Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 298: Chapter 182: Throwing an Ancestor Out the Door Chapter 298: Chapter 182: Throwing an Ancestor Out the Door Gu Changsheng was bewildered as Zhou Mu dragged him back into the room and handed him something taken from a package.

“What’s the matter? Is Zhou Zongbao, that loudmouth deserving a slap, some remarkable big shot? Anyway, it’s already been thrown away, and now you mention it, it seems a bit like being wise after the event,”

Gu Changsheng said, as he took the bright yellow scroll from Zhou Mu’s gesturing hand.

“Imperial edict?”

Seeing something familiar, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but ask aloud.

Zhou Mu nodded, signaling him to open it and take a look.

Gu Changsheng shrugged indifferently, “Is there really an imperial decree from the Emperor specifically prohibiting throwing away Zhou Zongbao? It’s too late anyway, I’ve already thrown it away. Besides, defying royal command, once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and three times is just getting familiar. Aren’t I just enjoying the shade under your big tree?”

“Heh heh!” At these words, Zhou Mu couldn’t help but shake his head with a chuckle, “Alright, let’s just say you are enjoying the shade under that big tree. Just open it and take a look first.”

Gu Changsheng gave Zhou Mu a sharp look, and with suspicion, he untied the brocade rope of the imperial edict in his hands.

The imperial edicts of the Zhou Dynasty were made of brocade with a hidden double-dragon pattern. They felt heavy and delicate to the touch, even the scroll was carved with the relief of a nine-clawed golden dragon, exquisitely made and seamless as heavenly garments, it looked very imposing and dignified.

“Empty?”

Gu Changsheng pointed to the blank white space in the middle of the edict and stared incredulously at Zhou Mu, “Are you kidding me? Who would be scared by a blank imperial edict?”

“Look at the signer!” Zhou Mu gestured toward the lower left corner of the edict.

Ancient writing was vertically aligned from top to bottom, right to left, with the signer’s name usually on the left or the lower-left corner.

Gu Changsheng looked where Zhou Mu indicated with a frown and immediately let out a surprised “Eh!”

“So this is an imperial edict with an empty space, but with the Jade Seal stamped on it.” Gu Changsheng looked again at the signature and burst out laughing, “Whose child is this, even having their name at the spot where the Jade Seal should be pressed? Look at how ugly the handwriting is, like worms wriggling.”

“Take a good look at those characters before you speak,” Zhou Mu couldn’t help but flick Gu Changsheng’s forehead with his finger.

Gu Changsheng rolled his eyes, looked down again at the name on the edict, which had messy and skew characters, clearly written by a child still learning to write. Seeing the ink was smudged and had aged, he muttered as he read, “Zhou… Zong… Bao…”

“Zhou Zongbao!” Gu Changsheng turned back and looked at Zhou Mu with eyes wide and mouth agape, uncertainly questioning, “Zhou Zongbao?”

Godfather!

Zhou Zongbao truly had some nerve; he even dared to inscribe his own name on the Great Zhou Seal Ribbon!

That’s the place meant for the Emperor’s name, isn’t it!

Even Gu Changsheng, who didn’t know much about ancient traditions, was aware of this. Surely Zhou Zongbao, an authentic person of the past, wouldn’t be ignorant of that, right?

“Seen it clearly?” Zhou Mu re-rolled the blank scroll and put it away, then turned to see the young woman before him, looking utterly dumbstruck.

“I have seen it clearly, but the more I look, the more confused I become…”

Gu Changsheng turned her head, looking puzzled, suddenly feeling like there was something wrong with her understanding, her mind a bit muddled.

If she hadn’t misunderstood, that signature must have been written by Zhou Zongbao when he was a child, right?

How could Zhou Zongbao still be alive and grown up after inscribing his own name on the Great Zhou Seal Ribbon?

It was incomprehensible!

Such a mess! My head hurts!

“This couldn’t be a fake imperial edict, could it?” Holding on to a thread of hope, Gu Changsheng cautiously asked Zhou Mu.

“Genuine beyond doubt! This is a real imperial edict! Personally signed by the late Emperor himself, and sealed with the Great Zhou Seal Ribbon!” Zhou Mu looked meaningfully at Gu Changsheng and continued, “An imperial edict by the late Emperor that takes immediate effect once content is filled in!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng’s mouth twitched in disbelief and then twitched again, “The late Emperor?”

Darn^ it! The late Emperor can’t possibly be Zhou Zongbao, can he?

Did she, by some mischance, throw away a national treasure of the level of the late Emperor?

But this late Emperor, he’s too young, too unconventional, isn’t he?

Have you ever seen a prodigal Taisui who is a former Emperor?

“Yes, the late Emperor!” Zhou Mu nodded affirmatively, took Gu Changsheng by the hand, half-embraced her, and sat down at the bedside, “Zhou Zongbao was indeed the late Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty! He was also the shortest-reigning Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. Apart from the record in the imperial clan’s archives and the Imperial Household documents, the common people knew nothing about this.”

Zhou Mu affectionately ruffled her long hair and smiled as he spoke, “You threw the ancestral Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty out of the house, and now you’re scared?”

“Not at all!” Gu Changsheng shrugged off his hand and freed her hair, with confusion in her eyes, “I’m just wondering, how could Zhou Zongbao ever be an Emperor? He doesn’t seem cut out for that role at all, no matter how you look at him?”

She had already thrown him out, so she might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb! What’s there to be afraid of?

“Nevertheless, he was indeed the previous Emperor, and he even abdicated the throne to the old man himself.”

Gu Changsheng felt a little dizzy and couldn’t help but rub her temples.

“This matter goes back to my great-grandfather, Emperor Jing. He and the Empress had deep affection for each other, and despite her not bearing him any children, he resolutely dismissed all opposing opinions and swore not to depose her.”

“With Three Thousand Beauties in the Harem and over a dozen Princes, the struggle for the heir position was unprecedented due to the lack of a direct heir. By the time my great-grandfather was over fifty, only three of his progeny remained. Deeply worried, he had no choice but to decree that all three sons be brought into the palace under close supervision. My old man luckily survived the battle for succession, but due to my grandmother Lady Du’s sudden death, he lost interest in the struggle for power.”

“Twenty-five years ago, the Great Zhou harem received joyful news again. Empress Yu was with child. My great-grandfather, well into his years, had a son with the Empress, his direct heir, overjoyed to madness. He immediately celebrated across the heavens, amnestied the entire empire, and ten months later, Yu bore a baby boy-Hetian, named Zongbao. Right after his birth, he was given the title of Crown Prince, and my great-grandfather doted on him profoundly, especially after Empress Yu’s death due to postpartum weakness. Outside of his profound grief, he became even more indulgent of his youngest son.”

“It was perfectly reasonable for the direct heir to be granted the title of Crown Prince, but would the other two princes just sit back and accept it? They made their moves in succession but were discovered by my great-grandfather and all met their deaths. My old man once again narrowly escaped death.”

“When Hetian was four, I was born in Lanxi Palace. As soon as I was born, he took a liking to me, constantly staying by my bedside, never leaving for half a step, and eventually, with my great-grandfather’s indulgence, he took me back to Fulu Palace.”

“When I was three, my great-grandfather passed away from illness, and the seven-year-old Hetian succeeded to the throne at the spirit’s behest, donned the Dragon Robe, and while it was still not warm, Hetian issued his first imperial edict. Claiming that a young master ruling the country was an omen of chaos, he abdicated the throne to my old man.”

“My old man ascended to the throne, and the scene turned to utter chaos. I took the opportunity to pester Hetian into writing another blank imperial edict, the same one you saw just now.” Zhou Mu rambled on, looked down at the woman in his arms wide-eyed with shock, and couldn’t help but chuckle, “My love, do you understand now?”

Gu Changsheng nodded blankly, “I understand…”

“Hehe…” Seeing her clueless and confused expression, Zhou Mu laughed even more joyfully.

Gu Changsheng came to her senses amidst Zhou Mu’s laughter, looked at the man in front of her shaking with mirth, and spoke with a curl of her lips, “So Zhou Zongbao is not only Prince Bao, but your beloved Imperial Uncle Ancestor, as well as the previous Emperor? So you were really brought up by him?”

“Not a word of falsehood,” Zhou Mu said, nodding with a smile.

“Ahhh!” Gu Changsheng buried her head in Zhou Mu’s arms, on the verge of tears.

She thought it was the Prodigal Taisui Zhou Zongbao who was making things up! But the truth turned out to be so cruel!

Zhou Mu, this evildoer, was truly brought up by that Prodigal…

“So does this mean that a crooked tree did indeed produce a straight fruit?” Gu Changsheng looked up at Zhou Mu, her eyes bright and earnest.

To be raised by someone as erratic as Zhou Zongbao and grow up to be like Zhou Mu now was truly no small feat. It was incredibly difficult!

Zhou Mu pretended to be angry and glared at her, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

“But he doesn’t seem to like the idea of you marrying me, have you considered that?” Gu Changsheng raised an eyebrow at Zhou Mu, “After all, he did raise you.”

“Whom I choose to wed is not up for him to dictate. He can’t even manage his affairs without making a mess, how could he have the time to meddle in mine?” Zhou Mu said with self-assured amusement, reached out to flick her nose gently, “With Han Qiu in your hands, you don’t have to worry about what Hetian dares do to you. Han Qiu is Hetian’s Achilles’ heel.”

Gu Changsheng nodded vigorously, “That’s what I think, too. This is like holding the Emperor hostage through his beloved! This Gold Token is incredibly useful indeed!”

Zhou Mu looked thoughtful for a moment but then voiced out, “If possible, try to persuade Han Qiu to as much as you can. With the mess things have become, I can’t escape the blame either.”

Gu Changsheng looked up in surprise, “How is this related to you?”

“In order to marry Han Qiu, Hetian has asked me several times for that blank imperial edict… Ah!” Zhou Mu sighed in the middle of his sentence, “My original plan was to amass enough military achievements to invoke the Great Ancestor’s decree and then return that edict to him, but who would’ve thought that the Han Family would encounter such a disaster.”

“Uh…” Caught off guard by his words, Gu Changsheng also sighed and grasped Zhou Mu’s hand to console him, “Well, it’s already like this, it’s no use blaming yourself. Let’s go eat first. We need strength if we’re to reconcile Han Qiu and Prince Bao, right?”

Zhou Mu nodded his head.

Together, the two of them got up and headed towards the main hall.

From a distance, they could hear Yuan Bao’s pained cries.

“Ouch! Your Highness, could you be gentler? Are you trying to repay kindness with enmity?” Yuan Bao’s voice.

“Young Master here is massaging your waist, and that’s my way of repaying kindness. With such a grand honor bestowed upon you, you should be grateful, yet you dare to yell! Xiao Yuanbao, you sure have gotten bolder than when you were younger!”

“Your Highness, if Yuan Bao was so bold, I wouldn’t be suffering under you like this!”

“Blame me? I can hardly find your waist, okay? How can I tell the proper strength to use?” Zhou Zongbao went up and down with his hands, rubbing over Yuan Bao’s barrel belly, only to give up in defeal, “Nope, I can’t show my gratitude, I can’t even find your waist, how am I supposed to massage it!”

Gu Changsheng stepped into the main hall, saw this scene before her, and couldn’t help but speak out with a cold face, “What’s all this commotion, as if it’s a matter of life and death?”