The Emperor was still in the midst of his illness, and Prince Yan came to the palace nearly every day to attend to him.
This display of filial devotion truly moved the Emperor: “Let Prince Yan come in.”
The attendant answered with a yes. Moments later, Prince Yan entered the bedchamber.
When he caught sight of the green-robed female official standing in the bedchamber — her lovely face serene and composed — Prince Yan did not so much as move an eyebrow. It was as though he had never seen Ling Jingshu before and did not know her at all.
Ling Jingshu had been at Zichen Palace for six days already, and news of it had long since spread through the entire palace. Prince Yan also had informants in the palace, and had received word the day after.
After reading the report, Prince Yan stood before the window for a long while with a darkened expression.
The Empress had been deposed, his elder sister had been confined to the Ciyun Convent, the Crown Prince was presiding over court affairs in the Emperor’s name and his reputation grew more illustrious by the day — each and every development worked against him, leaving him no choice but to endure, and no choice but to abandon the brazen and willful nature he had once shown.
His wings had not yet grown full. He had to please his father, had to depend on what little affection his father held for him. At this moment, he had neither the standing nor the confidence to compete for a woman he liked.
In the past, he could have brazenly spoken up: “Father, I like Ling Jingshu — please bestow her upon your son!”
But now, all he could do was put everything behind him.
Forget Ling Jingshu!
Forget that he had once wanted to take her into his household!
There would be no shortage of beautiful women in the future, but there was only one throne!
Ling Jingshu and Eunuch Ding bowed together: “This servant (this slave) pays respects to Prince Yan.”
Prince Yan gave a casual murmur of acknowledgment. His gaze drifted carelessly across Ling Jingshu’s face and moved away without lingering. He cupped his hands with a smile: “Your son pays his respects to Father. Father, have you taken your medicine today?”
The Emperor smiled: “I have not yet taken my medicine.”
Prince Yan immediately said: “Allow your son to attend to Father and his medicine!”
The Emperor nodded his cheerful assent.
When a small eunuch brought the medicine and the little taster Fúzi was about to step forward, Prince Yan was one step ahead of him in taking the medicine bowl: “Fúzi — today this Prince will personally taste the medicine for Father. You may step back.”
Little Fúzi was taken aback.
The Emperor was also startled, and said without thinking: “Let Fúzi handle the medicine-tasting.” Though medicine-tasting carried little real risk, every medicine had its toxic elements — it was never a good thing for a healthy person to drink medicine.
Prince Yan held the medicine bowl, his face radiating genuine filial devotion: “Father’s imperial body has not yet recovered, and each day Father endures the suffering of illness and medicine. Your son wishes he could bear it in Father’s place. Please grant your son this one overreach — let your son express even a small measure of his filial heart.”
The Emperor was moved in his heart, and sighed with gentle resignation: “Very well — just this once, not to become a precedent!”
Prince Yan’s face broke into a smile. He drank a mouthful of medicine and chatted idly with the Emperor for a moment. Once he had confirmed the decoction was without issue, he carefully carried the medicine to the bedside, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and then brought it to the Emperor’s lips.
The Emperor opened his mouth and drank it down.
Ling Jingshu stood silently to one side, taking in Prince Yan’s every movement from the corner of her eye, and she could not help but feel a quiet sense of melancholy rise within her.
That Prince Yan had been able to seize the position of heir in her previous life — it had not been due solely to Empress Xu.
He could bend, he could endure, he held back without acting, and he displayed his filial devotion before the Emperor without the slightest trace of performance. This Prince Yan would not collapse easily — and in the days to come, there would likely still be much more trouble from him.
……
After taking his medicine, the Emperor would usually doze lightly for a short while. Today was no exception.
Prince Yan withdrew from the bedchamber and waited in the side hall outside.
Ling Jingshu followed Eunuch Ding out of the bedchamber and said quietly to him: “Eunuch Ding — the potted plants have now been carried into the bedchamber. If there is nothing else needed today, I will take my leave first. I will come again tomorrow.”
Eunuch Ding said breezily with a smile: “There’s no hurry. The Emperor will wake after resting a little while, and we should all be standing by nearby — who knows when His Majesty might call out to summon us for service.”
Ling Jingshu’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, but she answered with outward compliance.
This Eunuch Ding — just to please the Emperor, he deliberately pushed her to the front. It seemed that this kind of thing would certainly not be rare in the future. She would have to be much more careful.
Prince Yan’s languid voice suddenly rang out: “Eunuch Ding — when did Female Official Ling arrive at Zichen Palace? When this Prince came the past few days, I hadn’t seen Female Official Ling.”
Eunuch Ding bobbed his head with an obsequious smile: “Replying to Your Highness. After Female Official Ling was released from the imperial prison, she was kept at Zichen Palace by the Emperor. These past few days Female Official Ling has been resting; she only came out to perform her duties today. It happened that Your Highness encountered her.”
All of this Prince Yan already knew perfectly well.
Empress Xu had spent many years in the palace and had many eyes and ears. The Emperor could hardly have killed them all. Now, these people had all been quietly taken over by Prince Yan.
When it came to being well-informed about palace matters, not even the Crown Prince nor the Crown Grandson could match Prince Yan.
Prince Yan gave a casual murmur and his gaze finally settled on Ling Jingshu: “I hear Female Official Ling was kept in the imperial prison for two months — it seems to have done her no harm.”
She was still dazzlingly beautiful, her bearing and manner outstanding.
Even amid the clouds of beauties in the palace, her bearing was uniquely her own.
No wonder Father had been moved by her…
Ling Jingshu lowered her eyes and answered respectfully: “This servant is grateful for Your Highness’s inquiry and concern. While this servant was in the imperial prison, though lacking freedom, she did not suffer greatly. The Emperor also specially granted this servant several days of rest — her spirits truly have improved considerably now.”
Prince Yan withdrew his gaze and said no more.
As the Son of Heaven, the Emperor could possess the entire realm and all its beauties. Who would dare compete with his father over a single woman? To say nothing of him — even the Crown Grandson, upon learning of this matter, could only accept it with silent bitterness.
An attendant slipped quietly into the room and reported in a low voice: “The Crown Grandson and the Crown Grandson Consort have entered the palace to pay their respects to the Emperor.”
……
Think of someone and they appear!
A flash of light passed through Prince Yan’s eyes; he tugged at the corner of his lips: “Father is still resting — Eunuch Ding, bring the Crown Grandson and the Crown Grandson Consort here to wait!”
Eunuch Ding received the order, withdrew, and personally went to receive the Crown Grandson and his wife.
The Crown Grandson had long since mentally prepared himself, and showed no surprise when he saw Ling Jingshu’s figure.
His gaze swept swiftly across her face, and an indescribable bitterness surged up within his heart.
The words with which the Crown Prince had rebuked him those few days ago remained perfectly clear.
Each time he thought of them, his heart ached once more. Perhaps it was because he had thought of them so many times that the sharp stab of pain had gradually grown numb and dull — until the moment he actually saw her with his own eyes, when it came alive and stabbed at him again with full freshness.
The smile at the corner of Jiang Rongyue’s lips dimmed.
Ling Jingshu had already stepped forward to bow: “This servant pays respects to the Crown Grandson and the Crown Grandson Consort.”
The Crown Grandson pressed his lips together tightly. Before he could make a sound, Jiang Rongyue was already saying with a smile: “Female Official Ling need not stand on ceremony — please rise.”
Once Ling Jingshu had straightened, Jiang Rongyue smiled again: “Your Highness — Ling Jingshu and I have not met for a long time. I’d like to go somewhere else with her to talk for a while before coming back.”
What was Jiang Rongyue trying to do?
The Crown Grandson frowned slightly. With Prince Yan present it was inconvenient to object, so he gave a light murmur of assent.
Jiang Rongyue smiled at Ling Jingshu and took her hand with casual familiarity: “Let’s go out to talk.”