Chapter 401

"What kind of nonsense is he spouting?"

On the glazed formation wall, the conversation between Heng Xian and a group of noblewomen was clearly displayed.

On one side were the Emperor's beaded curtains, the kneeling Eunuch Jia, and...

Her Highness the Chang Gongzhu, dressed in luxurious brocade and looking magnificent!

Consort De, in her imperial consort's crown and robes, with her hair styled in a consort's bun and adorned with gold and jade hairpins!

The Empress, in her phoenix robes and crown, looking majestic and solemn!

And Ji Yaoyue's two sisters, who were already married.

It was Consort De who had spoken.

As the biological mother of Princess Taiping and Heng Xian's own mother-in-law, she had just been nodding frequently at her son-in-law's good looks, but now she was completely bewildered.

She couldn't understand a word of it!

"Hmm..."

No one answered, because no one else had understood either.

"It's like a noblewoman; after fifty, it's inevitable that her beauty will fade, and she will be on the decline!"

"Then what can be done to prevent the aging of one's appearance?"

The conversation next door continued.

"I cannot understand a single word of what this Heng Xian is saying!" the traditional, majestic Empress, who could not tolerate any flaws, finally couldn't help but say.

Once the Empress had spoken, everyone around her breathed a sigh of relief. Ah! So the Empress didn't understand either!

Ji Yaoyue's sister said, "Indeed! Has he not read many books..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the room.

The "sister" realized she had said the wrong thing, and her expression froze: "W-what's wrong?"

Eunuch Jia replied cautiously: "Young Master Heng is a Shī Shèng!"

"Ah?"

The "sister" finally reacted: "The one who wrote 'I invite you to ascend the Lingxiao Pavilion for a while; which scholar would not want to be a lord of ten thousand households'?"

Eunuch Jia gave a bitter smile: "Yes!"

The "sister" covered her mouth.

The Chang Gongzhu smiled faintly and looked behind the beaded curtains: "Perhaps he takes this summons from the Emperor too seriously and is speaking in an ancient language? After all, a Shī Shèng must surely be well-read and full of wisdom!

He must be speaking of ancient figures!"

There was silence behind the beaded curtains for a moment, then a reply: "Good!"

Once the Chang Gongzhu and the Emperor had expressed their stance, everyone else went back to listening to Heng Xian's "nonsense," and it felt quite different!

Slowly, they couldn't help but reveal a trace of inferiority!

Since we are uncultured and don't understand, we cannot blame Heng Xian.

Thus, a faint, confident smile appeared on Consort De's lips again.

The Empress sighed and looked at Consort De: "If he comes to pay his respects to me, please tell him, sister, that I am shallow in learning, so he should not speak so profoundly; it would be better to talk about the trivial matters of ordinary people!"

Consort De chuckled: "Yes!"

When the conversation on the other side finally drew to a close.

The Empress was the first to take her leave.

Subsequently, Consort De and the several married princesses left one after another.

Finally, only the Chang Gongzhu and the Emperor remained.

The Chang Gongzhu stood up, a strange smile on her face, looking like a young, mischievous girl: "Brother, if this man cannot marry Yaoyue, bestow him upon me as a lover; I like him very much!"

Eunuch Jia was startled and quickly touched his head to the ground.

There was a moment of silence behind the beaded curtains, then a reply: "Absurd!"

The Chang Gongzhu pouted, acting somewhat spoiled: "Brother, you have three thousand beauties in your harem, why should I only have one husband? Didn't you reward me with eight handsome young men before? I got tired of them, so I had them killed!"

Silence returned behind the beaded curtains: "Understood, go back now!"

Only then did the Chang Gongzhu turn and leave, feeling satisfied.

Not until everyone had left did the beaded curtains slightly part, and Fei Lian's iron wheelchair turned out. He looked back and said: "The Chang Gongzhu's words are half true and half false!"

The voice behind the beaded curtains said: "Speak!"

Fei Lian said: "Wanting a lover is false. As far as I know, the eight young men Your Majesty bestowed upon her when they entered the Chang Gongzhu's mansion didn't even survive for three breaths!

But wanting Heng Xian is true; she seems genuinely interested in him!"

The voice behind the beaded curtains sounded slightly dull: "Young, handsome, and talented—who wouldn't like him? Send him in!"

"Yes!" Eunuch Jia ran out quickly.

"The relationship between Sun Wukong and Jia Baoyu is very complex; one could say they are brothers, or one could say they are the same person..."

Inside the palace, Heng Xian and the group of noblewomen had just reached this point when he saw Eunuch Jia beckoning. He stopped immediately and, amidst the resentful gazes of the noblewomen, stood up and followed him.

They left the palace and headed toward a side hall.

Once they reached a place with no one around, Heng Xian said casually: "You were peeking at me from next door, weren't you?"

Eunuch Jia was startled: "Y-you, how do you know everything?"

"I guessed!" Heng Xian said calmly.

Eunuch Jia wiped away cold sweat: "You scholars are truly terrifying!"

They soon entered the side hall. The light inside was somewhat dim, Fei Lian was gone, and only the beaded curtains remained.

Eunuch Jia hurried a few steps and knelt before the beaded curtains: "Your Majesty, Heng Xian has been brought!"

This served as an example for Heng Xian!

Heng Xian coughed lightly, walked to the beaded curtains, and bowed: "Heng Xian pays respects to Your Majesty!"

The voice behind the beaded curtains sounded slightly calm: "You are Heng Xian?"

"I am!" Heng Xian said.

"Are you ill?" the voice behind the beaded curtains asked.

"You are ill too!" Heng Xian said, glancing at the beaded curtains.

"Gah!"

This divine conversation scared Eunuch Jia so much that his head tilted, and he "fainted."

There was a long silence behind the beaded curtains before the voice said slowly: "What I meant was that your words and actions are ill. I have read all kinds of historical books and miscellaneous notes for sixty years, and I consider myself a learned person, yet I cannot understand what you are saying. Those people like Marx you mentioned are definitely not from Dongyu, and at your age, you definitely could not have left Dongyu! Is this not being ill?

You respond to me like this, which is also the crime of deceiving the Emperor, and you still want to marry the princess? Don't even think about it!"

Heng Xian cupped his hands and said: "I did not deceive the Emperor. What I meant to say is that Your Majesty is physically ill!"

Eunuch Jia "woke up" again and stared at Heng Xian in horror: "Audacious!"

Heng Xian ignored him and kept his eyes on the beaded curtains.

There was a long silence behind the beaded curtains before a question was asked: "I heard you cured Eunuch Jia's internal injuries?"

Heng Xian replied casually: "His injury was just a minor ailment!"

"Did he tell you about my physical condition?" The voice behind the beaded curtains turned cold.

"This old servant did not!" Eunuch Jia almost cried out.

Heng Xian said: "Eunuch Jia didn't say anything. It's just that I have studied medicine for a few days, and a physician focuses on looking, listening, asking, and feeling the pulse! Just now, when I walked in, I smelled a sour odor; that is the scent of human decay that cannot be controlled after a long illness!"

"Click!"

A soft sound came from behind the beaded curtains, and then the voice said: "Did you really smell it?"

Heng Xian nodded: "I smelled it!"

He had spent a year in seclusion last year and had indeed studied the "Tian Gong Kai Yi" for a few days, so he knew a little bit.

"Swish, swish..."

The beaded curtains were suddenly lifted, revealing a magnificent dragon chair inside. On the dragon chair, covered by thick quilts, lay a person who was nothing but skin and bones, whose age could not be determined, staring out with dull eyes.

Beside him, the old man Fei Lian moved his wheelchair to his side to guard him.

At this moment, the person in the quilts on the dragon chair struggled slightly: "What illness do you think I have?"

Heng Xian didn't even think: "Of course, it's poisoning!"

"Nonsense!" the Emperor and Fei Lian spoke in unison.

(End of chapter)