Chapter 95 |
Qu Dubian buried Da Hei on a mountain on the outskirts of the capital.
He had no desire to inter him within the palace—that gilded cage which appeared magnificent but was, in truth, suffocatingly narrow.
The puppy Da Hei had retrieved from the kennel was a little male. Because its right ear was white, Qu Dubian gave it the name 'Yidianbai'.
Yidianbai was a puppy in every sense of the word. He was mischievous, destructive, and constantly teething—lacking entirely the mature steadiness of his grandmother-figure, Da Hei. Or perhaps, he simply hadn't reached that age yet.
When Da Hei had first passed away peacefully of old age, countless people had come—both openly and discreetly—to check on Qu Dubian, fearing the grief might cause him to collapse or fall ill.
Qu Dubian was indeed sad, but not devastatingly so.
He knew that Da Hei had lived happily by his side these past few years. Before departing for the stars, the dog had even fulfilled its own persistence to pull the little cart one last time. There were no regrets.
No regrets...
Qu Dubian still occasionally recalled events from his previous life.
Because the trauma had been so severe, his brain had automatically locked away and deleted those memories, leaving behind only blurred fragments.
He remembered lying beneath his parents, looking up and calling out to them, while their viscous blood dripped onto his face, the wings of his nose, and into his mouth.
From then on, he had developed a stress reaction to the scent of blood.
It improved significantly as he grew older, though ironically, he ended up dying in a car accident himself. Such was time; such was fate.
His regret back then was that he never had a proper farewell with his parents, nor the chance to love them properly.
Although this current life had its share of vexing matters, he at least possessed far more familial love, friendship, and the affection of a dog than he ever had in his previous life.
"Aowu!"
A howl came from below.
Qu Dubian rolled over and sat up on the roof, only to see Yidianbai dashing out of his sleeping quarters with one of his boots clamped in its jaws.
The dog dropped the boot, tilted its head at him, and then—right before his eyes—grabbed the boot again and dragged it away. It even tumbled backward while trying to navigate the steps.
Qu Dubian: "..."
He summoned Liu Liu to fish him down from the roof, then charged off to chase the dog:
"You rebellious son!! Stealing shoes again!!"
-
Zichen Hall.
Emperor Chongzhao asked, "How is Little Seven doing?"
Eunuch Yu replied, "His spirits were low for a few days, accompanied by a touch of wind-chill and a stuffy nose, but he seems to have improved recently."
Both the Imperial Hospital and Shunning Palace had been on high alert these past few days, waiting for the Seventh Prince to cause a stir so they could administer medicine and treatment. The Imperial Hospital had even prepared herbs for treating stagnation of the heart and dispelling grief.
Who would have thought the Seventh Prince would withstand it on his own?
Emperor Chongzhao said, "We must not let our guard down regardless."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, everyone is watching," Eunuch Yu responded. He stole a glance at Emperor Chongzhao's expression, recalling the inquiry Consort Xuan had entrusted him with, and added softly, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Highness is nearly ten years old. Do you think... we should begin preparing the Princes' Quarters in advance?"
Emperor Chongzhao furrowed his brows and sighed. "Let him stay in Shunning Palace until he is twelve. Consort Xuan takes excellent care of him. In another two years, his constitution will be sturdier."
Eunuch Yu bowed. "Yes."
He did not spread this news.
However, when the Seventh Prince turned ten and there was still no movement between the Princes' Quarters and Shunning Palace, everyone understood Emperor Chongzhao's intention.
The First Prince, already married, was not so petty as to be jealous, but he still lamented somewhat.
"Father favors Little Seven the most, after all. I originally thought that after Sihe was born, Father's affection would be divided a little, but in reality, it hasn't changed at all."
Shu Wenxin remarked, "The Seventh Prince is, after all, His Majesty's youngest son, and was personally raised by His Majesty for several months; naturally, it is different. Princess Sihe has been raised at the Empress's knee since childhood—how many times a month does His Majesty even see her?"
The difference in treatment was obvious to anyone with half a brain.
The Second Prince and the Third Prince sat together.
The Second Prince sighed, "We certainly didn't receive the treatment Seventh Brother enjoys."
The Third Prince agreed, "Isn't that the truth? When Noble Lady Rong passed away years ago, Little Five was still a few months shy of ten, yet Father still sent him to the Princes' Quarters."
He poured a cup of wine. "Second Brother is getting married soon, I hear? The daughter of a Hanlin Academician—a distinct and honorable family. Quite good."
The Second Prince replied, "She is merely a side consort. The position of official wife should be reserved for one's beloved."
"Hahaha, Second Brother speaks as if we have that kind of freedom."
"I cannot compare to you, Third Brother. Consort Wen personally interceded to request the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the Minister of Rites," the Second Prince said with a faint smile, offering a compliment.
The Third Prince chuckled. "I still have to wait two years before I marry."
The two raised their glasses in idle chatter.
The Princes' Quarters.
"I thought Little Seven would have to go and act spoiled for Father to agree," the Fifth Prince said with a smile. "It seems I underestimated Little Seven's place in Father's heart."
The Fourth Prince responded, "It was to be expected. The process matters little." He struggled to open his drowsy eyes and patted the Fifth Prince's arm. "Do not feel slighted."
The Fifth Prince laughed involuntarily. "Why would I?"
Slighted? No one knew better than he just how cold-blooded their father was at his core.
The golden-eyed scorpion on his desk reminded him of that every moment.
He had no desire for that affection, tainted as it was with falsehoods and saturated with power plays.
Regardless of what those outside thought.
Qu Dubian indeed continued to live his daily life in Shunning Palace—generally peaceful, occasionally chaotic. He moved in a repetitive loop between the outside world, the schoolroom, Shunning Palace, Cining Palace, the Princes' Quarters, and Zichen Hall.
He walked his dog along the palace paths, and in the blink of an eye, another two years passed.
Yidianbai gradually grew into a handsome, young medium-sized dog, while Qu Dubian turned twelve, blossoming into a proper lad.
-
The Residence of the Nanning Hostage.
Yu Ruo was rather depressed.
For the past two years, he had constantly sought a chance to speak with the Seventh Prince. Perhaps it was because he had suffered defeat at the boy's hands twice, or perhaps it was simple curiosity, but he was desperate to have an encounter with the Seventh Prince.
However, every time the Seventh Prince saw him, he would either change the subject or choke him with words.
After every such retort, the Seventh Prince would look at him with a strange expression and ask if he had a hobby of being a "Shake-M".
He didn't know what a "Shake-M" was. Thinking it was a special game of the Great Zhou, he sincerely said he could learn it.
The Seventh Prince had spat out his tea and fled on the spot.
He asked many people, but no one else knew what "Shake-M" meant, nor was it recorded in any literary books. To him, this term remained an unsolved mystery.
"There is a convention for Great Zhou princes to enter the Princes' Quarters at ten, though exceptional cases can be delayed until twelve. The Seventh Prince is about to turn twelve. Once he enters the Princes' Quarters, I can take the initiative to find him."
After all, the Princes' Quarters were close to the Outer Court and distinctly separate from the Inner Palace.
Previously, while the Seventh Prince lived in Shunning Palace, Yu Ruo could only passively wait for him to leave the palace grounds to speak with him.
"Your Highness, is it because you lost to him twice that you are so fixated on him?" Gu Xin could not quite understand why his master was so obsessed with the Seventh Prince.
As a hostage from Nanning in the Great Zhou, his master was frequently subjected to sarcastic remarks and difficulties.
Although the Seventh Prince did not attack others verbally, he always dismantled the Prince's plans or undercut him, appearing for all the world like an ignorant, insensible scion of the royal family.
Yu Ruo said, "Call it intuition if you like. I just feel that he is hiding a great many things, and I am simply curious about what exactly he is concealing."
Among all the princes of Great Zhou, only this one lived differently from the others.
"When is he moving? I'll find a time to go see him."
Gu Xin hesitated for a moment. "I reckon he won't be moving anytime soon."
"Hmm? Didn't the Emperor of Great Zhou issue a decree?"
"The very afternoon the decree was issued, the Seventh Prince fell ill again."
Yu Ruo: "..."
How timely.
-
The Imperial Garden.
By the side of Taihu Lake.
It was early summer, and the young lotus leaves were just beginning to unfurl their sharp tips.
A chaise longue, not luxurious but sufficiently comfortable, was placed by the shore. Lying upon it was a young boy dressed in a thin pale blue shirt, a jade thumb ring pendant hanging from his neck.
Qu Dubian lay leisurely on the chaise, fishing.
The pond was teeming with red and gold koi, with only a small number of long-spined fish.
He balanced a specially made ice pack from Shunning Palace on his head. His cheeks were flushed red from fever, and he coughed occasionally before picking up a walnut that Ye Banban had peeled for him from the small table nearby.
They were fresh green walnuts, unroasted, possessing a unique flavor.
Ye Xiaoyuan sat on a small stool and touched his Highness's neck, worried. "Your Highness, why don't you go back and lie down?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I don't feel bad."
He was telling the honest truth. This time, it wasn't for life points; he simply wanted to wear down his cheap father to see if he could stay in Shunning Palace for a while longer, even if just for another year.
Although he could visit Shunning Palace after moving to the Princes' Residence, it would ultimately be inconvenient.
Qu Dubian looked at his fishing rod, which hadn't seen a bite in a long time, and sighed deeply. He never thought the day would come when he would feel homesick and reluctant to leave.
He lifted the rod slightly. "This rod is no good; it can't catch any fish."
Yidianbai was playing wildly by the lake. Suddenly, it stared motionlessly at the water's surface, then dove in with a splash.
A few seconds later, it raised its head, a long-spined fish clamped in its mouth. It walked valiantly over to Qu Dubian and dropped the fish into the wooden bucket beside him.
Yidianbai wagged its tail dashingly.
The two-legged beast was sickly and couldn't survive without it. It still had to rely on the dog to hunt and provide.
Qu Dubian: "..."
He sat up halfway, threw the small blanket covering him over the dog's head, and rubbed it vigorously. Between coughs, he scolded the dog, "Your muzzle is covered in mud! I just gave you a bath the day before yesterday!"
He pried open Yidianbai's mouth. "Open wide, let me see if you ate any mud."
Eunuch Yu had been searching for a long time before finally spotting the Seventh Prince and his company by Taihu Lake. He hurried over. "Oh my, Your Highness, I've finally found you."
Qu Dubian said, "I'm fishing. Would Eunuch Yu like some walnuts?"
"This servant will pass," Eunuch Yu advised him. "Why must you be so stubborn with His Majesty?"
Ever since His Majesty decided to have the Seventh Prince move to the Princes' Residence, the Seventh Prince had fallen ill. Every day, instead of going to the schoolroom or resting in Shunning Palace, he wandered around outside.
He claimed it was to adapt in advance to life away from Shunning Palace.
But anyone with eyes could see that the Seventh Prince just wanted to stay in Shunning Palace and was being obstinate with His Majesty in a roundabout way.
If it were any other prince, Emperor Chongzhao would have forcibly packed them up and thrown them into the Princes' Residence. But the Seventh Prince was different. First, his health was fragile, so no one dared to move him by force. Second, His Majesty had long grown accustomed to being exasperated by the Seventh Prince from time to time.
He had come this time on His Majesty's instructions to have a good talk with the Seventh Prince, or at least coax him back to Shunning Palace first.
Qu Dubian replied, "I'm not being stubborn with him."
Eunuch Yu said, "Then will you return to the palace?"
Qu Dubian said, "No, I'm going to Zichen Hall in a bit."
"?" Eunuch Yu asked, "You're going to Zichen Hall looking like this?"
Qu Dubian pointed to the fish in the wooden bucket. "I went to great lengths to catch this. I want to share it with Father Emperor."
Water from the melting ice pack on his forehead slid down his temples. He looked as though he might collapse at any moment, causing Eunuch Yu's heart to tremble with fear.
"Let's go."