The Blessed

Fuan Palace was where the emperor rested and handled his word, so it was heavily guarded. Every corner of it manifested luxuriousness and majesty. From the palace entrance, every certain distance there’d be two mighty-looking soldiers on guard. And once in a while, there was a patrolling team. One could say the safety precautions were watertight. Without the emperor’s personal permission, even empress dowager’s chariot was not allowed in. Chu Yunhan and his son who got off the carriage outside the gate walked over shoulder in shoulder indifferently, with Zeng Shaoqing following behind. And behind them were those eunuchs the emperor sent to welcome them. And those shadow guards already got stopped outside. When they walked past those guarding soldiers, they’d raise their weapons to salute. The pair of father and son just looked steadily forward and walked past them.

"Wait a moment, my lady, my prince. Allow me to inform His Majesty first.”

When they arrived at the imperial study where the emperor was, Eunuch Zhao trotted forward to stop them. Chu Yunhan, who was slim and slender, lowered his eyes and did not say anything, but Eunuch Zhao already trembled out of fear and bowed to him before entering the imperial study. When he came out, it was almost several minutes later.

"My lady, my seventh prince, His Majesty asks you in. Lord Six, His Majesty said he wouldn’t see any outsider today. So please go back. Maybe you can come some other day to pay respects to His Majesty.”

Eunuch Zhao dutifully conveyed the emperor's message, but…

"I am not an outsider today, I am here to visit my big cousin."

Zeng Shaoqing picked his eyebrows, walked forward to stand with Chu Yunhan side by side. In an angle no one could see, he threw him a wink. The nervous feelings of the pair of father and son like vanished instantly, even waiting to laugh. Maybe only he dare pick holes in the emperor’s words throughout the whole Qing Kingdom.

"But Lord Six, His Majesty..."

Seeing that, Eunuch Zhao hurriedly moved forward nervously. But that pair of bloodthirsty eyes instantly shushed him, meanwhile, he also held his head down. Zeng Shaoqing then said badly, “But what? After having been out for so long, can’t I even visit my own big cousin? Or, you are deliberately trying to stop me from bonding with my big cousin?”

"Your humble servant dare not!”

To prevent him from bonding with His Majesty? This charge can be big. Eunuch Zhao hurriedly knelt down. Thinking of that scene that happened outside the palace, he felt so scared, and his slim body was shaking like sifting chaff.

“Hum! I guess you don’t have the balls!”

Swinging his sleeves, Zeng Shaoqing instantly changed his face. Eunuch Zhao was nearly lying prone on the ground. Seeing that, Chu Yunhan said faintly, “All right, Shaoqing, Eunuch Zhao is only conveying His Majesty’s meaning. Don’t be hard on him.”

In the palace, if one wanted to live long, to live comfortably, to live like a human being, one not only had to be smart enough and knew how to suck up to the emperor, one still had to learn how to lay someone under an obligation, especially someone by the emperor’s side. Though Eunuch Zhao was only a not some experienced eunuch by the emperor’s side and not so promising seen from now, sometimes, only people like him would do some things that would surprise everyone. When he was in big trouble, if he could say some words for him, maybe he’d be saved and gain unexpected payback.

"For the sake of my imperial sister-in-law, I will spare your dog life! Get lost!”

How could Zeng Shaoqing not know Chu Yunhan’s intention. So they made a perfect cooperation.

"Thank you, my lady, thank you, Lord Six…”

Eunuch Zhao was trembling and kept kowtowing to the two of them. Zeng Shaoqing threw him a fake stare, then instantly put on a smile as he turned back, “Imperial sister-in-law, let’s go.”“Hmm.”

Nodding, Chu Yunhan led them to step up the stairs. Seeing they really went in, Eunuch Zhao exhaled an exaggerating breath out, raised his hand to wipe off his cold sweat on the forehead. So scary! He thought that demon-like Lord Six would kill him like that old mama from Noble Consort Xiao’s palace.

Inside the study, the emperor who had been so thin under the torture of the illness was sitting decently behind the table covering with golden silk fabrics examining those memorials, while his most trusted Eunuch Zhang was standing by the side. When the three of them stepped in, Eunuch Zhang bent over and whispered something by his ear. And the hand of the emperor froze there. After quite a while, he raised his head stiffly.

A man under forty looked as old as already in his fifties. Even with a head of dark hair, his face looked so old. His golden dragon robes still couldn’t manifest his dominance as the emperor, instead, it only made his skin look darker. Except that pair of glistening peach blossom eyes, you couldn’t tell a bit that he was an emperor, totally like an ordinary old man.

For others, perhaps it was just a short span of three years, for Chu Yunhan, the last time they met was before his own death. Till now, he still remembered his cold eyes. Originally, he really didn’t mean to shed some tears to win his sympathy, but tears just dropped themselves, that was tears of pain. When he reacted, it was already late. So he had to hide his hate of this man and change a pitiful look.

"Your Majesty..."