The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 5

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”

Although in the original story, “Qiu Junyao” had lost the people’s favor and some even wished for his demise, he was still the reigning emperor, the absolute ruler of the feudal era. In a society where the emperor’s word was law, no one dared to openly harm him.

Watching Yin Yuan forcefully bring down Qiu Junyao, the fragile young emperor almost seemed on the brink of death. Seeing this, the palace maids and eunuchs panicked, creating a chaotic scene. Eventually, Yin Yuan had to summon guards to assist in helping Qiu Junyao up and escorting him to his bedchamber to recuperate.

It must be noted that Qiu Junyao’s physical condition was indeed frail. A slight impact from Yin Yuan almost caused the delicate young emperor to lose consciousness. He groaned in pain and fainted once again.

The old imperial physician, who had just left the palace, was summoned back by decree. Rushing back into the palace, he couldn’t help but wonder if His Majesty was made of fragile materials, susceptible to breaking at the slightest breeze.

As the imperial physician examined Qiu Junyao’s pulse, Yin Yuan anxiously stood by the bed, watching the pale-faced emperor. Nervously biting his thumb, he shifted in his seat as if needles were pricking his buttocks. Despite Huan Chen’s attempts to calm him and persuade him to sit, Yin Yuan stood up again after a short while, stretching his neck to inquire of the physician:

“Doctor Qiu, how is His Majesty?”

Doctor Qiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, trembling slightly as he replied:

“Your Highness.”

“I haven’t begun the examination yet, and you’ve already asked three times,” he said.

Yin Yuan: “…”

Deflated, he sat back down on the chair. “Then, please proceed with your examination.”

As Yin Yuan spoke, his delicately arched eyebrows slightly furrowed in displeasure. Despite his upset demeanor, his cheeks still retained a hint of blush from agitation, and his lips were as red as cinnabar, his teeth as white as pearls, making him look even more charming and beautiful.

However, his tone and temperament were not that of a refined young lady confined to her home but rather resembled that of a lively young lad, wilful and arrogant.

Thinking this, the imperial physician was shocked and dared not meet his gaze again. He lowered his head and earnestly examined Qiu Junyao’s pulse.

Fortunately, although Qiu Junyao was weak, his will was strong, and he had not yet succumbed. The physician prescribed a treatment and instructed Yin Yuan to remind Qiu Junyao to take it upon waking.

Sighing, Yin Yuan accepted the prescription with a bitter smile.

He didn’t even know if he had a chance of survival after Qiu Junyao came back to life—after all, he had poisoned him on the night of the royal wedding, when Qiu Junyao was about to drink from the same cup as him. He struggled fiercely when Qiu Junyao attempted to perform the ritual of mutual respect, kicking him hard in the lower abdomen and cursing him as a foolish ruler, which eventually caused Qiu Junyao to pass out.

He had rushed here just to see if Qiu Junyao had died, but to his dismay, despite the poison, Qiu Junyao hadn’t died yet.

Old bastard, really unlucky!

Yin Yuan cursed inwardly while trying not to show it too obviously. He dared to be angry but not to voice it. In order to gain favor with Qiu Junyao after he woke up and to save his own neck, he had to pretend to care for him and go to the imperial pharmacy to prepare medicine for him.

While preparing the medicine, Yin Yuan contemplated whether or not to poison Qiu Junyao’s medicine. But he realized that if Qiu Junyao died after taking the medicine, he would be the first to be suspected. After some thought, he dismissed the idea.

As Yin Yuan hoped for Qiu Junyao to breathe his last breath soon, Qiu Junyao, to his dismay, slowly opened his eyes.

In his sight was the familiar red canopy, with calming incense burning in the hall, quiet and serene, devoid of much liveliness.

Lai Fu had been guarding Qiu Junyao’s side all along. When he saw Qiu Junyao wake up, he immediately smiled and said:

“Your Majesty, you’re awake!”

“Mm.” Qiu Junyao rubbed his temples. “Did I faint again just now?”

“Yes.” Lai Fu, who had received a few taels of silver from Huan Chen, knew when to keep quiet. He carefully glanced at Qiu Junyao, as if considering how to speak in front of him about Yin Yuan:

“Your Majesty, the Empress Consort didn’t mean it.”

“…” Qiu Junyao suddenly realized:

“So, it was him!”

Qiu Junyao remembered that he had been knocked unconscious by Yin Yuan just now. He could still faintly feel the sensation of Yin Yuan struggling to get up from him and sitting on top of him.

Goodness, he almost got sat to death.

Feeling a lingering fear, Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but ask:

“Where is he?”

“The Empress Consort is worried about Your Majesty and has been preparing medicine for Your Majesty in the imperial pharmacy.”

Lai Fu glanced at the little palace maid standing nearby and then said:

“Bring the medicine the Empress Consort prepared for His Majesty.”

“…” Seeing the dark and murky-looking medicine in front of him, Qiu Junyao frowned and childishly lay down:

“I won’t drink it.”

“Your Majesty,” Lai Fu said with a worried expression, “you need to take the medicine for your health.”

“I won’t take it.” Qiu Junyao turned away and casually said:

“It’s so dark, who knows if there’s poison in it.”

Before Lai Fu could respond, the small palace maid standing beside them suddenly turned pale, swayed unsteadily, and the medicine bowl in her hand slipped from her grasp, crashing to the ground with a loud noise.

“…” Qiu Junyao turned around and stared at the small palace maid, suspiciously asking, “What are you doing?”

“Your Majesty, forgive me!!” The small palace maid instantly realized her mistake and was terrified. Thinking of Qiu Junyao’s brutal act of treating chopping off heads like cutting vegetables, she trembled and quickly knelt down, repeatedly knocking her forehead against the ground, making Qiu Junyao wince:

“I made a mistake in a moment of carelessness, please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

“Enough.” This palace maid looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. If it were in modern times, she would probably still be in high school. Qiu Junyao didn’t have any perverse hobbies of bullying minors. He waved his hand to dismiss her:

“You may leave.”

He said, “I want to rest.”

“Yes.” Under Lai Fu’s suggestive gaze, the small palace maid nervously retreated.

As soon as she left, tears streamed down the small palace maid’s face. The feeling of surviving a disaster and escaping death made her heart pound. It took a long time for her to calm down.

When no one was paying attention, she hurried to Yin Yuan’s Perfume Hall and recounted in detail her conversation with Qiu Junyao today.

“What?!” Yin Yuan stood up from his chair with a “chua” sound, anxiety evident as he began gnawing on his fingers:

“Did His Majesty really say that?”

“Absolutely.” The small palace maid knelt on the ground, swearing by the heavens: “I heard it with my own ears.”

“…” Yin Yuan’s face turned ashen, and he paced anxiously in the hall. Seeing his demeanor, Huan Chen took out a few taels of silver from his sleeve and handed them to the small palace maid, sending her away, while also dismissing the others.

With only the two of them left in the hall, Huan Chen finally spoke:

“Young Master, what should we do?!”

Huan Chen was no calmer than Yin Yuan, his voice trembling as he said, “Has His Majesty found out?”

Yin Yuan’s complexion was grim, his eyes dark and unclear. After a moment, he deeply stabbed his fingertips into his palms:

“No, no…”

He said, “The Muscle Strengthening Powder has been destroyed. Even if the dog emperor suspects us, there won’t be any concrete evidence to trace it back to us.”

“…” Huan Chen glanced at Yin Yuan and said, “But Young Master, he is still the Emperor.”

“A monarch’s suspicion is enough, even without evidence,” Huan Chen said. “If he wants to frame you with any charge, who can stop him? It’s all at his whim.”

“…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Yuan’s expression grew even paler.

After a moment, he angrily swept the teacup off the table with his sleeve, his chest heaving rapidly:

“Damn it!”

Yin Yuan cursed, “That old dog emperor, incompetent and worthless!”

Huan Chen knew his young master had a fiery temperament, but he didn’t expect Yin Yuan’s courage to be this audacious. She was surprised and was about to advise Yin Yuan to be careful of eavesdroppers.

However, before she could utter a word, a very young male voice sounded beside her, filled with a smile:

“Who is the Empress cursing?”

Huan Chen’s heart skipped a beat, before she could react, she immediately knelt down with a “thud,” banging her forehead firmly on the ground, and said in a low voice:

“Your Majesty!”

Yin Yuan was dumbfounded.

He didn’t expect that his cursing would be caught in the act. After a moment of daze, he finally knelt down as well, uttering a few words from between his teeth:

“Your Majesty, I wish you well.”

“Well, I’m quite well.” Qiu Junyao, who had been listening outside the hall the entire time, walked in among the crowd, thanking Yin Yuan for preparing medicine for him:

“After all, I’m not yet dead.”

Yin Yuan: “…”

He lowered his head, his steps lightly shaking in his ears, muffling the deafening sound of his fearful heartbeat.

What should he do, what should he do?!

Despair filled Yin Yuan’s heart. Qiu Junyao must have heard him cursing, and he would surely imprison him, wouldn’t he?

In Yin Yuan’s anxious expression, there was a moment of silence in the air.

After a long time, Qiu Junyao coughed heavily, trying to ease the tension:

“Don’t kneel, get up.”

Qiu Junyao was not the same emperor as before, he knew Yin Yuan wasn’t cursing him again, so he didn’t intend to make things difficult for him:

“I came here today to thank you for making medicine for me.”

Unexpectedly, Yin Yuan, who was not punished, was stunned for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said:

“It’s just something I should do.”

Qiu Junyao smiled:

“There’s nothing you should or shouldn’t do.”

He said:

“Taking care of me is out of kindness, not duty. Although I’m sick, my mind is still clear.”

Yin Yuan didn’t know if Qiu Junyao was being sarcastic or if he genuinely forgave him. Qiu Junyao’s sudden change left him puzzled, so he remained silent and cautious on his knees.

Seeing this, Qiu Junyao walked over and personally helped him up:

“I originally wanted to come and check on you, but it seems you’re not very welcoming.”

He said: “You should rest first. It’s snowing heavily outside, so don’t go out unless necessary.”

Qiu Junyao’s intention was to advise Yin Yuan to take care of himself, but unexpectedly, Yin Yuan’s brows furrowed even tighter after he left.

“Young Master, did His Majesty take the wrong medicine?” Huan Chen was uncertain about this new, gentle Qiu Junyao:

“Why wasn’t he punished?”

“Isn’t it because he took the wrong medicine?” Yin Yuan glanced at her. “Have you forgotten about the fake medicine he took?”

Huan Chen: “…”

“And do you really think this dog emperor has changed his ways?” Yin Yuan sneered coldly:

“Today, he warned me not to go out, seemingly caring, but actually it’s a warning—he’s implying that if I speak out of turn again, he’ll restrict my movements and send me to the cold palace!”

Huan Chen: “…”

Because this speculation was too much in line with the behavior of a tyrant, Huan Chen surprisingly didn’t retort. She remained speechless for a moment, and after half a moment, she glanced at Yin Yuan and slowly spoke up:

“Young Master, how about…?”

She paused, seemingly finding it difficult to suggest, but still plucked up the courage to continue:

“Given the situation, why don’t you just apologize to His Majesty, admit your mistake, and from now on, try to live well with him?”

She said: “His Majesty really seems to cherish you, even when you cursed at him… he didn’t get angry. Maybe if you act a bit spoiled, apologize, His Majesty will forgive you.”

“… Are you sure?” Yin Yuan squinted. “I feel like the mistake I made, he might not easily forgive me, and he might even want to chop me into pieces.”

Huan Chen: “… What did you do, Young Master?”

Yin Yuan remained calm: “I poisoned his cup at our wedding.”

“…”

“I also kicked him in the balls on our wedding night, hoping he wouldn’t get it up.”

“…”

“While he was unconscious, I whispered in his ear, calling him a scumbag, and wishing him an early reunion with his ancestors, and not to harm the poor girl he’s engaged to.”

“…”

Yin Yuan turned away, looking earnestly at Huan Chen: “Do you think I still have a chance?”

Huan Chen: “…”

“Young Master,” she said:

“Tomorrow, can I join you for dinner?”