Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 372 Accepting the Intention
"Your Highness, the medicine has arrived!"

Just then, a voice rang out, breaking the brief silence of the inner hall.

Li Zhao looked in the direction of the sound.

Xiao Zhao walked in quickly, carrying a steaming tray.

Tian Shu followed closely behind, his steps steady, his robes fluttering with a slightly bitter chill, like an ancient sword with its edge concealed, its sharpness all the more piercing.

"Your Highness," Tian Shu said, turning his gaze to the person on the bed, "the medicine has been prepared and should be taken while it's hot."

"Dr. Shu..." Upon hearing the voice, Xue Sui struggled to sit up.

Tian Shu slowly walked to the bedside, nodded slightly to her, and said succinctly, "Keep your mind calm and don't overthink things."

"Hmm." Xue Sui winked at him.

The two looked at each other without saying a word; a single glance conveyed a thousand words.

There was a closeness and familiarity in their eyes that no one else could penetrate; it was a trust that could be entrusted to someone after going through life and death together.

Li Zhao's hand tightened slightly.

He saw the sudden gleam in Xue Sui's eyes, filled with joy for Tian Shu.

A strange and subtle emotion, like the strong, bitter taste of medicine, lingered in his throat, stuck there, impossible to swallow or spit out, burning his heart...

"Miss, the medicine is at the perfect temperature." Xiao Zhao placed the medicine bowl on the small table beside the couch.

Just as Tian Shu was about to pick up the bowl, a long, strong hand took it from him steadily.

"I'll feed her..."

This action was so natural that it startled Tian Shu slightly, a fleeting look of surprise crossing his eyes.

Li Zhao sat down on the edge of the couch without changing his expression. He held the medicine bowl steadily in one hand and picked up a small silver spoon in the other. He gently blew on it, creating a small swirl of the dark brown medicine. After the heat dissipated slightly, he tasted it himself before scooping up a spoonful and bringing it to Xue Sui's lips.

"Here, drink."

A tall figure loomed over them.

The spoon was handed to him, leaving no room for refusal.

Xue Sui glanced at Tian Shu, seeing him standing to the side expressionless, then looked at Li Zhao, who was also emotionless, standing close by, and felt a strange unease...

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness..."

She had no strength to argue, so she obediently opened her mouth and let the bitter medicine, which made her scalp tingle, slide down her throat with difficulty...

so bitter!

It felt like swallowing a lump of burning coals, burning from the throat down to the stomach.

Spoon after spoonful, Li Zhao fed the baby silently and patiently.

Only when the medicine bowl was empty did he let out a barely audible sigh of relief, hand the empty bowl to Xiao Zhao, and then take a silk handkerchief to carefully wipe away the medicine stains on the corner of her lips.

"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked.

Fine beads of cold sweat trickled down Xue Sui's forehead. The medicinal power, like red-hot silver needles, coursed through her meridians, bringing waves of pain... But strangely, the heavy feeling deep within her lungs seemed to have been broken open by the potent medicine, granting her a sliver of clarity. Though still weak, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Thank goodness... I guess I'm... not going to die."

She leaned against the thick, soft pillow, breathing slightly, and looked towards Tian Shu.

"Dr. Shu, how is my mother?"

"Life or death hangs by a thread," Tian Shu replied succinctly.

Looking at her pale face, Li Zhao's eyes flashed with pity. "Don't worry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you and your mother an explanation."

Xue Sui's heart skipped a beat.

She knew that when Li Zhao uttered the words "confess," it was no ordinary form of punishment. It was a reckoning more terrifying than death.

"What does Your Highness intend to do?" she pressed.

Li Zhao did not answer directly.

He stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow in the candlelight.

"Take good care of yourself. The woman I want to marry is not a sickly, bedridden woman." Xue Sui's eyelids twitched slightly, and he glanced awkwardly at Tian Shu.

Tian Shu remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything.

"..."

The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment.

Li Zhao left those words behind, no longer looking at her, and turned to walk towards Tian Shu, his voice regaining its usual calm and steady tone.

"I trouble you, Dr. Shu, to look after her for a moment. I have some trivial matters to attend to and will be right back."

Tian Shu didn't say anything more, only nodded slightly: "It's my duty. Your Highness, please proceed."
-
The atmosphere inside the East Palace was so oppressive it was suffocating.

When Li Zhao coldly stepped into the palace gate, Mei Ruhui had already been waiting for a long time.

"Your Highness..."

His expression was solemn, and he bowed deeply.

"Minister of Rites He, Minister of Justice Xie, Minister of Personnel Yuan, Censor Wang of the Censorate, and several senior officials from the imperial clan, upon hearing that Your Highness has placed Miss Miaozhen...Sixth Miss Xue in the Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters, have stated that this action violates palace rules and ancestral regulations and is improper. They are currently kneeling outside the palace, weeping and banging their heads on the ground...Please, Your Highness...quickly move Miss Xue Sixth Miss out of the Eastern Palace to quell the controversy..."

Li Zhao didn't even lift his eyelids, and slowly picked up the teacup.

"I'm busy saving lives, I don't have time to listen to these clichés."

“Your Highness…” Mei Ruhui’s forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his tone full of admonition, “What the officials say is not entirely without reason! After all, Master Miaozhen is… a nun, and also a woman. Her current residence in the Eastern Palace is detrimental to Your Highness’s reputation… Moreover, His Majesty is seriously ill, and Your Highness has transferred all the imperial physicians to the Eastern Palace… It’s inevitable… It’s inevitable that some people with ulterior motives will take the opportunity to stir up trouble, questioning Your Highness’s lack of consideration for the greater good and his indulgence in personal feelings…”

He carefully chose his words, his anxiety barely concealed.

Li Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression turning cold.

“Then tell them that if they dare to make a disturbance at the East Palace again, they will be beaten to death.”

Two words, seemingly casual, yet carrying a weight heavier than a thousand pounds.

Mei Ruhui suddenly looked up at Li Zhao, and for a moment forgot what to say.

"Your Highness! You mustn't..."

"Step down," Li Zhao said, raising his hand to interrupt him.

“You have followed me for many years, so you should understand my intentions. The person I am sitting here today is not just Xue Ping’an, but also myself.”

His gaze was sharp, as if trying to pierce through the heavy palace doors.

"These officials in the court, all claiming to be upright and honest, are only interested in seeking fame and reputation. They are always putting on a show and using rules to intimidate others. Today, I will let them know what it means to uphold the law and discipline, and what it means to have the authority of the Crown Prince... Using killing to stop slander is not a bad idea."

Mei Ruhui's heart trembled violently, and a chill instantly crept up his spine.

"Even if... even if we want to protect her, we must be mindful of the methods. Otherwise... it's illegitimate and improper, and it will be detrimental to Miaozhen... to Miss Xue Liu... and bring her no benefit whatsoever. Public opinion can be as powerful as a boat, Your Highness..."

"If the name is not righteous, then the words will not be proper?" Li Zhao's lips curled into a cold smile. "Then let the Ministry of Rites immediately draft the regulations, choose an auspicious day, and I will announce it to the ancestral temple and proclaim it to the world..."

He paused.

He spoke each word very slowly and heavily.

"Marry her."

Mei Ruhui was struck dumb, and cried out in shock, "Your Highness!"

Li Zhao stopped looking at him, sat steadily on the rosewood chair, picked up the wolf-hair brush, and wrote a powerful stroke on the paper. His voice was calm, yet carried the power to settle the world: "With the rites due to a Crown Princess, welcome Xue Shi Sui into the Eastern Palace. In this way, is it perfectly legitimate?"

Mei Ruhui's mind went blank, and he froze on the spot.

He knew this prince all too well.

The calm at this moment is more chilling than a thunderous rage.

That's it!

That's enough!
Mei Ruhui took a deep breath and quickly bowed.

"Yes! I understand. I will go and persuade the gentlemen to leave."

　Xue Sui: So willful?
　　Li Zhao: Willful!
　　(End of this chapter)