Ye Xiaoyuan suddenly understood why the young lord's reaction to coming here had been so indifferent.
It was because he had lost all expectation for his father, the Emperor.
So, the lord had only cried that bit last night. Even though he woke up still feeling unwell, he acted no different from usual—it was to avoid worrying him... Ye Xiaoyuan's heart ached with sadness.
The child who is too well-behaved is always the one subconsciously overlooked, while the one who makes a fuss from time to time always manages to attract attention.
Qu Dubian took pleasure in poking soft thorns into the heart of his father in this lifetime.
"I'll leave with Ye after we finish eating."
Faced with an emperor with a domineering personality, harboring guilt towards his child, yet also extremely conflicted due to a prophecy, he knew all too well how to manipulate such a man from the perspective of a child.
Emperor Chongzhao felt an extra layer of stifling frustration in his chest from Qu Dubian's few sentences.
The child had been so clingy while asleep, yet upon waking was less intimate with him than with a eunuch. The contrast was simply too great. He felt as if the child's evasive gaze had planted a thorn in his heart.
Eunuch Yu also covered his own heart.
This young lord really knew how to hit where it hurt.
Ye Xiaoyuan said, "Your Majesty, the young lord just woke up and isn't feeling well... Seeing you also makes him happy."
Emperor Chongzhao sat down opposite Qu Dubian. His hand resting on his leg unconsciously began to twist the thumb ring. One large, one small; one left, one right—like a full-grown tiger facing a kitten.
"The Jiu'an Hall is not conducive to your recovery. Until you are well, you shall stay here. There's no need to move."
Qu Dubian's ears twitched, like a sensitive little animal. He raised his head, seemingly surprised that he could stay.
"Then where do I go after I recover? Can I... can I stay at the Jiu'an Hall?" The child extended his little finger, stealing a glance at him. "I only need a little bit of food to be full."
Emperor Chongzhao's tone softened. "You need not go to the Jiu'an Hall in the future, nor to the traveling palace. You will stay in the imperial palace. I will personally select a residence for you. And do not worry about food; I will not let you go hungry."
Others might not know, but Eunuch Yu understood. He was secretly astonished. It seemed His Majesty had already decided to posthumously elevate Consort Yun to Empress?
If this news got out, both the court and the rear palace would likely erupt.
A bit of oily sheen lingered at the corner of Qu Dubian's mouth. Emperor Chongzhao hesitated, then reached out and gently wiped it away with his thumb.
A faint smell of blood drifted to Qu Dubian's nose. His face paled, and he suddenly turned his head and began to retch and cough.
"My lord??"
Qu Dubian retched a few more times.
He had achieved his goal of staying in the palace and had wanted to give his cheap father some face, but... he really couldn't help it.
Shadows from some events in his past life had carried over to this one. A wave of nausea rose in his chest. It was usually fine, but he had only eaten half his fill and really couldn't suppress it.
Had his father come in after killing someone? Why didn't he change his clothes?
After retching for a while without vomiting, Qu Dubian buried his entire face in Ye Xiaoyuan's embrace. Smelling the soapberry scent on his clothes made him feel slightly better.
Ye Xiaoyuan continuously patted his back, his face full of concern.
Eunuch Yu looked at the stiffened Emperor Chongzhao and thought, this is bad. "He was fine just a moment ago. What's wrong?"
Qu Dubian, listless and drooping, lay on Ye Xiaoyuan's shoulder, covering his nose in disgust. He said in a muffled voice, "It's so fishy."
Fishy?
Emperor Chongzhao immediately thought of something. He stood up and said, "I will step out for a moment."
He walked quickly outside the hall and lifted his sleeve to smell it.
Eunuch Yu followed him out. "It must have been accidentally contaminated in the side hall. The young lord caught the scent."
"I can't smell anything," Emperor Chongzhao said, puzzled. "Such a sensitive nose, is he really a little puppy?"
Eunuch Yu: "..." He had no response to that.
Emperor Chongzhao shook his robes. "I will go to the Western Warmth Pavilion. Have the memorials moved there as well. I won't stay here to incense him any longer. Summon the imperial physician to examine him. He's already ill; we mustn't let this cause further harm."
"Also, summon the Left Vice-Minister of Rites and Prince Ming. I have matters to discuss with them."
His young son couldn't do without him at night, yet was so distant during the day. This attitude filled him with an inexplicable vexation, a pent-up energy with no outlet. He might as well go and give his ministers a hard time.
Eunuch Yu understood perfectly. This was to discuss the posthumous elevation of Consort Yun.
And most likely, this wasn't a discussion from His Majesty, but a notification.
-
Inside the hall.
Qu Dubian held Emperor Chongzhao's beloved incense burner, sniffing it back and forth, until the nauseous feeling gradually faded.
This was the ancient times. The likelihood of encountering the smell of human blood was much higher than in the modern era. If he reacted like this every time, wouldn't it ruin his appetite?
If only there were a simulator illness type for loss of smell. Forget this little bit of bloodiness; he could wade through a sea of blood and slurp noodles without batting an eye!
Ye Xiaoyuan felt his forehead. "Why does it feel like you're getting feverish again?"
It would be abnormal if he weren't. The simulator's time wasn't up yet; it would last until tomorrow noon.
Qu Dubian pressed Ye Xiaoyuan's hand. "Help me up."
"My lord?"
His young lord's face was still pale, but his expression was firm. "I'm going to practice Tai Chi!"
The fifteen-day consecutive check-in must not be broken!
Ye Xiaoyuan: "?"
That damned Wen Xiaochun, how did teaching Tai Chi turn the lord into this state?
-
The Great Imperial Kitchen.
Imperial guards were inventorying the oil in the Great Imperial Kitchen, checking the accounts against the recorded usage in the ledgers.
Wen Xiaochun rubbed his inexplicably itchy nose, standing meekly to the side, listening to the guards' investigation.
"You also belong to the Great Imperial Kitchen? Your name isn't on the roster."
Wen Xiaochun: "I serve the Seventh Prince. Because His Highness's meals were previously neglected, I was given a nominal supervisor role in the Great Imperial Kitchen to act as oversight. It's a nominal position without monthly pay, which is why my name isn't listed."
"Serve the Seventh Prince?"
The manager beside him said, "That's right. I was the one who brought him in. He works as a minor manager in the oil section."
In charge of oil...
The guard captain frowned.
He asked Wen Xiaochun, "Which oil storage warehouse are you in charge of?"
Wen Xiaochun hemmed and hawed. "This servant only holds a nominal position. I don't have sole jurisdiction over any warehouse. I just occasionally help others manage theirs."
"If that's the case, why are you evasive?" The guard captain pressed closer. "Clearly you're hiding something. Out with it!"
Wen Xiaochun's face turned deathly pale. "This... this servant may not belong to the Great Imperial Kitchen, being the Seventh Prince's man, but someone as insignificant as me wouldn't dare speak of the managers' private affairs."
By now, the Great Imperial Kitchen manager had caught on. His face instantly flushed red. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
The guard captain said, "You know yourself you're not from the Great Imperial Kitchen. This matter concerns the Seventh Prince. If you care for your master, you'd best speak quickly. It certainly won't implicate you."
Wen Xiaochun hesitated, seemed conflicted, but in reality spoke rapidly: "If you gentlemen are investigating the oil, just checking the ledgers won't match the actual numbers."
He leaned in and whispered in the ear of the guard captain, "The stewards have secretly withheld quite a bit. It's standard practice. When I first arrived, they offered me a share, and they only felt at ease after I accepted. But I didn't dare use any of it secretly. I stored it all in an empty warehouse at the back. Not a single barrel is missing. You can send someone to check. At this critical juncture, it could count as a merit. Do you want it, sir?"
A glint flashed swiftly in the guard captain's eyes.
Wen Xiaochun was right.
For the chief stewards of the main kitchen to occasionally embezzle a little was normally not a big deal; those above would turn a blind eye.
But at this sensitive moment of investigating the fire, exposing and pursuing the corrupt stewards would count for something, even if it ultimately led nowhere. It would be a show of diligence, beneficial for future promotions.
He patted Wen Xiaochun's shoulder. "You wait here."
The guard captain first sent men to the empty warehouse to drag out the oil barrels and check them against the accounts, confirming that Wen Xiaochun was telling the truth—the barrels allotted to him were all untouched.
Only then did he dismiss the suspicion in his heart and set his sights on the chief stewards of the main kitchen.
Wen Xiaochun also went over to take a look.
Oil had been redistributed from elsewhere last night. The few stewards now short on oil were precisely those who had, to varying degrees, looked down upon the Residence of Peace and Tranquility in the past.
There were only a handful of guard captains capable of investigating this far. This particular Captain Wu had long suffered from stagnant promotion and wouldn't let slip any chance to earn merit. After discussing with Ye Xiaoyuan, they concluded that the risk of selling out these stewards was negligible.
It would clear their own names while giving the young prince another chance to vent his grievances.
Captain Wu patted his shoulder. "You've done well. I'll note your contribution."
He said meaningfully, "I won't make things difficult for you in the palace."
Wen Xiaochun: "This humble servant only wishes to remain by His Highness's side. I dare not trouble you, sir. As for the main kitchen, it's merely a nominal post. I can resign from it."
"True. Staying by a prince's side holds more promise."
Captain Wu took the stewards in charge of the oil storage away for questioning elsewhere.
Wen Xiaochun smiled slightly.
-
The sky gradually darkened.
The Left Vice Minister of Rites and several imperial clansmen emerged from the Western Warm Chamber, their expressions varied.
Only Prince Ming remained in the hall.
He was handsome and dashing in his twenties, but one of his eyes was blind from birth, always covered diagonally by a flamboyantly colored cloth strip.
Once everyone had left, the proper demeanor Prince Ming had maintained vanished instantly. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
"Imperial Brother, I heard you've brought my little nephew to the Purple Zenith Palace? May I go see him?"
Emperor Chongzhao took a sip of the cooled tea by his hand to moisten his throat.
"No proper sitting posture. After the new year, you'll be twenty-eight, yet you still refuse to marry."
Prince Ming pointed to his eye and raised an eyebrow. "With my condition, it might be passed on. If a child were born and pointed at because of me, what's the point of coming into this world? Life has more bitterness. Better to enjoy the scenery in the underworld a while longer."
Eunuch Yu lifted his eyelids slightly.
Emperor Chongzhao: "Your words carry an implication. You're hinting at me, aren't you?"
Prince Ming said with a smile, "This subject and younger brother merely means to say that since Imperial Brother clearly cares for my little nephew in his heart, he should treat him better, lest the child grows up distant from you."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Between father and son in the imperial family, sovereign and subject come first, then father and son. What does closeness matter?" He paused, then added, "Besides, you've never raised a child. You don't know how troublesome a little one can be when they cling to you, harder to serve than an ancestor."
Prince Ming keenly detected something in his words and winked. "The father serves the son now, so the son can serve the father later. It's no disgrace."
Emperor Chongzhao grabbed a brush from his desk and threw it at him. "Can't even tea shut your mouth!"
Prince Ming dodged it skillfully.
Emperor Chongzhao kept him for the evening meal. Due to his physical condition, Prince Ming had never been eligible to inherit the throne. The brothers, born of the same mother, had been exceptionally close since childhood.
After the meal and some more conversation, it was completely dark outside.
Someone came in to report, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Ye sends word that the young prince is fussy and sleepy."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Has the fever subsided?"
"No, it keeps coming and going. He seemed quite spirited in the afternoon, but after playing in the hall a while after dinner, he became listless again."
Prince Ming, ever understanding, said, "Imperial Brother, you should go. I'll be leaving shortly myself. I need to prepare for matters to be discussed in court tomorrow. I'll come see my little nephew another time."
Emperor Chongzhao nodded.
After taking two steps, he halted, lifted his arm to smell his sleeve, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Forget it. Prepare water. I wish to bathe."
He turned to look at Prince Ming.
"You have no idea. That child resembles neither me nor her mother in any way except for looks. He's thin and small. Today, when I tricked Zhang Fanming, the slight scent of blood on me was something he couldn't bear at all. He insists I hold him to sleep, or he'll fuss all night."
Prince Ming: "..."
He hadn't even asked.
Emperor Chongzhao hurried off, clearly quite concerned. Prince Ming stroked his chin.
The moon is closer from the terrace.
If he were the emperor's young son, he would surely seize this excellent opportunity to do something, sparing no means to employ them all, mending the lacking father-son bond, making the Emperor care for and pity him more.
Only then could one survive well in the imperial capital in the years to come.
But alas, his little nephew was only just over two years old. How could he understand the intricacies of imperial family affection?
-
After Emperor Chongzhao finished bathing and changing, drying his hair, he entered the Purple Zenith Palace.
The young child who had occupied his bedchamber all day was currently lying on the kang table pushing a 'date mill'. Two short bamboo slivers were inserted into two plump, round winter dates.
At this time of year, such plump winter dates were rare.
Emperor Chongzhao sat at the other end of the kang table. His sudden, silent appearance startled Qu Dubian, causing the bamboo sliver he was about to balance to fall instantly.
He: "..."
A reproachful gaze fell upon Emperor Chongzhao.
Emperor Chongzhao felt somewhat awkward.
He had several children, but none had required his personal care. He only needed to visit the rear palace frequently. Once the children grew older, he would begin testing their studies. From the eldest prince onward, without exception, this was the process.
The child before him was different.
First, the child was very young. Second, this was his child with Yueqing. Since the prophecy had another solution and there was no need to send him to a traveling palace, then father and son would have to get along in the future. Third, the young prince's birth mother had passed, the Imperial Hospital wasn't fully purged yet, and for the time being, no suitable consort could be selected from the rear palace to raise a prince. He had to personally care for him temporarily.
But after more than two years apart, speaking of deep father-son affection was unclear; what existed most was guilt. Coupled with the rejected embrace that night and the child's distant attitude upon waking—not calling him 'Imperial Father' but 'Your Majesty'...
Emperor Chongzhao wanted to ease the relationship, but ultimately lacking experience in raising a child, he didn't know where to start.
He cleared his throat softly and said to Ye Xiaoyuan, "Didn't you say he was fussy and sleepy?"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "He was, a moment ago. But after pushing the date mill for a while, he stopped fussing."
Qu Dubian's main goal earlier had been to lure his cheap dad over, to make more of an impression in his cheap dad's heart, so that he could later roam freely and live carefree days in the palace.
Who would have thought Eunuch Bao would set up such a trendy little plaything from ancient times for him? Once he started playing with it, it was quite interesting, and he forgot to act.
"This little thing is simple," Emperor Chongzhao picked up the bamboo strip and easily placed it on the tip of the date stone, achieving balance. "See, it just takes practice."
Qu Dubian reached out, took down the bamboo strip he had balanced, not only taking it down but also pulling off the winter dates from both ends and throwing away the strip.
From the moment Emperor Chongzhao entered until now, he had not called him 'Imperial Father' once, nor had he performed any formal greeting. He hadn't even shifted his buttocks, and now he had directly dismantled the little toy the Emperor had balanced.
This was already extremely disrespectful.
Looking across all the princes and princesses in the palace, none would dare to act like this.
It was only because the young prince had grown up without anyone teaching him etiquette, rules, or how to interact with the Emperor that he could be so natural and so bold.
Eunuch Yu didn't think His Majesty would get angry, but he certainly must feel somewhat displeased.
Back in the Great Kitchen, he had been so enthusiastic, even giving him hugs. How come when it came to His Majesty, he was so inflexible?
Glancing again at Emperor Chongzhao's expression, it was unreadable, but the corners of his mouth were slightly pressed flat.
"Don't let it go to waste," just as Eunuch Yu was lamenting the young prince's inflexibility, the young prince spoke up. He looked up at Emperor Chongzhao, "I picked one up from the ground and ate it before. The spoiled dates were very sweet. These two that aren't spoiled must be even sweeter."
He held the two dates in his hand, his face showing obvious conflict. With great reluctance and deep fondness, he took out one and gave it to Emperor Chongzhao.
"For me?" Emperor Chongzhao was taken aback.
The child turned his little head away with a light hum: "A thank you gift. You didn't make me leave, so... you're sort of a good person too."
Emperor Chongzhao, who had just been handed a 'good person card,' felt complicated emotions. He looked at the date in his palm and was quiet for a long while. "You needn't be so formal with me. I am your Imperial Father."
Qu Dubian said: "Imperial Father is daddy. Daddy would hold me. Your Majesty doesn't."
Emperor Chongzhao understood. Alright, this was clearly him still holding a grudge.
Qu Dubian turned and threw himself into Ye Xiaoyuan's arms, secretly slipping the remaining date into his palm, whispering very softly, "Ye companion, this one's for you."
Then he turned his head and stole a glance at Emperor Chongzhao, his little eyes full of clever mischief. It seemed like he didn't care, but the childish mind that was actually secretly concerned about his Imperial Father's reaction was vividly portrayed.
Seeing this, Emperor Chongzhao closed his palm, keeping the date.
The little son who had been secretly observing him seemed satisfied then and turned his head away.
This smooth series of little moves left Eunuch Yu utterly stunned.
The regret he had been feeling came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a sense of awe. Eating His Majesty's food, living in His Majesty's palace, yet still able to use His Majesty's dates to curry His Majesty's favor.
If anyone ever said the young prince was inflexible again, he, Yu Decai, would be the first to argue with them!
