“I know.”
“This old minister didn’t even get to see her one last time.”
“I know.”
“Your Majesty knows everything. Then do you know that my daughter never wanted to marry into the palace in the first place?”
Zheng Qianye rarely brought up old grievances, especially in front of the emperor. The past cannot be undone, and what has already happened cannot be reversed, no matter how much regret or resentment one harbors. Over the years, he had poured almost all his efforts into teaching Li Fuqiu, but he could never understand why his own grandson had developed such base traits.
Zheng Qianye asked, “Wasn’t my daughter wronged to her death?”
The emperor said, “It was my incompetence. This matter will surely be thoroughly investigated.”
Zheng Qianye gave no face at all: “Wasn’t it investigated back then? What did you find?”
All they uncovered was Consort Xu taking the blame, and the trail of clues was completely severed.
Suppressing the anguish churning in his heart, Zheng Qianye had not cornered the emperor in the study early in the morning just to reopen old accounts. Striving to remain calm, he said, “Enough. Your Majesty, please allow me to meet that child.”
At that moment, the eunuch attending the emperor entered hastily, his expression urgent, and whispered a few words into the emperor’s ear.
The emperor immediately knocked over a cup by his side.
Li Fuxiang was ill.
The palace maid in charge of his daily care reported, “The young prince’s illness came on suddenly. He was fine when Your Majesty went to court, but in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he began coughing and wheezing, his entire body burning hot.”
A group of imperial physicians was waiting anxiously nearby.
The emperor strode into the bedchamber. Before he even reached the bed, faint, timid coughs accompanied by labored breathing emerged, distressing to hear. Li Fuxiang’s pale little face was etched with pain, hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness, unresponsive to any calls.
The emperor shouted, “Physician!”
The physician replied, “Judging by the pulse, the young prince has always had a frail constitution. The wheezing may have been congenital and worsened with the recent onset of winter and the cold invading his lungs.”
The emperor asked, “How should it be treated?”
The physician replied, “Wind-cold is easy to treat. I will prescribe a few doses of medicine, and after a few days of rest, he should recover greatly. However, the wheezing is a lingering ailment, slow to heal and not something that can be resolved quickly.”
Zheng Qianye had remained silent, standing by the bed and calmly observing the child from above.
During the discussion of the prescription among the physicians, Zheng Qianye finally spoke: “Yungou also had asthma as a child. Perhaps he inherited it from his mother. When I was stationed in the western frontier, I sought out famous doctors throughout the land. Eventually, I heard about a reclusive master in the martial world. I sent Yungou to his Medicine Valley for two years of treatment before bringing him back. The divine doctor said this condition couldn’t be cured completely, but after the treatment in Medicine Valley, Yungou’s asthma never recurred.”
The emperor asked, “A divine doctor in Medicine Valley?”
Zheng Qianye nodded. “Yes.”
The emperor said, “I’ll send someone there.”
Zheng Qianye said, “Medicine Valley is, after all, part of the martial world. The court and the martial world have always remained distinct, so negotiations may be difficult. It’s better for my son to go. He has some old connections there and can handle it more smoothly.”
Chaos reigned in Qianqing Palace early that morning. After the medicine was administered, Li Fuxiang’s condition eased somewhat. Only then did the emperor finally have time to deal with the aftermath.
Gao Yuexing secretly stirred the waters, ensuring that the greatest credit for resolving the matter was attributed to Imperial Physician Chen.
The emperor’s rewards were generous. Imperial Physician Chen was promoted to the position of Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, and silver flowed into his residence like water. Imperial Physician Chen was quite pleased and sent more than half of the silver to Fu Yun.
Fu Yun stared at the silver with distress and said anxiously, “Miss Gao, what should I do about this?”
Gao Yuexing replied calmly, “There’s a reason it was given to you. Just take it.”
Fu Yun hesitated. “But… but I feel guilty accepting it. I did nothing to deserve such a reward. I’m completely clueless about it!”
Fu Yun’s honesty was maddening, and her stubbornness left Gao Yuexing knowing that reasoning with her would be futile. After offering a few comforting words, Gao Yuexing left for the courtyard.
The day after Li Fuqiu’s birthday, a pile of untouched congratulatory gifts still lay stacked outside his door.
Gao Yuexing was curious about how the emperor would deal with Li Fuqiu, but after waiting an entire day, there was no movement. It was as if the emperor had completely forgotten about him, with no decrees issued.
Gao Yuexing began to understand the pattern.
The emperor was that kind of person—ignoring those he didn’t like, leaving them to wither as though they didn’t exist.
However, this matter had clearly surpassed the realm of mere dislike. With all eyes in the imperial court and inner palace focused on the bloody scandal laid bare, the emperor had no choice but to act.
The fledgling cuckoo Li Fuqiu had hung on the door had completely dried out.
Gao Yuexing stared at the door for a while before suddenly hearing a scream from inside.
—“Help! The Third Prince has hanged himself!!”
Something in Gao Yuexing’s heart seemed to crash down heavily.
Normally, if the emperor’s cherished one had encountered such a mishap, the servants would have swarmed over without needing to be summoned.
But at this moment, the cries of the maid from the Eastern Hall echoed in layers throughout the courtyard, and it was a long time before a few scattered servants emerged, not to help but to watch idly from the doorway, hands folded, without any urgency.
Gao Yuexing noticed that the people from Consort Dowager Hui’s quarters stood in the corridor, observing solemnly for a moment before turning back inside, leaving no further signs of activity.
The maid closest to Li Fuqiu was left to rescue him alone. Kneeling on the ground, she held him and cried bitterly.
No one went to inform the emperor.
No one summoned the imperial physician.
Li Fuqiu’s eyes were half-closed, his vision blurred into a patch of white. It took a long, long time before his sight returned to normal. He had planned this day for a long while, starting with hanging that young cuckoo on the door; he had been plotting his own death.
It was said that Consort Mei had also died by hanging herself back in the day.
Through his hazy vision, he saw a pair of exquisitely embroidered shoes and red tassels dangling from a floral-embroidered skirt.
Gao Yuexing stepped through the door of the Eastern Hall and said, “The imperial physicians are on their way.”
Li Fuqiu coughed weakly and stared at her: “Why did you save me?”
Inside, Gao Yuexing felt desolation.
She hadn’t saved him to rescue him but because he was still useful.
The old case had been sealed for ten years, and the clues from that time had long been buried by the passage of time. If there were any hope for new progress, it was surely hidden somewhere around Li Fuqiu.
So, he still couldn’t die.
The maidservant by Li Fuqiu’s side knelt heavily and kowtowed. “Thank you, Miss Gao. You’re truly a living Bodhisattva…”
When Ding Wenfu arrived at Jingmen Palace, he caught the tail end of the commotion.
Many eyes covertly observed him, and even Consort Dowager Hui assumed Ding Wenfu had come to deliver an imperial decree.
But Ding Wenfu simply bowed, and under the expectant gazes of the crowd, informed Consort Dowager Hui that the emperor wanted to take Gao Yuexing away.
The reason? Li Fuxiang liked her.
She was to move to Qianqing Palace to accompany Li Fuxiang.
Gao Yuexing only glanced reluctantly at Fu Yun, but Consort Dowager Hui immediately displayed magnanimity and allowed Gao Yuexing to take her along.
Fu Yun helped Gao Yuexing pack a few simple belongings, and then followed Ding Wenfu out.
Gao Yuexing officially moved into Qianqing Palace, and the unease she had been carrying finally settled.
Qianqing Palace was the emperor’s residence; raising children there was against protocol—let alone raising two at once.
But the emperor no longer trusted anyone else to take care of Li Fuxiang.
Now, another matter weighed on his mind.
When Li Fuxiang was born, he was treated as a bastard and was not recorded in the imperial genealogy.
This posed a significant problem.
The ancestral rules dictated that the imperial genealogy could not be amended lightly, as doing so risked undermining or disrupting the family line. Given Li Fuxiang’s status, it was impossible to add him now. Without being included in the genealogy, Li Fuxiang would forever remain an illegitimate prince, a shadowy figure unacknowledged by the light of day.
The emperor hadn’t said much yet, but the royal clan members were already on high alert. Several imperial uncles, who had been quietly residing in their fiefs, immediately submitted petitions requesting to return to the capital under the guise of paying respects to the emperor, their true aim being to prevent him from acting rashly.
Li Fuxiang’s cold had eased somewhat, and his fever had subsided.
The emperor discovered that at ten years old, the boy still couldn’t speak. He tried to coax him into learning a few words, but Li Fuxiang kept his mouth tightly shut, refusing to cooperate.
The mute servant who had been assigned to Li Fuxiang from the beginning likely contributed to this; after years of such upbringing, it was no surprise that Li Fuxiang couldn’t speak.
But the emperor wanted him to live openly and honorably. It couldn’t continue like this.
Thus, the emperor personally left the palace and paid a visit to Grand Tutor Liu.
A thin layer of snow covered the lakeside pavilion, and tea was brewing on the stove.
Grand Tutor Liu poured tea for the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, why not calm your heart and find peace?”
The emperor closed his eyes. “I’m not well-versed in the art of tea, wasting your fine brew, Teacher.”
Grand Tutor Liu replied, “The enjoyment of tea knows no distinction between status or rank, and this isn’t fine tea anyway. It’s just aged leaves sold at ten coins per liang.”
The emperor raised the cup and drank it in one gulp. “The newly tributed Pre-Rain Dragon Well tea from this year—I’ll have someone deliver it to your residence.”
Grand Tutor Liu made no refusal and accepted calmly, saying, “Then I thank Your Majesty in advance.”
The emperor finally broached the main subject. “Teacher, you must already know the purpose of my visit.”
Grand Tutor Liu smiled faintly. “The last time Your Majesty graced my residence, it was for the Third Prince… Your unwavering paternal love is truly moving.”
The emperor sighed wistfully. “…Paternal love? I have been an utterly incompetent father, muddled beyond belief.”
Ten years ago, the borders were fraught with constant conflict, and the southwest suffered from consecutive years of famine. After ascending to the throne, the current emperor prioritized agriculture and famine relief, relocating populations to the western frontier. Within a few years, peace prevailed across the land, and the realm enjoyed stability. The emperor had no regrets regarding state affairs and his service to the people, but his handling of family matters was a complete mess.
Of course, the senior ministers of the court didn’t care how chaotic the emperor’s inner palace was. After all, he hadn’t married any noblewomen from prominent families, so the turmoil had no bearing on them.
What they cared about was the stability of the dynasty and the matter of succession.
Grand Tutor Liu said, “Your Majesty is in your prime, yet it has been ten years since there has been any issue from the palace. Forgive my boldness, but may I ask what plans Your Majesty has regarding heirs?”
The emperor detested the intertwining of state and family matters, so he replied nonchalantly, “I will let nature take its course.”
Grand Tutor Liu continued, “Then regarding the matter of establishing a crown prince, what are Your Majesty’s thoughts?”
The emperor said, “I will choose the most capable. It has always been this way. There’s no need to probe further, Grand Tutor. Rest assured, no matter how absurd I may be, I will not jeopardize the empire or its foundation.”
Grand Tutor Liu exhaled deeply. “But Your Majesty must realize that the child is already ten years old. He cannot speak, has missed the optimal age for learning, and is said to be in poor health. No matter how much effort Your Majesty expends on him, I fear it will all be in vain.”
If he cannot become a pillar of the nation, he is nothing but dead weight.
The future is predictable—ten critical years have already been squandered, and this child has been raised to ruin.
The emperor understood this well; the Grand Tutor was urging him to face reality.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “From now on, I only wish to be an ordinary father. Whether or not he becomes talented, he is still my child. I only hope he can live a life of peace and happiness.”