The Ninth Prince of Southern Chu was exceptionally tall. He strode in against the light, his gaze sharp as a blade, cutting across Shen Wei's face.
Li Mi halted.
Tilting his head, he studied Shen Wei's features as if observing some curious plaything. With a mocking tone, he said, "So you're the fisherwoman His Majesty brought back?"
Shen Wei took a sip of tea. "Mhm."
Li Mi: "How ugly."
Shen Wei set down her cup. "If His Majesty makes me his empress, I'll be your mother. A dog doesn’t despise a poor home, and a son shouldn’t scorn his mother’s looks. How dare you call your future empress dowager ugly?"
Li Mi: "..."
Gritting his teeth, Li Mi spat, "What a vicious tongue."
Beside them, the palace maid Caizhu trembled, her legs nearly giving way as she fought the urge to kneel. She frantically signaled Shen Wei with her eyes, silently pleading for her not to provoke the Ninth Prince.
Li Mi was no ordinary man!
A ruthless one at that!
When his temper flared, even the once-feared Concubine Qin dared not meet his gaze. Li Mi had long been at odds with the emperor, his temper notorious. Once, a concubine had accidentally crossed him—Li Mi had drawn his blade and struck her down without hesitation.
Afterward, the Ninth Prince had been imprisoned in the dungeons for half a month, enduring torment. Yet upon release, his foul temper remained unchanged, and he continued to defy the emperor at every turn.
A plump white fox trotted leisurely over, circling Shen Wei’s feet before curling into a fluffy ball beside her. Delighted, Shen Wei reached down to stroke the fox’s round head.
The fox narrowed its eyes contentedly, its furry ears flattening.
Watching this, Li Mi ground his teeth. "That beast has a habit of biting. Yet it’s so affectionate with you."
Shen Wei smiled sweetly. "A wise creature knows its master. It’s smart enough to understand the consequences of biting me. What about you? Are you smart?"
Li Mi pressed his tongue against his cheek, giving Shen Wei a long, deep look. "Troublemaker."
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off.
The white fox remained curled at Shen Wei’s feet.
Caizhu exhaled in relief and hastily poured more tea. Muttering under her breath, she said, "My lady, you’re truly fortunate. The Ninth Prince must be in an exceptionally good mood today—otherwise, he might have struck you."
Shen Wei twirled her teacup between her fingers. "Is the Ninth Prince’s relationship with His Majesty truly so strained?"
Caizhu nodded nervously. "Like fire and water—utterly incompatible."
Shen Wei shook her head slowly, her voice firm. "If they were truly irreconcilable, that little brat would have been dead long ago."
Yet Li Yuanli had spared Li Mi’s life. Clearly, their relationship wasn’t as fractured as the world believed.
...
...
The palace’s front hall.
Li Yuanli lounged lazily on the dragon throne, ignoring the mountain of scrolls piled on the desk before him. Behind the beaded curtain, court officials argued fervently over how to sentence the prime minister’s household.
Li Yuanli was nearly lulled to sleep by their bickering.
Then the chief eunuch announced, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince has arrived."
The debate ceased instantly.
The ministers exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to linger. Whenever Li Mi came to see the emperor, the hall would inevitably erupt in chaos.
No one wanted to invite misfortune.
Bowing hastily, the officials excused themselves. Li Yuanli rested his chin on one hand, eyes closed, the delicate fragrance from the gilded incense burner lulling him further into drowsiness.
The heavy tread of boots shattered the quiet behind the beaded curtain.
Li Mi strode in, the other attendants swiftly retreating. He yanked the curtain aside, beads clattering as he raised his voice. "I don’t understand! How could you take a liking to such a coarse, ugly, lowborn woman?"
Li Yuanli remained reclined, his tone calm. "She is the finest woman in this world."
Li Mi froze, disbelief flashing across his face. "Yuan Xi’er is spoiled, sharp-tongued, and disrespects authority—she’s utterly unworthy of you! You’ve never been one to dote on women before. Have you been bewitched?"
Li Yuanli sighed. "It is I who am unworthy of her."
Li Mi gaped as if hearing a fable.
Confusion clouded his youthful features. "Are you ill? If you’re on death’s door, you might as well hand the throne to me!"
It was meant as a barb, but the man on the throne merely chuckled. "Do you mean that?"
Li Mi instantly fell silent.
The eighteen-year-old prince, like a bristling young tiger, lowered his proud head and muttered, "No."
Li Yuanli rose leisurely. Clad in an embroidered black-and-gold dragon robe, his face bore no trace of age, his eyes deep as the ocean, brimming with the authority of decades.
He descended the white jade steps until he stood before Li Mi.
Looking down at the young tiger, Li Yuanli asked, "Do you know why I spared your life all those years ago?"
Li Mi grumbled, "No."
The world believed Li Mi and Li Yuanli were sworn enemies. After all, Li Yuanli had slaughtered Li Mi’s birth parents and the entire royal family.
A sea of blood lay between them.
Yet Li Mi bore no hatred.
Before Li Yuanli appeared, he had been the most neglected prince in Southern Chu’s palace. His memory was sharp—he vividly recalled being locked in a pigpen by his cowardly mother.
He remembered fighting piglets for scraps, the shrill laughter of beautiful concubines, and the plump maggots swarming over his tiny limbs in the summer heat.
It was Li Yuanli who pulled him from the filth.
Li Yuanli who gave him his first full meal.
Without this man, he would have drowned in that pigpen—or been strangled by his own mother.
Over the years, Li Yuanli had been harsh. Forcing him to train, study, travel, even kill—yet never taking his life.
Li Mi’s feelings were tangled—neither gratitude nor resentment.
Li Yuanli patted his shoulder, voice lazy. "I’ll be leaving the palace for a time. You’ll oversee the court in my stead. If I don’t return, you may take the throne. The New Emperor of Qing ascended at sixteen—you’re no less capable."
Li Mi’s brows knotted as he scrutinized Li Yuanli’s face. "Are you sick? Talking nonsense!"
Of course, he wanted the throne.
But in his mind, that day was decades away. Li Yuanli seemed far from old, still in his prime.
Li Yuanli: "Perhaps I am... Finish reviewing the memorials on the desk. And send men to confiscate the prime minister’s estate."
Hands clasped behind his back, Li Yuanli strode out of the hall, heading toward Changle Palace.
Left behind, Li Mi stood stunned before suddenly bellowing, "You really are sick! Deathly ill! Drop dead for all I care—I won’t even hold a funeral for you!"
The attendants bowed their heads deeply, wishing they could cover their ears.
Here we go again.
Every audience with the Ninth Prince ended in a shouting match.
...
...
Changle Palace.
A maid brought a steaming bowl of medicinal brew. The bitter aroma filled the air, but Shen Wei waved it away. "I won’t drink it."
No amount of medicine could cure her illness.
