The Regent Keeps Flirting With Me - Chapter 42

Bidding for Favor

Zhou Jin placed her chopsticks down heavily, the force of which startled Shen Lingyan. The palace maid standing by, serving dishes, immediately thought she had done something wrong and knelt down to beg for forgiveness. The situation instantly became very awkward.

However, Dai Sulan, who stood beside Shen Lingyan, showed no sign of panic. Not even the tassel on her hairpin swayed. She lowered her eyes slightly and meticulously placed food onto Shen Lingyan’s plate. Seeing that Shen Lingyan hadn’t moved, Dai Sulan then picked up a bowl of steaming hot congee and brought it to her mouth, intending to feed Shen Lingyan.

The more Zhou Jin watched, the angrier she became. Why did this mere child have to act so caring? Thus, whenever the Regent King was unhappy, nobody else could enjoy their breakfast.

“Sulan, I wonder if I have the honor of asking you to serve me a dish,” Zhou Jin cleared her throat, her eyes fixed on Dai Sulan, who was still serving Shen Lingyan. Her path of revenge had begun.

Shen Lingyan said nothing, simply picking up her chopsticks and eating while trying to suppress her cough. Dai Sulan bit her lower lip and walked over to Zhou Jin’s side. The luxurious hairpin, which had remained still until now, finally began to shake. Dai Sulan was visibly annoyed, but she had to restrain herself.

After all, she was still young and didn’t know how to fight back. So, for the entire morning, Dai Sulan was ordered about by Zhou Jin. Shen Lingyan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She put down her silver chopsticks: “Sulan, I want to eat that…”

Before Dai Sulan could respond, Zhou Jin immediately sat up straight, using a pair of unused chopsticks to enthusiastically serve Shen Lingyan until the small dish was piled high, only then did she stop.

Even if Shen Lingyan wanted to help Dai Sulan now, she couldn’t. She could only eat slowly and reluctantly while watching Zhou Jin deliberately make things difficult for Dai Sulan.

Zhou Jin continued to vex Dai Sulan for a long time until Yun Zhu entered to announce that the medicine was ready. Zhou Jin immediately stood up, snatched the chopsticks from Shen Lingyan, with a hint of threat: “Go take your medicine right now. The medicinal effect is best when you drink it hot.”

Without allowing any refusal, Zhou Jin helped Shen Lingyan sit by the small side table, which held a large bowl of freshly brewed Chinese medicine. The strong smell of the herbs instantly dispelled the aroma of the food in the room. Shen Lingyan momentarily felt like going to the morning court.

“Is it really alright not to attend court?” Shen Lingyan tried to change the subject. Zhou Jin immediately saw through her intentions and said in a cold voice: “I already told you not to attend court. Are you still afraid I’ll steal the throne?”

Shen Lingyan fell silent. Pouting, she picked up the bowl of herbal medicine. The pungent bitterness irritated her nasal passages, making her unable to hold it in, and she began coughing violently, shaking all over and barely able to hold the bowl.

Zhou Jin quickly grabbed Shen Lingyan’s hand. Her slender fingers lightly touched Shen Lingyan’s fair wrist. The delicate feel made Zhou Jin’s fingers tremble. Due to her years of practicing martial arts, her hands were already covered with a thin layer of calluses, making them feel slightly rough when rubbed.

Zhou Jin was in a daze for a long time, only snapping back to attention when the rim of the bowl felt hot.

“I’ll feed you.” Zhou Jin didn’t set the bowl down but moved her hand from Shen Lingyan’s pale wrist, gripping the jade spoon. She spooned the bitter medicine, one spoonful at a time, to Shen Lingyan’s mouth. Dai Sulan was also busy, constantly rubbing Shen Lingyan’s back to help her breathe. Gradually, Shen Lingyan’s coughing subsided.

As a spoonful of bitter medicine entered her mouth, Shen Lingyan’s face wrinkled up like a bun’s pleats. Seeing that she was about to cough again, Zhou Jin immediately covered her mouth with a piece of pastry, then poured a bowl of tea down her throat, barely managing to suppress the cough. Tears welled up in Shen Lingyan’s eyes: “I don’t want to drink this medicine anymore, it’s so bitter…”

Before she could finish, she started coughing again. Given the severity of her condition, how could Zhou Jin allow her to stop taking the medicine? With an expression that brooked no refusal, she offered another spoonful of medicine: “You must drink it. How else will you get better?”

“I won’t get better anyway… why suffer this pain…” Shen Lingyan said, a little despairingly. To her surprise, Zhou Jin slammed the bowl heavily onto the mahogany table, nearly spilling the medicine. Shen Lingyan looked up in alarm, instinctively trying to cover her head.

“I won’t hit you…” Zhou Jin took several deep breaths before speaking normally. Heaven knew how much she disliked what Shen Lingyan had just said, and how much Zhou Jin feared Shen Lingyan leaving…

But Zhou Jin herself didn’t know why she was afraid; she simply subconsciously forbade such a situation from happening, which was why she lost her temper.

Yet, upon seeing Shen Lingyan’s eyes, Zhou Jin’s heart involuntarily softened. She could only insist: “You are not allowed to say things like that in the future… It’s just a hemoptysis illness. I will go on an expedition and look for some good border medicine for you. I will definitely find it.”

Shen Lingyan nodded, not daring to provoke her again. She obediently held the herbal medicine and drank it herself. Even when she felt like coughing, she kept her mouth tightly shut, not daring to spit out any of the medicine. In Zhou Jin’s eyes, this was heartbreaking to the point of suffocation.

“You will get better…” Zhou Jin took Dai Sulan’s place, walked over, and rubbed her back repeatedly, gently applying force to relieve the blocked qi. Shen Lingyan finally felt a little better.

Once Shen Lingyan had swallowed all the medicine, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She dismissed Dai Sulan and let her tears roll down, one by one. She didn’t know why she had become so prone to crying, she just knew that with Zhou Jin around, she felt like she could vent.

Zhou Jin was at a loss. She held the person in her arms, swaying Shen Lingyan like comforting a child, gently patting her back. Her words were laced with bitterness: “It really… will get better… I still want to see you overwhelmed and crying to return the government affairs to me…”

Shen Lingyan, who was on the verge of crying uncontrollably, almost rolled her eyes at this comment. She straightened up from Zhou Jin’s embrace and vengefully used Zhou Jin’s sleeve to wipe her tears. Seeing the wet stain, Shen Lingyan actually laughed out loud and showed it to Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin couldn’t smile. She saw Shen Lingyan start coughing up blood again, the kind she couldn’t suppress. Zhou Jin quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it for her. Hearing the suppressed laugh, she lightly tapped Shen Lingyan’s head: “Still laughing! You’re like this…”

“You won’t let me say anything discouraging, so I can’t even laugh?” Shen Lingyan retorted, but unfortunately, every word she spoke now led to a long bout of coughing, her voice was hoarse, and she had no momentum, which only made people feel more distressed.

Shen Lingyan was also suffering. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her throat was itchy, and she couldn’t stop coughing, but every cough brought blood, like a melodramatic TV series plot.

Zhou Jin didn’t argue. Instead, she picked her up in her arms. These days, Shen Lingyan had grown accustomed to being carried. She naturally wrapped her arms around Zhou Jin’s neck, clinging tightly, like a child depending on her mother. Zhou Jin almost laughed out of exasperation. She held back until she placed Shen Lingyan on the bed, then leaned close to her ear and whispered: “Are you trying to strangle me? Then nobody will be your Empress…”

Shen Lingyan’s face instantly changed. She punched Zhou Jin’s arm and said fiercely: “If you don’t behave, let alone Empress, you won’t even be the Regent King.”

“Oh? Does that mean as long as I behave a little, I can be the Empress?” Zhou Jin seized the words, relentlessly demanding an explanation from Shen Lingyan.

Shen Lingyan didn’t know how she had let slip such a loophole. Now that Zhou Jin had caught her, she was utterly embarrassed. Just as she was about to say something to defend herself, Dai Sulan pushed the door open and stood far away by the palace entrance, bowing.

“Why did you enter without announcement?” Zhou Jin was dedicated to finding Dai Sulan’s faults, almost scrutinizing her bow several times. Unfortunately, finding no flaw, she picked at this point instead.

Dai Sulan bowed slightly, clearly a little angry: “If the Regent King has any dissatisfaction, please speak plainly.” Zhou Jin didn’t expect Dai Sulan to dare to speak this way. She immediately walked towards her. Shen Lingyan, seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, panicked and quickly cried out in pain: “It hurts… My head hurts…”

When people panic, they speak without thinking. Hearing Shen Lingyan say her head hurt, Zhou Jin was so flustered that she nearly ran out herself to summon the Imperial Physician, fearing Shen Lingyan’s condition had worsened.

But Dai Sulan reacted quickly and darted out first. Zhou Jin then returned to Shen Lingyan’s bedside to protect her, lightly gripping Shen Lingyan’s hand: “What’s wrong? Why the sudden headache?”

The tears in Shen Lingyan’s eyes hadn’t dried, and she looked at Zhou Jin like a pool of clear water: “I… I was afraid you two would argue, so I just made up an excuse.”

Shen Lingyan dared not lie to Zhou Jin again and quickly told the truth. She originally thought Zhou Jin would be angry, but surprisingly, she laughed. She then ran to the palace door and instructed several palace maids and eunuchs not to let anyone in.

Shen Lingyan had a bad feeling. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself, her apricot eyes full of vigilance.

“What are you going to do? The Imperial Physician will be here soon. If you don’t let anyone in, how can he treat me?” Shen Lingyan sat cross-legged under the blanket, looking like a little country girl who was angry. Zhou Jin walked over and directly lifted Shen Lingyan’s blanket, climbed inside, and wrapped her arms around Shen Lingyan’s waist, resting her chin on Shen Lingyan’s shoulder. With a hint of innocence, she looked eagerly at Shen Lingyan: “Sister Emperor’s illness, A-Jin has heard a little about it. Why would she need the Imperial Physician’s treatment?”

Shen Lingyan was confused, but her intuition told her that if she let Zhou Jin treat her, it would likely lead to trouble, so she resolutely refused.

Who knew that refusal was ineffective? Zhou Jin let her hand climb onto Shen Lingyan’s arm, pinching and squeezing, and even offering to massage her legs, which made Shen Lingyan blush profusely.

“You! Stop that!” Shen Lingyan could not handle strong emotional fluctuations. So, when Zhou Jin heard this, she immediately stopped and continued in a delicate tone: “A-Jin has stopped, Sister, don’t be angry…”

Shen Lingyan was about to say more, but she heard several pleas from the soldiers outside the Chaohui Palace. Listening closely, they were urgently discussing the border situation.

As soon as the soldiers finished speaking, Shen Lingyan instantly looked at Zhou Jin, the meaning in her eyes clear.

Zhou Jin understood. The smile in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by coldness. She sat up straight and shouted towards the door. After the soldiers had left, she looked seriously at Shen Lingyan: “The expedition is extremely dangerous and requires your full cooperation.”

Shen Lingyan also sobered up: “Okay, I will cooperate with you as much as I can.”

Zhou Jin didn’t waste time. After carefully draping a cloak over Shen Lingyan, she led her to a secret pavilion in the palace.

“This is the secret pavilion where past emperors planned their military campaigns. When you first ascended the throne, I held half the power, so naturally, no one told you about it,” Zhou Jin’s words were slightly cheeky. She pushed open the heavy, dust-covered door. Inside, maps of the territory were neatly arranged, and there were many miniature wooden soldier figures. Shen Lingyan covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Only after all the dust had settled did she begin to look closely. Every item displayed inside showcased the importance and secrecy of this pavilion.

Zhou Jin began to explain her plan to Shen Lingyan using the map. They hadn’t been talking for long when Shen Lingyan turned around. She had sensed someone behind her but didn’t expect them to be so fast, leaving only a flash of a skirt.

“Don’t chase.” Zhou Jin thought Shen Lingyan would rush forward but found she didn’t. She said interestedly, “I thought you would go after them.”

Shen Lingyan coughed for a while, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood. She managed to steady her breath: “I won’t. I already know who she is.”

Three days later, Zhou Jin’s large army gathered below the palace walls. The battle flags flew in the wind. A royal decree was issued, and all one hundred thousand elite soldiers knelt down, bowing to Shen Lingyan, who stood on the city wall. After three kowtows, everyone stood up. Today, Zhou Jin was in battle attire, all her usual charm gone, leaving only a valiant and heroic bearing. Her long black hair was tied up and pressed down by a heavy helmet. Shen Lingyan looked down from above. In the dense black crowd, Shen Lingyan could spot Zhou Jin at a glance.

Zhou Jin sat astride a fine horse, holding a long sword, her expression obscured.

Shen Lingyan watched for a long time. Only when they were about to exit the city gates did she seem to realize something and ran down, coughing violently as she ran. Her skirt fluttered, and her heart was in turmoil.