"Mother, is he really my birth father? Could there be a mistake?" Sui's little face, smeared with large patches of brown ointment, was all scrunched up, filled with deep suspicion.
Yun Wan was changing his clothes and couldn't help but laugh at this sudden question. "Of course it's true. How could I make a mistake about something so important?"
Sui remained frowning, lost in thought.
Yun Wan helped him into his thick outer coat, undid his unruly mop of hair, and asked softly as she leaned down, "Why would my precious ask that? Do you not like His Majesty?"
"...It's not that."
Although His Majesty could be sarcastic at times, he was still the most impressive person Sui had ever seen.
Sui sat still and cooperated obediently, pouting as he said, "It just feels strange. If that's the case, then the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and Pei Qian all become my older brothers?"
Yun Wan found his focus amusing. "That's not wrong to say. Sui is their little brother."
Sui sighed. How come he was still the youngest even after getting a new father?
And why did his birth father have other children? Mother only had him.
Seeing his troubled expression, Yun Wan styled his hair into two little buns, making him look even younger and more his age.
"It's perfectly normal for my precious to need time to accept this. Mother won't force you. We can wait until you're ready."
Sui said, "Actually, I already knew."
"Hmm? What did you say, precious?" Yun Wan hadn't caught it.
Sui propped his chin on his hand and confessed, "That day, I heard what you and Auntie were saying."
"But I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose! You didn't close the door, and I overheard by accident," he emphasized.
That day, Sui had originally wanted to bid Yun Wan farewell. Seeing the main door ajar, he went straight over.
However, being small, he was hidden by a vase and a painted screen by the entrance, so the two engrossed adults didn't notice him.
After listening, Sui tiptoed away to take his exam.
With his explanation, Yun Wan suddenly understood. "No wonder you seemed so distracted those past few days. His Majesty also said you were acting strange, always staring at him. Was it because you couldn't believe it was true?"
"Yes!" Sui nodded.
He didn't know how to describe his complicated feelings—shock, confusion, sadness, and an indescribable bit of happiness all mixed together.
Yun Wan stroked his head. Sui's hair texture was like Emperor Jingxuan's—thick, coarse, and jet-black, the ends prickly to the touch.
"Actually, your eyes are the best proof, precious. Mother isn't lying to you. Your eyes are very much like your father's."
She brought over a small mirror and patiently explained it to him.
Sui turned his head with a huff. "He once said my eyes were ugly."
He remembered clearly who said nice or bad things about him.
It was fortunate Emperor Jingxuan had just left, or his heart would be wounded again.
Yun Wan's smile deepened, long accustomed to the back-and-forth between this father and son. If it wasn't the older one complaining, it was the younger one.
In a way, they were undoubtedly father and son.
"And your peanut allergy, precious. Actually, your father was the same when he was little. You'll grow out of it."
Sui turned his head curiously. "Do the Crown Prince and the Third Prince have it too?"
After a pause, Yun Wan shook her head. "They don't."
Thinking about it, she indeed hadn't heard of either having any food restrictions.
Sui was displeased. "Then why only me? I want to eat peanuts too."
Yun Wan: "...Perhaps that's the power of bloodline."
Or rather, inheriting both the good and the not-so-good.
Bloodline?
Sui's eyes suddenly lit up. "Mother."
He gestured for Yun Wan to come closer, seeming to have something to say.
Yun Wan leaned in curiously, bringing her ear close—
"Mother, I want to be emperor too."
Sui said with sparkling eyes.
Her heart gave a great jolt. Yun Wan instinctively glanced at the door. Thankfully, it was empty; Emperor Jingxuan had left at some point, and the door was now firmly shut.
Turning back, she met Sui's clear, bright eyes. Yun Wan opened her mouth, then lowered her voice to ask cautiously, "Why would my precious have such an idea?"
If the child were older, with a more mature mind, she wouldn't have been so shocked by such words.
But he was only four—a tiny little thing who, upon learning his true parentage, immediately said he wanted to inherit his father's throne?
Yun Wan was both astonished and worried.
Sui: "Being emperor is impressive. You can protect the people you want to protect and do what you want to do."
This was the most direct impression he had gleaned from Emperor Jingxuan, now deeply etched in his mind.
If he became emperor, no one would dare bully Mother again.
Yun Wan frowned. "But being emperor is a very difficult and arduous task. And it's not something you or I can decide."
Sui thought for a moment and asked, "Then who decides? His Majesty?"
Yun Wan nodded. "His Majesty and all the civil and military officials."
"Before becoming emperor, you must first become the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of Great Qi. But you know, precious, there is already a Crown Prince now..."
Once a dynasty has a Crown Prince, as long as the court is stable, the state secure, and the Crown Prince's conduct is without major fault, there is little possibility of him being deposed.
Sui seemed to understand. He said, "Mother, since I am also His Majesty's child, does that mean I can also be Crown Prince? As long as I do better than him?"
In his understanding, good things should belong to the more capable person, just like the praise from the academician in class, which only the best students received.
Yun Wan: "That is the principle, but this path is very difficult. Being emperor is hard; being a wise and just ruler is even harder, more difficult than your studies and imperial examinations. Do you understand?"
Sui promised with serious determination: "I'm not afraid of hardship!"
Though he was small, Yun Wan knew he could be equally stubborn in certain aspects, especially once he decided on something—ten oxen couldn't pull him back.
"Precious, do you truly want to be emperor?" Her expression turned solemn as she asked again.
Sui nodded without hesitation.
Receiving such a firm answer, Yun Wan's heart was a mix of complexity and pride.
After a long moment, she let out a deep breath, her expression growing resolute, as if she had made a decision.
"Alright. Mother understands."
She reached out and hugged Sui, whispering a reminder: "Mother will help you. But you must never say such words to anyone again, including your father, understand?"
Keeping some things to oneself was what allowed such relationships to last long and well.
Yun Wan lowered her gaze, hiding the light in her eyes, and said earnestly, "You can work towards this goal, but you must not speak of it. From now on, you must do well, but not too well. You must strive, but not too hard..."
Sui looked up, listening intently.
Yun Wan: "It's alright if you don't understand completely for now. You'll gradually understand as you grow up."
Sui: "This is a secret between you and me, right?"
"Right!"
Imperial Concubine Li's son was narrow-minded and of mediocre talent. If someone like that could be Crown Prince, why couldn't her Sui?
