Her Power and Favor Span the World

Chapter 84

Emperor Ming Yuan was reviewing memorials. Just before he arrived, Sun Grand Academician, who was known for being a big mouth, had just left. If he saw Yuwen Hao cleaning the imperial study, he would surely tell everyone in the palace within a day.

"Look up!" Emperor Ming Yuan's voice smashed over from his left.

Yuwen Hao was holding a rag and slowly turned around, squeezing out a smile as he half covered his face with the lute, "Father!"

Emperor Ming Yuan's mouth twitched for a moment. After pausing for several seconds to hold in his laughter, he said coldly, "Ugly people do more evil."

Yuwen Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he stood there. What did this have to do with ugly people doing more evil?

"Mu Ru, apply some anti-toxin ointment on him!" Emperor Ming Yuan ordered.

"Anti-toxin ointment?" Mu Ru the eunuch was stunned for a moment. "This is..."

"What nonsense?" Emperor Ming Yuan said coldly.

Mu Ru the eunuch acknowledged and took out a small tortoiseshell box from the cabinet. He walked over to Yuwen Hao and smiled, "Your Highness, please endure it. This anti-toxin ointment stings when applied."

"It's fine, I'm not afraid of pain," Yuwen Hao said, feeling somewhat moved. Father is really benevolent.

However, why did Mu Ru's eyes seem to flash with a hint of sympathy?

Soon, he couldn't think anymore. The ointment, when applied, was not just stinging pain. It was excruciating, as if needles were piercing his skin and flesh, penetrating to his heart. He panted heavily, "Gently, gently!"

"If you can't endure this bit of pain, what can you accomplish?" Emperor Ming Yuan said angrily.

Yuwen Hao swallowed back the gasps of shock and pain. But it really hurt badly. Now he understood why there was a hint of sympathy in Mu Ru's eyes.

After the medicine was applied, he felt that everything above his neck was no longer his. The pain was almost numb.

Moreover, he felt his eyelids were even more swollen. Just now he could still open them a sliver, and now only a slit remained, and he could barely see.

"Get lost!" Emperor Ming Yuan magnanimously exempted him from his cleaning duty.

"Yes, your undutiful son takes his leave!" Yuwen Hao quickly cupped his fists and retreated. His vision was blurred, and he couldn't even see the doorway. He pulled hard on the bronze ring next to the door.

Mu Ru the eunuch laughed and opened the door, "Your Highness, this way!"

The light shone in and Yuwen Hao saw it. He charged over and bumped right into the door. The pain made him gnash his teeth. He stumbled out.

Mu Ru the eunuch really couldn't help laughing. Seeing Emperor Ming Yuan's stern expression, he quickly suppressed his laughter and awkwardly said, "His Highness's face is terribly swollen."

Outside, the sound of something rolling down the stone steps could be heard. Emperor Ming Yuan's expression was blank as he said, "Serves him right."

Mu Ru the eunuch took a look - it was His Highness who had tumbled down the steps. Steward Gu was supporting him as he staggered away. How pitiful.

"Your Majesty, why did you apply anti-toxin ointment to His Highness when there is Baihua ointment? That must have been so painful!" Mu Ru the eunuch had used anti-toxin ointment before. That pain was extraordinary, and anti-toxin ointment was only meant for swollen and painful skin. Once there was an open wound, it would become even more swollen.

"How can he learn his lesson without pain?" Emperor Ming Yuan's face was stern. "Alright, send the Baihua ointment over to him."

Yuwen Hao was in great pain as Steward Gu helped him back to the Warm Chamber in Qian Kun Palace to rest.

Yuan Qingling was sweeping outside the warm chamber. Seeing his face even more swollen, and his eyes unable to open at all, she couldn't help asking curiously, "What did you apply on your face? Why do the wounds look even more swollen?"

Yuwen Hao was furious but didn't want to bother with her. Squinting, he said to Steward Gu, "Help me in, I don't want to see such an eyesore."

Yuan Qingling had really never seen such a petty person. She remembered it was he himself who wanted to harm her, which led to her being stung by bees. And now he was making it seem as if she was the culprit. So she said coldly, "As if you could see me even if you wanted to. Don't pretend you can when your eyes are as swollen as a monkey's bottom. How ugly."

"Yuan Qingling!" Yuwen Hao was so angry his chest felt like it would explode. "Shut up!"

Yuan Qingling threw the broom over her shoulder. "Not only will I shut up, I'm leaving too. Steward Chang said he's prepared sweet green bean soup. I'm going to drink soup. You slowly go crazy by yourself."

They really couldn't get along. It was too naive to think otherwise before.

Steward Gu helped Yuwen Hao inside. After lying down, he was still cursing away.

Steward Gu really couldn't stand to listen anymore. "Your Highness, what's going on with you? Why are you so against the Princess?"

"Steward Gu," Yuwen Hao said angrily as he slapped the bed board. "Didn't you hear how vicious her words were? She said my eyes look like a monkey's bottom."

"Your Highness, let me ask you, who's more annoying - the previous Princess or the current one?" Steward Gu asked with arms akimbo.

Without thinking, Yuwen Hao said, "Equally annoying."

"Previously, not to mention bickering and arguing, she didn't even want to talk to you. So why are you so agitated over a single sentence from her now? Has she changed, or have you changed?" Steward Gu asked back.

Yuwen Hao was rendered speechless.

That's right. Why do I care so much about every word she says now? Weren't the things she did in the past annoying too? Not just annoying - detestable, revolting.

What about now?

He took a deep breath and thought about the things she had done recently. Sometimes very annoying, sometimes quite sensible, sometimes even a bit cute - like when she came in swinging a cleaver and raving drunk.

He had to admit that just thinking of the three words Yuan Qingling made his breathing rapid and his mind almost explode.

But why was this happening?

Steward Gu said, "Your Highness, think it over carefully."

Then he turned and left.

Yuwen Hao pillowed his hands behind his head and unconsciously squinted. He suddenly felt dejected. No need to squint - he couldn't see anyway.

Would he have done something so childish before? Seeing a bee's nest and wanting to play a trick to harm that ugly, annoying woman. He wouldn't have done something like this after the age of ten.

So why did he ruin his image like that today in Qian Kun Palace? Just to deliberately provoke Yuan Qingling?

It seemed he had to keep his distance from this woman, otherwise who knew what other childish things he might do in the future.

Yuan Qingling came back to Qian Kun Palace still upset.

The Retired Emperor stared at her. "Can you not smack your lips when you eat? It's so annoying."

Yuan Qingling put down her porcelain spoon. "I won't eat then."

"Angry?" The Retired Emperor asked.

"Not angry," Yuan Qingling thought about it and felt she shouldn't conceal her emotions either, so she indignantly said, "It's fake to say I'm not angry. I've never seen such a scumbag. I originally thought he kindly wanted to help me clean the imperial study and was grateful to him. Who knew he would deliberately provoke a bee's nest to harm me instead."

"But in the end wasn't it he who harmed himself?" The Retired Emperor said.

"That's not the point. I'm upset because of the psychological letdown. I was prepared to get along well with him. We had just reached an understanding when we entered the palace today. Why can't he just settle down? Am I so detestable that he has to think of ways to harm me before he's satisfied?" The more Yuan Qingling thought about it, the angrier she got.

The Retired Emperor shook his head. "I don't believe he would do that. You misunderstood him."

"No misunderstanding. He admitted it himself," Yuan Qingling said impatiently.

"He is always steady and prudent. His father just sent him to take over the Jingzhao Prefecture. Why would he make trouble in the palace?" The Retired Emperor really didn't believe it. But if it was true, there might still be hope for this grandson - at least he had some spirit.