Liu Che reached out to snatch the talisman water from Chu Haiguang’s hand. Seeing this, Chu Haiguang hastily dodged and pressed down on the Emperor’s hand, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! If you rashly meddle with things of the Underworld, you will lose your chance at immortality in the future!" He had heard his master say that the ghost-immortals of the Underworld were of a violent temperament and extremely vengeful; they were not to be provoked.
Liu Che regained a sliver of his senses.
"Then... must I simply watch this treasure remain before my eyes, yet out of reach?"
Chu Haiguang knelt. "Your Majesty, you can simply keep Lady Huikang by your side at all times. In my humble opinion, this treasure does not need to be carried personally to be effective."
Ah Jiao spoke up: "I’m awake." *Have some respect, please. Don't plot against me right in front of my face, or I'll start feeling particularly useless.*
Liu Che slumped to the floor. "Good, good, good." Then he suddenly sat up, a smile appearing on his face that made Ah Jiao feel very uncomfortable. "Ah Jiao, from this day forward, we shall never be apart."
*This man has gone mad,* Ah Jiao thought, silently rolling her eyes.
Liu Che picked Ah Jiao up and gave her a forceful kiss on the forehead. "Who is outside?" he asked, straightening his robes and resuming a formal posture.
"Your Majesty, your servant has brought some refreshments," Wei Qing answered softly.
Liu Che held Ah Jiao close. "Come in!"
Wei Qing walked in, only to see the Emperor still holding Lady Huikang. Her clothes were hanging loosely on her small frame, revealing half an arm that looked like a stalk of jade lotus root. Wei Qing could only close his eyes in helplessness. "Your Majesty, your servant accidentally spilled the refreshments just now."
"It is no matter. Have them prepared again," Liu Che said without looking up.
Ah Jiao watched blankly as Wei Qing entered with a look of unbearable distress and left with that same expression.
Liu Che was still staring at her with an inquisitive gaze.
Chu Haiguang withdrew, and Yang Deyi brought fresh honey water for the two masters.
Ah Jiao took the cup and gulped it down. No matter what Liu Che asked, her answer was a universal "I don't know."
If Liu Che had the nerve, he could just kill her and let her return to the Underworld early.
After staying at the Chen residence for only a single day, Ah Jiao was hauled back to the palace by Liu Che.
***
The Chen family, while happy, could not help but be puzzled. Why was His Majesty so fond of their young child?
Ah Jiao’s life in the palace became even more tedious. She was forced to stay in the same room as Liu Che from morning till night. She couldn't even find an opportunity to ask Chu Haiguang how he knew about the affairs of the Underworld.
Ah Jiao felt that Liu Che was becoming somewhat obsessed. Seeking immortals and asking for the Way to eternal life was the dream of every emperor, but Liu Che wasn't that old yet—he wasn't even fifty.
Most importantly, perhaps because Liu Che had put on weight, he had started to snore. For the past few nights, Ah Jiao had been lying on her small couch, unable to sleep at all because of the noise.
It only began to improve slightly after a few days.
Of course, Ah Jiao made a new discovery during this time. For instance, on the forehead of Liu Che’s young daughter, Liu Run, there was also a "Punishment" mark.
She, too, was a participant in this Reincarnation Platform trial.
"Ah Jiao, try this." Liu Run picked up a piece of chestnut cake and fed it to Ah Jiao. Ah Jiao ate it from her hand, ignoring whatever the surrounding palace maids might think.
"Now that you've reincarnated, do you really not want to do anything?" Liu Run pulled Ah Jiao aside to whisper in her ear.
"I can't do what I want to do. Unless you can first convince your Imperial Father not to tether me to him every single day."
It was terrifying!
Liu Run shook her head. "I really can't persuade him on that. I heard that even Great General Wei Qing tried to advise him, but it didn't work."
Ah Jiao sighed.
Liu Che was nearby reading official documents, while Liu Bo ran around playing near Ah Jiao.
After lunch, Lady Xing came to the Xuan Shi Hall in person to take the prince and princess back. Before leaving, she cast a glance back at Ah Jiao. It had been a month since the Emperor brought this little girl into the palace—first from the Wei residence, then from the Chen residence. For an entire month, the Emperor had not summoned anyone from the harem to serve him at night; instead, he was inseparable from this little girl. Unpleasant rumors had begun to spread through the harem. Wei Zifu was deeply troubled by this, cursing in her heart more than once that anything associated with the name "Chen Ah Jiao" was destined to be her nemesis.
Lady Yin was not one to admit defeat easily. After being blocked at the door twenty-one times over the course of half a month, Liu Che finally permitted her to enter the Xuan Shi Hall.
Ah Jiao watched as Lady Yin entered, wearing a sheer gauze robe that emphasized her charming and delicate aura.
"Your Majesty, this is a duck soup I stewed personally. Please have some," Lady Yin said, deftly ladling out a bowl and presenting it.
As Lady Yin posed in a way that perfectly highlighted her slender figure, Liu Che’s gaze lingered for a moment on a certain spot below her neck. Ah Jiao thought she should probably slip out to avoid seeing something she shouldn't.
"Come back here." Liu Che’s eyes swept over to Chen Ah Jiao, who was trying to sneak out, and his brief flicker of romantic interest vanished instantly!
Liu Che set the soup bowl down in front of Ah Jiao. "Drink it!"
Ah Jiao found the aroma of the duck soup truly fragrant, so she didn't refuse. Lady Yin, however, blocked her and acted coquettishly toward Liu Che. "Your Majesty, this was specially stewed for you~"
"Leave us!" Liu Che buried his head back in his documents. Lady Yin grew anxious, pressing one hand on Ah Jiao while hooking her other arm around Liu Che’s.
Lady Yin refused to leave, clinging to him. Liu Che picked up a scroll from a small pile of bamboo slips at his side and handed it to her.
Confused, Lady Yin opened it, and her face turned pale. It was a memorial accusing her father and brother of forcibly seizing farmland and beating someone to death.
"Your Majesty~" Lady Yin’s eyes filled with tears as she prepared to defend them, but Yang Deyi had already moved nimbly to grab her arm and drag her out.
"Your Majesty!" Ah Jiao watched as the previously enchanting Lady Yin was carried out by several eunuchs. In truth, this matter could be large or small depending entirely on Liu Che’s mood, but clearly, he was in a foul mood.
"I thought you let her in because you felt sorry for her." Ah Jiao looked out the window; the sun was growing increasingly fierce. It was late in the fourth month. Wei Qing and Liu Ying’s wedding was set for the tenth day of the fifth month—not far off.
Liu Che gave a cold snort, not bothering to answer her.
Ah Jiao picked up the bowl and drank the soup, finding the taste quite excellent. "Do you want to try some? She really did put her heart into it."
As Ah Jiao went to ladle a second bowl, Liu Che snatched it and downed it in one gulp. Ah Jiao grumbled and sat to the side. Liu Che ended up finishing the entire pot of soup.
*What a water tank!*
She felt her relationship with Liu Che was becoming increasingly strange. Though they shared a room, they mostly had nothing to say to each other. Furthermore, Liu Che had already ordered Zhao Ponu to lead troops against Loulan, so he was busy with many affairs and stayed up very late every night. Her second uncle had also been appointed to go along; she wondered how much Wei Yuan must be crying at home.
As she sat there, Ah Jiao felt herself growing hotter and hotter.
She touched her nose; it was wet and red. "Liu Che, I have a nosebleed," Ah Jiao called out, wiping her nose with a handkerchief.
However, she received no response from Liu Che. Instead, a dark shadow suddenly collapsed toward her.
Ah Jiao looked on in a daze at Liu Che, who had fallen onto her, his face flushed deep red. Her nosebleed was gushing down toward her neck.
"Yang Deyi!" Ah Jiao screamed.
Yang Deyi, who was waiting by the door for orders, rushed in immediately.
Liu Che suddenly steadied Ah Jiao’s head and smiled. In his daze, he saw Ah Jiao as a young woman. *Her hands like soft sprouts, her skin like congealed cream, her neck like the white larvae of the long-horned beetle, her teeth like melon seeds, her forehead like a cicada, her eyebrows like a silkworm moth's antennae...* The ancient poems describing beauty fit her perfectly. They had once been a loving couple! Liu Che felt a primal longing for the past and for this woman erupt within him. He leaned down to kiss her face.
Ah Jiao watched as Liu Che, with a look of intense focus, bypassed her head and kissed the mat on the floor. She then struggled with all her might to squeeze out from under him.
Yang Deyi came over to support Liu Che, helping him onto the bed inside.
"Yang Deyi, go call the Imperial Physician at once!" Ah Jiao commanded, splashing the chilled water from the ice basin onto Liu Che’s face. Yang Deyi took the order and left. Had Chen Ah Jiao not been there, Yang Deyi would have grabbed a palace maid to serve the Emperor first.
Liu Che was still in agony, his body arched on the bed as he tried to pull off his trousers. Ah Jiao dipped her hands into the ice basin to freeze them and then pressed them against her own face. Feeling a bit cooler, she found Liu Che’s current state unbearable to look at, so she simply pulled the pillows and quilts under him.
The palace attendants also rushed in frantically.
Liu Che clutched the pillow as if he were holding a woman.
Ah Jiao’s nosebleed had already soaked through a handkerchief; the blood in her body felt as if it were boiling. She began to feel acid rising in her stomach and a tightness in her chest, making her want to vomit. She simply climbed onto the table and slumped over the ice basin. The attendants were all surrounding Liu Che and couldn't spare a thought for her.
"Ah Jiao..." Liu Che panted nearby.
Ah Jiao felt her vision begin to blur, and her hearing started to fail.
***
Liu Che finally regained a bit of clarity. Palace maids were using cold towels to wipe his body.
"Where is the Imperial Physician?" Liu Che’s voice was incredibly hoarse.
"They have been summoned and are almost here," Yang Deyi replied from the side, changing the towel on the Emperor’s forehead.
"Lady Yin... take the soup... to be tested..." Liu Che felt as if his throat were clogged with something greasy.
He was still sprawled over the pillows and quilts. Turning his head, he saw a palace maid with a flushed face wiping his legs. A surge of fire rose again, and he kicked her over.
Liu Che rolled over and sat up. Yang Deyi hurriedly used the quilt to cover the Emperor’s body.
Liu Che felt bloodstains on the quilt, along with some other unclean substances. He asked, "Where is Ah Jiao?" He remembered holding her just now. She was so small; if he had... she might not have survived.
"The young lady has fainted. The maids are wiping her down as well!" Liu Che’s heart went cold, assuming he had indeed committed an atrocity.
"The Imperial Physicians have arrived," Huang Yu’s voice came from outside.
The two Chief Physicians, Qin and Chang, led a group of subordinate officials inside. Without even stopping to bow, they began to take Liu Che’s pulse, while others went to examine the soup bowl.
"Your Majesty! Lady Huikang is in a bad way!" a maid cried out from the side.
Liu Che tried to get off the bed, but his legs were powerless.
"Bring her here, quickly!" Yang Deyi shouted urgently.
A maid carried Ah Jiao over. Seeing this, Song Zhen stepped forward to check her pulse. There was a thin trail of blood beneath Ah Jiao’s nose, and her breathing was weak.
It was a bedchamber drug, and the dosage was not small.
The Chief Physician felt relieved after checking the Emperor’s pulse. After a brief consultation, the two had a plan. They began administering acupuncture and ordered the Assistant of Prescriptions to write a formula and the Assistant of Medicine to prepare the herbs.
Song Zhen, however, had his brow furrowed in a deep frown as he began administering acupuncture to Ah Jiao immediately.
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
罚 | Punishment / Fa | The mark found on the foreheads of the trial participants.
惠康君 | Lady Huikang | Ah Jiao's current title.
婕妤 | Jieyu / Lady of Handsome Fairness | A high-ranking consort title.
美人 | Meiren / Lady | A consort title.
宣室殿 | Xuan Shi Hall | The main hall of the Weiyang Palace where the Emperor resides.
冰鉴 | Ice basin / Ice chest | An ancient Chinese vessel used for cooling food or air with ice.
房中药 | Bedchamber drug | A term for aphrodisiacs or fertility-enhancing drugs used in the palace.
太医令 | Chief Imperial Physician | The head of the imperial medical staff.
方丞 | Assistant of Prescriptions | A medical official responsible for formulas.
药丞 | Assistant of Medicine | A medical official responsible for the preparation of drugs.
宋臻 | Song Zhen | A specific physician mentioned in the text.
刘润 | Liu Run | A princess, daughter of Liu Che.
刘髆 | Liu Bo | A prince, son of Liu Che.
尹婕妤 | Lady Yin | A consort who attempts to seduce the Emperor.
刑美人 | Lady Xing | A consort who takes care of the children.
赵破奴 | Zhao Ponu | A historical general under Liu Che.
楼兰 | Loulan | An ancient kingdom in the Western Regions.
