Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Didn’t You Sprain Your Waist? How Could You Still Pick Me Up?

Qin Ji grunted and groaned as he was helped back to the Ziji Palace by Gao De. Seeing this, Wei Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Eunuch Gao, what has happened to His Majesty?”

“Uh…” Gao De hesitated. He felt it might be too embarrassing to reveal that His Majesty had sprained his waist just by mounting a horse.

For the sake of Qin Ji’s dignity, Gao De decided to remain silent. However, he couldn’t account for his master’s own “leaky mouth.”

“Wei Yu, I am so miserable!” Qin Ji wailed.

Wei Yu: “???” Was there really a need to howl as if he were dying?

“I went to practice horse riding and archery today, but the horses ignored me. After much effort, I finally found one willing to pay me any mind, but just as I was getting on, I threw out my waist.” Qin Ji rubbed his lower back, filled with resentment.

He missed his six-pack abs; this tyrant’s body was truly making him lose all face.

Wei Yu’s expression shifted several times before he finally looked at Gao De, asking with his eyes: Is this for real?

Gao De nodded helplessly.

Wei Yu was choked for words. He couldn’t even manage a word of comfort. After all, even as a scholar who wasn’t proficient in riding or archery, he had never had an experience as ridiculous as spraining one’s waist just by mounting a horse.

Qin Ji was helped onto the bed, and a royal physician hurried in carrying his medical chest.

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty,” the physician said, kneeling promptly.

Qin Ji waved his hand: “Quick, check my waist. Is it serious?”

The physician complied and rose to examine him.

Wei Yu covered his face with his hand, unable to watch. It was just a sprained waist; what could possibly be serious about it? Before his rebirth, he had been tortured by the tyrant with every lethal method imaginable, yet he had still managed to linger on for a few years.

Thinking of this, Wei Yu lowered his hand and looked at Qin Ji’s face.

It seemed to have changed again—becoming more delicate and handsome. One could almost no longer see the shadow of the tyrant who had once tortured him to death.

It was truly a bizarre thing.

“Your Majesty, I shall prescribe a few medicinal patches. You will be well after wearing them for a few days. Just be careful not to make any large movements,” the physician said, sighing in relief after confirming there was no major damage. He took several dark patches from his chest and handed them to Gao De.

“Gao De, see the physician out,” Qin Ji said, hugging his pillow in profound sadness.

“Yes.” Gao De led the physician out of the Ziji Palace.

“Wei Yu,” Qin Ji called out.

Wei Yu: “???” Why are you calling me?

“What does Your Majesty require of me?” Wei Yu walked to the bedside and stood there with downcast eyes.

Qin Ji turned his head, trying hard to look Wei Yu in the eye, but eventually gave up because the angle was too difficult. He patted the bed: “Sit down and talk.”

Wei Yu sat on the edge of the bed as requested: “Please speak, Your Majesty.”

Qin Ji spoke with a look of total despair: “When I go to court tomorrow, the ministers will see me leaning on a soft pillow and rubbing my waist. Won’t they laugh themselves to death?”

Thinking about a hall full of ministers focusing their attention on his sprained waist made Qin Ji’s scalp tingle.

Wei Yu: “…”

“Your Majesty, you could announce the suspension of tomorrow’s court session and command that those with urgent matters come to the palace for an audience directly.” Wei Yu was now certain: this man truly did not know how to be an emperor.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ji’s eyes lit up: “That is a great idea!”

Just then, Gao De returned after seeing off the physician. Qin Ji couldn’t wait to order: “Gao De, cancel the court session tomorrow. Tell them if they have business, they can find me here at the Ziji Palace.”

Gao De glanced at Wei Yu. It went without saying that this was likely the young man’s idea again.

“Yes, I shall go and relay the decree immediately.”

Wei Yu added: “Since Your Majesty cannot practice riding and archery for the time being, you should focus on your studies.”

Qin Ji’s smile collapsed instantly.

If Xu Ziye was a doctoral supervisor, then Wei Yu wasn’t far behind. Having two “famous teachers” supervising his learning alone… Qin Ji felt his waist hurt even more.

He hadn’t escaped studying even after being reborn; in fact, it was even more grueling. After tearfully finishing two bowls of rice, Qin Ji picked up his books once again.

Gao De applied the medicinal patch for him. It felt warm after being applied, which did alleviate some of the pain. Combined with the soft cushion Gao De brought for him to lean on, Qin Ji didn’t find the discomfort in his waist too unbearable.

Wei Yu was a dedicated teacher, and Qin Ji felt too embarrassed to slack off, so he studied quite earnestly.

When focused on learning, Qin Ji’s attention shifted away from his waist. The candles sputtered with sparks, reflecting on Wei Yu’s face. It seemed as though it wasn’t the shadows of the flames flickering, but something else entirely.

The “teacher” Wei Yu kept him studying right up until bedtime. Wei Yu went to bathe and change first, leaving Qin Ji with an assignment to write for a while before resting.

Qin Ji’s brush-holding posture had been corrected many times by Xu Ziye; it was only now barely presentable. But if he lost focus for even a second, it would collapse. The characters he worked so hard to write looked okay at the beginning, but by the end, they looked like piles of tangled firewood.

“Your Majesty, it is time to rest,” Gao De reminded him gently.

Qin Ji put down the brush and stretched his limbs, accidentally pulling on the injured part of his waist.

“…Gao De, give me a hand.”

Damn it, how could he forget he was currently semi-disabled?

Wei Yu had already finished his bath. Wearing light green sleepwear, he sat on the soft couch flipping through a book.

“Wei Yu, why aren’t you going up to rest?” Qin Ji asked, puzzled. “What book is so interesting that you’re reading it now?”

Wei Yu glanced at Qin Ji’s waist: “I think it is best if I do not share the bed with Your Majesty tonight.”

Qin Ji panicked: “Why?” Had all the favor he had worked so hard to build suddenly dropped to zero?

Wei Yu had never held high expectations for Qin Ji’s intelligence. He explained: “Your Majesty is injured; I am afraid of bumping into your wound.”

Did he really need someone else to remind him how useless he was?

Qin Ji frowned: “The bed is so big, you won’t be crowding me.”

Wei Yu pressed his forehead: “Your Majesty should just go to sleep. I will make do on the couch for the night.”

The couch was small, but it was lined with tiger skin and was quite warm; he wouldn’t freeze. As for the side hall, he truly didn’t want to go back there. Qin Ji’s quarters were much more comfortable.

“Wei Yu, are you refusing to listen to me?” Qin Ji grew even more anxious. “If you don’t listen, I’ll…”

What could he even do?

Wei Yu put down his book and waited calmly, watching Qin Ji. He too was curious to see what kind of threat could come out of this fake tyrant’s mouth.

Qin Ji couldn’t come up with a threat, but he had a brave heart.

The man truly had no sense of boundaries. Despite his sprained waist, he leaned down, scooped Wei Yu into his arms, took three steps, and tossed him onto the bed.

Wei Yu was shocked. He hadn’t even regained his senses by the time Qin Ji covered him with the quilt.

Didn’t you sprain your waist? How could you still pick me up?

Qin Ji broke into a sweat at his own audacity for throwing the protagonist onto the bed. He pulled the bed curtains, yanked up the blanket, and turned his back to Wei Yu to start sleeping.

Wei Yu: “…” This man must be mentally ill.

The “mentally ill” Qin Ji, exhausted from his studies, fell asleep immediately. He was completely unaware of the turmoil in Wei Yu’s heart and slept until the time he usually woke up for court.

Qin Ji rubbed his eyes, yawning incessantly: “Gao De…”

Wait, something was wrong. There was no court today. Why was he up so early?

Qin Ji flopped back down and tucked himself back in.

Wei Yu, who had watched the whole thing: “…What is Your Majesty doing?”

Qin Ji opened his eyes blankly: “There’s no court today, so I’m sleeping in.”

Wei Yu smiled: “Your Majesty, no court does not mean no government affairs. Please get up.”

Qin Ji: Why don’t you just kill me instead.

Gao De had already come to pull back the curtains: “Your Majesty, it is time to rise.”

“I’m up, I’m up. Both my ears heard you,” Qin Ji said with a long face as he dragged himself out of the warm bed.

Gao De had mostly figured out Qin Ji’s temperament over these past few days: “There is rib porridge for breakfast today. Didn’t Your Majesty say you wanted it yesterday?”

The only thing that could truly pique Qin Ji’s interest was food.

Sure enough, Gao De successfully coaxed Qin Ji into washing up a bit faster. The maidservants assisted him in dressing.

“Wei Yu, come on, let’s go have breakfast.”

Wei Yu was now numb to it. Did Qin Ji take him for his mother? Why did he have to call him for everything?

“I am coming,” Wei Yu thought to himself. He decided not to bother arguing with this big idiot. Anyway, once he returned to the Kingdom of Wei, there wouldn’t be many chances to see Qin Ji again.

He just didn’t know when his Imperial Brother would find a way to bring him home.

Qin Ji’s mood was restored by the delicious breakfast. The imperial kitchen had even produced new dishes today. He tested each one himself before pushing the ones that suited Wei Yu’s palate toward him.

He had noticed that Wei Yu preferred light food and disliked anything heavy or greasy. Dishes like Braised Lion’s Head, with their thick, dark sauces, were strictly off-limits for Wei Yu.

Wei Yu was eating his porridge when he saw Qin Ji push a plate of rice cakes toward him. He paused: “Your Majesty, I can reach them myself.”

Qin Ji said as a matter of course: “I know, I just think you’ll like this one, so I’m giving it to you.”

Wei Yu was so stunned he forgot to thank him.

“How does Your Majesty know what I like to eat?” Even his own brothers and sisters didn’t know his tastes that well.

Qin Ji was confused: “Tastes aren’t like books; isn’t it normal to remember them?”

Wei Yu was defeated by Qin Ji. He had nothing left to say.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Wei Yu picked up a piece of the snow-white rice cake and put it in his mouth.

It was indeed exactly the flavor he liked.

“Your Majesty, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Works, and the Marquis of Wuping have entered the palace early this morning, saying they have urgent matters to discuss.”

Gao Huan entered and whispered a few words to his master Gao De, who then stepped forward to report to Qin Ji.

Qin Ji nearly dropped his chopsticks: “This early?”

Gao De only smiled.

“They probably haven’t had breakfast either, right? Have the imperial kitchen serve them breakfast first. We can talk after they’ve eaten.”

Qin Ji’s logic was simple: he didn’t like being hungry, so he assumed others didn’t either.

Wei Yu looked up and glanced at Qin Ji.

Did this man truly not know that a ruler does not lightly bestow meals?

Where else would an emperor constantly invite ministers to eat? What would happen to the Emperor’s prestige and awe?

Seeing that Wei Yu had stopped moving again, Qin Ji asked: “Is the breakfast not to your liking?”

Wei Yu: “No, the breakfast is very good.”

Forget it, he thought. I am a Prince of Wei; worrying about the affairs of the Qin state is just looking for trouble.