"How are they?"
In the side hall, Emperor Jingxuan glanced at Sui and the others, who had been retrieved from a remote corner and were now sleeping soundly on the bed, as he questioned the imperial physician.
After checking their pulses, the physician sighed in relief. "Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess, and Her Ladyship need not worry. The young masters are merely asleep."
Yun Wan’s concern lingered. "Just asleep? Then why can’t they be woken?"
"Ah." The physician hesitated, stroking his beard with an awkward expression. "Perhaps... they are drunk."
"......"
The gazes of everyone in the room instantly fell upon the three children lying side by side on the large bed, their cheeks flushed red. The intensity of their stares could almost bore holes through them, the pressure palpable.
Yet the three remained oblivious, each rolling over to adjust into a more comfortable sleeping position, leaving the adults both exasperated and amused.
Princess Yongshou shot her son, who was sleeping with his bottom sticking up, a look of frustration. "Imperial Brother, since that’s the case, perhaps we should wait until tomorrow to question them after they’ve slept it off?"
She knew her own troublesome child all too well—today’s ‘disappearance’ and ‘drunkenness’ were undoubtedly linked to Pei Qian.
Though she had been furious throughout the day, Princess Yongshou didn’t want her son to bear the full brunt of his uncle’s wrath while the latter was still seething. By tomorrow, even the greatest anger would have subsided after a night’s rest.
Consort Shu forced a smile and chimed in, "The Princess is right. Since we can’t wake them now, it’s better to let them sleep it off and deal with this tomorrow."
She cringed inwardly, recalling how she had insisted earlier that someone was trying to harm the Third Prince, only for the truth to be entirely different. She wished she could vanish into a hole.
But then again, she had only been overly anxious and desperate out of maternal love.
Emperor Jingxuan waved his hand, dismissing the crowd. The palace, which had been thrown into chaos searching for the three children, finally settled into peace.
.........
The next day, in the main hall of Zichen Palace, the three children knelt side by side on the smooth, hard floor, now awake and well-fed.
Emperor Jingxuan sat in the seat of authority, with Yun Wan and the other mothers seated to the side, creating an atmosphere akin to a formal tribunal.
"Explain yourselves. What happened yesterday?"
Sui and the others knew they had caused trouble. They exchanged glances and hung their heads in silence.
Emperor Jingxuan turned to the Third Prince. "Chenghui, as the eldest, you speak first."
"Father, this matter is my fault."
The Third Prince kept his head lowered, shamefaced. "Yesterday, I shouldn’t have acted impulsively and run off alone, abandoning my attendants and worrying you and Mother."
Only after waking up today did he learn that the entire palace had been searching for them.
Consort Shu immediately grew anxious.
This child—why was he taking the blame on himself?
Emperor Jingxuan’s expression remained neutral. "So, hiding on purpose was your idea?"
The Third Prince paused, about to nod, when Pei Qian suddenly shouted, "No, it wasn’t!"
"Uncle, that hiding spot was my idea! I was the one who took them there, and the fermented rice dumplings were also smuggled out from the kitchen by me!"
"And me!"
Sui raised her hand, straightening her small frame as she spoke clearly. "I went willingly. We weren’t hiding on purpose—it was because His Highness was upset, so we took him to our secret base."
Emperor Jingxuan scoffed.
A secret base, huh? These little rascals.
Yun Wan interjected, "Your Majesty, since there’s a reason behind this, perhaps we should first hear why the Third Prince was upset?"
Normally, her child only hung around Pei Qian. For him to involve the Third Prince yesterday, there must have been a reason—even going so far as to ‘drown their sorrows’ in drink.
Consort Shu urged impatiently, "Chenghui, speak up!"
The Third Prince remained silent.
"You’re driving me mad! Just say it already! Whatever grievance you have, your father will stand up for you—what are you afraid of?" Consort Shu’s tone was sharp with impatience.
Princess Yongshou frowned. "Third Prince, is there something you find difficult to say?"
The Third Prince shook his head. Instead, he stole a glance in Consort Shu’s direction before mustering his courage. "Father, I overheard the palace maids saying... that Mother isn’t my birth mother. Is that true?"
The moment these words left his mouth, the room fell deathly silent.
Yun Wan and Princess Yongshou froze in surprise.
Consort Shu, however, paled. "Who told you that? Which wretched servant dared spread such lies?"
The fact that the Third Prince was not her biological child was no secret in the palace, but Consort Shu despised any mention of it. From the moment he was born, she had forbidden the palace staff from discussing it or revealing the truth to him.
Thus, even though it was common knowledge, no one dared cross Consort Shu by telling the Third Prince about his origins.
Besides, most saw no point—his birth mother had been of lowly status, so it hardly mattered.
Tears welled in the Third Prince’s eyes. "Father... Mother... is it true?"
From Consort Shu’s reaction, he already knew the answer, but he still wanted confirmation.
Emperor Jingxuan’s expression remained unreadable. He looked at the Third Prince and said solemnly, "Yes. Though Consort Shu did not give birth to you, she raised you. She is your mother."
"Who told you this?"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The Third Prince’s face fell. "It was a maid and a eunuch. I overheard them talking yesterday but didn’t see their faces."
Emperor Jingxuan’s voice turned icy. "So, upon learning that Consort Shu isn’t your birth mother, you threw a tantrum, dismissed your attendants, and hid alone?"
His tone sharpened, making the Third Prince flinch. "Father... I know I was wrong."
Emperor Jingxuan’s voice was stern. "Do you realize those servants did this deliberately to drive a wedge between you and your mother? If they had ill intentions and took advantage of your solitude to harm you, would you even be standing here unharmed today?"
By the end, his words carried unmistakable severity.
The Third Prince stammered, "Father..."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Emperor Jingxuan’s face. "You are eight years old, not a toddler who knows no better. You should understand the importance of thinking before acting. Yet you let others manipulate you so easily."
He could accept a mediocre son, but not one so foolish as to be exploited without realizing it.
"Apologize to your mother."
The Third Prince’s face burned with shame. Not daring to disobey, he turned to Consort Shu. "Mother, I’m sorry. I was wrong to make you worry."
Consort Shu pulled him close, her expression softening. "Good child, it’s not your fault. The blame lies with those wretched servants."
Relieved that she wasn’t angry, the Third Prince exhaled.
But could a relationship already strained by doubt ever return to what it once was?
Emperor Jingxuan continued, "As for your birth mother—"
Consort Shu tensed. "Your Majesty!"
She didn’t want the Third Prince to know.
Ignoring her, Emperor Jingxuan said, "She was frail and passed away after giving birth to you. She has been posthumously honored as Concubine Cui. Now that you know, you may visit the Wende Hall to offer incense in her memory."
"I understand." The Third Prince silently committed the name ‘Cui’ to heart.
Emperor Jingxuan then turned to Consort Shu. "As for you—your failure to discipline your servants has led to negligence and dereliction of duty. You are unworthy of the title ‘Shu.’ From today, your rank is reduced by half, and you are fined three months’ stipend as a warning."
"If this happens again, Chenghui will be moved to Nanyang Palace, where he will be properly cared for."
Consort Shu’s face went blank as the implication sank in.
After handling this matter, Emperor Jingxuan glanced at the two who had been eavesdropping with keen interest. "As for you two..."
The two youngsters stiffened, bowing deeply as they chorused, "Uncle/Your Majesty, we admit our mistake!"
Emperor Jingxuan snorted in amusement—they certainly knew how to apologize quickly.
Yun Wan massaged her temples in exasperation, while Princess Yongshou was already plotting how to discipline her child once they returned home.
"Since this is your first offense and no serious harm was done, you will each copy two passages from the Book of Rites five times."
With that, the matter was settled—except for the Third Prince, whom Emperor Jingxuan kept behind for a private word.
Once outside the hall, before Pei Qian could even celebrate his narrow escape, Princess Yongshou pinched his ear.
"Mom! Mom! Easy—ow!" he yelped.
Princess Yongshou scoffed. "You little brat, just wait till we get home!"
Witnessing this, Sui instinctively touched his own ear, only to meet his mother’s dangerously sweet smile.
"Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t hit you."
Sui clasped his hands obediently, the picture of innocence.
After his private talk with the Third Prince, Emperor Jingxuan returned to the main hall and found Yun Wan holding a ruler while Sui stood beside her, dutifully extending his hand.
His eyebrow twitched, and he instinctively intervened, "My love, he’s still young. Isn’t this a bit too—"
Yun Wan smiled. "Does Your Majesty find me too harsh?"
Sensing danger, the emperor swiftly backtracked. "Not at all! I just recalled urgent matters awaiting my attention. Carry on."
With that, he pretended not to see Sui’s pleading gaze and hurried out.
