Chapter 22

Chapter 22

“Your… Majesty, this place is far too remote. We should turn back.”

“If you’re afraid, then go back,” Li Mingxiao said with a glance at the chief eunuch Wu Dehai following behind him, then surveyed the surroundings.

He had only stepped out to get some fresh air after tiring himself with memorials, but barely a few steps later, other official matters came to mind. Before he realized it, he was standing in front of the entrance to the Cuiyuan Pavilion.

There were too many courtyards in the palace, and he hadn’t been to all of them. Since he had already reached the door, he simply stepped inside the Cuiyuan Pavilion.

Wu Dehai sighed helplessly and followed him in.

Li Mingxiao stepped on some overgrown weeds and frowned tightly as he looked at the collapsed palace structures. “How did so many fall down?”

Wu Dehai approached with a flattering smile, supporting Li Mingxiao’s arm. “Perhaps due to years of neglect. If Your Majesty wishes, the Ministry of Works could rebuild it.”

Li Mingxiao fell silent for a moment and sighed. “Forget it. The treasury is empty, and the border situation is tense. We can’t start any construction now.”

He gazed at the broken bricks and rubble, his eyes growing more somber. “Enough, let’s return.”

Turning to leave, he took only a few steps before suddenly missing his footing and plunging into the water with a splash.

“Someone help! The Emperor has fallen into the water!” Wu Dehai, heavy and unable to swim, turned pale with fear. He frantically stretched out his hands, trying to grab Li Mingxiao, but with a splash, he too fell into the water, flailing like a drowning duck.

The weeds in this courtyard were too tall, obscuring the pool’s edges and completely hiding the people in the water.

Lin Qing thought she must have ignored the almanac today. She had only come out to sneak some rest but unexpectedly encountered the Emperor. She had planned to hide silently in a tree until people left, but now the Emperor had fallen into the water.

Li Mingxiao could swim, but he was clearly entangled in the weeds and would surely drown without rescue.

Gritting her teeth, Lin Qing jumped directly from the tree into the water and pulled the nearly submerged Wu Dehai to the poolside.

Wu Dehai shivered all over his fleshy body. “Quick… save the Emperor!”

“I know,” Lin Qing said, holding her breath as she dove underwater.

The pool connected with the lake in the Imperial Garden, its bottom thick with silt. Long weeds rooted deep in the mud stretched above the surface.

Lin Qing worked her way through the grass until she saw a patch of bright yellow fabric.

Li Mingxiao’s eyes were tightly shut, his ankles ensnared by the soft but tough weed stems, seemingly unconscious.

Lin Qing pulled a dagger hidden in her boot and cut through the stems, then wrapped her arms around the Emperor’s neck and brought him to the surface.

***

Wu Dehai had already climbed out of the pool and, seeing Li Mingxiao brought up, quickly reached out to help Lin Qing haul him onto the shore.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty!” Wu Dehai called several times, but Li Mingxiao remained motionless. He was nearly in tears with worry. “Deputy Lin, quickly fetch the imperial physician!”

“You go,” Lin Qing ordered, swiftly opening Li Mingxiao’s pocket to check his nose and mouth were clear before beginning CPR.

Wu Dehai was no fool; he guessed this might be a rescue technique from the Tianlu Division, so on the other side, he kept talking to Li Mingxiao.

After a few breaths, Li Mingxiao suddenly spat out several mouthfuls of water and coughed violently, as if trying to empty his stomach.

Wu Dehai was so relieved he nearly cried, shaking as he helped him breathe and then nervously took an oddly shaped iron flute from his sleeve, blowing a few mournful notes.

It was a signal to the secret guards.

Seeing this, Lin Qing finally relaxed and was about to step back when she suddenly froze.

In the original story, Li Chenxuan’s successful usurpation was due to Li Mingxiao’s serious illness. After that, his health deteriorated, weakening his control over the court. Since he had no heir, this gave the protagonists their chance.

She recalled that in the book’s ending, Lin Junrou and Li Chenxuan mentioned that Li Mingxiao’s illness stemmed from falling into a remote pond, where he wasn’t rescued in time and contracted a lung disease.

Looking at Li Mingxiao still coughing violently, Lin Qing’s thoughts grew complicated. Could this remote Cuiyuan Pavilion be the very place from the story where he fell in?

At that moment, Li Mingxiao’s secret guards arrived. After a chaotic scene, he was carried back to his chambers.

After Lin Qing returned to the Tianlu Division to bathe and change, Wu Dehai summoned her to the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Li Mingxiao lay half-reclined under a thick quilt, freshly bathed, his long black hair like silk draped over his shoulders, accentuating his handsome, ethereal face, as if he might ascend to the heavens at any moment. His damp inner robe clung to his pale chest, where a faint blush showed.

Quite… rosy, actually.

Lin Qing quickly averted her gaze, her face flushing.

Li Mingxiao had Wu Dehai bring a chair to the bedside and beckoned Lin Qing to sit. “Sit and speak.”

“Is Your Majesty feeling well?” Lin Qing asked as she sat.

“The imperial physician has taken my pulse; there’s no danger,” Li Mingxiao smiled. The physician said that although the pool water connected to the outside, it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. Had he stayed in it a few breaths longer during the night, even if rescued, he would have developed a chronic illness, lifelong and incurable.

Recalling the doctor’s words, Li Mingxiao’s eyes softened as he looked at Lin Qing. “Lin Qing, how did you come to be there?”

Lin Qing: “…”

The Emperor was her boss. How could she confess that she was sneaking off from work and got lucky not to be punished?

That was absolutely off the table.

Lin Qing spoke firmly, “The Tianlu Division was noisy. I only sought a quiet place to sort out my thoughts on the poisoning case at Prince Rui’s mansion.”

“Have some refreshments,” Li Mingxiao pushed a plate of snacks from the low table beside him toward Lin Qing and said earnestly, “I know your loyalty, but the case at Prince Rui’s mansion must be handled delicately. The Empress Dowager still cares deeply for Prince Rui.”

Lin Qing was silent. If the Empress Dowager cared so much, how could she not want the case resolved? In truth, it was Li Chenxuan’s dirty dealings that caused the Rui Mansion to be riddled with spies.

If the investigation went too far, exposing everything, it would be disastrous for Li Chenxuan. Li Mingxiao was cautioning her not to dig too deeply, though she was only speaking casually and had no intention of probing further.

Yet Lin Qing wondered—since the Emperor and Empress Dowager were mother and son and there were no rumors of discord, why did the Empress Dowager worry about the adopted Li Chenxuan instead of the Emperor?

Li Mingxiao seemed to understand her thoughts. “Although I am the legitimate eldest son, I was sickly as a child. The imperial physician once said I wouldn’t live past twenty. At that time, a palace maid favored by the late Emperor gave birth to a son, whom the Empress Dowager placed in my care. This child is Prince Rui.”

There was a trace of irony in his eyes.

The Empress Dowager’s favoritism toward Prince Rui had led to many foolish acts.

See, he had been in the water so long that even the ministers were anxious and inquired about his health, yet his own birth mother had not sent a single person to check on him.

Lin Qing hadn’t noticed any frailty in Li Mingxiao’s appearance. The palace physician’s skill must have been exceptional to restore him.

Palace secrets were not something a lowly deputy like her should know.

Changing the subject, Li Mingxiao said, “Since you performed such a great service today, is there anything you desire? As long as it’s reasonable, I will grant it.”

Lin Qing: “…” Promotion, wealth, a bigger residence.

“I thought so,” Li Mingxiao chuckled, shaking his head. “I know your heart is devoted to Dayuan and you don’t seek riches.”

Lin Qing: “… No, I do.”

“Very well.” Li Mingxiao gave Wu Dehai a look. Wu Dehai immediately brought over a golden plaque and handed it to him. Sitting up straighter, the Emperor took Lin Qing’s hand, spread it open, and placed the plaque in her palm. Locking eyes with her, he spoke solemnly and earnestly, “Lin Qing, I have seen all your merits over the years. Now that you have saved my life, I bestow this gold plaque upon you. When seen, it is as if I am present in person.”

Lin Qing’s heart pounded wildly. The boss was beautiful and kind-hearted; she was genuinely touched.

She drifted out of the Emperor’s chamber in a daze and only came to her senses when she stood alone on the silent palace path. Looking at the two large characters “Imperially Bestowed” on the plaque, she felt like crying. Great—she’d just gotten another thing she couldn’t possibly sell.