I Don't Want to Be a Charmboy【Quick Wear】

Chapter 377 His Highness the Crown Prince is Outstandingly Talented (5)

Inside the Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters, Lin Shen sat quietly on the edge of the bed, letting the imperial physician take his pulse.

Chunyue carefully served him from the side.

Suddenly, a series of extremely hurried, even somewhat chaotic footsteps came from outside the hall, accompanied by the panicked greetings of palace servants.

Lin Shen subconsciously looked up and saw a tall, soaking wet figure barging in through the palace gate, exuding moisture and coldness.

The newcomer's hair was slightly disheveled, with a few strands of wet hair sticking to his forehead. His bright yellow dragon robe clung tightly to his body, still dripping water and leaving a small water stain on the ground. He looked disheveled, yet his solemn expression and imposing aura inspired fear in those around him.

"Abao!"

Emperor Qi immediately spotted his son sitting on the bed. Seeing that his little face seemed a bit pale, his heart tightened, and his outburst was filled with undisguised worry.

Looking at his father, who looked as if he had been pulled out of the water, and seeing the genuine anxiety on his face, Lin Shen felt a sudden release of the unease and suppressed grievances left by the nightmare. His nose tingled, his eyes immediately reddened, and his voice carried a dependence and sob that he himself did not realize.

"Father..."

When Emperor Qi saw his son in such a state, he felt extremely distressed and instinctively wanted to go forward and hug his son tightly to comfort him. However, after taking a step, he saw his own disheveled appearance, soaked to the bone and dripping with water, and he stopped abruptly, afraid that the cold and dampness on his body would chill and harm his precious son.

He forcefully suppressed the urge to hug him, abruptly turned his head, and stared at the imperial physician who was taking his pulse with sharp eyes like a hawk, his tone carrying an undeniable pressure.

"How is the Crown Prince?!"

The imperial physician was so frightened by the emperor's appearance and terrifying aura that his hand trembled. He quickly let go of the emperor's hand, knelt down with a thud, lowered his head, and reported tremblingly.

"Your Majesty! His Highness the Crown Prince's heart palpitation was caused by the thunder, which triggered a headache. His pulse is slightly weak, but there is nothing serious! I have prescribed a medicine to calm the mind, relieve the headache, and Your Highness should take it on time and rest well for two days."

Upon hearing the words "no serious harm," Emperor Qi's taut heartstrings finally relaxed, and he slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding. His tall body swayed almost imperceptibly.

He raised his hand and wiped the rain off his face, only then did he feel the suffocating palpitations ease slightly.

"Hurry up and write the prescription and prepare the medicine!" he ordered in a deep voice, his tone still carrying lingering anger, but no longer as frightening as before.

"Yes, yes! Your Majesty, I will go right away!" The imperial physician was overjoyed and kowtowed hurriedly. He scrambled to his feet and went out to write a prescription and get the medicine.

Lin Shen looked at Emperor Qi, who looked as if he had been pulled out of the water. His eyes, which always carried either majesty or a gentle smile unique to him, were now filled with lingering anxiety. A few strands of wet hair clung to his cheeks, and water droplets rolled down his well-defined jawline, hitting the already soaked bright yellow dragon robe that tightly wrapped his tall and upright body, making him look even more disheveled.

He couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly; his father looked so cold.

“Father,” Lin Ruanruan’s voice rang out, tinged with disapproval, “go change into some dry clothes first.”

Before he could finish speaking, a chubby figure staggered in through the palace gate. It was none other than the chief eunuch, Li Quan, who had hurriedly followed.

Li Quan himself was soaked to the bone, his chubby face covered in water and sweat, his breathing uneven, but he didn't care about himself and hurriedly followed the Crown Prince's advice.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please listen to His Highness the Crown Prince! Quickly change your wet clothes. You're soaked to the bone. What if you catch a cold? If you fall ill first, wouldn't that... wouldn't that make His Highness the Crown Prince even more worried?"

Li Quan's last words struck a nerve with Emperor Qi. He could disregard his own health, but he couldn't ignore his son's feelings.

Sure enough, the emperor's icy expression softened slightly when the topic of worrying the crown prince came up.

He took a deep breath, and when his gaze returned to Lin Shen, it had regained its warmth. He spoke in a low voice, with a tone of negotiation.

“What Abao said is right. Well then... Father Emperor will go change his clothes first and will be back to keep you company soon, okay?”

Seeing that he was willing to listen to advice, Lin Shen immediately smiled and nodded vigorously, "Yes! Father, go quickly."

Looking at his son's chubby face, which appeared even fairer and more delicate than usual due to a slight illness, Emperor Qi felt his heart melt instantly at the sight of that smile. The violent anger that had accumulated from worry and fear was soothed away by that smile.

He glanced at his son a few more times, almost reluctantly, before turning around and striding towards the warm pavilion next to the sleeping quarters, where his casual clothes were always kept.

After Emperor Qi changed into a black casual outfit, roughly wiped his still damp hair with a dry cloth, and returned to his bedchamber, he saw Lin Shen sitting upright by the bed, holding a bowl of thick, dark medicine in his small hands, sipping it slowly.

Chunyue knelt beside her, carefully serving her.

He drank his medicine very obediently, his long eyelashes drooping, occasionally wrinkling his nose slightly because of the bitterness of the medicine, but he didn't complain or stop.

This scene, witnessed by Emperor Qi, stirred up even deeper ripples in the tenderness in his heart that had just been soothed by his son's smile. He felt that his son, Abao, was so sensible that it broke his heart.

He walked over quietly and sat down on the edge of the couch with complete ease. He reached out and gently stroked Lin Shen's soft hair, his movements full of affection.

However, when he raised his head and his gaze swept over the kneeling palace servants, the gentleness that had just remained in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling aura that seemed to freeze the world. His voice was deep but carried an unmistakable killing intent, like the cold wind of December sweeping through the palace.

"The Crown Prince was frightened and his heart was pounding, and you servants who attend to him didn't even report it in time? What use are you slaves! Are you all just good for nothing?!"

He paused, then, with the absolute authority of an emperor, he said sternly, "Li Quan! Anyone who failed to perform their duties or serve the Crown Prince properly today, drag them all out and execute them!"

"Father!"

Lin Shen's heart skipped a beat. Startled by the sudden order to kill, his hand trembled, and the medicine in the bowl spilled out, choking him.

He suddenly started coughing violently, his little face turning bright red in an instant.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi's expression changed drastically, and the terrifyingly cold aura he had just exuded vanished without a trace.

He immediately bent down, took the shaky medicine bowl from Lin Shen's hand with one hand and handed it to Chun Yue beside him, while gently and urgently patting his son's back with the other hand. His tone was completely different, full of worry and gentleness, with a hint of barely perceptible panic.

"Abao? Slow down, drink slowly, it's alright, it's alright, Father is here."

Lin Shen coughed for a while before he could catch his breath. He raised his eyes, which were watery and red at the corners, and looked at Emperor Qi. His voice was still hoarse and weak from coughing.

"Father, Father Emperor... cough cough... it has nothing to do with them... it was your son, your son, who forbade anyone to speak out..."

Seeing his son in such distress yet still pleading for the palace servants, and meeting those wet, pleading eyes, Emperor Qi's heart, hardened for many years, melted completely.

He had no time to investigate the dereliction of duty by those servants; his mind and eyes were only on the pitiful little man coughing in front of him.