Emperor Tai’an had fallen ill.

The rebellion from months ago, the birth of the young prince, and before that the murder of the new Crown Prince and the deposition of the legitimate eldest son—one distressing matter after another had accumulated, and he finally collapsed before everyone’s eyes, succumbing to this illness.

The civil and military officials were alarmed, the harem even more so, and the Empress Dowager personally came to visit.

Medicinal fragrance permeated Qianqing Palace, with several Imperial Physicians discussing the Emperor’s condition in hushed voices.

After inquiring with the Imperial Physicians about the situation, the Empress Dowager saw her son lying on the bed.

“The Emperor simply does not take care of his own body.”

Emperor Tai’an’s expression was haggard as he forced out a smile. “I have made Mother worry.”

The Empress Dowager sighed. “This dowager knows your heart is troubled, but you cannot keep everything bottled up inside and torment yourself. Emperor, tell this dowager the truth—is the young prince truly just frail?”

Emperor Tai’an stared blankly at the Empress Dowager for a long while before giving a bitter smile. “Nothing can be hidden from you.”

The Empress Dowager’s hand resting on her knee unconsciously tightened. “What exactly is wrong with that child?”

After a moment of silence, Emperor Tai’an said softly, “He was born with a disability…”

In the end, he still did not speak of the most terrible thing.

“So that’s how it is.” The Empress Dowager grasped Emperor Tai’an’s hand. “Is it because of this that the Emperor resolved to adopt a son from the imperial clan?”

“Yes.” Emperor Tai’an’s voice carried bitterness. “I don’t want to wait anymore, don’t want to gamble anymore. Your son is approaching the age of knowing heaven’s will. In all these years, only Noble Lady Wu has conceived, and it will only become more difficult in the future. Even if other concubines conceive again, there’s no guarantee whether it will be male or female, healthy or afflicted. Rather than this, it’s better to select a suitable one from the imperial clan…”

The Empress Dowager listened carefully and nodded slightly. “Since the Emperor has made up his mind, there’s even less reason to be angry with those people. Nursing your health back is most important.”

“Your son knows.” The Empress Dowager’s comfort improved Emperor Tai’an’s expression somewhat.

The Empress Dowager took the medicinal soup offered by a palace attendant and personally fed it to Emperor Tai’an. After giving detailed instructions, she finally departed.

Emperor Tai’an wearily closed his eyes.

Illness strikes like a landslide. At first, Emperor Tai’an still mustered the energy to receive the National Preceptor and summoned important ministers to arrange state affairs, but later he slept longer and longer.

With this development, some people’s thoughts began to stir.

Unlike the mansions of Prince Jing and Prince Ning, Prince Ping’s Manor was located in a more remote area. When people mentioned it, they more often called it Qingyuan.

Qingyuan was the residence where the deposed and re-titled Prince Ping—formerly Emperor Pingle—and his family were confined. Ordinarily, when people passed by, they wished they could take a detour to avoid being tainted by the bad luck.

Winter days darkened early, making Qingyuan seem even more secluded. Prince Ping, as usual, had drunk several cups of wine, letting the slight intoxication numb the pain of his setbacks.

Several months ago, he had still thought victory was within reach, that he could reclaim the empire that belonged to him. In the blink of an eye, however, he had become a prisoner, and over a decade of enduring hardships had come to nothing.

“My lord, please drink less.”

“Get lost!” Prince Ping reached out to push away the concubine who was urging him to stop drinking, his sleeve sweeping the wine cup to the floor with a jarring clatter.

Footsteps approached, and a hand picked up the wine cup spinning on the ground.

The newcomer was one of the manor’s stewards. To this day, Prince Ping still couldn’t remember his name.

What did it matter whether he remembered or not? They were all Fourth Brother’s people anyway.

This entire Qingyuan was a giant cage, imprisoning his whole family.

“Get away from me.” Prince Ping showed no courtesy to the visitor.

“My lord, it has grown dark outside.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” Prince Ping hadn’t caught the hidden meaning in the man’s words, and his expression darkened further.

The visitor drew closer, lowering his voice extremely low. “The Emperor has been bedridden for many days.”

Prince Ping’s heart trembled. He immediately looked around, only to discover that the servants who had been attending him were somehow no longer present.

He felt a chill run through his body, the little intoxication he had frightened away. His eyes fixed on this petty steward whose name he hadn’t remembered.

“If you want to reclaim what belongs to you, this humble one will introduce someone to you. If not, just consider that this humble one never came.”

“Who exactly are you?” Prince Ping demanded in a low voice.

He heard his own heart pounding wildly.

This made him feel the person before him was suspicious, yet he still felt an uncontrollable yearning.

Because of this, he allowed the visitor to lean close to his ear and speak a sentence in a low voice.

“Really?” Prince Ping’s expression changed dramatically, his face full of disbelief.

The visitor quietly slipped something into his hand.

Prince Ping stared at the object in his hand, his expression constantly changing. Finally, he nodded. “Fine, you arrange it. I’ll meet him.”

“Yes.” The visitor’s demeanor became noticeably more respectful.

Before long, Qingyuan received a mysterious guest who held secret discussions with Prince Ping for half a day before departing.

Prince Ping sat quietly for a moment, then stood and walked toward a certain place. As he drew nearer, his footsteps unconsciously grew heavier.

Qi Ming heard the sound and looked over.

When father and son’s gazes met, he was the first to look away.

A flash of anger crossed Prince Ping’s face. His heavy steps turned urgent, and he soon arrived before Qi Ming.

Qi Ming looked at him quietly without speaking.

“Ming’er, are you still blaming me?”

Qi Ming smiled faintly. “You might as well call me Yang Zhe.”

“Ming’er, you’re so intelligent—you can’t not know that was to avoid being held hostage by them—”

Qi Ming cut off Prince Ping’s explanation expressionlessly. “So you said I wasn’t Qi Ming, that the Crown Prince was always by your side. If that’s the case, who else could I be but Yang Zhe?”

If only he could truly be Yang Zhe—that top scholar Yang Zhe who had prospects, friends, and… a life.

Prince Ping flew into a rage from shame. “Didn’t you also tell your Fourth Uncle where I was hiding? No matter what, I’m still your father. What you did is greatly unfilial!”

Facing Prince Ping’s accusations, Qi Ming’s expression remained unchanged. “Then what do you want? Should I cut off my flesh and scrape my bones to return them to you?”

“Qi Ming!” Meeting those clear eyes that seemed to see through everything, Prince Ping’s anger deflated. He sighed. “Forget it, I won’t argue about these things. I came to find you today to discuss something…”

In Prince Jing’s Manor, Prince Jing had summoned his two sons before him again to give them instructions.

“Shuo’er, you’ve always been reliable, but now that you’re working at the Ministry of Justice and dealing with many people, you must be especially cautious these days. Try to avoid drinking and socializing with others.”

“Your son understands.”

Prince Jing glared at Qi Huan. “You need to behave yourself even more. Stop going to all those questionable places.”

“I know.” Qi Huan responded listlessly.

He knew it—with his older brother, it was earnest advice, but with him, it was glaring and shouting.

He was long used to it.

“What kind of attitude is that? Don’t think I don’t know what sorts of places you sneak off to every day!” Prince Jing dismissed his eldest son and devoted himself to lecturing his younger son.

When Qi Shuo returned to his quarters, a kang table had already been placed on the heated brick bed. On the table sat a small charcoal stove with an exquisite small copper pot steaming with bone broth, flanked by two plates of thinly sliced lamb and several kinds of vegetables.

On a winter day, sitting on a heated brick bed eating a hot pot with meat and vegetables—nothing could be more comfortable.

“No wonder you told me to prepare first—you came back so quickly.” Lin Hao picked up several slices of lamb and placed them in the boiling small copper pot.

Qi Shuo smiled. “Usually when Second Brother is there, this is how it goes.”

After the two finished their hot pot and rinsed their mouths, they discussed Emperor Tai’an’s illness.