Chapter 2: “Could he be with child?”
Chu Yi slowly opened his eyes.
The sun was sinking below the western hills, its lingering glow gradually fading. On the desk to the side, a candle had already been lit, its faint light scattering across the thin, gold-threaded bed curtains.
Chu Yi stared at the canopy above, his thoughts hazy, his entire being somewhat dazed.
Wasn’t I captured by the guards and brought before the male lead? Where am I now?
A faint floral scent drifted through the surrounding air, seemingly mixed with a minuscule hint of woodsy fragrance. Chu Yi propped himself up on the edge of the bed. The moment he sat up, the soft mattress beneath him felt as if it were pricking his body with needles, especially in that one place…
Chu Yi let out an unconscious hiss, his brows knitting together. He had no choice but to lie back down.
The memories from noon rushed into his mind in an instant.
He had actually taken the initiative to pounce on the novel’s male lead, and they had tumbled through clouds and rain in a fierce and passionate encounter!
Chu Yi turned his head, subtly searching the room for Sheng Qianheng’s figure. He’s not here? Only then did he let out a sigh of relief…
He slowly shifted his body, trying to alleviate some of the discomfort from behind. But the sound of long, steady breathing near his ear sent a sudden chill down his spine. For a moment, he didn’t dare move another inch…
Chu Yi tried his best to endure the pain and sit up, only to be pulled back into place by the person sleeping on the inner side of the bed.
Sheng Qianheng sensed Chu Yi’s every move. Acting on pure instinct, he drew Chu Yi back into his arms. “You’re awake? Did you sleep well? I’ll have the imperial physician come take a look at you.”
Chu Yi cautiously glanced at the male lead beside him. Isn’t he supposed to be a tyrant? Or is this the calm before he becomes one…
Seeing that Chu Yi didn’t reply, Sheng Qianheng propped himself up, quickly got out of bed on the other side, and dressed himself neatly before calling out toward the hall, “Summon the imperial physician.”
Only then did Chu Yi subconsciously check his own clothes. A tyrant like him surely wouldn’t help another person dress. Yet, he was surprised to find that the nightclothes he was wearing fit him unexpectedly well.
Just as he was about to get up, Sheng Qianheng supported his lower back, helping him sit. For now, the pain wasn’t so bad.
When the thought that the person before him was a tyrant crossed Chu Yi’s mind, he instinctively shrank back. He raised his gaze tremulously, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.
Sheng Qianheng simply assumed that the day’s events had been too reckless and had frightened Chu Yi, making it difficult for him to accept for the moment.
He was about to raise a hand to check Chu Yi’s temperature when he heard a report from outside the room. “Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Wang has arrived.”
Sheng Qianheng quickly pulled down a window curtain, shielding Chu Yi’s face, and instructed him not to show his face or make a sound before allowing the physician to enter.
Chu Yi’s mind was still trying to process the current situation. He had transmigrated into a book and would soon die, framed by a treacherous official. For now, the tyrant was treating him with care, which probably meant he hadn’t yet been swayed by the sycophants. According to the book’s plot, he and the male lead could be called the closest of friends. If he continued to act like an older brother and show concern for the male lead, perhaps he could move him…
Perhaps he was lost in thought, for Chu Yi didn’t even notice when the imperial physician had already left the room. He only came back to his senses when Sheng Qianheng reattached the curtain to its original place and began to speak with him. “A-Yi, what are you thinking about?”
“Your Majesty…” Chu Yi was afraid that the slightest misstep would displease the tyrant. After careful consideration, he finally replied, “This subject knows that I handled the sacrificial ceremony poorly, nearly causing Your Majesty to come to harm. This subject is willing to resign from the position of Prince Regent. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request!”
Sheng Qianheng’s brows furrowed tightly. He never thought that the first thing Chu Yi would mention was the ceremony. Did he not care at all about what the physician had said?
“You want to resign?”
Chu Yi nodded. “Having made a grave mistake, there must naturally be a punishment. This subject is willing to be punished. As for what happened between Your Majesty and this subject… this subject will pretend it never happened…”
“Heh, Chu Yi!” Sheng Qianheng ground his back teeth. “You’re resigning to get away from Zhen? Zhen has always treated you well!”
The moment Sheng Qianheng finished speaking, the vast bedchamber fell silent. Only the faint sound of their breathing could be heard.
Chu Yi seemed to detect the imposing anger in his tone and couldn’t help but swallow. Having held the same position for a long time, he shifted slightly, but the movement inevitably pulled on his backside. A look of discomfort crossed his brow, and he put on a coy act. “Your Majesty has yet to establish an Empress or take a single consort. What happened between this subject and Your Majesty was just a strange mistake. It is all this subject’s fault. If Your Majesty minds, you can certainly banish this subject to the frontier. This subject will have no complaints. I only hope Your Majesty will consider our past friendship…”
Sheng Qianheng naturally noticed Chu Yi’s discomfort. He was by no means a heartless person, but every word that came from Chu Yi’s mouth pierced his heart.
Past friendship? Does our past friendship mean he should send Chu Yi away from his side?
Absolutely not! He will not let Chu Yi leave his side!
“Chu Yi, Zhen will naturally consider our past friendship. Since you no longer wish to be the Prince Regent, Zhen grants your wish!”
Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of his mouth turning up unconsciously. Without this high-ranking position, it should be easier to escape!
He had barely a moment to celebrate before the tyrant grabbed his wrist and yanked him stumbling from the bed. “Are you that happy? That eager to leave Zhen!”
Chu Yi had no time to react. The weakness in his legs nearly made him collapse to his knees, and his eyes instantly reddened from the discomfort spreading through his body.
Seeing him remain silent, Sheng Qianheng’s long-suppressed anger flared, and he directly clamped a hand around Chu Yi’s neck, demanding, “Chu Yi, Chu Qingci! Tell Zhen, how have I ever mistreated you!”
A feeling of suffocation instantly washed over him. Chu Yi could almost hear the cracking sound of his throat being crushed. The oxygen seemed to be sucked away…
He stared at Sheng Qianheng, who was inches away, and feebly raised his hands to claw at Sheng Qianheng’s arm, but it was no use.
The moment Sheng Qianheng realized what he was doing, he immediately let go. Before he could comfort the terrified Chu Yi, the other man scrambled backward, collapsing to the floor and gasping for air.
His temples throbbed. The moment he could breathe again, everything before Chu Yi’s eyes was a blur. He hugged himself helplessly.
Why did it have to be him who transmigrated, and why did the male lead have to be a tyrant?
He just wanted to live a good life. Why was it so hard?
Sheng Qianheng had thought that after all these years, he could control the violent emotions of his Passion Tide Period, but he never expected to lose control in front of Chu Yi and even hurt him…
He slowly squatted down and raised a hand to wipe away the tear at the corner of Chu Yi’s eye, apologizing in a low voice, “Chu Yi, I…”
Chu Yi lifted his tear-filled eyes and did his best to calm himself. “If the sovereign wants his subject to die… the subject has no choice but to die…”
Before he could finish weaving his words, he fainted.
Sheng Qianheng immediately caught Chu Yi as he fell backward and frantically summoned the imperial physician again.
When Imperial Physician Xu entered the room for the second time, his forehead was already covered in sweat. He knelt before the bed and took Chu Yi’s pulse once more.
Sheng Qianheng pressed, “How is he? Why did he faint?”
The physician glanced through a gap in the curtain and saw the finger marks on Chu Yi’s neck. He roughly guessed that His Majesty had wished to take the beauty in the bed as a consort, but the beauty had refused, leading to a dispute.
To think there’s a beauty in this world who doesn’t want to enter the palace as a consort? What a peculiar person.
Imperial Physician Xu removed the silk handkerchief he used for taking pulses and replied, “Your Majesty, the young master’s fainting is due to excessive carnal activity, which has led to physical deficiency, compounded by an emotional shock. Your Majesty, this subject has something to say, but I am unsure if it is appropriate…”
Sheng Qianheng took Chu Yi’s hand, which lay by the side of the bed, and stroked it gently. “Speak.”
Imperial Physician Xu wrote out a prescription on the side. “According to Your Majesty, the young master only differentiated into a Kunze yesterday and experienced his Rain and Dew Period. This subject takes the liberty of asking the young master’s age?”
Sheng Qianheng: “Twenty-nine.”
The hand with which Imperial Physician Xu held the brush paused. He’s actually older than His Majesty, he thought. “To differentiate at such an age, this subject deduces that his reproductive cavity is likely underdeveloped, which will make conception difficult in the future. Furthermore, this subject believes the young master must have been given a potent, dangerous folk medicine to have been able to differentiate! A thorough investigation should be made as to who is responsible.”
Sheng Qianheng cared not in the slightest about heirs; he was only concerned for Chu Yi’s health.
“Zhen did not form a permanent mark. Could he be with child?”
“Your Majesty did not…?” Imperial Physician Xu stood and handed the prescription to an apprentice. “There is naturally a possibility of conception, as long as Your Majesty penetrated deep enough. A pregnancy can usually be detected by pulse after one month.”
Sheng Qianheng: “You may withdraw.”
Imperial Physician Xu thought it over and over. An adult Qianyuan engaging in the act of intimacy with a Kunze in their Rain and Dew Period—it was absolutely impossible not to form a permanent mark. Could it be that His Majesty had a hidden ailment? Or was… that place… rather short and small?
Imperial Physician Xu couldn’t help but feel deeply worried!!
