The Young Marquis is Ruining the Court! - Chapter 24

Chi Zhou was startled awake by a frantic young eunuch. Upon waking, he realized a thin blanket had been draped over him.

He dazed for a moment, naturally assuming the eunuch had brought it along while fetching the imperial physician, fearing he might catch a cold.

Rising from the ground, Chi Zhou handed the blanket back to the young eunuch and offered a soft word of thanks.

The eunuch hurriedly took the blanket and held it tight, not daring to accept the gratitude, he simply stole a few glances at the palace doors behind them.

The doors remained shut, and there was no telling if anyone had stepped out.

Chi Zhou took a seat on a stone chair in the courtyard and extended his hand for the physician to take his pulse.

The physician was young, perhaps in his early thirties. He offered a polite greeting before placing his fingers on Chi Zhou’s wrist.

Naturally, no specific ailment could be found. At most, Chi Zhou had been startled by Xie Mingjiang’s viper-like demeanor and tone earlier, causing some temporary heart palpitations. After that nap, even if there had been an issue, it was no longer visible.

Thus, the physician spoke in professional platitudes, “Has the Marquis been lacking rest lately, perhaps overexerting himself?”

Chi Zhou felt there was a subtext to his words. He narrowed his eyes, neither confirming nor denying.

The young physician was undeterred. He smiled and said, “The Marquis is in good health, there are no major issues. However, all medicine carries some level of toxicity. Rather than a prescription, it would be better to nourish yourself through your diet once you return. Eat more beef, mutton, nuts, and walnuts.”

Chi Zhou was certain now, this man was speaking in riddles, subtly mocking him for ruining his constitution with a wild lifestyle until he had become this frail.

Chi Zhou felt an urge to ask him about the original owner’s impotence, but then he reconsidered. If an imperial physician could detect kidney issues with a simple pulse check, any old doctor outside the palace could have done the same. He decided to let it go, offering a thin, superficial smile and a word of thanks.

The young eunuch, listening to the exchange, didn’t catch the hidden barbs. He only knew that the Marquis of Ningping hadn’t collapsed under his watch, meaning his own life was safe for now.

He took a deep breath and said with a flattering smile, “Thank you, Physician Xu. We’ve troubled you.”

“It was nothing,” Physician Xu nodded. He gave Chi Zhou a low bow, picked up his small medicine chest, and turned to leave the palace gates.

Clutching the blanket, the eunuch took a tentative step forward. “Has the Marquis rested enough? His Majesty will be finishing the morning session soon. Shall we head to Zichen Palace to wait?”

Chi Zhou’s gaze was still fixed on where the physician had disappeared. Hearing this, he snapped back to reality and nodded with a smile. “Alright.”

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but he felt that Physician Xu had given him a knowing, smirk-filled glance before leaving.

Chi Zhou: “…”

How strange. Was I just mocked?

Because of the impotence?

That absolute trash original owner!

Chi Zhou grumbled internally as he walked away, not noticing that the young eunuch had left the blanket on the table behind him.

Once all the unexpected visitors had cleared out of this vibrant palace, the doors creaked open. A young man dressed in black stepped out. He stood by the table, picked up the thin blanket, and ran his hand over the layer of body heat that had yet to dissipate.

Knock, knock.

Two casual raps sounded at the door. Xie Mingjing turned his head and caught sight of Physician Xu, who had doubled back.

The man in official robes carried his medicine chest and approached with a grin. He sat on the stone chair, tossing a small medicine bottle up and down carelessly.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t come to me for your meds yet. Having another episode?”

Xie Mingjing stared displeasedly at the bottle, refusing to engage. He simply held out his hand. “Give it to me.”

Physician Xu smiled. “And then you’ll give it to him?”

Xie Mingjing thinned his lips, offering no response.

Physician Xu continued, “He seems to have been holding back for an exceptionally long time this time. I’m not sure if this medicine will even work anymore. If you give it to him and he doesn’t know how to use it, what if he actually ends up ruined?”

Xie Mingjing remained silent, his eyes fixed deathly on the medicine, completely ignoring the nonsense the young physician was spewing.

Eventually, the other man laughed for a while before beckoning him over with a mysterious gesture. “Poor little thing. Seeing as you never had a nanny to teach you, I’ll be kind and play the big brother. Want me to teach you how to make someone feel good?”

In broad daylight, an imperial physician and a prince were speaking of such lewd and shameless things without any cover. It was enough to make anyone flush with embarrassment.

Physician Xu was confident, almost certain that Xie Mingjing could not refuse his proposal.

After a moment of frozen time, he heard the man say coldly, “You are not my brother. Hand it over.”

Xu Jingcheng was silent for a beat before he couldn’t help but let out a muffled laugh. He tossed the bottle through the air. “What’s so great about being your brother anyway? It’s not like I’m desperate for the title.”

One was either being plotted against by him to die, or plotted against to be bedded…

But Xu Jingcheng didn’t dare say that aloud. He was terrified this madman would slit his throat if he felt even slightly slighted.

So, he simply left the medicine, picked up his chest, and gave one final reminder before leaving, “Remember to use it on him within the next couple of days, otherwise, if he truly goes to waste, you’ll be the one heartbroken.”

As the words fell, a whistling sound cut through the air behind him. Xu Jingcheng dodged just in time to see a peach leaf embedded in the dirt where he had been standing.

The tip was buried deep, and the stem vibrated at a high frequency in the air, emitting a faint hum like a released bowstring.

Xu Jingcheng hissed under his breath, saying with lingering fear, “Madman.”

Chi Zhou was led all the way into Zichen Palace by the young eunuch.

He had expected Emperor Chengping to be busy with the morning session for a while, but as soon as the head eunuch serving outside saw him, he came forward to greet him. He smiled warmly and said, “Why has the Marquis entered the palace so early? When His Majesty heard you were coming, he specifically told this old servant to wait here and lead you inside.”

As he spoke, he turned to the young eunuch who had brought Chi Zhou. His expression shifted instantly, becoming stern. “Where were you loitering? You took far too long.”

The young eunuch began to shake like a sieve. Just as he was about to explain, Chi Zhou cut in, “It was my fault. I didn’t sleep well and felt drowsy halfway. I slacked off and asked him to find a quiet palace for me to nap in for a bit before coming. Please don’t blame him, Eunuch.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Cheng immediately asked with concern, “Oh dear, how could you just find any random place to rest? Are you feeling better? Please, Marquis, come inside quickly. Don’t stand out here too long, it might harm your health.”

Chi Zhou: “…”

He glanced at Fu Cheng with a hint of bewilderment, his heart feeling complicated.

This head eunuch was nothing like this in the original novel.

From the protagonist’s perspective, Fu Cheng was always a petty man who looked down his nose at everyone. Out of ten times the protagonist sought an audience with Emperor Chengping, he was rejected eight times for various reasons.

Even his rejections were indirect. He wouldn’t tell the person to go home, but would make them stand under the sun. In the heat of midsummer, Xie Mingjing would be left pale and sweating while Fu Cheng sat in the shade, fanning himself with a smile, occasionally saying, “Please don’t take offense, Your Highness. His Majesty is napping. As soon as he wakes, I will go in to report.”

It made it impossible for the person to leave.

Yet now, in front of Chi Zhou, Fu Cheng was acting as though Chi Zhou were his master.

Chi Zhou gave a slightly irritated “Mm” and turned to wave the young eunuch away in front of Fu Cheng. “Thank you for leading the way, Eunuch. You may go about your business.”

The young eunuch dazed for two seconds before giving him a look of immense gratitude. He bowed and scurried away. Fu Cheng didn’t even have a chance to stop him, his mouth hanging open with the words stuck in his throat.

Fu Cheng led Chi Zhou into the hall, poured him a cup of tea, and found several supernatural novels to hand over. “It’s been a while since you visited, but His Majesty has been thinking of you. He specifically ordered people to find these stories you enjoy and keep them here, just waiting for you to read them.”

Chi Zhou: “…”

It was unethical to speculate, but he was truly curious now.

Was the original owner really not Emperor Chengping’s biological son?

Was it really appropriate to put these stories in Zichen Palace, right next to a pile of official memorials and political texts?

He even felt a strangely timed sense of relief. At least they were supernatural stories and not the erotic novels he had found in the original owner’s study, otherwise, he would have wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

Chi Zhou could only accept them with a straight face, flipping through a book as he waited.

He had to admit, it did help alleviate some of the awkwardness.

By the time voices echoed from outside the hall, he had unconsciously finished half the book.

Chi Zhou heard a hearty laugh, “Is Xiao Zhou here?”

His heart jolted. He quickly set the book down and stood up, facing the middle-aged man in dragon robes, preparing to kneel and pay his respects.

Emperor Chengping, however, took two quick steps forward and gripped Chi Zhou’s shoulders, preventing him from kneeling. “How many times must I tell you? When you come to see me, there is no need to kneel.”

The deep, steady voice boomed above him. Chi Zhou steadied himself and said, “Etiquette cannot be discarded. Your Majesty is merciful, but a subject must not become arrogant due to such favor.”

“Hahaha!” Emperor Chengping laughed loudly at those words. He still didn’t let him kneel, but said, “You really are about to become a family man. Fu Cheng, look, doesn’t the Marquis of Ningping seem much more composed than before?”

Fu Cheng offered his flattery from the side, “The Marquis has always been exceptional, disciplined and polite. He does not fail to live up to Your Majesty’s affection.”

Chi Zhou’s scalp felt numb. He desperately wanted to know how many miles thick the filters these two were using were.

He had only read about Emperor Chengping’s unusual favor toward the original owner in the book, but now that this affection was actually directed at him, he only found it terrifying.

Such bizarre and prominent favor was impossible for anyone to accept with a clear conscience. It made one instinctively wonder if this was a different form of “killing with praise.”

But with the Emperor before him, his mind was hard to read, and Chi Zhou didn’t dare show any abnormality.

He was pressed into a chair by Emperor Chengping and chatted with for a long while, as if they were just family.

Emperor Chengping asked about the Old Lady’s health, then asked if Chi Tong had taken an interest in any young gentleman since returning to the capital. Finally, he learned that Chi Zhou had come to thank him for the basket of peaches from yesterday. He waved his hand and laughed, “I knew you’d like them. Fu Cheng, go to the Internal Affairs Department and pick out some more peaches. After we’ve had our meal, the Marquis can take them back.”

Chi Zhou’s pupils shook. His mind was filled with that phrase “had our meal,” and for a moment, he wanted to die.

Emperor Chengping looked at the book Chi Zhou had been reading and said, “Ordinarily, I would have had Mingjing accompany you, but he fell ill a few days ago. The physician said it might be contagious, so he hasn’t left his palace. Let’s not see him today. Besides, once the wedding takes place, there’s no rush for a few moments now. You stay here, read your books, and keep me company while I handle affairs. We can have a good talk, just us.”

Chi Zhou looked up, finally daring to look the Emperor in the eye.

Emperor Chengping was handsome. Though over forty, he showed no signs of aging. His brow was deep, and his phoenix eyes were sharp. He clearly had an imposing, naturally authoritative appearance, but the smile on his face softened that majesty, making him truly look like an ordinary father doting on a younger son.

But not a single shred of that loving expression was for Xie Mingjing, nor was there a hint of pity for his illness.

Chi Zhou felt an involuntary shiver. A strange thought suddenly occurred to him.

In the original book, the protagonist loathed “Chi Zhou” so much. Besides being forced into the marriage, was there a tiny bit of resentment from feeling that his father’s love had been stolen?

No one could bear seeing a father who was cold and cruel to them be this close to someone with no blood relation, right?

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