Chapter 27

The Fourth Prince had just finished expressing his longing for his mother when she arrived in short order.

Successive announcements echoed from outside. The concubines from other palaces, lacking the urgency of Noble Consort Rong and Consort Shu, followed proper protocol and waited for the Emperor’s nod before entering.

Xue Jin’an recalled the descriptions from the original novel and compared them one by one with the arrivals.

The third to arrive was the First Prince’s mother, Consort De of the Lin clan, daughter of the Minister of the Supreme Court, Lin Ruofu. She was not dressed in formal court attire but in a black riding habit, holding a black horse whip. She strode in with long, confident steps. The unbridled, spirited look in her eyes added a certain allure to her otherwise unremarkable features, making her appear exceptionally sharp and capable.

The original novel mentioned that Consort De had three great passions: drinking, gambling, and horse riding.

However, she had a low tolerance for alcohol and was a poor loser at cards; only her horse riding could be called truly exceptional. The Emperor was quite fond of her when she was on horseback. While he did not visit the Qing’an Palace often, whenever there was a royal hunt, Consort De was guaranteed a place. The Emperor even had a section of the Imperial Beast Garden cordoned off specifically for her to keep pets and exercise her horses, and she would spend time there whenever she had the chance.

Thus, horse riding was the true love among her three passions—so much so that even when the First Prince was placed under house arrest in the eighth month, it could not stop her from participating in the autumn hunt in the ninth.

Following close behind Consort De was the Third Prince’s mother, Consort Xian. Her voice could be heard before she even appeared. She called out for the Emperor repeatedly, and upon entering, immediately asked, "Are you alright?" She then turned to scold the eunuchs, palace maids, and imperial guards nearby. She did not even spare Li Hechun, snapping harshly, "Failure to protect the sovereign is a capital crime!"

Although Consort Xian came from a military family where her father, uncles, and brothers were all rough-hewn men—her brother, Qian Dezhong, was practically the reincarnation of the legendary brute Li Kui—she herself was a stunning, vibrant beauty who looked completely out of place among her relatives, holding her own even among the three thousand beauties of the inner palace.

Even her overbearing demeanor while scolding others was quite a sight to behold, though that beauty did little to make those she pointed her finger at feel any better.

Li Hechun, the dignified Head Eunuch who had served by the Emperor’s side for over twenty years, had not been reprimanded like this for ages. His usual "chrysanthemum-like" smile faltered. He raised his hands to his face, hunched his back, and lowered his head to hide his expression, his voice thin and humble as he muttered, "This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die."

"A bunch of useless trash," Consort Xian added with a delicate roll of her eyes, which finally brought the matter to a close.

...Well, this was exactly as written in the original text. Xue Jin’an quickly scanned the plot points of Consort Xian’s introduction. It was a recurring theme that whenever she appeared, she had to scold the Emperor’s attendants, claiming they were not taking proper care of him. As the Emperor’s personal eunuch, Li Hechun was inevitably the one most frequently berated.

The Third Prince was known as a brute among the princes, and his martial prowess was widely acknowledged as the best among them. After reaching adulthood, he went to train in the Weihu Battalion of the Southwestern Army, where his uncle, General Qian Dezhong, was stationed. He earned significant military merit and took the opportunity to consolidate the support of various military households.

Unfortunately, the imperial court was always dominated by scholars playing power games. The Third Prince lacked capable advisors and was never able to secure a seat at the table of political strife. While the First and Fifth Princes were fighting until they were both crippled, he was in the military camp buying hearts; when the Ninth Prince rose rapidly to challenge the Second Prince, he was in the military camp buying hearts; and when the Fourth and Sixth Princes were brought into the fold, he was still in the military camp buying hearts.

In the end, the Fifth Prince went mad, the First Prince was placed under house arrest, the Ninth Prince was rebuked by the Emperor over the Cui Zui incident, and the Second Prince was executed for treason. The Third Prince, believing himself the eldest and most "favored" among the remaining usable princes, felt his time had come and that his younger brothers should support his ascension.

Consequently, having jumped too high, he was maneuvered and incited by his brothers—the Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth—and ultimately destroyed by being "praised to death" under accusations of "having merit so great it threatened the throne" and "plotting to seize the imperial robes."

At that time, the Emperor was already aged and had just experienced the Second Prince’s coup, making him highly suspicious. Spies from the Imperial Clothing Office reported that a Taoist had prophesied the Third Prince had the "auspicious aura of the rising sun and a nobility beyond measure." His reputation for virtue began to spread among the commoners, and even ministers began to openly praise him. Naturally, the Emperor was displeased. He ordered an investigation, which uncovered that the Third Prince had been privately manufacturing weapons and imperial robes, and that his household standards exceeded what was permitted.

The Emperor, in a rage, ordered the Imperial Guards to surround the Third Prince’s residence and threatened to strip him of his title. Just as he was being talked down by court officials and other princes, news arrived that three thousand soldiers from the Weihu Battalion had come to rescue the Third Prince. As if that weren't enough, the Third Prince, claiming he wanted to explain things clearly to the Emperor, actually led those three thousand armored troops to storm the palace!

...In the end, the Third Prince was shot to death by a hail of arrows in front of the Qianyuan Palace.

After the Third Prince’s death, Consort Xian was hanged in the Yonghe Palace, with Li Hechun personally overseeing the execution.

In the original novel, the Emperor never actually ordered Consort Xian’s execution. When Li Hechun later reported her death, he used the words "committed suicide out of fear of crime," and the Emperor’s only reaction was to stand alone on the steps for a long time.

Therefore, the prevailing view among readers was that Consort Xian’s death was Li Hechun’s act of personal vendetta. It was also from this point that it became clear the Emperor was aging and losing his grip, his control over power far less than before, with even his own confidants beginning to act on their own agendas.

Xue Jin’an knew these reader opinions so well because, as a shut-in, he had felt a strange empathy for the Emperor character and had written a thousands-word long-form analysis. Because the novel platform was prone to deleting comments, he had specifically backed up the draft in his notes.

Returning to the present, the Third Prince might seem to be holding his own against the Second Prince in the Imperial Study, but in reality, it was only because the First Prince had shifted his focus to the court and the younger brothers had not yet grown up. To put it bluntly, it was just a case of "when there is no tiger in the mountains, the monkey reigns as king."

After Consort De and Consort Xian, Consort Zhen made her grand finale entrance. The Fourth Prince’s refined, handsome features were inherited from her. Yet, despite the similar facial structure, Consort Zhen carried an air of melancholy. A string of 108 red agate prayer beads, intricately carved with Buddhist scriptures, was wrapped three times around her right wrist, completely covering the skin there.

She fingered another string of emerald jade prayer beads in her hand, her whole person permeated with the scent of sandalwood from years of Buddhist devotion. Her downcast eyes and composed demeanor made her look as compassionate and merciful as a Bodhisattva in a shrine, and even the vermilion mole beneath her eye, which should have been flirtatious, now appeared solemn and dignified.

"This concubine greets the Emperor," Consort Zhen said, bowing in greeting.

The Emperor unconsciously straightened his posture, his imposing aura softening slightly as he nodded. "No need for formalities. Take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Consort Zhen rose but did not sit immediately. Instead, her gaze swept across the group of princes.

The Fourth Prince immediately poked his head out from behind the Third Prince, sniffing and looking aggrieved, wanting comfort. "Mother—"

Before he could finish the word "Consort," she shifted her gaze to Xue Jin’an, who was sitting on a stool in the corner. Xue Jin’an felt quite conspicuous sandwiched between the two pairs of embracing mother and son, and his position in the center of the hall was obstructing the grand entrances of the other ladies.

So, as Li Hechun guided the two concubines to their seats and called for a young eunuch to clear the chair left empty by the Fifth Prince, Xue Jin’an very consciously picked up his own stool and moved it to the corner, where he began to sit and watch the show.

Everyone who watched his movements drew a sharp breath, and even Li Hechun carefully gauged the Emperor’s expression.

The Emperor: "..."

Having already witnessed Xue Jin’an’s ability to render others speechless, the Emperor looked away, choosing to ignore what he could not see.

Li Hechun hissed internally, secretly bumping up the Seventh Prince’s status in his mind. Regardless of whether the Seventh Prince’s performance just now was because he truly didn't understand or was intentionally playing a game, the fact that the Emperor did not pursue the matter was clear.

Whether it was out of guilt and lingering affection for Consort Zhen, or because the Emperor realized the Seventh Prince’s hardships over the years and wanted to make amends—

Li Hechun realized his thoughts were getting out of hand and hurriedly stopped, cursing himself internally: "Getting old and useless, can't even keep my thoughts in check, always dredging up those deadly old stories... Better forget it quickly. If I ever let it slip, my life will be over!"

In any case, the reason didn't matter, and he didn't need to know. It was enough to know that the Emperor’s tolerance for the Seventh Prince far exceeded that for the other princes.

If what his master said was true, and the Empress Dowager wanted to personally select a tutor for the Seventh Prince—and the one she chose was Prime Minister Cui—then perhaps the Seventh Prince was truly about to see the end of his suffering. Li Hechun glanced subtly at Xue Jin’an, already beginning to ponder how to act naturally when the Empress Dowager brought it up.

As for the possibility that the Emperor would reject the Empress Dowager’s proposal, Li Hechun didn't even consider it.

After all, that was the Empress Dowager. She was the Emperor’s grandmother, the only elder he respected, and the woman who had exhausted her life’s energy for the stability of the Great Qi! Unless the Empress Dowager wanted to return to the court and share power with the Emperor, no matter what request she made—even if she wanted to find a companion to paint the Grand Ancestor’s tombstone some healthy color—ahem, the Emperor wouldn't refuse. At most, he would offer a word of caution to take care of her health.

Xue Jin’an noticed Li Hechun’s furtive glance and felt that behind that chrysanthemum-like face were nothing but twisted schemes, making Xue Jin’an feel a restless urge to "connect to his Bluetooth."

But Xue Jin’an was a "broke device" and could only sigh at the brain he couldn't access.

Besides Li Hechun, Xue Jin’an also felt the other princes standing nearby casting looks of amazement, envy, or jealousy—well, the emotions were too complex, and Xue Jin’an, whose "battery" was low, didn't want to analyze them at all.

Since none of them spoke up, Xue Jin’an simply ignored them and focused on watching the family drama before him.

The Sixth Prince, having had a good cry in front of his brothers, felt a bit embarrassed and was still shaken by the assassination attempt. He wanted to linger in his mother’s arms, but Consort Shu was not as indulgent as he hoped, gently but firmly separating them.

The Sixth Prince’s mouth puckered, ready to cry again, but Consort Shu simply held up a single finger. After one breath, the Sixth Prince forced his tears back, and though reluctant, obediently took the handkerchief his mother handed him to wipe his messy face.

Afterward, Consort Shu began to chat idly with the Emperor and Noble Consort Rong.

Consort Shu’s temperament was too cold, and the Sixth Prince’s obedient behavior was truly pitiful, so the whole scene gave the impression that Consort Shu was being overly harsh on him.

But in reality, Xue Jin’an’s high-definition "camera" clearly and accurately detected that Consort Shu’s gaze never left the Sixth Prince’s face. When the Sixth Prince finished wiping his face and was about to put the handkerchief away, she lightly took it from his hand and meticulously wiped away every trace of residue he had missed.