Liu Yuanxun had lain in a coma for a full eight days due to this illness. Though he had grown much thinner, his life had at least been preserved.
Hong Fu, bearing the imperial decree, made a point of visiting every other day. This time, however, after taking a look, he did not leave. Instead, he summoned Gu Lianzhao over.
Once the door to the room closed, the smile faded from Hong Fu’s face.
He gazed down at the youth kneeling on the floor and said, “Do you know why the Prince fell so ill this time?”
Gu Lianzhao’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his head lowered and replied, “I do not know.”
Hong Fu took a leisurely sip of tea and said, “The Prince fell ill because he spoke up for you, pleading to preserve your position. That angered His Majesty, and he was punished for it.”
Gu Lianzhao’s expression did not change. He simply lowered his head even further, his voice filled with trepidation and sincerity. “The Prince is kind-hearted. It was my fault…”
Hong Fu shot him a glance and snorted with a laugh. “For the sake of the Seventh Prince, His Majesty has issued a decree allowing you to return to your post. However, since you are the Seventh Prince’s Attendant Consort, you need not report to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for the time being. Stay by the Prince’s side and attend to him instead.”
Being reinstated was good news, even if it meant lingering at the Prince’s side for a while longer. It was far better than the outcome he had feared. A spark of joy rose in Gu Lianzhao’s heart. He was about to kowtow in thanks when the sight of Liu Yuanxun—still unconscious on the bed, his frail body racked with sickness—tempered his elation.
He kowtowed and said gravely, “This subject will devote himself to serving the Prince.”
He had referred to himself as “I” just moments before, but the instant reinstatement was mentioned, he switched to “this subject.” His opportunism was as swift as it was shameless.
Hong Fu let out a scornful chuckle. “Gu Jiu, you’re a clever man. I don’t need to spell it out for you—you can guess what I mean.”
He rose and walked over to Gu Lianzhao, then crouched down halfway and lifted the young man’s chin. “His Majesty could not only strip you of your position but take your life as well. But just as he can demote you, he can promote you too. It all depends on your choice. You have ambitions. You know what you must do.”
Of course Gu Lianzhao knew. But the question was, why him?
He was no fool, nor was he the sort to fight desperately for his chastity. If his body could bring tangible benefits, then this flesh was not too precious to trade. The reason he had resisted so fiercely on their wedding night was simply that he refused to be treated as a toy to be used and abused at will.
When His Majesty had first issued the decree and drugged him, there had been no chance to react. Everything—from being restrained and subdued to being fed the aphrodisiac—made His Majesty’s attitude clear: this was nothing more than a plaything. His Majesty had not seen him as the Seventh Prince’s consort but as a disposable whore to be used and discarded.
Gu Lianzhao was certain that, at the time, His Majesty had offered no benefits or promises whatsoever.
So why now…
Though countless thoughts swirled in his mind, nothing showed on Gu Lianzhao’s face. He adopted an expression of delighted hesitation, doing his utmost to reinforce the image of a greedy, unscrupulous villain in Eunuch Hong’s eyes.
“How does Eunuch Hong hope this subject should serve the Prince? As you know, the Prince is mild-tempered, but he treats cats and dogs the same as he does everyone else. He shows this subject no special favor. I truly do not know how to draw close to him.”
Hong Fu toyed with his chin, scrutinizing his face from both sides. Then he patted Gu Lianzhao’s cheek twice with the back of his hand. The gesture was light, but the humiliation was thick. He laughed and said, “You should know better than I what goes on between a man and a ger.”
The muscles at Gu Lianzhao’s cheek twitched for an instant, but he kept his expression under control. In an utterly deferential tone, he said, “This subject understands.”
“Good that you do.” Eunuch Hong released him with satisfaction and headed for the door. “No need to see me out. Serve the Prince well.”
Gu Lianzhao was about to assent when he heard Eunuch Hong add, “Oh, right—His Majesty said that once you and the Prince consummate your marriage, you may return to your post at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
With that, he strode out without looking back.
After Eunuch Hong left, Gu Lianzhao slowly rose to his feet in the room. He mulled over the eunuch’s words and demeanor, pondering His Majesty’s intentions.
Whether it was drugging him at the start and forcing him onto Prince Rui’s bed, or this mix of inducements and threats now, the goal was plain: to make him consummate his marriage with Prince Rui.
Such elaborate efforts could not possibly be for something as absurd as bringing good fortune through consummation.
Gers had great difficulty bearing children, their fertility far inferior to that of women. So His Majesty’s aim could not be heirs.
Beyond that, what benefit could consummation bring to Liu Yuanxun? Given his sickly state, he hardly seemed the type in need of release.
His Majesty always had his reasons for acting. When benefits were unclear, it was worth considering harms instead. If His Majesty truly cared for him, consummation might benefit Liu Yuanxun. But what if His Majesty did not?
Gu Lianzhao was keenly perceptive. His seat as North Pacification Commissioner had been secured not merely by his brutal interrogation methods but by his razor-sharp insight.
Once, like most people, he had assumed His Majesty and the Seventh Prince were close brothers. But ever since Deputy Director Zhao had rushed to the Prince’s residence that night, he had overturned that notion.
If His Majesty regarded the Seventh Prince as a dear brother, he would surely have come to see him at death’s door.
Yet he had not.
Not only had His Majesty stayed away, but even the two eunuchs from the imperial court had not appeared. Eunuch Hong himself had only begun frequenting the residence—and that under imperial decree—after the Seventh Prince’s condition had stabilized.
This defied all reason.
If there was an explanation, it was not that His Majesty was too busy to come. Rather, he had no desire to.
If his suspicions were correct, things grew interesting indeed.
With brotherly affection exposed as a sham, the pros and cons of consummation became murky. Should the Seventh Prince expire after losing his vital essence, Gu Lianzhao would be lucky to keep his own life, let alone advance.
A flicker of deep contemplation crossed Gu Lianzhao’s eyes, and new plans took shape in his mind.
His Majesty was the Son of Heaven; nothing lay beyond his power. If his sole aim was their consummation, he could simply lock them together and dose them both with aphrodisiacs.
Yet he had chosen inducement through Hong Fu over force. This suggested something held His Majesty back from the Seventh Prince—be it sentiment or interest. As long as such constraints existed, there was room to maneuver.
On one hand, he could heed Eunuch Hong’s decree and “serve the Prince well.” On the other, if the Seventh Prince was unwilling, Gu Lianzhao could hardly force him into bed.
His resolve set, the path ahead clarified, and Gu Lianzhao’s mood lightened considerably.
He returned to Liu Yuanxun’s courtyard and pushed open the door. A thick medicinal scent assailed him at once. A few more steps revealed Ling Ting seated at the bedside, feeding medicine to Liu Yuanxun.
Liu Yuanxun’s eyes were lightly closed, his face deathly pale. His breathing was barely perceptible, and his emaciated frame all but vanished beneath the covers.
Liu Yuanxun often lay unconscious, so they had specialized tools for feeding him medicine. The sheep’s horn spoon pried open his mouth. Once his jaws parted slightly, a polished slender bamboo tube was inserted deep into his mouth. A funnel at the other end allowed the liquid to trickle slowly down his throat.
This was how they fed him medicine these past days—and thin congee too.
Gu Lianzhao stood beside Ling Ting, watching his every move closely. When the second bowl of medicine was brought forward, he said, “Lord Ling, allow me.”
Ling Ting paused, instinctively wanting to refuse, but he could find no reason to.
The Prince’s residence was vast but short on outsiders and even shorter on rules. Before Gu Lianzhao had entered the household, Ling Ting had personally attended to the Prince in his bedchamber. But once the master married, such tasks fell to the wife or consort. Ling Ting not only had to step aside but yield the moment they appeared.
Gu Lianzhao, however, was no proper spouse taken through formal channels. No one expected him to perform these duties, and he himself had shown no inclination. Ling Ting had never insisted, so aside from Eunuch Hong, no one saw anything amiss.
But if Gu Lianzhao did not mind, that was one thing. If he spoke up, Ling Ting had no choice but to yield.
“The master is still ill, and you’re not accustomed to this. Perhaps I should…”
“I will grow accustomed.” Gu Lianzhao cut him off, his tone calm. “Eunuch Hong has already instructed me. It was my failing before. Now, I must take up my proper duties.”
He invoked Eunuch Hong to close off Ling Ting’s every objection. Then he took the medicine bowl steadily from Ling Ting’s hands and said softly, “Lord Ling, please step aside.”
Ling Ting swallowed dryly and rose slowly, making room for Gu Lianzhao.
Unlike Ling Ting’s cautious care, Gu Lianzhao had no such qualms. He did not believe an unconscious man could sense anything, so his movements were steady and efficient.
Though it was his first time, he performed better than Ling Ting.
After feeding the medicine, he set the bowl aside and gently pinched Liu Yuanxun’s cheeks to withdraw the bamboo tube. A bit of clear saliva clung to the end. Gu Lianzhao took a soft cloth and wiped it away carefully, ensuring none touched Liu Yuanxun’s face.
The motions flowed smoothly, flawless from start to finish.
Gu Lianzhao methodically packed away the feeding tools on the tray and said, “Lord Ling has kept vigil by the Prince’s side without rest for several nights. Why not return to your quarters and rest? We can take shifts watching over him. It will ease your burden.”
Ling Ting wanted to ask what authority gave him the right to say this. Was it the North Pacification Commissioner, bowing to circumstance and biding his time in the residence? Or the Attendant Consort of the Prince’s household, ready to wield his privileges?
But he knew he could not ask. He could only nod and take his leave, retreating to his side chamber.
…
With Ling Ting gone, only Gu Lianzhao and Liu Yuanxun remained in the room.
Gu Lianzhao looked down closely at Liu Yuanxun’s appearance. The more he stared, the more that fleeting glimpse from before seemed like an illusion.
The man before him reeked of sickness—face pallid, lips colorless, fingertips and the hollows beneath his eyes tinged with faint blue-violet. He resembled a corpse more than a living soul, his chest rising and falling so faintly that he bore no trace of beauty.
As Gu Lianzhao watched, signs of awakening appeared in Liu Yuanxun. His long lashes trembled slightly, his eyeballs shifting beneath the lids. But they were too heavy to open, so he signaled with a twitch of his fingertips instead.
Gu Lianzhao’s sharp eyes caught the subtle movement of his fingers. After a brief hesitation, he reached out and clasped them gently.
Ever since the wedding, when Liu Yuanxun had fallen ill, Gu Lianzhao had knelt by his bed for as many days as the Prince had lain there. He had observed every bit of Ling Ting’s care.
He did not know the reason, but he recalled that each time Liu Yuanxun stirred toward wakefulness, Ling Ting would grasp his hand to offer reassurance.
Sure enough, the moment he grasped Liu Yuanxun’s hand, those twitching fingers went still at once, nestling obediently in his palm.
In that instant, Gu Lianzhao caught a faint glimpse of Ling Ting’s emotions. No wonder he was so reluctant to let go. No wonder he tended to him with such devotion…
To think of a figure as proud and exquisite as a white crane, shackled to a body so frail it couldn’t even open its eyes. He could neither see nor move, utterly dependent on that one hand clasped so tightly in his own.
His status was nobility itself, yet his circumstances were utterly wretched—the beauty of a fading flower, intoxicating beyond measure.
