The Imperial Palace.
The moment Empress Gu saw Pei Yan, a smile bloomed across her face.
The dignified and stern ruler of the harem looked no different from an ordinary mother at that moment.
Her gaze swept over him from head to toe before she said,
“You’ve lost weight. Have you been working too hard lately?”
The concern was straightforward and genuine.
Coming from his biological mother, however, it still felt unfamiliar to Pei Yan.
He lightly pressed a fist against his lips.
“You summoned me. What is it?”
Knowing his cold temperament, Empress Gu did not feel disappointed.
Still smiling, she replied,
“Must there be a reason for me to see you?”
Pei Yan pursed his lips without answering.
Pointing at him playfully, the Empress teased,
“You, always such a block of wood. When you marry someday, you’ll need to change that temperament of yours. Otherwise, your residence will feel like an ice cellar. What young lady could endure that?”
Pei Yan immediately thought:
Mei Wanying could.
Even when he said nothing, she could entertain herself for hours, chattering endlessly.
How noisy.
The realization that he was thinking about Mei Wanying made his expression darken.
She was spoiled.
Willful.
Unable to endure hardship or injustice.
Full of flaws.
What was there to think about?
The Empress immediately fell silent, believing she had offended him.
Ordinarily, she never needed to care about anyone’s mood.
But this was the son she had searched for with all her heart.
She could not help but spoil him.
She had originally intended to discuss choosing a wife for him.
Now she dared not bring it up.
Their reunions were rare enough.
She did not want this meeting to end unhappily.
There would be plenty of time to discuss such matters later.
A-Yan was handsome, noble, and accomplished.
Every unmarried noble lady wanted to marry him.
Choosing the right one required careful consideration.
Beauty was secondary.
His future wife must be able to support him.
She needed to help him overthrow the Crown Prince’s faction.
After all, A-Yan was the rightful heir.
The position of Crown Prince belonged to him.
And the one who would eventually ascend to the highest seat should also be him.
Once he married, she could choose several beautiful concubines for him.
Mei Wanying, for example, was exceptionally beautiful.
A true peerless beauty.
She could serve as a secondary consort.
That would also repay the Mei family for raising A-Yan.
Otherwise, if the Mei family played the victim, outsiders might misunderstand him and damage his reputation.
That was also why Empress Gu had whispered in the Emperor’s ear and opposed the Crown Prince’s request.
Mei Wanying needed to be kept available.
She could be used to establish A-Yan’s good reputation.
People would see that anyone who had helped him would be rewarded.
Of course, only if A-Yan agreed could Mei Wanying enter Prince Chen’s residence.
Over the years, she had shamelessly chased after him.
What noble young lady behaved so lacking in dignity?
She also suffered from an eye condition.
Once night fell, she could barely see.
Countless famous physicians had failed to cure it.
Who knew whether her children might inherit the same illness?
If not for General Mei’s sake, no matter how beautiful she was, she would never have caught the Empress’s attention.
In fact, if that day ever came, the Empress considered simply giving Mei Wanying a sterilizing decoction.
Then she would never bear children.
Though her offspring would never be legitimate heirs, weak children born into the imperial family would only suffer.
In ordinary households, they could still be lovingly raised.
The imperial family was different.
The weaker one was, the more ruthlessly one was bullied.
The royal family possessed little mercy.
No one would spare a weak child out of sympathy.
The Mei family was already declining.
Mei Wanying struggled to survive herself.
How could she properly care for a frail child as well?
Better not to have one at all.
At least then the child would not become a burden to A-Yan.
Knowing her son had no interest whatsoever in romance, the Empress wisely said nothing about Mei Wanying.
Everything could wait until after he married a proper wife.
And if Mei Wanying became greedy and insisted on becoming A-Yan’s principal wife…
Then the Empress would not hesitate to be ruthless and fulfill the Crown Prince’s wish instead.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she ordered the meal to be served.
Delicacies soon filled the table.
Since she did not know what Pei Yan liked to eat, she had simply instructed the kitchen to prepare everything.
Smiling warmly, she said,
“You’ve worked so hard lately. Make sure to eat more.”
Pei Yan lowered his eyes and looked at himself.
When exactly had he lost weight?
Mei Wanying often said similar things.
One moment she claimed he had grown thinner.
The next, she insisted he had become darker.
She loved talking nonsense with a straight face.
But this was his mother.
Parents worried about their children.
That was understandable.
Just like General Mei and Madam Mei.
They treated Mei Wanying as the jewel in their palms.
Afraid she might be cold.
Afraid she might be hungry.
Yet with so many servants attending her, how could she possibly suffer hunger or cold?
Before they could sit down, an unexpected guest arrived.
The Crown Prince.
As cousins sharing imperial blood, he and Pei Yan bore some resemblance to one another.
Unlike Pei Yan, who had grown up on battlefields, the Crown Prince had spent his life surrounded by luxury.
Both men possessed powerful presences.
Yet their temperaments were entirely different.
Upon closer inspection, a dark gloom lurked within the Crown Prince’s peach blossom eyes.
Pei Yan’s eyes, however, resembled an ancient well.
Calm.
Depthless.
Impossible to read.
It was precisely because Pei Yan was so difficult to understand—and because he commanded great prestige in the military—that his public recognition had caused the Crown Prince to regard him as a major threat.
The highest seat beneath heaven.
The peak of power.
Who could resist such temptation?
The Crown Prince refused to believe Pei Yan had no ambition for the throne.
He had once considered the position securely his.
Then Pei Yan had appeared out of nowhere.
As long as that obstacle remained, how could he sleep peacefully?
The two men’s gazes collided.
Neither retreated.
Pei Yan was not thinking about political struggles.
He only wished to warn the Crown Prince.
Do not touch Mei Wanying.
So what if he was Crown Prince?
Anyone who dared lay a hand on the person Pei Yan protected would pay the price.
Pei Yan refused to yield.
The air seemed filled with invisible sparks.
If he backed down, the Crown Prince would see it as weakness.
And Mei Wanying’s situation would only worsen.
Though Pei Yan felt no romantic affection for her, he was still willing to protect her.
Consider it repayment for General Mei’s kindness.
Seeing the tension rising, Empress Gu stepped in to mediate.
Now was not the time for open conflict.
Smiling, she said,
“It’s rare for both of you to visit me together. Let us enjoy a pleasant meal as a family.”
The Crown Prince smiled faintly.
“The moment I heard Second Brother had entered the palace, I knew I’d be enjoying good food again. Mother, surely you won’t blame me for coming uninvited?”
The Empress smiled indulgently.
“I’m delighted to see both of you.”
Taking Pei Yan’s hand with one hand and the Crown Prince’s with the other, she led them toward the table.
The Crown Prince lowered his gaze to the hand holding his.
Mockery flashed through his eyes.
He had been adopted under Empress Gu’s name.
Outwardly, they appeared loving and harmonious.
But he could feel exactly how much she hated him.
Now that Pei Yan had returned, he had become a thorn in her side.
One she desperately wanted removed.
His expression darkened.
When the empire needed stability, they had forcibly brought him into the palace.
Now that her biological son had returned, they wanted to cast him aside.
How convenient.
The position of Crown Prince belonged to him.
Unless he died, Pei Yan would never take it away.
Beneath the surface, dangerous currents flowed.
The Empress was displeased.
She rarely got to spend time with her son.
Yet this nuisance insisted on appearing.
Personally, she picked up a piece of fish and placed it into Pei Yan’s bowl.
“This fresh fish was brought from Jiangnan. The meat is tender and delicious. Try some.”
Jiangnan.
Mei Wanying’s ancestral home was there.
When she returned to visit relatives as a child, she had insisted on dragging him along.
Back then, she constantly claimed the fish in Jiangnan was the best in the world.
She never got tired of eating it.
When it was time to return to the capital, she had hidden inside the carriage and cried because she could not bear to leave Jiangnan’s fish behind.
A faint ripple stirred in Pei Yan’s eyes.
“Is there any more of this fish?”
“Yes, yes! I’ll have everything sent to your residence later.”
The Empress was overjoyed.
It was the first time her son had asked her for something.
If A-Yan wanted the stars or moon, she would find a way to give them to him.
A few fish were nothing.
Pei Yan nodded.
He said nothing further.
After tasting the fish, he found it almost identical to the flavor preserved in his memories.
The Crown Prince watched the scene.
Violent hostility surged within his eyes.
Curving his lips into a smile, he turned toward Pei Yan.
“Miss Mei’s ancestral home is in Jiangnan as well. She must enjoy Jiangnan fish.”
“Why not give the fish to me instead?”
“So I can win a beauty’s favor.”