ONE HUNDRED TWENTY SIX
The atmosphere in the tent in the evening was quiet and eerie.
There was a slender figure lying on the bed. The imperial physician took his hand away from Meng Huan’s wrist, stood up, turned around, looked at Lin Bozhou and said respectfully:
“Your Highness, although the princess jumped off the hillside from the carriage, her body is not injured and her wounds are only superficial. Thanks to your blessing, the princess will recover with a little care, so there is no need to worry too much.”
Lin Bozhou was holding a long knife in his hand, the blade was stained with blood, his eyes were a frosty dark blue, his posture was straight, and he tapped the table with the tip of the knife with an expressionless face.
The doctor’s words did not make him look better. He just said, “Thank you. Chen An, send the doctor back.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The figure disappeared at the door of the tent.
“Husband…”
Meng Huan woke up. He threw off the quilt and climbed up. It was indeed a superficial injury, and his ankle only felt slightly sore and swollen.
He blinked and shook his head tentatively: “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
But her face was pale: “I just feel weak.”
The voice was soft and dull.
Lin Bozhou rubbed Meng Huan’s face with his fingertips, and his voice was much softer: “Huan Huan was frightened, of course she has no strength in her body.”
“They are really scary.” Meng Huan recalled the scene in the carriage and pulled his lips: “I didn’t expect them to use such a trick.”
——Kidnapping someone else’s wife as a hostage. Meng Huan thought this was a plot from an old novel. He never expected that this despicable act that would bring harm to the wife and children was actually quite commonly used when threatening others!
Lin Bozhou stroked Meng Huan’s cheek with his long fingers. He was originally scratching his chin lightly, but as if he couldn’t stop the violence in his heart, he pinched it with his fingers neither lightly nor heavily.
“Luckily I jumped off the carriage in time, otherwise I would have been dead if I had entered the palace…”
Meng Huan muttered to himself, noticing Lin Bozhou’s increasing force.
After a moment’s pause, Meng Huan looked up at him: “What’s wrong?”
He could actually feel that Lin Bozhou was in a bad mood.
Sure enough, Lin Bozhou bit his lower jaw, making a slight noise. He looked at Meng Huan with pity, and a black mist rose in his eyes.
“Since His Majesty wants to see you so much.”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes were swallowed by darkness, “Then I will personally send you to the palace.”
Outside Tongzhou City, the fight between the palace guards and the palace Jinyiwei was temporarily suppressed, and the first news to spread was that Lin Bozhou recaptured Tongzhou City and beheaded Zhenganhou.
As a major capital, the capital had enjoyed peace for a long time, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. The sudden uprising of Marquis Zhenguan disrupted their lives and made the people panic. Lin Bozhou’s guards recaptured Tongzhou and beheaded Marquis Zhenguan. This was undoubtedly news that greatly boosted the morale of the people.
“The King of the Middle Kingdom is indeed a true dragon. Only he can subdue the treacherous ministers and villains!”
“The King of the Middle Kingdom has returned to the capital, and the world will prosper!”
“Zhu Lizhen was suppressed by the Central King, and the rebels were also suppressed by the Central King. The state system depends on the prince!”
When these rumors were rife, the news that Emperor Xuanhe had sent people to abduct Prince Zhong’s wife and imprison her in the palace in order to threaten Prince Zhong was spread by someone unknown. In the hearts of the people, Lin Bozhou, who had defeated the enemy, had already had a higher prestige than the emperor. When the people heard that he was being treated with suspicion again, they could not help but feel furious.
“I am useless and I always harm loyal people!”
“He is not active in governing the country, but he is active in dealing with loyal ministers…”
When people were standing up for Lin Bozhou, Lin Bozhou took a roundabout way and released a shocking piece of news.
——He has no grudge against His Majesty, and he will personally escort the princess to the palace to enjoy the joy of family life with His Majesty.
One stone can cause a thousand ripples.
“Your Majesty is sensible and loyal.”
“With such a pure and clean heart, why do people always suspect him of having ulterior motives?”
“Anyone can rebel, but the prince cannot!”
“…”
Outside the gate of the imperial city, the people came to greet Lin Bozhou’s carriage. They stood close to each other, looking at him from a distance and expressing their welcome.
Meng Huan let down the curtain and sighed softly in his heart.
Lin Bozhou, the master of micro-manipulation, had started preparing before he left Beijing. Isn’t it a sure win?
The carriage stopped at the main road outside the moat. Lin Bozhou got off the carriage. His crimson robe made his figure look extremely elegant. He leaned on his long sword with one hand and looked at the general guarding the city on the city wall.
Lin Bozhou smiled gently and said, “Please open the door, General. I have received the imperial decree and have come to escort the princess to the palace.”
The general guarding the city saw the ten thousand soldiers following behind him and his face turned pale: “Zhong Wang, you have such a wicked ambition! You call this sending the princess into the palace? You are rebelling!”
“Why did the king rebel?” Lin Bozhou seemed puzzled, and took out the imperial edict slowly, “The king went to the capital to defend the king according to the order of His Majesty, and sent the princess to the palace according to His Majesty’s order. The king has the imperial edict, why did the general spread rumors?”
The general guarding the city took a look at the imperial edict and only half admitted: “But the imperial edict only said that the princess can enter the palace, and never said that the prince can enter the palace. The imperial edict I received is not to let the prince set foot in the imperial city!”
Lin Bozhou sneered, took out another imperial edict in his hand, and his tone suddenly changed.
“Your Majesty asked me to escort the princess to the capital, but in fact he secretly ordered me to enter the palace to protect him. The imperial edict said that there is a rebellion in the palace, holding Your Majesty hostage and plotting to change the sun and the moon. Will you open the city gate or not?!”
How come there is another imperial edict?
The general guarding the city could not tell the truth from the falsehood: “Is this true?!”
At this moment, someone came to report to the general guarding the city.
“Last night, His Majesty was assassinated in the palace!”
This news comes at a very timely moment.
Meng Huan’s throat rolled nervously. The assassin who tried to assassinate Emperor Xuanhe was a young eunuch, and it was not even called an assassination but an alarming attempt. He was caught by the imperial guards before he even left, but this was enough for Lin Bozhou to make trouble.
To enter the imperial city, Lin Bozhou needed a plausible excuse, which he could make up himself.
The general guarding the city was skeptical, “Your Highness, wait a moment. I will send someone to ask the palace first.”
This was not good news. If Emperor Xuanhe knew that he had falsely conveyed the imperial edict, he would immediately mobilize the Beijing army to engage in a fierce battle with Lin Bozhou. Lin Bozhou’s soldiers could defeat the Beijing army and capture the imperial city, but at this moment, bloodshed and violence were definitely not the best option.
Lin Bozhou said: “Let the Beijing Army Admiral Luo Feng speak.”
Luo Feng was hiding in the city wall, not wanting to meet him.
“Please ask Admiral Luo to come out of the city and talk.”
After Lin Bozhou finished speaking, Luo Feng walked out of the city gate and looked at Lin Bozhou with his old eyes.
“Your Highness… I am ashamed to be associated with such a wolfish and ambitious person. I hope Your Highness will stop calling me Uncle Luo.”
Lin Bozhou changed his expression and said calmly, “My nephew was forced into a desperate situation. Uncle Luo also saw it. Your Majesty is always on guard against the lives of my nephew and his wife. If my nephew doesn’t take action, he will be killed.”
Luo Feng looked at him with a complicated look: “I understand your choice, but I cannot be with you. Your Majesty, please find someone else.”
“If Uncle Luo doesn’t help, no one else can.” Lin Bozhou said calmly, “Uncle Luo has personally led the Beijing Army for more than ten years. My nephew’s Guzhou soldiers are as fierce as tigers and wolves. If Uncle Luo doesn’t care about the lives of tens of thousands of Beijing soldiers, my nephew can capture the imperial city. I just don’t know why so many lives were lost.”
“…”
Luo Feng’s eyes were red with anger and sadness.
“Your Majesty, you——”
“Uncle Luo has a sense of justice in his heart, and he is a good official who cares about the soldiers and civilians.” Lin Bozhou said, “But what my nephew has done is irreversible. If we can’t outsmart them, then we’ll just have to attack them head-on. The life and death of tens of thousands of Beijing troops depends on Uncle Luo’s decision.”
Lin Bozhou knew Luo Feng very well.
Should he choose to change the emperor to serve? Or should he watch helplessly as his hard work of more than ten years was destroyed, watch so many lives lost, and watch tens of thousands of people die for a tyrant?
Lin Bozhou’s tone became gentler: “Uncle Luo saved my life, and I will never forget it. I hope to serve in the imperial court with Uncle Luo, rule the country together, and make great achievements.”
These words were extremely beautiful, containing hard words, soft words, and plans for the future.
Luo Feng originally admired Lin Bozhou more, but after reading the books of sages for so many years, if he wanted to convince himself of his loyalty to the emperor, he had to have a way out – such as another good reputation.
Luo Feng’s brows were furrowed, veins popped out on the back of his hands, and after looking at the extremely complicated and pushing and pulling, he waved his sleeves and strode back to the city.
A moment later, the city gate burst open.
The commander-in-chief of the Beijing Army chose to side with Lin Bozhou in this coup.
After a short pause, Lin Bozhou raised his eyelids and signaled his men: “Enter the Imperial City.”
Rushed all the way to the palace.
The composition of the Beijing Army was complex. Although Luo Feng was the commander of the Beijing Army, he could only control the main camp. Among the Beijing Army, there were also imperial guards guarding the palace. The imperial guards were divided into the imperial city patrol army, the imperial guards, and the imperial guards. An army of 10,000 people entering the imperial city was bound to cause a sensation.
A patrol line of troops soon rushed out from the front.
“It’s the Middle King! The Middle King’s army!!!”
The other party panicked and shouted at the people: “The King of Zhong is rebelling——”
The words haven’t finished yet.
“Swish——” there was a sound of breaking brocade.
Lin Bozhou’s large crimson sleeves brushed past his ears, and he drew an arrow from behind and shot it straight at him. Just as the breeze lifted his hair, the arrow, with murderous intent, shot the man to the ground.
He was riding a tall horse, his narrow, gloomy eyes were stern, he tightened the reins and paced back and forth a few times.
“Capture the traitors for me. Anyone who dares to hinder my efforts to serve me will be killed without mercy!”
The patrol soldiers didn’t expect that they had become traitors, and they were unable to defend themselves. Then they saw Lin Bozhou’s men quickly issued an imperial decree: “The King of Zhong is ordered to enter the palace to protect the emperor! Do not disturb the people! There is no need to be afraid!”
“The King of the Middle Kingdom has been ordered to enter the palace to protect the emperor! Do not disturb the people! There is no need to be afraid!”
“The King of the Middle Kingdom has been ordered to enter the palace to protect the emperor! Do not disturb the people! There is no need to be afraid!”
“…”
This fake imperial edict is very useful. It allows Lin Bozhou to temporarily avoid intimidating the people, avoid the impact of public opinion, and minimize doubts when he is legitimized in the future.
Thanks to this fake imperial edict, Lin Bozhou was able to travel smoothly.
If any guards tried to stop them, they would immediately label them as traitors, and use the information gap to gain the moral high ground in front of the people.
But the fake imperial edict could not last long. When the news reached the palace, the imperial palace was shocked. Everyone knew that Lin Bozhou was really rebelling. The real imperial edict was immediately announced, and the imperial edict forged by Lin Bozhou was no longer effective.
——However, when the real imperial edict arrived, Lin Bozhou’s troops had already rushed to the outside of the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace.
The true imperial edict was extremely useful. It could order the army in Beijing to combine the tiger talisman and directly mobilize troops to enter the imperial city to defend the king.
But… the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Army chose to stand on the side of Lin Bozhou, so his tiger talisman would not be used. Even if his troops were willing to serve the king, they would not have the official document stamped with the tiger talisman. Once they took the initiative to mobilize the troops to enter the imperial city, because of the large number of people and the lack of information, they would most likely be labeled as traitors.
Therefore… most of the cautious soldiers would not impulsively send troops into the imperial city before receiving the confirmed imperial edict or seeing the tiger talisman.
——And this period of delay was enough for Lin Bozhou to obtain orthodoxy.
The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly.
Lin Bozhou stood outside the Meridian Gate in a scarlet dragon robe, leaning on his bloody sword with one hand and waiting for a while, making sure that the soldiers had blocked all exits of the palace and completely cut off the emperor’s contact with the outside world.
“Don’t let anyone out of the palace, so as not to miss the rebels.”
Lin Bozhou spoke slowly and calmly. He opened the curtain of the carriage with his fingers and led Meng Huan out.
“Huanhuan, enter the palace.”
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY SEVEN
The clasped palms were tightly clasped, with a warm force.
A eunuch on duty in front saw the eunuch who broke through the city gate. His eyes widened, and his legs suddenly froze in fear. He shouted: “Ahhhhhhhhh——————”
——The army was approaching him quickly.
The well-trained guards wearing uniform military uniforms, holding long swords and armor, ran quickly with their bodies sinking to the ground, like a group of wild beasts breaking into the imperial city. Not only the eunuchs were frightened by the dark clouds, but Meng Huan, who was behind the team, also opened his eyes wide and was stunned.
The intricate and gorgeous colors of the imperial city were suppressed by the dark clouds. The army led the way and headed straight for Wenyuan Pavilion where Emperor Xuanhe was. They passed through the endless square. Among the pitch-black armor, only the colorful royal robes of Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou were the only two colors.
Green as water.
Red as fire.
Turning around the corridor, a line of imperial guards appeared: “You bold traitor!”
In the army, a louder voice shouted angrily: “You bold rebel, what do you want to do by holding Your Majesty hostage! The King of Zhong has been ordered to protect Your Majesty, and anyone who dares to stop him will be killed without mercy!”
Lin Bozhou’s rhetoric no longer worked in the palace, as everyone knew that Lin Bozhou was forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel.
But Lin Bozhou’s insistence on this rhetoric not only inspired the morale of his own soldiers, but on the contrary… made Meng Huan inexplicably feel that Lin Bozhou was mocking Emperor Xuanhe.
The leader of the Imperial Guards glared: “Lin Bozhou, you are a traitor! A minister! A thief! A son——”
The sound was like a loud bell, deafening.
Meng Huan felt a little dizzy. He had never seen anyone so angry. The other party bit his teeth until blood came out and glared at Lin Bozhou with hatred.
But Lin Bozhou, who was standing beside him, had a little bit of clear sunlight falling on his nose. In this bloody massacre, he was wearing clean scarlet royal robes and his appearance was not out of control at all.
Lin Bozhou half-closed his eyelashes and spoke softly.
“kill.”
Zhang Hu tensed the muscles on his cheeks, raised his long sword and chopped down at the opponent.
The clanging of swords was mixed with screams.
Meng Huan’s fingers were held tighter again, and a warmth appeared on the back of his hand. Lin Bozhou seemed to be comforting him gently.
“Are you scared?”
“I’m fine,” Meng Huan raised his eyes and clenched his teeth, “As long as I think of the tyrant on the throne and the people who died because of him, I’m not afraid of bleeding.”
There has always been someone who has bled more than him, been more frightened than him, and been more seriously injured than him.
“Indeed, there is no need to be afraid,”
Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows and chuckled, “Most of the Imperial Army are descendants of the royal family. They have been favored by the court for generations, and their food and clothing are much richer than ordinary people. They have only served Your Majesty all their lives. Since they strive to die a worthy death and want to be a doctor of a fallen country, then we should fulfill their ambitions.”
He paused, then added kindly, “I’ll be the bad guy.”
The tone was flat, but the words contained the power of life and death.
Lin Bozhou, the imperial minister, has always been kind on the outside but vicious on the inside.
…Meng Huan turned his head and looked at the crowd kneeling on the ground.
The guards led the way, and he was led by Lin Bozhou, with their warm and strong knuckles tightly clasped as they walked forward.
There were corpses all over the ground. When Lin Bozhou stepped on the bloody ground with his clean shoes, a bleeding hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.
The other party clenched his fist tightly and said in a hoarse voice: “Lin Bozhou! Lin Bozhou!”
“Traitor – traitor, you have evil ambitions, you betrayed our ancestors, and plotted against the emperor. You will not die well –“
His eyes were ferocious and his face was covered in blood, and he cursed him with the most vicious and cruel words like a demon from hell.
“Yeah?”
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and raised his legs.
He kicked him out without any care, clean and neat. The clean robe brushed past the corpse and walked forward. Lin Bozhou’s sight was reflected by the skylight and became indifferent. He said something calmly.
“If reviving the clan means a bad death, then I will die a bad death.”
…
Wenyuan Pavilion.
At this time, the cabinet was surrounded by guards and no one was allowed to leave. Several eunuchs who tried to break out of the cabinet were killed at the door, and blood was all over the floor. The eunuchs on duty had a stiff back and dared not even breathe.
Lin Bozhou took Meng Huan’s hand and gently pushed the door open.
“……Um?”
Witnessing the scene in the cabinet, Lin Bozhou seemed a little surprised and raised his eyebrows.
Normally, only the emperor, ministers and eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department could enter the cabinet, and the meeting place was absolutely solemn and dignified. But at this time, a group of eunuchs and palace maids surrounded Emperor Xuanhe and cried loudly. The ministers nearby killed several of them, but did not drag the bodies out. Only Chen Que was left kneeling with no idea what to do, his face as pale as death.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Don’t worry, Your Majesty. The Royal Guards will definitely hold on, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty! Have some tea!”
“Your Majesty, don’t worry. Lin Bozhou has betrayed the way of heaven and may have been struck to death by lightning!”
“…”
The personal eunuch who said this turned around and saw Lin Bozhou. His pupils immediately shrank. The bright and beautiful robes looked like evil spirits in his eyes, making the bright sunlight through the door look depressingly dark.
The tea in his hand fell to the ground with a “splash”.
“His Majesty!”
The eunuch’s stiff eyes turned, “The King of the Middle Kingdom… the rebels are coming to attack us!”
“Who is the traitor?”
Lin Bozhou leaned on his long sword with one hand, kicked away the corpse at his feet, and held Meng Huan’s hand with the other hand, smiling, “I came to the palace this time to protect your majesty. Who is the traitor?”
Emperor Xuanhe’s face was pale. He hid behind a palace maid, who looked at him with a pair of dull eyes, as if he was completely frightened.
Lin Bozhou raised his sword and slowly pointed it at everyone in the cabinet.
Pointing to the cabinet chief minister Chen Que, he said, “Traitor.”
Pointing to the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department: “Rebel.”
Pointing to the eunuch in front of him.
“Traitor.”
At last.
His silver sword pointed at Emperor Xuanhe without any deviation.
The sun shone on Lin Bozhou’s face. He stood in the light, squinting his eyes slightly, and whispered softly, “——traitor.”
Your Majesty, you are the traitor.
Emperor Xuanhe’s eyes widened: “What, what?”
“The founding emperor of the Dazong dynasty, Taizu rose from the fields and joined the army because he could not bear the invasion of war. When Taizu ruled the country, he killed all the corrupt officials in the court, implemented the equal distribution of land, cared for the people, and emphasized diligence. These teachings were passed down to Shizu, and the future generations of emperors must follow them. The country was conquered by Taizu, and Your Majesty inherited Taizu’s country, but your words and deeds are completely different from his. Isn’t this ‘rebellion’?”
Emperor Xuanhe’s face was pale and his lips moved slightly.
He looked at Lin Bozhou, not knowing how to refute.
Until the news that Lin Bozhou suddenly rebelled and the army was approaching the imperial city, he was still playing chess in the Yangxin Palace because he was in a bad mood.
Emperor Xuanhe was completely stunned when he suddenly received the news from the guards. He only thought that Lin Bozhou was greedy for the regent and wanted to return to the court to change the situation and fight for his power, but he never thought that Lin Bozhou would rebel and want to drive him off the throne.
He hurried to the cabinet and summoned the ministers, asking them to drive Lin Bozhou out as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, the ministers were helpless. The clerks of the five army commanders and the minister of war were blocked at the palace gate and could not get out. He watched helplessly as Lin Bozhou’s army surrounded Wenyuan Pavilion.
One hundred and fifty years after the founding of the country, the imperial palace of Dazong was actually broken into by Lin Bozhou’s army.
Emperor Xuanhe had been the emperor since he was old enough to understand things. It was the first time he discovered that the throne could be unstable.
“Your Majesty doesn’t study seriously, and now you don’t even know how to refute me.”
Lin Bozhou raised his chin. Although he was standing lower, his eyes seemed to be much higher than Emperor Xuanhe.
Emperor Xuanhe was stunned and said, “Royal brother.”
Cold sweat dripped down his face. In fear, he just wanted to beg for mercy: “I know I was wrong, I will definitely change.”
“Your Majesty doesn’t know what’s wrong,” Lin Bozhou said, “After going through so many things, if Your Majesty was willing to think about it, you should have figured it out long ago.”
Lin Bozhou walked forward with a long knife in his hand, his shoes stepped on the carpet, leaving blood marks one after another.
He walked towards Emperor Xuanhe’s throne and said, “It’s a pity that your majesty’s heart has never been on governing the country.”
“…You, what do you want to do?!”
Emperor Xuanhe’s pupils shrank, and he dodged backwards, suddenly pulling a palace maid in front of him to block her, as if this would save him from death: “Lin Bozhou, you can’t kill the emperor!”
The maid stared at Lin Bozhou with eyes wide open, and burst into a shrill scream, tears streaming down her face, with deep fear in her eyes: “Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!”
“…”
Meng Huan looked at him, his lips slightly parted.
He didn’t expect how Emperor Xuanhe would make him so undignified.
Lin Bozhou glanced sideways at Meng Huan, understanding his feelings, and tapped the brick surface with the tip of the knife slowly and slowly, making a crisp sound.
At this moment, the eunuch who had just cursed Lin Bozhou suddenly took out a short knife from his boots and stabbed towards Lin Bozhou.
“Death to the traitors!!!”
“Click”, his wrist was grabbed tightly.
Lin Bozhou held his wrist. His knuckles were thin and veins were exposed on the back of his hand. At this moment, the skin was cut by the sharp blade and the bright red blood dripped onto the carpet.
Lin Bozhou half raised his eyelids and looked at the eunuch who was glaring at him.
He was the same age as Emperor Xuanhe, about fourteen or fifteen years old. His bloodstained face made him look a little childish, and his eyes were fearful but firm.
Lin Bozhou pulled his finger back, twisted his hand, and said to Emperor Xuanhe, “Your Majesty is really not fit to be an emperor. Even a little eunuch is more decisive than you.”
He waved his hand.
At this time, Meng Huan, who was standing behind Lin Bozhou, saw the blood on his hand. She was startled and ran forward several steps: “Husband…”
Lin Bozhou raised his hand to stop him.
“Huanhuan is standing right there, don’t come over.”
The tone was very gentle, completely different from when he spoke to Emperor Xuanhe.
Meng Huan stopped a little nervously.
He saw Lin Bozhou raising his long knife and guessed that what would happen next… would be bloody and violent.
Lin Bozhou used the tip of his knife to push aside the palace maids and eunuchs in front of Emperor Xuanhe. He grabbed the collar of Emperor Xuanhe’s dragon robe with his bloody hands and forced those eyes to look directly at him: “Come, look at me.”
The dark and gloomy eyes are unfathomable.
Lin: “Your Majesty just said that you knew you were wrong. What was wrong?”
Two pairs of eyes were staring at him, and the long sword was almost against Emperor Xuanhe’s waist and abdomen. The cold and sharp touch made Emperor Xuanhe so frightened that his back went cold. He was forced to think under his questioning: “Wrong… Wrong… Brother, I was wrong! I will definitely be a good emperor in the future, and I will definitely be an emperor who pleads for the people! Just like Taizu said, equal land system, hard work, thrift, love for the people, sympathy for the people’s money, for the people…”
Emperor Xuanhe’s eyes moved wildly, as if he was thinking hard.
——It doesn’t say whether it is right or wrong.
Lin Bozhou stared at him and said softly, “Your Majesty, please think about it again.”
“Think about it again, think about it again…” Emperor Xuanhe took a deep breath, and he felt the long sword was closer to his waist and abdomen.
All along, Lin Bozhou only held a pen in front of him and rarely held a knife in front of him. He never thought that Lin Bozhou was so strong, so heavy, and so intimidating that he could crush him with just his backhand.
Emperor Xuanhe gasped for breath, and suddenly, his eyes lit up: “I thought of it, I thought of it! It must be right! My royal brother hates me playing chess the most, so from now on I will never play chess again! Burn down the chess palace! Kill all the chess players! I will never—”
The words haven’t finished yet.
Lin Bozhou’s throat rolled suddenly and he looked bored.
His eyes were instantly filled with disappointment towards Emperor Xuanhe.
“How could your majesty give the wrong answer again and again?”
“…………”
Emperor Xuanhe’s sudden excitement was poured with a bucket of cold water. He stared at Lin Bozhou with dead fish eyes and felt his hand being grabbed by Lin Bozhou. Lin Bozhou’s fingers were hard and cold, without any human warmth, and human blood mixed in his palm, which felt sticky.
As if a snake was crawling up his spine, Emperor Xuanhe became stiff and unable to move.
Lin Bozhou’s voice was indifferent.
“From now on, your majesty, you should only play chess.”
After saying that, the sharp blade cut into the skin.
A cold and sharp touch came over me instantly.
Emperor Xuanhe suddenly raised his head and stared at him in a daze. The sharp pain of his flesh being cut and his bones being chopped was transmitted along the bone marrow to his brain. Emperor Xuanhe now clearly felt that his fingers were being chopped off and his body was being separated.
“When playing chess, you only need to use your index and middle fingers. The other fingers are too redundant for your majesty,” Lin Bozhou said. “Your majesty should just concentrate on playing chess in the future and stop bothering with government affairs.”
As if he was finally awakened by the pain, Emperor Xuanhe’s face changed, and he cried out in pain with snot and tears streaming down his face: “Ahhhhhhhhhh… Ahhhhhhhhh! It hurts! It hurts so much! It hurts so much! It hurts so much!”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…My fingers! My fingers!”
He rolled off the dragon throne, hit his head on the ground, and tears flowed wildly.
Lin Bozhou tilted his head impatiently: “If Your Majesty had taken Huanhuan into the palace yesterday, it would not be something that could be repaid with a few fingers.”
Under the dragon throne lay a eunuch who was beaten to death by Emperor Xuanhe.
With a wave of his sleeve, the long knife stabbed into the opponent’s waist and abdomen.
“I have killed the eunuch who tried to assassinate Your Majesty. His parents died in the war in the capital, and he was filled with resentment and wanted to assassinate Your Majesty to avenge his parents. Your Majesty was frightened and felt that his poor governance had brought disaster to the world, so he decided to issue a “self-blame edict” to the world and abdicate the throne to his brother, the Prince of Zhong.”
Lin Bozhou finished speaking.
The cabinet was as silent as death, and no one dared to say a word.
The atmosphere of complete control over the political situation made everyone dare not breathe. Among the crowd, only Meng Huan did not feel scared.
Lin Bozhou’s choice was right.
When Lin Bozhou got down from the platform and came to Meng Huan’s side, Meng Huan gently grabbed his hand.
My husband is so awesome.
Meng Huan recited it quietly in his heart.
Lin Bozhou pointed to the wound on his hand and said, “Bandage it as soon as you’re done, okay?”
Meng Huan nodded and hummed in approval.
Lin Bozhou led him and took care of the next thing that had not been completed, and his shoes approached the kneeling cabinet chief Chen Que.
Blood dripped at his feet and stuck to his official uniform, but Chen still kept his head buried.
He heard Emperor Xuanhe’s cries and screams, the sound was so shrill, but he didn’t dare to raise his head.
He should… stand up straight and loudly rebuke this treacherous official.
He should…risk his life to protect the emperor and become a loyal minister in history.
He……
——But he was so afraid that he didn’t dare to look at Lin Bozhou.
Until Lin Bozhou helped him stand up.
“Master Chen is old and has poor hearing. Did you hear everything I said?”
Chen’s pupils widened, his face was ashen, and he looked at him with trembling lips.
……I?
I?
“did not hear it?”
Lin Bozhou in front of him raised his eyebrows, smiling like a spring breeze, but the shadow behind him was like an evil ghost from hell, making people feel cold all over.
Chen, however, seemed to have been bitten by a snake, and hurriedly said, “Listen…I heard it, Minister.”
As the words flowed out of his lips, the dark light in Lin Bozhou’s eyes disappeared in an instant.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Prime Minister, to draft an imperial edict.”
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY EIGHT (END)
The imperial edict was spread out on the table, but Chen lowered his head and wrote respectfully. The few rays of light coming through the window illuminated the dust between the bookshelves.
Emperor Xuanhe fell to the ground in agony, his tears almost dried up. Only then did Lin Bo show great compassion and happily say, “Please call the imperial physician.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The atmosphere in the cabinet was silent, and everyone was waiting for the draft edict. After the edict was drafted, it would be sent to the six ministries for circulation among all officials. However, there might be changes before the emperor officially ascended the throne. For example, if Emperor Xuanhe claimed that he had to abdicate under the coercion of Lin Bozhou and needed the ministers to rescue him, then the edict of abdication would be invalid.
During this period, Lin Bozhou would imprison the deposed emperor and prevent him from employing any officials until the coronation ceremony was completed.
Pei Xiyi brought the imperial seal from the Imperial Treasures Department and said, “Your Majesty, the imperial seal has arrived.”
The Imperial Seal, a piece of jade stone of medium size, means:
Mandated by Heaven, may you live long and prosper forever.
The imperial power is granted by God and is legitimate.
“Your Majesty is not feeling well. You should stay in the West Garden to recuperate before you officially ascend the throne.” Lin Bozhou took the imperial edict after stamping it. “I will keep the imperial seal for the time being.”
A piece of emerald green jade, a sacred national artifact that would be mentioned in any court document, is extremely valuable.
When it moved to his side, Meng Huan couldn’t help but take another look: “Is this the imperial seal?”
Lin Bozhou had just turned his back, but when he heard this he turned back: “Want to take a look?”
“Uh-huh.”
Meng Huan took it hesitantly.
The cold and heavy touch was like an electric shock, causing his mind to go blank for a moment.
A forgotten plot in the original book came to my mind, and the fragments overlapped and combined into a plot in which the original owner fought against the ministers for the imperial seal after the rebellion.
At that time, the original owner was pretended to be suppressing rebels for the court and became a favorite of Emperor Xuanhe. He was so arrogant that he took the imperial seal without permission. When the court officials found out, they erupted in serious protest.
The imperial seal represents the emperor. Who else but the emperor can tamper with it? Playing with the imperial seal is tantamount to coveting the throne.
And Lin Bozhou at that time… was stripped of his throne and demoted to a commoner because Emperor Xuanhe believed the slander of his original owner. He lost all his dignity and was as miserable as a pig or a dog.
——That was the first time the imperial seal appeared in the book.
——The situation is completely different from the current situation where Lin Bozhou is in full control of the wisdom, forcing the emperor to abdicate and seize the national seal, and reaching the pinnacle of power.
The completely different ending made Meng Huan feel as if he was in another world.
He thought about it and thought that maybe it was because of his arrival that many plots in the book were no longer on the original track, but developed in a better direction. Meng Huan also changed from a concubine who was afraid that Lin Bozhou would be beheaded and blood would splash on her to a queen.
Very good.
…Although I’m not smart enough, I’m still useful.
Thinking of this, Meng Huan couldn’t help but smile.
Lin Bozhou was infected by his warm smile and smiled: “What are you laughing at?”
Meng Huan’s eyes brightened: “I’m happy.”
“Happy?” Lin Bozhou pinched his face, squeezing his cheeks to make them slightly bulge, making his wife’s face look like a little fish.
Meng Huan spoke vaguely: “Lin Bozhou, let go.”
Lin Bozhou smiled, and then seemed to pause for a moment, his voice lowered a lot: “My husband’s precious Huanhuan has become the queen.”
The words seemed to have meaning, and they were a few notches lower.
“No one can hurt you anymore.”
There seemed to be a brief silence.
Meng Huan was grinning at him and paused.
“What?”
He wanted to ask more, but on the other side, Chen Que had already written the edict, requesting that Lin Bozhou’s men take it to the six ministries.
Meng Huan blinked and swallowed the words back into his stomach.
The following process was three requests and two rejections. The ministers requested Lin Bozhou three times to accept the abdication edict, and Lin Bozhou refused the first two times to show his humility. It was only the third time that he agreed to become the new emperor and discussed with the ministers the auspicious day for his enthronement.
During this period before ascending the throne as the new emperor, Lin Bozhou quickly took over major affairs, replaced all the people in the palace with his own people, and at the same time contacted important civil and military officials in the court –
Now, everyone is watching what Lin Bozhou will do after he takes office.
Dazong is a decadent court with corrupt officials running rampant and cliques forming around each other. Meng Huan couldn’t help but wonder what Lin Bozhou would do after he succeeded to the throne. Would he launch a massacre, use thundering means to wipe out these corrupt officials, and reorganize the situation with a brand new one?
After all, in the original book, Lin Bozhou killed more than 20,000 people when dealing with his cliques.
…He couldn’t help but think back to the month when Lin Bozhou worshipped Buddha in the temple. Generally, people who worship Buddha devoutly have pure and kind hearts.
——Or, this person has committed heinous crimes.
All this suggests that Lin Bozhou’s methods of governing court officials were extremely harsh.
The coronation ceremony has not yet been held, so Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou temporarily live in the palace next to the cabinet to facilitate their daily government affairs.
Meng Huan’s thoughts coincided with those of most officials, because in the past few days, several third-rank officials could not bear the pressure and hanged themselves in their homes, and news of officials committing suicide frequently came.
It can be seen that Lin Bozhou’s reputation as the living king of hell is still as great as ever.
The day of the coronation ceremony.
In the solemn and dignified Jinluan Palace, the front court was vast, with civil officials and military officials standing in line, senior officials in red robes, and lower-ranking officials in blue robes, holding tooth plates, and standing in neat rows. At this time, a large group of people knelt, and the sound echoed in the palace.
“Your Majesty, I am old and unable to handle government affairs. Please allow me to retire!”
“Your Majesty, I have a boil on my back recently…”
“Your Majesty, I have a foot disease…”
“…”
Dozens of officials successively requested to retire and return home on the grounds of serious illness.
Meng Huan sat upright next to the dragon throne, looking down at the group of people in black hats, frowning slightly, and turned to see Lin Bozhou’s reaction.
Generally speaking, when a new emperor ascends the throne, a group of old ministers who are afraid of being “purged” will resign and try to retreat while the tide is turning so as not to become victims when the new emperor redistributes the power map.
However, it was quite awkward to see everyone resigning as soon as the court session started.
The court officials were “afraid of Lin Bozhou like a tiger or a wolf”. As a result, the relationship between the emperor and his officials was strained and it would be difficult for the court to get things done.
“If all my dear ministers were to beg for resignation, wouldn’t the imperial court be empty?” The new emperor said in a gentle voice in the Mingtang.
Lin Bozhou, who was sitting on the dragon throne, was wearing a solemn crown and robes, a black robe embroidered with soaring golden dragons, and a crimson red robe. He put one hand on his knee, leaning forward slightly, talking and laughing, and everyone had cold sweat on their backs.
Lin Bozhou listened to the ministers’ requests to retire and return home, and gently lifted the twelve tassels hanging from the ridge with his long fingers, and chuckled: “I know that you are cautious and afraid that you will offend me by mistake and be punished by me. But I am different now than when I was regent in the past. The great clan has fought a year of war, the treasury is empty, and the people are begging for mercy, struggling, crying out in hunger and cold. The ancients said, ‘The more complicated things are, the more chaotic the world is; the more laws are proliferating, the more evil is rampant’, and there is no better way than to do nothing. Now the great clan should rest and recuperate. My dear ministers have made mistakes in the past, and I will not only forgive them, but also grant amnesty to the world. I hope that you will consider the future of the great clan and work together to overcome the difficulties.”
The voice came from the Golden Palace. The words were not emphasized, but they were very clear.
The collective resignation of the court officials was actually meant to counter Lin Bozhou and to play a game between the emperor and his officials. Lin Bozhou’s words were soft and gentle, and he was sending them a friendly message.
It was the first time that Meng Huan, who was standing by, listened to her husband’s instructions on government.
His eyes were blank, and he listened attentively, feeling like he had returned to the time when he first entered the book.
It’s annoying that I don’t quite understand.
Does Lin Bozhou deliberately lower his cultural level when talking to him?
Looking back at the court affairs, Lin Bozhou’s words were like a reassurance. Fewer and fewer court officials asked to resign, but some still insisted. Lin Bozhou picked and agreed to a few of them, asked about some political affairs, and then announced the end of the court.
Meng Huan followed Lin Bozhou like a little tail, and on the way to the cabinet, he looked at him several times with a look that seemed to want to say something but was hesitant.
Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows: “What’s wrong? If you have anything to say, just ask directly.”
The palms were warm and comfortable when they were held. Meng Huancai used poor but hateful words to ask seriously: “Husband, are there any treacherous ministers? When will they be punished?”
Lin Bozhou’s words “let bygones be bygones” and “grant amnesty to the whole nation” seemed to indicate that he was going to let these corrupt officials off the hook.
“The time has not yet come. Your husband inherited the throne by abdication, which is different from bloodline inheritance. Now we must appease people’s hearts and avoid new unrest.” Lin Bozhou’s voice was very soft.
He took out a book from his sleeve and handed it to Meng Huan. Meng Huan flipped through it and found all the names of court officials on it.
Many names are circled in red, just like the King of Hell’s book of life and death.
Meng Huan looked up, and the corners of Lin Bozhou’s lips curved slightly.
“these people……”
Lin Bozhou seemed to be smiling, the danger floating between darkness and warmth, blending in with the light, was very much like the time when he was chanting in the Buddhist temple, under the eternal lamp, wearing plain white clothes like a Buddha, and the long and ferocious black shadow behind him was the demon king Marun seeking the truth.
“A sharp knife and a three-foot-long white silk are too easy for them. It would be interesting to squeeze out the last bit of their usefulness and then chop off their heads. No one can escape, and all must die.”
The voice was soft and gentle.
Meng Huan looked around and bit his lower lip.
So that’s how it is. According to Lin Bozhou’s character, if he were to kill someone, he would make the other person die in the most painful moment, otherwise he would not be Lin Bozhou.
However, only his chilling methods and iron-blooded wrist could intimidate the imperial court, fight against the wolves and tigers, and effectively rebuild a new order on the collapsed ruins.
Meng Huan held the list and looked at it for a while, then raised her dark eyes slightly and said, “Husband.”
“Hmm?” Lin Bozhou stopped where he was and waited for Meng Huan.
Meng Huan looked at him for a long while against the sunlight: “You will definitely be a good emperor.”
The tone was extremely serious.
“Really?” Lin Bozhou didn’t expect Meng Huan to think for a long time before saying this, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“You definitely are, you definitely are, you definitely are, I said it.” Meng Huan gently pulled Lin Bozhou’s sleeve and circled around him several times, making Lin Bozhou helpless and having a headache. He smiled and took his wrist and held him in his arms, gently touching his forehead with his cool fingertips.
“Okay, since Huanhuan has urged me so earnestly, I will do my best,”
Lin Bozhou slowly leaned forward, raised his fingers to lift up the twelve tassels under the shackles, revealing his handsome eyebrows and eyes stained with a faint light, and his dark eyes stared at Meng Huan.
The scent of sandalwood brushed past my nose.
Meng Huan blinked and listened to Lin Bozhou’s words.
It’s like the most solemn promise.
“Be a good emperor that Huanhuan likes.” –
After Lin Bozhou succeeded to the throne, many things needed to be rebuilt.
When he first took over the government, Lin Bozhou took care of everything himself, read all memorials personally, and spent most of his time in the cabinet or the imperial study.
After failing to find anyone in the cabinet, Meng Huan quickly walked into the imperial study. When several court officials who were discussing politics saw him, they immediately bowed to him and said, “Greetings to the queen.”
Lin Bozhou, who was sitting in the chair, talked about disaster relief for a moment and motioned to the person next to him: “Come and sit over here.”
Meng Huan sat down, picked up a book and pretended to read.
Among the ministers discussing the matter was Chen An, as well as several local officials who had been newly promoted to the capital for their outstanding political achievements. They looked a little puzzled when they saw the Queen arriving.
Chen An laughed and said, “The Queen is usually bored in Kunning Palace, and often comes to Your Majesty to relieve her boredom. Your Majesty never forbids it, and you don’t have to be polite. Just continue to discuss what needs to be discussed.”
“Yes, sir,” the local official retracted his surprised look, vaguely remembering the rumors about the emperor and empress that the people talked about with relish when he came to Beijing, saying “You can offend His Majesty, but you cannot offend the Empress.”
The Empress is the new emperor’s darling. Emperor Tianze is kind and gentle, and treats his ministers with kindness. However, he became furious when one of his ministers requested the selection of concubines for the harem.
It is said that the Empress Dowager was reported by the ministers at that time for helping arrange for the concubines in the harem to bear children for Emperor Tianze. The Empress Dowager was so angry that her eyes turned red. She turned around and complained to Emperor Tianze. All the ministers who made the suggestion were beaten with a stick in the court.
The one who wanted to offer his daughter to His Majesty was dismissed from his post and demoted.
Emperor Tianze said: “The Empress and I cannot have children, but I have made up my mind about establishing the country. Why do you have to make irresponsible comments?”
While the local official was still distracted, he heard the calm and noble voice of Emperor Tianze: “Prefect of Hangzhou.”
He straightened his back and said, “I am here!”
“Report the situation.”
The local official immediately said, “Yes!”
He faced Emperor Tianze respectfully and talked about the situation of the people under his rule.
Meng Huan listened and only understood half of it.
Lin Bozhou did not make any major moves in the court for the time being, but he began to select local officials from all over the country to come to Beijing to inquire and understand the people’s sentiments. This abnormal desire to control the sentiments of the people across the country had never been seen before among the emperors of later generations who had lived a life of luxury, except for the founding emperor.
As evening approached, the local official was still in high spirits: “Your Majesty! I have also written a ‘Ten Days’ Memorial’, which strongly points out the current problems and includes several solutions! Your Majesty——”
Lin Bozhou drank his tea and stopped talking. Chen An smiled and said, “Go back and rest first. Your Majesty is tired. We can talk another day.”
The young talents happily left the imperial study. Meng Huan put down the book in his hand and looked at Lin Bozhou boredly: “Are you still reviewing memorials?”
Lin Bozhou: “I won’t approve it.”
“Shall we go back to the house then?” Meng Huan looked like a child waiting for his parents to get off work.
“good.”
“Great!”
The weather in the palace was hot and dry, and even in the evening it was unavoidable to feel the heat, with hot air blowing in from time to time through the corridors.
Meng Huan let Lin Bozhou hold his hand, his palms sweating, all the way back to Kunning Palace.
“Today is your birthday, and we should have held a celebration,” Lin Bozhou said, “but the ascension to the throne was rushed, and the Ministry of Rites could not prepare many things, so there was no time to arrange your birthday.”
Holding hands, Meng Huan walked unsteadily: “Having you is enough for me.”
The sound made the shaking of the wrist intermittent.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and smiled. He changed into lighter clothes before entering the hall and rolled up his sleeves. He looked elegant and casual. “Let’s cook a sumptuous meal tonight.”
Meng Huan hummed and followed behind him.
It’s a bit helpless to say that Meng Huan ate a lot of fish and meat for a few days after entering the palace, but he actually had a bad stomach and started to be picky about food. It turns out that he was not born to be rich QAQ. Lin Bozhou usually made a few dishes for Meng Huan when he was free after the court and supervised him to eat, so that Meng Huan would behave a little better.
The palace maids and eunuchs all went out tactfully at this time, and only a few people were left in the kitchen. Lin Bozhou opened the lid of the small pot, put several kinds of cleaned dried mushrooms into the chicken soup pot that had been simmering for several hours, washed the fish and put it into the hot oil pan, frying the fish skin on both sides, and when he smelled the burnt aroma, he took the pot off the heat, re-heated the base ingredients and stewed the fish.
Lin Bozhou was busy with government affairs, but he would always prepare some food for Meng Huan every few days and support him, simply because he wanted Meng Huan to be happy.
Meng Huan suddenly had an idea: “My husband, if the officials in the front court knew that you cooked for me, would they talk about you again?”
“This is our business,” Lin Bozhou focused on the pot, “no one else can interfere.”
His tone seemed calm, but since Meng Huan married him, all the pressure from public opinion had been borne by Lin Bozhou.
Meng Huan’s eyes sparkled and the corners of his eyes curved with a smile.
Lin Bozhou: “What are you laughing at again?”
Meng Huan was warm, “Nothing to laugh at.”
The boy blinked, his eyes moist and bright, like a little deer.
The heart and eyes are all in the eyes.
If you calculate carefully, Meng Huan is only nineteen years old.
From the time I first entered the palace to now when he and I rule the world, a year has passed in the blink of an eye. I didn’t expect time to go by so fast.
Lin Bozhou sighed softly, pinched half a piece of cake in his hand, and brought it to his lips: “Open your mouth.”
Meng Huan opened his lips: “Ah——”
Lin Bozhou rubbed his lips with his fingertips.
He turned around and continued to add vegetables to the pot. His lips felt clearly, as if they were stung by electricity.
Meng Huan licked his lower lip gently, his lips felt hot, feeling the warmth left by Lin Bozhou. He stood up complacently and rubbed against his back again.
“Husband, husband, husband.” Meng Huan was possessed by the spirit of coquettishness.
Lin Bozhou served the fish.
Meng Huan took a bite with chopsticks, her eyes blurred with tears due to the heat, and she hugged him from behind again: “Husband, wow, wow, it hurts…”
“…………” Lin Bozhou turned around, pinched his chin, and looked carefully at his burnt red lips.
“The skin wasn’t burned. Remember to cool it down before eating next time. How will Huanhuan survive without me?” Lin Bozhou said helplessly.
Meng Huan also nodded desperately, saying sincerely: “How can I live without you?!”
Lin Bozhou pulled him to sit on a stool next to him and said seriously, “Sit down and come back to eat after the meal is ready.”
Meng Huan sat obediently.
Lin Bozhou poured the chicken soup from the pot over the longevity noodles, sprinkled some chopped green onions on them, covered the white noodles with a poached egg, and handed them to Meng Huan.
“Have a bowl of longevity noodles.”
Meng Huan took the bowl, leaned in and took a sip of the noodle soup, making a gurgling sound like a kitten.
He ate his meal in silence for a while. Lin Bozhou half-knelt in front of him, his shadow falling. He remembered something and asked, “Did father write to you?”
Meng Huan paused: “What?”
His dark eyes met Lin Bozhou’s, as if he didn’t understand.
Father, Meng Xueming.
After coming to the capital, Lin Bozhou also brought Meng Xueming back, but problems arose when Meng Xueming and Meng Huan met. Having raised him for more than ten years, he knew best whether this person was his son.
Meng Huan also wanted to pretend to be his son at first, but it was awkward for both of them to pretend to be ignorant when they knew the truth. After a few stiff conversations, Meng Xueming turned around and wrote a petition, requesting Lin Bozhou to transfer him back to his original place. He had already built the place very well and was reluctant to leave the local environment.
Meng Xueming left the capital again.
Meng Huan finally reacted: “You mean the letter my father gave me?”
“Hmm. Isn’t today your birthday? Didn’t he write to you?”
Meng Huan’s eyes suddenly became uneasy. He swallowed a mouthful of chicken soup and his brows were tense.
He ate the noodles in the bowl slowly, absentmindedly: “…maybe my father was too busy and forgot the time.”
After saying this, Meng Huan didn’t quite believe it.
How could he forget? It was very likely that Meng Xue knew it wasn’t him and wanted to become a stranger to him.
But I understand that no one likes a son whose soul has been replaced. Meng Huan was in a daze, lost in thought.
Lin Bozhou watched, and his heart seemed to suddenly fall into silence, and a pain like that of a needle prick rose up.
Meng Huan, how could it be the same Meng Huan?
He has been single since the day he entered the palace last year.
Until now, I have no father or mother.
The only relative he has is himself, who has become his husband.
Lin Bozhou clenched his fingers in his sleeves, his brows slightly twisted in pain. He looked into Meng Huan’s eyes and said, “You may have forgotten, but it doesn’t matter. Your husband is by your side, always accompanying you on your birthday and always staying by your side.”
The gloom in Meng Huan’s eyes was dispelled, and the back of his ears turned red: “Yeah.”
He did not expect anything illusory. With Lin Bozhou around, he felt at ease.
Lin Bozhou held her hand and hooked it in an ambiguous way: “So, you want to be Huanhuan’s father, mother, and husband?”
“…” Meng Huan suddenly felt something was wrong, put down the bowl and ran out, “Humph, I don’t want to eat, I want to play for a while.”
Meng Huan threw the bowl away and ran to the square in front of the temple. It was half dark, with the dark sky descending from high in the sky, leaving a few shadows of trees and bamboos. The night was dark and one would easily step on empty air if one was not careful.
There were several tubes of fireworks on the ground, which were placed there by Meng Huan.
Lin Bozhou followed him to the square. Meng Huan had disappeared somewhere and no one could see his shadow.
After a turn, he asked, “Huan Huan?”
No answer.
What about hide and seek?
When Lin Bozhou walked under a tree, he heard footsteps approaching from behind, and a pair of slightly cold hands suddenly covered his eyes.
“I can’t see it anymore.”
“…”
The thick darkness of nothingness suddenly came over him. Lin Bozhou’s eyelashes trembled, his spine stiffened, as if he was hit by something, and his feet stopped where they were.
When he was tense, he felt Meng Huan’s excited and agitated breathing behind his ear, and his mood immediately relaxed. He dropped his hands and stood there obediently without moving.
Meng Huan said, “Guess what I am——”
But his voice suddenly paused.
Lin Bozhou had long eyelashes and gently scratched his palm. The touch made him feel as if he had returned to the cold night in Liaodong last year.
At that time, Lin Bozhou’s eye disease relapsed, and he was blown by the cold wind all the way. In the mountain temple, Meng Huan touched the corners of Lin Bozhou’s eyes with care, but his fingers were stained with blood from his eyes.
Lin Bozhou’s eyes…his eyes…
As if her mind had cleared up, Meng Huan loosened her hand as if pricked by a needle: “Husband, you are afraid of the dark.”
But as soon as his hand left, Lin Bozhou held it down and covered his eyes again, pressing very tightly, trying to match Meng Huan’s interest in playing the game.
“I’m not afraid of the dark anymore.” Lin Bozhou said.
Meng Huan was stunned: “Are you not afraid anymore?”
“I was indeed scared before. I couldn’t see anything in the dark.” Lin Bozhou smiled slightly, and his light breath fell into Meng Huan’s palm, like a feather scratching it.
“I am not afraid of the dark now, nor am I afraid of going blind, because—”
He paused, not knowing what he was thinking about, with a smile in his tone.
“Someone lit a light in my eyes.”
Every word was clear, and carried with a wisp of night breeze, it suddenly hit my heart.
Meng Huan’s mind went blank, as if something was attacking him. His fingers were shaking, and he felt a slight choking and distending feeling in his throat, and his heart was numb.
“Lin Bozhou…”
Countless images flashed through his mind.
Afraid of the dark…staying in the dark…
Lin Bozhou fell off his horse and his eyes were pierced by ice and bled.
Lin Bozhou worked hard for the government, but was slandered as a traitor and thrown dirty water on him.
Lin Bozhou knelt in front of the monarch’s bed, while outside the palace there was a violent storm.
Lin Bozhou’s eye disease relapsed and his wife was kidnapped by Zhuli Zhenren.
Lin Bozhou worked hard to resist the foreign enemies, but on the day of the great victory, his credit was taken away.
Lin Bozhou was blind and fled to Liaodong, destitute and resentful, being hunted down…
All of this is the darkness he has experienced, which is invisible not only to his eyes but also to his heart.
How could he not be afraid of the dark? How could he…
Meng Huan sniffed, almost swallowed by the sadness, and breathed hard. Lin Bozhou lowered his head slightly and clenched his thin fingers.
“Before I met you, I had been living in darkness. I couldn’t adapt to the light, and I didn’t want to come out. After I met you, a light so bright and warm shone just for me. I couldn’t help but look at you, and keep walking, and keep walking, until there is no darkness.”
Lin Bozhou let go of Meng Huan’s hand and met those bright eyes.
“Huan Huan.”
Meng Huan: “Hmm?”
Lin Bozhou spoke word by word, very slowly, but clearly, straight into the eardrums –
“You are the light in the long night.”
The night wind suddenly blew by my ears, shattering the shadows of the treetops and shaking them constantly, like a gust of wind rising from the ground, sweeping everything away.
There was silence in his ears, and Meng Huan could not hear anything. In this vast universe, there were only him and Lin Bozhou, only the words he said, and only the endless pain and soreness in his heart.
…After a long time, Meng Huan’s fingers moved slightly.
Lin Bozhou held his hand and said, “Let’s set off the fireworks.”
Behind the dense shadows of the trees, several bright spots rose from the ground and exploded, illuminating the tiles and eaves of the imperial city.
In the square, two figures standing side by side looked up at the night sky where light and darkness were intertwined, with fragments of light in their eyes.
——It is a new year for people.
——The morning is a new day.
May the new year be better than the old year——
End of the text——
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY NINE (EXTRA)
The rules in the palace were strict. A few days before Lin Bozhou ascended the throne, many eunuchs came to serve Meng Huan and teach him the rules.
The eunuchs were buzzing with voices.
“Princess, you cannot wander around during the coronation ceremony.”
“Princess, the phoenix crown on your head cannot shake.”
“Take three steps to the left, three steps to the right, and perform the three kneeling and nine kowtows ceremony to the prince. Come, demonstrate it once…”
Meng Huan found it very complicated, especially when he heard that he had to kneel three times and kowtow nine times to Lin Bozhou. He was surprised: “I have to kneel again?”
Lin Bozhou was drinking tea nearby and raised his eyelids: “Huanhuan’s legs and feet are not in good condition, so he won’t kneel. Can you make an exception?”
“…” The ceremonial officer had already made more than a dozen concessions for the future queen, so why couldn’t he make concessions here? He nodded hurriedly, “Yes.”
The ceremony of the enthronement ceremony was complicated. It required a certain number of steps to walk, a certain tablet to worship, stop, pick up something, continue walking, and then worship something else. All these were very particular. Lin Bozhou remembered everything after hearing the ceremonial officer’s instructions once, but Meng Huan could not remember after walking back and forth. Lin Bozhou waited patiently and rehearsed with Meng Huan.
When it was finally over, Meng Huan breathed a sigh of relief: “Finally I learned it.”
When he returned to the palace, lunch had already been prepared. Now that Lin Bozhou was about to inherit the throne, they were still called prince and princess on paper, but their actual food, clothing and expenses were already in accordance with the standards of the emperor and empress.
On the table were shrimps with pepper and vinegar, roast goose, braised lamb trotters, goose meat buns, a plate of lamb tripe with salted drum and mustard, white blood soup with garlic and vinegar, steamed chicken with five spices, lamb bones with Yuan sauce, kidneys with spicy vinegar①… and so on. Meng Huan picked up his chopsticks and showed off.
Lin Bozhou peeled the shrimp and put it in his bowl: “Are you starving?”
“Hmmmm!” Meng Huan put a mouthful of shrimp into his mouth. “Wow, it’s delicious. I’m so tired and hungry. It’s delicious… Wow, gulp…”
“Eat slowly, don’t choke, your stomach can’t take it.”
Meng Huan didn’t slow down. This is the emperor’s dish!
There is a difference between the emperor’s dishes and the prince’s dishes. Guzhou’s chef is still not good enough. The imperial chef in the palace is awesome – woooooooooooo…
Meng Huan lay down on the couch after finishing his meal, his belly slightly bulging. Lin Bozhou frowned and warned him seriously: “You can’t just lie down like this after eating. It’s not good for your stomach. Get up and move around.”
But Meng Huan began to feel dizzy from eating too much. He felt dizzy and weak all over. His almond-shaped eyes drooped more and more as he became sleepy. “I want to take a nap.”
The voice was sticky and soft. Lin Bozhou gritted his teeth, said “Huan Huan” and wanted to pull him up, but a figure walked out from the side. It was Chen An who came to speak, “Your Highness, the accounts of the national treasury have been settled. Please review them.”
Lin Bozhou looked at him coldly.
Chen An: “…”
You Jin hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, please be busy. I will serve you.”
Lin Bozhou looked at Meng Huan again, seemingly helpless, and then he moved away, disappearing outside the hall.
As soon as Lin Bozhou left, Meng Huan closed his eyes and took a deep nap. No one could say anything to him.
The food in the palace was too rich, and Meng Huan was greedy. She would show off everywhere every day, and she didn’t want to move after showing off. This went on for several days. On the night of the coronation ceremony, Meng Huan drank half a glass of wine for joy. That night, she lay in the arms of Lin Bozhou, who was wearing a black crown, and blushed, “My husband, my eyes are so blurry.”
“Huanhuan is drunk.”
“I’m not drunk. Please count the stars for me. You are smart and you can definitely count the stars in the sky. I am not good at math and I can’t count them.”
“…………”
Lin Bozhou frowned slightly, seeming a little helpless, but still asked someone to put a cool chair in place. He wore a crown and held Meng Huan in his arms, counting stars for him one by one.
He thought that Meng Huan would stop making trouble and sleep well after coaxing her, but he didn’t expect Meng Huan to put her head in his arms, half of her red face was exposed, and her face slowly turned pale, and she hissed: “Husband…”
Lin Bozhou: “Hmm?”
Meng Huan: “My stomach hurts.”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes moved slightly: “What?”
Meng Huan shook his head: “Maybe I ate too much tonight and my stomach hurts a little…”
He spoke slowly, thinking that maybe it would be fine if he took it easy, and didn’t take it seriously. But he leaned his forehead against Lin Bozhou’s shoulder, and soon his face became paler and paler: “My stomach hurts…”
At this time, cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his face turned yellow. Lin Bozhou stood up and said, “Call the imperial physician!”
Inside the hall, four or five imperial physicians were standing. They exchanged glances and their voices echoed weakly in the palace.
“Your Majesty, the Queen is suffering from stomach congestion due to overeating and long periods of sitting. She should not eat any meat or greasy food during this period, and should avoid drinking alcohol. I have prescribed a medicine for you. Please boil it and take it immediately, three times a day, before meals…”
Meng Huan was lying on the bed with terrible pain in his abdomen, but he had no strength in his body. He looked at the imperial doctors with pale lips, and suddenly he felt like retching. He supported his hot forehead and collapsed into a heap with grievance.
He was very depressed: “Husband…I will never eat it again.”
Lin Bozhou sat beside him, scooped a spoonful of medicine, and coaxed him softly: “It’s okay, don’t mention the previous things, just drink the medicine obediently, you will get better after drinking it, and the pain will go away after drinking it.”
“……Um.”
Meng Huan finished drinking the medicine with tears in his eyes, and then he lay down in Lin Bozhou’s arms, thinking that he would be fine after a good sleep. However, due to the pain in his abdomen, he was always in a semi-awake state, but gradually he could not wake up. He began to heat up uncontrollably, and his body was hot and cold at the same time. The blood in his blood vessels seemed to be burning, and bubbles kept bulging as if it was about to boil.
The high fever caused Meng Huan to have difficulty breathing, his head was dizzy, and his eyelids were stuck with tears and he couldn’t open them. He could only feel Lin Bozhou’s cold hands wiping his forehead from time to time to cool it down. He was held in his arms, and his tired questions rang in his ears.
“Why hasn’t the fever subsided yet?”
“Ask the imperial physician to reply.”
“A new prescription?”
The cold and hot towels were used to wipe repeatedly, and a faint white light appeared outside the hall. “The master’s high fever has not subsided yet.”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes were dark blue and his eyebrows were haggard. You Jin looked at him with distress: “Your Majesty, please go and have a rest. I will take care of you.”
“No need to rest. When the time comes, go to the front court and attend the court.”
“Your Majesty, you’re not going to sleep?”
“No more sleep.”
Meng Huan, who had a high fever, heard them talking in a daze.
You Jin sighed after a moment, as if mustering up some courage: “Your Majesty, the master’s high fever has not subsided, and the medicine is of no use. I have heard some rumors before. I suspect that the master has been possessed by an evil spirit.”
Meng Huan: “?”
Evil? What evil?
Meng Huan guessed that he might have gastroenteritis as his stomach had always been in poor condition.
There was no sound from Lin Bozhou. Of course not, how could Lin Bozhou believe in such a weird thing?
When Meng Huan was muttering to himself, he felt a slightly cool hand approaching him again, gently caressing his forehead with a gentle force, and the coolness of the fingers was very comfortable.
Lin Bozhou did not stop him, so You Jin boldly continued, “Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and the master has just moved into Kunning Palace. This Kunning Palace has the most strange things. Previously, the Empress of Emperor Xuanhe was hanged here after being scolded, and our master fell ill as soon as he moved in. I think it must be the ghost of the former Empress who is haunting our master.”
Meng Huanxin said no, but he was too tired and had no strength.
In my ear, Lin Bozhou still didn’t say anything.
“I am afraid this is a disaster for my master. When my master first entered the palace, he hit his head against the pillar and tried to commit suicide. After that, his personality changed all of a sudden and he is completely different from before.”
You Jin lowered his voice and said, “Your Majesty, I often read stories about soul swapping when I read strange stories. I think my master’s soul was swapped when he first entered the palace. The ghost of Mr. Meng was taken away by the King of Hell when he hit the pillar, so our current master can use his body. But the master’s soul was strong last time, but this time he has a high fever and his soul is very weak. What if the ghost from Kunning Palace swaps his soul and our master is squeezed out and becomes homeless? What should we do?”
“………………”
When Meng Huan heard these words, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Not to mention, Lin Bozhou has now inherited the throne, his career line is completed, and his love line is also over. Is there really a hidden system that will call him back to the modern era after all his tasks are completed?
Is this gastroenteritis a sign???
For example, the real self just died, and a new soul came into this book, or Lin Bozhou ascended the throne directly and his wife died that night, becoming a widower, and that was the ending???
Meng Huan’s eyelids trembled violently, and his heart was filled with alarm, and he couldn’t help shaking all over. No way, no way… Is there really a hidden system?
While he was daydreaming, Lin Bozhou’s voice, like a sinking pond, also rang out: “Really?”
His voice revealed the fatigue of a person who had not stayed up all night.
“Your Majesty, strange stories often write about the resurrection of the dead. Our master might be the soul that has resurrected through another ghost… But what if his soul is replaced by another ghost? Where will his soul go?” You Jin’s voice was filled with tears.
Meng Huan was dazed and wanted to stand up and hold on to Lin Bozhou tightly. However, due to the high fever, his shoulders seemed to be pressed down by something heavy and he could not move at all. He could only listen to their movements and blurry shadows flashed before his eyes.
You Jin couldn’t see it, but Meng Huan could feel his hand being tightly grasped by Lin Bozhou, as if grasping the soul in his body: “What should I do?”
Lin Bozhou asked, what should we do?
Why would he ask what to do?
Meng Huan’s fingers curled up slightly, and he seemed to be stunned for a moment.
This shouldn’t be the case. Lin Bozhou is not a person who believes in destiny or ghosts and gods. Even if he believes in ghosts and gods, it is just a superficial belief for the sake of his ambition to dominate the world. But when Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou were in bed, he was willing to say anything and was not afraid of being struck by lightning. It was obvious that he was an atheist.
But at this moment, he actually believed You Jin’s story of reincarnation and started to get scared?
Meng Huan heard You Jin’s words: “Your Majesty, let’s go to Wanshou Temple to invite a master?”
Lin Bozhou’s hoarse bass voice sounded again.
“Go quickly.”
I really went to ask a magician for help.
When Meng Huan was marveling at Lin Bozhou in his heart, his forehead was pressed against another cold forehead, and his lips were brushed by warm breath.
Lin Bozhou pressed very close to him, their noses touching, and he could feel the other’s breathing and the trembling of his soul.
Lin Bozhou seemed to be talking to him, but also seemed not to be: “Is my husband Huanhuan here?”
The voice is extremely hoarse.
“…”
Meng Huan felt a sudden stab in the chest, and an indescribable pain surged out.
Don’t want.
He didn’t want to be in the book just for a dream, he didn’t want to be with him for so long, it was just a mirage. He was with Lin Bozhou and didn’t want to leave here, he just wanted to stay in this world, and be with Lin Bozhou forever.
Meng Huan wanted to open his eyes and stand up, but his shoulders felt as weak as if they were filled with lead, and his whole body seemed to be separated by a layer of chaos. The sound and the shadow in front of him were getting farther and farther away…
The sky was filled with fog, and everything around him was so foggy that he couldn’t see anything clearly. Meng Huan found that he could stand. He tried to move his wrists and shoulders, and when he looked around, two doors appeared in the void in front of him.
——Like two clearly enlarged electronic screens for watching movies.
On an electronic screen are tall buildings, busy strings and pipes, celebrity posters and bright lights. Among the millions of brightly lit windows, there is a house where Meng Huan rents. Half of the painting on the digital tablet on the table is not finished. Next to it is an iPad with his favorite comedy variety show playing on it. From time to time, there are steaming, hahaha laughter. The whole world is both lively and hurried.
On another electronic screen, there was the dim dawn, the heavy wooden palace, the waning moon on the eaves of the imperial palace, and countless figures guarding the patient’s bed. Lin Bozhou, wearing a dark golden dragon robe, stood there, his shadow stretched out very long by the candlelight, and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.
A Taoist priest was holding a bowl and a soul flag, banging them and walking back and forth around his phoenix couch, sprinkling some talisman water on the quilt beside him and burning some yellow paper.
The Taoist priest was performing a ritual, but it was obviously a trick to be mysterious. Meng Huan wanted to laugh, but when he saw Lin Bozhou’s gloomy face, he suddenly found that he couldn’t laugh anymore.
The Taoist said: “Your Majesty has the body of a true dragon. Even the greatest evil spirit in the world cannot suppress the pure Yang Qi in your body. If your Majesty really wants to save the queen, please follow my instructions.”
Lin Bozhou stretched out his hand from the sleeves of his robe with flowing patterns. He was thin and strong. He lowered his eyelashes. His posture was extremely elegant, but his behavior was not at all proper.
He looked at me with green eyes and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
The Taoist said: “The evil spirits in the Queen’s body are extremely resentful, and ordinary magic weapons can no longer suppress them. I just said that the purest yang energy in the world is not as good as a drop in the ocean of your Majesty, and the most precious thing in your Majesty’s body is your blood—”
You Jin’s expression suddenly changed: “How dare you!”
Letting Lin Bozhou kill himself, how is this different from assassination?
Meng Huan stared at the screen and couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. It was really outrageous. Blood could suppress ghosts? What on earth was this Taoist talking about? Was it too outrageous?
Lin Bozhou wouldn’t really believe it…right?
Meng Huan couldn’t help but clench his fingers. Seeing Lin Bozhou standing by the couch with a damp look on his body, he lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment: “All of you go down.”
You Jin’s eyes widened slightly: “Your Majesty.”
But he seemed to have no idea what to say, and after saying goodbye, the group hurriedly left the palace.
The palace became empty. Lin Bozhou sat on the bed where Meng Huan was lying. He held Meng Huan’s lower back with one hand and held him in his arms. He picked up a sharp dagger beside him and cut his index finger. Bright red blood oozed out immediately. The round and full blood beads first dripped one by one, and then flowed into a line.
“Huan Huan.”
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and spoke in an infinitely gentle voice, as if he was coaxing him as usual.
The extremely eerie blood-red color and his gentle voice formed a sense of morbid fragility.
In that era, it was easy to die from tetanus if you were cut by a weapon.
Lin Bozhou seemed to be begging: “You drank my husband’s blood. If you can find a way back, please come back.”
He hugged Meng Huan tightly, closed his eyelids, and his handsome appearance was like that of a Buddhist disciple. He had never been so pious even in the temple: “… Come back, come back to your husband.”
The voice is extremely hoarse.
A shadow fell from behind him and squatted on the ground. It was him who was hugging the patient tightly, and blood seeped into Meng Huan’s teeth.
Meng Huan’s head pounded, and the pain in his heart made his chest heave. He turned his head to look at the modern world with bright lights, singing, dancing and laughter.
The strange lights, the long streets full of lights and wine, the plucked guitar chords, the figures coming and going, the countless laughters…
Even as an orphan who cannot feel the warmth of family, he still has attachment to this world.
…But compared with Lin Bozhou, he would rather go back to that place where there are no lights and the night is long and dark.
Meng Huan made his choice without hesitation.
The sticky and heavy feeling of high fever returned to my mind. The lightness just now seemed like being punched. The strength of my hands and feet was drained away again, and I became weak and limp like a patient. My body was also entangled in alternating cold and heat, and I entered a sick state with a high fever.
The first of Meng Huan’s five senses to recover was taste.
…He tasted the rusty smell of blood in his mouth, a strong fishy smell with a hint of sweetness, and it didn’t taste good.
Meng Huan opened his eyes and looked at Lin Bozhou with moist almond-shaped eyes.
Facing each other in the pitch-black darkness, Lin Bozhou’s eyes were just looking at him.
Meng Huan smiled, his eyes bright—
“Husband, I’m back.”
ONE HUNDRED THIRTY (EXTRA)
“Tick-tick-tick-tick…”
On a sunny morning, the snow-white curtains were slightly blown up by the breeze, letting in a few rays of sunlight.
The figure curled up on the bed, with the phone next to his ear. The alarm rang and the screen glowed blue, illuminating the boy’s eyes under the quilt.
He was sleeping soundly like a teenager.
“Ding ding ding ding ding—”
The gentle sound waves turned into rising tones and vibrations, as if they would not stop until they were shocking. Meng Huan suddenly opened his eyes with a palpitation, and when he saw everything around him, there was a vibrating beating sound rolling in his chest.
…snow-white walls, a narrow room, an iPad on the table, a digital tablet that was forgotten to be turned off, bright lights, colorful software on the screen, and the noisy sound of car horns outside the window…
How is this… the twenty-first century?
Meng Huan saw half a pack of biscuits on the table.
This is what was left over from the night he traveled into the book!
I put it back on myself???????
As this idea grew in his mind, Meng Huan had only one thought: What about Lin Bozhou?
Where is her husband?
Meng Huanchou scratched his hair gently, and his hair turned back into soft short hair, sticking to his fair earlobes. Compared with long hair, he looked more youthful with short hair, and had a fair, fresh and delicate feeling.
The cell phone rang again.
Meng Huan took it: “Hello.”
It’s the squad leader.
“Brother, are you still not up? Mr. Zhou’s class will start soon. He said he has to attend today.”
“Teacher Zhou?”
The teacher Zhou who tore the class list apart every time he called the roll?
Meng Huan’s heart was filled with alarm.
Although he had been in another time and space for more than a year, the sense of urgency engraved in his genes made him feel a chill on his back. He quickly got up, changed his clothes and washed up, then rushed towards the school with his schoolbag in hand.
Meng Huan did not live on campus when he was in college. The school’s power was cut off at 11 o’clock, and he often painted all night long. Later, he simply rented a house not far from the school.
It takes about five minutes by bike.
The axle was turning rapidly. Meng Huan raised his head slightly, and the sunlight fell into his eyes. He unconsciously looked at the bustling city in front of him.
The crowds were surging, the buildings blocked out the sun, the billboards were changing rapidly, the noise was so loud that it hurt the ears… and the wooden palaces in my memory, the heavy snow, and the bloody and gloomy scenes of the battlefield.
Completely different.
Why are you wearing it again?
…Are you alone?
Where is Lin Bozhou?
Meng Huan was thinking about this question all the way.
“Meng Huan, do you like the novel I recommended to you a few days ago?”
When I locked my bike, a female voice came from behind me. It was a sophomore from the animation club.
Meng Huan’s name sounds like a girl’s. The aunt who named him in the orphanage was not well educated. She held him in her arms and said with a smile that she hoped the baby would always be happy, so she gave him this name. Who would have known that Meng Huan would later turn out to have a male sexual orientation like a girl and have a better relationship with girls.
“Senior.”
“Why didn’t you reply to the message I sent you? Was the novel I read a few days ago any good? You even have the same name as the protagonist, hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter!”
“…………”
This is the book that I am wearing. Meng Huan’s expression was complicated: “It’s not good, too cruel. I like to read sweet stories.”
Zhang Xuejie blinked: “But didn’t you say at the time that as long as you have a car, you can read sad stories?”
Meng Huan: “…”
QAQ.
“It’s time for class. I don’t want to chat with you anymore.” The senior student ran towards the stairs for a few steps, then turned back and asked again, “By the way, have you finished drawing the poster?”
Meng Huan: “What poster?”
“Isn’t this novel very popular? We want to organize a comic exhibition with the theme of Lin Bozhou and Meng Huan. I told you a few days ago. Have you not started drawing yet?”
“…”
Zhang Xuejie cut her neck with her hand symbolically: “Huanbao, do you believe that I will assassinate you tonight? You are not Meng Huan in the book, and there is no gold medal fighter Lin Bozhou to save you~”
The senior student smiled, obviously joking.
However, Meng Huan stood quietly where he was, his throat rolling under his fair skin, his delicate eyebrows and eyes stained with shadows under the sun, and he looked a little dazed.
What happened……
Why… am I the only one who came back?
Meng Huan has been absent-minded these days.
At the comic convention, he watched his senior hang up Lin Bozhou’s poster, and then he went behind the stall to stare blankly.
The school animation club required Meng Huan to attend the comic exhibition, but he was not very interested and sat on a small stool browsing his phone.
In my ears, I could hear the idle chatter of the members.
“It has to be our great artist Meng Huan. The poster looks just like the real person. You can see there is no technique involved, it’s all emotion. I especially like this character design, with the white veil covering his eyes. It looks good, a standard of beauty, strength and tragedy!”
“You are such a good painter, why don’t you draw another protagonist?”
“I don’t know. He said he was tired and didn’t want to paint.”
“Fine.”
“…”
The two people who were talking were chatting at the stall. They wore the protagonist’s clothes and raped Meng Huan in front of him.
“Our poster is really amazing. Everyone should stop and take a look—” Senior Zhang was just eating melon seeds when she suddenly stopped talking, “Fuck! Handsome guy!”
“What?! Handsome guy?!!”
“Where are the handsome guys!”
“Point it out to me quickly!”
Senior Zhang stopped cracking melon seeds and held the junior’s face with both hands, moving towards the center of the convention until their eyes locked: “Did you see this handsome guy?”
The junior student opened his mouth suddenly: “So handsome…”
The air seemed to stop flowing.
Not only them, many people noticed the tall figure under the stage. They turned their eyes back and pointed at the figure with suppressed excitement.
The young man was standing with an extremely tall posture, wearing a crimson imperial robe of the Ming Dynasty, with colorful pythons and dragons coiled on his shoulders and front, and a gold-painted jade belt around his waist. His clothes were particularly eye-catching and extremely luxurious in the boiling crowd.
“Damn, I don’t know which store made this dress. It must have cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
“Only tens of thousands? You’re dreaming. This is made with great craftsmanship!”
The young man stood upright, his slender fingers hidden in the wide sleeves of his robe, revealing a little bit of his fingertips. He tilted his head, the lines from the bridge of his nose to his jaw were handsome and clear, his eyes were slightly raised, his eyebrows seemed a little strange, and he looked around with his deep eyes.
“Who is this handsome guy s?”
When I was at a loss for words, a voice suddenly said:
“Why do I feel like, he fucks Lin Bozhou?”
“……………………”
“Damn, it seems to be true!” Senior Zhang jumped up from her chair. “Is there another big shot in our circle?”
Everyone stared at him nervously: “Let’s see if he will come over first. If he does, it must be him.”
On the other side, Lin Bozhou stood in the crowd, and heard noisy and chaotic voices in his ears, “Love and hate are just a moment, raise a glass to the moon—” like a mixed performance of multiple instruments. He followed the sound with his eyes and saw a dark square object with a taut net that was constantly vibrating.
——So many sounds actually came out of this small black box.
Like a witchcraft.
He lowered his eyes and then shifted his gaze. The stage, the lights, and the pedestrians coming and going in strange costumes were reflected in his eyes. First of all, he could see that these were all people, not monsters. Secondly, he could see that they were very different from himself.
Lin Bozhou turned his head and looked around calmly. He didn’t know why he came to this place.
The monk asked him to feed blood. After that, he felt tired, so he hugged Meng Huan and closed his eyes to rest.
Who would have thought that I would just fall asleep and when I opened my eyes again, I would find myself in this noisy place.
But these people were smiling freely and looking unrestrained, and their behaviors were somewhat similar to Meng Huan’s, which made him wonder, maybe… Meng Huan came from this place?
Lin Bozhou paced and continued to move forward. When he approached a small stall, he saw a group of teenagers sitting there, all of them shouting excitedly: “He’s coming! He’s coming! He’s coming! Fuck!”
There was a faint shadow under Lin Bozhou’s eyes. As he glanced over, this group of people seemed to be about the same age as Meng Huan.
He didn’t pay much attention to it and continued walking forward when he didn’t find Meng Huan. However, his attention was suddenly attracted by a huge portrait.
The painting showed a man in white, kneeling in front of a Buddhist temple and chanting, his eyes covered by a white veil. The white veil was stained with blood, and the Buddhist beads were also stained with blood, dripping from his fingers, but his entire body, including his clothes, was white and clean, without a speck of dust.
The painting is exquisite, and the lines are drawn with great care.
Lin Bozhou paused and looked directly at the portrait.
……found it.
After a moment, he raised his lips slightly, and a smile like ice and snow melting now appeared between his eyebrows.
He turned and looked at the group of teenagers.
Several people had dazed expressions. They felt that the person in front of them was not OCS. The steady and calm steps and the drooping eyebrows made him look like a true emperor.
Zhang Xuejie licked her lower lip and asked nervously, “Handsome guy, are you looking for us?”
Lin Bozhou raised his hand and pointed: “Excuse me, who painted this?”
“This poster,” Senior Zhang quickly patted the vice president beside her, “Where’s Meng Huan? Where’s Huan Bao? Go find him! Find him!”
“Oh, oh, ok, I saw him just now,” the vice president looked around, “He seemed to be hiding in the back playing with his phone, let me go check it out.”
He shouted at the top of his voice: “Meng Huan! Meng Huan! Meng-Huan—”
It seems to shake my heart and lungs out.
At the end of his long note, a soft, light note was heard.
“Are you here, huh?”
The curtain was pulled open by a white hand, and a dark head emerged. Meng Huan’s hair was soft and drowsy, hanging beside his ears, his eyes were dark and moist, he seemed to be awakened from his sleep: “What’s wrong——”
The word “了” has not been finished yet.
Meng Huan turned his gaze and saw Lin Bozhou’s figure before him.
He was stunned for two seconds, and then he pulled aside the curtain with one hand and rushed forward, ready to throw himself into Lin Bozhou’s arms and call out “husband”, but suddenly he was taken back by shame, and he paused and stopped his steps abruptly –
“boom—”
The tip of her nose bumped against his.
But he was immediately embraced by the hand under the big sleeves.
The breath was warm, and the corners of Lin Bozhou’s lips slightly raised.
“Is Huanhuan really here?”
Meng Huan’s heart was beating fast, and it made him feel hot all over. He looked up, and his eyes were slightly red, probably because of the pain in the tip of his nose: “You are here too? I thought you didn’t come.”
Lin Bozhou smiled and was about to speak.
Behind them, Senior Zhang asked in a dazed voice: “Do you two know each other?”
“…………”
Meng Huan suddenly came back to his senses from the sensational atmosphere of the couple’s reunion, his face turned pale, and he licked his lower lips: “Yeah, yes, I know him.”
“Who is this?” Senior Zhang smiled admiringly at the handsome guy.
Meng Huan grabbed Lin Bozhou’s sleeve and pointed: “My friend.”
“Hmm? I know your interpersonal relationships very well. When did you get such a handsome friend?”
She is right.
Meng Huan suddenly came back to his senses.
Not long after I entered college, I joined an animation club and hung out every day. I had a very good relationship with senior Zhang. She knew best where her friends came from.
Meng Huan swallowed and said nervously: “Internet, netizens.”
Lin Bozhou was puzzled: “Huh?”
Meng Huan gently pinched his fingers, signaling him not to speak.
He coughed. “I have known him for more than a year, and today is the first time he came to see me. Didn’t I draw posters for a comic convention these days? After he heard about it, he s—no, he came wearing this outfit.”
QAQ.
You must never say that Lin Bozhou was transformed from a character in a novel into a living person!
Zhang Xuejie was skeptical: “Oh, since you are your friend, why don’t you stay with us to watch the stall? Let’s go have a meal together later?”
“Forget it,” the longer he stayed, the more flaws he found. Meng Huan said, “He didn’t have breakfast and is very hungry now. Should I take him to eat first? Or can we find another time to get together?”
Zhang Xuejie didn’t stop him: “Okay, you can’t go back on your word.”
Meng Huan nodded sincerely, then took Lin Bozhou’s hand and ran towards a place with fewer people.
There were many glances from all around, and many exclamations.
“Help! This cosplayer is amazing!”
“You’re so handsome! This outfit looks great too!!!”
“Oh my god, this temperament is that of a real emperor, right? He doesn’t look like a shrew at all!”
Meng Huan’s scalp tingled and he turned his head to look at Lin Bozhou. He had to admit that the genuine imperial robes were extremely eye-catching. It was fine inside the comic convention, but when he walked out of the convention venue, even passers-by showed expressions of amazement.
“Is this the emperor’s dragon robe?”
“This guy is quite creative in his dressing style.”
The farther away from the venue, the more it seemed to passers-by that they were looking at strange costumes.
“…”
Meng Huan stopped walking.
Sweat formed on his palms. He looked up and saw that Lin Bozhou didn’t seem to care about what the passerby said. His eyes were dark and he stared at him intently, as if he had a lot of questions to ask.
Meng Huan’s forehead was sweaty, his black hair stuck to his fair forehead, and sweat dripped from the tip of his chin: “Husband… change your clothes first.”
There is a fashion store next to it.
Meng Huan led him in.
Lin Bozhou realized that he was out of place and followed him in.
“What kind of clothes would you like to see?” The salesgirl wasn’t particularly surprised. This place was close to the anime venue, so they had all kinds of clothes.
Meng Huan fiddled with the hangers with his fingers: “Take a T-shirt and a pair of pants – oh, do you have men’s underwear?”
The salesgirl nodded: “Yes.”
She led Meng Huan and Lin Bozhou inside: “In this line.”
Meng Huan walked straight in, and as he walked, he realized that the footsteps beside him seemed to pause slightly.
In front of me is a men’s underwear store. The boxes are printed with a man’s waist, abdomen and thighs, with the part covered by underwear in the middle. The wheat-colored waist muscles are strong and the thighs are firm, which is very visually impactful.
“…” Meng Huan realized it and turned around, “Hey…”
He blinked.
How should I explain to Lin Bozhou that this revealing picture is simply about selling underwear and is not a pornographic picture?
Lin Bozhou looked down for a while, then closed his lips again. He was extremely calm and composed, and had a strong ability to accept things. He probably understood that this might be some phenomenon in Meng Huan’s world.
It is also mentioned in the books of strange stories, such as the sea city of Rakshasa. Different countries have very different customs.
In front of the salesgirl, Meng Huan couldn’t explain, so he took a box with one hand and said, “This is it.”
The salesgirl looked at the size of the underwear, then looked at Meng Huan: “Handsome boy, this box may be a little big for you…” He said very tactfully, “It may be a little big for you.”
“It’s okay,” Meng Huan pointed at Lin Bozhou and said without hesitation: “It’s not me who wears it, it’s him, no problem, this one is suitable—”
The sound stopped abruptly.
Meng Huan suddenly realized something.
The salesgirl looked at him, then at Lin Bozhou, with a look of confusion: “Oh. So –“
“…”
The back of Meng Huan’s ears suddenly turned red. He pursed his lips, feeling a little speechless.
However, Lin Bozhou raised the corners of his lips.
Meng Huan: “Do you understand?”
He smiled: “Yeah, I understand.”
“…”
Can he understand this kind of obscene chat?
Meng Huan stuffed the box of underwear into his hands: “You can take it yourself.”
He walked to the front and took the selected T-shirt and pants: “Go to the fitting room and put them on.”
The salesgirl brought a bag and said, “Put your changed clothes in the bag and take them away.”
Meng Huan took the bag: “Thank you.”
Lin Bozhou glanced at the salesgirl for a second and asked thoughtfully, “Are there no gender restrictions here?”
“Yes, but not too many,” Meng Huan said. “Everyone can work and make money.”
Lin Bozhou: “Really?”
Walk into the locker room.
Suddenly entering a place where there were no outsiders and only the two of them, Meng Huan’s tense nerves relaxed and he felt less nervous.
Hot sweat broke out from his forehead and face, wetting some of his black hair. His face turned slightly red, and his lips also turned slightly red. When he breathed, a few wisps of the fragrance of lavender shower gel floated from his ears and neck.
Meng Huan put his fingers on his collar: “You definitely don’t know how to wear this outfit. I’ll teach you.”
He stood on tiptoe and got very close.
Their breath brushed against each other’s noses.
Lin Bozhou reached out and hugged his waist, holding him slightly forward, and looked at him with his dark eyes: “Huanhuan came from here?”
“Um.”
Meng Huan was quite used to the atmosphere of an old couple. He let Lin Bozhou hug him while he concentrated on taking off his clothes.
“Why didn’t you call me husband just now?”
At this point, Meng Huan looked at him seriously: “That’s it…”
He twirled his slender, white fingers gently: “This name is a bit…outdated for us.”
“Outdated?”
Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows slightly and paused: “Then if you want to press Huanhuan, you can call me husband.”
Meng Huan blushed and said anxiously: “This is even worse.”
“why not?”
Lin Bozhou’s hand was placed on his waist and pressed into his arms, like a young couple whispering to each other, very intimate.
When Lin Bozhou asked him, his fingertips stroked Meng Huan’s soft short hair, then moved down to her white earlobe, pinching and rubbing it.
The earlobes are white and tender, and turn bright red when touched.
“Woo…”
To be honest, when Meng Huan returned to his original world, he felt a strange sense of shame again.
He felt like a little lamb caught in a tiger’s mouth. He put his hand against Lin Bozhou and put his ears back: “No, I just became an adult here. I’m still quite young.”
Lin Bozhou seemed to smile: “Really?”
“Yeah!” Seeing that there was hope of getting rid of this shameful name, Meng Huan nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, “I’m only eighteen years old. It’s not solemn to call me hubby. People will gossip about me if they hear it. Besides, you can only call me hubby after you get married.”
“marry?”
“It means getting married.”
“Aren’t we married?”
“Marriage over there doesn’t count. Here you need to get a marriage certificate. Only after you get a marriage certificate can you be considered married.”
Lin Bozhou seemed to pause for a moment, his eyebrows and eyes were a little shadowed, and his expression was thoughtful.
He held Meng Huan tightly in his arms, rubbing their wrists out of his sleeves. After they got too warm, he could smell the scent of sandalwood lingering on his body.
Lin Bozhou responded, not quite understanding, “So, I am no longer Huanhuan’s husband.”
“…”
There seemed to be something else in his voice.
Meng Huan opened his lower lip: “This…”
Lin Bozhou’s voice was as bland as boiled water: “My husband is old, and it was not easy for us to get married and settle down the family affairs. But when we came here, we are no longer husband and wife, and I am a widower again?”
“…”
That’s not what he meant.
Meng Huan could tell that Lin Bozhou was not complaining, but just joking because he thought it was funny, but he felt as if a needle was pricking his heart.
How could we not feel sympathy for him? The latest marriage age for most men was 20 years old, but Lin Bozhou was still unmarried at the age of 26 or 27. If people knew about this, everyone would laugh at him. He was considered a very abnormal man.
An old virgin, so pitiful QAQ.
When I was not around, he would have to take cold showers even in the cold winter, right?
Meng Huan’s heart softened immediately, and she pulled at his collar: “No, I’m still your wife.”
“Hmm?” Lin Bozhou leaned over and put his nose close.
Meng Huan stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips: “That’s right, I am your wife in private, but not in front of outsiders. It’s not good to be seen by others.”
“Really?” Lin Bozhou smiled.
Meng Huan kissed him again, like a husband who was about to go out to work to give his wife a sense of security, and said seriously: “We have been married for more than a year. I really have feelings for you. I will not abandon you just because I come back here, and I will not cancel our marriage relationship.”
Lin Bozhou’s eyes were calm, as if he was suppressing something.
The corners of his lips curled slightly: “What do you mean by privately?”
Meng Huan thought for a moment: “For example, now——”
When it’s just the two of us.
The words were still stuck in his throat when a shadow suddenly fell in front of his eyes, accompanied by a warm breath.
Lin Bozhou stuck out his tongue and licked his lips gently.
“Well……”
The tip of the man’s tongue was soft, hot and wet. When he licked her, Meng Huan’s lips felt slightly itchy and her waist softened a little.
“As long as in private, my husband and Huanhuan are husband and wife,” Lin Bozhou spoke word by word in a very low voice.
“Can we do things as a couple?”
Meng Huan whimpered, unable to break free from his embrace around her waist, so she had no choice but to pull at his collar: “No, no, this is outside…”
It’s no use saying this.
He pulled open Lin Bozhou’s scarlet robe, and the python dragon was no longer neat, revealing the sexy collarbone and streamlined shoulders at the neck. His eyebrows were covered with a faint shadow, and his line of sight dropped to form an oppressive triangle, looking down at the boy in front of him from above.
While listening to Meng Huan’s soft and defiant whimpers, he then hugged him by the waist and leaned over to kiss him, making Meng Huan breathless.
“If you yell, I won’t kiss you anymore.”
Lin Bozhou’s voice was hoarse, and he gently stroked Meng Huan’s swollen red lips with his fingertips.
Meng Huan curled up her paws, feeling extremely ashamed: “What are you calling me…husband…”
“As you say, call me husband.” Lin Bozhou raised his eyebrows.
“…”
Hateful.
Lin Bozhou hates qwq the most.
Meng Huan’s face turned red to her ears, but she couldn’t resist. She lowered her head, her thin white fingers trembling: “Husband…”
It’s thin and soft, like a cat’s scratch.
Lin Bozhou smiled and pinched Meng Huan’s face with his fingers.
“…” Meng Huan’s face turned red because of his pinching. He raised his head and said seriously, “Stop pinching my face.”
“Okay.” Lin Bozhou released his fingers.
He looked at Meng Huan with his dark eyebrows and eyes, his mind was clear and he seemed to be in a good mood.
“Huanhuan.” He suddenly spoke.
The figure of the young boy in Da Zong and the figure of the young boy now spanned countless time and space, and the warmth and shadow overlapped again.
The tone is extremely joyful.
“I found you again.”
YOU ARE READING
Transmigrated as the Regent's Runaway Wife
RomanceTitle: 穿成摄政王的侍爱逃妻 Author: 若星若辰 The regent of the Grand Clan, Lin Bozhou, appears to be bright and clear on the surface, but is so dirty and disgusting in his back. A great traitor should be punished by everyone. On this day, a sedan chair carried Me...
