Chapter 51: You Understand Me Best
Gu Yu hadn’t recovered from the shock until the Emperor slowly walked onto the stone platform.
After discovering the Emperor’s behavior, Gu Yu looked again and saw the Emperor making a “兰花指” (orchid finger pose). The corner of his mouth twitched speechlessly, realizing that his speculation wasn’t just a guess, but rather seeing was believing.
There was something wrong with this Emperor!
Compared to Gu Yu’s bold observation, the other ministers lowered their heads and remained silent when they saw the Emperor, or looked up at the incense burner on the stone platform. No one dared to cast their gaze upon the Emperor, for fear of offending him.
However, Gu Yu wasn’t the only one who noticed something amiss. But others, even if they saw it, would pretend not to, as it was the best way to protect themselves and avoid any trouble.
Even though there were recent rumors in the palace about the Emperor having an unclear relationship with the guards, the ministers didn’t delve too deeply.
After all, Empress Bai Qian had already given birth to a son.
The royal family had an heir.
Gu Yu, naturally, was not a reckless youth. After discovering the Emperor’s abnormality, he didn’t make a big fanfare about it. Instead, like everyone else, he pretended not to see anything.
He wasn’t a minister who cared deeply about the country, just an ordinary citizen. He didn’t need to get involved in such strange matters. It was better to just live his own life!
However, should he tell his father-in-law about this?
After all, Gu Qing would still hold an official position in the capital in the future, and it wouldn’t be good if something went wrong later…
“Today, I, Shangguan Ling, implore the heavens on behalf of all the people of Linfeng Kingdom, wishing that Linfeng Kingdom will no longer…”
When Gu Yu heard the Emperor’s somewhat sharp voice, he felt his ears were being polluted. He looked around and saw that the ministers standing beside him were unaffected and appeared to be listening attentively, their expressions solemn and serious. Gu Yu couldn’t help but admire them.
At this moment, the old saying “old ginger is spicier” proved true!
He had goosebumps all over, but those around him showed no change.
Although he didn’t know what they were truly thinking, such a disguise was indeed impressive.
Thinking of this, Gu Yu secretly took out two lumps of cotton from his spatial storage. Then, before anyone noticed, he directly stuffed them into his ears, and the world immediately became much quieter.
Although he couldn’t completely block out the sound, it was good to be able to reduce it.
As soon as Gu Yu stuffed the cotton into his ears, someone nudged him with an elbow. When Gu Yu turned to look, his father-in-law, Gu Qing, with a stern expression, pointed to his own ear, clearly having seen Gu Yu take out the cotton and was now asking for some.
Seeing this, Gu Yu chuckled, thinking that his father-in-law was too young and couldn’t compare to the seasoned old foxes.
Gu Yu couldn’t refuse his father-in-law’s request for cotton.
When both of them had cotton in their ears and looked up at the Emperor praying to heaven, it was quite a solemn ritual.
Aside from Shangguan Ling’s vocal issues, everything else was normal and standard, which made Gu Yu feel like he was really present at the scene, experiencing the atmosphere of the Emperor performing ritualistic practices and understanding ancient times.
Even though Linfeng Kingdom was just a fictional dynasty, its general customs were very close to what Gu Yu knew of ancient times, making it not feel too strange.
Even when Gu Yu was still in modern times, there were many activities with huge crowds, and coupled with the eloquent hosts, it made the scene incredibly lively. However, it lacked the solemn ritualistic atmosphere of the present moment.
It made him subconsciously follow along, witnessing the entire process of the Emperor praying to the heavens firsthand.
After Shangguan Ling finished his prayer, he inserted the incense in his hand into the incense burner and let out a sigh of relief. It was finally over.
Not only were the ministers below tired, but Shangguan Ling himself was also very apprehensive, unable to make a mistake in such a place.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly without any mishaps.
“Your Majesty, you should return to the palace!”
“Leaving so soon?”
“Guard Li is still waiting in the palace! He was painstakingly selected by the Empress, and it is said that he is better than the previous ones! To come here to pray to the heavens, you have been fasting and bathing for three days, so you must also feel tired and weary!”
“You understand me best.”
After the Emperor finished his ritualistic practices, he had wanted to chat with his ministers. However, the eunuch beside him secretly said something to him.
The Emperor’s expression brightened after hearing this, and he didn’t insist on staying any longer. Instead, he exchanged a few perfunctory words with the ministers and left in a hurry.
He left the ministers in silence. After exchanging glances, they all swallowed their unspoken words.
The Emperor coming here to perform ritualistic practices was a significant achievement, and they couldn’t ask for too much… such as talking to them more after the ceremony ended.
“I heard that Empress Bai Qian has recently gained great favor.”
“Hmph, don’t you see Prime Minister Bai Jingfu’s smug look? It’s only because he has a daughter of unparalleled beauty. Otherwise, how could he be so proud and smug now.”
“It’s good to enjoy the blessings of children. My own daughter is so fierce; I worry about her future husband!”
“Regardless, it’s not good for Empress Bai Qian to cling to the Emperor like this. Should we submit a memorial?”
“You go if you want. The imperial family has few connections now. The Emperor and Empress Dowager are eager for more children. Do you think they will blame the Empress?”
As soon as the Emperor left, the atmosphere at the scene immediately relaxed.
The prayer to the heavens had concluded, and the ministers were free to go home or chat. They were much different from their earlier solemn demeanor.
At this time, Gu Yu removed the cotton from his ears. Listening to the surrounding discussions, he felt a sense of strangeness. If the Emperor was indulging in women, why did he behave like that earlier?
Gu Yu had read many medical texts, so even though he wasn’t formally trained, he had studied diligently and could detect some clues. The imbalance of yin and yang, with a lack of yang energy, didn’t seem like someone who indulged in women.
It was more like someone who had been castrated and became an eunuch.
But who would dare to lay a hand on the Emperor?
Moreover, Empress Bai Qian had already given birth to a son. This child was proof that the Emperor was fine, which made Gu Yu feel that his guess was in the wrong direction.
Perhaps, the Emperor was just having a whim and thought it would be fun to pretend to be an eunuch.
After giving the Emperor a random excuse, Gu Yu didn’t pay any further attention to him. Gu Yu was always too lazy to think too much about matters that didn’t concern him much.
Now, he still had to think about how to quickly return to Yang Family Village to see his lovely little wife!
