â
Jin Wang frowned slightly, as if he was pondering whether what he said was really true to fact.
In the book, it was actually the original ownerâs subordinates who were lax in keeping their mouths shut when delivering the news that caused them to get detected by the spies in the capital.
He was now replacing one twig for another, trying to make it sound like he had deliberately sold a broken seam.
If Jin Wang continued to ask, he could even tell which spy it was and at what point he received the information.
This young master never thought that he would transmigrate into the book either.
Ye Shu was so pleased with himself that even the rice porridge he was drinking became sweet.
Jin Wang simply propped up his chin and asked curiously, âThen can Minister Ye tell Gu how you have come to know Guâs spies so well?â
Ye Shuâs hand shook and the soup spoon fell into the porridge bowl.
In order to consolidate his regime, Jin Wang set up three hundred spies in the capital when he ascended the throne. The spies roamed in the darkness and did everything for Jin Wang that was inconvenient for him to do in the open.
Of course he knew these matters from reading the book, but in the book, this was the number one most guarded secret of Changlu.
Knowing this secret, he would die a worse death than a murderer and a traitor.
A layer of cold sweat rose on Ye Shuâs back, his voice unconsciously trembled, âYour MajestyâŠâ
Jin Wang smiled. âGu is here, speak slowly.â
Ye Shu could say nothing more.
He felt like he was disco dancing in a minefield, hopping and hopping until his death.
Ye Shuâs abdomen cramped, abandoning him to despair. âYouâre giving me a hard time.â
Jin Wang asked, âWhy do you say so, my beloved minister?â
âLook at the way youâre treating me, did you ever really believe in me?â Ye Shu pushed the bowl of porridge and got up. âJin Wang, weâve known each other since we were seven, donât you know yourself how Iâve treated you these past ten years?â
âDoubt me and test me. Since youâre so sure I did it, why donât you just kill me? Pretend that all of my over ten years of pure sincerity have been fed to the dogs!â
Ye Shuâs eyes reddened. âLast night, y-you did that to meâŠâŠâ
Ye Shuâs voice choked with sobs, unable to speak more.
Only the sound of Ye Shuâs rapid breathing was left in the large hall for a while, and as if he couldnât stand any longer, he slowly crouched down with his hands covered over his abdomen.
Jin Wang subconsciously went down to help him.
âDonât touch me,â Ye Shuâs forehead was cold and sweaty, and said weakly, âjust let me die of pain if you will.â
Jin Wang pulled a long face, but didnât say anything, quickly picking Ye Shu up across the hall and striding towards the inner chamber.
Jin Wang put Ye Shu on the bed and went out to order someone to call the imperial physician.
Ye Shu lifted his eyelids and quietly looked out.
It seems that this dog emperor only eats soft food ah.
Jin Wangâs feelings for the original owner werenât told in detail in the book, but some were roughly mentioned.
Jin Wang was born in the Cold Palace, but his mother died of illness when he was young. The late emperor was a lustful lover of beauty and pleasure, and did not care about his son. For a long period of time, Jin Wang could only rely upon the original owner.
When the days were the hardest, every bite of food had to be brought in by the original owner, by hook or by crook.
When Jin Wang was young and in debility, the original owner always gave him what little food he had, and thereby suffered from a stomach problem.
Coincidentally, Ye Shu also had a stomach problem.
That made things much easier.
Feigning illness, he is so good at it.
The sound of footsteps approached and Jin Wang returned to the bed.
Ye Shu deliberately turned over not to look at him, his thin back arched like a shrimp and weakly trembling.
Jin Wang served a new bowl of porridge. âYou have an old stomach problem, drink some porridge.â
Ye Shu didnât turn his head back. âNo.â
Jin Wang perilously narrowed his eyes. âYe Shu, donât challenge Guâs patience.â
Ye Shuâs fingers curled tight and pursed his lips nervously.
He really wanted to challenge him for once today.
There was silence in the room, as if a silent undercurrent was stirring between the two.
After a moment, Jin Wang sighed.
âAlright, itâs Guâs bad.â Jin Wang said. âGet up and have a bite, the imperial physician will be here soon.â
Ye Shuâs fingers loosened, his lifted heart finally relaxed.
The fact that Jin Wang could still coax him to eat and was willing to ask the imperial physician to treat him showed that he didnât want him dead yet.
Ye Shu turned over and sat up, his complexion still somewhat pale. âGive it to me.â
Jin Wang ignored him, scooped a spoonful of porridge and blew it cool, bringing it to Ye Shuâs mouth. âDrink.â
Ye Shu hesitated for a moment, and obediently lowered his head to take a sip.
Jin Wangâs expression finally eased a bit.
Jin Wang was actually born very easy-on-the-eyes.
Handsome, deep features and eyebrows sharp with a hint of aggression. However, when he looked at people with a smile in his eyes like this, the birds of prey in his eyes melted away, and a faint fondness and tenderness could be seen in an instant.
It really caused one to unconsciously indulge in it.
âLook good?â Jin Wang asked.
Ye Shu instantly snapped out of it, the roots of his ears burning hot. âNo, I wasnât looking at you.â
Jin Wang smiled and said nothing.
Jin Wang fed Ye Shu the porridge spoonful by spoonful, and had just drunk half of the small bowl when the imperial physician arrived.
As a matter of fact, the old imperial physician had trouble with his legs and feet. He had just reached the palace gates when Jin Wang sent someone to summon him back.
The imperial physician who had nothing to do all day long but circle back and forth between the monarchâs bedchamber and the palace gates: ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
The imperial physician came forward to take Ye Shuâs pulse, but Jin Wang didnât budge and leisurely continued to feed Ye Shu with porridge.
The imperial physician was unaware of this and quickly diagnosed Ye Shuâs pulse, saying, âMinister Ye is suffering from a lingering stomach disease. Itâs inadvisable to be overjoyed or to be in great sadness and nervousness. He must have a peaceful mind and eat meals on time to relieve it.â
What peace of mind could there be around this tyrant?
Ye Shu obediently said, âI understand.â
The imperial physician nodded and went out to prescribe medicine.
When the bowl of porridge was emptied, Jin Wang used a silk handkerchief to wipe Ye Shuâs mouth.
Ye Shu finally couldnât take it anymore and dodged it. âIâll do it myself.â
Jin Wang smiled. âShy?â
Is this man addicted to acting Brokeback?
Ye Shu snatched the silk handkerchief from the other partyâs hand and wiped his mouth haphazardly a few times.
The door opened and the imperial physician prescribed the medicine and then left.
Ye Shu looked up to Jin Wang, locked eyes with him who had a look indistinguishable from joy or anger.
It was actually quite strange.
With Jin Wangâs petty and suspicious nature, he should have been furious and put him in prison the moment he learned of the original ownerâs betrayal instead of listening to his sophistry here in an even-handed manner.
Not only that, but also⊠Ye Shu had a vague feeling that Jin Wang didnât seem too angry at the moment?
Jin Wang gazed at him calmly and softly said, âThere is some truth in what you said just now⊠You indeed treated Gu extremely well for those ten years in the past.â
âEven if Gu doesnât discourse about the feelings between the ruler and the minister, Gu should still take into account these many years of friendship.â
Ye Shu was moved. âDoes Your Majesty believe me?â
Jin Wang smiled slightly. âNot in the slightest.â
âGu doesnât believe a single word of it.â
This man is really a sicko!!!
Jin Wang: Gu doesnât believe it. Gu will give you a chance to make up something else.