The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Side Story 4: [An Empress and Consort Whose Extraordinary Actions Will Be Remembered for All Time]

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty take more concubines!" The trembling old minister stood in the hall and raised his voice with a look of resignation.

"But my harem is not short of women," the emperor said calmly, flipping through a medical book in his hand without even looking up from his high seat. Even at this moment, he never put down his medical book.

This situation made many officials feel that the emperor was out of line, so they specially went to the Imperial Water Villa to ask Empress Dowager Liu Qingtang to come forward and teach the emperor a lesson.

When Liu Qingtang inquired about the reason, Xiao Le'an only replied that listening to the arguments and long-winded discussions below was mostly useless, and it would be better to read more medical books than to waste time daydreaming. Liu Qingtang raised an eyebrow and deliberately stayed in Yujing City for a day, sitting to the side and listening to their court assembly during the morning court session the next day.

Xiao Le'an rarely took his eyes off medical books, but he listened attentively to everything his ministers said, and often made the right decisions. Liu Qingtang observed that he did this much better than she had in her youth. Given this, his little habit of reading medical books at times didn't seem like a big deal. Reassured, Empress Dowager Liu Qingtang felt both gratified and proud, and returned to the Imperial Water Villa without saying a word.

Even the Empress Dowager tacitly approved, and the Emperor insisted on it, so what could the ministers say? They could only shut up and pretend they hadn't seen anything. If they could tolerate such things, then the Emperor's selection of concubines was something these ministers absolutely could not tolerate.

The emperor was obsessed with medicine, and as long as he didn't neglect state affairs, things were fine. His handling of state affairs earned the trust of his ministers. However, throughout the history of the Southern Dynasties, including those of the surrounding countries, no emperor had ever turned his harem into... a place for collecting all sorts of patients.

It's true that the emperor's harem wasn't lacking in women, but none of them were healthy; they were all bedridden. They couldn't even serve the emperor in bed, let alone bear him children. Every time the emperor visited the harem, he would bring a group of imperial physicians to examine the concubines, prescribe medicine, and observe whether their conditions improved. After examining them, he would leave.

It's not that he didn't care about the concubines, but it was entirely the attitude of a doctor towards a patient. The women in the emperor's harem were not of any status; there were daughters of officials and women from commoner families, but they all had one thing in common: they all had incurable or difficult-to-treat illnesses that piqued the emperor's interest.

With the emperor already in his twenties and still childless, seemingly determined to dedicate his life to medicine, how could his ministers be at ease? The Southern Dynasty's imperial line was already dwindling; the previous emperor had left no heirs, leaving only this prince's son to inherit the throne. If this emperor didn't produce a child, the Southern Dynasty would truly be without a successor, inevitably leading to chaos.

The Southern Dynasty was thriving, its military was strong and its neighboring countries dared not attack. So, a group of ministers, who had nothing major to do, began to keep an eye on the emperor's harem. Of course, these men also had their own selfish motives. Their daughters were all reaching marriageable age, and they all wanted to send them to the palace to try their luck. But their daughters were perfectly healthy and had no health problems, yet they couldn't get into the palace. How frustrating!

"Your Majesty, please think of the imperial heirs!" The old minister was almost in tears; he had seven or eight beautiful granddaughters!

"Sigh." Xiao Le'an sighed, then said, "Since you say so, then I will select some more women to fill the harem. Didn't two leave the palace a few days ago?"

Those who could leave the palace were either those who had died of illness or those who had been cured. This was another point that gave the ministers a headache. This emperor would specifically seek out patients with severe illnesses and symptoms he had never seen before, bring them into the palace, cure them, and then release them from the palace. He was practically treating the harem as a clinic.

There was also a wealthy family who, upon hearing of this, sent their son, who had been bedridden for many years, to the palace for treatment. Xiao Le'an was interested in the man's illness and, even though he was a man, waved for him to enter the palace to be cared for. In the end, it took five years to cure him and send him back. The wealthy family was so happy that they worshipped the emperor like a bodhisattva. Now, the cured man has become an official and holds the important position of Vice Minister.

A minister initially objected, pointing out that it was inappropriate because his niece was one of the few who had been cured and sent out of the palace. However, the emperor calmly replied, "I brought her into the palace, cured her illness, and allowed her to choose a good husband. You're not happy about that? Otherwise, if you're not satisfied, you can send over the consultation fee." This left the minister speechless and collapsed in the hall.

Seeing this, the others were in an uproar, but the emperor calmly stepped forward and woke him up, then said leisurely, "My dear minister, you are getting old and your temper is getting worse. If you still want to devote yourself to the Southern Dynasty, come to Eunuch Xu's place later to get the prescription. Remember to take the medicine three times a day."

This emperor was unreliable in so many ways that they were as numerous as the stars in the sky. What's infuriating is that none of his unreliability concerned politics, so the ministers couldn't interfere much and could only watch helplessly as he remained calm and composed.

Some ministers who had experienced the reigns of the previous Emperor Huo and Empress Dowager Liu suddenly felt nostalgic for that time, when at least the rulers were reliable and possessed the demeanor of a great power. Now, with this emperor, whenever foreign envoys came to pay homage, these ministers worried that the emperor might suddenly become unreliable and disregard his status by taking their pulses and prescribing medicine. He had done such things before, but at least they were always directed at officials from their own Southern Dynasty.

Sometimes, when ministers on both sides were arguing heatedly in court and needed the emperor to make a decision, he would look around and suddenly say, "Minister Ming looks very weak. He must have been very tired last night. As for Minister Fang, I see that your face is pale and you are probably seriously ill. Please stay here later so I can take your pulse."

Of course, in the end, Minister Fang left the palace beaming, having won the final victory in their previous argument. The emperor's actions were unpredictable; sometimes he would leave someone behind to take his pulse simply for medical treatment, and other times he would ask questions, leaving people baffled, only knowing that he was indeed a formidable emperor.

"It is true that fullness leads to loss. Nothing in this world is perfect. Even the emperor has so many flaws." Countless ministers shook their heads and sighed, but they were helpless against Xiao Le'an.

After the court session ended, Xiao Le'an, dressed in a dragon robe and holding a medical book, strolled leisurely. Suddenly, he looked at the sky, closed the book, and murmured, "I haven't left the palace much lately. Why don't I go out today to observe the people's conditions?"

The two eunuchs following behind him immediately looked distressed. The emperor wasn't really going to investigate the people's conditions; it was more likely he was going to find people suffering from strange illnesses. Many people in the harem were brought back by the emperor under the pretense of observing the people's lives.

In the Southern Dynasties, there was no one who could control the emperor. The only one was Empress Dowager Liu, who was said to be living a carefree life at the Imperial Water Villa and didn't care about the matter. She just said that it was normal for the emperor to have one or two hobbies, as long as they were not harmful to the people, and then she didn't care.

As the saying goes, no matter how bizarre a pot is, it will always find a suitable lid, and this is certainly true. Emperor Xiao Le'an, who had caused countless headaches for his ministers, encountered a special woman during his recent incognito tour, which made his heart, which was already in a state of utter confusion, tremble slightly.

He was walking down the street when he passed a clinic and heard sobbing outside. He went over to investigate. It turned out that the doctor at the clinic couldn't cure the patient and had to send them home. The patient's mother was sitting there crying hysterically. Xiao Le'an became interested and was about to go over to take a closer look at the patient when he saw another young woman in the crowd step forward first.

"I can cure him. After I'm cured, can you give me some food?" the woman said, carrying a small bundle on her back.

Although the mother couldn't believe it, she wasn't willing to let go of even the slightest possibility, so she took the woman home. Xiao Le'an followed with interest. Later, the woman did indeed cure the child who had fallen ill with a sudden illness, and she sat there eating the egg noodles that the mother had made for her.

Xiao Le'an observed her for a long time and confirmed that this young woman was also a doctor, and a skilled one at that. Xiao Le'an had a peculiar habit: he wanted to take back both difficult patients and highly skilled doctors with him.

After thinking for a while, seeing that the girl had already started eating her third bowl of egg noodles, Xiao Le'an walked over to her and said, "Would you like to come to the palace with me?"

The woman finished the last sip of her noodle soup, looked up at him blankly upon hearing this, then shook her head and said, "My senior brothers told me that if anyone asks me to go with them, I must never agree." After saying that, she picked up her bundle and walked out.

Xiao Le'an followed her for a while, unwilling to give up, and witnessed her passing through a narrow alley. A man who coveted her beauty approached her and tried to harass her, but she swiftly kicked him in the groin. While the man was writhing in pain, the woman walked past as if she hadn't seen him.

Even seeing this, Xiao Le'an persisted in following her. Then he noticed that the woman's eyes kept drifting unconsciously towards the snacks around them. Xiao Le'an understood what was going on, made up his mind, and caught up with her again, saying, "If you come to the palace with me, there will be plenty of delicious food every day."

"Do you have meat?" The woman turned around, looked into his eyes for a moment, and then asked seriously.

"Yes, many, all kinds." Xiao Le'an nodded affirmatively.

"Then I'll go with you." Upon hearing this answer, the woman agreed without the slightest hesitation. This woman, Ye Huanyan, had long forgotten her senior brothers' earnest warnings and was going with someone for food. Of course, the person was also very pleasing to the eye.

Ye Huanyan's family was somewhat unusual. She had parents and seven senior brothers, the eldest being nearly eighteen years older than her, and the youngest being almost five or six years older. Moreover, apart from her mother, the entire family were doctors, with her father being the most skilled, also possessing some mysterious martial arts abilities, including medicine making and poison making. Ye Huanyan inherited her father's talent, surpassing several of her senior brothers at a young age.

She grew up pampered and taught by her entire family, or more accurately, by her seven senior brothers. Because her parents loved to travel, supposedly because her mother loved to eat all sorts of delicious food, her father would take her to various places to enjoy good food.

They would often come back, always because her mother had found some delicious food and brought it back for her to try. However, they would usually only stay for a day before leaving again, so Ye Huanyan spent less time with her parents than with her senior brothers.

Ye Huanyan, at her age, had never left the mountain. Her senior brothers, who treated her like a daughter, discussed taking her out to see the world. Just then, her fourth senior brother received a letter needing to treat a friend's illness, so he took her along. However, halfway through the journey, she was drawn by a delicious aroma and followed it. After eating, she discovered she had become separated from her senior brothers, and her money had been stolen. She then went hungry for a day, and remains so to this day.

There was indeed plenty of delicious food in the palace, so Ye Huanyan stayed there contentedly. Every day, besides discussing medical matters with Xiao Le'an, she would go to the inner palace to treat patients. In just three months, she cured most of the patients in the inner palace, and then Xiao Le'an sent them out of the palace.

Xiao Le'an felt like he had found a treasure. Every time he saw Ye Huanyan, his eyes would light up, and he wished he could stay by her side every day.

With the harem empty, the ministers began trying to find ways to get him to put more women in the harem, and this time they finally managed to persuade Empress Dowager Liu Qingtang to help.

Liu Qingtang was also annoyed by those people who kept coming to Yushui Villa, asking her to talk to the emperor about taking concubines. The afternoon sun was warm and cozy, perfect for sleeping. She was snuggled up lazily against Qin Shu, who was fishing, and sleeping soundly when those meddlesome ministers came again, crying and shouting.

"This can't go on forever," Liu Qingtang sighed. She and Qin Shu returned to Yujing to visit Yang Sushu at the Yang residence, bringing them the carp that Qin Shu had caught that morning.

“Let your son marry a wife who can bear children, Sushu.”

"I think that's about right."

After the two made this decision, facing a biological mother, a godmother, a biological father who was just there for the fun, and a godfather who had left many shadows on his childhood, Xiao Le'an could no longer delay.

"I have found a very good candidate for Empress. Her name is Ye Huanyan. I tricked her into entering the palace from outside." Xiao Le'an said calmly under the distrustful gazes of the four patriarchs.

After a moment of silence, the patriarchs finally made their decision: "As long as she is a healthy woman without any illness, we all agree. I'm sure the ministers won't object either." It was rare for their godson to cooperate like this, so it was best to settle things quickly. Besides, given his consistently unreliable personality, a slightly more normal woman this time would surely satisfy the ministers and keep them quiet. This is what they mean when a bad person does something good and it's hard not to be moved. Although that's not the exact meaning, it's not far off.

"Huanyan, marry me. I'll give you all the medical books and herbs I've collected over the years." Seeing the woman's somewhat indifferent expression, Xiao Le'an emphasized, "And I'll give you the entire imperial kitchen in the palace."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Ye Huanyan's eyes lit up and she nodded.

From then on, everyone knew that the emperor's favorite things, besides medical books, were the empress.

Then, the fourth senior brother, whom Ye Huanyan had forgotten, returned to the mountain with a long face after searching all over Yujing without finding his junior sister, whose personality was just as troublesome as their master's. He received condemnation from his fellow disciples and a sardonic reprimand from their master. Even his usually easy-going master's wife stopped helping him.

It wasn't until three months later that Doctor Ye and his wife, Xuan Ge, saw their daughter bring her husband back to their parents' home.

"Father, Mother, I've found what I think is the most delicious thing," Empress Ye said, pointing at the Emperor as she pulled him along.

…………

Time that belongs to the previous generation is passing by, while the stories of these young people are unfolding.

【End of full text】

Author's Note: [This story is now complete. Thank you all for your support and love over the past few months! This book has come to an end, but I will continue on my journey. I hope to see your familiar faces again on the road ahead. Love you all! —An attempt to use these words to cover up my own regrets and the terrible Wei Zheng side story I didn't want to write.] [It's finished! Tell me, do you still love me?!]

Cute little Fei threw a landmine

Seaweed threw a landmine

[Thank you to all the ladies who gave me landmines! To all the ladies who have liked this story and me since I started writing, you have no idea how much of a difficult time this story helped me through. You are my motivation!] [Enough, stop being so mushy →_→] 166 Reading Network