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墨書 Inktalez
It was nearly midnight, and the Garden of the Imperial Palace had grown quiet.
The music had ceased, and the ministers had already taken their leave. Perhaps sensing that Li Hong held Zhao Ding in high regard, Zhao Gou had kept Zhao Ding seated at the end of the imperial table, while his favored consort, Consort Wu, sat to his left, along with Li Hong and Chuxuan on either side. Only five people remained in Qingyan Hall, creating a small royal family gathering.
Under the bright crystal chandelier, Zhao Gou's face was slightly flushed. After drinking several bowls of ginseng soup, he felt no fatigue; instead, his spirits were lifted. However, looking at the obedient Consort Wu beside him, he suddenly sighed: "Though this is a family banquet, many are absent, which truly leaves me feeling unsettled. My mother, the Empress, was captured by the Jin during the Jingkang Incident and has suffered in that cold land ever since. Even the Royal Family is entirely absent; I only have Xuan and Chuxuan here with me. Today, on New Year's Eve, I find myself with only one nephew to keep me company. It is indeed lonely. It is a pity that my only son, Crown Prince Yuan Yi, left me when he was just three years old. Now I have no descendants; it truly pains my heart!"
Li Hong had long found this strange and now understood that Zhao Gou's mother and wife had been taken to Five Nations City by the Jin. No wonder there was an empty seat at the head of the table and a vacant position for his consort; they were reserved for his mother and wife. But as for descendants...
Realizing that this emperor was quite obedient, Li Hong could only search for comforting words: "Your Majesty is in the prime of life; there is no rush for heirs. As for the Empress Dowager... there will surely be a day when she returns."
Zhao Gou was overjoyed, thinking that Li Hong's words meant he would personally intervene to rescue her. He immediately stood up and bowed.
Before he could kneel down, Li Hong raised his right hand and forcefully lifted Zhao Gou into the air. Zhao Gou became anxious: "Doesn't Celestial Master intend to help me rescue my mother, the Empress?"
Li Hong glanced at Chuxuan.
Chuxuan understood and approached Zhao Gou to help him back to his dragon throne. He spoke: "This matter requires careful consideration." Lowering his head, he whispered in Zhao Gou's ear: "You must know that Filial Piety and Benevolence, the Holy Emperor, is also in Five Nations City. Uncle Emperor, you are my uncle; he is also my Uncle Emperor. Do you understand? We must return to our mountain to report this matter to our master before making any plans."
This statement was quite convoluted, but Zhao Gou understood immediately and felt somewhat embarrassed. Asking Li Hong to save his mother meant that the legitimate crown prince who had become emperor was still alive in Five Nations City as well; how could he only save his mother without rescuing him? Such actions would lead to public scorn.
His gaze toward Chuxuan became more appreciative as he thought about having no children of his own while Chuxuan was both his nephew and a National Guardian Master. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
Before he could speak, Chuxuan saw through his thoughts and shook his head: "I am already an outsider and will not enter court. Brother Chu Hongzi is right; Uncle Emperor, you are in your prime and do not need to rush into establishing an heir."
Li Hong was left confused by this statement. What did it mean? Did he want to establish Chuxuan as Crown Prince because he had no children? Why was there such urgency? He was not old yet; with so many consorts in the palace, it was only a matter of time before he had a son or daughter.
However, Consort Wu beside them clearly understood Zhao Gou's feelings; her eyes were slightly red as she wiped away tears and softly said: "Your Majesty need not worry; there are two Celestial Masters present here; perhaps they have a way..." At this point, her face flushed slightly as she turned her head away shyly.
Li Hong felt even more bewildered.
Zhao Gou's pale face turned red with confusion as he suddenly shouted: "Everyone leave! My beloved consort and Zhao Qingjia should also take their leave!"
In the Inner Chamber, only three people remained. Zhao Gou hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "There are only the three of us here, and Xuan'er is not an outsider, so I will speak frankly. I... that is to say..." His voice suddenly dropped, and if it weren't for Li Hong's keen hearing, he would have barely been able to catch what he said: "Impotent."
"What?" Li Hong's mouth fell open, momentarily unable to process the information.
Chuxuan quickly asked, "Uncle Emperor, how did this happen? When did you develop this condition?"
Zhao Gou gritted his teeth and replied, "It's all that damned Jin people’s fault! Once, while I was with a consort, the Jin Army suddenly attacked. I was so startled that I hurriedly put on my clothes and fled for my life. Since then... it just doesn't work, no matter what! The concubines in the harem all know about it, which is why I don't have many consorts; they are merely for show and are all old palace maids who used to serve me. Consort Wu knows the most about this matter. Don't be fooled by her being a woman; she comes from a military family. When we were escaping by sea, enemy ships pursued us. If she hadn't personally drawn her bow and shot dead the Jin general on the enemy ship, where would I be now? Sigh, those years were hard for both of us."
Zhao Gou sighed deeply, recalling those difficult years of fleeing, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
Hearing this, Li Hong's opinion of Zhao Gou shifted slightly. First of all, Zhao Gou could be considered a filial son, which was commendable and appealing to him. Secondly, he showed some loyalty by remembering his mother and wife who were still in Jin territory and taking care of the old palace maids who had followed him for a long time. Although Consort Wu was beautiful in her youth, she was now quite aged. However, it was clear that she still held Zhao Gou's affection; this must be true love forged through hardship. These two points indicated that Zhao Gou had redeeming qualities.
But impotence... Li Hong felt a chill run down his spine; he truly had no idea how to address this issue.
Chuxuan looked at Li Hong and transmitted a message: "Sixth Senior Brother, this is indeed a serious matter. With the Jin people watching closely, if the Han people learn that the emperor is impotent and there is no Crown Prince in sight, it will shake their morale. You should think of a way to treat him."
"What can I do? I have no medicine for this!" Li Hong exclaimed.
"Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Wine might be useful," Chuxuan suggested.
"Fine, but that's not a cure-all. I've never heard of Revival Maple Syrup curing impotence..." Li Hong muttered as he took out a jade bottle containing Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Wine from his Cosmic Bag. He poured a small amount into a golden bowl and handed it to Zhao Gou: "Try drinking this; however, I can't guarantee it will work."
A refreshing fragrance wafted through the air as Zhao Gou eagerly grabbed the bowl and drank it down without even tasting it first. He set down the bowl and was about to speak when suddenly a wave of heat surged in his abdomen; his chest felt warm as if something was happening...
He abruptly stood up and hurriedly walked inside without looking back, saying only, "I will go try it!"
Inside the hall, Li Hong and Chuxuan exchanged helpless glances, their expressions extremely strange.
After a while, Little Yellow Gate came out to report: "The emperor has rested; please follow me, Celestial Masters."
Following Little Yellow Gate to the Emerald Cold Hall where they were staying, Li Hong couldn't help but extend his Divine Consciousness to check on Zhao Gou's situation. As soon as he heard some movement inside, he blushed and quickly withdrew his Divine Consciousness, thinking to himself that he really went to try...
One night passed without conversation as the two meditated to pass the time.
The next day was New Year's Day. Just as dawn broke, Little Yellow Gate hurried in, saying that the Emperor requested the presence of the two Celestial Masters.
Li Hong had been harboring a great doubt throughout the night, and out of curiosity, he truly wanted to know whether the Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Wine was effective for "that." Upon seeing Zhao Gou, he immediately found out the answer.
Zhao Gou appeared both excited and anxious as he leaned in and whispered, "Chu Hongzi, the National Protector, the immortal wine you provided can only sustain me for a short while; I ask the Celestial Master to grant me more."
Li Hong rolled his eyes internally, thinking, do you take Nine-Turn Soul-Severing Wine for an ordinary drink? A small sip can make a mortal immune to all ailments, but too much would be unbearable for your body weakened by indulgence. If you drink more, you might as well give up your position as Emperor and reincarnate! He assumed the authority of a Celestial Master and firmly stated, "No! This wine cannot be consumed in excess. A small sip is enough to strengthen your body and make you immune to diseases. Drinking more will be detrimental to your dragon body. I will find another way for this matter!"
Zhao Gou looked displeased upon hearing this, his expression becoming somewhat listless.
Li Hong thought to himself, perhaps you still have doubts about my methods? With a thought, flames suddenly erupted from his entire body. The dozens of palace lanterns hanging from the ceiling of Funing Palace crackled and instantly turned to ashes. Smoke filled the hall, causing the eunuchs and palace maids to scream in fright.
Zhao Gou was startled and fell back onto his dragon throne, trembling as he asked, "Why did the Celestial Master burn himself?"
"Hmph! I'm cold; I'm just playing with fire!" Li Hong replied coldly amidst the flames, but then a flash of fire shot through the hall and vanished in an instant.
Chuxuan cleverly chimed in, "Chu Hongzi's temper is not good; Uncle Emperor should not play with fire!" He laughed and quickly disappeared as well.
Zhao Gou's face changed colors repeatedly—pale, blue, then red. He looked up and saw that only the palace lanterns had burned; even the embroidered curtains on the ceiling remained untouched and vibrant. He sighed deeply, realizing that it was absolutely unwise to defy a Celestial Master even slightly; otherwise, it wouldn't just be the lanterns that would catch fire but himself as well.
Upon returning to the palace, Zhao Gou spoke humbly and answered every question without daring to mention anything about being granted immortal wine or elixirs. He carefully observed Li Hong's expression at all times, fearing he might provoke him.
Li Hong thought it was time to proceed with serious matters after establishing his authority. He spoke up, "Who currently knows military affairs best?"
Zhao Gou honestly replied, "Left Chancellor Zhao Ding."
"Good. Summon him; I have something to ask."
Zhao Ding was first appointed as the Governor of the military affairs in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Jingxiang, while also serving as a Grand Scholar in the Wendan Hall. Later, he was promoted to the position of Left Chancellor. While serving as Left Chancellor, he also took on the role of overseeing military affairs across various routes and held the positions of Deputy Minister of the Central Secretariat and Privy Envoy, thus having a thorough understanding of military matters.
After listening to Li Hong's question, he pondered and said, "As far as I know, there is no such phenomenon. However, allow me to return to the Privy Council to carefully review the memorials and archived military reports. I will report back to His Majesty and the Celestial Master once I have evidence."
Before Zhao Gou could speak, Li Hong nodded in satisfaction, "Very well, you are quite attentive. I will wait here for your prompt reply."
Zhao Ding exited but felt genuinely puzzled. Was there really a significant number of soldiers disappearing from the Song Army? He had not seen any memorials mentioning this issue. However, since it was an inquiry from the Celestial Master, it must be important. Perhaps he had overlooked something; that would be a dereliction of duty! Thinking this way made Zhao Ding's back damp with sweat as he hurriedly rushed to the Privy Council.
Seeing that the so-called important matter was this issue, Zhao Gou felt somewhat unconvinced. He was only concerned about two things: first, when would the Celestial Master intervene to rescue his mother and wife; second, without needing to say, he hoped that the Celestial Master could grant him an elixir to cure his impotence.
He glanced around and leaned closer, speaking softly, "Celestial Master, please grant me another cup of divine wine; I truly believe it is effective..."
Li Hong was speechless; he indeed had no solution. It seemed that Zhao Gou's peculiar ailment could only be addressed by returning to Mountain Gate to consult Elder Yao at Heavenly Pill Hall. However... it was difficult to bring this up!
Furrowing his brow, he coldly replied, "I am aware of your situation. For now, we must prioritize official matters; let Zhao Ding respond to me quickly."
Zhao Gou dared not say more and hurriedly called for someone to urge Zhao Ding again. His submissive demeanor reminded Li Hong of Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball. He secretly chuckled; dealing with an emperor sometimes required a bit of ruthlessness; otherwise, one would surely be stepped on.
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