Free Web NovelChapter 1280: Chapter 1269: Illegitimate Son
The Holy Emperor actually agreed to Prince Kang’s request to go to Nanyue, and seeing Prince Kang’s face full of accomplishment, it was clear he wasn’t just putting on a show.
Prince An and Prince Min felt a bit conflicted inside. They had thought that their elder brother was one of the obstacles on their path to seize the throne, but didn’t expect that the person who was fervently competing with them would suddenly withdraw from the stage. This feeling of being handed victory felt somewhat unreal to them.
Upon hearing the news that Prince Kang was about to set off for Nanyue, Empress of Fengyang Palace instantly fainted, and when this news reached the Emperor’s ears, he didn’t care about his busy state affairs and hurried over to see her.
"How is the Empress?" he anxiously asked the Imperial Physician taking her pulse.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Empress just fainted due to momentary emotional upheaval. Once I prescribe two doses of sleeping pills for her, she will be fine."
"That’s good." The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. He had just promised his son in the hall that he would take good care of his mother. If the Empress’s health had any issues at this time, wouldn’t that cause the situation to change again?
That’s right, the Emperor didn’t feel a bit sorry about his eldest son going to that poor and barren land. In his heart, the Crown Prince he favored wasn’t his eldest son anyway. Now that the eldest son requested to go to Nanyue himself, it saved him the time to find a reason to blame.
After a while, the Empress finally slowly woke up. Even though she quickly concealed the panic and sadness in her eyes, the Emperor still caught them.
This reassured him about his eldest son’s request to go to Nanyue. It seemed this wasn’t a meticulously planned scheme, but rather his eldest son suddenly went mad without informing the Empress.
But since he had opened his mouth, he wouldn’t give him the chance to refuse. However, he could treat this mother-son duo better in the future.
"Why has Your Majesty come?" the Empress said tiredly.
"I heard that you fainted, so I came to see how you are feeling now?" the Emperor asked with concern.
"It’s nothing major, just probably heatstroke because the weather is too hot, troubling Your Majesty."
"You are my Empress, me caring for you is the right thing to do. Lie down and rest for a while, I’ll ask Hong’er to come pay respects to you later."
"Hong’er he..." the Empress could not finish her sentence, instead she closed her eyes with a long sigh.
The Emperor did not comfort her further, but gently patted the quilt as if coaxing her to sleep.
The Empress closed her eyes with a mocking smile inside. How many years had it been since the Emperor treated her so gently like this? Indeed, just because the son slightly changed his attitude, showing disinterest in the throne, this man immediately treated her better as if with benevolence.
If her son had still shown a determined interest in the Crown Prince position as before, she would probably still be met with cold indifference.
Ye Qiu really is a talent. He grasped Your Majesty’s thoughts so accurately; this risky move seems to have been the right move. Now aside from waiting, she should brush up on Your Majesty’s favor. According to Ye Qiu’s plan, as long as Your Majesty stays healthy, the impatient Prince An and Prince Min will either kill each other or mess things up themselves.
On her part, she must remain calm and then expand and strengthen her forces in Nanyue. According to Ye Qiu’s statement, although Nanyue is currently poor and barren, its resource types, numbers, and geographical location all hold great advantages. As long as developed properly, Nanyue will become the strongest support for her son.
"What is this?" As the Emperor prepared to leave, a delicate little porcelain bottle rolled out from beside the Empress’s pillow. He curiously picked up the bottle, pulled out the stopper, and sniffed it, "Pills?"
Saying this, he furrowed his brows deeply, "Does the Empress usually take pills? It’s said that drugs have three parts poison; the Empress should self-discipline and set an example, not listen to those fables and Palace Attendants’ nonsense."
"These are no ordinary pills; they are personally prepared by Doctor Du according to his family’s ancestral recipe. The materials used and the method of preparation are extremely difficult, although they have no particular benefits, long-term use strengthens the body and delays aging." The Empress said unfazedly.
This was something they had agreed on beforehand after all, couldn’t really expose Ye Qiu, right?
"The Hospital Director from the Imperial Hospital said that regular exercise and medicinal meals also have this effect. I still recommend the Empress to eat less."
"That’s because Your Majesty hasn’t experienced the effects of this Elixir. Does Your Majesty feel that my hair has become much darker than before? Even my complexion is much more rosy, not to mention the reduction of the flabby fat from lack of exercise. I feel my body is better than ever recently. Without this Elixir, I probably wouldn’t have woken up so quickly today."
After hearing her words, the Emperor really focused on her hair and cheeks, becoming more intrigued the longer he observed.
"The Empress indeed looks more spirited than before. Is it really the effect of this Elixir? What kind of medicinal materials are used inside?" The Emperor asked with deep eyes.
"Since it’s a secret ancestral prescription from Doctor Du’s family, I heard it requires their unique pharmaceutical techniques. Thinking it is their ancestral secret, I didn’t have the nerve to ask. As long as this Elixir can be supplied timely, that’d be good. Originally thought of recommending it to Your Majesty after its effects become better in the coming days. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty discovered it himself, if Your Majesty thinks it’s beneficial, we can take it together, but it’s best that Hospital Director Liu first examines if the Elixir components are harmful to Your Majesty’s body."
"You make a good point, then I’ll take this bottle of Elixir with me." The Emperor said without any awkwardness. Not many people in the world dislike the idea of immortality, especially as the Emperor, the world’s most esteemed person, he naturally couldn’t bear losing his Jiang Shan.
In the past, Emperor Shi sent five hundred boys and girls to sea to find the Immortal Mountain, and then Emperor Wu believed the claims of alchemists. Just shows the allure of immortality to emperors.
"With this Elixir, Your Majesty will certainly be able to regain youthful vigor in the future, and my Daru Dynasty would have nothing to fear from the northern barbarians and the southern pirates." The Empress spared no effort flattering and coaxing the Emperor to have increasing confidence in the Elixir, while becoming more satisfied with the Empress and her son.
Seeing the Emperor leave the palace, the Empress’s lips curled into a mocking smile after years of marriage, and she had to rely on willingly giving up what was rightfully hers to regain some of his gentleness, how ironic?
Since he is heartless, he cannot blame her for being unkind.
Hong’er is her legitimate eldest son, according to the rules, he should be the Crown Prince of this Daru Dynasty, the future Emperor, but for that woman, for his little thoughts in his heart, over the years, he has not only targeted her family but also consistently belittled the two of them, the dignified Empress and legitimate eldest Prince, their authority in the palace was not even as good as a concubine and a bastard prince, how utterly absurd!
What’s rightfully hers and her son’s, no one can take away, not even this person as Emperor!
