After the letter was written and sealed with wax, Zhou Weiqi deliberately appointed He Gui, who had always handled matters reliably, instructing him to make a trip to Datong and deliver the letter to Han Zhengqing. He gave additional instructions: “You must personally place the letter in the Marquis’s hands. Also, give my regards to the Marquis. If the Marquis has any verbal message, you must remember it word for word.”

Only after watching He Gui withdraw to collect his travel allowance did Qian Ying turn back to look at the Prince of Dongping: “You should also go to His Highness’s side to keep him company and talk with him. Fan Liangdi has only just passed away, and now there’s also the matter of Yang Yunyong in the Eastern Palace. Speaking of which, you were the one who personally supervised the trial of that case. If only we had known earlier that such a day would come…” He sighed and didn’t continue. How could anyone predict such things? If one had known earlier, they wouldn’t have happened. After sighing, he continued persuading the Prince of Dongping: “The Crown Prince must certainly be unhappy now. You should spend more time with him, even if just to chat with him.”

He guessed that the Crown Prince had probably been reprimanded by His Majesty and the Empress over Yang Yunyong’s matter. Otherwise, why had there been no activity these past days? Clearly, in the few days just after Fan Liangdi’s death, the Crown Prince had been like a tiger ready to go on a rampage and hurt people at any moment. But now he seemed to have had his teeth pulled—his entire bearing had wilted. Not only that, previously the Crown Prince had intended to meet with that Elder Master of the Lu family several times, scheming to create conflict between the Lu and Song families and make things difficult for Mingcui Palace. But now he seemed to have forgotten even this matter, which showed how greatly Yang Yunyong’s affair had affected him.

But when Zhou Weiqi went to find his father, he discovered that his father seemed to have aged considerably overnight. The Crown Prince’s health had never been good, but aside from that time when Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian had acted, he had never shown such a look of decline. He called out “Father” with some trepidation and sat down opposite the Crown Prince with full concern, personally pouring him a cup of tea: “Should I have Benefactor Hu come take a look at you?”

The Crown Prince was truly too important to him. Qian Ying was right—now that Fan Liangdi was dead, his only support was the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince was also gone, then he truly would have no prospects to speak of.

The Crown Prince’s gloomy expression eased considerably. Looking at him, he slowly shook his head. When he opened his mouth, his voice was so hoarse it was frightening: “It’s nothing. I was thinking about things last night and didn’t sleep all night. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

But even as he spoke, he suddenly began coughing violently. After coughing for a while, his throat seemed blocked by something. He bent over, coughing breathlessly, and actually coughed up a mouthful of blood that splattered into the teacup before him.

Zhou Weiqi was so frightened his face turned pale. He suddenly cried out “Father!” and rushed behind him to help him catch his breath, while anxiously ordering people to fetch Benefactor Hu.

The Crown Prince finally recovered with difficulty. His face flushed, he waved at him: “It’s nothing, just an old ailment. It won’t kill me.” As he spoke, he indicated for Zhou Weiqi to sit down opposite him and asked: “Have you handled all the Ministry of Justice documents? Has your work been going smoothly lately?”

Only when facing Zhou Weiqi did he show any bit of paternal affection. Zhou Weiqi’s eyes reddened as he nodded, urging him: “Father must take care to preserve your health.” He pressed his lips together, nearly blurting out that he had obtained an extremely rare century-old ginseng root. But remembering Qian Ying’s warning, he ultimately held back for now. After hesitating for a moment, he continued persuading him: “Regarding Yang Yunyong’s matter… Imperial Grandfather will still believe in Father. Mother’s spirit in heaven would also worry about you…”

By the time he finished speaking, his voice already carried a sob. The Crown Prince coughed a few times and nodded with relief—this son, raised at his knee, was completely different from that legitimate son who couldn’t be won over and was no different from a stranger. He told his son to be at ease, then asked: “When you’ve been going to pay respects to your Imperial Grandmother recently, has she said anything to you?”

Zhou Weiqi shook his head blankly. He dared not forget the morning greetings at Qingning Palace, and even less dared not to go. But Empress Lu had been much colder toward him recently. After his mother’s death, he also harbored some resentment toward Empress Lu. Both sides felt awkward, so naturally there was even less to say.

The Crown Prince’s gaze dimmed. He lowered his head and didn’t speak for a long while. After a considerable time, he finally said: “In a few days, I’ll speak with your Imperial Grandmother. It’s about time for you to select a legitimate wife. Do you have anyone in mind?”

Zhou Weiqi hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to suddenly shift the topic here. He looked at him somewhat hesitantly: “But…” Seeing the Crown Prince look toward him, his confidence faltered: “But Mother right now…”

The Crown Prince laughed scornfully: “Didn’t your Imperial Grandmother say that a concubine isn’t enough to delay the marriage matters of imperial princes and grandsons, and that observing mourning for twenty-seven days is sufficient? Now those twenty-seven days are nearly over—what’s there to worry about?” He looked at Zhou Weiqi, his tone heavy: “If you’re worried about the candidate, that’s even less necessary. It’s not as if I’m dead.”

Only then did Zhou Weiqi feel relieved. He placed both hands on his knees and let out a breath: “I leave it entirely to Father’s decision.”

“The Song family is naturally good.” The Crown Prince suddenly said something rather inexplicable with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. After a pause, he added: “But the Song family isn’t the only good family in this world.”

He thought of Crown Princess Lu’s disdainful expression and that hint of contempt showing in her beautiful eyes. He frowned with distaste. Having found the Song family and the Zhennan Prince’s Manor as backing, she was very pleased with herself and very arrogant. She even wanted to move against him and clear a position for her son.

Perhaps it was because her childhood sweetheart was returning to the capital that she was so impatient? The corners of his mouth turned down, his gaze cold, and a fierce gleam suddenly appeared in his eyes.

When Zhou Weiqi emerged from the Crown Prince’s sleeping quarters, his expression was much more relaxed than before he went to find the Crown Prince. Although Fan Liangdi was dead, with the continued support of the Marquis Jinxiang and the Crown Prince’s favoritism, his heart finally felt settled.

But this good mood didn’t last long. He had just sat down in the study, preparing to read through the remaining documents, when he heard someone knocking. This time He Shun entered with a face full of alarm. After gasping for breath for quite a while, he lowered his voice to tell him: “Your Highness, something has happened in Xiangfan!”

Zhou Weiqi’s heart skipped a beat. He felt his heart pound several times, his pupils constricting. With a crash, he stood up, not even noticing when his chair fell over. His face cold, he asked in shock: “What did you say?! What happened?!”

The phrase he’d heard most frequently lately was “something’s wrong” or “something happened.” Now, suddenly hearing He Shun say this, he felt goosebumps rising all over his body. His face ashen, he looked at He Shun, dreading that he would open his mouth to say the news he least wanted to hear.