Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

Almost everyone present had heard the rumors circulating among the common folk, and even those who were originally skeptical began to believe it when they saw Gu Shi.
He was wearing a black ceremonial dress today, resembling the late Emperor Zhao Jun, exuding an air of imperial grace even more than Emperor Zhao Yuan sitting above.

But no one dared to say such words out loud.
Only when Emperor Zhao Yuan brought it up did everyone prickle up their ears, waiting for Lin Hanchuan’s response.

Gu Shi, too, waited with bated breath.
He knew that, soon, the person in front of him would acknowledge his identity… From this day on, he would no longer be the illegitimate son without a father; he would have a heroic father.

Gu Shi had no time to observe the young emperor any longer.
His eyes widened, but he couldn’t see anything.
All his attention was focused on Lin Hanchuan, carefully listening to his serious and dignified voice.

“Seventeen years ago, when foreign enemies invaded, the late Emperor Zhao Jun led the army to resist them at Tianmen Pass,” Lin Hanchuan said slowly.
“During that time, the late Emperor once met a peasant girl.
They fell in love at first sight.
However, due to the war, the peasant girl disappeared, and the Emperor never brought her back to the palace.”

At this point, Gu Shi was a little puzzled.
He thought Lin Hanchuan was going to publicly acknowledge his identity, but he seemed to be saying all sorts of unrelated things.

However, the others present had their faces change dramatically, especially Emperor Zhao Yuan, whose gaze turned grim.

“Afterwards, the late Emperor and the peasant girl pledged to be together for a lifetime, and she gave birth to a son after they were separated,” Lin Hanchuan continued, stepping back and standing behind Gu Shi.
“That peasant girl tragically passed away, leaving behind a son who wandered and roamed until I encountered him at Tianmen Pass.”

The crowd fell silent.
No one dared to speak, and all eyes shifted between Emperor Zhao Yuan and Lin Hanchuan, as if they were trying to read something from their expressions.

Emperor Zhao Yuan’s throat moved, swallowing the taste of blood.
Finally, he understood why the Regent King dared to risk everything to force him to write an abdication edict.

“Is this child the lost member of the royal family?” Emperor Zhao Yuan’s hand rested on his knee, where no one could see, and his nails pinched the flesh, leaving blood marks.

Upon hearing this, Gu Shi already felt something was off, looking at Lin Hanchuan with confusion.

“That’s right,” Lin Hanchuan said, “This little prince takes his mother’s surname, named Gu Shi.”

Gu Shi’s pupils shrank suddenly.
He couldn’t show any expression on his face.
His mind was buzzing, recalling every little detail since he met Lin Hanchuan.

Emperor Zhao Jun… peasant girl… member of the royal family…

Everything he had believed in was overturned.
He was not the celebrated child of the Regent King.
Gu Shi’s mind was in chaos, and the mixed feelings were difficult to sort out, let alone show any expression.

The onlookers kept scrutinizing Gu Shi, seeing his calm composure and how he did not react, which made them take this newly emerged prince more seriously.

“Confusing the royal lineage is a grave crime,” Emperor Zhao Yuan restrained the curve of his lips, sitting up straight and saying.

Emperor Zhao Yuan did not want to recognize this younger brother.
The wise ministers also quickly picked up on Emperor Zhao Yuan’s intention.

A royal prince from the common people was not a big deal.
If the emperor was willing, granting him the title of a prince without any real power would not be a problem.
However, this prince stood behind the Regent King.

This was no longer just about rescuing a member of the royal family from the common folk; it was a power struggle between the Regent King and the young emperor.

Everyone understood that the ambitious Regent King, by bringing back a member of the royal family, was definitely not acting out of good intentions… Most likely, he was paving the way for his future actions.

Each person had their own calculations in their heart.

“I dare not confuse the royal lineage.
Whether it’s true or not, the truth can be determined by a blood test,” Lin Hanchuan directly said, and as he finished speaking, someone quickly presented a white porcelain bowl filled with clear water.

Lin Hanchuan had prepared for this day for a long time and was ready for any unexpected situation.

Lin Hanchuan picked up a silver needle placed beside the porcelain bowl and walked to Gu Shi’s side.
He paused for a moment and said, “Your Highness, I am overstepping.”

Still, Gu Shi hadn’t recovered his senses.
He absentmindedly allowed Lin Hanchuan to hold his hand, from where Lin Hanchuan carefully extracted a drop of blood, which fell into the porcelain bowl, the bright red blood and the snow-white porcelain shining together.

“Does it hurt?” Lin Hanchuan also took a drop of blood himself and couldn’t help but feel distressed.
He leaned down and blew on the fingertip from which Gu Shi had taken the blood, asking softly.

The fingertip trembled slightly, and for some reason, Gu Shi suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
He softly replied, “A little.”

Only Lin Hanchuan, who was close by, heard the faint voice.
He blew on it again, feeling a hint of regret.

Ancient times did not have effective DNA testing technology, so blood tests to determine kinship were mere feudal superstitions and not particularly useful.
However, it was the most intuitive and trustable method for the masses, so Lin Hanchuan used it.

But when the child cried out in pain, Lin Hanchuan regretted not thinking of a more comprehensive method, causing him to suffer this kind of grievance.

Others didn’t see the interaction between the two, but Emperor Zhao Yuan, sitting on the high seat, saw it clearly.
He stared at Lin Hanchuan without turning his gaze away, allowing a little eunuch to hold his hand and take some blood from his fingertip.

In response to Gu Shi’s cry of pain and Lin Hanchuan blowing on his fingertip, Emperor Zhao Yuan’s fingers also twitched, and his fingertip was tingling with pain.

In the past, Emperor Zhao Yuan was the one who enjoyed such care.
Regardless of whether it was getting a drop of blood from his fingertip or accidentally getting a little cut, the Regent King would turn into an old mother, fussing and doting on him.

At that time, Emperor Zhao Yuan always felt irritable.
He was a strong and resolute man, how could he be so delicate in front of another man? All of the Regent King’s care and pampering made him feel like he was a woman.

After imprisoning the Regent King, they completely broke off their relationship, and besides the little eunuch by his side, he no longer had anyone who followed him around and babbled incessantly.

The Empress Mother never cared about such small matters, and the Grandfather only had his mind on the affairs of the state.
As for the little eunuchs, they were all timid and mostly kept silent.
At most, the senior eunuchs who were close to him would try to console him, but they dared not say much, usually choosing to remain silent.

At first, Emperor Zhao Yuan felt relieved.
He no longer had to endure the nagging, and no one would humiliate him with those cheap trinkets.

But now, watching the young man, who bore some resemblance to him, confidently crying out in pain and receiving the Regent King’s tender care, Zhao Yuan found that he could do without the Regent King, but he could not accept these things being given to someone else.

“Blood is mingled, blood is mingled!” The eunuch holding the cup walked around the hall, making sure that everyone saw the two drops of mingled blood in the water, chanting.

The appearance of Gu Shi had already convinced many people, and with the blood test, they believed even more in Lin Hanchuan’s words.

A healthy prince in his teens, who was a member of the royal family… Unconsciously, people’s gazes toward Gu Shi began to change.

Lin Hanchuan looked around, then suddenly took a step back.
Before anyone could react, he knelt down on one knee and loudly said, “I respectfully welcome His Highness back to the palace.”

Gu Shi’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried to help Lin Hanchuan up, but as soon as his hand touched Lin Hanchuan’s arm, he was secretly pressed down and could only stiffly maintain the gesture of reaching out but not complete the help.

Lin Hanchuan’s action seemed to trigger something, and one after another, some people wanted to kneel down to Gu Shi.

“Respectfully welcome His Highness back to the palace.”

When most of the people knelt down, those who were still sitting there stood out conspicuously.
After hesitating for a few seconds, they also knelt down.

Amidst the confusion, a little eunuch suddenly shouted, “Your Majesty has fainted! Quickly call the imperial physician!”

Lin Hanchuan’s carefully prepared Mid-Autumn Festival banquet ended hastily.
The courtiers didn’t dare to linger and quickly slipped out of the palace, leaving Lin Hanchuan and Gu Shi behind.

The venom that Zhao Yuan hadn’t resolved had deeply penetrated into his marrow through his anger, and if this continued, he feared he wouldn’t live much longer.

Lin Hanchuan stood by the bed, listening to the imperial physician’s advice.
He looked at Zhao Yuan lying on the bed and suddenly realized that compared to the beautiful and proud young man from his original memory, this person had become much thinner.

It was as if a sapling, which had always been protected by a big tree, suddenly suffered from wind and rain, and could no longer stand tall.

Gu Shi stood behind Lin Hanchuan and also observed the young emperor.

Compared to the fleeting glance he had at the banquet, he could now see more of Zhao Yuan’s haggard complexion.
Especially when he closed his eyes, devoid of imperial majesty, he seemed no different from any other seriously ill person.

What set him apart was the number of people surrounding him – imperial physicians, maids, servants – which only made him look more pitiable.

Because among all these people, everyone was anxious about his identity as the emperor.
They were worried that if news of his serious illness spread, it would affect the stability of the kingdom and cause internal turmoil.
No one was concerned about Emperor Zhao Yuan himself.

… Or maybe there was.
Gu Shi glanced furtively at Lin Hanchuan’s serious and stern expression.

“Your Highness, what do you think?” The imperial physician cautiously explained the condition, suggesting things like maintaining a calm and peaceful environment, avoiding excessive excitement, and lessening physical exertion.
Even he felt somewhat fearful as he spoke, “His Majesty’s condition can be relieved with the use of top-grade tonics, but the best method is gentle nourishment…”

“Is there a shortage of medicinal ingredients in the palace? Use whatever is good.” Lin Hanchuan thought for a moment and said.

The imperial physician’s heart trembled, knowing that the Regent King truly intended to give up on this weak emperor.
He didn’t dare to say more, “Yes, I will follow your order.”

Gu Shi couldn’t understand the underlying meaning in Lin Hanchuan’s words.
His eyes dimmed, and his heart felt sour and inexpressible: use the best medicine…

Before, Gu Shi didn’t believe the rumors circulating outside, but now he couldn’t help but wonder if the Regent King and the young emperor had some private relationship, hence the affectionate gazes directed at him and the threat to the imperial physician to use the best medicine, scaring the poor physician.

 

Author’s Note:

Surface-level Regent King: Affectionate and tender, using the best medicine to save him!

The actual Regent King: He can’t die now.
I need him to write the abdication edict.
Use the most potent medicine to wake him up, never mind if the medicine is good for his body.
As long as he wakes up and writes the abdication edict, it’s enough.

Uke: *Feeling Jealous*.jpg