The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 23

What does cold feel like?

 

Even though Qiu Jingxiu couldn’t fully articulate this feeling in words, it didn’t mean he hadn’t experienced bone-chilling cold firsthand.

 

After all, during his time in the Cold Palace, that woman was like this, forcefully feeding him with cold and stale food, and it was the dead of winter. The cold spread from his churning stomach to his limbs, freezing him all over, making his teeth chatter, and almost rendering him unconscious.

 

At some point, Qiu Jingxiu even wished he could die on that snowy night, at least not having to live in endless darkness and despair.

 

Such thoughts persisted until Qiu Junyao brought him out of the Cold Palace, on the brink of dissipation.

 

Qiu Junyao’s embrace was so warm, carrying a faint scent of plum and the steady smell of medicine, making him reluctant to leave.

 

It was the fatherly love he had never experienced before, the sense of security he had longed for since birth.

 

As long as Father was there, all the cold and fear would eventually dissipate, and even the darkness would become gentle and approachable.

 

But now, at the sight of Qiu Jingming, Qiu Jingxiu suddenly realized that his good days seemed to be over.

 

Happiness came so fleetingly, fleeting to the point where he barely had time to regret, before plunging heavily into the cold pool.

 

His eyes were quickly submerged by the clear water, stinging, forcing him to close them again. He instinctively struggled a few times, but was pulled deeper by an invisible force, feeling as if his mouth and nose were being covered, and even his consciousness began to drift away.

 

Qiu Jingxiu was unwilling to die like this, unwilling to leave Qiu Junyao like this, but the human body could not withstand the water pouring in from all sides. He felt his body becoming heavier and heavier, dragging his soul down with it.

 

Father… Mother…

 

It was only at this moment that Qiu Jingxiu realized that when he thought of Qiu Junyao and Yin Yuan, he actually harbored so much unwillingness and reluctance.

 

“Plunk—”

 

Just when Qiu Jingxiu’s consciousness was almost dissipating, and his mind was almost filled with flashing images, a faint sound of entering water suddenly came from his ears, as if sensing a glimmer of life in this slight movement, Qiu Jingxiu squinted his eyes, trying to open them, but his eyelids were heavy as if weighed down by a thousand catties, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open them.

 

Just as his lungs were burning from lack of oxygen, almost feeling the breath of death approaching, there was suddenly a great force behind his waist, and then, a strong arm pulled him upward fiercely.

 

“Splash—”

 

Just before Qiu Jingxiu almost passed out, Qiu Jinghe finally grabbed him and emerged from the pool.

 

The eunuchs and palace maids around them formed a half-circle, with anxious and nervous expressions on their faces. When Qiu Jinghe and Qiu Jingxiu finally surfaced, some of them were so excited that they collapsed to the ground.

 

Qiu Jinghe first propped himself up on the edge of the pool, while Qiu Jingxiu was much worse off. His little face was pale as death, only gasping for breath, lying on the ground with eyes half-closed, looking at him weakly. His eyes were shiny and dark, like a drowning wolf cub.

 

Qiu Jinghe had fallen into the water when he was young and had a shadow on water, but it was because of this that he learned to swim and perform first aid measures.

 

He pressed on Qiu Jingxiu’s chest, making him spit out the water, and then picked him up, patting his back gently.

 

It wasn’t until Qiu Jingxiu lay on his shoulder, faintly muttering a few incomprehensible words, that the eunuchs and palace maids around them finally let out a sigh of relief.

 

Qiu Jinghe held Qiu Jingxiu, scanned the eunuchs and palace maids, and was about to ask how Qiu Jingxiu fell into the water, but for some reason, he fell silent again and meditated for a moment, only spitting out a few simple words:

 

“Take His Highness to see the Emperor.”

 

“Yes.” The eunuchs and palace maids looked at each other in fear, bowed their heads, and complied.

 

Meanwhile, Qiu Junyao, who was busy in the Qinzheng Hall, had no idea that shortly after the court session, a eunuch came to report that Qiu Jingxiu had fallen into the water.

 

Fortunately, the rescue was timely and no lives were lost.

 

Qiu Junyao had just put his heart down, listening to the report from the eunuch by his side, the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off—

 

Why did Qiu Jingxiu suddenly fall into the water? Weren’t there any eunuchs or palace maids watching him at that time?

 

And how could Qiu Jinghe “coincidentally” pass by that pond and rescue Qiu Jingxiu? Clearly, Qiu Jinghe’s mother’s palace was so far away from the lotus pond that he would never have passed by that path even if he had left the palace?

 

Thinking like this, Qiu Junyao remained calm on the surface.

 

He ordered Lai Fu to summon Qiu Jinghe, and sitting high on the dragon throne, he watched as Qiu Jinghe entered, kneeling before him and bowing:

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

“How do you feel?” Even with many doubts in her heart, Qiu Junyao asked about Qiu Jinghe’s condition as soon as possible:

 

“Did you catch a cold?”

 

Qiu Jinghe glanced at Qiu Junyao and shook his head, his face as gentle and polite as ever:

 

“No.”

 

He said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

 

Qiu Jinghe was the most cautious among the children, but also the most scheming. Qiu Junyao never dared to be careless when dealing with him:

 

“How is your younger brother?”

 

“……..” Qiu Jinghe looked quietly at Qiu Junyao for a moment, then spoke with a low voice, as if his voice had been rubbed by sand and gravel:

 

“I don’t know.”

 

He honestly replied, “The imperial physician and the queen mother are taking care of him. When I heard His Majesty’s summons, I came without delay.”

 

When Qiu Junyao heard the name Yin Yuan, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he involuntarily frowned.

 

Qiu Jinghe was accustomed to observing words and expressions. Seeing Qiu Junyao frown, he dared not say more. After a moment, he cautiously spoke:

 

“Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave.”

 

“…. Wait a moment.” Qiu Junyao stood up, walked slowly downstairs with his hands behind his back, and walked slowly to Qiu Jinghe’s side, looking down at him:

 

“Let me ask you, when your younger brother fell into the water, did you see anyone else near the lotus pond?”

 

“….” The fingertips in his sleeves unconsciously clenched into his palms, but Qiu Jinghe remained calm on the surface:

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

“…… Is that so.” Qiu Junyao smiled, “But I heard from the eunuchs that before you arrived, Jingming had been to the lotus pond and sent them to look for the jade pendant.”

 

He paused, his voice becoming more deliberate, like a sword that had not yet been unsheathed, calmly:

 

“And moments later, Jingxiu fell into the water, and you happened to pass by. Isn’t all of this too coincidental?”

 

Qiu Jinghe’s fingertips hidden in his sleeves suddenly squeezed into his palms, almost drawing blood from the force, trembling:

 

“Is Your Majesty suspecting me and Jingming?”

 

“You and Jingxiu are both my children, and I treat you equally.” Qiu Junyao squatted down, looked Qiu Jinghe in the eye, and spoke slowly:

 

“But for those who play tricks, I will never show mercy.”

 

Qiu Junyao’s expression remained as gentle as ever, but when his gaze fell on Qiu Jinghe, it seemed substantial, as if he could see through every inch of Qiu Jinghe’s thoughts:

 

“Tell me, did you really intend to use your brother?”

 

“……..” Qiu Jinghe gritted his teeth and suddenly raised his head: “What if I said I didn’t?”

 

A sense of powerlessness suddenly rose in Qiu Jinghe’s heart, a feeling of powerlessness that had appeared countless times in his life, and he often felt helpless:

 

“…… I didn’t.”

 

Qiu Junyao asked again, “Really? Did you really not?”

 

“Really not.” Qiu Jinghe’s voice was steady, but he didn’t look at Qiu Junyao again. He bowed down and knocked his head at Qiu Junyao’s feet:

 

“I never intended to gain favor by this incident.”

 

His voice was faintly trembling, as if he was a little aggrieved, but he endured it:

 

“If Your Majesty doesn’t believe me, then…”

 

“I believe you.”

 

But just as Qiu Jinghe was almost unable to maintain his calm appearance, Qiu Junyao suddenly spoke:

 

“I believe you.”

 

“……. Your Majesty?”

 

“I’m sorry for making you suffer.” Qiu Junyao sighed and helped Qiu Jinghe up from the ground, staring at him for a long time, apologizing: “I was too suspicious.”

 

Qiu Jinghe shook his head without saying a word, but there was still lingering fear in his eyes.

 

“Scared?”

 

Qiu Junyao couldn’t help but reach out and pat the semi-grown teenager’s back, walked over, and patted him on the back:

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“…… It’s nothing.” Qiu Jinghe’s voice still carried a restrained hoarseness: “As long as Your Majesty doesn’t suspect me, it’s good.”

 

“Naturally, I trust you.” Qiu Junyao gazed at Qiu Jinghe’s face for a moment, then returned to the dragon throne after a while, looking at Qiu Jinghe standing below:

 

“You saved your brother, which was well done.”

 

“Whatever you want, I can reward you.”

 

“Anything?” Qiu Jinghe asked.

 

Qiu Junyao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled:

 

“Just tell me what you want.”

 

“I want to ask Your Majesty to revoke the decree.” Qiu Jinghe knelt down again: “Please reconsider the matter of dispersing the harem.”

 

Qiu Junyao’s smile faded when he heard this, with an ambiguous expression on his face:

 

“Why?”

 

“The consorts in the harem have all borne Your Majesty’s children and worked hard. How can they be disbanded so easily?” Qiu Jinghe spoke with genuine emotion:

 

“Your Majesty, by doing so, not only hurts their hearts but also undermines the loyalty of the courtiers.”

 

Qiu Junyao pondered for a moment and surprisingly agreed with Qiu Jinghe’s view:

 

“You’re right.”

 

Qiu Jinghe was pleased, about to strike while the iron was hot, but Qiu Junyao spoke again:

 

“However, I can do this because I have discussed it with the consorts, and they have all agreed to my decision before I issued the decree.”

 

“As for your concern about hurting the hearts of those courtiers…” Qiu Junyao paused, his tone ambiguous: “Could it be that the entanglement between my harem and the court is causing them to hesitate in serving me, thereby threatening my throne?”

 

Although Qiu Junyao’s words were light, they carried immense weight, instantly drenching Qiu Jinghe in sweat, kneeling on the ground without daring to speak:

 

“I didn’t mean that, Your Majesty!”

 

It has always been a tradition that the harem cannot interfere in politics. Qiu Jinghe regretted his slip of the tongue, which made Qiu Junyao begin to suspect the involvement of the harem and the previous dynasty.

 

Absentmindedly discussing a few rewards with Qiu Junyao, Qiu Jinghe dared not speak further, fearing further mistakes, and quickly took his leave.

 

Lai Fu had been serving by Qiu Junyao’s side all this while, carefully grinding ink for Qiu Junyao while cautiously observing his expression.

 

Qiu Junyao picked up the brush again and made some annotations on the memorial. After a while, he suddenly chuckled softly:

 

“A small person with big ideas.”

 

“What is Your Majesty talking about?” Lai Fu bowed, thinking Qiu Junyao was giving him orders.

 

“It’s nothing.” Qiu Junyao continued writing on the memorial without looking up: “Go to the storeroom and pick out some hairpins and jade pendants for Jinghe. He dresses too plainly on ordinary days, not at all like a prince.”

 

“Yes.” Lai Fu dared not speculate on the emperor’s intentions and left to carry out the order.

 

Shortly after, Yin Yuan entered the hall.

 

As he walked to the center of the hall, intending to bow, Qiu Junyao hurriedly reached out and held his hand, stopping his action with a low voice:

 

“You don’t need to kneel to me.”

 

“How can Your Majesty neglect the etiquette?” Yin Yuan took advantage of the situation and teased:

 

“If others knew, they might say it’s the concubine seducing Your Majesty, leading to Your Majesty’s confusion and the dispersal of the harem.”

 

“Do you not?” Qiu Junyao said firmly:

 

“Who was the one who wanted to ** with me that day?”

 

“……..” Yin Yuan was choked by Qiu Junyao’s words for a moment, unable to say a word for a long time. His eloquence seemed to have disappeared into some corner, being held by Qiu Junyao’s chin, he had to look up:

 

“Now it seems that my empress still has some charm.”

 

Qiu Junyao looked down at Yin Yuan’s exquisite face:

 

“If you could bear me another prince, it might not be a bad thing.”

 

“Two princes have already exhausted Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty want a fifth one?” Yin Yuan’s face blushed slightly, making him look even more charming:

 

“Is Your Majesty sure?”

 

Qiu Junyao: “…….”

 

He instantly let go of the hand that was about to wrap around Yin Yuan’s waist, returning to the appearance of a proper gentleman in a second, sternly:

 

“Empress, you speak with decorum.”

 

Yin Yuan: “……. “

 

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, a cold smile forming, as he was seated on the dragon throne by Qiu Junyao, who held his hand. Soon, a brush was placed in his hand:

 

“Come,”

 

Qiu Junyao propped his temple with one hand, turning his head to smile at Yin Yuan:

 

“Start annotating.”

 

“It seems Your Majesty isn’t worried about Jingxiu at all, nor about the ministers causing an uproar outside the palace.”

 

Yin Yuan glanced at Qiu Junyao, skillfully imitating Qiu Junyao’s handwriting to annotate the memorial:

 

“Your Majesty, you don’t know, but I, as the empress, have been dressed as a demon queen in the palace.”

 

Qiu Junyao chuckled at the words:

 

“You still care about that.”

 

Qiu Junyao said: “I thought you didn’t care.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Yin Yuan said: “Your Majesty’s decision to disband the harem is unclear, but I have to bear the blame for it.”

 

“You’ve been wronged.” Qiu Junyao suddenly leaned in, his warm breath spraying against Yin Yuan’s ear, causing goosebumps to rise, as the ambiguous and deep voice lingered in his ear, making it almost impossible to distinguish whose heartbeat was louder:

 

“Why not let me firmly establish your position as the bewitching demon queen?”

 

“………” Hearing this joke mixed with seriousness, Yin Yuan forced a calm expression on his face, but the ink under his pen had already smeared everywhere:

 

“Your Majesty is speaking nonsense again.”

 

“Tsk.” Seeing Yin Yuan’s usual expression, Qiu Junyao sat back with a disappointed look on his face, rare for him: “Boring.”

 

Seeing Qiu Junyao’s lively expression, Yin Yuan couldn’t help but laugh:

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

He said: “It seems you really don’t care about those ministers.”

 

“In this world, there are few people worth caring about.” Qiu Junyao held his face and looked into the distance:

 

“I used to think that there was nothing in this world worth my attention, whether it was my parents or my ideals, they didn’t matter in the face of death.”

 

He paused, his tone turning low:

 

“Until I met you.”

 

“What?” Yin Yuan didn’t hear clearly.

 

“It’s nothing.” Qiu Junyao propped his head up, smiling at Yin Yuan:

 

“As for the ministers, I’ll have your father go and appease them, and I’ll give them some heavy rewards, not afraid that they won’t behave; if anyone insists on remonstrating, just find some trivial matters to hold against them, privately threaten them to comply, I don’t believe that after years in office, their hands and feet are clean; as for those concubines, they have all voluntarily signed and divorced from me. Whether they want to leave the palace or stay in it, I won’t force them.”

 

“Your Majesty, you should know that winning over the ministers and the harem is an indispensable part of governance.”

 

Yin Yuan advised: “Perhaps you should reconsider.”

 

“If the governance of the court requires those women to sacrifice their happiness to accompany this old man who doesn’t know when he’ll pass away, then I, as the emperor, might as well step down sooner.”

 

Qiu Junyao held Yin Yuan’s delicate and fair hand, gently rubbing:

 

“I don’t want to see these… nor do I want those women to compromise. They have their own happiness and pursuits. Instead of keeping them here, it’s better to let them leave.”

 

“What about me?” Yin Yuan gently turned his head, looking at Qiu Junyao, his hairpin lightly swaying, making his brows and eyes even more beautiful and charming:

 

“Has Your Majesty ever thought about my happiness, or is it uncertain even within the palace walls?”

 

“You?” Qiu Junyao grabbed Yin Yuan’s hair, his tone lazy:

 

“You’re different from them.”

 

“How am I different?”

 

“You’re prettier, and I like you.” Qiu Junyao smiled:

 

“Even if I die in the future, you’ll have to send me off with your own eyes.”

 

He said: “Remember, for these three years, you belong to me, every inch of you, so even if your heart isn’t with me, you’re not allowed to go anywhere else or think about other men, understand?”

 

“……. Hmph.” Yin Yuan said: “You’re a tyrant.”

 

He said: “Jingxiu still remembers his daddy even in his dreams. I didn’t expect daddy to not care about him at all and say such nonsensical things here.”

 

“Ah,” mentioning Jingxiu, Qiu Junyao inevitably began to feel a headache:

 

“How is that child doing?”

 

“He caught a slight cold, feeling drowsy and incoherent, and now even more confused, only able to call for daddy, unable to ask anything else,” Yin Yuan sighed.

 

“I also asked the eunuchs and palace maids who were serving him closely. They all said they encountered the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince sent them away to search for a jade pendant. When they returned, they saw Jingxiu and Jinghe falling into the water. As for Jingming, he wasn’t there at the time.”

 

“There’s no evidence…” Qiu Junyao, his head throbbing, leaned on Yin Yuan’s shoulder, whispering, “This is troublesome.”

 

“Without evidence, there’s no suspicion,” Yin Yuan comforted.

 

“Who does Your Majesty suspect?” Yin Yuan asked.

 

“Before evidence is found, both Jinghe and Jingming are suspicious, but it’s not ruled out that the two of them colluded to stage a show for me, to scheme against me, just to give Jinghe a chance to propose delaying the disbandment of the harem.”

 

“Ah… I have a headache,” Qiu Junyao said.

 

“Your Majesty, stop worrying,” Yin Yuan said, “Since Jingxiu is fine this time, he just caught a cold. As for Jingming and Jinghe… there’s plenty of time in the future.”

 

“No matter how they plot against Your Majesty, I will always stand by your side,” Yin Yuan said.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really.” Yin Yuan extended his fingertips, gently rubbing Qiu Junyao’s temples, “My loyalty is as clear as day.”

 

On the other side, outside the palace gates, Qiu Jinghe, whom Qiu Junyao and Yin Yuan often mentioned, lost the faint smile that had been on his face.

 

Sitting in a carriage, he arrived at his own yamen, throwing off his cloak as he entered the door, then, annoyed, he threw it directly at the steward. However, as soon as he entered the hall, a pair of hands grabbed his collar:

 

“Qiu Jinghe!”

 

Qiu Jingming didn’t know where he came from, roughly pushing Jinghe against the wall, angrily saying:

 

“Do you have an innate desire to oppose me?!”

 

“You guys go down first.” Being grabbed by Qiu Jingming like this, Qiu Jinghe showed no signs of panic, maintaining his calm demeanor, waving his hand to dismiss the servants.

 

Soon, only the two confrontational figures remained in the hall.

 

Besides the crackling of the candles, Qiu Jinghe could even hear Qiu Jingming’s heavy breathing, like a wild beast pressing down on him:

 

“Why did you save that little bastard?”

 

“Watch your mouth, what little bastard?” Qiu Jinghe reached out to try to break free from Qiu Jingming’s grip, but due to Qiu Jingming’s strength, he struggled for a moment before giving up, replacing it with a cold smile:

 

“He is our brother, don’t you know?”

 

“What brother is he?” Qiu Jingming seemed to be provoked by this sentence, pushing Qiu Jinghe even harder against the wall, using absolute force to pin him down, his expression under the candlelight was ferocious:

 

“Don’t forget, he’s just a bastard born to a lowly palace maid. He’s not on the same level as you, me, or Qiu Jingyue at all!”

 

“Whether he’s on the same level or not, by now, he’s different.” Qiu Jinghe sneered:

 

“Don’t forget, His Majesty has disbanded the harem. Now, Jingxiu is the son of the current empress, he’s the legitimate son, and in the future, he might even be the crown prince, the prince… As long as His Majesty says so, who dares to mention in front of him that Jingxiu’s mother was the concubine of Xinze’s bastard?”

 

“…” Qiu Jingming was directly provoked by Qiu Jinghe’s words, his face instantly turning pale, his lips trembling for a long time, unable to say a word.

 

Qiu Jinghe looked coldly at Qiu Jingming’s reaction, sneering inwardly, then took advantage of Qiu Jingming’s daze to easily break free from his restraint:

 

“You should thank me. I saved your life today.”

 

“Thank you?” Qiu Jingming found it ridiculous: “Why should I thank you?”

 

“Because if I hadn’t happened to pass by and save Jingxiu, if Jingxiu had died, the first person His Majesty would suspect would be you.”

 

“Who has any evidence to say it was me who harmed him?” Qiu Jingming refused to admit:

 

“As long as I say I just happened to pass by, and he fell into the water after I left, who else can investigate me?”

 

“Look at you, I just need to bluff a bit and you spill everything.” Qiu Jinghe looked indifferent: “With your brain, you still want to deceive His Majesty? Dream on.”

 

Qiu Jingming: “………”

 

He was exposed and couldn’t help but get angry: “You…”

 

“His Majesty is not the same as he used to be… What he thinks, no one knows, and no one knows if he has noticed the loopholes in our words.”

 

Qiu Jinghe interrupted Qiu Jingming’s words, adjusted his disheveled collar, and looked at Qiu Jingming with some annoyance:

 

“Don’t be impulsive, Qiu Jingxiu is not someone you can touch.”

 

“Don’t pretend to be a good person here.” Qiu Jingming, ashamed and angry, turned red in the face and tore off his mask:

 

“Don’t think I can’t see how afraid you are of that idiot who can’t even speak clearly.”

 

He said, “Although I don’t know why you saved him today, let me tell you, if we don’t kill him, the day he ascends the throne, it will be us who will be killed.”

 

Qiu Jinghe continued to look at Qiu Jingming expressionlessly, seemingly indifferent to his words.

 

But the next moment, Qiu Jingming’s words made him tremble, even his usual facade couldn’t be maintained:

 

“Also, don’t think I don’t see that you have feelings for the empress dowager.”

 

“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Qiu Jinghe almost lost his composure, looking at him incredulously:

 

“She is our legitimate mother!”

 

“Whether you treat her as a mother or not, you know it in your heart,” Qiu Jingming’s eyes carried a hint of mockery, his figure almost blending into the thick darkness outside the window:

 

“I suggest you better join forces with me, to deal with that bastard’s son sooner rather than later, to prevent him from becoming a threat in the future… As for who will ascend the throne after killing him, it’s up to our abilities.”

 

He paused and said, “If you like the empress dowager, I will…”

 

“Get out!” Qiu Jinghe finally lost his temper, grabbed a flower vase from the table and threw it at Qiu Jingming, panting heavily and clutching his chest:

 

“Get out!”

 

“Fly into a rage out of humiliation.” Qiu Jingming agilely dodged the flower vase thrown by Qiu Jinghe, finally feeling a bit triumphant, standing arrogantly not far away, sneering:

 

“I’ll give you three days to consider whether to join forces with me.”

 

He said, “Otherwise, when the time comes, I’ll deal with you too.”

 

Qiu Jinghe was almost driven to a heart attack by this fool. He leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly until there was no trace of Qiu Jingming’s voice in his eyes, then slowly calmed down from the intense pounding of his heart.

 

Qiu Jingming’s words were like a sharp blade, piercing through the veil of ambiguity in Qiu Jinghe’s heart, leaving only the shameful truth hidden inside.

 

Actually, for Qiu Jinghe, when he saw Yin Yuan, he himself didn’t know whether he admired him more or looked up to him more.

 

Perhaps neither, he just glanced at Yin Yuan from afar, and then began to sketch memories of the empress dowager in his mind.

 

Because Empress Hui was in poor health and often needed medication and rest, and also observed vegetarian diet and recited sutras on ordinary days, so Qiu Jinghe rarely saw her in person.

 

His memories of his own mother were faint, in his impression, he rarely saw his mother, the term “mother” only existed as a concept, a vague shadow, indistinct and even unseen in dreams.

 

Until Qiu Jinghe saw Yin Yuan and called him “mother” in a moment of enlightenment, he began to miss the appearance of his own mother, and then was surprised to find that he couldn’t remember his mother’s face.

 

The faint bond of blood connection gradually faded in his heart, and then Yin Yuan’s appearance became clearer and more profound in front of him, until even Qiu Jinghe himself couldn’t distinguish what kind of emotion he had towards Yin Yuan.

 

Perhaps it was a long gaze at the love that was missing, a strong pursuit of something that never existed, just like the love of the emperor he had never received, over time, it had become an extremely obsessive obsession.

 

Qiu Jinghe didn’t know when he had been helped up by his confidant, sitting in a chair, his face being wiped with a hot towel, until he slowly returned to his senses from the trance.

 

“Master.” His confidant was a man with a very plain appearance, looking at him with such plain eyes that one could hardly remember his face:

 

“Lady Xiaoshu’s personal palace maid Qianhua said that today, Jingming indeed had a big quarrel with Lady Xiaoshu because of the matter of disbanding the harem.”

 

“As expected.” Qiu Jinghe was still a bit absent-minded, but his mind was slowly starting to work:

 

“Before Lady Xiaoshu entered the palace, she had a lover, but was separated by the emperor. She has been holding a grudge ever since, and she has a bold temper. It’s not surprising that she had a quarrel with Qiu Jingming just because of a few words instigated by Qianhua.”

 

“Heh.” Qiu Jinghe sneered, “I already guessed that Qiu Jingming, that brainless idiot, would try to make a move on Qiu Jingxiu under impulse, so I rushed to the palace when I heard he went there today, but I didn’t expect to catch him red-handed.”

 

“It’s a pity I didn’t manage to use the favor granted by the emperor to make him revoke the decree. It was a waste of Qianhua’s efforts behind the scenes and my carefully laid plan. It’s a pity.”

 

Qiu Jinghe tossed the towel back into the basin, causing ripples in the water, distorting and chilling his handsome face.

 

“What does His Highness plan to do now?” His trusted follower, Bai Mo, asked softly, “The Crown Prince is determined to win you over at this moment, which may not be easy to handle.”

 

Qiu Jinghe said in a low voice, as if speaking to himself rather than answering Bai Mo’s question, “Tomorrow, arrange a meeting with Qiu Jingming. Since he is so eager to court death… I’ll show some mercy and send him on his way.”

 

Bai Mo cautiously lifted his eyelids to look at Qiu Jinghe, and then carefully said, “Your Highness…”

 

“Three days.” Qiu Jinghe interrupted, “Give him three days. If he doesn’t show up within three days, then there’s no need to meet again. I’ll have to take care of him myself.”

 

Bai Mo nodded silently, understanding his master’s intentions.

 

Qiu Jinghe leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with thoughts. He couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling brought on by Qiu Jingming’s words about the empress dowager. It was a truth he couldn’t ignore, and it left him feeling vulnerable and exposed.

 

His mind drifted back to his mother, Empress Hui. He recalled how he rarely saw her, how her image was a distant memory shrouded in ambiguity. But now, faced with Yin Yuan, the empress dowager, his feelings were becoming clearer, yet more complicated. He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt towards her, but he also couldn’t understand its origins.

 

As he grappled with these conflicting emotions, Qiu Jinghe realized that his fate was intricately tied to the power struggles within the palace. He had to tread carefully, but he also couldn’t afford to show weakness.

 

With determination in his eyes, Qiu Jinghe made a silent vow to himself: he would navigate the treacherous waters of palace intrigue with cunning and strength, and he would emerge victorious, no matter the cost.