Unfortunately, even late into the night, Sui did not see any sign of his parents and had no idea where the two had gone off to fool around.
He skillfully washed up with the help of the palace attendants, then climbed into bed, wrapped himself in the quilt, hugged the warm bed warmer, and fell into a deep sleep.
They would surely appear by the time he woke tomorrow.
Sure enough, when Sui opened his eyes the next morning, he saw Yun Wan sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Mother!" He threw himself into Yun Wan's arms, exclaiming with delight.
Yun Wan pinched his arm and cheek, smiling as she said, "Good boy, Happy New Year."
"Did I wake you?"
She had originally been checking Sui's injuries. The ones on his face had healed completely, while a faint mark remained on his neck. Yun Wan took the chance to apply some ointment for him.
Sui shook his head, resting his head obediently on her lap. "Happy New Year to you too, Mother!"
Yun Wan handed him a red envelope containing New Year's money, saying gently, "My good boy is a year older now. May the New Year bring you peace, safety, health, and smooth sailing."
Sui was delighted. "Thank you, Mother! So, does that mean I'm five years old now?"
Counting by the traditional age reckoning, he would be six!
Yun Wan: "...More or less."
Sui's birthday was in March; it was only a difference of a few months.
Emperor Jingxuan entered right after, clearing his throat. His tall, robust frame instantly blocked the light from the doorway, his shadow enveloping the mother and son.
Sui looked up. "Happy New Year, Father. Do you have any New Year's money?"
His bluntness was almost stunning.
Emperor Jingxuan stood by the bedside, looking down at him from his height, and snorted. "You are the first person who dares to ask me for a red envelope."
Displeased by the sight of the brat lounging about—clearly a bad influence from that Pei Qian fellow—he reached out, lifted Sui up, forced him to sit properly, and then had the attendants come in to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
After spitting out the salt water, Sui seized the moment to ask, "So, will you give it to me?"
Shooting him a glance, Emperor Jingxuan pulled a red envelope from his sleeve and stuffed it into his hands. "Take it, lest you say behind my back that I'm stingy."
Clutching the plump, full envelope, Sui immediately handed it to Yun Wan, muttering discontentedly, "I'm not the kind of person who talks behind people's backs!"
Emperor Jingxuan chuckled. "Then what are you? The kind who says bold things right to people's faces?"
The palace attendants nearby trembled with fear, but Yun Wan watched the father-son sparring match with amused composure.
A noisy, bickering father and son were far better than a polite and distant pair.
Wasn't familial affection between father and son built through interaction?
Sui glared, wide-eyed.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed. He ran over and leaned close to Yun Wan, pretending to whisper but actually speaking loudly, "Mother, look at Father! He's not clean—he's still wearing yesterday's clothes!"
Hearing this, both adults were taken aback. Emperor Jingxuan narrowed his eyes. "Madam, this boy is getting more and more audacious, even daring to criticize me now."
Yun Wan gave an awkward smile because she was also wearing yesterday's clothes. She had come to see the child immediately after returning from the Moon-Viewing Tower, not having had time to change.
The Moon-Viewing Tower was the tallest pavilion in the imperial palace, built over several years by the late emperor at great cost of manpower and resources.
Its peak soared into the clouds, where one felt they could almost touch the moon, and from which the entire imperial city could be seen below.
Unfortunately, the late emperor was short-lived, passing away suddenly just after the tower's completion. Emperor Jingxuan had no interest in such an impractical, ornamental structure and had only set foot in it once after ascending the throne, never to return.
Until last night, when he took Yun Wan to the Moon-Viewing Tower to admire the snow and the moon, sharing a spring night together.
Emperor Jingxuan suddenly felt that the Moon-Viewing Tower wasn't entirely useless after all.
To prevent Sui from asking further questions, Yun Wan quickly changed the subject to divert the child's attention.
Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year. Although Emperor Jingxuan did not have to hold court, he couldn't remain idle either. After a light breakfast of plain congee, he needed to bathe, change clothes, and go to the Ancestral Temple to offer incense and pay respects to the imperial ancestors.
Sui had not yet been formally recognized and recorded in the imperial lineage, but that didn't stop Emperor Jingxuan from taking him along.
The other imperial clansmen raised no objections, after all, Emperor Jingxuan was the kind of man who had once dared to take a knife and alter the clan registry himself.
With the father and son gone all morning, the Qiyun Palace was exceptionally quiet.
Fortunately, the snow had stopped, and Yun Wan went out for a casual stroll.
Walking to the city wall, a palace attendant approached holding a package. "Your Highness, a lord asked this servant to bring this to you. He said it was something he promised last night to bring for the young prince."
Yun Wan glanced at it, her gaze pausing.
It was wrapped in oiled paper stamped with the mark of the "Five-Spice Studio" from outside the palace. Its contents were self-evident.
"Where is that lord?" Yun Wan could only think of one person.
The attendant pointed in a direction.
Yun Wan immediately spotted Lu Yuanduo standing beside a carriage on the paved path below.
After a moment's thought, she went straight over.
Watching her walk towards him, Lu Yuanduo was momentarily lost in thought.
Yun Wan: "What do you want?"
This was the area where the inner palace met the outer court, with people coming and going. Yun Wan appeared openly and publicly.
She wasn't worried about gossip; on the contrary, acting furtively would only suggest a guilty conscience.
Her expression was cold. Lu Yuanduo lowered his gaze and asked, "Is Sui's true parentage your solution to the problem?"
That day, he had warned Yun Wan about the clan elders' intentions, advising her to prepare a countermeasure. He never imagined the truth would be like this.
Yun Wan: "Isn't it a perfect solution? From now on, your Lu family no longer needs to harbor thoughts of keeping Sui within the Lu family, because he was never of your bloodline to begin with."
Lu Yuanduo was dazed. He couldn't help but ask, "I want to know if Sui's arrival was an accident, or if you..." planned it all along.
"An accident."
Yun Wan smiled slightly, not hiding the mockery in her eyes. "And it was precisely this accident that saved me from your mother's murderous scheme."
"Mother, she..." He opened his mouth to say something, but meeting her clear, cold, and detached eyes, Lu Yuanduo fell silent.
"I apologize. I offer her apologies on her behalf. She is now bedridden, paralyzed, unable to speak. The rest of her life will likely be just like this."
Yun Wan remained unmoved. "Ending up in such a state is her own fault, the deserved consequence of her crimes."
Lu Yuanduo: "Yes. So, may I beg Your Highness to be magnanimous and spare my mother's life? After all, she is still my mother."
No matter what, he couldn't just stand by and watch his mother die.
His plea didn't surprise Yun Wan. She curved her lips into a faint smile. "Of course. That depends on what Duke Lu is willing to do."
The old Lady Lu's current predicament was not directly caused by Yun Wan's own hand, but she did not deny it was related to her, because Emperor Jingxuan was avenging her.
If her anger remained unappeased, it wasn't impossible for the old lady to meet her end.
A flicker passed through Lu Yuanduo's eyes. "I beg Your Highness to make your meaning clear."
Yun Wan didn't beat around the bush with him either. Staring at him, she stated bluntly, "Abandon the Third Prince. Support my son instead."
"You..." Lu Yuanduo's eyes widened in shock. He instinctively looked around, only to find no one else nearby.
Yun Wan lowered her gaze, then raised it again, her expression calm and resolute. "You find it unbelievable, but this is my only condition. It's up to you to agree or not. Agreement would be best; if not, the old lady's life is forfeit."
"I give you three days to consider."
With these words, she turned and left with her attendants without looking back.
......
Inside the carriage, the attendant couldn't help but ask, "Master, is Consort Zhao threatening you? Does she mean she'll kill the old madam if you don't agree?"
Lu Yuanduo closed his eyes. "She won't. She's not that kind of person."
The attendant: "Then what shall we do?" Ignore it?
"But I think what she said makes sense."
Lu Yuanduo suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and sharp.
The Third Prince is mediocre in ability and not close to the Lu family. Moreover, the Cui family has recently shown signs of rising influence, having approached the Third Prince several times and won his trust.
In contrast, Sui is a bright and righteous child, both talented and loyal.
His attendant was stunned.
He suspected his master had already been considering this idea, and was now merely seizing the opportunity to align himself with Consort Zhao.
