"Come and take a look at me," Emperor Ling said bluntly. His complexion was poor; years of indulgence and debauchery had ravaged his body, making survival difficult.
Kidney deficiency and kidney weakness have two completely different meanings. One is a deficiency that can be replenished later.
The other is a complete depletion that has corroded the body, making recovery unlikely.
Lu Ming wouldn't be so foolish as to say that. He still hoped to rise in rank and wealth through Emperor Ling's influence, becoming a powerful regional governor, controlling vast territories, watching other warlords vie for power, and then picking up the scraps—wouldn't that be wonderful?
Stepping forward and placing his hand on Emperor Ling's arm, Lu Ming closed his eyes and began to count the heartbeat.
"Your Majesty, you suffer from qi deficiency and weakness, spleen and stomach deficiency, depleted kidney qi, and poor blood circulation. If you wish to live to a ripe old age and endure for eternity, you must control your diet and your indulgence in women. Women, though alluring, are indeed a double-edged sword. Abstaining from women will not prolong your life, but frequent indulgence will shorten it."
"What you say is exactly what the imperial physician said. Then, in your opinion, what should I do?" Emperor Ling's narrow eyes fixed on Lu Ming, trying to discern whether the man was lying.
"It's best to have sex with women once a month. When the body is full, it will naturally overflow; abstaining for too long will harm your health. Given Your Majesty's condition, if you can control your diet, having sex with women once a month should be fine until you reach fifty. Furthermore, do not take any elixirs. Alchemy for immortality is just a charlatan's trick. If you truly want longevity, you need to rise early every day, go to bed early every night, and exercise regularly to maintain abundant vitality."
Lu Ming, worried that Emperor Ling wouldn't understand, continued, "At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, many military generals and meritorious officials lived to a ripe old age because of their regular exercise, good physical vitality, and strong resistance. Besides studying medicine, I also learned medical techniques from the Western Regions. 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' One should learn until old age and apply what one learns."
He said a lot, but it was all flattery; only a little was truly useful. Asking Emperor Ling to abstain from women would be worse than killing him—it was simply impossible.
"Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs, how could you possibly have time?" Zhao Hou chimed in from the side. What a joke! A lecherous man wanting to exercise? That's harder than climbing to heaven!
"That's alright," Lu Ming said, "we just need to adapt it a bit. Let the palace maids run naked in the training ground, and Your Majesty chases after them. With such beauty before him, it will surely ignite your fighting spirit. Once you catch them, you can have sex. In this way, you can exercise and satisfy your desires at the same time—isn't that wonderful?" Lu Ming simply paraphrased a scene he'd read before. After all, Emperor Ling's absurdity was already widely known, but he hadn't said it out of respect for the emperor.
"Oh? Very good, very good indeed! I didn't expect Anmin to have such insight. Not bad, not bad at all." When it came to how to play around, Emperor Ling was certainly full of energy.
Making him exercise to the point of exhaustion was unlikely, but making him exercise with a playful mindset was quite good.
But what effect would this kind of exercise have? Something is better than nothing; we'll have to make do.
"Your Majesty, please lie down and remove your clothes. Your humble servant is about to examine you," Lu Ming said, taking out a box of silver needles and heating them on the nearby lamp and candle.
"What is the meaning of this?" Emperor Ling asked, puzzled. What was going on?
"Insolence! His Majesty is of noble birth; how can he change his clothes in your presence?" Zhang Rang, fearing his position would be challenged, hurriedly jumped out and shouted.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward; it seemed they didn't want to do it, but were helpless.
Lu Ming chuckled. "Whether or not the illness is cured depends on His Majesty, Zhang Changshi. Your favor and authority depend on His Majesty's health. If His Majesty lives to be a hundred, your power can also last a hundred years. What I've done is merely loyalty to the Emperor; why must you speak so harshly to me? Zhang Changshi and I are both His Majesty's subjects; there's no need for us scholars to engage in mutual attacks. This only hurts our friends and pleases our enemies."
In short, the message was: we're all on the same side; let's not fight amongst ourselves. Otherwise, those powerful families would laugh. How can we fight them when our own people are fighting amongst themselves?
"This servant is only concerned about His Majesty; I didn't mean to target Commander Lu," Zhang Rang said. Although arrogant and wielding immense power within the palace, he agreed with Lu Ming's words.
Internal strife does indeed put one's side at a disadvantage; he knew this, but sometimes he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Moreover, Lu Ming was right. His power came from the Emperor; if the Emperor died, he was finished!
Only Emperor Ling stood by, amused and exasperated, his eyes fixed on Lu Ming. "Anmin, you have quite the nerve, daring to speak like that before me?"
This was clearly a sign of displeasure, a feeling that Lu Ming had overstepped his bounds and disregarded etiquette. "Your use of this is a gift from the Emperor, not your obligation. A servant is a servant; don't harbor improper thoughts."
The more this was said, the more Lu Ming resented and loathed him. He couldn't accept the idea of being someone else's servant; he was destined to climb the ranks.
How could he avoid being treated like a servant?
The only way was to climb higher, to the top, to become the Emperor!
"I eat the Emperor's food, I must be loyal to the Emperor. Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents, Teacher—I cannot speak against my conscience before Your Majesty. This is what a subject should do. It's just that no one does this anymore, which is why I feel so out of place." Lu Ming remained calm. What did displeasure matter?
Even the Emperor could be manipulated; what was so strange about that?
Damn it! It was clearly a fallacy, yet he couldn't refute it.
"So, you still have a sincere heart?" Emperor Ling laughed angrily, having never seen someone so self-aggrandizing.
"Your Majesty's opinion is the only important factor; it's not up to me to say. A thousand words are less valuable than concrete actions. I will do my duty, and Your Majesty will decide right and wrong." Lu Ming finished speaking and plunged a needle into Emperor Ling's back, giving him no chance to retort.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Emperor Ling couldn't help but curse; the burning pain was unbearable.
"Pain means the acupoints are on the right track, and that's why it's effective. Your Majesty, keep at it, and you'll feel as if you've been reborn. 'Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are destined for them, but first it will test their minds, strain their muscles and bones, starve their bodies, and disrupt their plans. Bitter medicine is good for you; just bear with it." Lu Ming was direct and honest. When dealing with an old fox, the best approach is to feign sincerity.