Empress Gu had been separated from Pei Yan for nearly twenty years.
By the time she found her own flesh and blood again, he had already grown into a strong, upright man.
They were relatives connected by blood, yet there was an indescribable distance between them.
Every time they spent time together, there was always a faint sense of estrangement and discomfort.
No matter how hard she tried to draw closer to him, they were still different from ordinary family members.
She had truly missed too much.
The current Pei Yan was shrewd, capable, and had his own way of doing things.
It was already too late to truly open her heart to her child.
Thinking of the culprit who had caused all of this, Empress Gu hated him so much her teeth itched.
Yet she could not even take revenge openly, which made her feel even more suffocated.
Just as she thought of that person, a eunuch’s sharp announcement sounded from afar.
“His Majesty has arrived!”
Disgust and hatred flashed through Empress Gu’s eyes.
But a dignified and proper smile appeared on her face as she went to greet him at the palace entrance.
A bright yellow figure approached from afar, walking leisurely.
Only, after years of indulging in women and stubbornly trying to produce another son, his body had been hollowed out.
Though still in the prime of life, he already looked old and weary, his vitality far from what it once was.
The Emperor carried natural authority without needing to show anger.
The palace servants knelt across the floor.
Just as Empress Gu was about to curtsy, someone supported her and spared her the formalities.
Suppressing the disgust and rejection she felt toward the Emperor, Empress Gu personally poured him tea.
The Emperor’s gaze swept around the room, but he did not see Pei Yan.
“Where is he?”
“He said he had something important to handle and just left.”
The Emperor looked disappointed and sighed.
“I was thinking the three of us could have a proper family meal.”
Empress Gu sneered inwardly.
In order to suppress the Gu family and prevent the heir from coming from her womb, he had switched her biological child with a stillborn infant.
He had even allowed his favored consort to spread rumors, claiming that she was an ominous woman who had given birth to a stillborn child and would shake the foundations of the empire.
After that, heavy rain continued endlessly, mountains collapsed…
More and more people believed she was a disaster star, and that the stillborn child was a sign of calamity.
They forced her, while still in confinement after childbirth, to go pray to the gods, kneeling and bowing at every step to pray for blessings for the land and its people.
Perhaps sincerity had moved the heavens, for the rain finally stopped.
Only then were her and the Gu family’s reputations restored, barely preserving her position as Empress.
Every single one of those incidents was something Empress Gu would never forget.
Nor would she ever forgive them.
His heart was as cruel as a blade.
With one turn of his hand, he could summon clouds; with another, he could bring rain.
He manipulated everyone in the palm of his hand.
Back then, why had he not remembered that they were a family of three?
How hypocritical.
How utterly ridiculous.
Beneath her wide sleeves, Empress Gu clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to suppress the surging hatred.
On the surface, her smile remained gentle.
“Your Majesty handles countless affairs every day. A-Yan and I were afraid of disturbing you, so we didn’t send anyone to inform you. A-Yan even said earlier that when he goes to the border, he will subdue the invaders and not disappoint your trust.”
The border had suffered enemy harassment for years, and the common people lived in misery.
This time, Pei Yan was going there to end the problem once and for all.
The Emperor was satisfied with this son.
He was skilled in both civil and military matters.
His achievements had been earned step by step through his own efforts, each one solid and undeniable.
If he entered the Eastern Palace, he would surely become a qualified Crown Prince.
The position of Crown Prince concerned the stability of the empire and could not be changed lightly.
The current Crown Prince had been selected from among the imperial clan’s sons and adopted under the Empress’s name.
Although he was the Emperor’s nephew, he could not compare to a biological son.
The Emperor intended to replace him with Pei Yan as Crown Prince.
But the court situation was complicated.
One slight move could affect everything.
Now was not yet the right time.
Holding Empress Gu’s hand, the Emperor said earnestly,
“You gave me a good son. If he handles this matter well, I will reward him generously.”
A genuine smile appeared in Empress Gu’s eyes.
“Then I shall thank Your Majesty on A-Yan’s behalf.”
“There is no need for such words between family.”
A few years earlier, because the Emperor could not produce a son, rumors had spread everywhere.
Even after he adopted an heir, the ominous reputation had returned like a blade and struck him instead.
Why could he not have a son?
Because the imperial family’s fate had run out.
Such talk grew more and more intense.
Finally, the Emperor made up his mind and secretly ordered people to search for his missing biological son.
On the day Pei Yan was born, he had been taken away from the capital by the Emperor’s trusted men.
At first, the Emperor had wanted the child killed.
Perhaps even a tiger would not devour its cub.
In the end, he did not harden his heart completely.
He merely ordered that the child be taken far away, never to return to the capital.
Less than two years later, the Emperor suddenly received a secret letter.
The child had disappeared.
The Emperor had never had any expectations for that child to begin with.
After several years apart, he felt no affection for him at all.
He thought that if the child was gone, then he was gone.
It was fate.
He had not expected that afterward, he would never have another son.
Daughters were born one after another, proving that he was capable of fathering children and had no problem in that regard.
So why could he not have a son?
An emperor could never be wrong.
The Emperor believed it was the women’s wombs that were useless.
Thus, batch after batch of respectable young women were selected and brought into the palace.
Still, no one gave birth to a son.
After adopting his nephew and establishing him as Crown Prince, the Emperor’s determination to have another son gradually faded as the Crown Prince grew older day by day.
Unexpectedly, someone began spreading rumors to burden him with disgrace.
This was rebellion!
The Emperor remembered his eldest legitimate son and became determined to find him at any cost.
After investigating, the trail led to General Mei.
During a bandit suppression campaign, General Mei had rescued many children and women.
Among them was a talented child whom he kept by his side and personally trained.
That year, at a palace banquet, the Emperor ordered officials to bring their families and specifically mentioned the young general of the Mei family, known for his bravery and skill in battle.
Thus, General Mei brought Pei Yan into the palace.
With just one glance, both Empress Gu and the Emperor recognized him.
He was their biological son.
After a thorough investigation, the truth was confirmed.
To rightfully reclaim his son, the Emperor executed the favored consort he had once doted on, along with the family behind her.
He placed the crime of switching the imperial heir onto their heads.
Now that he had a son, the rumors collapsed on their own.
But with that came new conflict.
The court was about to change again.
Between the Crown Prince and Prince Chen, one of them was destined to fall.
Thinking of everything that had happened, Empress Gu felt as though needles were stabbing her heart.
The true culprit was right in front of her.
Yet she still had to smile at him.
She hated him so much.
Before the Emperor had ordered people to search for Pei Yan, Empress Gu had already discovered the truth about the child being switched.
She had endured silently and returned the favor in kind, driving the blade back into the person who had started it all.
Looking at the Emperor’s gray temples and the wrinkles on his face, Empress Gu wanted him to die quickly.
Yet at the same time, she hoped he would live a few more years.
Otherwise, the moment he died, the Crown Prince would immediately ascend the throne.
With A-Yan’s ability, if he wanted, he could seize that position by force.
But without proper legitimacy, how could he convince the people of the world?
Empress Gu acted gentle and attentive, massaging the Emperor’s shoulders like an ordinary wife.
“You came at just the right time. I had A-Yan look at some portraits earlier.”
The Emperor became interested.
“Whom did he choose?”
“The young lady from Duke Ding’s residence.”