Recap
Sure enough, the painting was of him and Chu Zhuo on the swing last night.
Blood Jade Bracelet: What is this painting about? Why did a mosaic appear in front of my eyes?
Rong Yu said calmly, “It’s your master’s true colors.”
Blood Jade Bracelet: What?
Rong Yu laughed and threw down the scroll with a cold look in his eyes.
Not bad, Sun.
Pretending to be so pure, but actually quite lustful.
___
“Little lotus, I’m back.” Chu Zhuo’s voice stopped abruptly.
The young man was wearing a head of black hair and sitting on the ground with his back to him, with messy scrolls scattered around him.
Chu Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat. Was the painting in the cabinet discovered?
If it was just in the cabinet, it would be fine, but he’s afraid it was in the secret compartment. That would be a big deal.
“You’re back just in time.” Rong Yu said vaguely, “I just found something good in the cabinet; you can come and have a look.”
This tone… Chu Zhuo’s heart gradually sank.
He walked over, pretending to be calm. “Oh? What did you find?”
It turned out to be this one.
That was in the imperial palace, a place where only Chu Zhuo could sit in the world, but there was another person sitting in the painting. That person was not wearing a crown or a dragon robe, but had disheveled hair and disheveled clothes. The thin red clothes could not cover the bright spring light. He was imprisoned on the dragon throne by the high and mighty emperor in black clothes, teasing the appearance of rosy cheeks and watery eyes.
Rong Yu asked seriously, “Your Majesty, I thought about it for a long time; we don’t seem to have done it in this place; are you imagining it?”
The answer is obvious.
The time when Chu Zhuo was away was enough for Rong Yu to look at all the paintings one by one.
At first, Rong Yu thought Chu Zhuo was painting a documentary; although there were some scenes that needed mosaics, they were also real events.
However, when he saw some places such as the dragon chair, eaves, and clouds gradually flying away, Rong Yu was sure that this painting was a fantasy.
Chu Zhuo said in a panic, “I can explain!”
Rong Yu: “Oh, you explain it.”
Rong Yu was very sensible and calm and gave him a chance to explain.
Explain… well, what to explain?
Chu Zhuo said, “I love you; I just want to paint you.”
Because he loves him and wants to be with him for a long time, forever and ever.
But he doesn’t have much time left.
Recently, he has had heartaches frequently, but fortunately they are not severe pains, and he can still bear them and didn’t let Little lotus know.
But he knows that his health is getting worse.
So he wants to paint every bit of them, and these paintings will become his treasured secrets, and he will take them into the tomb after his death as burial objects.
This way, he won’t be lonely sleeping underground.
“The painting you mean… is this one?” Rong Yu casually unfolded a painting of a rolling sea of clouds. The two entangled figures were almost invisible in the mist. “You still want to go to heaven?”
Chu Zhuo touched his nose. “Isn’t this like um…? A beauty is like a flower in the clouds.”
Longing for him, fantasizing about him, bullying him, and protecting him.
In summary, it’s all love for him.
“Okay, you can’t judge a person by his appearance.” Rong Yu threw the painting back to the ground, stood up, and said, “You said you would paint for me, and these are what you painted.”
“Are you angry?” Chu Zhuo silently squatted down to pick up the painting. “Then I will burn all the extraordinary paintings and keep the normal ones.” He can’t burn them all; he wants to take them to the grave.
Rong Yu: “You dare try to burn it!”
Fire-burning lotus, what can people do?
Chu Zhuo was startled by Rong Yu’s sudden outburst.
“Who said I was angry?” Rong Yu realized that he had lost control just now, calmed down, and said slowly, “It’s not impossible.”
Chu Zhuo: “…Ah?”
“You shouldn’t hide it from me. Why don’t you just tell me what you want to do? How do you know if I will cooperate with you? You have to draw these secretly and hide them.” Rong Yu said unhappily, “Except for the one on the cloud, which I can’t do in this lifetime, I can help you make the others a reality.”
Chu Zhuo: “…”
I have long wanted to try the taste of the dragon throne.” Rong Yu said the treasonous words lightly, “Let me sit on it tonight.”
Chu Zhuo was in a trance. “Are you really not angry?”
Rong Yu looked at him and said, “Want to hear the truth?”
Chu Zhuo: “Of course.”
Rong Yu said, “I’m not angry, just a little regretful and sad.”
Chu Zhuo immediately became nervous when he heard it: “What’s wrong?”
“You almost never draw yourself.”
Even in the double picture at certain moments, Chu Zhuo only has a back view. Chu Zhuo said, “Then I will add myself. You won’t regret it.”
“No, I’m still sad.”
“Why is that?”
“I can’t paint because I’m sad.” Rong Yu looked into his eyes and said, “Otherwise, I will definitely paint you beautifully.”
Chu Zhuo was stunned.
Little lotus wants to paint him…
As long as he thought of this scene, Chu Zhuo’s soul was trembling.
He must make Little lotus’s hands as good as before.
_
Cicadas chirped at the summer solstice, and the sun was scorching.
“Your Majesty! There is news of Doctor Chu!” The guard hurriedly reported.
In the study, Chu Zhuo immediately stood up: “Where is he?”
“Outskirts of the city, Zizhulin.”*
*(Bamboo forest)
“Got it.” Chu Zhuo said in a deep voice, “Prepare the horse; I will leave the palace secretly.”
For more than half a year, he has never given up the method of curing Rong Yu’s hands, and the entire Imperial Hospital is helpless. Chu Zhuo even posted an imperial edict, announcing to the world that whoever can cure Master Ji’s hands will be rewarded with a thousand gold.
People came in an endless stream, but no one had a solution.
While he was annoyed with this bunch of rubbish, he also sent more people to find out the whereabouts of Doctor Chu.
Doctor Chu was the one who developed the medicine “Gusheng.” He was a world-famous doctor with excellent medical skills and miraculous healing. He had a principle: he did not treat only treat dignitaries but also the poor.
In turbulent times a few years ago, Doctor Chu’s wife and children were abducted by soldiers of the Wu State. It happened that the army led by Emperor Chu passed by, destroyed the Wu army, and saved Doctor Chu’s wife and children.
Emperor Chu had a favor for his family, so Doctor Chu broke the principle and gave Emperor Chu the bottle of priceless Gusheng. As for Emperor Chu’s heart disease, it was brought on by birth. In this era, it was indeed a terminal illness. Doctor Chu had no way to help him. At most, he could prescribe some painkillers that only treated the symptoms but not the root cause.
If there is anyone in the world who can cure Rong Yu’s hands, it must be Doctor Chu.
However, Doctor Chu traveled around the world, saving lives, and his whereabouts were uncertain. Chu Zhuo had just learned about him and immediately rushed there without stopping.
_
Outskirts of the city, Zizhulin.
“Your Majesty.” The gray-haired old man bowed.
“Let’s not talk too much. I have something to ask for.” Chu Zhuo helped him up.
Chu Zhuo’s attitude was very humble.
It can be seen how nervous and concerned he was about that person.
“I know who your majesty is here for.” Doctor Chu stroked his beard and said, “I have seen the imperial edict posted by your majesty. It took me several months to get to Chu. I wanted to go to see your majesty tomorrow to take down the edict, but I didn’t expect your majesty to visit me today.”
“I can’t wait.” Chu Zhuo said, “I hope he gets better soon.”
“Your majesty, don’t worry; Master Ji will be safe.”
Doctor Chu looked at Chu Zhuo’s face and hesitated. “But your majesty, has your heart ached more frequently recently?”
Chu Zhuo paused: “Yes.”
Doctor Chu frowned.
“Is it serious?” Chu Zhuo asked, “I know I won’t live past thirty, but there are still two and a half years.”
“Thirty is the best outcome.” Doctor Chu shook his head.
Chu Zhuo was silent.
Not living to the age of thirty doesn’t mean he can leave on the last day of his twenty-nine years.
Twenty, twenty-five, twenty-seven—every day and every moment—it’s possible at any time.
Just like the original Emperor Chu, who died at the age of 26.
His heart was already very weak, and it stopped once, as early as when he was twenty-six. Every minute and every second since then, it beats for Rong Yu.
But it really can’t last too long.
Two and a half years is the longest period. In fact, every day of his life could be the last. When death comes, it may come suddenly and leave without saying goodbye.
Chu Zhuo didn’t dare mention it to Rong Yu.
He didn’t dare to let Little lotus suffer with him, and he didn’t want Little lotus to lose his smile.
He probably shouldn’t have provoked Little Lotus from the beginning, but he didn’t want to shrink back in his limited life and regret it until his death.
In the final analysis, he was selfish.
“Your Majesty is worried.” Doctor Chu sighed.
“Three years ago, Your Majesty was 24 years old. I told you that your body should be rested and not suitable for fighting on the battlefield. If you fight so hard, you may not survive past 30. You showed no fear and said without hesitation, ‘There are still six years for me to unify the six kingdoms, and I will die without regrets.’ Now that your long-cherished wish has been fulfilled, you are afraid and hesitant.”
“That was before I met him.” Chu Zhuo touched his chest and said lightly, “I didn’t believe in love at first sight before, but now I do. I fought on the battlefield and killed countless people, but my heart never wavered. But when I saw him, it beat violently. When he frowned, it hurt more than a heart attack. If I left, he would have no one to rely on in the world. I became afraid of death…He doesn’t know I’m sick.” Chu Zhuo looked at him warningly and said, “Don’t mention it to him.”
“I will not say much.” Doctor Chu said, “You can only hide it for a while, but not forever. If you keep silent, Master Ji will find it even harder to accept it. What should he do then?”
“I will have someone escort him out of the palace and ensure that he has no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life. It’s only less than a year; how deep can the feelings be? He is so free and easy; he should forget me soon. He doesn’t like the boredom in the palace; he can indulge in the mountains and rivers. I know how carefree and easy he is. He will see that the world is vast, everything is fleeting, and I am just his…” Chu Zhuo whispered to himself, “A passerby.”
It’s only been less than a year; aren’t you also deeply in love with him? Doctor Chu sighed. Your Majesty is deceiving himself. Doctor Chu wanted to say something to persuade him: “Your Majesty…”
“Don’t mention my affairs anymore.” Chu Zhuo said solemnly, “Just cure him.”
_
Yuqing Palace.
“Where have you been? Didn’t the morning court end long ago?” Rong Yu asked casually.
“I found a miracle doctor.” Chu Zhuo smiled. “Your hand can be cured.”
“Not those quack doctors before?” Rong Yu had a blank expression: “I drank a lot of bitter medicine, but my hand tremors didn’t get better at all.”
Chu Zhuo promised: “The last time.”
Rong Yu stared at him suspiciously.
If Ji Yu’s soul lamp wouldn’t light up if his hand couldn’t be cured, Rong Yu would never torture himself like this.
Of course, Ji Yu wasn’t worth enduring to this extent. In the past six months, many doctors have vowed to cure his hand, and the medicines they prescribed were more bitter than the others, and none of them worked. Rong Yu couldn’t stand it after a few times, and he angrily overturned the medicine bowl and asked everyone to get out. He never cooperated with the treatment again.
Chu Zhuo tried to persuade him for several days, but it was useless. Once, he stopped trying and turned to the study room with a cold face. Rong Yu wondered if he was finally impatient. He followed him quietly and saw that Chu Zhuo’s face was as white as paper. He was holding his chest and curled up in pain. He felt better after drinking the pain-relieving soup.
Rong Yu waited for him to leave, walked to the table, frowned, and secretly drank a sip. It was so bitter that he almost died on the spot. It was much harder to drink than his medicine.
Chu Zhuo drank this every day without telling him.
After that, Rong Yu still hated bitterness, but Chu Zhuo didn’t need to coax him anymore.
___
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