Chapter 382: Where Do You Need to Cultivate Feelings? Just Issue an Imperial Decree to Make Him Your Husband!
Next, Lin Beifan handles state affairs in the palace every day, and after finishing state affairs, he goes to the Empress’s palace to take a look.
The Little Princess also came, sitting in front of the bed, very worried: “Empress sister, are you feeling better? I heard you’ve been sleeping all day, I’m so concerned!”
The Empress showed a forced smile: “…I’m much better now, Little Yunying, you don’t need to worry!”
“That’s a relief! Empress sister, you must rest more! Before, you were overworked and caught a cold, that’s why you got sick! This time, you must take care of your health and get better, okay?”
The Empress nodded slightly: “Yes, I understand!”
“And about the state affairs, don’t worry, with Lin Beifan handling them, he’s doing a great job! Under his control, the court is very stable, and the country is running smoothly!”
The Empress smiled and said, “Sir Lin… indeed, he’s doing very well!”
“Also, remember to take your medicine on time! Even though it’s bitter, good medicine tastes bad! Taking the medicine is what will make you feel better, right?”
The Empress chuckled and said, “Alright, I’ll definitely take the medicine on time!”
“And…”
Lin Beifan couldn’t stand it anymore: “Little Princess, that’s enough! There are so many imperial doctors here, all more professional than you, they will definitely take good care of Her Majesty! If you keep rambling on, Her Majesty won’t be able to rest!”
“Hmph!” The Little Princess gave a small fist wave to Lin Beifan.
Then, looking at the Empress on the bed, she said with reluctance, “Empress sister, you must get better as soon as possible! I won’t disturb your rest anymore, I’ll leave first! Goodbye, Empress sister!”
“Sir Lin, accompany Little Yunying!” After sending off the Little Princess, Lin Beifan returned and reported some matters.
The Empress listened with great satisfaction: “With Sir Lin here, I feel very reassured. You’ve worked hard these past few days!”
Then, Lin Beifan left as well.
The Empress dismissed those around her, and at this moment, a white figure appeared in front of the bed.
Bai Guanyin admonished, “Your Majesty, I’ve been telling you to rest properly for a long time! Even if you’re a martial artist, you can’t withstand continuous labor day and night! Now, you’ve finally fallen ill! Sigh!”
The Empress smiled bitterly, “Sister Bai, how can I rest? There are treacherous courtiers in the court, foreign princes plotting, and natural disasters and human calamities. I dare not rest for a moment, fearing being plotted against! Fortunately, with Lin Beifan helping me with state affairs, I don’t know what I would do!”
“Your Majesty, you must understand, no matter how strong you are, you’re still just a woman. The fate of the country depends on you. Even a tough person would break down! If you fall, chaos will surely ensue! So, you absolutely can’t have any accidents!” The Empress sighed, “Sister Bai, I understand now, I’ll take better care of myself!”
“Furthermore, you really should find someone to help you,” Bai Guanyin smiled gently, “Among all the civil and military officials in the court, only Lin Beifan can help you effectively. Make him your emperor, with his assistance, the country will prosper, and you will have an easier time!”
This time, the Empress blushed, but she didn’t evade the topic.
“I’ve also realized that I can’t do without Lin Beifan now! It’s just that we don’t have much of a foundation for our feelings, so I plan to slowly cultivate them in the future so that everything can progress naturally…”
Bai Guanyin chuckled, “Your Majesty, you’re overthinking it. What foundation do you need? Just issue an imperial decree to make him serve in the palace, and he won’t dare to refuse!”
The Empress blushed deeply; these were very direct words! Even though she was the ruler of the country, at heart, she was still a girl with beautiful dreams of love. She wanted to take things slow, to cultivate feelings first, and then, when the time was right, to…
But now, Bai Guanyin was suggesting they jump straight to intimate relations! It was too direct, too forward, and too impatient. She wasn’t prepared for it!
“What, um, let’s talk about this later! Sister Bai, I’m feeling a bit tired now!” The Empress hastily closed her eyes, but her eyeballs were still moving, indicating her inner turmoil.
“Consider my advice carefully. I’ll leave for now and come back another day.”
The white figure gradually disappeared.
The Empress opened her eyes and seemed lost in thought, her face slightly flushed. In the days that followed, Lin Beifan continued to handle government affairs in the imperial palace.
Under his control, the court remained stable, with each department performing its duties efficiently, and the country running smoothly.
However, one day, an old eunuch who usually served the Empress hurriedly approached.
“Prime Minister, Your Majesty is in a bad mood, please help us!” Lin Beifan was taken aback, “What happened?”
“Prime Minister, it’s like this,” the old eunuch said with a bitter smile, “Today, when Her Majesty was supposed to take her medicine, she found it too bitter and refused to drink it. We tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen. Please, can you think of a way to persuade Her Majesty?”
“Is that so? I’ll go take a look!” Lin Beifan got up and headed there.
In no time, he arrived at the Empress’s palace. From a distance, he heard the Empress’s displeased voice, “The medicine is too bitter; I’ve been drinking it for several days already. I don’t want to drink it anymore. Get me a different medicine!”
“But Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that only these medicines are effective!”
The Empress continued to complain, “It’s too bitter, I don’t want to drink it!”
“We’ve added rock candy…”
The Empress complained again, “Even with rock candy, it’s still unpleasant to drink!” At this point, Lin Beifan finally entered the room and asked, “Your Majesty, is this medicine really that bitter?”
The Empress pointed to a bowl of medicine and said, “Sir Lin, if you don’t believe me, try it for yourself!” Lin Beifan picked up a bowl of medicine, took a sip, and then frowned, saying, “It’s indeed bitter! How can we make Your Majesty drink such bitter medicine? Remove it quickly!”
The Empress was very pleased, “Thank you, Sir Lin, for understanding me!”
The old eunuch approached, wearing a worried expression. “But Your Majesty’s health is delicate; she needs to take the medicine!”
The Empress furrowed her brows, “We must change the medicine; this one is too bitter. I’m almost nauseous!”
The old eunuch looked at Lin Beifan. “Prime Minister, what do you think…”
“It’s simple! Where is the medicine? I’ll process it and then give it to Her Majesty to take!”
Lin Beifan went to the Imperial Medical Pavilion, negotiated with the physicians there, and then prepared a mixture with turtle shell, buffalo skin, Poria cocos, and the medicine. The surrounding physicians were puzzled, “Prime Minister, what are you doing?”
While continuing his actions, Lin Beifan explained, “I’m still preparing medicine; I’m just turning it into a paste so that it’s easier for Her Majesty to take.”
“Turning it into a paste?” The physicians exchanged glances, “Will that really work?”
“No problem!” Lin Beifan smiled, “Her Majesty can’t stand the bitterness of the medicine, so we’ll turn it into a paste to lock in the bitterness. This way, it won’t affect her when she takes it!” In fact, this was the method used to make tortoise jelly.
Tortoise jelly is very bitter, but if you don’t bite into it, you won’t taste the bitterness. When combined with some sugar syrup, it becomes easier to consume.
Approximately an hour later, the medicine was ready again. The medicine was placed outside to freeze, and it quickly solidified into a paste. Then, Lin Beifan chopped the medicine paste into pieces and mixed it with some brown sugar water, creating a fresh version of ancient turtle jelly.
“Your Majesty, this is a dessert I’ve prepared for you. Please taste it!” Lin Beifan brought the medicine paste over.
The Empress looked at the bowl filled with black chunks, curious. “Sir Lin, what is this?”
“Your Majesty, this is a specialty from my hometown, turtle jelly. It has a unique flavor and is beneficial for your health. Please enjoy it!”
“Is that so? It’s rare for you to be so considerate. I’ll give it a try!” With the help of palace maids, the Empress took a gentle sip.
She found that the liquid was sweet and didn’t refuse it. When she bit into the black chunks, they were slightly crunchy and smooth, with a hint of bitterness. However, the sweetness of the liquid covered the bitterness, making it tolerable. She swallowed it down.
“Mmm, this turtle jelly is quite tasty. I really like it!” The Empress said with great joy and finished the turtle jelly in just a few bites.
“Your Majesty’s enjoyment is what matters!” Lin Beifan smiled slightly. At that moment, the old eunuch approached, wearing a worried expression. “Prime Minister, you should encourage Her Majesty to take her medicine, not something else!”
“Medicine? Your Majesty just took it!” Lin Beifan chuckled.
The Empress was surprised, “That was medicine?”
“Yes, it was the medicine Her Majesty usually takes! I simply condensed the medicine into a paste, and those black chunks inside are the medicine. The bitterness has been completely locked in, so Your Majesty wasn’t affected by the medicine’s taste!” Lin Beifan explained.
“I see, it turns out you have a solution! Haha…”
The Empress was delighted, “All of you should learn from the Prime Minister and see how he gets things done!”
“We will follow Your Majesty’s guidance!” they all responded.
“In the future, I’ll drink this medicine called turtle jelly, and don’t give me those bitter medicines!” the Empress added.
“Your Majesty, I’ve already taught the method of preparing medicine to the Imperial Medical Pavilion, and they know how to do it!” Lin Beifan said with a smile.
“Very well!” The Empress praised multiple times. Now that she knew it was medicine and found it not difficult to drink, she had another bowl, feeling more energetic.
She turned to Lin Beifan. “Sir Lin, do you have some free time now?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, I’ve already finished handling all matters, so I do have some free time!”
“Since you’re free, then accompany me for a chat!” The Empress added with a hint of a bitter smile, “Honestly, in such a vast imperial palace, I don’t have anyone I can confide in. I want to talk and chat with someone, but it’s not easy!”
“Your Majesty, as long as you open your mouth, there’s no need to worry about not having someone to talk to.” Lin Beifan replied.
1. Guilinggao, also known as tortoise jelly or turtle powder, is a jelly-like Chinese medicine, also sold as a dessert. It was traditionally made from the gao, or paste of the plastron from the turtle Cuora trifasciata and a variety of herbal products, in particular, China roots Smilax glabra.
