Volume One, Chapter 43: Convalescence

This time, the conversation proved somewhat difficult.

Ever since their relationship had grown closer, although Xue Wu suspected that Shen Ran might not harbor the exact same sentiments in his heart, every single word he uttered happened to align seamlessly with her own wishes.

Xue Wu felt as though two flames were scorching her cheeks.

Lowering her voice, she said, "While these individuals cannot be dealt with too harshly, neither can they be entirely ignored. This concubine believes..."

Here, Xue Wu paused for a brief moment before continuing, "Your Majesty should still reopen the imperial examinations and select more virtuous ministers."

A gentler smile graced Shen Ran's lips. "Is this Ah Wu's own idea?"

Xue Wu blinked. She was no longer as hesitant to voice her thoughts as she had been at the very beginning. "Of course it is this concubine's idea. Did Your Majesty not say before that you wished me not to fear you?"

Leaning against the table, Shen Ran chuckled softly for quite a while.

It was not until Xue Wu, unable to contain her embarrassment any longer, softly called out "Your Majesty" once more, that he reached out to take her hand. "Ah Wu, let me speak frankly with you."

"It is not that I am unwilling to hold the imperial examinations, but as you can see, given the present circumstances, there are very few people I can truly trust. Even if we were to hold the examinations, the examiners would mostly belong to Liu Shizhuang's faction, and those selected would likely be of one mind with Liu Shizhuang, which would only serve to inflate his arrogance."

"Moreover, I currently bear the reputation of a tyrant. Even if truly virtuous ministers exist, I fear they might not dare to come."

As he spoke, a flash of imperceptible mockery swiftly crossed Shen Ran's eyes.

Too many things had already been done.

He had ascended to the throne by stepping over mountains of corpses and seas of blood; could he simply claim to have repented overnight and turn over a new leaf?

It was hardly that simple.

Nor was he so naive.

The most unpredictable thing in this world was the human heart, and the hardest thing to win over was the human heart as well.

If one wished to reclaim lost allegiance, it would be impossible without paying a price.

Xue Wu was slightly startled upon hearing this.

That was something she genuinely had not considered, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Then what is to be done?"

She looked truly anxious.

Shen Ran replied calmly, "To deal with someone like Liu Shizhuang, one must have a figure of even greater moral integrity and standing to stand up and issue a rallying cry."

Xue Wu's eyes brightened. "I wonder if Your Majesty has anyone specific in mind?"

Shen Ran curved his lips, but just as he was about to speak, Yuanbao happened to enter at that exact moment to report that the imperial physicians sent to diagnose the various ministers had returned.

At once, both Shen Ran and Xue Wu checked themselves. Xue Wu cast a slightly worried glance at Shen Ran.

Shen Ran uttered a calm, "Oh?"

Yuanbao reported, "According to the physicians, all the ministers fell ill with colds due to the severe weather. There is nothing serious, but they must not go out immediately and require several days of quiet recuperation within their residences."

Shen Ran smiled lazily. "That is quite a coincidence. Did every single physician say the same thing?"

"Not quite."

Yuanbao pinched his fingers into the shape of an orchid and shook his head, saying, "The physician who went to examine the Minister of Rites reported that he is not sick at all; rather, he has consumed far too much nourishing food and, sitting idly at home day after day, has grown so fat he can barely walk."

"Pfft—!"

Having been fed numerous pastries by Shen Ran just moments before, Xue Wu had felt a bit thirsty and was sipping tea. Hearing Yuanbao's sudden remark, she failed to restrain herself and spat the tea out entirely.

A slender, jade-like hand reached out to pat her back. Shen Ran smiled. "Drink slowly."

Xue Wu blushed. "This concubine has lost her decorum."

Shen Ran said lazily, "What decorum? Ah Wu is simply showing her true nature."

When one looks at someone with disfavor, even breathing is considered a fault. When one holds someone dear, spitting out tea is merely expressing one's true nature.

To this routine display of public affection between the Emperor and the Empress, the third-wheel Yuanbao, having been forcibly fed a mouthful of dog food, silently declared it unwatchable.

Yet, this was not necessarily a bad thing.

At least Shen Ran, in his willingness to cherish Xue Wu, was growing much more humane.

In such moments, he resembled a creature of flesh and blood rather than a high and aloof, cold and merciless idol.

Yuanbao looked rather excited. "With the physician's diagnosis, Your Majesty can now openly charge the Minister of Rites with the crime of deceiving the ruler! You can have him hacked into pieces!"

"Hmph, let's see if they dare to be so arrogant again!"

The moment his voice trailed off, Yuanbao suddenly noticed an absolute silence descending upon the Weiyang Palace.

Xue Wu looked at him with some astonishment.

As for Shen Ran, he had resumed his usual half-smiling expression.

In an instant, Yuanbao's heart skipped a beat.

In the past, even when he knew what Shen Ran intended to do, he would never have dared to voice his own opinions on such matters. However, Shen Ran had lately been less prone to outbursts even when in a bad mood, which had caused him to lose his sense of propriety.

Yuanbao dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

"This slave spoke out of turn! This slave spoke out of turn!"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!"

"Forgive me, Her Majesty the Empress!"

As he spoke, he even reached out with his chubby hands to slap his own face, one after the other. Naturally, the blows were light; if one did not listen closely, the sound of the slaps could not even be heard.

While one might call him bold, he could never shake off his sycophantic habits and would tremble with fear at the slightest hint of trouble; yet, calling him cowardly, he always managed to slack off whenever he had to punish himself.

Looking at this comical character, Shen Ran was both exasperated and amused.

He waved a hand. "All right, stop hitting yourself. Make no noise, and bring that physician to see me. I have questions for him."

***

To everyone's surprise, not only did Shen Ran not fly into a rage over the ministers requesting leave, but he also issued an imperial decree expressing deep concern for them, bestowing numerous medicines and nourishing tonics upon them.

This move undoubtedly made Liu Shizhuang's faction secretly smug, believing it to be a concession on the part of the monarch.

However, on the following day, Shen Ran himself once again failed to appear in the imperial court.

Word spread from within the palace that His Majesty had caught a mild cold accompanied by a persistent high fever, and would require at least half a month of quiet recuperation.

Xue Wu, in her capacity as Empress, personally entered the Weiyang Palace to tend to the imperial illness, while all other unauthorized persons were denied entry without exception.

During Shen Ran's convalescence, all state affairs were handled on his behalf by Liu Shizhuang as before.

Such trust and delegation nearly convinced Liu Shizhuang that the supposed alienation and suspicion were merely figments of his own imagination.

Yet, simultaneously, Shen Ran executed two highly astonishing moves—

Instead of having Sun Shen, the head of the Imperial Physician Bureau, tend to his illness this time, Shen Ran appointed a very young, new imperial physician.

The man was named Jiang Jinzhi, and he was only twenty-three years old.

Though his medical skills were actually quite good, he hailed from an impoverished background and lacked any political connections in the court, leaving him with no prior opportunities to distinguish himself.

Furthermore...

Because Li Jiuxiao had been dispatched to Changzhou for disaster relief, the post of chief imperial bodyguard had temporarily fallen vacant, and Shen Ran had continually left the position unfilled. Yet now, he suddenly issued an imperial decree breaking all precedents by promoting Zhao Yuanzhuo—who had only recently become a second-rank guard—to the position of chief imperial bodyguard, granting him full authority over the defense of both the Weiyang Palace and the Yikun Palace.

In particular, throughout the half-month of Shen Ran's recuperation, absolutely no one was permitted to approach the Weiyang Palace.

In terms of age, seniority, or his current status as the son of a convicted criminal, Zhao Yuanzhuo had no business whatsoever being anywhere near such a post.

This action naturally provoked intense dissatisfaction among the literati led by Liu Shizhuang as well as many of the imperial guards. They even incited the imperial students of the Imperial Academy to kneel outside the palace gates, begging the Emperor to rescind his mandate and pleading with him not to place such immense trust in the son of a criminal. Fortunately, backed by the vigorous support of military generals led by Xue Yuandao, the matter was barely suppressed.