Yan Zhiyu pressed his temples as he leaned against the couch, using his other hand to cover the ears of the child in his arms. With a calm and indifferent expression, he looked at the person standing before him.
“Only Prince Ning’s people went?”
“Yes.” A shadow guard dressed in pitch-black martial attire knelt before the couch, replying respectfully. “Prince Duan and Prince Qi only had gifts sent to the residence.”
Yan Zhiyu let out a cold hmpf and raised his chin slightly. The shadow guard instantly vanished from the room. Only then did Yan Zhiyu lower his hand and gently pat the back of the child in his arms.
Dressed in bright yellow robes that enveloped his small frame, the child pushed a plump little hand out of his wide, oversized sleeves and clutched at Yan Zhiyu’s sleeve. Before he could wake up fully, his hand was gently caught and held by a soft palm.
The little hand moved slightly before quickly growing still once more.
At that moment, Xu Jinbao pushed the door open. The creaking sound startled the sleeping child, who furrowed his brows and let out a soft, sleepy whimper.
“Be a good boy.” Yan Zhiyu turned his hand to stroke that small face, his slender fingers brushing across the lightly furrowed brow before resting upon the damp corner of the child’s eyes. He then raised his gaze, casting an icy glare toward the person who had just entered.
Xu Jinbao walked over with his head lowered, speaking in a muffled voice. “Empress Dowager, the Prince Regent has arrived at the Zichen Palace.”
“What is a Zhen-Zhen Wang?” Little Yunshuo raised a hand to rub his eyes, rubbing his soft little face against Yan Zhiyu’s chest.
Yan Zhiyu’s expression instantly filled with warmth. He lowered his head to kiss the child’s hair and spoke in a gentle tone, “He is an unimportant person. How about you go with Father-Empress to meet him?”
Little Yunshuo nodded, reached out to wrap his arms around Yan Zhiyu’s neck, and asked in a babyish, piping voice, “Daddy, when is Imperial Father coming back?”
Yan Zhiyu’s gaze darkened. “Imperial Father is not coming back.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Didn’t I teach you yesterday that you should call me Father-Empress?”
“But Imperial Father said it is better to call you Daddy.” Little Yunshuo pouted, speaking in a soft voice. “Imperial Father said to only call you Father-Empress in front of outsiders, and to call you Daddy in private. He said it is much cuter that way, and when Daddy sees how cute I am, you will be happy!”
When on earth did he teach him that?
Yan Zhiyu sighed, reaching out to ruffle the child’s hair. “Call me however you like.” With that, he ordered servants to bring water and wrung out a hand towel to wipe the little one’s face. Once the child was more awake, he scooped him up and boarded the palanquin heading toward the Zichen Palace.
Ling Lie had passed away barely two days ago, and those brothers of his who had failed in their bids for the throne had flooded into the capital under the pretext of mourning, showing no signs of leaving even after the funeral rites concluded. The court was currently unsettled, and those with restless ambitions had already begun approaching those imperial princes. After all, compared to the clueless little toddler in his arms, it was crystal clear who was better suited for the throne. Left with no choice, he had been forced to appoint a Prince Regent to pacify the populace.
The various princes possessed far too much ambition. If one of them were to ascend the throne, they would likely usurp power and replace the dynasty before long. Thus, he had no choice but to select someone from among Ling Lie’s powerless brothers.
He had heard Ling Lie mention this Ling Dong once before, but knew very little about him. According to the aged eunuchs in the palace, the man was a sickly weakling who had never set foot in the capital since the time he was granted his princely title. He figured such a person would be relatively easy to manipulate. Right now, he only hoped the wolf he had invited in was not actually a wolf at all.
Yan Zhiyu lowered his gaze to look at the little fellow still nibbling on a pastry in his arms, letting out a silent sigh.
As he was pondering, the palanquin arrived at the Zichen Palace. Yan Zhiyu set the child down on the ground and reached out to hold his hand.
Holding onto him, Little Yunshuo skipped and hopped as he followed along toward the Zichen Palace, asking along the way, “Daddy, is the Zhen-Zhen Wang someone who raises birds?”
“It is the Prince Regent,” Yan Zhiyu said helplessly. “You must not say it like that once we see him. You sound so silly.”
“Oh.” Little Yunshuo smiled obediently, the flesh on his cheeks piling up into two rosy little mounds, looking exceptionally cute.
The child had inherited the fine looks of both fathers, especially his eyes, which bore a striking resemblance to his late Imperial Father. Every time he saw the boy smile like that, Yan Zhiyu always felt a little better inside.
The large figure and the small one walked hand-in-hand into the Zichen Palace. Hearing footsteps, the Prince Regent, who had been waiting inside the hall for quite some time, slowly turned around. His distinct, black-and-white phoenix eyes swept across the room, coming to rest fixedly on Yan Zhiyu’s face.
The moment their eyes met, joy burst forth in Ling Lie’s eyes, but it froze upon colliding with the sheer astonishment in Yan Zhiyu’s eyes, and then dimmed away.
Upon seeing that face, Yan Zhiyu felt an even greater shock ripple through his heart.
They looked too much alike. How could they possibly look this identical?
Yan Zhiyu knew that Ling Dong’s biological mother and Imperial Noble Consort Shu were twins, but he had never expected that their children would also grow up looking so remarkably alike. For a fleeting second, he felt as though he were experiencing hallucinations, seeing the person who had already passed away standing right before him, or perhaps that person had come back to life.
Yet that man had died right before his eyes, and he had personally watched the coffin being sealed. In his heart, he knew clearer than anyone else that Ling Lie was dead and could never return.
However, while he knew this, little Yunshuo did not.
Catching sight of that familiar face from afar, the little fellow instantly dropped Yan Zhiyu’s hand, trotted over eagerly, and called out in a baby voice, “Imperial Father!”
Ling Lie bent down to catch the little fellow hurling himself forward, his expression softening as he raised a hand to stroke the child’s hair. “A-Xue.”
Hearing those two words, the sorrowful look on Yan Zhiyu’s face instantly darkened.
On the day his son was born, a heavy snow had fallen, which was why the child’s milk name was given as A-Xue. Many people knew of it, but that definitely did not include the Prince Regent, who had only entered the capital last night. Someone must have seen the boy looking like Ling Lie and taught him to say that.
At this thought, a wave of revulsion washed over Yan Zhiyu. He quickened his pace into the hall, scooped the acting-spoiled child up into his arms, and glared coldly at the Prince Regent.
Ling Lie was taken aback by the stare.
The Yan Zhiyu in his memory was a shy, obedient darling who would always bashfully hide behind him upon seeing people, looking as cute as a little rice dumpling. Since when had he ever worn such an expression?
His gaze swept over the unfamiliar guards stationed all around, and his heart sank.
The commander of the Feathered Forest Guard was his own man, and the palace guards were ones he had personally verified time and again. Now that they had all been replaced, something major must have happened. No wonder his empress reacted this way; he must have been terrified out of his wits.
A pang of ache gripped his heart. Ling Lie stood up and offered Yan Zhiyu a smile. “Xiao Yu.”
Yan Zhiyu furrowed his brows and barked sternly, “Who gave you permission to address Us by Our given name?”
Ling Lie froze once more, softening his tone as he coaxed, “It is me. I have come back. I…”
As he spoke, he reached out a hand, but Yan Zhiyu took half a step back. Two guards immediately stepped forward to separate them, the atmosphere turning sharply tense in an instant.
“Prince Regent, you have overstepped your bounds.” Yan Zhiyu looked at him with an icy expression, his hands holding the child slowly tightening. “We do not know where you heard about the late Emperor, but you had better behave yourself. Otherwise, you might not be able to walk out of this Zixiao Palace.”
That gaze filled with wariness abruptly choked off the rest of Ling Lie’s words. His gaze slid downward, landing on the hands holding the child, hands that were currently trembling imperceptibly.
He was afraid. Something must have happened before he arrived.
A sharp glint flashed through Ling Lie’s eyes. He slowly took half a step back, his gaze dropping to the floor along with his bowing posture. He gave a few low coughs and spoke respectfully, “It was this subject who was overly presumptuous.”
He had to take things slowly; he could not scare him again.
Seeing this, Yan Zhiyu’s brow relaxed slightly and he raised his chin a fraction. “Very well. Since the Prince Regent has just arrived, We will not hold it against you. His Majesty is young, so we shall have to trouble the Prince Regent to look after matters of state from now on.”
“Understood.” Ling Lie coughed a couple more times, readily complying. “This subject shall certainly administer the government impartially and exhaust all efforts until His Majesty reaches maturity and assumes direct rule.”
This time, it was Yan Zhiyu’s turn to be stunned. He hadn’t expected the man to say such words, leaving all his reprimands choked in his throat.
He offered no reply, but the little fellow in his arms laughed out loud, extending a tiny hand toward Ling Lie. “Imperial Father!”
Yan Zhiyu pulled the little hand back and whispered, “He is not your Imperial Father.” With that, he looked back at the still-bowing figure, bestowed a few rewards upon him, and dismissed him.
Ling Lie did not pull any further stunts. Expressing his gratitude, he walked toward the exit at a measured pace.
Seeing this, little Yunshuo grew a bit anxious, stretching out his hand in an attempt to chase after him. “Imperial Father!”
Hearing the voice, Ling Lie glanced back at his son, then caught sight of his empress’s gloomy expression. Hesitating for a moment, he ultimately said nothing more and departed the Zichen Palace.
Seeing him leave, little Yunshuo’s tears began to fall drop by drop. He turned back, buried his face in Yan Zhiyu’s neck, and sobbed, “Daddy, Imperial Father is ignoring A-Xue.”
Yan Zhiyu’s eyes instantly turned red.
On the day of the funeral, his son had said the exact same thing.
He was still too young, too young to understand what death truly meant. He believed that his Imperial Father was merely sleeping, or that he had gone out to play. No matter how it was explained to him, he always felt that his Imperial Father would eventually come back.
He himself desperately wished that Ling Lie would come back, too.
“He is not your Imperial Father.” Yan Zhiyu patted the little one’s back, offering comfort. “Imperial Father loves A-Xue the most; he would not ignore A-Xue.”
Little Yunshuo nodded, but the tears continued to stream down, wetting his little face until it was flushed red as he clung tightly to Yan Zhiyu’s chest.
Yan Zhiyu glanced at the stack of memorial reports on the desk, furrowed his brow, and ultimately carried the child away from the Zichen Palace. Just as he turned a corner, he bumped right into the newly appointed Prince Regent eavesdropping at the doorway.
Instantly flying into a rage, he demanded in a sharp, stern voice, “What are you doing?!”
Looking at the grief that hadn’t yet fully faded from Yan Zhiyu’s face, and thinking back to the words used to coax the child just moments before, Ling Lie felt a pain in his heart as though it had been pierced by a sharp blade. His tone involuntarily softened. “I have something for you.”
Yan Zhiyu stared at him coldly without saying a word.
Without saying much else, Ling Lie pulled two letters from his bosom and handed them over to Yan Zhiyu. “These are from Prince Duan and Prince Qi. Prince Ning has also been to my residence; their intentions are all more or less the same.”
Yan Zhiyu frowned. “What on earth are you trying to say?”
Ling Lie shook his head, shoved the letters into his hands, and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he paused, stood in place for a moment in thought, and then abruptly turned back around.
Yan Zhiyu watched him warily.
“I just want to help you.” As he spoke, Ling Lie pulled back one of the letters and held it in his hand. With ten fingers moving nimbly, he quickly folded the thin letter, pulled the little fellow’s hand open, and placed a tiny paper flower right upon his palm. “If you encounter any difficulties, you can come find me at any time.”