Meanwhile, Shen Yun had entered the palace.
It was still the Yangxin Hall, heated by the underfloor heating.
Emperor Xing Zhao was old and ill, but thanks to Su Xiaoqi's miraculous medicine, he was full of spirit.
He was leaning on his imperial bed, reading.
Upon hearing the eunuch's announcement, he did not move, only waved his hand, signaling for him to enter.
Shen Yun was somewhat bewildered. Why would the Emperor summon him to the palace for no reason?
He believed he had handled all the tasks assigned to him by Emperor Xing Zhao recently with utmost care.
There should be no oversight.
Just as Shen Yun was contemplating this, Emperor Xing Zhao looked up from his book and asked in a deep voice:
"Lord Shen, what is your age this year?"
Shen Yun carefully considered his answer: "Your humble servant is twenty-five years of age."
"Young, truly very young.
By the way, where is your wife from?" Emperor Xing Zhao steered the conversation naturally towards Su Xiaoqi.
Shen Yun's heart pounded an alarm.
But he dared not refuse the Emperor's question.
"Your humble servant's wife is seventeen years of age."
Shen Yun answered very formally, not daring to add any superfluous words.
"Even younger, a perfect match for you. Twenty-five, fifty-two, the difference should not be that great."
Emperor Xing Zhao suddenly mused.
Shen Yun's heart skipped a beat.
He lowered his gaze to the dark blue carpet woven with auspicious cloud patterns, his mind racing.
What did the Emperor mean by twenty-five, and how did that become fifty-two?
"I am fifty-seven this year, nearing sixty. I have been suffering from a chronic illness lately, and my body feels uncomfortable.
However, I have recently found a miraculous medicine that makes me feel as if I have returned to my youth, with excellent vitality and spirit."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun immediately recalled his own experiences when studying at home. After reading for a long time, his mind would inevitably feel groggy.
But as long as he stayed by his wife's side, he felt no fatigue, his body brimming with inexhaustible energy.
His mind was also clearer, as if he had slept for a full day and night.
Initially, he did not pay much attention to it.
He thought it was merely a coincidence.
But as time went on, and it happened more frequently, Shen Yun, being an observant person, had analyzed it.
Could it be that because Su Xiaoqi was a physician, she carried many medicinal pills on her person?
That feeling of refreshing oneself was perhaps a kind of medicine.
But ultimately, he could not reach a definitive conclusion.
Later, as their affection deepened, his love for Su Xiaoqi was so immense that he had no time to ponder these minor anomalies.
He gradually let it go, thinking to himself: such a good wife, he must treat her well.
Little did he know that today someone was hinting that his wife was the miraculous medicine, clearly intending to take his wife.
Shen Yun's heart suddenly clenched.
The hands he kept hidden in his sleeves had already clenched into fists.
Emperor Xing Zhao, seeing his silence, assumed his hints were insufficient and said directly:
"Madam Su possesses excellent medical skills, and the pills she prepared are extremely beneficial to me. How about ordering her to enter the palace to prepare some pills for me?"
Shen Yun's chest expanded and contracted rapidly, his breathing becoming short and rapid.
If the person before him were not the Emperor, he would have rushed forward and delivered two punches.
Shen Yun endured and endured, constantly reminding himself that this person was the Emperor, the Emperor.
He was not someone he could easily offend.
He gritted his teeth, maintaining an appearance of utter ignorance, and replied with a bewildered expression:
"Replying to Your Majesty, my wife has been studying medicine for a short time, and her medical skills are likely crude. She is not qualified to treat or condition Your Majesty's health."
Emperor Xing Zhao's sparsely white eyebrows rose in displeasure, "How can Lord Shen say that? Last time Madam Su accompanied the Grand Princess into the palace, did she not treat very well?"
At this moment, Shen Yun desperately wanted to roar: No matter how well my wife treated, she is still my wife, what business is it of yours.
But he did not. Unless absolutely necessary, as a subject, he did not want to escalate the situation, nor did he want to reach a point of no return.
"Replying to Your Majesty, my wife has always been timid and often gets lost. If she were to enter the palace, she would likely be so frightened that she would forget to treat the illness.
If she were to make a mistake in her prescription, losing her head would be a minor matter, but delaying Your Majesty's health would be a grave issue. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."
Emperor Xing Zhao's face darkened, the age spots at the corners of his eyes merging with his wrinkles.
His entire being resembled the wrinkled bark of an old tree, mottled and rough, exceptionally terrifying.
He angrily pointed at Shen Yun, "Lord Shen, do you truly not know, or do you feign ignorance?"
Shen Yun glanced at Emperor Xing Zhao from the corner of his eye.
He was stunned by his current appearance.
Even in this state, he was still coveting his beautiful wife.
How could he bear it?
A rebellious thought suddenly arose in Shen Yun's mind.
If he had known this would happen, he should have asked his wife not to treat him.
Let him remain half-dead, and see what he would ponder then.
Of course, in the feudal society where imperial power was divinely ordained, Shen Yun's thoughts were considered outrageous.
He dismissed them as quickly as they arose, but his refusal was clear.
Emperor Xing Zhao was furious.
He was not yet dead, and these ministers dared to disobey him.
He thought for a moment and said:
"You are only twenty-five. If you were to enter the Grand Secretariat now, you would not only be the youngest Grand Secretary during my reign.
You would also be the youngest Grand Secretary in the history of our Liang Dynasty. What do you say?"
This was coercion followed by temptation.
Shen Yun's heart was as firm as rock. How could he be swayed by such external things? He immediately knelt down with a 'thump'.
His silence spoke volumes about his stance.
Emperor Xing Zhao's patience was exhausted, and he was thoroughly enraged, "You, you good-for-nothing Shen Xuzhi."
He immediately issued an imperial decree to dismiss Shen Yun from his official post and banish him.
Before the words had even finished, Eunuch Feng suddenly entered, announcing that the Old Madam wished to see him.
Emperor Xing Zhao's face, flushed with anger, turned pale.
He gathered his emotions, cast a very complex glance at Shen Yun, and then looked towards the entrance of the hall.
The Old Madam had already entered.
She had not come alone.
By her side was Su Xiaoqi, the person Emperor Xing Zhao had been wanting to see—
Emperor Xing Zhao's anger could no longer be unleashed.
He adjusted his emotions and asked without a decree why they had come.
The Old Madam, accompanied by Su Xiaoqi, steadily paid their respects to Emperor Xing Zhao, then knelt on the ground and refused to rise: "This old woman comes to confess her guilt."
Emperor Xing Zhao quickly ordered someone to help her up.
But the Old Madam was very stubborn, kneeling firmly. Eunuch Feng dared not use force, and could only look anxiously at the Emperor.
"Very well, Old Madam, speak. What is the purpose of your visit?"
"This old woman, without an imperial decree, has used the token bestowed by the Empress Dowager in the past to enter the palace, thus breaking the rules. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Emperor Xing Zhao looked at the Old Madam, who was older than himself, and almost couldn't catch his breath. He said irritably,
"Punish you? How should I punish you?"
This Old Madam had once saved the life of the late Emperor.
She also possessed the imperial decree of pardon gifted by the late Emperor.
He could neither strike nor scold her, much less kill her.
Moreover, he had always respected this Old Madam who dared to fight on the battlefield, and he could not bear to reprimand her.
He then stated that he would not blame her for trespassing, as she had not truly trespassed, having possessed a token.
He then stepped down from his bed, intending to help her up personally.
Who knew that the Old Madam would bow on the spot and say again:
"This old woman still implores Your Majesty to impose punishment. My grandson-in-law, young and ignorant, has offended Your Majesty and incurred Your Majesty's wrath.
Punishing him alone is likely insufficient to appease Your Majesty's anger.
I beg Your Majesty to punish me, along with this granddaughter."
Emperor Xing Zhao's head began to ache. He finally understood.
The Old Madam had clearly come to rescue Shen Yun.