Chapter 57: Sleeping Powder
Chu Yi barely slept that night. He lay there numbly, smelling the scent on Sheng Qianheng.
The next day, just before morning court, Chu Yi finally looked up at Sheng Qianheng’s face. He raised a hand to caress his eyes.
In a moment, Sheng Qianheng pinched the pad of Chu Yi’s thumb and asked, “Did you sleep well?”
Chu Yi nodded faintly. “I slept very well. You should go to morning court. Shall I change your clothes for you?”
The two of them looked at the dark circles under each other’s eyes but did not expose it, as if they had a tacit understanding to pretend that nothing had happened.
Chu Yi simply draped a long robe over himself and stood up to change Sheng Qianheng’s clothes.
A few months ago, he had been completely clueless about these complicated clothes. Now, he was already clear about the order in which to wear each accessory.
Just as he was about to squat down to tie the jade pendant for Sheng Qianheng, he was pulled into his embrace by the waist.
Sheng Qianheng didn’t know why what he thought in his heart could not be written down. It was as if he had been poisoned and was not under his own control. He was afraid that Chu Yi would abandon him, but he didn’t know what to do to win him back…
When he spoke, his voice was already hoarse. “A-Yi, it’s still early. If you’re tired, rest a little longer.”
Chu Yi hummed in agreement, his fingertips trembling unconsciously. “Alright. You should go to morning court.”
He looked at Sheng Qianheng’s back and felt dazed.
In just one night, he and Sheng Qianheng were no longer the same as before. A rift had finally formed between them.
He gave a faint laugh, then changed his clothes and left Yangxin Hall.
He walked to the desk and reached out to touch the unfinished imperial edict. Sheng Qianheng’s handwriting was vigorous and powerful, each stroke seeming to exude a unique resilience that was his alone.
It wasn’t until his tears had soaked the words “Consort De” that Chu Yi raised a hand to wipe his own tears. It turned out that sometimes, one could really cry with a smile.
He wiped away all the tear stains with his sleeve, then turned and left Yangxin Hall, preparing to go back to Jingyang Palace.
However, when he passed by Chu Rui’s palace on the way, his steps paused slightly.
Seeing Chu Yi’s hesitation, Lianfang asked, “Your Ladyship, do you want to see the King?”
He shook his head slightly.
By the time he returned to Jingyang Palace, Chu Yi suddenly felt his whole body relax.
He dismissed everyone in the room, took off his clothes, leaving only an inner robe. He sat alone on the bed, his arms trembling slightly. When he placed his palm on his lower abdomen, he could already feel a slight curve.
His eyes stung unconsciously. This child had actually grown up without him realizing it.
He sobbed softly, his whole body curled into a ball, hesitating about whether to keep this child or not. Perhaps he shouldn’t have kept it from the beginning…
The fatigue from a sleepless night washed over him, and Chu Yi gradually fell asleep.
It wasn’t until noon that he gradually woke up. Just as he turned over, he noticed that there was someone in the hall.
Chu Yi sat up and hugged the quilt, looking at the person warily.
Chu Rui noticed that his younger brother seemed to be awake. After meeting his gaze, he said, “Yi’er is awake?”
Chu Yi quickly asked, “Older brother, why are you in my hall?”
Chu Rui walked to the bed and helped Chu Yi up. Just as he was about to help him change, he was stopped. He could only hand the clothes to his younger brother and ask, “What happened last night? Our Yi’er was actually crying in his sleep just now.”
Chu Yi lowered his head. He didn’t know what to say. His older brother already knew everything. What else could he say? That he, who had not cared about the position of Empress before, was now in great pain because of it? Or that he was not a person of this world?
After much thought, he finally just asked when Chu Rui would be returning to Qianlin.
Chu Rui raised a hand to rub Chu Yi’s hair and said, “Gu will be staying for a few more days. What’s wrong?”
Chu Yi shook his head. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking a lot about yesterday’s matter.”
Chu Rui saw that since he had come to this Da Mo imperial palace, his younger brother had been very reserved, and had even caused a conflict between him and Sheng Qianheng.
Perhaps after so many years, his younger brother had already gotten used to life in Da Mo. Perhaps his headstrong decision to take him back was wrong from the beginning.
He sighed and comforted Chu Yi, “If you have anything on your mind, you can always talk to Gu. Gu will be going back in a few days. It may be difficult to see each other again…”
Chu Yi looked up, puzzled. Was Chu Rui not forcing him to go back to Qianlin anymore?
“Older brother, aren’t you going to take me back to Qianlin?”
Chu Rui smiled faintly. He looked at his younger brother’s almost bloodless face and said slowly, “You must have had a hard time being caught between Gu and the Da Mo emperor these past two days. It was Gu who imposed my will on you. Gu thought that you had suffered a lot as a hostage for many years and that it was only natural for you to go back to Qianlin with me. But Gu forgot to ask for your opinion. Perhaps you’ve gotten used to the environment of this Da Mo over the years? Or perhaps you’ve fallen in love with Sheng Qianheng? Too many things have happened these years that Gu could not have predicted. Our Yi’er has also grown up and should live the life he wants.”
Hearing Chu Rui’s words, Chu Yi couldn’t help but burst into tears. He was clearly not his older brother. But he seemed to be able to feel the love for him in those words, the love from a relative.
He turned his back, trying to control his emotions. It took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he calmed down.
He had the midday meal with Chu Rui, and the two of them chatted a lot about everyday things, like brothers from an ordinary family.
Chu Yi once felt that the Qianlin that Chu Rui spoke of was strangely familiar, as if he had lived there before. He couldn’t help but feel an impulse to go and see it for himself.
Chu Rui stayed with his younger brother for nearly six hours. Seeing that it was about time for Sheng Qianheng to come to Jingyang Palace, he was about to get up and leave.
The moment Chu Rui was about to step out of Jingyang Palace, Chu Yi said, “Older brother, are you still willing to take me back?”
Chu Rui suddenly looked back at his younger brother, then went back into the room and closed the hall door.
He slowly squatted in front of Chu Yi and asked, “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Chu Yi nodded heavily. “Older brother, I know what I’m saying.”
Chu Rui glanced outside the room to confirm that there was no one there before asking again, “Sheng Qianheng won’t let you go.”
Chu Yi knew this in his heart. But what could he do in this palace? Play-act with Sheng Qianheng, pretending to be deeply in love?
He was no longer willing to investigate who the imperial edict was meant to enfeoff, nor was he willing to seek confirmation of whether Sheng Qianheng truly loved him.
He only felt that living in this palace was exhausting. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe. Love or not, it was just a fleeting thought. Love was, after all, just a passing phase in this long life. He needed to calm down and think things through.
Did he love Sheng Qianheng or not? If he did, how much did he love him?
Leaving Sheng Qianheng was the best decision for now.
When Chu Yi spoke, he was extremely calm. “Older brother, can you help me?”
Chu Rui looked at the bloodshot eyes of Chu Yi and simply agreed.
During morning court, Sheng Qianheng discussed the choice of the Empress with the officials. No one proposed Chu Yi.
Everyone submitted memorials, saying that Princess Zhaoning was the only choice.
He said sharply, “Since ancient times, a princess from a marriage alliance has never been the Empress! Zhen intends to make Chu Yi the Empress.”
All the officials knelt down. “Your Majesty, you mustn’t! A man cannot be the Empress!”
Sheng Qianheng looked up and saw that all their faces were exactly the same. He was unconsciously astonished. He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, feeling a terrible headache.
After morning court, Sheng Qianheng sat in Yangxin Hall, feeling a tightness in his chest.
He looked at the already smudged imperial edict and felt a deep resentment. He took a candlestick and burned it.
Why was it so difficult to make him the Empress? What had he done wrong? Why was everyone stopping him!
At midnight, Sheng Qianheng stood before the gate of Jingyang Palace, not daring to go in.
He saw that the candles in the room had been extinguished. He waited for a long time before quietly entering.
Chu Yi was not sleeping soundly. He had already woken up when someone pushed the door open, but he still maintained his sleeping posture. Only after smelling the xìnxiāng on Sheng Qianheng did he relax slightly. He heard Sheng Qianheng’s footsteps seem to stop by the bed, and then there was no movement.
He squinted and barely managed to see Sheng Qianheng squatting by the bed, staring straight at him.
Chu Yi couldn’t help but feel a little scared. He simply pretended to turn over and deliberately touched Sheng Qianheng.
He feigned a startled look, his eyes hazy. “Who is it?”
Sheng Qianheng said, “A-Yi, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
Chu Yi nodded. He stood up, lit the candle, and then signaled for Sheng Qianheng to get on the bed.
Only then did he ask, “Why didn’t you announce yourself?”
Sheng Qianheng wrapped his arms around Chu Yi, only feeling that his headache had eased a lot. He said slowly, “I saw that there were no candles in your room. I thought you were already asleep and was afraid of disturbing you.”
Chu Yi raised a hand to beat Sheng Qianheng’s chest and reprimanded, “So standing by the bed so quietly doesn’t count as disturbing me?”
Sheng Qianheng could only apologize. “I’m sorry. I scared you.”
Chu Yi lay on his side, resting his head on Sheng Qianheng’s arm, closed his eyes, and smelled his xìnxiāng. “It’s fine.”
The two of them chatted casually for a few sentences, and Chu Yi fell asleep in the scent of Sheng Qianheng’s xìnxiāng.
Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to gently caress Chu Yi’s lower abdomen. The moment his fingertips touched the slight curve, his heart seemed to skip a beat.
He lowered his gaze and whispered, his voice gentle and lingering, “Help me keep your father-empress~ In the future, everything I have will be yours.”
Neither Chu Yi nor Sheng Qianheng brought up the matter of enfeoffing the Empress again, and Chu Yi had been pregnant for three months.
Sheng Qianheng took the opportunity to inform the officials of his pregnancy, which left them speechless. But those officials still did not agree to make Chu Yi the Empress.
In a fit of rage, Sheng Qianheng killed one person to vent his anger, which silenced the court…
Sheng Qianheng said, “Does anyone else have any objections?”
The Vice Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this subject has no objections.”
The officials looked at the person in the pool of blood, could only kneel tremblingly, and said in unison, “This subject has no objections.”
Even though no one opposed Sheng Qianheng anymore, the enfeoffment edict still could not be written with Chu Yi’s name. Sheng Qianheng was on the verge of collapse…
Chu Rui had already stayed in Da Mo for nearly seven days. He would go to Jingyang Palace every day for a gathering with Chu Yi.
He told Chu Yi that he would be returning to Qianlin in three days and would take him with him then.
Chu Yi nodded and took the sleeping powder that his older brother had handed him, gripping it tightly in his hand.
Chu Rui warned, “This is my Qianlin’s sleeping powder. You have to be careful with the dosage. A small amount can make a person sleep for several days.”
Three days later
Chu Yi had Lianfang take his pulse to ensure that his body was fine before he dared to use the medicine.
Sheng Qianheng had been visiting Jingyang Palace after the evening meal these past few days.
Chu Yi bathed early and applied the sleeping powder to the gland on the back of his neck.
He had Lianfang apply needles to him, and at the right moment, when Sheng Qianheng stepped into Jingyang Palace, his xìnxiāng went out of control.
In an instant, the scent of Danshen filled the entire Jingyang Palace.
