The so-called "illness reflection" was nothing more than writing about how miserable one felt.
Fever was the simplest. To conserve energy, he wrote with a light touch, his characters as small as gnats, propping up his muddled, feverish head to scrawl a full thousand words.
Exceptionally detailed and exceptionally vapid.
Including how eating felt, how sleeping felt, how walking felt.
He had to use the limited time to try and make his cheap father change his mind. Even though he felt nauseous and awful, he didn't lower the authenticity value.
Please, give me more lifespan points just for the sheer volume of words!
The sky gradually darkened. Ye Xiaoyuan came in to bring him a lamp, which Qu Dubian quickly concealed. Seeing him reading and practicing calligraphy, Ye Xiaoyuan didn't disturb him. He brought in some pastries, reminded him not to overwork himself, and then gently closed the door.
He wrote the final character.
Qu Dubian said, "Submit."
Simulator: [Scanning.]
Simulator: [Scanning complete. Evaluating.]
Simulator: [Evaluation complete. The host has not genuinely experienced a full day. A discretionary deduction has been applied according to procedure. Lifespan points obtainable: 35 days.]
[Remaining lifespan points updated.]
[Total remaining lifespan: 36 days.]
A few more days than expected. Qu Dubian immediately adjusted the 100% authenticity value down to 0. His body was still burning up, but his mind instantly cleared.
Simulator: [The host has submitted the reflection. Would you like to shorten the originally scheduled three-day simulation period to the minimum of one day?]
Qu Dubian: "Not for now."
Simulator: [Wishing you a pleasant simulation.]
When he sat down to write, it was still afternoon. By the time he finished, the sky was completely dark.
He tossed the paper with the reflection into the charcoal brazier. Only after it was completely burned did he slump over the desk, unable to resist the fatigue, and drift into a light sleep.
Ye Xiaoyuan had originally come in to urge him to rest. He had entered several times in the afternoon, but each time the young prince was diligently studying, so he had only left pastries without disturbing him.
He hadn't expected that this time, he would find the young prince asleep on the desk. He walked over softly, intending to carry the child to bed.
But the moment he reached out, he felt the alarming heat radiating from the child's body.
Ye Xiaoyuan's heart lurched.
He reached to touch the young prince's forehead. The scalding heat seared all the way into the depths of his heart.
In near panic, he cried out hoarsely:
"Xiaochun... Xiaochun! Get in here—!"
-
Late at night.
Zichen Palace.
Emperor Chongzhao woke with a start, covered in cold sweat.
He instinctively raised a hand to wipe his brow, only to find his breathing ragged and his hands trembling.
He had just had a dream.
In the dream, there was no prophecy from the Astrological Bureau. Consort Yun was alive and well, raising their young son together with him.
But before the child turned three, he was struck by a high fever and slowly breathed his last in his arms. Just as he was reeling from the loss of his son, Consort Yun, unable to bear it, embraced the child's body and perished in a great fire.
Consort Yun cried out: "The Astrological Bureau has wronged me—they will face retribution—"
"Your Majesty, save Dubian, save our child—"
He could only watch, helpless. He tried to rush into the flames but was held back by the crowd.
Until the fire burned out.
Two charred, blackened bodies were revealed before him, mother and child fused together, the mother protecting her son. That overwhelming agony and despair felt tangible, transforming into thousands of sharp swords that pierced his heart.
Even now, awake.
The dense, prickling pain in his heart still gnawed at his flesh like ants.
"Yu Decai."
Eunuch Yu, "Your Majesty, it's only the early watches. Why are you awake?"
He was about to draw back the bed curtains when he heard the emperor's voice stop him.
"Fetch a cup of water."
Eunuch Yu assented, then heard another order: "Warm."
Warm?
Now Eunuch Yu was truly puzzled. Usually, it was cold tea. Had His Majesty gotten confused from sleep?
-
The lamps and candles in Ju'an Palace burned all night.
Imperial Physician Qiu from the Imperial Hospital kept watch. He even sent Wen Xiaochun to the Imperial Hospital to fetch medicine and supervised its brewing the whole time.
When he took the pulse, his expression was truly grim.
He had some thoughts.
Such a young child. Feeling the pulse, his constitution was already rather weak. This sudden high fever—if it lasted too long, whether he could pull through was uncertain.
He couldn't say this outright, so he said, "Let's use some mild medicine first and see if we can bring it down."
While feeding the medicine, Qu Dubian woke up.
He smacked his lips; the medicine wasn't too bitter.
Qu Dubian quickly got into character. Looking at Imperial Physician Qiu, his lips quivered, on the verge of tears. "I want to see Father Emperor..."
"Does Father Emperor... just not want me anymore?"
"Sending me away."
"Why... all my brothers have seen Father Emperor, only I haven't..."
"Father Emperor hates me."
A child's voice when ill is thin and small, like a listless sick kitten. His face was flushed with fever, his lips pale, a ring of tears swimming in his eyes.
A gentle blink, and teardrops broke through his thick lashes, falling.
He cried silently, but his nose was red, full of grievance and sorrow, a sight that made anyone's heart ache at a glance.
Imperial Physician Qiu had young children of his own at home. Seeing him like this, he felt a pang of sympathy and sighed. Truly, heaven pities the innocent.
Ye Xiaoyuan felt as if his chest had been struck directly.
When the young prince first learned he was to be sent away, he hadn't shown any unhappiness. In the afternoon, he had been studying diligently the whole time, with no chance to contact anyone outside.
Such a sudden change could only mean the young prince actually understood what being sent to the traveling palace signified.
He understood, but didn't speak of it.
He even smiled and comforted them like a little adult.
Ye Xiaoyuan sat by the bed, half-embracing Qu Dubian, holding him tightly, his voice choked.
Even his consolation sounded feeble.
"It's not like that, Your Highness..."
But it was exactly like that.
Yet he could only say this.
"Your Highness, take your medicine properly. When dawn comes and the palace gates open, we will report to His Majesty. His Majesty... His Majesty..." will come to see you.
He couldn't finish the sentence. A promise he couldn't keep would only cause deeper hurt.
Ye Xiaoyuan: "His Majesty will surely be concerned about you."
Qu Dubian silently apologized in his heart. He didn't want Ye Xiaoyuan to worry so much. But whether he could stay, to some extent cleanse the name of "ill-omened child," and plant a seed of doubt about the Astrological Bureau in his cheap father's mind—it all depended on this move.
Wen Xiaochun couldn't help it: "Imperial Physician Qiu."
Imperial Physician Qiu said, "Rest assured. When a prince falls ill, the Imperial Hospital naturally must report it to His Majesty."
Before was before, now is now.
A prince who received attention was naturally more precious than one who did not.
Looking at the situation, he would have to stay in Ju'an Palace tonight, watching over the medicine brewing and ready to diagnose at any moment. He hadn't known the young prince's fever was this high before coming. If, by some misfortune, things took a turn for the worse, he might also be implicated.
After calling out that one time, Wen Xiaochun had remained silent. Ye Xiaoyuan called his name several times before he seemed to snap back to attention.
"What's wrong with you?"
Wen Xiaochun stood behind the bed curtains, his gaze fixed on the young prince's fever-flushed, suffering face.
His fingers, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched tight, the knuckles white, yet he said softly:
"Nothing."
-
The next day.
Imperial Physician Qiu waited outside Zichen Palace very early.
As soon as Emperor Chongzhao finished the morning court session, he heard Imperial Physician Qiu's report:
"Your Majesty, last night, the Seventh Prince in the Ju'an Palace suddenly developed a high fever. It lasted all night without any sign of subsiding. My skills are insufficient; I beg Your Majesty to summon a more senior imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital for diagnosis."
"A high fever? Last night?"
Emperor Chongzhao instinctively stood up, immediately thinking of the dream he had the previous night.
Was this a father-son connection, or...?
He suppressed the ominous thought. "Summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital who are skilled in treating children's fevers to go there."
Imperial Physician Qiu: "As you command."
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Now, if anything went wrong, the responsibility wouldn't fall on him alone.
After he left, Emperor Chongzhao began to feel restless.
He had dreamed last night, and his youngest son had fallen ill with a fever last night.
No one would believe there wasn't a father-son connection here.
Both the first and second dreams were related to Consort Yun and the young prince. In the first dream, a black calamitous star fell into the Astrology Bureau. In the second, Yueqing clearly said, 'The Astrology Bureau harmed me.' Could it truly be that Yueqing was hinting at something from beyond?
Emperor Chongzhao tapped the table rhythmically and ordered, "Dispatch that shadow guard who went to see the Seventh Prince last time. Have him keep watch for me."
The head of the shadow guards was slightly surprised.
After all, shadow guards operated in the shadows.
They handled too many imperial secrets. Generally, they were not lightly dispatched. Once they revealed their true appearance in public or frequently interacted with outsiders, their level of secrecy would gradually drop to a dangerous point. The consequence was losing their qualification to be a shadow guard—either death or having their limbs broken and being imprisoned forever.
It was a rare situation for the same person to be dispatched so frequently, one right after the other.
-
Phoenix Roost Palace.
It was customary for the consorts to pay their daily respects to the Empress in her palace.
In truth, calling it 'paying respects' was just a grand palace tea party. The palace had been quite peaceful these past few years, so their conversations had become much shorter.
These past few days were different. They practically wanted to embed themselves in the chairs of the Empress's palace and live there.
The Empress, with her elegant and delicate features, sat upright in the foremost seat. The sweet tea by her hand had been refreshed three times. Listening to the chattering conversation below, she even had the leisure to think that today's sweet tea tasted a bit bland; she should add some red dates next time.
Noble Consort Rong: "Originally, being transferred to study in the Eastern Garden, one would think it was a turn of fortune. Who would have thought... it would end like this in the end. Truly, he lacks fortune."
The mother of the Fifth Prince was Noble Consort Rong, who did not originally have the qualification to raise a prince. However, Noble Consort Rong's maternal family had allied with Consort Lan's maternal family, achieving significant merits in their governed region.
With Consort Lan pushing from behind, Emperor Chongzhao made a special exception, allowing Noble Consort Rong to raise the Fifth Prince by her side.
Ever since then, Noble Consort Rong had become Consort Lan's lackey, never daring to disobey, and fawned over her quite obsequiously.
Not only did she herself curry favor with Consort Lan, but she also told her son to curry favor with the Sixth Prince.
Therefore, oftentimes, the attitude Noble Consort Rong displayed was Consort Lan's attitude.
Consort Lan chuckled softly: "Alright now, the Seventh Prince is about to depart. It's better to say less. Consort Yi, I heard the Fourth Prince gets along very well with the Seventh Prince?"
Consort Yi rotated the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, eyes closed, and said, "That's the children's own business. Whomever he wishes to befriend, he befriends. I do not interfere with such matters."
Such a stubborn, dull personality.
Noble Consort Rong covered her lips with her hand: "Sister, you should tell the Fourth Prince to have less contact with those from the Ju'an Palace. If he gets tainted by bad luck, no amount of sutra chanting will remove it."
She turned her head towards Consort Lan: "The Sixth Prince is very sensible and well-behaved. This concubine still needs to learn from Your Highness on how to raise a child."
Consort Lan paused, somewhat unnaturally picking up her teacup to take a sip.
"Hmm, he is sensible. When I came, he was already studying on his own."
Noble Consort Rong flattered: "Excellent, excellent."
The Empress sighed inwardly and uttered a perfunctory, hollow pleasantry to smooth things over:
"The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes, though young, are each steady and sensible. You have all worked hard nurturing the imperial heirs. When you leave later, I have prepared some newly arrived fabrics for you to make new clothes for the children."
-
Xiuxiang Palace.
It was a scene of utter chaos.
The Sixth Prince was very angry, saying to the eunuch blocking him, "Move aside! You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"Why can Seventh Brother go to the traveling palace, but I can't?! It's outrageous, I've never been outside in all my life!"
"I want to go to the traveling palace too! I want to go too! How dare Mother Consort lock me up!"
The eunuch was on the verge of tears. "Your Highness, that traveling palace is not a good place."
The schoolhouse wasn't repaired yet, so the Sixth Prince and the others didn't have to attend classes, but being cooped up in the palace was also quite unbearable. School was one of the few social times for children.
Once idle, they started thinking of all sorts of ways to cause trouble.
He simply felt that what he couldn't have must be good, and if he couldn't go, others shouldn't go either.
The Sixth Prince charged left and right, breaking through the defensive line and rushing out. The palace servants had no choice but to follow behind him.
The Sixth Prince rushed all the way to the Fourth Prince's Funing Palace.
The main hall of Funing Palace housed a small Buddhist shrine. The incense personally made by Consort Yi had no inferior smell; instead, it was very light and pleasant.
"Hey! Hey!!"
The Sixth Prince barged straight in, finding the Fourth Prince dozing under the corridor.
The Fourth Prince drowsily opened his eyes: "What do you want?"
The Sixth Prince, hands on his knees, caught his breath: "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother! Seventh Brother is being sent away!"
The Fourth Prince slowly widened his eyes.
His napping buddy was leaving?
The Fourth Prince hurriedly said, "No, no."
Sixth Prince: "Then come with me to find him first. He can't sneak off to a fun place!"
The Fourth Prince nodded repeatedly. At the very least, he had to take him along.
The Sixth Prince pulled him to leave. The Fourth Prince reminded him, "And Fifth Brother."
"Oh, right!" The Sixth Prince slapped his forehead. "Forgot about him."
The two were in immediate agreement. Regardless of whether the Fifth Prince was willing or not, they went straight to his palace and hauled him out. Poor Fifth Prince, even his shoes were put on by palace servants chasing after him.
Three princes, followed by seven or eight palace servants, marched grandly towards the Ju'an Palace.
The Brother-Visiting Trio, making a grand entrance!
-
Ju'an Palace.
Estimating that the time was about right, Qu Du used the excuse of being hungry to send Ye Xiaoyuan away.
He put on his clothes, got out of bed quietly, then felt his way to the table and wrote a line of characters.
His teaching efforts during this period had borne considerable fruit. This line of characters could be understood by Attendant Ye and Wen Xiaochun, and would certainly be seen by his cheap father.
He placed the note in a conspicuous spot by the bedside and slipped away along the base of the wall.
Due to Qu Du's habits, the new servants added to Ju'an Palace had long been dismissed. Wen Xiaochun was watching the fire to decoct medicine, so he wasn't discovered by anyone else.
Charcoal burned silently in the bedchamber.
The young master on the bed had disappeared, leaving only a note behind, which read:
[I dreamed of Mother Consort. Mother Consort said she would take me away. Happy. Before leaving, I want to go see Father Emperor.]
