Having received permission, Yun Wan pushed open the door. After entering, she did not close it tightly, leaving a crack for Emperor Jingxuan.
The charcoal fire in the room was unlit, and a wave of cold air, no warmer than outside, greeted her. Yun Wan's eyes immediately fell upon Sui, who was lying face-down on the carpet.
He was curled up in a small, frog-like ball, limbs tucked in and his little bottom sticking up, his entire face buried in his arms.
Yun Wan's heart leapt into her throat. She hurried over, crouched down, and asked, "Sweetheart, why are you lying on the floor? Tell Mama, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
She reached out to feel the back of Sui's neck, checking if he had a fever.
After a moment, a muffled voice came: "Not unwell. I'm dirty."
He hadn't wanted to dirty the bed, so he just lay on the floor instead, figuring the rug was fine.
Yun Wan patted his back and coaxed gently, "Sweetheart, the floor is cold. Get up first."
"Let Mama see the scratches on your face."
Sui wriggled. He wanted to keep lying there sulking, but faced with his dearest Mama, he finally began to shift and get up slowly.
Seeing the two claw marks, made even more ghastly-looking by the applied ointment, Yun Wan drew a sharp breath and couldn't help but complain, "Your Imperial Father said it was nothing. Is this nothing?"
If they had been any deeper, they would have scarred. She couldn't bear to think how heartbroken she would be if her child's beautiful face were marred by scars.
At the doorway, Emperor Jingxuan, who had been eavesdropping, stroked his chin, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
Yun Wan's eyes reddened instantly. Heart aching, she cupped his little face. Her fingers drew near but dared not touch the wounds, so she gently blew on them instead.
"Does it still hurt a lot?"
Sui shook his head, repeating the lesson Emperor Jingxuan had given him when he hissed in pain during the ointment application: "He said a real man must learn to endure minor injuries and pains."
Who 'he' was went without saying.
"Nonsense!" Yun Wan retorted, her tone turning slightly cold.
She told Sui seriously, "You must not hold back in front of Mama. If it hurts, you say so. We won't listen to your Imperial Father!"
That man was thick-skinned and tough. How could he be compared to her son?
"Do you understand?"
Sui nodded like a little chick pecking at rice. "I understand."
Emperor Jingxuan clenched the doorframe.
Fine. He would endure this too.
Beside him, Eunuch Jiang bowed his head, striving to suppress his laughter, though his trembling shoulders betrayed his true reaction.
Emperor Jingxuan lifted his leg and gave him a kick. "What are you standing around for? Go and have the meal served and hot water prepared!"
"Yes, yes, yes! This servant is going right away!"
Jiang Fusheng covered his kicked backside, grimacing as he withdrew.
A young apprentice eunuch who had approached saw this and hissed, "Master, what happened to you?"
"Get lost."
Jiang Fusheng unceremoniously kicked him as well, and only felt satisfied upon seeing the young apprentice similarly clutching his rear end and grimacing.
"Mama, don't cry."
Seeing tears in her eyes, Sui raised his hand to wipe them, but remembering his hands had been on the floor, he hesitated.
Yun Wan grasped his little hand and pressed it against her cheek, then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.
Sui squirmed uneasily. "I'll get Mama's clothes dirty."
Yun Wan held back her tears and said softly, "It's alright, it doesn't matter. If they get dirty, they get dirty. My sweetheart is the most important."
A mother's embrace is the warmest. Sui nestled tightly against her.
After composing herself, Yun Wan broached the main subject. "Your Imperial Father said you won the fight?"
Sui nodded. She smiled and praised, "That's wonderful!"
Meeting his surprised expression, Yun Wan told him earnestly, "It's right to fight back when others bully you."
"Sayings like 'suffering a loss is a blessing' are meant to comfort those who have suffered a loss or been wronged. It's best if we don't have to suffer losses at all."
If one can have blessings, who would want to suffer losses?
Yun Wan reached up to smooth his messy, lion's mane-like hair as she spoke gently:
"Mama knows my sweetheart is angry because Mama didn't tell you that His Majesty is actually your father. You were kept in the dark, so you felt sad and hurt, right?"
His eyes were red, a clear sign he had been crying.
Sui rarely cried. The first time was when Emperor Jingxuan was injured; he had cried his eyes out from fear and worry.
This time, it was from anger and sadness.
The little one was very perceptive, not like an ordinary child who could be easily fooled.
He pursed his little lips and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Yun Wan held his shoulders and looked seriously into Sui's eyes. "For this, Mama must offer my sweetheart a sincere apology. It was Mama's fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long. I'm sorry."
"Mama..."
Yun Wan sighed and continued, "Mama didn't want to hide it from you either. It's just that this matter was very complicated. As an adult, Mama had to consider many things, so I chose to keep it secret."
"Does my sweetheart want to know the truth?"
Sui nodded. "Yes."
Yun Wan gently stroked his head, her tone becoming reflective. "Then Mama will tell you a story."
Hearing it was story time, Sui straightened his back, sat up properly, and focused his full attention.
Yun Wan gathered her thoughts, carefully choosing her words before speaking slowly. "Many years ago, Mama, in order to save His Majesty, accidentally became pregnant with a baby."
"But Mama was already married and had a husband, so I couldn't be with His Majesty. Later, Mama's husband passed away, and someone wanted to kill Mama."
Hearing this, Sui immediately grew tense, his small hands clutching Yun Wan's sleeves tightly.
Yun Wan smiled to reassure him and went on. "At that time, Mama fainted. When I woke up, I discovered the baby in my belly. Because of this baby, the person who wanted to kill Mama stopped. Mama survived, so it was the baby in my belly who saved Mama's life."
Sui was stunned. "What happened later?"
Yun Wan: "Later, Mama gave birth to a healthy baby."
"In order for Mama and the baby to survive, Mama had no choice but to hide the identity of the baby's father. I didn't tell anyone, until one day I met the baby's father again—that is, His Majesty."
"As for the rest of the story, hasn't my sweetheart already known it?"
Because he had been part of it.
Sui stared at her, dazed.
Yun Wan didn't rush him, waiting for him to digest and sort it out in his mind.
After a long while, Sui finally spoke. "Mama, was that baby me?"
Yun Wan nodded emphatically, lowering her head to touch his forehead with hers. "It was you, my sweetheart."
Sui: "Then who was the person who wanted to kill Mama?"
"She was..." Yun Wan hesitated.
But then he asked, "Grandmother?"
Her expression faltered slightly. Meeting his clear, innocent eyes, Yun Wan smiled and said lightly, "My sweetheart is so clever, guessing it right away."
Sui, however, couldn't feel happy. The person who had always been kind to him turned out to be the one who wanted to kill his mother. He didn't really understand.
"Why did she want to kill Mama?" he asked gloomily.
Yun Wan: "Because she wanted Mama to be buried alive with her deceased husband—that is, her son."
She knew revealing a elder's true nature was cruel for a child, but better to hurt early than late. Ever since Sui's true parentage was revealed, Old Madam Lu could no longer possibly genuinely care for him.
Because her affection was built on the foundation that Sui was of Lu Fenglan's bloodline.
Once that foundation collapsed, her affection would only turn into disgust and hatred.
But at this moment, Sui was furious. "How could she do that? Burial alive is wrong! The Great Qi legal code forbids using living people for burial! She broke the law!"
He understood what sacrificial burial meant. He had studied history and read historical texts, which fueled his anger, especially since the person who almost became a sacrificial burial was his most beloved mother.
Yun Wan patted his back. "Yes, she was terribly wrong. But at that time, your mother was too weak. Thankfully, my precious child was my savior. Calm your anger."
Sui looked guilty. "Mother, I shouldn't have blamed you. I'm sorry."
Yun Wan shook her head. "It's right to blame me. If I were you, I would also blame, be angry, and feel sad. But can you forgive me now?"
"Of course!" Sui said readily.
Yun Wan smiled and tentatively asked, "What about your father then?"
Sui fell silent.
He puffed out his cheeks and mumbled, "Mother had her reasons. I only side with Mother!"
The implication was that the person he chose to forgive did not include his biological father.
Outside the door, the old father gritted his teeth in frustration.
He had his reasons too!
