As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, everyone in the room was stunned.
Emperor Jingming frowned at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince looked around, his eyes darting about. “Where am I?”
“You don’t recognize me?” Emperor Jingming asked, his heart sinking.
The Crown Prince shook his head in confusion. “No, I don’t. Who are you, old sir?”
Emperor Jingming pointed to the Empress beside him. “Do you recognize her?”
The Crown Prince blinked and hesitantly asked, “Is she your wife?”
“Imperial Physicians, what’s going on here?” Emperor Jingming asked with a stern face.
The physicians exchanged glances, and one of them cautiously replied, “His Highness suffered a severe blow to the head. There might be some internal bleeding, causing temporary memory loss…”
“Memory loss?” Emperor Jingming immediately looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince looked innocent. “His Highness? Why am I called His Highness?”
Emperor Jingming left without a word.
Seeing this, the Empress instructed the Crown Princess to stay and take care of the Crown Prince, then followed the Emperor out.
Outside, Emperor Jingming asked the physicians, “When will he recover from this memory loss?”
“Well—”
“Speak truthfully!” Emperor Jingming had lost all patience due to this unexpected turn of events.
“Your Majesty, the human brain is extremely complex and delicate. It’s hard to say when His Highness will fully recover. If all goes well, it could be in a few days, but it’s also possible that he might remain in this state…” The physician dared not continue.
What if the Crown Prince never regained his memories?
Emperor Jingming was pondering the same question.
Judging from the Crown Prince’s behavior earlier, he didn’t seem to have become a fool, but it was unclear whether he could still read and write…
“Your Majesty, please don’t worry. The Crown Prince might recover in a couple of days,” the Empress consoled.
Emperor Jingming calmed down and went back inside.
Seeing Emperor Jingming enter, the Crown Prince looked at him curiously. “They say you’re the Emperor, and I’m the Crown Prince. Is that true?”
Emperor Jingming nodded slightly, feeling extremely frustrated.
He hadn’t yet vented his anger caused by this beast, and now the beast had lost his memory.
How could he blame someone who had completely lost their memories?
“How do you feel?” Emperor Jingming asked.
The Crown Prince opened his mouth. “I… I feel fine, just can’t remember anything…”
“Does your head still hurt?”
The Crown Prince nodded honestly. “It still hurts a little.”
Looking at the Crown Prince with his head wrapped in bandages, Emperor Jingming sighed. He picked up a book, opened it, and asked, “Do you recognize these characters?”
The Crown Prince immediately started reading aloud.
Emperor Jingming then asked a few questions about academic matters, which the Crown Prince answered correctly.
Emperor Jingming felt slightly relieved.
It seemed he only couldn’t remember people, but other aspects weren’t affected.
“Crown Princess, I entrust the Crown Prince to your care. Report any changes immediately.”
The Crown Princess respectfully agreed.
Emperor Jingming glanced at the Crown Prince and ordered, “Escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace.”
After the Crown Prince left, Emperor Jingming rubbed his forehead, muttering, “One wave has barely subsided before another rises. What an unlucky year—”
Hearing this, the Empress felt sympathy for Emperor Jingming and consoled him, “Your Majesty, try to look on the bright side. At least the Crown Prince hasn’t forgotten his studies. Even if he can’t remember people for now, it doesn’t matter. He can gradually reacquaint himself—”
“What did you say?” Emperor Jingming suddenly asked.
The Empress was taken aback and hesitantly repeated, “I said it doesn’t matter if the Crown Prince can’t remember people, he can gradually reacquaint himself…”
Emperor Jingming clapped his hands. “Indeed! He can gradually reacquaint himself with people, and he can also relearn proper behavior!”
As he said this, Emperor Jingming became somewhat excited.
Earlier, he had been worried that the Crown Prince’s character was already set and couldn’t be remolded, but now such a possibility had emerged!
If he were to have esteemed Confucian scholars re-educate the Crown Prince, would he become a better person?
He didn’t expect the Crown Prince to become a flawless gentleman; even an average person’s level would suffice.
Thinking of the Crown Prince’s scandalous behavior with a eunuch in a public shop outside the palace, Emperor Jingming felt exhausted. But the Crown Prince’s memory loss gave him a glimmer of hope.
As long as the Crown Prince could learn to be good, it would be better than anything else.
The Empress understood Emperor Jingming’s meaning and felt a bit of sympathy for the ruler of the nation: The Emperor had been pushed to such a state by the Crown Prince that he felt relieved about his son’s memory loss…
The eunuch involved in the Crown Prince’s misconduct was quietly taken away and beaten to death, which need not be mentioned further. The punishment for the Crown Prince was temporarily put on hold due to his memory loss.
The calm in the palace made Prince Qi suspicious. He said to his wife, “Something seems strange.”
“How so?”
“The Crown Prince had his eye on Seventh Brother’s sister-in-law. Today, my people saw Lady Jiang enter the Treasure Pavilion, but afterward, it turned out to be the Crown Prince and a eunuch misbehaving… I suspect Seventh Brother intervened…”
Having been told by Jiang Si that she felt sick just looking at her during Consort Xian’s birthday, Prince Qi’s wife harbored a deep hatred for Jiang Si. She said, “That’s not surprising. I’ve observed that Seventh Brother and his wife aren’t easy to deal with. My Prince must be cautious.”
Prince Qi sneered, “Seventh Brother made such a big name for himself after just one outing. Of course, he’s not as impulsive and unrestrained as he appears. Look at Fifth Brother to see what happens to truly impulsive people.”
His eyes weren’t blind, and his mind wasn’t dull. Of course, he wouldn’t be fooled by Seventh Brother’s facade.
Among the royal family, truly reckless individuals never prospered. Even Princess Rongyang, who had flourished for so long, didn’t meet a good end.
“However, there’s no need to rush. No matter how popular Seventh Brother is among the common people, his chances are slim. His age and rank alone put him at a disadvantage. What I find strange is the situation in the palace.”
“In the palace?”
Prince Qi nodded slightly. “The Crown Prince was taken to the Ministry of Justice. The matter surely can’t be kept secret. Logically, Father Emperor should know by now. Why hasn’t there been any news of the Crown Prince being punished?”
Prince Qi’s wife pursed her lips. “Father Emperor reinstated the Crown Prince, so he’ll surely protect his reputation.”
“Even so, he would still find some other excuse to vent his anger… Why don’t you go to the palace and try to get some information from Mother Consort?”
“Alright, I’ll go to the palace right away.”
Prince Qi shook his head again. “Never mind, let’s wait and see for now. We can’t let Father Emperor suspect that I had a hand in the Treasure Pavilion incident.”
Today’s events wouldn’t shake the Crown Prince’s position, but there was still the matter of Qianhe County waiting.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
Once, twice, three times—as long as the Crown Prince remained the same hopeless case, Father Emperor’s patience would eventually run out.
“Fortunately, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. We can investigate during the reunion banquet,” Prince Qi murmured.
Yu Jin was also puzzled by the palace’s reaction.
Could it be that the old Emperor had achieved Buddhist enlightenment and become so even-tempered?
Well, they’d have to wait and see at the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet.
Two days later, it was time for the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet.
When the Crown Prince appeared before the other princes with his head wrapped in bandages, everyone was shocked and asked, “What happened to you, Crown Prince?”
The Crown Prince smiled at his brothers, looking as innocent as a fawn in the forest. “I accidentally bumped my head.”
“How did you bump your head? You must be careful, Crown Prince,” the prince consoled him insincerely.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, “I don’t remember how it happened.”