Yuhe Palace was right before him. Emperor Tai’an stood hesitating, his expression inscrutable.

Liu Chuan bowed slightly, sensibly maintaining silence.

The sky was overcast, heavy cloud layers pressing down as if weighing on Emperor Tai’an’s heart, making it somewhat hard for him to breathe.

After a while, he strode over, raising his hand to stop the palace servants from announcing him.

The room was warm, instantly dispelling the cold he’d picked up outside. Emperor Tai’an strode in. The palace servants who noticed the Emperor’s arrival hastily paid their respects.

“Where is Her Ladyship?” Emperor Tai’an asked.

A palace servant boldly replied, “Her Ladyship is in the warm chamber…”

Emperor Tai’an instinctively furrowed his brow tightly. Hearing the commotion, Consort Zhuang hurried over. “Greetings to Your Majesty.”

Emperor Tai’an supported her arm and waved his hand. The palace servants in the room silently withdrew.

“How is he?” After quite a while, Emperor Tai’an asked.

Perhaps having reached an age of particular fondness for children, combined with the maternal love that had nowhere to go after her son’s early death in her youth being awakened—though thinking of that tail still made her feel disgusted and afraid, Consort Zhuang had developed some affection for that tiny infant.

From this question she heard not just struggle, but also coldness.

Consort Zhuang’s heart trembled.

Was the Emperor still determined to put that child to death?

This thought flashed through her mind, but her face remained impassive as she raised a slight smile. “He’s well-behaved. After eating his fill he sleeps and rarely fusses.”

“Mm.” Emperor Tai’an squeezed out a syllable from his throat and said nothing more.

Having spent so many years together, Consort Zhuang might not be the most favored by Emperor Tai’an, but she understood him best. She knew that when Emperor Tai’an next spoke, it would probably be irreversible.

“Your Majesty, would you… like to go to the warm chamber to see him? The child is sleeping.”

Emperor Tai’an’s tightly knitted brow relaxed, then furrowed again. His expression changed several times before he finally nodded.

The heart Consort Zhuang had raised relaxed somewhat, though her face dared not show it at all. She accompanied Emperor Tai’an toward the warm chamber.

The warm chamber was even hotter. As soon as they lifted the door curtain, hot air rushed at them.

Emperor Tai’an immediately saw the tiny infant on the heated brick bed by the window.

He was wrapped in a small quilt, his two hands clenched into fists raised on either side of his head, sleeping soundly.

While it was true there were no father-son relations in the imperial family, an almost fifty-year-old emperor with only one worthless son left, when his full intent to kill actually saw with his own eyes this tiny infant in whom his blood flowed, more than half of it unconsciously dissipated.

Consort Zhuang silently observed Emperor Tai’an’s expression and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had known that a thousand words of persuasion weren’t as good as letting the Emperor see for himself.

How many people in this world could bear to kill an infant only a few days old, especially their own flesh and blood?

When the little prince slightly moved his little mouth, Emperor Tai’an suddenly turned and fled the warm chamber as if something were chasing him.

Consort Zhuang hurried after him.

The main room was somewhat cooler than the warm chamber. Emperor Tai’an also calmed down, the coldness belonging to an emperor returning to his face. “The little prince is frail and needs quiet rest. After his first month, have him move to Yungui Palace. Aside from my beloved consort, no one else is permitted to disturb the little prince.”

He could spare this child’s life, but having him live at Consort Zhuang’s place wouldn’t do. To preserve the secret, the fewer people who could contact this child, the better.

“Yes.” Consort Zhuang understood that the little prince being able to keep his life was already fortunate. After thinking, she said, “The Empress Dowager has come these past two days.”

Emperor Tai’an’s expression tightened. “Has the Empress Dowager seen the child?”

“This consort said the imperial physicians had instructed that the little prince’s body was too weak to have contact with people, and even those serving close by had to frequently bathe, change clothes, and wash hands and face. The Empress Dowager didn’t see the child on her first visit. On her second visit she looked from the doorway of the warm chamber.”

Emperor Tai’an nodded. “Mm, you must not relent on this matter. Mother Empress is reasonable and won’t make things difficult for you.”

“This consort understands.”

Emperor Tai’an resumed attending court. The officials didn’t dare ask, but secretly speculated that the little prince’s condition was not good. After all, though the Emperor had been serious before, he occasionally gave a smile, but now he kept a somber face from beginning to end, making people’s hearts jump with fear.

This being the case, no one would be foolish enough to touch the Emperor’s sore spot. Thus Emperor Tai’an discovered the assembled officials had become much more obedient.

Since that was so—when the little prince reached his first month and moved to Yungui Palace, Emperor Tai’an couldn’t help but look once more. After being shocked again by that tail, he made his decision.

A thunderbolt exploded among the assembled officials: The Emperor wanted to adopt a prince from the imperial clan!

For a moment there were those who were happy, those who were frightened, and even more who couldn’t understand.

If the Emperor couldn’t produce children, that would be one thing, but he’d just had a little prince. Even if the little prince was sickly, he could still have other princes in the future. Why would he leave this vast empire not to his own son, but to a nephew?

No matter what the officials thought in their hearts, voices urging the Emperor to reconsider occupied the mainstream.

Who knew the Emperor wouldn’t listen at all and had already begun having the Chamberlain of the Imperial Clan compile a list of suitable imperial clan sons for adoption.

“This many?” Emperor Tai’an took the list the Chamberlain of the Imperial Clan presented and couldn’t help but be shocked.

From three years old to thirty years old—there were actually fifty or sixty people!

The Chamberlain of the Imperial Clan smiled slightly, thinking to himself that having this many was normal, wasn’t it? The Emperor’s generation had over ten brothers. These princes casually producing a few sons each would result in this many.

Emperor Tai’an also thought of this point and let out a deep sigh in front of the Chamberlain of the Imperial Clan.

If only he had inherited even a fraction of his father’s ability in producing sons, he wouldn’t have fallen to such helplessness now.

Emperor Tai’an truly didn’t dare produce more children. A son with a tail had severed all his unwillingness, leaving only awe.

Awe of Heaven’s will.

He felt this was Heaven’s warning. If he still obstinately persisted, he might even lose the empire and state altars.

Discovering the Emperor’s mind was made up, voices supporting the restoration of Prince Liang as Crown Prince emerged again.

“Restore Prince Liang? Have you forgotten about last year’s Dragon Boat Festival when Prince Liang streaked in front of the Prince and Princess of Yuliu?” Emperor Tai’an’s rage surged upward, making his vision go black with anger.

Prince Liang’s disgraceful affairs hadn’t spread for the sake of the imperial family’s face, but whenever he recalled them, his head spun, his mind reeled, and his heart ached.

The person who was scolded hastily knelt to beg forgiveness. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This subject only felt that Prince Liang is your—”

“Silence!” Emperor Tai’an didn’t need to hear the rest to know what nonsense these few supporters of Prince Liang wanted to say—nothing more than that Prince Liang was his only adult son.

But no one knew more clearly than him that if that scoundrel took the throne, the Great Zhou would certainly perish.

He had selfish motives—everyone wanted their own bloodline to inherit everything—but he couldn’t, for the sake of selfish motives, let that scoundrel ruin the foundation the founding emperor had established and cause the people of Great Zhou to become livestock for the Qi people to slaughter.

If that were the case, how would he be different from his imprisoned elder brother?

Emperor Tai’an swept his gaze over the several people kneeling on the ground, let out a cold laugh, and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.

Were these people truly thinking of him? They had simply boarded Prince Liang’s ship in the past and knew that after disembarking they’d have nowhere good to go, so they’d rather sink together.

Emperor Tai’an walked inward with contained anger, but his vision suddenly went black and he collapsed.

“Your Majesty—”

Seeing Emperor Tai’an faint, the hall immediately fell into chaos.

Even Prince Jing, who always acted like a wooden figurehead in such settings, was shocked.

What had happened to fourth brother!