Chapter 7 (2/2)
So awkward, @ host with facial paralysis was the real tragedy.
He cleared his throat and asked, “What do we have to do afterwards? Concubine Li certainly has a foul smell, and it is affirmative that she has fallen out of favour, but it’s unlikely the old Emperor will abdicate in such a short period of time.”
Qin Mo glanced down at him, and then asked a completely unrelated question, “If we finish the task ahead of schedule, will there be any additional incentives?”
When he heard Qin Mo’s words, Shi Qing was completely caught off guard. He really did not know. He quickly flipped through the manual and found the pertinent information, so he informed him, “Yes. With a time-limited task, for each day that it is completed early, you will be awarded an additional 100 bonus points.”
”Good.”
Shi Qing reacted swiftly to Qin Mo’s words, and quickly asked, “Will you actually be able to finish the task ahead of time?”
”Yes.”
”How much in advance…How will you do it? Don’t take risks ah; life first, reward second. You can’t be rewarded if you’re not alive…”
“Shut up.”
Shi Qing: QAQ, the way this expressionless guy communicates…
****
Concubine Li felt like she was insane; she was on the brink of dying from anger. She had not expected that the pill would have this kind of side effect! Stinking like this; what was the use even if she was the world’s most beautiful woman? Who would dare to approach her?
Seething with rage, she called Madam Li Er to see her. Madam Li Er immediately fainted due to the stench, and only woke up after a long period of time. Yuxiang kindly handed her a damp cloth, and when she covered her mouth and nose, she was just barely able to hold on.
As soon as she saw Concubine Li, she knew that there had been a mishap, and immediately said, “Imperial Concubine, don’t be anxious. The pill maker is still in my hands, I will immediately bring him over, he would not dare refuse to help the Imperial Concubine in this matter…this smell could kill someone!”
Although Concubine Li was angry enough to cut Madam Li Er to pieces, their conversation had allowed her a glimmer of hope. The Imperial Physician did not have a method to deal with this stench, but chances were that the pill’s maker would have a way.
After a little while, the pill maker was brought in. He was a middle-aged man, and although the horrible smell assailed his own nostrils, he held it at bay by clutching a damp cloth to his face, and then said, “Imperial Concubine, this is actually a good thing.”
Concubine Li flew into a fit of rage, “A good thing? If I cut off your head, would that also be a good thing?”
The man begged for mercy, and desperately tried to explain, “Imperial Concubine, you have completely absorbed the Zhu Yan pill, so your body is currently detoxifying. It will emit this foul odor until the detoxification is completed. Then you will always have your current looks.”
“Can you take my words seriously?” The man asked this last question with a tired, old-sounding voice.
The people in the hall suddenly knelt down, and shouted long live the Emperor.
Emperor Xuan Cheng waved his hand as he walked in, indicating that everyone was to stand up. His face did not look well, but he had also ceased holding the wet cloth over his nose and mouth. He just stood there, stared at the pill maker, and then asked several questions in quick succession. When the pill maker saw the Emperor’s face, he could help but get a little bit excited.
“Do you, by any chance, have a second medicinal pill like this one?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, your lowly servant…originally saved one pill for personal use.”
“Oh?”
The pill maker immediately pulled a box from his bosom without raising any further objections. Emperor Xuan Cheng took the box containing the pill, held it up to examine it carefully, and then turned around, frowned and asked Concubine Li, “Is this the same pill?”
Although the stench coming from Concubine Li was unbearable, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Her tear-filled eyes truly drew out the affection in others, and the Emperor could not help but glance at her frequently. Unfortunately, if he remained this close to her…he was going to vomit up every single meal.
Concubine Li looked at the brown pill resting in the box, and felt that it looked identical to the pill she had recently taken. She held it up and took a quick sniff, and found it carried a cool, pleasing fragrance. She cautiously answered, “It’s the same.”
As she spoke, the smell that she was producing grew even more unbearable. Emperor Xuan Cheng, who had moved even further away from her, asked the pill maker, “Can this stench be remedied somehow?”
The pill maker kneeled on the ground, and respectfully answered, “Yes. If she can soak in a spring that originates from the heart of the earth, three hours will be enough to remove the smell.”
“Heart of the earth?”
The pill maker continued to explain, “Answering Your Majesty, this is referring to a hot spring. With its constantly renewed source of water flowing up from the heart of the earth, it will definitely be able to remove the undesirable body odor from the Imperial Concubine.”
After hearing the explanation, Emperor Xuan Cheng suddenly realized, “Are you referring to the hot springs at the Luofang Palace?” The pill maker nodded hastily.
Emperor Xuan Cheng thought deeply for a while, and finally gave out orders, “Prepare to head to Luofang Palace.” Upon hearing his words, Concubine Li could not help being happy; surely this meant that the Emperor wanted her to soak in the hot spring? If you removed the disgusting smell clinging to her, along with her unparalleled beauty, how could anyone question that she would be the one to receive the Emperor’s favour?
Originally, she had thought it was completely hopeless. She could never have expected to be given this chance!
At this time, the eunuch stepped forward and announced, “Emperor, Imperial Concubine, His Majesty the Second Prince is outside, requesting to meet with you.”
This was longer than previous chapters, and took me a little longer than I intended to get it finished. I would have liked to get more of our mains, but there is lots coming. There may be spelling/grammar errors because I’m literally falling asleep as I try to edit.
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Where the harem resides
Nephrite is a name for Jadeite. You can look it up. I can’t find any info on why someone would be warming it up. It was apparently used as treatment for kidney stones at some point? It is suggested that this is some sort of euphemism for having sex with the ladies of the court. Let’s go with that.