Chapter 21: Crimson Red Plums Like Blood

Chapter 21: Crimson Red Plum Blossoms

Past the ninth hour of the night, only a dimly lit glass lantern illuminated the imperial chamber, casting a glow on Liang Zhen's deep, intense eyes as he meticulously focused on his task, treating it with the utmost care, delicately etching the pattern he desired.

Kneeling by the bed, Gao An wept softly. On the bed, Zhu Yunxuan, with his lips tightly clenched, lay motionless as if lifeless. His long hair concealed his eyes and half his face, hiding all emotions. Only his fists, still trembling slightly, betrayed his turmoil.

A blood-red plum blossom, like actual blood, blossomed silently on Zhu Yunxuan's fair waist, exuding decadent beauty and abnormal allure.

Liang Zhen gazed at his creation, captivated and content, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "So beautiful..."

For three days, Zhu Yunxuan ran a high fever, barely conscious and unable to rise from bed. Naturally, court affairs were suspended. When Ceng Huai and Yan Shixue came to visit, they were turned away at the entrance of the Gan Lin Palace. Liang Zhen stayed by his side, not once removing his clothes to rest.

It was over ten days before Zhu Yunxuan's condition improved. Physically, he was unharmed, but emotionally, he grew colder. The change was most keenly felt by the palace attendants in the Gan Lin Palace, who now tiptoed around cautiously, fearful of provoking the emperor's wrath and meeting a tragic end.

The day after Zhu Yunxuan regained his strength, he dealt with the other eunuch who had fetched the items that day. In front of Liang Zhen, he ordered him to be dragged away. Liang Zhen said nothing, gently blowing on a freshly served hot congee to cool it before feeding it to him. Zhu Yunxuan's eyes remained still, and he opened his lips obediently.

Only when Liang Zhen left the palace to attend to official duties could Ceng Huai and others come to pay their respects to Zhu Yunxuan. Recovering from a severe illness, Zhu Yunxuan had lost a significant amount of weight, and his complexion was even more pallid. Ceng Huai, filled with concern, asked, "Your Majesty, are you well? And... Prince Zhao...?"

Zhu Yunxuan calmly interrupted him. "I am fine."

He hadn't shown his face to the court officials for over ten days, so people like Zeng Huai must be worried that he was being confined by Liang Zhen. At this point, further explanations would be futile.

Yan Shixue came to report about the foreign envoys who had arrived in the capital. These people were from a powerful seafaring nation on the Western Continent, controlling several small countries in the South Seas. Since Great Yan had lifted its maritime restrictions, merchants along the southern coast had frequent dealings with them. Their visit to the capital was to negotiate trade relations between their two nations.

Zeng Huai said, "Your Majesty has been ill for over ten days and hasn't attended to state affairs. We, together with the Ministry of Finance, have discussed their requests. Lowering tariffs, simplifying procedures, increasing the variety of goods traded, and the volume of imports and exports all seem unreasonable. These foreign envoys, occupying many islands in the South Seas, have long been eyeing our dynasty with greed. Given that our maritime restrictions have only been lifted for a few short years, we cannot afford to be careless."

Zhu Yunxuan nodded. "Deal with it as you see fit. If they're sincere, it's acceptable to relax some conditions slightly. But no more than that."

In fact, Zhu Yunjing had mentioned this matter in his previous letter. Zhu Yunjing was now involved in seafaring business and had dealings with these overseas nations. He had indeed offered Zhu Yunxuan several feasible suggestions regarding tariffs and trade. More importantly, he had emphasized caution, urging him not to be overly fearful but also not to underestimate these foreigners.

After finishing the discussion, Zhu Yunxuan asked Yan Shixue to stay behind. His gaze lingered on the official before he asked, "I've heard rumors that you're on friendly terms with those foreigners and even accepted their bribes?"

Yan Shixue frowned and replied solemnly, "If Your Majesty trusts this old minister, how could I do such a thing? Those foreigners have indeed approached me multiple times, hoping for an audience with Your Majesty to discuss trade matters. It was indeed my own decision to invite them into the palace to pay tribute. The leader is their governor in the South Seas. I wanted to seize this opportunity to demonstrate the grandeur of our Great Yan. So, I told them that if they were sincere, they should first follow our court etiquette and pay respect to Your Majesty before proceeding with further discussions. They agreed and displayed great humility."

Zhu Yunxuan said casually, "If there's nothing to it, then forget it. I overreacted. I hope, Yan, you will remain upright and cautious in your words and actions."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. This old minister understands."

After Yan Shixue left, Zhu Yunxuan rubbed his temples wearily. Gao An sensitively replaced his cold tea with a fresh, hot cup and handed him a letter. "A letter from Duke Guo."

Zhu Yunxuan's furrowed brow relaxed slightly as he took the letter and opened it. Zhu Yunjing would write to him every two months, and this time, apart from the usual trivia, there was a piece of joyful news: he was expecting his second child, almost two months along.

A rare hint of joy appeared on Zhu Yunxuan's pale face. Although he had always thought it was a pity that his elder brother, once a favored prince, now dedicated himself to domestic life, Zhu Yunjing had accepted this role willingly and was now expecting another child. As a younger brother, there was nothing more for him to say but to feel genuinely happy for him.

When Liang Zhen entered, Zhu Yunxuan was drafting an imperial edict himself. Seeing that his expression was no longer as listless as it had been the past couple of days and that his mood seemed much improved, Liang Zhen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Has something auspicious happened, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Yunxuan ignored him, focusing on the edict in front of him. Liang Zhen didn't take offense and went over to take a look. After understanding the situation, he couldn't help but marvel, "Marquis Ding Yuan truly has a fortunate life. He must be the envy of others."

Zhu Yunxuan's hand, holding the writing brush, froze. Memories of Liang Zhen using Zhu Yunjing and their child to threaten him resurfaced. Lifting his gaze, he met Liang Zhen with his cold, unyielding eyes.

Liang Zhen smiled at him, "Your Majesty, why do you look at this subject?"

"Your actions towards this emperor, I can temporarily set aside without retribution. But there are some people, those who are not within your bounds to touch, if you were to lay a hand on them..."

"What if I were to move, Your Majesty? What would you do with your subject?" Liang Zhen curved his lips in a subtle smile.

Zhu Yunxuan's gaze turned even colder. "Even in death, I shall drag you down with me."

Liang Zhen nodded, "Indeed, it would be an honor to share both life and death with Your Majesty. I could not ask for more in this lifetime."

"Nonsense."

Zhu Yunxuan fell silent, drafting the imperial edict and entrusting it to his officials. All he could do was provide more luxuries for his brother, though his brother likely didn't lack for anything.

"Liang Zhen wonders if His Majesty truly misses that duke. Why not send for him to come to the capital for a visit? After all, you haven't seen each other in over five years, have you?" Liang Zhen suddenly suggested.

Zhu Yunxuan immediately became wary again. "What are you planning? I've made it clear – if you lay a finger on him..."

"As a subject, I genuinely have His Majesty's best interests at heart. Don't you wish to meet with him and reminisce about old times?"

Of course, he did. Last year, when he had first ascended the throne, he had been overwhelmed with responsibilities. His brother had also accompanied Marquis Ding Yuan to Fujian and Guangdong. Even if he had wanted to summon him, he wouldn't have dared. Now that his brother was pregnant, it would be even more inappropriate to burden him with travel. Besides, the capital had never been a safe place. He didn't wish to expose his brother to any danger or trouble.

"This is a matter for the emperor alone. There's no need for Prince Zhao to concern himself."

Seeing that Zhu Yunxuan didn't want to continue the conversation, Liang Zhen wisely dropped the topic to avoid further displeasing him.

An attendant brought over the medicine, which Gao An took and offered to Zhu Yunxuan. Watching as he finished the bitter draught, Gao An promptly handed him a sweet treat to alleviate the taste.

Liang Zhen observed this scene and commented, "Eunuch Gao truly attends to His Majesty with utmost devotion."

Gao An bowed his head and replied humbly, "It is my duty to serve Your Majesty with all my heart since I was young."

Liang Zhen threw a jade pendant towards him. "This is for you, rewarding your loyalty to the Emperor."

Gao An didn't reach for it. Zhu Yunxuan reminded Liang Zhen coldly, "Gao An is my person. There's no need for the Prince of Zhao to specially reward him."

Liang Zhen waved off his concern. "I choose to reward whom I please. Since I'm doing this in front of Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand that I'm trying to bribe Eunuch Gao to do something against you... Is Eunuch Gao refusing my gift because he doesn't want to give me face?"

Zhu Yunxuan looked at him warily, trying to read the sincerity in Liang Zhen's expression. Liang Zhen merely smiled, meeting his gaze without evasion.

After a brief standoff, Zhu Yunxuan instructed Gao An softly, "Since it's from the Prince of Zhao, take it."

Gao An agreed and finally accepted the jade pendant, thanking Liang Zhen.

Zhu Yunxuan casually dismissed Gao An and asked Liang Zhen through gritted teeth, "What is your true intention?"

Liang Zhen shook his head with a smile. "What does Your Majesty think? I genuinely appreciate Eunuch Gao's loyalty. He's a devoted servant worthy of commendation."

"He is mine," Zhu Yunxuan reminded Liang Zhen again. That day, when Gao An didn't obey Liang Zhen's command to fetch something, Liang Zhen's half-smile and words—"What will you do if your people don't listen?"—had made Zhu Yunxuan wary that Liang Zhen might have plans for Gao An. Little did he expect that the challenge would come today.

It was rare for him to have such a loyal person by his side, even if he was just a eunuch who had been with him since childhood. Naturally, he couldn't let Liang Zhen dispose of Gao An at will.

Seeing the wariness and anger in Zhu Yunxuan's eyes, Liang Zhen sighed inwardly, realizing that Zhu Yunxuan no longer trusted him at all. "Gao An is loyal to Your Majesty. I believe he has good intentions and no ulterior motives. There's no need for Your Majesty to worry."

Although Zhu Yunxuan remained suspicious, he decided not to press the matter further, seeing how sincere Liang Zhen seemed.

Liang Zhen approached, bending down and whispering, "Your Majesty, return to the inner chamber and let this minister examine your waist."

Zhu Yunxuan's expression darkened, but after a moment, Liang Zhen stood up, his eyes fluttering gently.

Back in the inner chamber, Zhu Yunxuan lay face down on the couch. Liang Zhen unfastened his waistband and carefully lifted his clothing, revealing the cluster of blooming red plum blossoms on his left side.

The scabs had all fallen off after so many days, and the red marks on Zhu Yunxuan's fair skin now appeared even more enchantingly vivid, captivating the soul. Liang Zhen stroked the marks with great affection, once again admiring, "So beautiful... truly breathtaking..."

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly with each movement of Liang Zhen's fingertips. His fingers dug deep into his palms, forcing himself to suppress his hatred. One day, one day...

Note:

Three chapters will be released tomorrow evening when the novel goes V.

A new chapter will be updated at 10 AM tomorrow, followed by the second chapter at noon.

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