85 Pig Cheeks (1/2)

BAI SHEN HONG

YIYUAN

”We beg his Majesty to reconsider!” The emperor's entourage pleaded, sincerely. They kowtowed before him, blocking the exit of his bedchamber so that he wouldn't leave.

”Your Majesty, if this servant may speak,” Court Lady Nam came forth.

”Court Lady Nam? Why are you here?” He released his main entourage for leave before he left the palace. So why was she in YiYuan?

”That is... Your Majesty...”

”What?” Though it was not the case that he wasn't glad to have her back. The people who served him currently were not as good as they could be under the supervision of Eunuch and Court Lady Nam.

”Her Highness summoned His Highness' entourage back on the basis: No servant may leave the palace unless sick to the point of death or due to retirement.”

Is that so? What was this action meant to define? Possibly to remind him that his power was limited to the court only. He chastised the Grand Dowager for summoning his subjects for a court meeting in his absence, and in return she was silently doing the same in regards to the harem.

Shen Hong smirked, making a note to visit his grandmother when he went back to the palace. It wasn't like he was not curious to know what she was up to recently.

”This servant seeks permission to share her humble opinion,” Court Lady Nam was bringing back the matter at hand.

He nodded his head for her to continue.

”This servant begs His Royal Majesty to stay indoors for the day.” She stared at the ground and he was not sure whether it was out of respect or instead to avoid staring at his sore face.

”That is impossible, Court Lady Nam. I have to practise with my generals.”

Li Lian was right. In the morning, he indeed woke up looking like a pig. His cheeks were plump, swollen balls of pink. The physician kneeling behind Court Lady Nam said it was an allergic reaction he did not understand the cause of, but Shen Hong was well aware that it was the ointment that Little Fox applied on him.

Conniving woman. She had not bounds.

”His Royal Majesty is right. But what image will be portrayed before the generals if our emperor is to show up looking disfigured?” Leave it to her to be straight forward. ”Your Majesty, the Dragon entourage has failed to look after our emperor, please have our heads cut off.”

”Your Royal Majesty, please stay indoors!” Eunuch Nam yelled, pleading, and the rest repeated after him.

What a pain to wake up to this. ”Hao, I will go to the pools, rather.” He wished to lay there and collect his thoughts.

”His Royal Highness is benevolent!” They praised.

Was it worth it to get slapped by a woman, just so you could sleep next to her? No. Even if she was just as beautiful? No. It was not. Not when you are the emperor.

Something in the equation was not right. Shen Hong had experienced thousands crying for mercy, yet one who cried to slap him was the one who moved his heart.

”His Majesty's cheeks look better now,” the Royal Grand physician inspected him, later that afternoon at the pools. ”Is His Majesty sure that he did not lay on something he is allergic to? Because this subject also does not understand where the swelling came from.”

Shen Hong gave an accusing look when he saw Luo Meng grin knowingly. He was standing outside as his master received his share of claps. What an unfilial servant. He could have come in to get the slaps for him. So much for being faithful.

”Yes, I woke up like that.”

To this Luo Meng laughed loudly and Shen Hong scowled.

Imbecile.

Shen Hong tried to relax a bit as he shifted on the lounging chair. It was soothing to be surrounded by the bubbling scented waters of blue. He tried to change the subject. ”Where is Yang Liu?”

Luo Meng rubbed his stomach to hold himself. ”Your Majesty, I told her that General Feng has always known about her gender and she was greatly distressed, so she left for the palace”

Truth could be bitter at times. ”You must go easy on her.”

”Forgive me, Your Highness.”

”How could you tell that General Feng knows?”

”The other day Yang Liu was accidentally shot in the chest on the hunting grounds, he attended to her first. It was obvious that he figured it out.”

Shen Hong looked down at the Royal Grand physician who now paid attention to his chest. On the left side, where his heart resided was skin knit upon each other, the sight similar to tree roots engulfed. It was going to be a great pain when the time came to have his heart restored in his chest.

The physician took out a cotton swab and dabbed on the swell of skin. ”Does His Majesty's chest still hurt?”

”Not recently, but I have occasionally experienced a piercing chest pain.” He remembered the time he almost collapsed when he came out of jail.

”His Majesty is not a pure royal blood, therefore the incubation of his heart with Furia blood is not as easy.”

Grand Consort Shu was a low-born commoner. Because of this, he suffered lack of dominance as a warrior spirit that the other dragons before him easily possessed. Most of his achievements were out of hard work than heritage advantage. Other dragons could easily tackle without trying, while he worked hard to attain speed. Others easily mastered sword techniques, while he practise for it. All that he had was from blood and sweat.

Outsiders called his lineage, blood suckers, which was not far from the truth. The royal bloodline relied on Furia's blood to preserve their life into longevity. Instead of mere 50 years , they could live up to a tripled amount. But in his case it was unknown how long he would survive considering his tainted blood. It could be more than expected or quite less than the normal life expectancy.

He winced, when the royal physician applied pressure on his non-beating heart chest. The man tending to him looked so focused. The best physician in the palace, they called him. Shen Hong couldn't help wondering about the skeletons behind his success. ”You were sixteen when my father was born?”

”Yes, Your Majesty,” he quipped. ”This subject was a junior at the time.”

”And how did you know my Grandmother?” It's not that Shen Hong was suspicious of Gu Huan's qualifications, by his own right the Royal Grand physician earned his position. However, from the few rumors Shen Hong was aware of, he was curious to know the past relationship the man had with his grandmother.

”We are from the same clan so as children we were raised together.” He continued to dab the wet cotton on the entangled skin.