From CEO to Concubine

Lord Yue?! 

The hands pinning Yan Zheyun down disappeared immediately, as did the sword that had left a thin cut across his neck. He couldn't see the wound for himself but could feel it stinging and when he brought his hand up to the skin there, his fingers came away red. 

"This subject deserves death!" 

Behind him, the Yulin Army guards that had hindered him at the gate fell to their knees along with the rest of their colleagues who had joined them in the chase. He didn't need to turn to know that the one who had compared him to a whore earlier on was probably shaking in terror now. 

Good. Yan Zheyun wasn't going to fault any of them for doing their duty, not even if their loyalties lay with the grand protector. But some things shouldn't be forgiven. 

This grudge had been formed. 

"Lord Yue, it is completely against protocol for you to storm into Qianqing Palace at any hour of the day, let alone after curfew! His Majesty has also refused any visits from the inner palace, which you are undoubtedly aware of. You've already caused too much chaos, this old servant advises that you return to your palace at once and wait to hear what His Majesty will have to say about this."

There was a dark furrow of disapproval on Head Eunuch Cao's brow but his piercing stare was discerning. 

Rather than command the other servants to 'oh-so-politely' send Yan Zheyun back to Yuyang Palace, he was giving Yan Zheyun a chance to explain the reason for his visit. 

Yan Zheyun took it. He rose to his feet and dusted his attire off before straightening up. Now that there was no need to hide his identity, his bearing had shifted back to normal, every inch the young master he'd spent two and a half decades being before he drew the shortest lot in life and was forced to change worlds. This was Lord Yue through and through and when he stepped forward to speak to Cao Mingbao, his voice had regained its cold, detached timbre, softened only by the note of concern in it. 

"Cao Gonggong, this concubine will bear the responsibility for the commotion caused," he said. "But this concubine was driven out of desperation." He made sure to meet Head Eunuch's Cao's eyes head-on. "Ever since Attendant Hua stopped being summoned to Tianlu Pavilion, he was soon plagued by an unusual illness that none of the imperial physicians, not even the ones that Gracious Consort Yao's rank could request a visit from, managed to solve and his condition has now deteriorated to the point that this concubine fears he might not…be able to hold on for much longer." This was a gross exaggeration. Hua Zhixuan was still feeling unwell but his symptoms had not worsened remarkably despite persisting. But he could clarify that later, after gaining an audience. 

He also hadn't missed the way Head Eunuch Cao's eyes had narrowed almost imperceptibly when he'd mentioned Hua Zhixuan. Putting two and two together, Yan Zheyun suspected the emperor was also in pretty bad shape. 

"This concubine would like to humbly beg for His Majesty to send his personal physician to take a look at Attendant Hua!" Without the emperor's express permission, the head of the imperial medical bureau could only care for the health of the dragon body. Yan Zheyun directed this impassioned cry past Head Eunuch Cao and towards Qianqing Palace's entrance, ready to complete his act by falling to his knees. But Head Eunuch Cao stopped him. 

The look he gave Yan Zheyun seemed to drag on infinitely. He felt like Head Eunuch Cao was trying to assess every inch of his soul, to pry off all his defences and reveal the tender, fleshy insides where Yan Zheyun's motivations were kept. 

At long last, Head Eunuch Cao conceded. "Please follow this old servant, Lord Yue." 

The inside of Qianqing Palace was as silent as a mausoleum. This made Yan Zheyun even more uneasy as he shot Head Eunuch Cao a worried glance, especially when he noticed that he was being led down a series of quiet winding corridors to a much more secluded area. 

"Cao Gonggong?" 

There was no one else around them. If Head Eunuch Cao weren't as loyal as Yan Zheyun was hoping he would be…

He gritted his teeth. It was too late to worry about that. 

Thankfully, Head Eunuch Cao didn't seem to be interested in murdering Yan Zheyun behind one of the tall garden rocks. 

"We're alone, Lord Yue, you can say what you came here to say." The nasal edge of Head Eunuch Cao's voice was conspicuously absent and he sounded more like Young Master Hua's 'steward' had. For some reason, this gave Yan Zheyun a bit of reassurance. 

"This concubine knows that it isn't my place to ask about His Majesty's health," he said lowly, considering whether to bring up His Majesty's frequent headaches and deciding against it until he gained more trust. "But I was hoping to know whether Cao Gonggong in recent times has been feeling any unusual symptoms too?" Although Head Eunuch Cao was still functioning as per normal, Yan Zheyun could see the mild sheen of sweat on his brow, his bloodshot eyes. 

Head Eunuch Cao stiffened up. "Lord Yue, this old servant is constantly with His Majesty, you shouldn't pry into this either." 

Yan Zheyun took a deep breath. "This concubine thanks Cao Gonggong for the thoughtful reminder. Since it is not appropriate for me to inquire about anything, this concubine shall stick to explaining. After serving His Majesty for a while, this concubine had started to notice mild headaches every time I wasn't in Tianlu Pavilion." He hadn't paid much attention to them, had chalked it up to stress and ignored what they could have meant. 

"It was only after Attendant Hua started manifesting a more severe version of my symptoms that I started to wonder if the two were related." He met Head Eunuch Cao's eyes intently. "May I ask whether the young eunuch who used to assist His Majesty with ink-grinding took any sick leave in the days after I started serving His Majesty in that capacity?" 

Head Eunuch Cao's expression took on a pinched look. "That was too long ago, this old servant will have to recheck the records. But…just from memory…it might be so." 

Yan Zheyun's heart sank. "The incense," he murmured. "Cao Gonggong, it must be the incense." 

"We've already checked that, there was nothing wrong with it…" He trailed off as Yan Zheyun shook his head despairingly. 

"By the time His Majesty started manifesting symptoms, there wouldn't be anything wrong with the incense. You've checked too late." From the way Head Eunuch Cao made it sound, they suspected a poisoning. But Yan Zheyun didn't think that was entirely the case. 

"Head Eunuch Cao, have you ever heard of any medicines that, when withdrawn, would cause whoever consumed them to desire more?" There was no point in pretending that he didn't know something was up with the emperor, even though Qianqing Palace had somehow managed to keep this a secret for so long. 

Head Eunuch Cao's eyes were like daggers as they bore into Yan Zheyun. "Lord Yue seems to have some inkling about the reason behind what's going on? Even Imperial Physician Fu has not spoken authoritatively on this matter."

Imperial Physician Fu was presumably the very physician Yan Zheyun had made a show of requesting just now. 

He'd roused Head Eunuch Cao's suspicions. It was true that Yan Yun shouldn't know what he'd just revealed he knew. In fact, Yan Zheyun had no clue just how well researched addictive substances were in the Ye Dynasty since he couldn't place it on a timeline in his world. Liu Suzhi was proof that they existed but whether the imperial physicians had looked into the side effects of withdrawal was anyone's guess. To play it safe, Yan Zheyun should have tried to obtain more information from Head Eunuch Cao about the current situation before having a eureka moment in front of him that would conveniently highlight the problem. 

But Yan Zheyun had no time to manoeuvre Head Eunuch Cao with any delicateness. 

"Let me speak to His Majesty," he said abruptly. "After I'm done saying my piece, if His Majesty wishes for me to be interrogated further, I will cooperate." He wouldn't but he didn't think it would come to that. 

Head Eunuch Cao must have seen something in Yan Zheyun that convinced him because, after another short moment of hesitation, he nodded. 

"Come this way." 

The house he was led into was much smaller than the one containing the main hall and a lot less ornate in its furnishings. But as the saying went, even if the sparrow was small, it still had all five of its vital organs (1). But it wasn't a residence fit for an emperor. 

Why would the emperor shift from his comfortable bedchamber into seclusion? Yan Zheyun thought about how there hadn't been any news about the emperor's health in the inner palace and figured he had the answer to his question. 

As soon as he stepped into the main chamber, he felt his skin prickling eerily, as though multiple pairs of predatory eyes had snapped onto him at once. It was what he imagined being watched by a pack of wolves might feel like and even though there didn't appear to be anyone else but Head Eunuch Cao and himself in the room, he was under no illusion that they were still alone. 

If they'd ever been alone. Yan Zheyun had assumed in the past that the emperor must have some sort of secret guard in charge of protecting him but this was the first time he'd picked up such a keen hint of their presence. 

Everyone was on edge, it seemed. 

"Wait here," Head Eunuch Cao ordered before walking into another chamber on the left, shutting the door firmly behind him. 

Yan Zheyun had no choice but to tolerate the uncomfortable sensation and hope that he wouldn't take too long.

He didn't. He heard indistinguishable talking from within, which grew steadily in volume until he could pick up on a familiar voice that delivered a sharp rebuke. This was soon followed by staggered footsteps and a chorus of timid protests. 

Then, the door was swinging open once more, and Yan Zheyun came face to face with the man who'd occupied his thoughts for weeks. 

Counting back the dates, it hadn't been all that long since he'd last seen the emperor—the fortnight that Hua Zhixuan had gone to Tianlu Pavilion in his stead plus a handful of days after—but it had felt like an eternity, especially when he took in how different the emperor looked now, pale and gaunt, propped against the door frame and his chest heaving with the effort it had taken for him to cross from his bed to the door. 

Relief flooded over Yan Zheyun. 

In two strides, he stood before the emperor, reaching out to wrap an arm around his waist to bear some of his weight. This was bolder than any concubine had the right to be but this thought didn't even occur to Yan Zheyun, who was driven by the need to reach out and touch, to reassure himself that the emperor was still alive, still here with him, and didn't blame him for the audacity he'd displayed tonight. 

At some point, without him knowing, he'd acclimatised to the mindset of the natives of his world, he realised. The Son of Heaven, sitting high upon his throne, was the foundation pillar supporting the sky and keeping chaos from crashing down upon his people. Back when he'd been nothing more than an impressive title to Yan Zheyun, this was why Yan Zheyun had chosen to seek out his protection. 

But now that he was more to Yan Zheyun than just a pair of thighs for hugging…

"This sovereign has worried Yan Yun." A large hand stroked the back of Yan Zheyun's head in a gesture that was so familiar it made the corners of his eyes smart. Being comforted by an older man—not even older since in reality, they were of the same age—was not something that Yan Zheyun had ever thought he would need or want, but now that he was in the emperor's arms again, he was learning that maybe it wouldn't hurt now and again to let himself show some real weakness. To seek respite in the bowers of a taller, stronger tree until he was well enough again to stand proudly on his own. 

"Your Majesty has," Yan Zheyun sighed out softly, allowing himself to relax for a second into the weak embrace. The strong scent of medicinal herbs surrounded the emperor like a cloud and Yan Zheyun decided that he hated it, wanted it to go away because then it would mean that the emperor was no longer ill. 

Days of being on edge because of the emperor's disappearance and Hua Zhixuan's illness. The threat of Noble Consort Li hanging over his head like a guillotine. The adrenaline rush from stealing through the imperial city at night, weaving a tangle of lies to ensnare everyone who'd tried to stop him from being here right now. Too much had gone on in too short a span of time and the complicated jumble of emotions in Yan Zheyun's chest overwhelmed his frazzled nerves. 

He pressed his face into the crook of the emperor's neck, trembling from the effort it took to not cry. 

"This sovereign didn't mean to," he heard the emperor murmur. "But Yan Yun can see for himself now, this sovereign is all right." It would have been a soothing lie, if not for the tightness in the emperor's voice, the slight tremor at the end of his sentence that he didn't manage to conceal. 

Yan Zheyun pulled back quickly, scared that he was accidentally leaning too strongly on the emperor.

"Your Majesty is unwell," he said hoarsely. Cupping the emperor's cheek, dismay soured in the pit of his stomach when he felt the same unhealthy clamminess of his skin that he'd noted in Hua Zhixuan.

There were dark circles around the emperor's eyes but there was a soft light in them as he traced over Yan Zheyun's features with a fond gaze. But it hardened when it landed upon Yan Zheyun's chin, turning into cold steel when it trailed even lower to Yan Zheyun's neck. 

Now that the emperor was focusing on it, Yan Zheyun was suddenly made aware of the pain blossoming across his jaw. His concern had driven all thought of his earlier injuries out of his mind. There were just some bruises and scrapes, nothing deadly and paled in comparison to the larger problem at hand that he needed to deal with; a potential drug addiction in the people he cared for. 

But clearly, the emperor didn't think the same way. 

"What happened?" Instead of addressing Yan Zheyun, he attempted to turn around and speak to Head Eunuch Cao instead, words cutting like a knife as he made his dissatisfaction clear. 

In response, Head Eunuch Cao bowed low and made to apologise but Yan Zheyun didn't want the conversation to go down that route. He wasn't planning on letting that particular guard off the hook and had every intention to pursue the matter. But it wasn't the utmost priority. Already, he could feel the emperor's trembling intensify, just from the simple act of holding himself upright so that he didn't topple the both of them over. 

The emperor's health was the most important thing now, revenge could be served up later. 

Shaking his head, Yan Zheyun gently guided the emperor's face back towards him. "Yan Yun is fine." His quiet reassurance was like a wave of calmness washing over everyone listening to him. "I have much to inform Your Majesty on but Your Majesty should lie down first and not tire yourself out further lest it interferes with your recovery." He lowered his lashes as he made his request, disguising it as seeking for permission. "May Yan Yun sit by Your Majesty's bedside and speak to Your Majesty about my observations?" 

He expected the emperor to refuse, was already considering how to cajole the emperor into a suitable compromise. The emperor was a proud man. Yan Zheyun had never seen him present himself as anything less than perfect in the public eye and any display of weakness must have been galling. Yan Zheyun could empathise, and so he'd assumed that the reason why the emperor had decided to get up and walk over to Yan Zheyun himself was that he didn't want Yan Zheyun to see him wasting away in bed. 

But he was wrong. 

"Let's listen to Yan Yun," the emperor replied simply, and in front of the flabbergasted Head Eunuch Cao and the elderly gentleman eyeballing them from an unobtrusive corner of the room, allowed himself to be escorted back in.