His Majesty Has an Ailment - Chapter 3

Chapter 3
At long last, I understood what had made the elderly Grand Tutor so furious he suffered a stroke.

After Zu Ling ascended the throne, he set out to cleanse court morals and had always been strict about officials consorting with courtesans.

In the past, as long as no one went too far, the Censorate would usually turn a blind eye.

But this time, the Yinghua Quarter had gone too far. Embezzlement, bribery, backroom dealings, every filthy, rotten mess imaginable was involved.

The Longwu Guard arrested people quickly, and the Ministry of Justice closed the case just as quickly.

And as everyone knew, I had stepped forward, gathered evidence, and rendered outstanding service.

The emperor had also declared in front of everyone that I would be rewarded.

Three days of leave.

Then he turned around and locked me in the Imperial Study.

…And thus, the rumors began.

The erotic chapbook circulating far and wide among the common people had a title utterly devoid of conscience-Explosive! Censor Fang Rewarded by His Majesty for Three Days and Three Nights!

The contents were even more explosive.

Worse, they were written in such vivid detail that they sounded real.

It claimed some palace servant had accidentally wandered in and seen it with his own eyes: the Imperial Study was in complete disarray, with filthy papers scattered all over the floor.

-Fuck, those were my discarded drafts!

As for the shocking tale of the Son of Heaven coming out, the book even provided a neat and convincing list of evidence. It said the reigning emperor had never taken a harem because, in truth, he did not like women.

He was devoted to young, promising, jade-faced gentlemen, and that was why he had promoted so many fresh talents.

In particular, the former top scholar and current Censor Fang was the darling of his heart, the apple of his eye. That was why my official career had been smooth sailing, rising straight to the clouds.

…

I nearly blacked out after reading just one glance.

And that was not even mentioning the Grand Tutor, already in his seventies or eighties, who read the rumor and went to verify it-only to run right into me.

At his age, how could he possibly withstand that kind of shock?

No.

I had to prove my innocence!

And clear His Majesty’s name, too!

So the very next day, as soon as morning court ended, I hurried after Zu Ling.

With the utmost gravity, I reminded him that since His Majesty had an unspeakable affliction, he absolutely, definitely, without question had to take it seriously!

“If one hides an illness and avoids treatment, the nation itself will be in peril!” I cried, heartbroken, beating my chest and stamping my feet.

What I was telling everyone was this: coming out was impossible. Absolutely impossible!

His Majesty was clearly suffering from some bodily ailment and had delayed marrying only because he was afraid of losing face!

My deafening shout echoed through the entire hall.

Zu Ling, whose long imperial sleeve I had seized, turned back to stare at me in disbelief.

At the same time, the dense crowd of heads outside the palace doors also turned back in disbelief.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zu Ling’s dignity was flung all the way to the far northwest. His face went from white to green, then from green to livid.

A moment later, a roar shook heaven and earth:

“Fang! Pei!”