On the night he received the first letter from home, Duan Changchuan quietly wrote a reply in his study, which took him an hour.
From the wedding at the Regent's Palace to that strange farce; he also talked about many of his feelings in recent days, for example: he had no appetite during the day, but every time he took medicine at night, his appetite inexplicably returned. Occasionally, he still felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, but he was careful and did not let himself feel bad.
Afterwards, he complained aggrievedly. Doctor Huang thought he didn't need to take more medicine, but he really felt that his body would feel better after taking the medicine, so he was scolded for this.
Then, at the very end, add a sentence: I look forward to your return and miss you.
Signed: My lover Duan Changchuan.
After I finished writing, I realized that everything outside had become quiet, as if it was almost midnight.
He quickly sealed several pages of paper and put them into a paper tube. After thinking for a while, he asked Changle to take a clean handkerchief and gently rub it on the gland twice. When the handkerchief was full of the rich scent of gardenia, he wrapped it with paper with red ears, put it into a small paper tube, and handed it to the secret guard.
"Before you deliver the things to the Queen, remember to fumigate them with Atractylodes lancea."
"Yes, I will remind Xiao Ba. Don't worry, Your Majesty. Xiao Ba said before that there is constant fumigation of Atractylodes outside the Queen's palace, and there are special people watching the Queen's clothes and food, so there will be no mistakes. Not only the Queen, but the entire palace is well protected. The streets of Huainan City are also constantly fumigated with Atractylodes, mugwort and the like. Everywhere is well protected. Doctor Sun said that this will be the fastest plague we can get through, and the people are blessed."
Duan Changchuan listened to the secret guard's report, every word of which was full of praise, and the corners of his lips curled up involuntarily.
"Well, she is a blessing to Datong."
…
-
In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-May, and the Dali Temple official who had gone to Huainan to investigate a case finally reported back that he had returned.
But in fact, Duan Changchuan had received news from the secret guards a week ago: an official in a certain place was secretly arrested and thrown into prison; a certain official committed suicide at home out of fear of crime, but his deputy confessed everything and another big fish was caught, etc. There are countless similar examples.
At the morning court session, several ministers in high positions were visibly trembling with fear.
Previously, Duan Changchuan ordered the Regent to rest at home on the grounds of "illness", but Duan Changchuan got the news that someone could no longer sit still and secretly passed a message to the mansion.
There are not only the Regent, but also many people in the Prime Minister's Mansion, but these two seem to have reached a consensus that no matter who comes to deliver the message, they will not see anyone. It seems that they want to abandon all the people involved.
When the protective umbrella above your head is removed, those who are destined to be abandoned will of course feel insecure.
At this time, in the court.
The young emperor rolled up his sleeves, and scanned the "important officials" on the list with a solemn look. Finally, he raised his chin towards the Dali Temple official who had just returned to the capital to report, and said: "Present the case."
Changle's voice was immediately passed on: "Pass it on, the case file of the Dali Temple."
The Dali Temple Minister immediately stepped forward and presented it to the emperor with both hands.
The dossier was very long, so it was copied three times. One was presented to the emperor, who was at the top of the hierarchy; one was given to the prime minister standing at the bottom of the stairs; and the other was provided for the senior officials and old ministers in the court to review.
Although the Dali Temple Minister had just returned to Beijing not long ago, every time there was news, it was brought by Duan Changchuan's own secret guards at full speed. Duan Changchuan knew the entire case and the files very well. This time, he only took a symbolic glance at it and put the files aside.
Bai Yanyuan watched carefully, but didn't have any special reaction. This old fox was hiding deep enough, so many officials were implicated this time, but he was not dragged into it at all.
There were a few people in the hall who were not well-informed and were not clean themselves. Their legs were shaking so much that Duan Changchuan, who was sitting in the highest seat, could see it clearly.
Well, not only were his legs shaking, but he kept glancing towards the dragon throne on the steps from time to time, as if he was afraid that he wouldn't be noticed by the one above.
Duan Changchuan saw everything and couldn't help sneering in his heart.
It can be seen that the last time the treacherous minister was shot and injured in front of the important officials of the court, it did have a certain deterrent effect on this group of people.
Time goes by little by little...
Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and knelt down with a thud, then tremblingly took off the official hat on his head and said, "Your Majesty... I am guilty!"
Once there is one, there will be a second.
But in just a moment, these people stood up one by one, four in total, not one less, and all of them were recorded.
Of course, it is clearly written in the file.
Almost all the evidence, both personal and material, were clearly listed and circulated among the ministers. It was impossible to escape even if he wanted to, so it was better to confess his guilt as soon as possible.
Among the four people, three of them had their hair wet with sweat, and one was shaking all over and could hardly kneel.
The young man glanced at the few people lightly, turned to look at the guards guarding the stairs, and said lightly: "Catch him."
With these words, the guards in the hall responded in unison and dragged the four people away by force.
This was the second time that Duan Changchuan had publicly interrogated and arrested people in the court after he had forcefully intervened in the government. The people he arrested were all important officials in the court. Each time, the evidence was solid and there was no dragging of words. The arrested officials did not even have the right to quibble, and almost no news leaked out before the arrests.
These people might have just said goodbye to their families at home, telling them what to eat and what to use after returning home, and where to go and who to meet in the afternoon.
As soon as he went to the court, he was thrown into prison and his house was searched.
With such an iron-blooded approach, who wouldn't feel insecure
At this moment, one could hear a pin drop in the entire court.
Duan Changchuan was very satisfied with the results of the court.
The young man brushed his sleeves, stood up from the dragon throne, and ordered word by word: "Pass on my oral order, in the Huainan disaster relief case, all officials involved, who confess, can be exempted from the guilt of all slaves in their families, and the men in their families will be exiled to the frontier, and the women... will be expelled from the mansion! Those who do not confess and refuse to repent, regardless of the severity of their crimes, will be executed by slow slicing, and their heads will be hung outside the walls of Shengjing to comfort the souls of the people! The men in their families will be exiled to the frontier, and all the women and slaves will be sent to the palace to do menial work, and they will never be allowed to leave the slave market for the rest of their lives! All those named in the case will have their homes confiscated, and all their money and treasures will be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue for inventory and turned over to the national treasury! The Dali Temple Minister and Dali Temple Vice Minister will preside over this matter, and the generals will assist them. The time limit is seven days!"
As soon as the words fell, Rong Wu immediately stood up and stood with Jiang, and replied heavily: "I obey your order!"
The emperor nodded, his clear eyes swept over everyone in the court, and said, "From today on, all officials and gentry who break the law will be sentenced ten or twenty times! All those who are sentenced to severe punishment, whether it is torn apart by a chariot, lingchi, or beheading, will be executed in the street to serve as a warning to others and comfort the people! Where is the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice?"
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice immediately stepped forward and said, "I am here."
"Write my words into the files of the Ministry of Justice, post them on notice, and inform the people of the world."
"yes!"
after…
The person standing on the throne suddenly became quiet.
And it was quiet for a long time.
Everyone thought that the emperor was so quiet because he was furious, so they lowered their heads and waited for the next instruction from him after he calmed down.
But after waiting for a long time, no emperor spoke.
Some ministers could not help but begin to glance upwards secretly, and saw that the emperor had a frown on his brows and his lips were tightly pursed, so they lowered their heads in fear.
He was afraid that a glance from him would attract His Majesty's attention and cause His Majesty's wrath.
…
Time passed little by little, until the ministers in the court were sweating...
Finally, I heard the young man say lightly: "Dismiss the court."
Suddenly, it was as if I had been pardoned.
Everyone bowed hurriedly: "Yes..."
It was not until the bright yellow figure left the court hall that he wiped the sweat from his face and walked out.
"Your Majesty's skills are indeed somewhat similar to those of the late emperor."
"Which previous emperor are you talking about? The previous emperor always implemented benevolent policies. This one looks a bit like the one who founded the dynasty."
"Hiss, it's the one who founded the dynasty... I thought he was that... but I didn't know he was just pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger. He keeps a low profile, knows how to appoint the right people, and loves the people like his own children. From my perspective, having served His Majesty for three dynasties, he is definitely a wise ruler."
"Shut up now! I've told you so many times, don't think you can talk nonsense about the Heavenly Family just because you're old. You shouldn't know when to speak or when to speak."
"What's the matter? Is Old Sun careful in what he says and does? Even Old Sun can get along well with our young emperor, which shows that our young emperor is not narrow-minded."
"Is it a question of whether it is narrow-minded or not? I now feel that you are no different from Old Sun. You take advantage of your age and speak without thinking."
The two old ministers, both in their sixties, walked out of the palace while arguing and muttering.
And not far behind them...
Prime Minister Bai Yanyuan, dressed in official uniform, looked back at the magnificent court hall with a solemn expression.
-
The emperor, who was over 18 years old, finally stopped insisting on getting the regent to return power willingly, and instead took iron-blooded measures to directly take back the imperial power.
The shock caused by today's behavior and decree can be imagined.
But Duan Changchuan didn't have the heart to think about these things for the time being.
The court officials all thought that the emperor returned to the Mingsheng Palace after the court session, but they didn't know... their majesty didn't even take two steps after the court session, but stood there unable to move, and then sat in the back hall to rest.
After everyone in the front hall had left, he leaned on the couch and retched for a long time.
Yes, he had morning sickness.
He had been feeling uncomfortable in the court just now, his stomach was churning and he felt like vomiting.
He took several deep breaths to suppress the energy and hurriedly retreated.
As a result, I started to feel uncomfortable before I could even get out the door.
Changle beside him looked worried: "Your Majesty, are you still not feeling well? Do you want to ask Doctor Huang to come and take a look..."
The young man waved his hand: "No need... I'll be fine after a while."
His voice was weak and exhausted, and he looked listless.
He was completely different from the man who had just been in the court, angrily denouncing treacherous officials and displaying his imperial power.
The eunuch serving beside him was so anxious that he wanted to cry: "How could this happen... Although he felt uncomfortable and couldn't eat some time ago, his appetite was very good at night, and I didn't worry about it. How come he vomited like this today... Are you angry again just now... The Queen told you not to get angry before she left, why are you still so angry..."
Duan Changchuan was already feeling uncomfortable, and now he was being nagged again, and he suddenly felt unwell.
Moreover, her temper has also become worse in the past two days. She always wants to get angry at people when she is not satisfied. He knows that this is a normal reaction of an Omega during pregnancy, and he also knows that it is due to the lack of comfort from an Alpha. Because of this, he always reminds himself to control himself and not be affected by instinct. But while admonishing himself, he really feels wronged.
Just like now.
Listening to Changle's nagging, he just thought: The Queen had reminded me before she left, but what was the point of reminding me? Why didn't she stay by my side in person? She clearly knew... I needed her very much.
I feel so much resentment and grievance in my heart...
[If... If only, she was really here. ]
If Bai Su was here, he would definitely not be as sad as he is now...
The boy blinked his sour eyes and finally suppressed the grievance in his heart...
Touching her belly, she asked softly, "What has Bai Su been doing recently? Why didn't she send me a message? Where is Xiao Ba? Hasn't he come back yet?"
Changle sighed deeply, "… Your Majesty, Xiao Ba has just been to Huainan for a short time. It will take at least 4 days to go back and forth. Your Majesty, why don't you wait a little longer? He should be able to return to the palace in two or three days."
The boy lowered his eyes, and his whole body showed depression.
"Your Majesty..."
"My medicine...isn't it ready yet?"
The two spoke almost at the same time.
Changle was stunned: "Ah? The medicine is taken at night, Your Majesty...! Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Otherwise, I'd better go and call Dr. Huang! No, I'm not sure..."
Duan Changchuan suddenly came back to his senses: "Yes, it is for dinner... I forgot."
He didn't know what was wrong with him. Just now, he suddenly wanted to drink the medicine. Not only did he want to smell the familiar peony fragrance in the medicine, but he also wanted to feel the feeling of drinking the medicine...
He felt a poor appetite these days, but he felt better after drinking it.
Maybe I feel particularly uncomfortable today, so I suddenly want to drink.
Duan Changchuan himself didn't think there was anything wrong, but Changle next to him was almost going crazy.
The young eunuch had been sent to the palace since he was young, and was chosen to serve Duan Changchuan as soon as he came out. He had never seen a woman pregnant, let alone a man.
Morning sickness was terrible to him. His Majesty didn't seem to be in a good mental state and had committed suicide before...
It was just a complete horror.
"Let's ask the imperial physician to come and take a look, please... Your Majesty! In the past, the old imperial physician Huang often came to our palace, so he wouldn't arouse suspicion. Let's go back to the Mingsheng Palace first, and then I'll ask Yiman to go and invite him. Just say that you want to play chess with him, is that okay?"
"How can you avoid seeing a doctor? We have nothing to avoid either!"
"If you continue like this, I will ask Xiao Ba to complain to the queen on my behalf, wuuuu..."
It's no use saying anything. Only "complain to the Empress" will work.
The boy responded immediately.
"… I'm not afraid to see a doctor, I just think it's nothing. Didn't Imperial Doctor Huang also say that which… uh, which pregnant woman hasn't had morning sickness?"
Changle: "Morning sickness is not a problem, but you even remembered the wrong time to take the medicine!"
Duan Changchuan: …
I want to say: I was just a little absent-minded for a moment.
Seeing the young eunuch's red eyes, he swallowed his words back.
Helpless: "Then do as you say... Follow me back to the Mingsheng Temple and ask Yiman to ask Huang Lao Imperial Doctor to come over."
The young eunuch smiled and said, "Okay, I will go and give the order now!"
Duan Changchuan: "Wait a minute."
Changle: “Ah?”
"Well... ask Yi Man to look around when he comes back to see if there are any peony flowers in the garden that have not yet withered, and pick a few for me."
"Oh, okay! I'll go talk to him!"
After saying that, he turned around and ran out.
He was stopped again: "Wait, don't break it... Even with the roots... No, transplant it even with the roots back to the garden of the Ming Sheng Temple and have someone take good care of it."
"Ah? Oh, okay! I'll make a note of it."
…
-
The two of them went all the way back to Mingsheng Temple, and soon Yiman came with Doctor Huang.
Duan Changchuan was prepared to be scolded as "squeamish" again... After all, he had argued with the old man a few days ago about his poor appetite and whether he should take more medicine or not, and was scolded on the spot.
But after Changle finished telling the whole story with exaggeration, Old Doctor Huang not only did not curse, but instead let out a long sigh.
"It's not easy to get pregnant, but medicine is poisonous. You really can't take too much of this stuff. You're just over three months pregnant now, so the feeling isn't obvious yet. You'll feel it when the fetus is bigger. The baby absorbs the nutrients in your body, and your own body may be affected. Taking medicine will definitely increase the burden on the body. In principle, we can reduce the burden on the body a little. Even though you're having morning sickness now, there's nothing wrong with your body. If there's something wrong with your body, especially if it's caused by taking medicine, it'll be much more difficult to deal with."
The old man rarely explained patiently, and the boy just listened quietly.
In fact, Duan Changchuan knew all these things.
I have seen a saying before that people's pain nerves are not distributed throughout the body, so people feel pain when their skin is injured. But if there is a problem with some internal organs, people will not feel much in the early stage. This is why some people, even if they only have a small polyp in their internal organs, can be cured by removal, but because they are not discovered in time, it eventually develops into a tumor.
So he was very obedient and didn't refute a word...
He knew that everyone was doing this for his own good.
After the old man finished his nagging, he nodded obediently: "Well, I know what the senior said... I was just a little dazed for a moment, so I asked, I didn't really want to take medicine."
"Hey, it's good that you know. Is there any news about Bai girl recently? It's been less than half a month. It will probably take a few days for Old Sun to send the letter. When the situation over there reaches a certain stage, it will be sent to you. Have you contacted Bai girl privately?"
Duan Changchuan shook his head... and nodded: "Bai Su reported to me that she was safe when she first arrived at the palace, and I wrote back a letter. I haven't received any news since then. It takes a long time for the secret guards to come back and forth, so the news can't come that fast."
The old man smacked his lips and stroked his chin. "Then I guess it will be soon. I heard from the girl Bai that you have some special way to comfort her. Otherwise, why don't you write a letter to her today and tell her about the situation? See if she can come up with any solution. That girl has as much knowledge in her head as Datong has for five thousand years. She must have a good solution."
Duan Changchuan was amused by his words: "Wait a little longer, maybe she will write to me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, it won't be too late to write to her then, it won't take a few days."
"Well, that's fine. Then wait another day or two. With the affection that girl has for you, she will definitely receive your letter and reply overnight."
The young man lowered his eyes in embarrassment and retorted in a low voice: "… It's not that exaggerated. You've only known her for a few days, what can you tell?"
"Haha, I am old and my eyesight is indeed dim, but my heart is not blind. She is fine. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet. When the letter from Bai girl arrives, you ask her if she replied to you overnight. I bet she replied overnight, and you bet she didn't. How about it?"
Duan Changchuan: …
"I won't bet with you..."
"Ha, are you afraid of losing to an old man like me? I can see that you are a hypocrite. You say this and that about Bai Ya, but in your heart you like her more than anyone else. Oh, are you blushing?"
"senior!"
More than just blushing, he immediately became angry and embarrassed.
…
-
The two were laughing and joking when someone outside brought over two large peonies.
Yiman was delighted: "Your Majesty, I found it! Take a look!"
Doctor Huang also saw it and was surprised: "It's already mid-May, the peonies should have withered long ago, how come you can still find peonies that haven't withered yet?"
Yi Man nodded excitedly, "Yes! I asked people to look for a long time, but all the peonies in the garden have withered. Fortunately, there are several peonies in the Qinglu Palace of the Queen Mother. I went to check and found five in total. Three of them have withered, but these two are still in full bloom. It's just what Your Majesty wants! I quickly asked people to dig them up and move them here while it's still early. Otherwise, by noon, the flowers won't survive."
After saying that, he turned back to look at Duan Changchuan: "Your Majesty, don't you think it's a coincidence?"
The boy looked at the blooming, overlapping purple petals, took a deep breath of the peony fragrance, and smiled beautifully: "Yes, what a coincidence."
"Hey, I'll have someone plant them right away!" After saying that, he hurriedly called out, "Come and help us plant this side. First, dig a hole and plant the flowers. Later, we'll use bricks and tiles to enclose these two flowers to make them look better!"
Everyone was working busily, and Duan Changchuan just stood aside and watched quietly.
The two peonies were held in Changle's hands, and there was a faint fragrance with every breath. Although it was not as good as the one on Bai Su, it was enough to relieve her longing.
Elder Huang was amazed and whispered to his ear, curiously asking, "I have a question. What is the relationship between this peony and the little girl Bai? Don't tell me there is no relationship. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is definitely related to the little girl Bai."
The boy stiffened.
Then he looked around... He silently took a few steps back, walked to a place where there were not many people, and then he explained to the old man in a low voice.
"Bai Su should have told you before that our tribe can recognize each other. We rely on a smell that only our tribe can smell. This thing is called pheromone. There are all kinds of smells. Mine and Bai Su's are both floral scents, and her pheromone is the smell of peony."
The old man suddenly realized: "No wonder..."
After that, she came closer and sniffed him: "So what do you smell like?"
Duan Changchuan:!
He was so scared that he quickly retreated.
Although he knew that people of this era didn't know what pheromones were used for or what they symbolized, he still couldn't adapt to someone suddenly approaching him to smell him and asking him "What do you smell like?"
"Senior, pheromones are very private. We usually don't discuss them so openly! It's like... it's like..."
He wanted to give an analogy so that the old man could have a more intuitive understanding.
But after thinking about it, I couldn't think of any useful metaphor.
You can't just tell him directly: This is our organ, you are being disrespectful...right
No, absolutely not.
He wants face!
But Senior Huang seemed to understand...
Not only did he understand, he also described it: "Oh, I get it! Your pheromones are just like animals, right? During the breeding season, the males start to emit scent, and the females come over when they smell it, right?"
Duan Changchuan: …
Although the words are rough, the truth is not rough...
But isn't this description a bit too blunt? Is it really okay to discuss this kind of thing in public like this
What should I do? I suddenly miss Bai Su more.
[I really can't handle this bunch of unreliable people around me. When will you come back, Bai Su? ]
[Your Omega will soon be unable to bear it. ]
But the old man, who was extremely curious and eager to learn, kept pestering him to confirm: "Is that right?"
Duan Changchuan: …
Helpless, he nodded: "Yes, so don't ask anymore. If there is anything you want to know, wait for Bai Su to come back and ask her..."
If you ask again, he will get angry.
Fortunately, the old man was sensible and knew that he was thin-skinned, so he didn't continue to ask questions. He turned back and watched Yiman and the others transplanting peonies for a while. After waiting for a while, he got bored and went back to the Imperial Hospital.
The young man let out a small breath without making a sound.
-
I don't know if it was a psychological effect, but after the two peonies were moved here, Duan Changchuan felt much more at ease. In the afternoon, he stayed beside the peonies to read books and review memorials.
Smelling the wafting fragrance of flowers, he had a vague feeling that Bai Su was still by his side.
Before we knew it, it was night.
After drinking a bowl of medicine, he sipped the sweet peony fragrance in his mouth, and suddenly remembered the first time Bai Su tasted the decoction. He said seriously: "The taste is not much different, but the aftertaste is different. The aftertaste of coffee is fragrant, and the aftertaste of medicine is bitter and a little astringent."
In the past, when he took medicine, he would drink it all in one breath and never savored it.
Ever since Bai Su left, he seemed to have unconsciously developed the habit of savoring the food after drinking it.
Really... more and more like her.
It has been nearly half a month, and I don’t know how the epidemic is under control. Mr. Sun said that the epidemic is under control very well, and it has been within Huainan City, and there has not been a single case of overflow.
Does that mean we have passed the peak of infection
So, when can she come back... Can it be another half month? Or another month? One and a half months...
Duan Changchuan was thinking while eating dinner and while taking a bath.
Even when I was reviewing memorials at night, I was thinking about it.
We know that this kind of thing is unpredictable in the first place, and now there is no information except a little bit of data from many days ago, so there is no way to predict it...
Still thinking hard.
In the study, the coat that Bai Su wore the night before she left was still hanging.
It was the one they wore when they were fooling around in the courtyard of the Imperial Observatory... After it was washed in the Clothing Bureau, he specifically asked Changle to bring the clothes back and hang them up.
Although I know that I am like this, I still feel a little... embarrassed.
But I still couldn't help doing it.
Whenever she saw this dress, she would remember what happened that day. Bai Su gently lifted him up to her bed, put him on the dress, and gently stroked him with both hands.
Tell him truly and sincerely that they have each other.
Duan Changchuan's fingers slowly touched her collar, sleeves and waist tie...
Finally, I couldn't help it and put both arms into the sleeves of my clothes, and then slowly made a hugging gesture.
[Holding her clothes is like being held by her.]
[So, Bai Su, when will you come back? I really need you.]
I really want to build a nest...
But what should I do, sister... I don't even have anything to build a nest with...
Why don't you leave me some more
The author has something to say:
Silly Chuanchuan, she left something else for you.
Wow, this week’s list is done, see you in the next update!