The eunuchs were so bewildered that they looked at each other.
Then they saw the young man hidden by Lin Bozhou’s silhouette poke his head out and shout when he saw them. “Ah…”
Lin Bozhou turned his head sideways and said two words.
“Get out.”
The eunuchs hurriedly went away. Only after going out did they remember afterward to cover their eyes.
Hey, why worry about it in vain?
The couple was in harmony with each other.
Meng Huan was stunned in place, eyes wide open, and couldn’t turn around, looking at Lin Bozhou. “Were we seen?”
This was to help Lin Bozhou pee. Whether it was himself or him, it would be very embarrassing after being witnessed!
“Not sure,” Lin Bozhou lowered his eyelashes. “I can’t see.”
“……”
Although it was the truth, it sounded like something was wrong.
Meng Huan exhaled and fastened the ties of his lower garment, freeing himself from the shameful mood. The servants placed the hot water outside the screen.
“Your Highness, it’s time to wash up,” You Jin said as he entered the door.
Seeing him, Meng Huan relaxed a little.
Here came the man to replace himself.
You Jin was a eunuch nursing Lin Bozhou since he was little, and eunuchs did not have gender attributes, so there were no awkward and inconsiderate feelings when serving Lin Bozhou like a maid or a manservant.
After handing over Lin Bozhou to You Jin, Meng Huan cleaned his hands and wrung a clean handkerchief to wash his face, listening to You Jin circling Lin Bozhou. “Your Highness, lift your hand.”
“Your Highness, turn your face sideways.”
“Good. Your Highness, turn again.”
The relationship between the master and servant was quite good. You Jin was only twelve when he went to the East Palace to serve Crown Prince Lin Luan after castrating himself. When the Prince was abolished, he followed him from his hometown to Kuzhou, where he began to serve Lin Bozhou after he was born.
Their relationship was very familiar-equivalent to a male mother.
Meng Huan finished washing his face and stood beside him to watch Lin Bozhou.
He was extremely tall but never bowed his head and asked Youjin to stand on tiptoe to wipe his face. His eyelashes were stained with moist water mist, and although his eyes were temporarily unable to see, the feeling of being overlooked was not diminished.
Suddenly, Lin Bozhou spoke. “Where is Huan Huan?”
He did not hear Meng Huan’s voice and began to ask.
This question made Meng Huan’s heart seem clenched by something.
“Hey, Your Highness,” You Jin laughed bitterly. While laughing, he turned to Meng Huan, “Princess is watching from the side. Why are you in such a hurry after not seeing him for a while?”
Meng Huan had been well since entering the hall last night and didn’t meet with any mishap, and Lin Bozhou was now calm and emotionally stable. They, servants, could see some clues.
Lin Bozhou liked Meng Huan and hoped that Meng Huan would always stay with him so that his heart would have a grounded feeling.
Without seeing Meng Huan, his anxious feeling seemed to come up again.
Meng Huan: “I’m here.”
Lin Bozhou’s initially wrinkled eyebrows slowly loosened up.
His lips were still pursed as he whispered a few words.
“That’s good.”
–
Chen An came in through the door, bringing a reply from the emperor, saying, “A message was sent to the palace. His Majesty is sad and approved for Your Highness to rest for a few more days and return to the court when his eye disease has healed.”
Lin Bozhou stood, waiting for You Jin to brush his hair, and answered, “Mm.”
“Your Highness,” Chen An’s tone conveyed anxiety. “Once this eye disease breaks out, it will be another ten days to a half months before you can return to court. If everything is left to the cabinet, they will have too much room to interfere.”
Chen An’s tone couldn’t hold back the frustration.
Although the government bureaucrats were also sad about the recurrence of Lin Bozhou’s eye disease, they were more anxious about Lin Bozhou’s ambitions. The current situation was urgent, with the court changing rapidly and the wind rising. Lin Bozhou lost his sight and control of the court, allowing his political opponents to do something in vain.
“There’s nothing to be done since this body is ill,” Lin Bozhou said. “This prince is aware of it. You can go down.”
“Yes.”
Chen An naturally knew why Lin Bozhou said this. The reason was that although Lin Bozhou was in the prince’s residence, his spies and changwei* were all over the capital, so he knew all the movements.
*Changwei: It was a general term for the various intelligence and political police agencies directly under the emperor in the Ming dynasty, whose role was to secretly detect the actions and words of officials at all levels, to grasp information, and to sentence and punish prisoners without going through the trial process of the formal judiciary under license.
At this time, the servants finally brought up the food.
The dishes for breakfast were unusually light, without too many dishes with meat and fish, but snow-white rich soup, steamed buns, and rolls, boiled buttermilk, mixed with some stir-fry and pickled vegetables. Meanwhile, the porridge had the most varieties, with at least eight kinds.
When Meng Huan changed his chopsticks to spoons, he heard a clang.
“Your Highness!”
You Jin screamed.
Meng Huan looked sideways and saw that Lin Bozhou had risen from his chair and was facing his direction. Not sure if he intended to walk, but his knee hit the corner of the table heavily and shifted the table a few points.
He hung his head, not letting out a muffled grunt. The veins on his neck were slightly visible, obviously in pain from the hit.
Meng Huan was stunned. “Your Highness.”
Lin Bozhou’s personality was proud. Usually, when the attendants saw him make a fool of himself, they acted as if they didn’t see it. Meanwhile, You Jin immediately closed his lips tightly after shouting just now, eyes full of worry.
Meng Huan understood. He took Lin Bozhou’s hand, led him to the chair to sit down, and lifted his trouser.
His hand was pressed, and Lin Bozhou’s voice was cold and rigid. “It’s okay.”
Meng Huan was inexplicably stubborn. “Let me see.”
After a moment of stalemate, the hand pressing his didn’t move again. A bruise appeared on his knee; it wasn’t large. Meng Huan touched it with his fingertips and blew on the wound. “Huff…… it doesn’t hurt.”
The morning light fell in the hall with mottled light and shadow.
The young man’s face was fair and clean, crouching by his leg. After touching his wound, he applied medicinal liquor and put down his trouser.
Lin Bozhou could not see anything, and his hearing was much stronger than usual when he was blind, so he was extremely disgusted with noise, people talking incessantly, and loud screaming. His heart was already irritable, and any restlessness would trigger his anger.
But now, his heart felt a rare peace.
