"Outrageous!!"
The Emperor's eyes burned with fury, his thunderous roar filled with such killing intent that it sent chills down everyone's spines.
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may execute me! However, this divine remedy still requires one last ingredient—one only I, the princess, know. My life is worthless compared to the Crown Prince's. If I die, so be it. But if the Crown Prince perishes... surely Your Majesty would grieve deeply."
The Second Prince gasped for breath as he glared at Princess Baya. No wonder—no wonder she dared to humiliate him.
"Father, who knows if this medicine is poisoned? What if the Crown Prince takes it and—!"
Princess Baya, as if reading his thoughts, smiled faintly.
"If you doubt me, so be it. Without the antidote, the Crown Prince will not survive two months."
"If this medicine is truly so miraculous, why offer it to Us?"
The Emperor's gaze was sharp as a blade, piercing through all deception.
"I have one request, and I beg Your Majesty to grant it!"
Yet the Crown Prince, the center of this storm, remained unmoved. He knelt before the Emperor without hesitation.
"Father, if saving me requires Great Yuan to pay a heavy price, this son would rather die."
Xiao Youcheng also knelt, lifting the hem of his robe.
"Father, why not hear Princess Baya’s request? If it can save the Crown Prince, it would be a blessing for Great Yuan!"
"We implore Your Majesty to consider this!"
Prime Minister Murong and his faction followed suit, kneeling in unison.
"Speak, Princess Baya. What is your condition?"
The envoys from the Tartar royal family prostrated themselves on the ground as Princess Baya declared loudly:
"Great Yuan must send troops to aid my people in driving out the Rus invaders!"
The moment her words fell, the hall erupted in uproar.
"The Rus are attacking the Tartars?"
"Exchanging a single pill for fifty thousand of our soldiers—isn’t that too much?"
"Hush! That pill is the Crown Prince’s only hope!"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, turning to Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan.
"Generals, you guard the northwest. Have you received any reports of this?"
Xiao Yi, still visibly shocked, shook his head.
"We have heard nothing of this."
"Princess Baya, you claim the Rus are mobilizing against the Tartars. Do you have proof?"
Princess Baya nodded. "I received the news just before departing. If nothing goes wrong, the battle report should arrive within two days. Your Majesty need only wait."
The Emperor closed his eyes and waved his hand.
"Then we shall discuss this after the report arrives."
The lively banquet, now disrupted, grew tense again. Those with sharp eyes could see the Emperor’s foul mood and feared provoking his wrath.
"Rumor has it that Prince Kang, stationed in Yingchuan for three years, has won the hearts of its people. What gift has he prepared for His Majesty this time?"
The speaker was the husband of Princess Changle—Royal Son-in-law Chen, also Chen Ning'an’s uncle.
As all eyes turned to him, Xiao Youcheng rose and stepped to the center of the hall.
"The gift I prepared for Father is, strictly speaking, not mine alone."
"Oh?"
The crowd’s attention shifted to the large chest carried in by palace attendants.
"Three years ago, by Father’s grace, I was permitted to govern Yingchuan. At the time, I heard of a destitute county—Yuxi County—where the land was barren, the people impoverished, and food was scarce. Its magistrate submitted a two-thousand-word petition, begging for a road to be built to the neighboring county."
Here, Xiao Youcheng paused, glancing at Royal Son-in-law Chen, whose face had turned ashen.
"Father, pitying my youth, granted me two hundred thousand taels of silver to settle in. Seeing the suffering of Yuxi’s people, I recalled Father’s teachings—that a ruler who cares for his people will be cherished like a parent. So I took the liberty of using the silver to build the road. By last winter, it was complete. The people named it the 'Sheng'an Road'—praying for Your Majesty’s health, longevity, and the prosperity of the nation."
With that, he presented a scroll.
"Father, this is a rubbing of the road’s commemorative stele."
The Emperor accepted it, forcing a stiff smile.
"Good. Very good."
"But this is only the first gift. Now, the second—behold!"
The ministers craned their necks to peer into the chest.
"Wheat? Rice? What does this mean, Prince Kang?"
"Many of you must have heard of last year’s drought in Yingchuan. Fortunately, we uncovered an ancient blueprint for a waterwheel, which saved the crops. The people, grateful for Your Majesty’s benevolence, wished to share their blessings. Knowing of Father’s sixtieth birthday, every household contributed a handful of grain. 'The five grains are the lifeblood of the people.' The people of Yingchuan pray that Father may share in their fortune and reign over a lasting peace."
The Emperor’s heart swelled with joy. Throughout his reign, the world had remembered only the founding Emperor. But now, the people’s hearts turned to him. He had not failed his ancestors!
"Excellent! Wang Shun! Prepare some of this grain and steam it. Tonight, We shall feast upon the blessings of Our people!"
The ministers knelt in unison. "Long live Your Majesty! May the Emperor live ten thousand years!"
"Youcheng, you have done well! We are deeply pleased!"
The Emperor’s dark mood finally lifted, while Royal Son-in-law Chen shrank back like a quail, silent.
"Father, there is one more gift!"
Xiao Youcheng clasped his hands and announced.
The ministers exchanged glances. This Prince Kang—could he not leave some room for others to flatter?
"Earlier, I spoke of Father’s divine mandate and blessings upon Great Yuan. Those were not empty words. Behold!"
He clapped his hands, and servants carried in an enormous object draped in red silk. Once placed, Xiao Youcheng gently unveiled it.
The Emperor’s eyes widened—it was a fruit tree!
"Heavens!"
Someone gasped.
"The gods have descended!"
Upon the tree hung two fruits, each shaped like a Buddha, with the character for "longevity" etched upon them.
The Emperor rushed forward and bowed deeply.
The officials followed suit.
"We beseech the gods to reveal themselves!"
All eyes fixed upon the tree.
Yet after a long silence, nothing happened. The Emperor sighed in disappointment but consoled himself.
He was too greedy. To receive such a divine gift was already a blessing—how could he demand more?
"When I received Father’s decree summoning me to the capital, these fruits appeared overnight on my courtyard tree. Surely, it is Father’s love for the people that moved the heavens to bestow such blessings."
Zhou Sanwei’s jaw hung open. Damn it—this was what that brat Zhou Qingyuan called "just average"?
Though Prince Kang had never said it outright, Zhou Sanwei knew he had been preparing for the worst. The Zhou family, though noble, could offer little support. He had to rely on himself.
Last month, he had asked his wayward son how Prince Kang’s birthday preparations were going—was there enough silver? And what had that unfilial Zhou Qingyuan said?
"Lu Chao and His Highness agreed: we’re poor, so no need to compete. Just prepare something average. The Emperor’s private treasury has plenty of treasures. Our funds are better spent where they matter!"
Damn it all—this was "average"?
What’s with the Second Prince giving him that sidelong glance?! Did he actually think he could have come up with this thing?!
"Son, could this be the fruit of the immortals?"
The Emperor gingerly touched the fruit, afraid of damaging it.
Had his cultivation finally borne fruit, granting him this divine gift for immortality?!
"Father, I wouldn’t know either."
Xiao Youcheng scratched his head with an air of simple honesty.
Truth be told, he had tasted one of the fruits—it was sour, no different from any ordinary fruit. He had no idea how Lu Chao managed to produce such a thing.
