An Empire as a Betrothal Gift

“Are you imploring us to personally feed you?”

In Yangxin Palace Hall, each furnishing was exquisitely and artistically arranged, adorned with priceless ornaments of every kind. The toasty warmth radiating from the underground tunnels kept the room temperature like spring, even across the seasons.

Wei Lian's residence, the Qingzhu Pavilion, appeared all the more shabby and shameful in comparison.

Palace maids parted the beaded curtain. Ji Yue entered the bed-chamber with Wei Lian in his embrace, lifted the privacy veil, and placed him on the Imperial Bed.

Upon touching the soft bed, Wei Lian melted into it, not only reluctant to get up, but also sorely tempted to roll around in it.

What a divine life the Qin Emperor led.

That tiny wooden bed in Qingzhu Pavilion was rock hard, and it was uncomfortable to even change sleeping positions. Even if the words were left unspoken, Wei Lian had already complained about it in his mind for ages.

Wei Lian felt dizzy, possibly having caught a cold from the wind. After all, it would make no sense that he was completely fine after having knelt in the snow for a prolonged period of time.

He didn't know how he looked to the Qin Emperor now.

Ji Yue was being treated to a stunning rendition of beauty.

The beauty's eyes were shut, framed by long eyelashes and a flush riding high on his cheeks. His fine black hair was scattered on the bed, and his slender fingers unconsciously clutched the brocade quilt. His brows were creased, appearing both resilient and fragile.

He was the epitome of a fatally vulnerable, breathtaking beauty.

"Call for the Imperial Physician," Ji Yue instructed in a low voice.

The palace attendant bowed. "Yes, your Majesty." (palace maid but male. Idk if curtsy is the right word to use cause male but it describes bending the knees)

Ji Yue stopped him. "Also, prepare a bowl of ginger soup."

The attendant gave a start before obeying with another bow.

In the fleeting moment that he turned around, he secretly thought to himself, ‘This Wei Shijun has the devil's luck.'

In the many years of his service to the Emperor, he had never before seen him show concern for anyone.

***

In spite of the discomfort of his body, Wei Lian’s mind wasn't yet delirious from fever.

As someone brought up in the perilous environment of the inner palace, he would always make sure to keep a clear head no matter the circumstances, such that he would never be at the mercy of others.

But he still affected a delirious look, keeping both eyes scrunched shut and his posture frail.

At this moment, he didn't wish to speak to the Qin Emperor.

This would save him from having his tongue removed should he accidentally say something wrong.

With his present dizziness, his mind wasn't cogent enough to think up excuses on the fly to escape punishment.

The Imperial Physician soon arrived and felt Wei Lian's pulse.

Wei Lian had very attractive hands. His fingers were jade-like and his wrist was slender, putting any fair maiden's hands to shame.

However, what Ji Yue noticed were the calluses on Wei Lian's palm and between his thumb and index fingers.

These were the calluses of a martial arts practitioner.

Ji Yue's eyes darkened slightly.

Based on the results of his investigation, Young Master Lian wasn’t supposed to know martial arts.

Could this be an assassin that the Chu Empire had sent to kill him?

Or a spy?

***

The Imperial Physician swiftly finished his examination, his hands clasped before him as he bowed slightly to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, Wei Shijun is running a fever because of the chill that has entered his body. This humble subject can prescribe him medicine to treat it."

Ji Yue said indifferently, "Examine his knees."

The Imperial Physician froze briefly, but still rolled up Wei Lian's lower garments, revealing fair calves.

Dark bruises marred his knees, the bluish-black a ghastly sight against his snow-white skin.

The Imperial Physician was startled. This injury was obviously the result of prolonged kneeling...

The thoughts of his Majesty were inscrutable. The Imperial Physician didn't dare probe too deeply, telling Ji Yue after a brief examination, "Although severe, it's fortunate that these are only surface wounds and can be healed with ointment."

Ji Yue gave a mirthless smile. "What are you waiting for, then?"

What was the point of looking at him? Did he expect the Emperor to personally apply the medicine for someone?

The Imperial Physician hesitated. "There'll be some pain when the ointment is applied, but this can be avoided if yurong cream is used, and it will heal faster as well. This humble subject doesn't know if your Majesty..."

Yurong cream was precious and usually only used by the Emperor. It was in light of the concern that his Majesty seemed to be showing for Wei Shijun today that the Imperial Physician dared to venture this far.

The smile on Ji Yue's face didn't flicker, yet his words were scathing. "Is the hostage prince deserving of yurong cream? Even using regular ointment to treat his wounds is an honour for someone like him."

The Imperial Physician jolted. "Yes, your Majesty."

He had mistakenly assumed that his Majesty had called him over to examine Wei Shijun out of concern.

As expected, he had thought too much. Concern was an emotion for everyone but the Emperor. It was a pity for such a beauty like Wei Shijun to encounter such an emotionless monarch.

At the Imperial Physician's old age, he had several grandchildren that were around the same age as Wei Lian. However much he hated the Chu Empire, compassion involuntarily bloomed in his heart at the sight of the young man in this wretched state.

Wei Lian carefully took in all of the Imperial Physician's words with his eyes closed, mentally adding another debt to square with the Qin Emperor.

The Imperial Physician took out the ointment from his medicine bag and, with a little on his finger, he carefully touched Wei Lian's knee.

At the very moment of contact, pain shot through Wei Lian, and his furrowed eyebrows pulled together even more tightly.

The Imperial Physician paused. But seeing that Ji Yue's expression didn't change, he gritted his teeth and continued to smear the ointment.

Wei Lian immediately whimpered. He tugged Ji Yue's sleeve, calling out unconsciously, "Mother, don't go..."

Ji Yue, who was suddenly elevated to motherhood, "..."

The Imperial Physician's hands trembled, fearing that he would be silenced by a swift death.

Ji Yue lowered his gaze and tried to take his sleeve back, but little did he expect the strength that this young man would possess even in his sickness—he wasn't able to reclaim his sleeve.

Impatient, Ji Yue wanted to forcibly shake him off, but the young man called out again in a hoarse voice, "...A-Lian really hurts."

"Mother... don't cast A-Lian aside." The dreaming young man showed an extremely vulnerable look. "I miss you...It's really unbearable..."

Ji Yue abruptly ceased his attempt to toss him off.

He let Wei Lian keep tugging his sleeve, coldly commanding the Imperial Physician, "Use yurong cream, have him shut his mouth."

The Imperial Physician nodded, "...Yes, your Majesty."

Did he just witness the birth of the Emperor's nemesis???

***

As promised, yurong cream was painless and worked quickly. After it was used, Wei Lian no longer called out in pain, and the hand that caught the Qin Emperor's sleeve also let go.

While the pain induced by the ointment was within Wei Lian's capabilities to endure, why did he have to when it could clearly be a painless process? Wei Lian had learned from a young age that he had to treat himself well and fight for any benefits for himself.

If he could irk the Qin Emperor just by calling for his 'mother', he was more than happy to rise to the occasion.

It was no more than an act. Wei Lian was very proficient in this trade.

He had long maxed out his skill-points on ‘Acting Improvisation’ in the Chu Empire's royal court.

With yurong cream, the discolouration of his knees visibly receded, and he would be well again with a day or two’s rest.

After applying the medicinal cream, the Imperial Physician bowed and excused himself, leaving the two of them alone in the space.

Ji Yue focused his attention on the young man in bed and his eyes held a mocking glint.

He had investigated Young Master Lian. He knew that Wei Lian's birth mother had died early, and so he only had an adoptive mother, Noble Consort Yan, who also conceived Young Master Yan.

Young Master Yan was ninth in line and born after Young Master Lian. Ji Yue didn't even have to think to know for what reason Noble Consort Yan had taken in Wei Lian. Needless to say, it was to keep an heir by her side. When she later birthed her own son, the adoptive son lost his worth—Wei Lian wouldn't have been sent over as an outcast of the Chu Empire otherwise.

Yet, the young man still yearned for this woman.

And it was hard to tell if he was really a fool, or simply faking it.

The ginger soup was brought over during his musings, and the medicine was still being boiled. Ji Yue supported the young man up, heartlessly pouring the whole bowl of ginger soup down his throat.

Cough cough... Wei Lian was unable to keep up the act in the face of this insensitivity. He instantly pretended to come to consciousness, coughing heavily.

...Even if he wasn't already awake, he'd have to be. With how boorishly the Qin Emperor was pouring the liquid, it was clear that he intended for him to choke to death.

"You're finally awake." Ji Yue gave a superficial smile. "Drink the ginger soup yourself."

The young man gazed at him dazedly, his expression stunned. "YouCasual 'you', without any honourifics. are..."

He wasn't lucid yet, after all.

Ji Yue coldly commanded, "Drink. If you don't drink it you can get out and kneel for another four hours."

The young man started and his expression looked a bit aggrieved, but he still obediently took the bowl, finishing the ginger soup in one go, as though truly afraid that Ji Yue would punish him to kneel again.

He was astoundingly attractive. Even when downing the soup in large gulps, his movements were still elegant and refined. A little bit of soup got onto the corners of his lips, which he carefully licked away with his tongue, like a lazy and cute cat.

Ji Yue's mouth abruptly went dry at the sight.

Just then, a palace attendant came in with the bowl of medicine, saying, "Your Majesty, the medicine has been prepared."

Ji Yue took the bowl. "Leave."

"Yes, your Majesty."

When the palace attendant withdrew, Ji Yue turned around only to see the young man recoiling back in fear. "I refuse to drink it!"

Ji Yue narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

There had never been anyone who dared to say no to the Qin Emperor.

The young man shook his head, hugging his knees and shrinking to the head of the bed. "I can smell the medicine...it's bitter, I don't want to drink it."

Ji Yue menaced, "Drink it or kneel."

The young man still shook his head. "I refuse."

Ji Yue's voice chilled. "Eight hours."

Eight hours. That was tantamount to kneeling the whole night.

The rims of the young man's eyes reddened. "Then I'll keep kneeling! I'd rather kneel to death than to drink this."

Ji Yue almost snorted in rage.

He didn't know if Wei Lian got this childish temper when sick, but the way he was behaving now was poles apart from the gentle and quiet young man he met in the day.

The fever must have turned his mind into paste.

***

Wei Lian's mind, in fact, wasn't paste, nor was drinking medicine beyond him.

He had endured all types of hardships before, how could this one bowl of medicine really frighten him?

He was merely acting out within an acceptable range.

He had to keep on his toes when his mind was lucid. Only at times like this could he show a different facade to appeal to the Qin Emperor.

Concurrently, Wei Lian was also sounding out the limits of what the Qin Emperor would tolerate from him, in order to gain a greater degree of freedom for himself in the future.

Once going past this limit, he would naturally know to stop when he saw fit.

Now it appeared that...this seemed well-suited to the Qin Emperor’s tastes.

At least, he didn't actually get him to keep kneeling outside.

***

"With your behaviour, are you imploring usThe self-address that the emperor uses in this novel is 孤, which means orphaned, alone, solitary—as the emperor is orphaned by the throne. This is conveyed by using the royal we/us/our for the emperor when he is using this royal self-address. Whereas if he uses the usual first-person pronoun [我], it'll be I/me/my. to personally feed you?" Ji Yue asked.

Wei Lian stayed silent.

He didn't believe the Qin Emperor would be so kind.

Sure enough, Ji Yue's next sentence was, "Since you're not drinking the medicine, then there's no purpose in keeping your tongue. We may as well have it removed."

Wei Lian, "..."

He just knew it.

He didn't dare to keep testing the bottom line.

He had a hunch that if he kept up the act, the smiling Qin Emperor would really change his tune and have his tongue removed.

He was born with an attractive face but had the heart of a venomous scorpion.

Wei Lian affected a frightened look, and, with bitterness written all over his face, he picked up the spoon and finished the medicine in tiny, tiny sips.

He desperately polished it off the moment he could see the base of the bowl. "Look, I finished it."

Ji Yue softly hummed, giving Wei Lian a candied fruit that he had prepared earlier.

Wei Lian, ‘Hah, after dealing me a blow, do you really think a candied fruit is enough to appease my resolve to kill you?’

Wei Lian, "One isn't enough. I want a plate."

Ji Yue gave a start, then began quietly chuckling in delight soon after.

"The way you are now is much more interesting than before."

Wei Lian, turning it over in his head, ‘So the Qin Emperor likes this type?’

The slightly silly and sweet type?

No problem, he could run with that.

Wei Lian solemnly gazed at Ji Yue, "So, is there more?"

Ji Yue, smiling, "Yes."

"But you have to take a bath first before you can have it."

A warm bath was necessary to rid the chill from his frozen body.

Wei Lian said obediently, "All right."