Chapter 394: 12.2

The empty cold palace where Empress Xiuying resided was suddenly quite lively at late night. There was an entourage of maids, eunuchs, and guards following a man with a black crimson robe as he and his entourage trampled the wilting flowers in the front garden of the cold palace. 

The man stopped right in front of the courtyard gate. He spared a glanced at his eunuch and pointed at the cold palace with his gaze, signalling the eunuch to talk to the owner of the cold palace. 

The servant hurriedly went inside the unguarded cold palace. Meilan, who was busy setting up a bed for her Empress, was surprised when a eunuch suddenly barged in and slid the door open brazenly.

"His Majesty is here!" the eunuch said boldly. Ignoring the fact that His Highness Empress Xiuying was currently residing inside the cold palace and was about to sleep. Meilan glared at the eunuch and yelled,

"Don't you know how to properly request an audience with His Highness?! This is Empress' courtyard!"

The eunuch stared at the Empress, Empress Xiuying, whose body was so frail, and his skin wasn't as lustrous as when he first entered the forbidden city. His silky black hair was also unkempt. Overall, even the eunuch didn't want to admit this person as his Empress.

Concubine Xi deserved that position better, definitely. 

The eunuch looked down at Empress Xiuying and said, "I don't think even his Majesty want to make him an Empress anymore. Don't worry though, after being stripped of his title, I think he can live in this cold palace until his death. His Majesty is a generous son of the heaven. He will let you live like a leech here forever!" 

The eunuch turned his back and walked away arrogantly. 

"Hey!" Meilan was about to get up and slapped that eunuch, but before she could do that, Bai Yunyu stopped him. 

"Meilan, ignore that eunuch," Yunyu said.

"But Master Bai, that rootless man is—" Meilan abruptly zipped her mouth when her master glared at her. 

"Meilan, we must be mindful of our position. That eunuch can slander you in front of His Majesty,  and who knows what'd happen to you if he find you unpleasant, especially since you're my servant."

Bai Yunyu got up from his bed and asked Meilan, "Give me my warm coat. Tonight is too chilly for my bone."

Meilan gave her Master Bai the shabby coat that had been patched. After Bai Yunyu got banished to the cold palace, he got cut off from any supply from the outside of the forbidden city. Thus, his father couldn't send him any aid.

His father tried to smuggle at least some food and tonic and proper clothing since Emperor Xianlaing only allowed Master Bai to wear whatever stocked in the cold palace, not from his real wardrobe as the Empress. 

But whenever his father smuggled something, Empress Dowager or Concubine Xi and her cronies could always find a way to bust it and punish the eunuch or maids who dared to do it again.

The servants were automatically too scared to do anything, so they ignored their Empress Xiuying and any plea from that cold palace.

[Ugh, this coat is so shabby and ugly, I look more like a farmer than an Empress.]

[Pupa: Well, it is actually a farmer coat.]

[… can't my father do anything about this? At least smuggle me some proper clothes!]

[Pupa: Even your dad is in big trouble right now. After you've fallen out of favour, Empress Dowager intentionally send some men to slander your dad's business, telling people that your dad has a ger son that's infertile. It's bad luck. Everyone who buys something in your dad's shop will be cursed to have an infertile ger son or daughter.]

[That's so malicious! Did Huang Shu know about this?]

[Pupa: Of course, he knows. But he did nothing to stop it and just watch.]

[… he disappoints me more and more, truthfully.]

[Anyway, you said that I'm a 'Ger'. What is a ger actually?]

[Pupa: Ger is a concept of the third gender. Ger is a man that could get pregnant, and their fertility is visible by the Zhusha-Li or red dot or cinnabar mole on his body. The redder and more prominent the cinnabar mole is, the more fertile he is to bear children.]

[Pupa: The cinnabar mole is usually located between your eyebrows, but some Gers have it hidden.]

[I see… then I suppose mine is hidden?]

[Pupa: No, you had one in your forehead, between your eyebrows once. Although not the brightest red one, you do have it naturally. But as you grew older, it mysteriously thinned until it disappeared completely.]

[So, I'm really infertile right now?]

[Pupa: You're no different than a regular man right now. Just with a smaller dick.]

[Hey! Did you peek at me!?]

[Pupa: You checked it yourself in the bathroom yesterday. Do you remember that we are bound 24/7?]

[Dang it! It's supposed to be a secret!]

Bai Yunyu heard the footsteps with a certain rhythm. He remembered the one with these footsteps clearly, though not fondly. He knew that Huang Shu had come to this rusty and dim, cold palace.

Bai Yunyu left his private chamber, followed by Meilan behind him. As he walked in the corridor to the guest chamber, he accidentally met with Emperor Xianliang. They exchanged gaze for a while, staring at each other, especially the Emperor, who was in a daze for more than a second.

Bai Yunyu, however, blinked his eyes for a second and then bowed his head courteously, "This humble Bai Yunyu greets Your Majesty, Emperor Xianliang. Pardon this one for my unpreparedness to welcome you," Bai Yunyu said. He said it politely, but there was a tiny bit of contempt in his words as if he was poking Huang Shu as he was just a humble man.

'Humble Bai Yunyu…' that words left a bitter taste on Huang Shu's tongue as he repeated that in his head. He gazed at Bai Yunyu, but before he could stare at him some more, Bai Yunyu suddenly turned his head and walked inside the guest chamber. He didn't even let Huang Shu utter anything. 

Huang Shu clenched his fist, and his gaze cooled again. He followed Bai Yunyu inside the chamber and closed the door. This was how the Emperor and Empress always talked whenever they had a meeting together. Even after the Empress had been banished to the cold palace, Huang Shu wouldn't allow any servant or guard to attend their talk. 

Bai Yunyu sat first on a small shabby chair. As Huang Shu turned his back to look at Bai Yunyu, he saw that Bai Yunyu had gotten frailer than before.

He frowned, "Didn't I send you a tonic since a week ago?"

"Yes, this humble one has accepted your gift and is grateful at your kindness, Your Majesty," Yunyu answered. 

Huang Shu was somewhat disturbed by Bai Yunyu's tone, that is neither humble, nor offensive. As if, Bai Yunyu kept a certain distance between them.

Even though they were still legally married, although not a proper or beautiful one.

"But why do you look even frailer than before?" Huang Shu asked as he walked to sit on a bigger chair with a padded sofa. It was a chair reserved for him solely.

"Because I don't drink it," Yunyu answered again, curtly.

"Why don't you drink it? It's good for your health," Huang Shu asked again. But this time, Bai Yunyu looked up to stare at Huang Shu. With his nonchalant gaze, he replied,

"Your Majesty, is there something you want to talk about with me? If this is just a mindless ramble about unnecessary stuff, I suggest you never visit me again. There is no use of such courteous act," Bai Yunyu said.

"You think that visiting you once every one or three months is a courteous act?" Huang Shu asked. He didn't seem to be happy with Yunyu's words just now. 

"Yes, Your Majesty. You should cut the pointless courteous act in front of me," Bai Yunyu said. He stared at Huang Shu as if he was staring at a faceless wall and continued, "Your Majesty, I think that you're doing this out of duty. I know that Your Majesty is a responsible Emperor. Thus, I will ease your burden. You don't need to visit me again, Your Majesty."