After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 14

Liu Courtyard.

Yang Yuan pushed the door open silently and slipped inside. He knelt directly before the screen in the inner room. “Second Highness.”

“Has General Yang brought any good news for This Prince?”

“This subordinate… has none.”

Cold sweat had already broken out on Yang Yuan’s forehead. The room was deathly silent.

“Heh,” the man let out a cold laugh, then added: “Then what did General Yang come for?”

“This subordinate has a scheme to inform Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

Yang Yuan cleared his throat and said: “Now that the Second Prince of Xiliang has been arrested, if we do not release him, it will certainly break the three-year alliance with Xiliang. This would also be disadvantageous to Your Highness.”

“Your Highness might as well personally deliver the clues to the Crown Prince and find a scapegoat. After Xi Chen is released, we can forge letters of conspiracy between the two of them. In this way, even the Crown Prince’s victory from two years ago will be seen as something obtained through collusion with the enemy.”

Lu Youqi remained silent for a long time. Yang Yuan knelt, not daring to rise, occasionally glancing at the shadow flickering on the screen under the candlelight.

“General Yang, what a fine scheme.”

Yang Yuan was about to show a look of joy when he heard the man add: “You have served under my Third Brother for six years, yet you are still this foolish!”

“Your Highness, have mercy!” Yang Yuan kowtowed repeatedly, finally prostrating himself entirely on the floor.

Lu Youqi’s voice came from behind the screen again, low and laced with fury: “Do not act without authorization. Now, get out.”

The door was closed once more. The room became so silent that only the flickering of the candle could be heard.

“Has anyone contacted you?”

A lean man leaped in from the window and knelt on one knee. “No.” The man pulled down the cloth covering his face, revealing a deep-featured countenance unique to the people of Xiliang.

“I naturally won’t touch your master; he is currently being provided with good food and drink in the dungeon. If there is news, come see me immediately.”

“Yes.”

“The Emperor!” “His Majesty, His Majesty has awakened!”

The magnificent bedchamber was crowded with people. Emperor Hongchang slowly opened his eyes. The Empress, her face haggard and pale, leaned forward hurriedly: “Does Your Majesty feel discomfort anywhere else?”

Emperor Hongchang opened his mouth but made no sound. Seeing this, the Empress shouted: “Physician! Physician, come quickly and examine him!”

the veteran physician hurried forward to take the Emperor’s pulse.

“Your Majesty the Empress, rest assured. The toxins in His Majesty’s body have been neutralized. However, some have not yet been expelled; logically, the ‘Three Severings’ should not linger in the body.”

Lu Youqi asked urgently: “Physician Yang, then what should be done?”

The veteran physician turned and bowed, saying: “Your Highness need not worry. It must be that the power of the Immortal Pill is remarkable; it is even alleviating the impurities that have accumulated in His Majesty’s body over the years. I will prescribe several doses of medicine. If His Majesty drinks them for seven days, he will be fine.”

“That is good, that is good!”

Tears instantly flowed from the Empress’s eyes, her face full of the joy of surviving a disaster. She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief: “Did Your Majesty hear that?”

Emperor Hongchang nodded slowly. He moved his mouth with great effort and finally uttered a sentence: “It is all thanks to Qi’er.”

Lu Youqi hurried forward and knelt by the bed, a look of joy on his face: “As long as Father Emperor is safe, that is my greatest wish.”

Emperor Hongchang smiled gratifiedly and spoke again: “Where is the Crown Prince?”

Everyone’s expression stiffened. The Empress withdrew her smile, putting on a look of understanding: “The Crown Prince returned to his manor as soon as the banquet ended.”

“Unfilial son!”

Emperor Hongchang let out a furious roar, making the physician’s heart tremble for fear that His Majesty would suffer another setback.

“Your Majesty!” “Father Emperor, please calm your anger.”

Under the consolation of the crowd, Emperor Hongchang’s breathing finally stabilized. “As I am unwell these few days… I command… Second Prince Lu Youqi to act as Regent.”

The sentence was spoken haltingly, but everyone present heard it clearly.

The Empress suppressed a momentary surge of wild joy. “Your Majesty, this is not in accordance with the rules.”

“I am the rules!”

This one sentence left the Empress speechless. She feigned difficulty and said no more.

“Father Emperor, rest assured. Your son will certainly not disappoint you.”

The sky had gradually grown dim. Having finished his instructions, Emperor Hongchang fell back into a deep sleep.

The Empress insisted on staying to care for the Emperor and refused to leave. Concubine Liu, who was standing nearby, hurried forward: “Sister Empress should go back and rest. I will stay here to look after His Majesty. Sister’s face looks very haggard.”

The Empress sighed, looking quite helpless. “Then I shall trouble you, Sister. I will come back tomorrow.”

“Very well.”

The group left Emperor Hongchang’s bedchamber, leaving only Concubine Liu and the Head Eunuch, Meng Hai, to provide care.

Outside the bedchamber, the Imperial Guards were stationed in high alert. The defense was so tight that not even a fly could get in.

The study was exceptionally bright, filled with lit candles. An Yu had filled two sheets of paper with Hanyu Pinyin, which to anyone else looked like two pages of ghostly scribbles.

“a, o, e…” “b, p, m, f…”

An Yu read them over and over. After several repetitions, his throat felt a bit dry. “This is called Hanyu Pinyin. You must memorize it.”

Mo Ying truly didn’t understand the use of reading these tongue-twisting phonetic symbols repeatedly. “Young Master, how is this used?”

An Yu raised an eyebrow at him. “m, o. Try putting these two together.”

“mo, Young Master. Is that how it’s read?”

An Yu nodded with satisfaction. He was indeed the most capable hidden guard by Lu Shiyan’s side.

“First tone, second tone, third tone, fourth tone. Try reading it according to the method I just taught you.”

Though Mo Ying didn’t understand, he followed An Yu’s instructions: “mō, mó, mǒ, mò.” (To touch, demon, to wipe, ink).

“Then put y and ing together, and read it in the third tone?”

“yǐng… Mo Ying!”

Mo Ying suddenly realized, his eyes widening in shock.

Mo Han and Yun Liang were also so surprised they were speechless. Only Lu Shiyan thought for a moment and said with a smile: “If this set of symbols were spread, I fear the children of the world would no longer worry about learning to read.”

“Your Highness is right. This system was originally invented to help people recognize characters.”

An Yu put down his brush. “Though we may not need it now, it’s a precaution. Who knows if another Yang Yuan will appear? If Your Highness has messages to send in the future, you can write them in Pinyin. Even if they are discovered, no one will know the meaning.”

Mo Han now felt a deep, heartfelt admiration for An Yu: “Young Master has great foresight.”

“Xiao Yu came from the heavens. Since meeting Xiao Yu, good things have been happening constantly.” Lu Shiyan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Your Highness is wise.”

From a certain perspective, Lu Shiyan was actually right. An Yu had God’s-eye perspective; he really did “come from above.”

Looking at the three people questioning each other, An Yu said: “You are all His Highness’s capable subordinates. You must all learn it tonight!”

An Yu issued the order in the manner of a kindergarten teacher, which brought quite a bit of suffering to the three men present.

Lu Shiyan seconded this: “Then the study shall be guarded by the three of you tonight.”

“Why isn’t Your Highness learning?”

Lu Shiyan assumed a confident posture: “Then I shall trouble the Teacher to test me.”

An Yu didn’t quite believe that Lu Shiyan had already learned it. He took a brush, wrote two lines on a piece of paper, and handed it to Lu Shiyan. “Try writing this, Your Highness.”

Without hesitation, Lu Shiyan took the paper and immediately put brush to ink. In a short while, he was finished.

After reading it, An Yu felt a sudden pang of annoyance.

“Is there a problem?”

An Yu answered gloomily: “No.”

“Then…”

An Yu blurted out all at once: “I’m jealous that Your Highness learned faster than I did.”

After speaking, he looked at Lu Shiyan with a resentful expression, as if saying: Fine, are you satisfied now?

The three men who had been watching the scene hurried to turn their heads back, busying themselves with their studies. They didn’t dare watch the spectacle behind them.

Lu Shiyan found it quite amusing. “How am I more capable than Xiao Yu? Xiao Yu is vastly knowledgeable, speaks with literary grace, is proficient in medical meridians, and even knows such secret codes.”

An Yu: You’d be better off not saying that; I just copied all of this.

His mood sank even lower. An Yu wrinkled his small face and said bitterly: “Your Highness should rest early. I’m going back first.”

Without waiting for Lu Shiyan to speak, he pushed the door open and left, leaving Lu Shiyan standing there with a blank expression. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No.” “Probably not.”

Yun Liang finally spoke up slowly: “Is it possible that these are things the Young Master read somewhere rather than things he came up with himself?”

The door was pushed open again. It was Qin Feng and Qin Su, whom Lu Shiyan had arranged to stay in the palace for investigation.

“Your Highness, the Emperor has commanded the Second Prince to act as Regent.”

After Qin Feng finished this sentence, he described in detail what had happened in the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Yun Liang “tched.” “Concubine Liu is truly impatient.”

Mo Ying shook his head: “Although the Sixth Prince is only fourteen years old, Your Highness was already leading troops against enemies at fourteen. Furthermore, I’ve heard the Sixth Prince is excellent in his studies, can converse fluently with his tutors, and speaks about the Way of Governance with great organization.”

“Even so, he might not necessarily catch the Emperor’s eye.” Lu Shiyan picked up his teacup. “Mo Ying, go check on that arrow tomorrow. Then, conduct a secret search of King Xiao of Beiming’s guest house. Return once you’ve found something.”

Mo Ying nodded: “Yes.”

Lu Shiyan continued: “Mo Han, bring Luo Sang here tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Yun Liang listened from the side. “Does Your Highness suspect the Second Prince is involved with Beiming?”

“I am not certain, but Beiming did not come here this time just to celebrate a birthday.”

“Bang!” The side door was pushed open forcefully. Qin Feng and Qin Su, who were near the door, immediately blocked the way in front of Lu Shiyan, their swords half-drawn. Mo Ying and Mo Han also vanished almost instantly to both sides of the door.

An Yu stood at the door with his hands on his hips, panting heavily. He froze for a moment seeing the guards’ defensive posture. He suddenly turned around to look behind him, and only after seeing no one did he feel relieved.

Lu Shiyan waved his hand. “Xiao Yu, why have you come back?”

“Your Highness, I remembered!”

After returning to his room, An Yu had been gloomily mulling over the plot. Somehow, a certain “string” in his mind connected, and he suddenly remembered those few lines of text he had once skimmed through.

The Empress’s maternal family came from the North. Currently, the eldest son was the Prime Minister, and the eldest daughter was the Empress.

And the illegitimate son whom An Yu previously had no memory of had gone to Beiming!

“Your Highness! The Empress has another brother! Before the Prime Minister won the top rank in the imperial exams and the family moved to the capital, he went to Beiming. Now, he is the military advisor for King Xiao!”