“How could he possibly conceive?” The gland should be underdeveloped.
Chu Yi slowly opened his eyes.
The sun was setting, and the lingering glow was fading. Candles had already been lit on the desk nearby, casting a faint light onto the thin, gold-threaded bed curtains.
Staring at the bed curtains before him, Chu Yi felt dazed, his entire mind somewhat sluggish.
Wasn’t he caught by the imperial guards and brought before the male lead? Where is he now?
A faint floral scent drifted through the surrounding air, seemingly mixed with a trace of subtle woodiness. Supporting himself on the edge of the bed, Chu Yi slowly sat up. The moment he moved, the previously soft mattress felt as though it were pricking his body with needles, especially that place.
Chu Yi let out an involuntary hiss, his brows furrowing so tightly that he had no choice but to lie back down.
The memories of noon rushed into his mind in an instant.
He had actually taken the initiative to throw himself at the male lead of the book, rolling around in a fierce and intense passionate encounter!
Chu Yi turned his head, seamlessly scanning the room for Sheng Qianheng’s figure. It seemed he wasn’t here? Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
He shifted his body slowly, attempting to alleviate some of the discomfort behind him. However, the steady sound of breathing near his ear caused Chu Yi to shudder instantly with dread; he didn’t even dare to move a single millimeter any further.
Struggling to endure the pain, Chu Yi sat up, only to be immediately pulled back into his original position by the person sleeping on the inner side of the bed.
Sensing Chu Yi’s every move, Sheng Qianheng pulled Chu Yi back into his arms purely out of instinct. “Awake? Did you sleep well? I’ll call an imperial physician to come and check on you.”
Chu Yi cautiously glanced at the male lead beside him. Wasn’t it said that this man was a tyrant? Or was this just the calm before becoming a tyrant?
Seeing that Chu Yi did not reply, Sheng Qianheng propped himself up, swiftly stepped over Chu Yi, got out of bed, dressed neatly, and called out toward the outer hall, “Send for the imperial physician.”
Only then did Chu Yi subconsciously check the clothes on his body. This tyrant shouldn’t be the type to dress others. Yet, to his surprise, the undergarment he was wearing actually fit him unexpectedly well?
Just as he prepared to get up, Sheng Qianheng supported him by the lower back and helped him sit up. Strangely enough, there was virtually no pain at the moment.
Remembering that the person before him was a tyrant, Chu Yi subconsciously shrank back. He raised his eyes with a tremor, wanting to speak but having no idea what to say.
Sheng Qianheng simply assumed that today’s actions had been too reckless, frightening Chu Yi and making it hard for him to accept all at once.
Just as he reached out to check Chu Yi’s forehead temperature, he heard someone speaking from outside the door, “Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Wang has arrived.”
Sheng Qianheng quickly pulled down the curtain to shield Chu Yi’s face, instructing him not to reveal his face or make a sound before letting the physician enter the room.
Chu Yi’s mind was still trying to puzzle out the current situation. He was a transmigrator, and before long, he would die framed by treacherous officials. For now, the tyrant was treating him quite considerately; presumably, he hadn’t yet been bewitched by wicked ministers. Judging by the plot in the book, he and the male lead could be considered close, harmonious friends. If he continued to act as an elder brother caring for the male lead, perhaps he could move him.
Perhaps he was lost in thought, for Chu Yi didn’t even notice when the imperial physician had already retreated from the room. It wasn’t until Sheng Qianheng tied the curtain back to its original place and spoke to consult with him that Chu Yi snapped back to reality. “A-Yi, what are you thinking about?”
“Your Majesty.” Fearing that a slight misstep might provoke the tyrant’s displeasure, Chu Yi deliberated repeatedly before answering, “Your subject knows that handling the sacrificial ceremony improperly almost caused Your Majesty to meet with danger. Your subject is willing to resign from the position of Regent, and hopes Your Majesty will grant this request!”
Sheng Qianheng’s brows furrowed tightly. He never expected that Chu Yi’s first words would be about the sacrificial ceremony, completely ignoring what the imperial physician had said.
“You want to resign?”
Chu Yi nodded. “Having committed a grave mistake, punishment is naturally in order, and your subject willingly accepts it. As for the matter between Your Majesty and me, your subject will pretend it never happened.”
“Hah, Chu Yi!” Sheng Qianheng gnashed his teeth. “You resigning means you want to distance yourself from me? I have always considered myself to have treated you well!”
The moment Sheng Qianheng finished speaking, the massive bedchamber fell into dead silence, save for the faint sound of their two breaths.
Sensing the unyielding majesty in those words, Chu Yi could not help but swallow nervously. Maintaining the same posture for too long, he shifted slightly, which inevitably tugged at his lower body. Discomfort flashed across his brow as he forced a coy, reluctant demeanor. “Your Majesty has not yet established an empress, nor taken a single concubine. What happened between your subject and Your Majesty was merely a twist of fate, and it was entirely my fault. If Your Majesty feels uneasy, you may have your subject banished to the borders. Your subject will have no complaints, and I only hope Your Majesty will bear our old friendship in mind.”
Sheng Qianheng naturally noticed Chu Yi’s discomfort, nor was he truly a heartless man; it was just that every word falling from Chu Yi’s lips pierced straight through his heart.
Old friendship? Was old friendship sending Chu Yi away from his side?
Never! He would never let Chu Yi leave his side!
“Chu Yi, I naturally remember our old friendship. Since you no longer wish to be this Regent, I grant it!”
Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily as he thought that without this high-ranking official position, escaping should be a bit easier!
Before he could celebrate for even a moment, his wrist was grabbed by the tyrant, and he was hauled unsteadily off the bed. “So happy about it? So eager to leave me!”
Before Chu Yi could even react, the soreness in his legs nearly caused him to collapse and kneel on the floor. His eyes instantly flushed red due to the discomfort throughout his body.
Seeing that he still refused to answer, the long-repressed anger finally boiled over, causing Sheng Qianheng to reach out and wrap a single hand around Chu Yi’s neck, demanding fiercely, “Chu Yi, Chu Qingci! Tell me, where have I ever mistreated you?”
A sudden sensation of suffocation washed over him. Chu Yi could almost hear the creaking sound of his throat bones being squeezed as oxygen seemed to be drained away.
Staring at Sheng Qianheng, who was right before his eyes, he struggled to raise his hand and tug at Sheng Qianheng’s arm with no other recourse.
Realizing what he had just done, Sheng Qianheng immediately released his grip. Before he even had a chance to comfort the terrified Chu Yi, the latter backed away repeatedly, collapsing onto the floor and gasping heavily for air.
His temples throbbed relentlessly. The moment he regained oxygen, everything in front of Chu Yi was hazy, and he hugged himself helplessly.
Why did he have to be the one to transmigrate, and why did the male lead have to be a tyrant?
He just wanted to live a decent life; why was it so difficult?
Sheng Qianheng had foolishly believed he could easily control his violent outbursts during the estrus period over the years, yet he had never expected to completely lose control in front of Chu Yi and even accidentally hurt him.
He slowly squatted down, raised a hand to wipe away the tear at the corner of Chu Yi’s eye, and apologized in a low voice, “Chu Yi, I…”
Chu Yi raised his tear-soaked eyes, forcing himself to calm down as much as possible. “If the sovereign wants his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die.”
Before he could finish fabricating his excuse, he fainted.
Sheng Qianheng immediately caught Chu Yi as he fell backward, frantically summoning the imperial physician once again.
When Imperial Physician Xu entered the room again, he was already covered in cold sweat. Kneeling beside the bed, he took Chu Yi’s pulse once more.
Sheng Qianheng pressed, “Well? Why did he faint?”
Peeking through the gap in the bed curtain, the physician caught sight of the fingerprint marks around Chu Yi’s neck, roughly guessing that Your Majesty had wanted to take the beauty on the bed as a concubine, but the beauty refused, leading to a clash between them.
To think there was actually a beauty in this world unwilling to enter the palace as a concubine? What a rare specimen.
Imperial Physician Xu withdrew the diagnostic cloth and replied, “Your Majesty, the young master has suffered from excessive physical intimacy and bodily depletion, compounded by shock, which caused him to pass out. Your Majesty, this subject has something to say, though I do not know if I should speak.”
Sheng Qianheng took hold of Chu Yi’s hand resting at the edge of the bed, stroking it gently. “Speak.”
Imperial Physician Xu began writing a prescription on the side. “According to what Your Majesty mentioned, the young master only differentiated into a Kunze yesterday and underwent his estrus period. This subject dares to ask the young master’s age?”
Sheng Qianheng: “Twenty-nine.”
Imperial Physician Xu’s hand holding the brush paused, thinking to himself that he was actually older than Your Majesty. “To undergo differentiation at this age, according to my judgment, his gland should be underdeveloped, making future conception difficult. Additionally, I believe the young master must have been given a potent folk aphrodisiac to trigger this differentiation! A thorough investigation should be launched to find out who is responsible.”
Sheng Qianheng did not care about heirs in the slightest; his only concern was Chu Yi’s health.
“I haven’t bonded with him. Could he possibly conceive?”
“Your Majesty hasn’t?” Imperial Physician Xu stood up and handed the prescription to the medicine boy. “There is naturally a possibility of conception, as long as Your Majesty penetrates deep enough. Generally, pregnancy can be detected through pulse-taking after one month.”
Sheng Qianheng: “Dismissed.”
Imperial Physician Xu pondered deeply. For an adult Qianyuan to engage in relations with a Kunze during their estrus period without bonding was simply impossible. Could it be that Your Majesty has a hidden ailment, or is that part rather short?
Imperial Physician Xu could not help but feel deeply worried!