“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”
Emperor Jin’an opened his eyes, only to find Fu Cheng standing before him.
Fu Cheng’s hair had turned white, his face was wrinkled, and his back was slightly hunched.
Emperor Jin’an sighed inwardly; he had indeed returned.
“Elder Chen requests an audience, Your Majesty. Will you see him?”
Emperor Jin’an rubbed his temple, reached for a nearby tea, and took a sip.
The tea was still warm, as if he had never left, as if everything had been a dream. But Emperor Jin’an knew it wasn’t a dream. Her warmth still lingered in his hands, and his mories still haunted him.
He placed the tea cup down, a finely crafted Ding kiln white porcelain cup and it hit the sandalwood table. It made a pleasant, crisp sound, slightly heavier than before.
“Summon him.”
They had just finished discussing matters with several ministers, and it was past noon.
No one inquired whether he wanted lunch or not; it seed they had grown accustod to his erratic eating habits. Only Fu Cheng occasionally expressed concerns, though Fu Cheng had grown old, and his mory was not what it used to be. Sotis he would repeat sothing many tis, and other tis, he would forget to say what needed to be said.
The hall was exceptionally quiet, with only the clock in the Xnuan Pavilion ticking away, which for so reason made him feel uneasy.
Emperor Jin’an was examining the docunts when he occasionally glanced at the door. Fu Cheng noticed that Emperor Jin’an had done so several tis but assud it was rely to rest his eyes. Suddenly, Emperor Jin’an stood up without warning, and Fu Cheng followed.
Qianqing Palace was not far from Yongxin Hall, which was just outside the Yuehua Gate. Originally built as a temporary resting place for the emperor, it was not used for a long ti, so it later beca the building for the Ministry of Internal Affairs
It was noon, and many eunuchs and craftsn lingered in the place. They were chatting and laughing when Emperor Jin’an suddenly entered.
With a plop, everyone kneeled in fear, except for one man in a bright yellow dragon robe standing in the center, who seed lost, as if searching for sothing.
It was only at that mont that Emperor Jin’an realized he had indeed co back.
In this world, she was gone, and so were their children.
Amidst the bids of farewells, he walked out of the palace gates.
“Your Majesty?” Fu Cheng asked in confusion.
“Just taking a walk.”
Since Fu Cheng’s legs were not as agile as before, Emperor Jin’an’s pace also slowed considerably. They walked along the corridor, and the blue sky was divided into pieces by countless high walls, giving him a sense of unease.
So eunuchs were sweeping the brick floor, and they all turned to face the wall as Emperor Jin’an approached. They only dared to look back after he had passed, and they saw the familiar figure in the bright yellow robe. Walking slowly with his back straight, hands behind him and a familiar figure accompanying him. Yet, perhaps due to the gloomy weather, he seed strangely desolate. These two figures gradually disappeared from sight, leaving only the unchanging red walls and ceramic tiles.
The eunuch lowered his head and continued sweeping the floor, smiling at himself for overthinking.
“Your Majesty, would you like to visit the Imperial Garden?” Fu Cheng suggested as they continued walking.
Emperor Jin’an paused for a mont and said, “Let’s go and take a look.”
The Imperial Garden was beautiful year-round, but Emperor Jin’an had rarely visited. Even when banquets were held here, he would hurry through without stopping. In recent years, he had always been so busy, and as he thought about it, he wondered what he had been so busy with. The country, the people, the crown prince? It seed that apart from these, there was nothing else.
Standing at the eastern gate of Qiongyuan, the Imperial Garden was within reach, but Emperor Jin’an suddenly lost interest and turned around.
Fu Cheng didn’t ask why Emperor Jin’an changed his mind; perhaps, in his heart, Emperor Jin’an and leisurely garden strolls were unrelated.
If he returned to Qianqing Palace, there was nothing to do except look at the never-ending morials. The stack of morials that he would never finish.
Seeing Emperor Jin’an sit back at the desk, Fu Cheng let out a heavy sigh. Many tis, he wished Emperor Jin’an would change, but he couldn’t quite describe how. And Emperor Jin’an wouldn’t listen to him either.
After so ti had passed, Emperor Jin’an suddenly said, “Prompt the Ministry of Rites to make preparations for the crown prince’s coronation ceremony as soon as possible.”
“Very well.”
With Emperor Jin’an’s order, preparations for the crown prince’s coronation ceremony proceeded quickly.
Every day, officials from the Ministry of Rites visited Qing Wang Manor, but they weren’t looking for Qing Wang; they were looking for Qing Wang Shizi, Zhao Yan.
No, he wasn’t called Qing Wang Shizi anymore; he was now the crown prince, even though he still resided in Qing Wang Manor. In the past few days, Zhao Yan didn’t leave the manor, and he stayed by the side of Consort Qing.
But their companionship was nothing more than sleeping from night to morning and eating three als a day. Everyone knew these days were numbered.
The Ministry of Rites had sent the crown prince’s ceremonial attire, and the date for the grand ceremony had already been set for the following day.
The mother and son had their evening al together.
“After entering the palace, be very filial to your Imperial Uncle,” Consort Qing advised.
“This son knows.”
Zhao Yan hesitated for a mont, then asked, “Mother, have you ever regretted it?”
Consort Qing was taken aback, her thoughts drifting.
Regret?
Had she regretted being too stubborn, too proud, refusing to accept reality, failing to recognize her own place, and allowing her husband to be handed over to another woman? There could have been a different outco, but her obstinacy and arrogance had turned everything into chaos. Their relationship had almost reached the brink of collapse, and despite living under the sa roof for many years, they never t again.
Perhaps she had regretted it at so point, but the lesson was too profound, and the regret had co too late. There was no way to turn back, and so it remained.
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