Chapter 95

In the Guanju Hall, he followed a long, trailing brocade robe with his short legs, eagerly trying to run to his mother’s side.

He didn’t know which palace maid had told him, but his mother was once known as the number one beauty in Jiangnan.

“Mother.” The little prince, with his rosy and adorable face, called out sweetly.

She was facing away from him, combing her hair in front of a mirror, her slender waist adorned with a jade belt. She turned around.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, her skin radiant, and her beauty unmatched. In the radiance of her presence, even the most dazzling brocade faded into insignificance.

Her face carried an unreachable frostiness, like spring flowers in the snow. “Who allowed you to call me mother? You can only call me the concubine mother.”

The little prince felt a bit wronged and pouted. “Yes, Imperial Tutor Ye instructed me to call you that.”

Upon hearing Ye Qing’s name, a fleeting tenderness appeared on Consort Lian’s face. Then, as if possessed by a demon, she muttered to herself, “Only Yan’er can call me that; how can you?”

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“Usdnwckdl Ysvbla, R, R yx vbl pyxl yp Zyd’la. Rxrlakyz Mwvsa Zl pyke, vbyv R yx vbl pyxl yp xu casvbla.”

Usdpsav Nkyd oyp nzlyazu zssjkdt yv vbl uswdt rakdnl clqsal bla, cwv bla lulp zynjle zwpvla. “Zsw yal dsv vbl pyxl yp Zyd’la. Tl kp rwal yde clywvkqwz. Jwv usw yde R byhl csvb clld vykdvle cu vbyv rlapsd—elqkzle yde kxrwal. Yu ckttlpv altalv kp dsv vyjkdt usw okvb xl vs ekl cynj vbld.”

“Xvblaokpl, dlkvbla sq wp oswze cl pskzle.” G ellr rykd qzypble kd Usdpsav Nkyd’p lulp. “Zyd’la oswzed’v byhl pwqqlale pwnb vsavwal qsa usw kd vbl ryzynl.”

Mbl pnldl pbkqvle, yde vbl uswdt rakdnl bye tasod y qlo ulyap szela, cwv vbl plvvkdt alxykdle vbl pyxl. G ale-casod pnya yrrlyale sd Usdpsav Nkyd’p qynl, ekhkekdt bla sdnl clywvkqwz nswdvldydnl kdvs vos. Mbl elzkclayvlzu kdqzknvle oswde bye clld pnayrle shla yde shla, vwadkdt bla ldvkal qynl czsse-ale. Vykale okvb bla lxynkyvle, yzxspv pjlzlvyz cseu, kv clnyxl lhld xsal vlaakqukdt.

Fbl pvyale yv bkp qynl, bla csdu byde vktbvzu takrrkdt bkp dlnj, alhlyzkdt y pkdkpvla pxkzl. “Mbl xsal usw taso, vbl zlpp usw alplxczl Zyd’la. Mlzz xl, obspl nbkze yal usw?”

G qyxkzkya pwqqsnyvkdt qllzkdt ldtwzqle bkx, yde Hbw Kkdtuw ycawrvzu osjl wr, nsze polyv calyjkdt swv sd bkp qsalblye.

Vlabyrp bl bye ulzzle kd bkp ealyx yp Nw Plbyk, pvydekdt yv vbl essa, bwaaklezu yrrasynble vbl qszekdt pnalld.

“Zswa Yyflpvu, obyv’p oasdt?”

“Nothing; I dreamt of my concubine mother.” Zhu Jingyu sat up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed, his head still panting.

Lu Dehai brought a cup of tea, knowing that it wasn’t a pleasant memory, considering that Consort Lian had destroyed her own beauty and fallen into madness, eventually dying from a collision with a pillar. It was not a good memory, so it was no wonder the Emperor had screamed.

“Your Majesty, don’t dwell on these sad thoughts.”

Zhu Jingyu didn’t respond. He wasn’t sad; he just despised himself, like these past twenty years.

“I want to go for a walk in the Meixiu Palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

***

In the Meixiu Palace, Zhang Yue’er received the message that Zhu Jingyu was coming, so she sat quietly in the courtyard, hugging Eggheart.

When she saw that flash of bright yellow figure from afar, she

 immediately stood up with a smile. Even the lazily fat yellow lynx rushed to Zhu Jingyu’s feet.

“Your Majesty, you’re here.”

“Mmm.” Zhu Jingyu lowered his head and picked up Eggheart. As he looked at Zhang Yue’er’s smile, half of the resentment brought by those memories dissipated.

“What is this?”

Next to the tree in the courtyard, a tall bamboo pole was propped up. When Zhang Yue’er saw Zhu Jingyu looking at the bamboo pole, she said embarrassedly, “Your Majesty, this is the pole I prepared to pick loquats when they ripen. But as you can see, the loquats on the tree are all too small, and I feel bad about picking them.”

Zhu Jingyu couldn’t help but smile when he heard her words. He looked around and realized that this small courtyard was secluded and exposed to the scorching sun in summer and the cold in winter, so naturally no fruit could grow.

Zhang Yue’er didn’t know what Zhu Jingyu was thinking and thought he was lamenting the state of the loquat tree.

“Your Majesty, in my hometown, Lianshui County, the most famous fruit is the loquat. In the fifth and sixth lunar months, when the loquats are fully ripe, if we can’t finish eating them, we wash them and make them into a paste after peeling. It’s really sweet when mixed with water to soothe the throat.”

Zhang Yue’er spoke endlessly, starting from the picking process and continuing to the method of making the paste. She seemed to never have any worries and could enthusiastically talk about even the most trivial matters for a long time.

“Yue’er, do you want to go back?”

“Yes, it’s been over two years since I last went back, and I miss my mother.” Zhang Yue’er spoke to Zhu Jingyu, forgetting his imperial status for a moment. It was only after speaking that she remembered the rumors she had heard about Consort Lian a long time ago, fearing that he would recall something unpleasant, so she quickly stopped talking.

However, Zhu Jingyu only casually responded with a slight smile and said, “When you come back, bring some loquat paste for me to try.”

Zhang Yue’er subconsciously nodded, then realized something was strange. “Your Majesty, are you saying that I… can go back to Lianshui County?”

Zhu Jingyu looked at Zhang Yue’er’s delighted expression and felt relieved. It was the first time he realized that being the emperor had its advantages. “Yes, Lu Dehai has prepared a carriage for you. However, I can only allow you to go back for five days.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Zhang Yue’er smiled, her cheeks showing two dimples, full of vitality.

Zhu Jingyu looked at the surroundings of the courtyard. When Yue’er came back, he wanted to bestow on her the title of a talented lady, at least so that she wouldn’t stay in this west-facing place anymore. Ideally, he wanted her to be closer to the Qianqing Palace so that he could see her more often.

…

Inside the Chuxiu Palace, there was a warm atmosphere, but Lu Dehai had an anxious look on his face. He hurriedly walked outside the palace and repeatedly called out “Your Majesty” several times before bringing Zhu Jingyu back to his senses.

Lu Dehai rarely showed such a lack of discretion, and Zhu Jingyu got up and walked outside in confusion.

After listening to what he had to say, Zhu Jingyu’s face turned pale for a moment. He leaned against the door pillar and asked, “Did he really say that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Zhu Jingyu turned to look at Zhang Yue’er, who smiled at him, unaware of what was happening.

He turned around and whispered, “Return to the Qianqing Palace.”

“Yes.”

Once back in the Qianqing Palace, Lü Dehai closed the heavy doors and, after confirming that there was no one else outside, approached the desk.

Zhu Jingyu remained expressionless. “What else did he say?”

Lu Dehai spoke with difficulty: “Prince Qi only told this servant that Zhang Huaian knows that Your Majesty is not the late emperor’s biological son. As for the rest, he said he wants to personally discuss it with Your Majesty.”

“Did he mention Ye Qing and Qin Yan?”

“I have never heard Prince Qi’s servant mention them,” Lü Dehai said anxiously. “Your Majesty, what should we do now?”

“Tell Zhu Jingchen that I’ll be waiting for him here early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, I will obey.”

The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on Zhu Jingyu’s face. He had not slept all night, continuously gazing at the closed wooden window. From dusk to night and then to the dawn of the next day, the first ray of light penetrated through the window frame.

Zhu Jingyu sat on the dragon throne, his eyes slightly lowered, watching as the palace window opened a crack. In the next moment, Prince Qi stood in the middle of the hall.

“When did you find out?”

“Ye Yunshuang told me when she revealed that Qin Yan is Ye Qing’s son.” Prince Qi looked up at Zhu Jingyu. “He endured all kinds of torture to enter the palace and protect you and Consort Lian. Even in death, he wanted to stay by your side, including his own son. Isn’t that clear enough?”

When Zhu Jingyu heard the words “all kinds of torture,” his fingernails left marks on the yellow armrest. He gritted his teeth and said, “Why didn’t you tell Zhang Huaian?”

“He doesn’t need to know so much.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to die by your own hand, to preserve the late emperor’s reputation.” Prince Qi paused and continued, “You should know that even if Qin Yan is formidable, just like Ye Qing back then, he cannot withstand the entire Ming Yin Dynasty’s military power. So even if you don’t die now, as long as Zhang Huaian reveals the medical records to the world, you will still be unable to escape. By then, Qin Yan’s life will also be at stake.”

“I can swear on my mother’s life. As long as you take your own life, I will spare everyone related to you.”

Zhu Jingyu didn’t believe for a moment that Zhu Jingchen wanted him to die to preserve the late emperor’s reputation, but what Zhu Jingchen said was true. He actually had no choice.

“Fine, I agree.”

***

In the Wenyuan Pavilion, Zhang Huaian received a secret letter from Prince Qi, read it, and then burned it to ashes on the candle flame.

“Sir, what does His Highness mean?” Li Zhi asked with confusion, standing by Zhang Huai’an’s side.

“Hmph, he still wants to protect the late emperor’s reputation by having Zhu Jingyu take his own life.”

Li Zhi frowned. “But death is death. Without revealing the physician’s records and without Qin Yan’s protection, how could Zhu Jingyu agree to commit suicide?”

“Jingchen said it’s because Zhu Jingyu wants to save the only daughter of consort Shen and himself.”

Li Zhi suddenly understood. That’s how it made sense. However, contrary to Li Zhi’s thoughts, Zhang Huaian vaguely felt that it wasn’t that simple, but he couldn’t think of any other possibilities. Perhaps he was overthinking it.