The Emperor, with a devout heart, burned incense and purified himself before consuming two fruits.
The officials held their breath as they watched the Son of Heaven seated on the dragon throne, afraid that even the slightest exhale might disrupt His Majesty's path to immortality.
As the Emperor plucked the fruits and placed them in his mouth, the crowd collectively swallowed their saliva, wondering what divine taste these celestial fruits might hold.
The Emperor chewed slowly and deliberately, unwilling to gulp them down hastily and miss the essence of their heavenly flavor.
"These fruits are truly celestial treasures! After consuming them, my mind feels clearer, and my body as though purified," the Emperor declared.
The ministers erupted in praise once more.
Imperial Physician Wang, standing nearby, trembled with excitement as he checked the Emperor's pulse.
"Indeed, they are divine! Your Majesty's imperial vitality has grown stronger! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor's face flushed with excitement as he laughed heartily toward the heavens.
"By Our decree, the Third Prince, Xiao Youcheng, shall be rewarded with two hundred thousand taels of silver for his meritorious service in guarding his fiefdom!"
"Thank you for Your Majesty's boundless grace!"
Xiao Youcheng lifted the hem of his robe and knelt in gratitude. Just as Lu Chao had predicted, he had netted a clean profit of two hundred thousand taels—he’d have to share a portion with him later. Ha! This felt even better than the time he had beaten up Xiao You'an!
"Your subject is curious—why do these celestial fruits only appear in Yingchuan? Could it be that Prince Kang has a special connection with the immortals?"
Royal Son-in-law Chen, already resentful at the sight of the reward, couldn't resist asking.
"Because the people of Yingchuan are sincere in their devotion. Do you think the immortals would favor a man who keeps a mistress in his sister-in-law’s home?"
The moment these words were spoken, Royal Son-in-law Chen's face turned red with panic, and he cried out in protest.
"I merely asked a question! How dare Prince Kang slander me so baselessly? Your Majesty, please judge fairly!"
Who would have thought that the man who had publicly proclaimed his undying love for Princess Changle—envied by women across the capital—was secretly keeping a mistress?
Since her elder brother ascended the throne, Princess Changle had gained considerable influence and ruled her household with an iron fist. If this were true, chaos would surely erupt!
And to think he had the audacity to house his mistress in his own sister’s home—what a disgrace to the Chen family!
"Enough! We have no interest in your sordid affairs. Prince Kang is young and straightforward, incapable of hiding his thoughts. Take this matter up with Princess Changle yourself!"
Cold sweat dripped down Royal Son-in-law Chen’s back. What did His Majesty mean by that? Did the Emperor already know?
He had kept this secret for so long—how could Prince Kang, who had just returned to the capital, have uncovered it? Unless… the Emperor was using Prince Kang to warn him!?
The Second Prince lowered his gaze, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart. His younger brother had been a curse upon him since birth. Whenever Xiao Youcheng was around, misfortune followed. He had planned to present his gift last, outshining the other princes, only for Xiao Youcheng to steal the spotlight. The twelve thousand taels he had spent on the sandalwood screen carved with cloud-dragons and longevity characters had earned him nothing more than a perfunctory "good" before being stored away. He had always said Xiao Youcheng should never have returned.
As the banquet concluded, officials from various factions hurried back to their residences with grim expressions. If the Crown Prince recovered from the poison, who could challenge his claim to the throne? How had the Tatars learned of the Crown Prince’s poisoning? Who had poisoned him? Would Great Yuan send troops in the conflict between the Tatars and the Russians? And where had Prince Kang obtained those celestial fruits?
The moon climbed the treetops, and the bustling palace gradually quieted.
For the princes and officials present, this was destined to be a sleepless night. Lamp wicks were trimmed again and again, tea was refilled over and over, and by the next morning’s court session, dark circles hung beneath everyone’s eyes as they exchanged weary glances.
Knowing he would be under heavy surveillance in the coming days, Prince Kang refrained from leaving his residence to bother Lu Chao. Thus, the mastermind behind the capital’s upheaval, Lu Chao, enjoyed an unusually peaceful night’s sleep. In his dreams, he sipped fine wine, listened to music, and feasted on hotpot—a life of pure bliss.
Overnight, the tale of Prince Kang’s three-part birthday gift spread like wildfire through the capital, becoming the talk of the town. Yingchuan and Yuxi quietly gained fame as well.
Shrewd merchants wasted no time. If Yingchuan and Yuxi were lands blessed by the immortals, how could their medicinal herbs be anything less than extraordinary? Hadn’t the Emperor’s imperial vitality surged after consuming those celestial fruits? Stock up now!
And Yuxi even produced fortifying wine? Buy! Buy! Buy!
Zhou Qingyuan gaped at the endless stream of orders, his mouth hanging open in shock. Lu Chao had promised him commissions based on sales—he was about to strike it rich! Ha!
At this thought, Zhou Qingyuan wished he could sprout wings and deliver these orders to Lu Yuanyi, who had remained in Yuxi.
Heavens! Lu Chao—no, his brother Lu—truly had the Midas touch! From now on, if Lu Chao said east, he wouldn’t dare go west! Lost in his excitement, Zhou Qingyuan burst into laughter, startling Zhou Tianao, who was perched on the neighboring roof, causing him to stumble and shatter several tiles.
Zhou Qingyuan stepped outside and looked up—who else could it be but his fool of an elder brother?
"Second Brother! What are you doing on the roof in broad daylight? There are no stars to observe! Get down here!"
Zhou Tianao, his hair disheveled and a compass in hand, muttered incessantly.
"Third Brother, when the four stars align, chaos descends upon the land! The world will be thrown into turmoil!"
Zhou Qingyuan nervously glanced around. Thankfully, their father had wisely forbidden servants from entering this courtyard—otherwise, his neck wouldn’t survive the day!
"Second Brother, stop spouting nonsense! Come down! There are no stars in the daytime!"
Zhou Tianao looked at him seriously.
"Last night, the four stars aligned."
Zhou Qingyuan sighed. "Fine, fine, they aligned. Now get down—I need to call someone to fix the roof."
"But today, there’s a shift in fortune. Look—the sun and moon shine together! Twin stars accompany the moon! An auspicious omen! And this divination—storms loom, but a single change in the hexagram alters everything. Truly remarkable!"
Zhou Qingyuan didn’t understand any of it. All he knew was that if his brother didn’t come down soon, he’d be in for a beating.
"Second Brother, if you don’t come down now, Father will be back."
Zhou Tianao glared at him resentfully but reluctantly climbed down the ladder. It wasn’t the pain he feared—it was the days of recovery that would keep him from stargazing.
"Third Brother, how about I divine your fortune?"
Zhou Qingyuan shook his head frantically.
"Absolutely not! That monk said it—peering into the heavens alters fate. You’re forbidden from divining!"
Zhou Tianao had been obsessed with astrology since childhood, devouring books on celestial omens and divination. Once, while accompanying the family matriarch to Dajue Temple, he grew bored and sprawled on the ground with his compass and star charts.
The abbot observed him for a moment before turning his prayer beads and saying to the old lady,
"Amitabha. To spy on heaven’s secrets is to tamper with fate."
The matriarch nearly burned his entire collection of books in fright.
Zhou Tianao, thinking he had found his calling, clamored to become a monk and study under the abbot. When Lord Zhou heard of this, he rushed to Dajue Temple in his official robes, dragging his young son along.
The abbot, terrified, chanted "Amitabha" and announced he would embark on a pilgrimage that very night.
After two months at the temple, Zhou Tianao realized the monks there didn’t teach divination or astronomy, so he grudgingly returned home.
"Third Brother! The abbot and I don’t even follow the same path! He was spouting nonsense!"
Zhou Qingyuan shook his head firmly. "Better safe than sorry. You’re absolutely forbidden from divining for anyone. If I find out you’ve been secretly telling fortunes, I’ll burn all those trigram charts and books in your room to ashes!"
The door slammed shut with a loud bang. After a moment’s thought, Zhou Qingyuan added through the closed door, "Second Brother, I’m sending servants to fix the roof. Don’t you dare spout nonsense, or our entire family will end up on the execution block at the marketplace. Understood?"
"Got it! Stop nagging!"
Only after hearing the reply did Zhou Qingyuan leave with relief. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but pity his father—having to go to work every day in constant fear. Just after the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, his father had predicted chaos in the realm. Wasn’t that practically begging for death? Sigh. Better earn more money and keep his dear second brother tucked away in some remote corner, far from the Emperor’s reach. Who could handle such a troublemaker otherwise?
On the third day after the Emperor’s birthday, an urgent dispatch arrived in the capital at breakneck speed.
"Emergency report! The Rus and the Tartars have gone to war!"
