Chapter 158: Your Majesty, You Have Been Poisoned

Chapter 158: Your Majesty, You've Been Poisoned

The two of them hung around a bit longer, and only when they truly couldn't put it off any longer did they leave the courtyard together.

Partway there, Yin Hongxue suddenly remembered something and had Guan Qi run back to grab it.

It was only after the two had boarded the carriage that Guan Qi hurried over with the stuff.

Gu Chaoning leaned over to look and saw it was a pair of sachets.

Yin Hongxue explained: "An Geer sent these over. He made them while chatting with Doctor An—said they contain special herbs and spices that will start smelling different if they touch something poisonous."

Yin Hongxue leaned close to Gu Chaoning to put one on him. Gu Chaoning lifted the sachet slightly and sniffed it, picking up a faint flowery smell. Curious, he asked: "What kind of smell does it turn into?"

"I hear it gets pretty pungent. Father says it smells like onion, while An Geer says it's more like ginger—they couldn't agree on it."

After getting Gu Chaoning's on, Yin Hongxue carefully put on his own. They chatted until the carriage got near the palace gates.

The area was crowded with carriages, and not even the combined prestige of Lord Gu and the Marquis's Young Master could get their vehicle closer to the palace—they had to get out early and walk the rest of the way.

The palace banquet was a lively affair.

The Marquis of Anding hadn't arrived yet. Gu Chaoning's seat was further up than he'd expected, thanks to his status as the Marquis's Young Master. After he and Yin Hongxue sat down, he scanned the room and was surprised to spot Zhao Zhangyi, whom he hadn't seen in a long while.

When Zhao Zhangyi noticed Gu Chaoning looking at him, he raised his cup in a toast from across the room, and Gu Chaoning lifted his own in return.

After a while longer, the two watched as the Marquis of Anding walked in with a bunch of big-shot officials and military men, taking his seat in the very front row.

From where they were sitting, Yin Hongxue and Gu Chaoning could just see the back of the Marquis's head.

Gu Chaoning couldn't help but laugh, then leaned in close to Yin Hongxue's ear and whispered: "Xue Geer, this must be the first time you've sat this far back at a palace banquet, right?"

Probably a first in both this life and his past one.

Yin Hongxue let out a muffled laugh, exchanging a glance with Gu Chaoning. The two husbands grinned from ear to ear, and beneath the table, they linked hands, hidden by their sleeves.

After the Marquis of Anding sat down, he first scanned the opposite side for Yin Hongxue and Gu Chaoning. Not finding them in the crowd across from him, he turned to look behind him.

And there he saw the two, laughing and messing around at the palace banquet as if no one else were present.

The Marquis of Anding had been worried that Yin Hongxue might be nervous at his first palace banquet without him, and that Gu Chaoning might be anxious at his first banquet too. He just... silently turned back around.

The Emperor and Empress arrived together. Seeing this, many officials from the Grand Prince's faction let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Good—as long as the emperor and empress were still close, the Grand Prince still had a chance.

Only after Emperor Chongde arrived did the banquet officially begin. Servants filed in with dishes, while dancers and musicians performed in the center.

Gu Chaoning and Yin Hongxue first tried the pastries one by one, setting aside the good ones to bring back for Gu Muan, then ate some of the vegetable dishes that were still warm.

Honestly, there were no truly vegetarian dishes at the palace banquet. The flavors had faded a bit by the time they arrived, but they were fancy—bean sprouts stuffed with minced meat, cabbage soup made from a dozen different meats. Still, they tasted pretty good while hot.

When the meal was nearly finished, the Empress got up on behalf of the Grand Prince, Qi Yuanzhou, to present his gift.

It was a chart with a hundred variations of the character for longevity, written by the Grand Prince's own hand.

The Empress dabbed at her eyes and said with emotion: "My son has been thinking things over at his residence, often weeping in regret. He said that on his father's birthday, he wished he could go out and find the best gift in the world, but could not. I reassured him—he is Your Majesty's most important son, and his heart and love are the finest gift of all..."

Gu Chaoning lowered his head, staring quietly at the sachet swaying at his waist, letting the Empress's praises of Qi Yuanzhou and her moving words to Emperor Chongde fade into background noise.

Everyone present had their own thoughts, but hearing the Empress's words—especially seeing the visible emotion in the Emperor's eyes—they all pretended to be deeply moved.

Emperor Chongde and the Empress had shared deep affection in their early years, but their children had been few—only the Grand Prince Qi Yuanzhou, and one prince born to another consort.

After Qi Yuanzhou's gift came the young prince's gift.

The young prince was only eight years old. His gift was nothing special, but not bad either—a sachet he had sewn himself.

Next came gifts from Emperor Chongde's younger brothers, the current princes.

Emperor Chongde was the eldest. The second son, born of the Empress, had died in the fight for the throne. The third and fourth were a princess and a prince. The fifth, born of a palace maid, got his own fief when he grew up. The sixth, who shared the same mother as Emperor Chongde, had also left for his fief a few days ago.

Now only the Third Princess and Fourth Prince remained in the capital. After presenting their own unremarkable but proper gifts alongside their consorts, servants brought forward the gifts that the Fifth and Sixth Princes had sent ahead by fast riders two days prior.

For the earlier gifts, Emperor Chongde just praised them and had them put away. But for the Sixth Prince's, he had the head eunuch Lai Xi bring it up so he could look it over carefully before putting it away.

The Sixth Prince had sent two small pieces of warm-toned jade and a painting.

The others did not understand what made these unique, but judging by Emperor Chongde's reaction, they knew this gift must mean something special to the two brothers.

The mood at the banquet got a little awkward again.

With things feeling awkward, the various ministers finally began presenting their gifts.

But none of this had anything to do with Gu Chaoning and Yin Hongxue. After finishing the banquet, they tucked the pastries they'd saved into their robes and followed behind the crowd of officials as they slowly headed out.

The next morning, one went to work while the other carried the pastries to the Gu residence to find Gu Muan.

After the palace banquet, Emperor Chongde's mood was visibly improved. The following day, he even gave gifts to the Sixth Prince, Qi Jianwei, to be carried back by the officials who'd brought the birthday gifts.

On the twelfth day after the Sixth Prince's messenger departed, Gu Chaoning received a thick letter from the Sixth Prince.

Half a page detailed his own situation and informed Gu Chaoning of his next arrangements. The remaining four and a half pages were entirely Qi Jianwei's gushing excitement over Emperor Chongde's gifts and him sucking up to the Emperor.

Gu Chaoning stared at the five pages of the letter with a strange expression, hardly able to believe what he was reading.

Yin Hongxue, seeing his reaction, leaned over to look. He went quiet too.

Gu Chaoning sounded unsure: "Xue Geer, the emperor isn't reading our letters to the Sixth Prince, is he?"

Yin Hongxue sounded just as unsure: "Probably not..."

Then why the hell was the Sixth Prince writing so much suck-up stuff about the Emperor!

Looking weirded out, the two burned the letter in the brazier, neither saying anything for a while.

After the Emperor's birthday passed, the capital quickly turned cold. One morning, they woke to find the world covered in white—snow had fallen.

Gu Chaoning stood under the eaves, pausing on his way to the dining hall. He stepped out into the corridor, scooped up a handful of snow, and returned to the bedroom.

On the carved bed at the back, Yin Hongxue was still sleeping on his side. Hearing the door open, he blinked awake, still half-asleep. Seeing Gu Chaoning enter, he asked in confusion: "Why are you back?"

Gu Chaoning hurried over to Yin Hongxue and held out his hand.

"Xue Geer, look—it's you. It's snowing."

Yin Hongxue looked.

The room was heated by the underfloor system, warm and cozy. By now, the snow in Gu Chaoning's palm had already begun to melt. The chill air brushed against his own flushed cheeks, snapping him fully awake.

Yin Hongxue's eyes went wide: "It's snow!"

Gu Chaoning let out a muffled laugh, pressing the tip of his nose against Yin Hongxue's.

"Mhm, it's snow."

...

After the first snowfall in the capital, snow became more frequent. By the third snowfall, news came from the border: barbarians had crossed the border several times, burning, killing, and looting before fleeing once spotted.

After the garrison general caught them once and killed one of their leading commanders, the barbarians claimed that the young general was their prince. They had now mustered their troops and were preparing to attack Great Qi.

The Emperor flew into a rage and ordered the war to begin.

He also dispatched a senior general to deliver grain supplies and stay behind to fight the barbarians.

The day after the news arrived, He Feiguang came to the Gu residence, asking the Marquis to get him placed among the troops heading to the frontier.

Yin Hongxue was startled at first, but then he remembered He Feiguang's martial skills and agreed. He went to petition the Marquis of Anding.

When the Marquis learned that the boy was the son of a civil official, he initially refused. It was only after He Feiguang personally put on a display of swordsmanship that the Marquis relented.

The grain convoy assembled for five days before setting out for the border. The weather that day was favorable, clear and bright, and Yin Hongxue even went with the Marquis of Anding to see them off.

He Feiguang, mixed in with the crowd, waved at Yin Hongxue and then strode off, full of energy.

While the grain convoy was still on the road, word reached the capital that the barbarians were fierce and well-armed, clearly ready for war.

The first clash was barely a win, but the losses were heavy. The garrison general lost an arm, and it was only the criminal Yin Song who saved his life.

It had been so long since Yin Song's name was last heard in the capital that many of the younger officials didn't even know who he was.

The veteran officials, however, all wore odd expressions, and several glanced toward the Marquis of Anding, standing at the head of the military officials.

The easygoing mood that had settled over the capital since Emperor Chongde's birthday was blown away by the icy wind along with the frontier war report.

The winter wind didn't just chill the capital's mood—it also made Emperor Chongde fall ill.

After losing his temper at the morning court that day, Emperor Chongde returned to Yanying Hall and vomited blood. But with the enemy at the gates, he dared not make a fuss—he only secretly summoned the head physician of the Imperial Medical Institute.

But with the Emperor, nothing stayed secret for long.

Not long after the head physician left, the Empress personally brought ginseng tea.

Seeing the Empress arrive, Emperor Chongde's expression eased a little: "Why did you come yourself? Didn't I tell you to have the attendants deliver this ginseng tea?"

The Empress's features were gentle, and she smiled softly: "I heard from the palace staff that Your Majesty gets so busy you only drink the ginseng tea after it's gone cold."

"Ah, so someone's been telling on me to the Empress, getting you to keep an eye on me."

The Empress laughed at that, handing over the ginseng tea: "Then, Your Majesty, will you listen to your empress?"

Emperor Chongde laughed heartily as well: "Since the Empress has come in person, I of course must listen."

He took the ginseng tea and drank it all in one gulp. The Empress leaned closer, her smile growing even brighter.

With the Emperor and Empress so close, Gu Chaoning and the other palace attendants stood off to the side, doing their best to make themselves invisible.

These days, the Empress frequently sent ginseng tea—sometimes via attendants, sometimes in person—and everyone had grown used to it.

A few days later, good news arrived from the border, and Emperor Chongde looked a bit better. However, his health never fully recovered, and he would occasionally break into a fit of muffled coughing.

That day, while drinking the ginseng tea the Empress had sent, a coughing fit caught him mid-sip, and he choked, spitting out the tea in an embarrassing mess.

But it didn't stop there—after spitting it out, he was hit by a violent, hacking cough that shook his whole body, making him sway on his feet and scaring the attendants and Gu Chaoning alike.

The chief eunuch Lai Xi and Gu Chaoning both instinctively rushed forward, steadying the staggering Emperor Chongde.

The ginseng tea in Emperor Chongde's hand sloshed, spilling everywhere, until Gu Chaoning took it and set it on the ground.

Lai Xi, meanwhile, was both patting the Emperor's back and shouting for a doctor, but the young eunuch had barely made it out the door before Emperor Chongde stopped him.

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing Lai Xi and Gu Chaoning's alarm, Emperor Chongde, who had already calmed down, still had it in him to tease them.

"I'm fine—I just drank a bit too hastily," he said, then looked at Gu Chaoning, whose brows were knit tightly together. "But Minister Gu, what incense are you using?"

Gu Chaoning froze, sniffed the air, and his expression went pale.

"Why do I smell ginger?"

Gu Chaoning looked at the dampened sachet at his waist, then at the ginseng tea set beside him, and finally at Emperor Chongde, whose face was ashen after the violent coughing fit. He could barely keep his composure.

Emperor Chongde let out another muffled cough: "Alright, don't make such a long face—anyone would think something's happened to me. Now help me up."

"Your Majesty..." Gu Chaoning looked up, stunned. "Your Majesty, you've been poisoned."