The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 18

Selfishness is not a good word for most people.

It implies selfishness, only caring for oneself and not others. At worst, it is synonymous with being cold-blooded and unfeeling.

Now, Yin Yuan heard the word “selfishness” directly from Qiu Junyao’s mouth.

He should have felt sad, but he suddenly realized that Qiu Junyao’s selfishness was entirely directed at him.

Although Qiu Junyao did not explicitly state it, every word and sentence was for him and Jingxiu’s sake.

Was he trying to pave the way for them because he feared that after his departure, they would have no support?

Thinking of this, Yin Yuan couldn’t help but move closer to Qiu Junyao and softly asked, “Your Majesty is worried about Jingxiu and me?”

“Yes.” Qiu Junyao reached out, his palm brushing through Yin Yuan’s thick, soft hair.

“Ayang, you know, I won’t live long.”

He said, “Since I made a three-year pact with you, I must ensure that everything goes smoothly and safely for you after three years. I must also prevent anyone from using power to threaten you and force you to do things you don’t want to do.”

“Moreover, now that Jingxiu has emerged from the cold palace and into the public eye, he will inevitably be compared to several princes by the ministers. Even if he has no desire for the throne, he has long been drawn into the struggle for power.”

“Rather than watch you fall into passivity in a few years, it’s better to start planning for you now.”

Hearing this, Yin Yuan was slightly stunned, then looked up and met Qiu Junyao’s eyes.

He suddenly realized that at some point, his Majesty no longer looked at him with condescension. 

And at any time, Qiu Junyao’s expression was gentle and calm, starkly different from the cold, bloodthirsty demeanor in his memory.

“Your Majesty…” Yin Yuan’s voice choked, unwilling to discuss the three-year pact, “Isn’t it too early to think about these things now?”

“Life passes in the blink of an eye,” Qiu Junyao smiled and said slowly, “Rest assured… no matter what happens to me in the future, I will never let you and Jingxiu fall into crisis.”

.

The news that Qiu Jingxiu had been brought out of the cold palace and regained imperial favor quickly spread throughout the court.

Since the Sixth Prince had died, the curse of the twins was naturally broken. Moreover, it was a family matter of the emperor, so the ministers did not say much. The Ministry of Rites soon received Qiu Junyao’s order to prepare the process to add Qiu Jingxiu’s name to the royal genealogy.

The prospect of Qiu Jingxiu being added to the royal genealogy gave Qiu Jingming, Qiu Jinghe, and Qiu Jingyue a great sense of crisis. They couldn’t help but hint to Qiu Junyao that they wanted to meet this suddenly emerged brother who posed a threat to them, but Qiu Junyao turned them away.

Qiu Junyao was not deliberately preventing Qiu Jingxiu from meeting his brothers; it was just that Qiu Jingxiu was…

Too difficult to handle.

Not only could he not learn simple forms of address, but he also refused to walk properly. He jumped around like a little puppy all day, exhausting both Yin Yuan and Qiu Junyao.

It wouldn’t be so bad if he was just difficult to handle, but he also had a penchant for injuring himself, making Qiu Junyao’s heart ache without remedy.

One day, after Qiu Jingxiu fell and bumped his head while climbing the rockery in the imperial garden, Qiu Junyao couldn’t hold back and spanked him.

Qiu Jingxiu, this little wolf cub, didn’t cry loudly like other children when spanked. He just stubbornly looked at Qiu Junyao with a defiant expression. Then, under Yin Yuan’s frantic hints, he reluctantly knelt, crawled a few steps, and handed a rattan cane to Qiu Junyao, looking somewhat dejected.

Seeing the bruises and wounds on his face and hands, Qiu Junyao felt both angry and heartbroken:

“How many times have I told you, there’s a limit to playing around. I understand you’re still a child, but how do you explain getting yourself hurt like this?”

Qiu Junyao squatted down, looking at the freshly reopened wounds on the little wolf cub’s barely healed skin, feeling a rare sense of helplessness:

“Do you want to drive your father to death?”

Qiu Jingxiu seemed to sense Qiu Junyao’s anger. Kneeling on the ground, holding the rattan cane, his hands trembled slightly, and he dared not make a sound.

“Alright, alright, get up, stop kneeling.” Qiu Junyao, pressing his temples with his fingers, said with a headache:

“Laifu, go call Doctor Qiu.”

Laifu bowed and said, “Doctor Qiu has been waiting outside the hall.”

Qiu Junyao, in a very bad mood now, said, “He knows his place.”

When the usually gentle Qiu Junyao got angry, no one dared to make a sound. The hall was full of people kneeling in silence, except Yin Yuan who was standing.

“Let him in.”

Yin Yuan turned around and reached out to massage Qiu Junyao’s temples. 

“Your Majesty, is your head hurting again?”

“My heart aches.” Qiu Junyao now finally understood why so many parents lost their temper while tutoring their children. He felt his sanity teetering on the edge, about to collapse: “After finally getting better, he’s injured again.”

“Alright, Your Majesty, don’t be angry.” Yin Yuan squeezed Qiu Junyao’s fingertips. “Doctor Qiu is quite old. It’s not good to keep him waiting outside for too long.”

“You’re right.” Perhaps Yin Yuan’s persuasion worked, as Qiu Junyao’s frown relaxed slightly. He then extended his hand and beckoned to Qiu Jingxiu.

Qiu Jingxiu immediately scrambled into Qiu Junyao’s arms like a little puppy, clinging to him.

“You little rascal, now you’re being affectionate.” Qiu Junyao weighed Qiu Jingxiu’s small body in his arms and laughed: “Show me your injured paw so the doctor can take a look.”

Maybe because he was born without the ability to cry, even though the medicine Doctor Qiu applied for Qiu Jingxiu’s wounds was unbearable for adults, Qiu Jingxiu endured it without a sound, which made Doctor Qiu glance at this young prince a few extra times while bandaging him.

Qiu Jingxiu was very attached to Qiu Junyao. After being bandaged, he snuggled back into Qiu Junyao’s arms, muttering incomprehensible words.

Qiu Junyao let him mutter, and they conversed in their own way. Suddenly, Doctor Qiu, who was organizing his medicine box nearby, knelt down and said, cupping his hands towards Qiu Junyao:

“Your Majesty, I have something to say. I don’t know if I should say it.”

“?” Qiu Junyao looked up in confusion: “What is it?”

“It’s about the Seventh Prince,” Doctor Qiu said. “I intended to report this to Your Majesty a few years ago, but you…”

Seeing Doctor Qiu’s troubled expression, Qiu Junyao realized that his predecessor had done something foolish again a few years ago. After a moment, he sighed helplessly, “Speak.”

He said, “I will not punish you… I will judge everything you say.”

“Yes.” Doctor Qiu was much calmer now, and his words were clear: “Your Majesty, I suspect that the Seventh Prince has a condition called ‘Pain Puppet Syndrome.'”

“?” Qiu Junyao was stunned: “What is that?”

“A rare syndrome. When I was young and traveling with my master, I accidentally discovered a case in a small village,” Doctor Qiu recalled slowly. “Generally, patients with Pain Puppet Syndrome are extremely intelligent but have delayed physical development, often act like animals, and cannot speak human language.”

“As the name implies, it’s like putting an extremely intelligent soul into a very clumsy body, making the person seem like a controlled puppet. Patients cannot control their actions and often do things contrary to their intentions due to extreme anxiety, making them seem strange, as if possessed by an evil spirit.”

“I dare to guess that the old national teacher declared the two princes to be inauspicious because he discovered this syndrome.”

“…….” Qiu Junyao could hardly believe his ears. He immediately refuted: “Although Jingxiu still can’t call me father, he…”

Qiu Junyao stammered for a while but couldn’t finish his sentence.

Yes, although he always told himself that Jingxiu’s current state was due to a lack of upbringing in the cold palace—

In truth, there were several discarded consorts living in the cold palace. Jingxiu wasn’t completely isolated, so how could he, at five years old and after half a month of learning, still struggle to say the word “father”?

Reflecting on Jingxiu’s strange behavior over the past fortnight, Qiu Junyao lowered his head and glanced at Qiu Jingxiu, who was picking at his fingers. His eyes darkened.

“Jingxiu,” he said, “say ‘father.'”

“Ah… uh!” Qiu Jingxiu tried to open his mouth and make a sound, but it was as if invisible hands controlled him, preventing him from uttering those simple words. He ended up sweating profusely, like a wolf cub unable to chew a bone.

“…….” Seeing this, Qiu Junyao covered his forehead, closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, they were dark: “Doctor Qiu.”

He said, “Is there any way to cure Jingxiu?”

“He is my son… I cannot give up on him.”

How could it be that just after he decided to groom Jingxiu as his successor, he learned today that Jingxiu had this illness?

Seeing Qiu Junyao’s distress, Yin Yuan walked over, took his hand from his sleeve, and their palms pressed together. In that moment, they could both feel each other’s unsettled emotions.

“It’s not impossible,” Doctor Qiu lowered his head, pretending not to see the intimate interaction between the emperor and empress, speaking softly: “But it depends on whether Your Majesty can be ruthless.”