The Sickly Seedling Dresses Up As An Unfortunate And Muddled Monarch - Chapter 51

Qiu Jinghe was led into Pixiang Hall by Eunuch Laifu.

 

He had been mentally drafting what he would say to Qiu Junyao the entire way, considering how to phrase his words. But unexpectedly—

 

Upon entering the hall, he didn’t see Qiu Junyao at all.

 

Even though it wasn’t time for his midday rest, Qiu Junyao was lying on the bed for some reason, with the bed curtains drawn. Through the thin, delicate curtains, Qiu Jinghe couldn’t make out Qiu Junyao’s face clearly. He could only see a faint, shadowy male figure, tall and handsome, with a calm and graceful demeanor. Even his voice was low and quiet:

 

“Jinghe, have you made up your mind?”

 

“…….”

 

Faced with the serene yet somewhat odd scene before him, Qiu Jinghe couldn’t speak immediately. He hesitated for a few seconds, standing there in a daze, until Eunuch Laifu frantically gave him a knowing look. It was only then that he seemed to realize what was happening and slowly knelt down after lifting his robes:

 

“Father…”

 

Just as he was hesitating about whether to speak the next sentence, Qiu Junyao said it for him:

 

“Do you have other thoughts about the marriage arrangement?”

 

Qiu Junyao coughed, clearing his throat to smooth out the hoarseness in his voice, and meanwhile, gently tugged on Yin Yuan’s hair, indicating for him to be more gentle:

 

“Do you not like Chu Yu?”

 

“No.” Qiu Jinghe immediately denied it. “Chu Yu is great.”

 

“…….Then what is it?”

 

As the two spoke, Yin Yuan’s fingers were already caressing Qiu Junyao, not too forcefully or gently, stroking him. Qiu Junyao’s eyes had turned dark and deep, desperately wanting to finish what they hadn’t started earlier. But with Qiu Jinghe still present, he pretended not to notice the heated atmosphere between them, which was so intense it could ignite the air. He continued speaking on his own:

 

“I just feel that… since it’s a command from my parents, and the matchmaker’s words, if Father wants to arrange a marriage for me, Jinghe has no other thoughts. It’s just that it would be proper to inform Mother Consort, according to the rites.”

 

“…….Your Mother Consort?”

 

Inside the bed curtains, Qiu Junyao was distracted while speaking with Qiu Jinghe, all the while slowly smearing something onto Yin Yuan’s face with his fingers, leaving winding trails of moisture on his fair, delicate skin. But Yin Yuan, unaware of the danger, stuck out his lotus-pink tongue to lick it, prompting Qiu Junyao to lose control, grabbing Yin Yuan’s hair and pressing him down firmly:

 

“That’s the proper way.”

 

“…….Father?”

 

Hearing Qiu Junyao’s almost hoarse voice, Qiu Jinghe found it difficult to reconcile this with the usually gentle and calm Qiu Junyao. He raised his head in confusion but noticed that the blanket covering Qiu Junyao’s lower half seemed to be slightly raised. However, from where he was standing, he couldn’t tell what was causing it and asked with concern:

 

“Is your throat… Have you caught a cold again?”

 

“No, I was just bitten by a little cat a few days ago, and it still feels a bit uncomfortable.”

 

Qiu Junyao emphasized the word “bitten,” as if warning of something, but the inexperienced Qiu Jinghe didn’t understand. Seeing that Qiu Junyao had agreed to let him visit his Mother Consort, he happily withdrew.

 

Halfway out, he seemed to remember something and turned back to Qiu Junyao:

 

“Father, my Mother Consort usually keeps her doors closed, almost never seeing visitors… not even me. So, could you issue an edict to allow me to see her?”

 

“…….I don’t have time right now.”

 

It seemed that Qiu Junyao was no longer sitting but lying down, though he didn’t appear to be resting peacefully. The bed curtains gently swayed, and after a moment, a fair, delicate hand reached out, gripping the bed frame tightly. The pair of light jade bangles on the wrist softly clinked together, masking any sound.

 

………Is that Mother Consort’s hand?

 

Standing far away, Qiu Jinghe couldn’t clearly see the hand’s features, but for some reason, the touch of Chu Yu’s hand from the other day suddenly flashed in his mind.

 

“Second Prince, are you alright?”

 

On the way to Consort Hui’s Qingjing Pavilion, Eunuch Laifu noticed Qiu Jinghe’s distracted state and asked in confusion:

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing… Nothing.” Qiu Jinghe replied. “By the way, what did I just say to Father?”

 

“You requested an edict from His Majesty to allow you to visit Consort Hui, but His Majesty said it wasn’t necessary and only issued a verbal command, which I am to convey, granting you permission to see her.”

 

Laifu laughed as he spoke: “Could it be that the Second Prince is eager to propose, and can’t wait to hear Consort Hui herself approve your marriage to the National Preceptor,, so you were so absent-minded all the way, forgetting what you said to His Majesty?”

 

“…….Did I?” Qiu Jinghe replied. “Do I look that eager?”

 

“Indeed, you do.” Laifu teased. “You were smiling from ear to ear, and yet you say you’re not impatient to marry the National Preceptor?”

 

“…….I wasn’t.”

 

Qiu Jinghe refused to admit that he had been thinking about Chu Yu earlier, feeling that Laifu was talking nonsense, so he deliberately changed the subject:

 

“Are we almost at Qingjing Pavilion?”

 

“Oh, look at me, I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot to lead the way. It’s my fault.”

 

Laifu bowed with a smile:

 

“Turn around the rockery ahead, and you’ll be at Consort Hui’s Qingjing Pavilion. I’ll go ahead to inform her, so she can prepare.”

 

“Thank you, Eunuch.”

 

Laifu shook his head with a smile, indicating it was unnecessary, and then left to notify Consort Hui.

 

Qiu Jinghe walked slowly behind, until he stood in front of the always-closed door of Qingjing Pavilion. He looked up at the door, lost in thought for a long time.

 

Memories of the past flooded back with just one look, and Qiu Jinghe couldn’t help but close his eyes, trying to suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart.

 

Ever since his birth, he had rarely seen Consort Hui and was mostly raised in the royal nursery by several wet nurses and elderly palace maids.

 

His mother didn’t seem to like him, nor did she like holding him. The beautiful woman would frown every time she saw him, and over time, a deep crease settled between her brows, making the relationship between mother and son even more distant.

 

……..They were even more estranged than strangers.

 

As a child, Qiu Jinghe didn’t understand what he had done wrong to make his Mother Consort dislike him so much. He tried hard to please her, studied diligently, and during festivals and her birthdays, he would give Consort Hui the rare treasures, gold, silver, and jade that Qiu Junyao had bestowed upon him, while he wore wooden hairpins and plain white robes, looking nothing like a prince.

 

But despite all this, Consort Hui remained cold towards him, even more so than before, to the point where she eventually refused to see him at all.

 

From a young age, Qiu Jinghe had always wanted to see his Mother Consort, but she rarely agreed. As time went on, Qiu Jinghe began to imagine that perhaps his Mother Consort had her reasons, that deep down, she was still a gentle mother, but for some unknown reason, she treated him with such indifference.

 

Over time, he started projecting these wishes and hopes onto Yin Yuan, who, in name, was his Empress Mother.

 

Yin Yuan embodied all the qualities he desired: gentle, intelligent, beautiful, kind, noble yet humble. Especially when he lay in Qiu Junyao’s arms, letting him stroke his hair, that smiling, serene expression exuded a gentle warmth that instantly reminded Qiu Jinghe of the graceful and gentle image of the mother he had always imagined.

 

Yin Yuan was so beautiful and perfect, almost like a flawless doll. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help but be drawn to him.

 

Even now, though Qiu Jinghe had realized that his feelings for Yin Yuan were not what he had previously thought, he still believed that Yin Yuan was the most beautiful and gentle person he had ever met, regardless of gender.

 

No wonder Father loved him so much, to the point of ignoring his gender and defying the court to make him the only male Empress in the history of the Da(Great) Yuan Dynasty.

 

Given how often Father favoured and visited his Mother Consort, if she could bear children, then half the children in the vicinity would probably carry the surname Qiu.

 

Thinking about the deep affection between his father and mother, Qiu Jinghe couldn’t help but let his mind wander. As he was lost in thought, the head palace maid of Consort Hui opened the door, came out, and respectfully greeted him:

 

“Second Prince.”

 

She said, “Concubine Huifei requests your presence inside.”

 

“… Alright.”

 

Qiu Jinghe gradually gathered his thoughts. He hadn’t expected that after all these years of seeking an audience, a single word from Qiu Junyao would be more effective. Sighing inwardly, he finally lifted his leg and silently followed the palace maid into Qingjing Pavilion.

 

Huifei had voluntarily divorced Qiu Junyao back then, but her maternal family had already fallen into decline. If she left the palace, she might face criticism, so she chose to stay.

 

Qiu Junyao still treated her well; everything in Qingjing Pavilion was arranged according to the status of a concubine. The place was clean yet not lacking in elegance. As Qiu Jinghe walked in, he could still smell the fragrance of morning bamboo flowers slowly wafting out in pale white wisps from the beast-shaped bronze incense burner. The surroundings were so quiet that the chirping of birds outside the window could be heard clearly.

 

The warm luster of blue and white porcelain reflected softly, and the glass screen remained quietly in place before the chaise longue. Qiu Jinghe couldn’t see Huifei, only hearing a faint, ethereal female voice coming from within, accompanied by the sound of hairpins swaying.

 

“What brings you to see me today?”

 

Even though Huifei couldn’t see him, Qiu Jinghe still followed etiquette, kneeling properly to pay his respects and bowing three times before speaking.

 

After bowing three times, Qiu Jinghe finally said, “Mother.”

 

He continued, “Your son is going to marry.”

 

“… Oh?” Huifei hadn’t expected Qiu Jinghe to come today without uttering any sentimental nonsense, but instead to be so direct. She instinctively asked, “What kind of person is it?”

 

“… Very beautiful.” Qiu Jinghe hesitated for a long time, then added, “Smart, with a good temperament, and even saved my life.”

 

“That’s good.” Huifei said indifferently, “If you want to marry, then marry. You’re sixteen now, and there’s not even a concubine or a maid in your house… Marrying a proper wife now is a good way to settle down early.”

 

“… Is there nothing else you want to say, Mother?” Qiu Jinghe asked, “If I get married, will you attend the wedding?”

 

“No,” Huifei refused outright, “I am focused on spiritual cultivation and have no time to attend your wedding… Besides, weddings are too noisy, and I don’t like it.”

 

“What if I said the person I’m marrying… is a man?” Qiu Jinghe asked, “Even now, you don’t have time to talk to me?”

 

“…”

 

There was a moment of silence behind the glass screen.

 

After a long time, Qiu Jinghe heard Huifei’s incredulous voice, “A man?!”

 

It was the first time Qiu Jinghe had heard Huifei lose her composure like this. His expression changed slightly, and he was about to speak when Huifei’s sudden change shocked him even more.

 

For no reason, Huifei seemed to go mad. She completely abandoned her usual cold and distant demeanor, suddenly raising her voice in laughter, “A man?! Hahaha, a man!”

 

Huifei’s laughter carried a hint of gritted teeth. “Absurd, truly absurd!”

 

She asked, “Who proposed this marriage to you?!”

 

“… Mother, it was Father.” Hearing Huifei’s voice change completely, Qiu Jinghe was momentarily stunned and subconsciously responded.

 

“Your father?!”

 

“Ha, your father.” It seemed Huifei had already guessed. After laughing, her tone quickly returned to a suppressed calm.

 

But her emotions seemed to remain intense. After a moment, she couldn’t hold back and swept her sleeve, knocking over a tea cup on the table.

 

“It’s been over ten years, and your father is still so absurd!”

 

“He actually wants you to marry a man…”

 

Huifei slumped onto the chaise longue, pressing her fingertips against her forehead. After a moment, she laughed, “It seems you have ultimately been abandoned.”

 

She continued, “Just like me, you too cannot escape the fate of being discarded. But maybe that’s for the best…”

 

Huifei continued murmuring to herself, but Qiu Jinghe couldn’t understand the hidden meaning in her words. He stared at the screen for a long time before finally mustering the courage to voice what was on his mind.

 

“Mother.”

 

His voice trembled slightly, as if carrying a hint of sobbing, “May I see you? It’s been… almost five years since I last saw you.”

 

Although the distance between them was so close, it felt so far. Qiu Jinghe was not a bad person; he had once schemed to win the throne, simply to earn a little attention from his parents.

 

Now, even though he was getting married, Huifei wouldn’t even attend his wedding…

 

Qiu Jinghe couldn’t understand—

 

Why did his mother treat him so coldly? What had he done wrong?

 

“See me?”

 

But Huifei seemed oblivious to the grievance in Qiu Jinghe’s words, maintaining her usual cold attitude.

 

After her brief moment of madness, Huifei quickly collected herself, reverting to her usual distant demeanor.

 

“Why bother seeing me?”

 

Hearing this, Qiu Jinghe prostrated himself on the ground, his thin back trembling as if bearing an unbearable weight.

 

“Are we not mother and son? Can’t I even be allowed to see you?”

 

“Mother and son? Ha, mother and son…” Huifei covered her forehead with her palm, saying, “Our bond as mother and son was always shallow.”

 

There was a faint sigh in her voice, “Jinghe…”

 

A pair of purple palace shoes slowly stepped out from behind the glass screen. From Qiu Jinghe’s angle, he could see the swaying flesh-colored scarf on the ground, just as in his memory, something he had missed for so many years.

 

But when he looked up, the face he had idealized in his memory had become pale and coarse, no longer as radiant as before. There were faint lines on her cheeks, and her brows were still tightly furrowed, as if life had worn her down, leaving only exhaustion and countless scars.

 

In Qiu Jinghe’s gradually widening eyes, Huifei squatted down and looked at him. Her expression was cold, and so was her heart.

 

“Jinghe… I’m old, but you are still young… and your father is still young.”

 

Her fingernails, painted with bean red, brushed against Qiu Jinghe’s slightly fearful face, carefully examining him. Her movements were gentle, but her tone carried a deep, unseen hatred.

 

“Your father ruined me, and now he wants to ruin you too…”

 

She said, “He has you call me Mother… How laughable… Look at your face, every expression, every inch resembles your father…”

 

With that, Huifei forcefully grabbed Qiu Jinghe’s chin, her grip so tight it left red marks, causing him such pain that he almost cried out.

 

But the next moment, Huifei’s words made Qiu Jinghe forget to cry out. He was stunned, standing there in shock, unable to speak in his fear.

 

“Look at my face, Jinghe, take a good look… Do you resemble me in any way?”