Chapter 44 : Uncontainable Joy

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As Medicine King unravelled the gauze cloth one round after another, Shen Ci noticed that his breathing began to slow down, almost to the point of suffocation. He assumed that after so many days, he wouldn’t be nervous anymore. However, he didn’t expect that upon confronting the actual moment of confrontation, he would still feel incredibly perturbed.

The same was true for Murong Heng, who was holding his hand. He stared intently at the Medicine King’s hands. His heart skipped a beat and almost leapt out of his throat. He discerned that Shen Ci’s palm was starting to get moist, so he tightened his hold, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down. Ah Ci was anxious. He couldn’t be anxious along with him. He needed to support him!

With this in mind, Murong Heng clutched his hand and silently comforted Shen Ci. As the gauze cloth layers slowly diminished, Shen Ci’s palms exuded more and more sweat, and his breathing became slower and slower.

“Close your eyes first.” When Medicine King arrived at the last layer of gauze, he said in a deep voice, “Right now, the daylight is bright; if you remove the cloth rashly, you may hurt your eyes. Therefore, you must open them slowly.”

Shen Ci obediently closed his eyes. The sound of the Medicine King inhaling deeply filled his ears. Following his movements, the last layer of gauze was removed from his eyes. Shen Ci kept his eyes closed and bit his lower lip. He was extremely nervous.

“Slowly open them.” As he said these words, the Medicine King himself was extremely tense. He feared that this child would not be able to see the light again after suffering such pain. He stared unblinkingly at Shen Ci’s eyes.

With a deep breath, Shen Ci slowly opened his eyes. The view in front was still the same as before—an empty void—and he couldn’t see anything. His heart thudded, and he smiled wryly. Sure enough, he wasn’t able to recover his eyesight.

However, in the midst of his disappointment, the layer of white mist in front of his eyes appeared to be very different from the emptiness before. Through the white fog, he seemed to vaguely make out something, but he couldn’t see clearly.

He instinctively widened his eyes; Shen Ci struggled hard to look ahead; and the hazy objects gradually became clearer. He saw the tables and chairs made of aloe wood and saw two people standing before him. One was grey-haired and had a ruddy expression; he knew it was the Medicine King. The other was tall and handsome; his features were sharp, as if they’d been carved by a knife. The expression on his face is also tense; this was obviously his Murong.

When he saw the nervous expressions of the two, Shen Ci let out a laugh that sounded like a snort, tilted his head, and said, “I can see.”

“What?” Murong Heng was taken aback when he heard the words and shared a look with the Medicine King beside him. He could see a real smile appearing in Shen Ci’s usually dull eyes. He said joyfully, “Ah Ci, you can see now?”

Nodding vigorously, Shen Ci met Murong Heng’s surprised gaze. It turned out that his Murong was so good-looking. Thinking of this, he stood up and gave him a mighty hug. Then he turned to the Medicine King at the side and gave a deep bow: “Thank you, Elder. The Medicine King can truly perform miracles and lives up to his reputation.”

“Good! Good!” Medicine King was also overjoyed to witness his successful recovery of eyesight. After thinking about it, he said seriously, “But your eyes are healed, so you shouldn’t over-exert them. Recuperate well. After some days, it will stabilise, and then it will have completely healed.”

“Thank you, Medicine King!” Murong Heng nodded vigorously. He didn’t know what to say at the moment. Once the Medicine King had left, he opened his arms and embraced Shen Ci, almost weeping with joy.

He had been looking forward to it for so long. Every day and night after Ah Ci fell asleep, he would go out and sit on the roof, praying to the heavens for Ah Ci to regain his sight. There were times he met the Medicine King and would come down to talk to him. He was afraid that Ah Ci would have suffered the pain but still couldn’t regain his sight. Not being able to see was secondary. The most important thing was that he didn’t want Shen Ci to be disappointed again.

Fortunately, the heavens took care of them and allowed Ah Ci to successfully recover his eyesight. The fifteen-day wait wasn’t in vain, nor were his nightly prayers to the heavens.

“Come! Prepare a good banquet for the elder, and reward him with all the precious medicinal materials from the imperial doctor’s compound.” As soon as Murong Heng finished speaking, a shadow guard came out from hiding, took the order, and left. After so many days of getting along, he’d already figured out the Medicine King’s temperament. He loved eating and studying medicinal materials. He doesn’t spare a glance for gold, silver, and treasures. If not, he wouldn’t have secluded himself here. As such, Murong Heng rewarded him with all the rare medicinal herbs as a repayment.

And when these items were delivered to the hut, it was already a day later. Medicine King eyed the many medicinal ingredients he’d been looking for but couldn’t find. His gaze was unusually bright. Only then did he realise that the person who’d been with him for fifteen days was actually the current emperor and his beloved.

It was a real blessing for the people to have such an emperor in power who was so passionate and righteous!

In the meantime, after Murong Heng and Shen Ci had bid farewell to the Medicine King. As they descended the mountain, they glanced at the surrounding scenery all the way. The curiosity from his childhood days seemed to have returned, and Shen Ci kept looking around like a curious child.

Murong Heng pampered him, and a doting smile remained on his lips all the time. He held his Ah Ci’s hand and silently clenched it tight. He couldn’t help sighing at Shen Ci’s elated expression. Perhaps this is the real Ah Ci. He possessed calmness and steadiness when things occurred, as well as an optimistic and lighthearted side. He was thrilled that he could become lifelong partners with him and be witness to his transformations.

When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the two of them got into the carriage together. Upon watching Shen Ci get into the carriage by himself, Murong Heng glanced down at his empty palm and couldn’t help laughing.

That’s right. Now Ah Ci isn’t the blind Ah Ci he was before. He no longer needs him to hold his hand all the time and protect him attentively. But it doesn’t matter. Ah Ci is still his Ah Ci.

“Murong, why don’t you come up?” After waiting for a long time and seeing Murong Heng not getting into the carriage, Shen Ci pushed open the door. He eyed Murong Heng uncertainly, who was standing in front of the carriage in a daze, and waved to him.

“Coming.” Withdrawing his thoughts, Murong Heng leapt on and entered the carriage. The guard outside gave a soft shout, and the carriage drove forward. The two sat in the carriage, looking out the window at the mountains. They recalled the feeling when they’d arrived at the foot of the mountain that day. It seemed like a lifetime away.

Murong Heng sat on the cushion with Shen Ci in his arms. Neither of them slept well last night, worrying about today’s gauze removal. So when they got in the carriage, both of them were drowsy and fell asleep in the carriage without realising it.

When they woke up again, the carriage was slowly driving into the imperial palace. Shen Ci rubbed his sleepy eyes and opened the window to look outside. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes and stare intently.

Since he was a child, he knew that the imperial palace was especially majestic. But because his parents protected him when he was younger, they never took him into the palace. At the time his parents died at the hands of Emperor Chongde, he began to hate the emperor and assumed that it was a place that ate people.

But now that he’d grown up and exacted his revenge, his state of mind was naturally different from when he was a child. He saw the imperial palace as a novelty, and it was just as the stories made it out to be: breathtaking, magnificent, and beautiful beyond imagination.

The carriage gradually advanced to a place and stopped. Murong Heng led him to get off the carriage together and walk through a winding corridor. Shen Ci looked curiously at the beautiful scenery around him and excitedly pulled Murong Heng to look left and right.

Murong Heng hadn’t realised before that Shen Ci possessed such a cute side. He doted on him as he looked around, walked here and there with him in good spirits, and very nearly walked all over the entire imperial palace.

They arrive in the imperial gardens, where the early spring flowers are splendidly in bloom. Shen Ci stepped into the middle of a flowering shrub. He closed his eyes, breathed in the fragrance of the flowers, and laughed happily as he enjoyed it. Perhaps he’d been blind for too many years. Upon actually regaining his sight, he felt that everything around him was just so beautiful. These were things he wasn’t able to appreciate before, so he exceedingly cherishes them now.

After playing for a while, Murong Heng remembered what the Medicine King had told him. Shen Ci’s eyes had just healed, and he shouldn’t over-exert them too much. As such, he stepped forward and picked him up horizontally, carried him back to the bedroom, and placed him on the bed. Murong Heng leaned down and kissed the corner of Shen Ci’s lips, his gaze filled with mirth and tenderness.

As he leaned over Shen Ci, Murong Heng stared closely at his eyes and suddenly felt that they resembled a deep pool that could draw people in. And when Shen Ci looked at him like this, he felt like his entire body had been set on fire. He couldn’t wait to possess him right away.

However, he still had a sense of propriety. He realises that, at the moment, Ah Ci’s eyes have just healed. For the sake of his future, he can only endure in the meantime. Besides, Ah Ci was already his, and they have a lifetime to squander.

Suppressing the desire in his heart, Murong Heng got up from Shen Ci, then led them into the bathroom together. He subsequently instructed Ming De to prepare clothing and have them sent in. As they soaked in the warm pool water, Murong Heng stared at Shen Ci’s alluring appearance. He couldn’t resist hugging him and capturing those soft lips.

I can’t eat, but I can kiss a little, right?

After kissing, Murong Heng held Shen Ci contentedly and began washing up. He helped him wipe his back. He wasn’t sure if the person in his arms was inflamed or something, since his face was flushed. He’d almost turned into a wolf just by looking at him. Fortunately, Murong Heng still has a little self-control.

Once the bath was done, he allowed Shen Ci to rest in the hall by himself. The emperor’s bedroom was huge, including a main hall, side halls, study room, bathroom, etc…, as well as a huge courtyard behind it. These places alone were sufficient for Shen Ci to pass the afternoon.

Having given the order, Murong Heng went to the imperial study to deal with the affairs of the court that had accumulated for half a month. Right now, the country is prosperous, and the people are living in peace. Citizens were living happily and well. Therefore, there were major events in the court. However, in three months will come the time when the surrounding countries pay their tribute. It would be busy then.

After dealing with political affairs, it was already dusk. Murong Heng stood up and stretched himself. He spotted Ming De walking over and casually asked, “Has Ah Ci had dinner yet?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, the gentleman has not yet had dinner. He’s admiring the flowers in the imperial garden.” Ming De answered in a low voice.

“Prepare dinner to be served in the side hall. This Emperor shall eat with Ah Ci.” After speaking, Murong Heng strode towards the imperial gardens. When he arrived in the gardens, he saw Shen Ci standing there. Seeing him approach, Shen Ci walked to him with a smile.

Murong Heng smiled and pulled Shen Ci, who was walking towards him, into his arms before leading him to the side hall for dinner. He immediately remembered something he’d promised earlier. Murong Heng turned his head and asked, “Ah Ci, shall we travel to Jiangnan in a few days? Jiangnan in spring has the most beautiful scenery.”

“But the affairs of state…” Shen Ci wondered. They’d just returned and left again. Wasn’t this not good?

“Hand over the affairs of the state to the veterans. Besides, we’ll only be gone for a few days and will be back soon.” Murong Heng explained that those senior ministers in the court were very good at managing affairs, and he was assured of leaving it to them.

Shen Ci frowned when he heard what he said and thought for a while. He turned his head to meet Murong Heng’s expectant gaze, then pursed his lips and smiled before nodding, “Alright.”

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