The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 12

It was quite amusing for Qiu Junyao to discover that teasing Yin Yuan brought him joy.

 

The young master from a prestigious family was evidently pampered since childhood. Despite possessing remarkable talent, his proud and haughty nature meant that his emotions were always written on his face. Every move and expression of his was vivid and lively. In this unfamiliar, dull, and treacherous palace, he was like a blossoming peony, radiant and full of vitality.

 

So when Qiu Junyao saw Yin Yuan’s furrowed brow, appearing as expected, with a look of great difficulty, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

With a flick of his folding fan, Qiu Junyao covered the almost imperceptible smile on his face, crouched down, and met Yin Yuan’s gaze as the latter kneeled on the ground, his eyes curved:

 

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to?”

 

He deliberately asked, “You seem quite troubled?”

 

“N-no, not at all,” Yin Yuan’s face was turning red.

 

Having barely escaped death from Qiu Junyao’s clutches, he dared not reveal his male identity again at this moment. To tell Qiu Junyao that he couldn’t bear children would be tantamount to offering himself up on a silver platter to the executioner—suicide, wasn’t it?

 

So Yin Yuan dared not look at Qiu Junyao’s face again, lowered his gaze to conceal his nervousness, and stared at the distant falling snow, stuttering:

 

“Ensuring the emperor’s line continues is the utmost desire in this humble servant’s heart.”

 

“Really?” Qiu Junyao immediately said, “Then how about we consummate our marriage tonight? How does that sound?”

 

Qiu Junyao eagerly continued, “Once you bear a legitimate son, I will crown him as the crown prince, alright?”

 

Yin Yuan: “Tonight… consummate our… marriage?”

 

Yin Yuan was almost shocked enough to jump up.

 

If the two were to consummate their marriage, wouldn’t his male identity be exposed?!

 

At the thought of adding another crime to his charges, and with no guarantee that Qiu Junyao would be as kind as before, Yin Yuan was suddenly at a loss:

 

“This… I’m not… prepared yet…”

 

“How do you need to prepare?” Qiu Junyao leaned closer to him, with only a folding fan separating them. They were so close that Yin Yuan could even smell the warmth and ink fragrance emanating from Qiu Junyao. With a low, teasing tone, Qiu Junyao said:

 

“In my study, there are many books on the pleasures of the bedroom, such as ‘The Flower Guide,’ ‘Spring in the Han Palace,’ and ‘The Joy Formation.’ Would the empress like to peruse them?”

 

Yin Yuan’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson: “…”

 

As he looked into Qiu Junyao’s sincere gaze, Yin Yuan was completely dumbfounded, shocked, and flustered. Fidgeting with his clothes, he stammered:

 

“Your Majesty, how can you keep such… such explicit forbidden books in the imperial study?”

 

“What’s wrong with that?” Qiu Junyao said unabashedly:

 

“After all, I am the emperor.”

 

Having been teased like this, Yin Yuan was completely disoriented. He couldn’t even articulate his thoughts properly:

 

“…That’s… that’s true…”

 

Just a few seconds after he spoke, Yin Yuan seemed to suddenly realize what he had said and quickly bowed in apology: “I misspoke!”

 

“Hahaha…” Seeing Yin Yuan so flustered, with a bright red blush spreading across his neck, Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but laugh:

 

“Empress, you’re truly…”

 

He struggled to find the right words to describe Yin Yuan for a while. After a moment, he simply extended his fan and lightly tapped Yin Yuan’s head, his smile full of amusement:

 

“If it weren’t for meeting me, with that mouth of yours, you would have died a hundred times over in this palace.”

 

“Your Majesty is correct.” Yin Yuan felt ashamed:

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity.”

 

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. You’re still young. Let’s leave the matter of consummating our marriage and having children for a few more years.”

 

Qiu Junyao stood up straight and said to Yin Yuan:

 

“You may rise.”

 

He said, “It’s terribly cold in the snow, don’t kneel until you get sick, you’ll suffer when you get old.”

 

“Yes.” Yin Yuan quickly stood up and followed behind Qiu Junyao, walking forward.

 

He carefully observed Qiu Junyao’s expression and deliberated for a moment before deciding to stir up trouble:

 

“If Your Majesty wants children so much, why not have another with another consort?”

 

Yin Yuan thought to himself, “Your Majesty is still in his prime. Cultivating another heir shouldn’t be difficult.”

 

“…” Qiu Junyao glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said:

 

“You remind me.”

 

He spoke up, uttering a shocking statement: “Is there a way to send all those consorts out of the palace and restore their freedom?”

 

“?” Yin Yuan froze, staring incredulously: “Your Majesty wants to disband the harem?”

 

“Yes.” Qiu Junyao nodded, his tone calm: “I won’t touch them, nor will I maintain any nominal marriages with them.”

 

“Why?” Yin Yuan couldn’t understand: “Throughout history, having three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts is normal for an emperor. Why would Your Majesty want to disband the harem?”

 

“Although it may sound absurd, I still want to say,” Qiu Junyao said, “in my lifetime, having just one wife is enough.”

 

It’s a wife, not a concubine.

 

“…” Even though Qiu Junyao didn’t specify who that one wife was, even though the person he referred to might be his deceased former empress, Yin Yuan’s heart couldn’t help but beat wildly because of this statement.

 

At the same time, for some reason, Yin Yuan felt a twinge of sourness towards that deceased former empress.

 

Before Yin Yuan could sort out his complicated emotions, Qiu Junyao issued a decree:

 

“As for disbanding the harem, I’ll leave it to you.”

 

After contemplating for a moment, Qiu Junyao continued:

 

“This matter is rather difficult to handle. I will assist you from the sidelines. I will first send out some rumors to test the reactions of the courtiers and consorts, and then, once they accept it, we will proceed.”

 

“But there are many relatives of officials in the harem. It may not be easy for them to accept it.”

 

With snow accumulating on the edges of his hair and being gently blown away by the wind, Yin Yuan expressed genuine concern:

 

“Moreover, it’s not easy for women to make a living. If they are sent back to their maiden homes, their later lives may not be easy.”

 

Qiu Junyao gently tapped his temple with the fan, pondered for a moment, and then said in a slow voice, “How about this. You go first to those consorts and tell them that I will soon disband the harem. If they want to return to their maiden homes, I will provide them with a sum of money that they can’t spend in their lifetime as resettlement funds. If they don’t want to leave, they can stay in the palace, but all expenses will be covered by the Internal Affairs Office. However, their status cannot be that of my consort anymore.”

 

“…” Listening to Qiu Junyao’s meticulous arrangements, Yin Yuan was stunned for a moment. After a while, he slowly said, “Your Majesty, have you made up your mind completely?”

 

“A wise man keeps his word.” Qiu Junyao smiled and tapped his forehead: “Don’t worry, I will draft the decree when I return, so you can go ahead and handle it. I will also instruct your father to assist you.”

 

He said, “From now on, I only need you as my wife.”

 

The force of Qiu Junyao’s fan was not heavy, and it didn’t even fully touch Yin Yuan’s forehead, just lightly brushed past it. But it was like a wildfire, almost igniting Yin Yuan’s heart.

 

Unfortunately, Qiu Junyao was completely unaware of the fire he had sparked, maintaining his gentle smile as he turned around and said, “Let’s take a walk.”

 

Stretching lazily, Qiu Junyao’s figure was like a slim and solitary crane, exuding a cold and unapproachable aura:

 

“My empress.”

 

Covering his forehead where Qiu Junyao had tapped, blinking his eyes, Yin Yuan slowly followed Qiu Junyao’s steps.

 

It must be said that Qiu Junyao’s mentality was quite strong.

 

In this unfamiliar dynasty and environment, he didn’t resent the heavens or blame others. Instead, he actively integrated into this era, striving to enrich his life with his limited time.

 

He naturally enjoyed history and was very fond of these buildings full of historical traces. They walked along the bluestone path, stopping and admiring along the way, until they reached an unfamiliar environment.

 

“Is this… the Cold Palace?” 

 

Qiu Junyao lifted his head, looking at this somewhat dilapidated and desolate place, not responding for a while, and exclaimed, “There’s actually such a place in the palace.”

 

Along the path they had just walked, every place was magnificent and splendid, but here, the doors were so broken they couldn’t close properly, and the plaque with the words “Yeyouting” was hanging loosely overhead, the golden paint peeled off, covered in cobwebs, as if it could fall down with a gust of wind.

 

“…” Seeing such a striking scene before him, Yin Yuan was also stunned.

 

He had never been here before.

 

When he had poisoned Qiu Junyao before, he simply thought that if Qiu Junyao found out, besides killing him, he would be sent to the Cold Palace.

 

At that time, he even thought that if he were sent to the Cold Palace, keeping his life and not dying too badly would probably be good.

 

But now, thinking about it, if Qiu Junyao had been a little more ruthless back then and sent him directly to the Cold Palace, he probably wouldn’t have lasted more than three days here before collapsing and committing suicide due to the unbearable environment.

 

Yin Yuan had his own dignity and pride, absolutely refusing to spend the rest of his life in such a dilapidated Cold Palace.

 

With these thoughts in mind, Yin Yuan’s fingertips involuntarily pierced into his palms, his expression constantly changing. After a long time, he turned around, straightened out the cloak on Qiu Junyao’s body, and gently advised:

 

“Your Majesty, this place is where the past emperors’ abandoned consorts were kept, and many people died here, so there’s quite a lot of resentment and gloom.”

 

He said, “You’re weak and can’t stand seeing this, so why don’t we go back soon?”

 

“…” Qiu Junyao hadn’t intended to go in, but with Yin Yuan’s words, the man’s competitiveness suddenly arose.

 

He grasped the hand that Yin Yuan had used to fasten his cloak, lowered his gaze to meet Yin Yuan’s upturned face, and raised an eyebrow, saying:

 

“But I insist on going.”

 

Yin Yuan became anxious, “Your Majesty, the Cold Palace is dirty and you are precious, you really shouldn’t…”

 

“Just for a moment,” Qiu Junyao reached back and held Yin Yuan’s fingertips, gently caressing them for a moment, then blinked at him, a smile with a hint of youthful charm in his eyes:

 

“Aren’t you curious about what it’s like inside?”

 

Before Yin Yuan could respond, the plaque bearing the words “Yeyouting” suddenly fell off with a clatter, and as the wind blew fiercely, the half-open door was blown open, revealing the dark interior.

 

Then, the overburdened door let out a painful creak and collapsed with a loud crash, mercilessly splashing the two of them with snow.

 

Yin Yuan: “…”

 

He stared blankly at the fallen door, then at Qiu Junyao, who was equally stupefied, and miserably held his head, saying:

 

“Your Majesty, I… really am not curious.”

 

Qiu Junyao: “…”

 

“Empress, have you ever heard a saying?”

 

“What?”

 

“Of course…” Qiu Junyao suddenly grabbed Yin Yuan’s hand, smiling as he pulled the reluctant Yin Yuan into the Cold Palace door, his leisurely words tinged with a faint mockery:

 

“Married to a chicken, follow the chicken… married to a dog, follow the dog.”

 

“Your Majesty.” Because he was too scared, Yin Yuan didn’t notice when, but Qiu Junyao’s hand was already holding his: “I really…”

 

He hadn’t finished his sentence when suddenly, from the bushes nearby, there was a rustling sound.

 

Then, behind the two, in a place no one paid attention to, a pair of eyes emitting green light, like ghostly flames from hell, cold and chilling, suddenly—

 

Lit up.