Although he said he would explain, Chi Zhao had never thought that he would really be given a chance to explain. He thought that with Shen Wumian's temper, his next set of actions was to jump up and kick him over to the wall on the other end of the room or, in a fit or anger, call in several guards and torture him in a small black room for several days.
Contrary to his expectations, the prince regent didn't play his cards the usual way and actually wanted him to give him an explanation.
Explain what? What was there to explain?
Wasn't it just overstepping his boundaries and doing something crazy? Even someone with the IQ of a cat could see that.
Chi Zhao could guess that the prince regent was doing this to make things difficult for him and then use this opportunity to create more trouble.
Chi Zhao was a little scared. Without the system around, if Shen Wumian were to really do anything to him, he didn't have the system to shield him from the pain.
Chen Yi's eyes guiltily avoided his gaze and he didn't dare look up at him. Shen Wumian pursed his lips and sat up. Who knew that before he could sit up completely, Chen Yi had already instinctively taken a few steps back, raising both his hands in the air as if he was trying to block something.
It was a defensive posture. Chen Yi was afraid of him hitting him.
Shen Wumian's heart immediately stung.
That's true. His actions before this had been so obvious that even the officials in court could tell what his attitude towards the young Emperor was so it wasn't a surprise for Chen Yi who was the party involved to notice it too.
His inability to eat or sleep and those tears he shed when he finally slept, wasn't it all because of him?
Making Chen Yi sad and scared was Shen Wumian's original intention but now that he had achieved it, his heart felt sore and numb. He didn't feel happy at all.
Various complex and difficult to describe emotions turmoiled inside him. Following a bang, Shen Wumian looked up and saw that Chen Yi had retreated too fast, accidentally knocking into a low stool.
Everything in the palace was top-grade and that low stool naturally was the same. It was unknown what material it was made from, but it was extremely hard. Chi Zhao's calf had rammed into that stool and the pain travelled up through his bones, making Chi Zhao have the urge to bend down and clutch his leg in pain. However, with Shen Wumian in front of him, he didn't dare bend down.
As a result, Chi Zhao could only stand stiffly in place. His right left was so stiff, it no longer felt like it was his own leg. If one looked closely, you could still see it trembling slightly.
If it was only a light impact, the pain would pass after a while and the bruising would recover after two or three days but it was a strong one that struck the bone and that feeling of pain felt like it lasted an entire lifetime.
Shen Wumian noticed Chi Zhao acting strangely and frowned. He proceeded to get up and stride over to Chi Zhao and then wordlessly raise his right leg.
Chi Zhao who was caught off guard let out a small cry of surprise and fell back onto the low stool.
Shen Wumian half knelt on the ground as he held Chi Zhao's calf and pressed several places with force. When he pressed the place where Chi Zhao had hit earlier, Chi Zhao felt that he should really kick Shen Wumian in the face.
Knowing that he was hurt there yet forcefully pressing it, sure enough he was doing this to torture him!
...….
Chi Zhao however was wrongly accusing him this time. Shen Wumian hadn't actually used much strength and he was only doing it to see how bad it was, but he had no idea how delicate Chi Zhao actually was. With just a light press, his entire body trembled with pain and he quickly reached out to stop him.
While blocking him, he even said, "I'm fine. You, stop pressing….."
Shen Wumian's actions stopped and he silently raised his head. The two looked at each other like this for a while. Chi Zhao was at a loss for a moment but when he realised his mistake, he quickly changed his words, "Imperial Uncle, I'm fine."
When he was done saying this, Chi Zhao only then realised how intimate his current position looked.
He was sitting on a low stool with his right leg held up by Shen Wumian. Shen Wumian was kneeling very close to him such that when Shen Wumian raised his head, Chi Zhao could even see a tiny reflection of himself in his eyes.
Chi Zhao was stunned for a moment. After seeing the astonishment and disbelief in Chi Zhao's expression, Shen Wumian's grip around Chi Zhao's leg tightened a little.
It seemed to be an indication that he was about to let go. Chi Zhao got ready for this but unexpectedly Shen Wumian didn't move at all. Maintaining this position, Shen Wumian said in a low voice, "Guard."
A guard Chi Zhao had not seen before entered. He wasn't one of the two guards he saw standing outside the door when he came. Chi Zhao was a little confused. He had just wandered all over this mansion and he didn't see any other guards.
After blinking in thought for a moment, Chi Zhao came to a realisation.
This was the legendary shadow guard who would secretly watch over people from the roof beams!
The shadow guard Seven expressed: No, we just sometimes watch over people from the roof. The beams are too narrow, and we are easily exposed if we do that.
....
After Seven entered and was met with the scene of Shen Wumian and the young emperor in position like that, he was a little startled. When he heard Shen Wumian instructing him to look for the imperial doctor, Seven quickly returned to his senses and turned and left.
Please read this from kk translates
Hong Lei was still standing at the door. Seeing him suddenly come out, she looked at him questioningly and he returned her questioning gaze with a look.
Hong Lei revealed a look of surprise.
The young Emperor wasn't scolded?!
...The shadow guards who had grown up together had somehow developed a telepathic ability between them. With just brief look, they could understand what the other party wanted to say.
The imperial doctor came very quickly. But this time, the young Emperor had been transferred over to the bed by the prince regent. The room was originally very small and with four people inside, there was basically no space left. The imperial doctor examined the injury and reported that it was a normal injury that will recover with several days of bedrest. When the bone no longer hurts, he could start moving around again.
After saying this, the imperial doctor prescribed him more medicine.
Chi Zhao once again felt that his life was very unfortunate.
He had been in this world for more than a month and hadn't done much else apart from drinking medicine each day. It used to only be one bowl a day but now it was two bowls a day.
He rubbed the area around his injured leg as if that act could help relieve the pain a little. Chi Zhao was speechless. This body's physique was just too poor. Even just a slight bump made him injure the bone. He was practically made of glass.
Chi Zhao slowly rubbed his legs with his head hung low as he thought of other things inside. Beside him, Shen Wumian was also staring at his leg, but his expression was a little strange.
After the imperial doctor left, no one in the room spoke. Hong Lei then entered. She had already heard about the young Emperor's injury outside. She paused for a moment at the door, "Since His Majesty is injured, we should return to recuperate."
Chi Zhao heard this and responded lifelessly.
He was still immersed in the sadness of having to have two bowls of medicine a day and wasn't in a good mood. On the other hand, Shen Wumian who heard his dull response gave him a profound look.
"This slave will arrange for a sedan chair."
The sedan chair could take Chi Zhao back to the Emperor's room, but it couldn't take him through this door. When the young Emperor came here, he had come with Hong Lei but he naturally couldn't let Hong Lei carry him. Thinking this, Seven turned around and placed his sword aside so that it wouldn't get in the way when he carried the young Emperor.
But when he turned back, he suddenly saw his master's face which appeared expressionless but also seemed to emit cold oppressiveness. His master also happened to be looking at him with that expression.
Seven: "..." Did I do something wrong again?
After a while, Hong Lei returned. Just as she asked for Chi Zhao to get up and before Chi Zhao could say anything in response, the prince regent said coldly, "No need."
As soon as he said that, the other three were left dumbfounded. Chi Zhao was the one who was most dumbfounded. He didn't understand Shen Wumian's words. What no need? No need to get up? Was he saying that he should recuperate in this small room?
Of course, the prince regent wouldn't explain himself and just turned his head to glance at his two subordinates. Seven and Hong Lei who received their master's commanding look instinctively dropped to their knees and reported, "This slave will take my leave!"
Chi Zhao: "....."
Wait a minute. If you're leaving, what about me? What should I do? Don't leave me behind! QAQ
Chi Zhao acted very well and the expression on Chi Zhao's face didn't change but there was hidden panic in his eyes. It was this panic that exposed his true emotions to Shen Wumian.
Shen Wumian lowered his eyes slightly and restrained the complex and deep emotions in his eyes. He approached Chi Zhao and wrapped one arm around his shoulder and another under his knees.
With just a little effort, Chi Zhao was held up in his arms. When Shen Wumian was young, he was also a brave warrior who had fought on the battlefield. With his strength, carrying the young Emperor who was a short step away from being a sack of bones was not a big deal. Chi Zhao who was in his arms had his eyes wide open in shock. It was so wide, it seemed as if his eyes would pop out if he opened it any wider.
Shen Wumian raised his foot and took a few steps before lowering his eyes and glancing at the person in his arms. Seeing him like this, Shen Wumian frowned. His arm around Chi Zhao's shoulder loosened. Chi Zhao was startled by this. Fearing that he would fall, he quickly hooked his arms around Shen Wumian's neck and Shen Wumian took advantage of this moment to press Chi Zhao's face into his arms, preventing those large scary eyes of his to be seen.
Chi Zhao who was caught off guard, "...."
In fact, Chi Zhao wasn't the only one who was surprised. It was just that Chi Zhao was the one with the worst acting skills in this palace where everyone else are top actors.
...…
Fortunately, Shen Wumian didn't intend on taking him back to his quarters like this. After leaving the prince regent mansion, he placed Chi Zhao on the sedan chair and followed the chair back without a change to his expression. Chi Zhao was restless the entire way. When they reached the door to his room, Chi Zhao looked at Shen Wumian who was once again about to carry him and hastily tried to dissuade him, "Imperial Uncle, Zhen can walk. Zhen is no longer in pain. It's really okay….."
The first two words, Imperial Uncle, was spoken using a normal volume but his voice got smaller and smaller after that as he was met with Shen Wumian's indifferent gaze. By the very end, his voice could no longer be heard. Chi Zhao's ability to read his mood was still functioning. After looking at Shen Wumian for a few seconds, Chi Zhao pursed his lips and finally obediently stretched out his arms like a child, letting Shen Wumian pick him up.
Even Hong Lei was so shocked, she felt that her head was about to explode. She however didn't show the slightest look of surprise on her face and just silently followed her two masters, silently wondering inside if she should treat the young Emperor better in the future.
Returning to his sleeping quarters, Shen Wumian placed Chi Zhao down but didn't show any intentions to leave. He who usually avoided overstepping his boundaries and would never touch the young Emperor let alone sit on the edge of the young Emperor's bed for some reason no longer abided by those principles of his. He sat down very naturally. It was also as if he had done it many times before.
In fact, he indeed had sat there many times before. It was just that Chi Zhao didn't know about it.
...…
With Shen Wumian there, the other eunuchs didn't dare enter. Chi Zhao half laid in bed, no daring to breathe or look at Shen Wumian so he could only stare awkwardly at the quilt on the side. Once the silence was too much for him, Chi Zhao turned his head back and looked at Shen Wumian innocently.
"Imperial Uncle, have you been busy these days?"
Shen Wumian was in daze but in other people's eyes, it looked like he was meditating and deep in thought. No one would dare interrupt him while he was in thought. This young Emperor may look obedient but in fact he was the most daring one.
After his attention was drawn back, Shen Wumian was quiet for a moment, "Yes."
Hearing his response, Chi Zhao immediately nodded thoughtfully, "I see. Imperial Uncle, don't worry. Zhen will definitely recover and won't forget about my homework so as not to cause trouble for you. If you have something you need to do, you can go. I have Hong Lei here to take care of me so it's okay."
Hearing Chi Zhao say this, Shen Wumian's expression changed slightly. This change in expression however was very elusive and Chi Zhao unfortunately couldn't understand the meaning behind it.
"Your Majesty, do you like Hong Lei?"
Hong Lei who was obediently standing outside the door suddenly felt a chill run through her. She blinked a few times and didn't know what happened.
...….
Chi Zhao in the room also blinked a few times, "It's alright. As a palace maid, she is quite competent."
Shen Wumian smiled slightly, "Then Your Majesty, do you like this official?"
Please read this from kk translates
Chi Zhao felt like he was about to go crazy.
Why are you suddenly asking me this question? What was wrong with Shen Wumian today?!
Biting the bullet, Chi Zhao made a calm but shy expression. He lowered his head and silently nodded.
"Why do you like me?"
Chi Zhao's anxious heart suddenly stopped beating. At an angle that couldn't be seen by Shen Wumian, Chi Zhao blinked a few times and thought of an idea.
He raised his head and let out a small smile, "Because....of fate."
It was very implicit and only the people involved could understand. As the third person involved, Shen Wumian immediately understood what he meant. His expression then became gloomy.
Chi Zhao was resolute. That's right, this was the effect he wanted. Although he didn't know what was wrong with Shen Wumian today, he must prevent the plot from going astray!
He had originally thought that Shen Wumian would storm off after hearing this answer but a few seconds later, Chi Zhao heard a second question.
"What about other than fate? Your Majesty…..do you like this official?"
Chi Zhao raised a brow and looked at Shen Wumian whose expression was indecipherable, "What I like the most is Imperial Uncle's face that is astonishingly handsome and unforgettable."
Crack.
A part of the bed was broken off by Shen Wumian.
Chi Zhao in the past would've been scared at this sight but now when he looked at that tragically broken off part of the bed, he felt a little happy inside.
Using his own abilities to pull the plot back onto its tracks. To sum it up, he was this world's saviour!
...….
After that, Shen Wumian no longer asked him any more questions and soon, the medicine prescribed by the imperial doctor was brought over. Chi Zhao took a deep breath and drank the entire bowl, but he was pleasantly surprised.
It wasn't very bitter.
Traditional Chinese medicine was bitter, but the degree of bitterness was also divided into different levels. For officials who didn't like the bitter taste, doctors would add a few herbs to the prescription that wouldn't affect its effect to make the taste more tolerable. The poisoned medicine Chi Zhao had been drinking hadn't had any of that added so it was naturally very difficult to drink.
After thinking this, Chi Zhao's expression became quite complicated.
In order to retaliate against him, Shen Wumian really paid attention to the details…..
When Chi Zhao drank the medicine, the palace maid who had delivered the medicine as well as Hong Lei and Shen Wumian were waiting outside.
After the events today, Hong Lei felt that she should re-evaluate the young Emperor's role and status. She cautiously asked Shen Wumian, "Master, tonight's medicine....should I still give it?"
Shen Wumian looked over. His expression was originally fairly calm but when he heard those words, it seemed to have touched a sore spot in him and he suddenly revealed anger in his expression.
"Why won't you give it? Without my order, you are to give it to him every day without fail!"
Hong Lei quickly lowered her head, "Yes, this slave understands."
Master's thoughts were difficult to understand. It seemed to be more and more difficult to understand each day….
Hong Lei left, leaving Shen Wumian to stand outside shrouded in gloom for a while. He then returned inside like he was abusing himself. Chi Zhao just happened to be rubbing his leg when he walked in.
What Chi Zhao didn't know was that although the poison was slow acting, its effect was very stubborn, and it would slowly get stronger and stronger. During the early stages, there are basically no symptoms but people who drink it would find that their body would gradually become weaker and weaker each day such that even a small bump would hurt them severely and a small cold could make them lose half his life.
Shen Wumian didn't have these symptoms after taking the poison because he practiced martial arts and had a sturdy body. Chen Yi was originally weak, so the symptoms appeared faster.
In that case, it wouldn't be long for Chen Yi to....
Before the last word could be formed, several scenes suddenly appeared in Shen Wumian's mind, all of which were of Chen Yi dying. He laid in bed lifelessly with his eyes glazed over and his face fragile like golden paper as a small stream of blood flowed out from the corner of his pale lips….
Shen Wumian closed his eyes. After a long pause, he opened his eyes again and slowly approached Chen Yi.
The prince regent had returned and he even silently moved to help him massage his leg. Chi Zhao reached out to stop him when suddenly, a cheerful voice rang in his mind.
[Host, host! I'm back! I left for a bit to hand in my registration to sing live. The judges said that my singing voice is very good and that it was something developed with extensive training, so they decided on the spot to let me enter the preliminary round. They even said that they would ensure that I enter the final round of the competition! Sorry, I forgot to let you know before I left. How have you been? Has the plot been progressing well?]
Before Chi Zhao could answer, the system scanned its surroundings and saw Shen Wumian diligently massage Chi Zhao's leg. In an instant, the world became quiet.