The Tianyou Emperor had returned to the Imperial Bedchamber unusually early.
The Imperial Physician hurried over to examine his pulse. Naturally, the emperor couldn't speak the truth and only complained of discomfort in his eyes.
After examining for a long while without finding any issues, the Imperial Physician could only tactfully suggest, "Your Majesty has always enjoyed robust health. It must be excessive fatigue from recent overwork that has caused eye discomfort. I will prescribe some mind-calming and sleep-aiding medicine. After taking the medicine and resting for several days, Your Majesty should recover completely."
Rubbing his temples, the Tianyou Emperor also felt it must be due to overexertion. Just as he was about to lie down, he spotted Feng Zongguan still standing before the Dragon Bed and felt another wave of stomach discomfort. He waved his hand, signaling for the eunuch to move farther away.
Feng Zongguan sensed that the emperor seemed particularly displeased with him today and wisely took two steps back, lowering the Dragon Bed Curtains. Only when he was out of the emperor's sight did he breathe a sigh of relief.
While relieved, he couldn't help but worry: Had he done something wrong recently to incur the emperor's displeasure?
Thus, Feng Zongguan began earnestly reviewing his recent actions…
Half an hour earlier.
In Jingfu Pavilion, as soon as Li Meiren left, Zhao Yan opened his eyes. Blinking, he carefully surveyed the room. After confirming no one was present, he cautiously climbed down from the bed. Barefoot, he tiptoed over to the Bronze Mirror by the windowsill.
The mirror was too high; he jumped several times but couldn't see his reflection.
Spotting a small wooden stool nearby, he dragged it over with considerable effort. Then, using both hands and feet, he climbed onto the stool and leaned close to the mirror for a careful look.
The blurred bronze surface reflected a child with short limbs, a plump, milky-white face adorned with natural baby fat. His eyes were large and round, the pupils dark and pure, even the small red mole under his left eyelid was nearly identical.
This was indeed his childhood self!
Remembering the woman who claimed to be his mother, Li Meiren, Zhao Yan suddenly realized how strikingly similar they looked.
If he had a mother in his previous life, she probably would have resembled Li Meiren quite closely.
Had Heaven taken pity on him for being an orphan for so long, heard his prayers, and specially granted him parents?
Pursing his lips, Zhao Yan carefully climbed down from the stool. Perhaps because he had just woken up, his short legs failed to find proper footing, causing the stool to topple over with a loud thud.
He fell flat on his back, his mind momentarily dazed.
The door swung open hastily as Ban Xia rushed in. Seeing him barefoot and sprawled beside the overturned stool, she hurried over to help him up, anxiously asking, "Seventh Prince, what happened? Why did you get out of bed? Did you hurt yourself from the fall?" As she spoke, she reached out to rub the back of his head.
It didn't actually hurt much, but perhaps children's tear ducts were naturally sensitive. The moment Ban Xia asked, his eyes welled up with tears.
It was utterly embarrassing.
Wiping his tears, Zhao Yan remembered he had a system and, under Ban Xia's gaze, decisively chose to Revert to a previous save.
The next second, he was back on the wooden stool, facing the blurred bronze mirror.
This time, he was extra cautious, bracing his hands on the tabletop, placing one foot firmly on the ground before following with the other.
Safely landed, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he hurried back to the bed on his short legs.
Unexpectedly, his left foot tripped over his right, and he fell with another thud.
Ah, being small was such a hassle.
The door was pushed open again as Ban Xia hurried in, repeating her question: "Seventh Prince, what happened? Why are you out of bed? Did you fall and hurt yourself?"
Zhao Yan chose to Revert to a previous save.
This time, after successfully climbing down from the wooden stool, he didn't rush but slowly shuffled toward the bedside. Before he could reach it, Ban Xia entered again. Seeing him barefoot, she was startled and repeated her earlier words.
Zhao Yan was exasperated and Reverted to a previous save once more.
This time, he didn't bother trying anything. He simply sat in front of the bronze mirror, waiting for Ban Xia to come in.
When Ban Xia entered and saw him sitting there blankly, she paused in surprise. Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Yan preempted her, saying softly, "I'm hungry…" His little stomach cooperated with a timely rumble.
After all that tossing and turning, he really was hungry.
Ban Xia immediately came over, picked him up, and placed him on the bed. Then she hurriedly stood up and said, "Seventh Prince, please lie down for now. This servant will go prepare some food for you."
Zhao Yan nodded obediently.
No sooner had Ban Xia left than Li Meiren entered with Chen Xiang. Her expression was clearly displeased, and she asked Ban Xia abruptly, "I told you to watch over Xiao Qi. Why are you running around?"
Ban Xia bowed her head and curtsied, quickly replying, "The Seventh Prince woke up. He said he's hungry."
"Xiao Qi is awake?" Li Meiren's eyes lit up. She pulled a silver hairpin from her hair and instructed, "Go to the Imperial Kitchen and get several dishes. I'll have a meal with Xiao Qi."
Jingfu Pavilion was currently so poor it was practically penniless. To eat well, they had to offer something to the Imperial Kitchen.
But Li Meiren never seemed bothered by this, firmly believing that her day would come.
Ban Xia took the silver hairpin and hurried off.
Li Meiren strode into the room, and her gloomy mood instantly lifted when she saw the little bundle sitting on the bed. As she walked over, she asked, "Did Xiao Qi wake up because he was hungry? The Imperial Physician said that if his appetite returns, he'll recover quickly. Your mother knew it all along—my Xiao Qi is blessed with good fortune!"
She sat by the bed, her beauty as radiant as a peony, her eyes full of tenderness and affection. She reached out and gently stroked Zhao Yan's head.
Zhao Yan felt a bit uncomfortable but restrained himself from pulling away.
Li Meiren continued, "Your mother just went to see your father. He said he'll come to see you when he has time."
Zhao Yan thought this was surely nonsense.
He seemed to recall a line in the book stating that the emperor had no regard for the original owner. The emperor hadn't even come to see him after his birth, and when bestowing a name, he had merely glanced at an inkstone nearby and casually given him the name "Yan."
"Yan" sounded like "dislike," and everyone in the palace tacitly understood that the emperor held no affection for the Seventh Prince—just as he had cast aside Li Meiren.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have failed to send anyone to check on the Seventh Prince even after he nearly drowned.
Zhao Yan let out an indifferent "oh," showing no sign of delight.
His nominal father was just like the matron from his orphanage—he had many children and had always liked Zhao Yan the least.
Having a father like that was no different from having none at all.
Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, Li Meiren asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Xiao Qi? You used to be so happy whenever you heard your father was coming to see you."
Zhao Yan immediately curved his eyes into a smile, and only then did Li Meiren feel reassured. After chatting a bit more, she left to change her clothes. When Ban Xia returned with the food box and laid out the dishes, Li Meiren helped Zhao Yan get dressed, carried him to the table, and handed him a spoon.
The table was set with four small dishes: a plate of scallion eggs, a small bowl of steamed egg custard, a serving of minced pork with pickled snow cabbage, a plate of mashed tofu, along with a bowl of rice and a bowl of congee.
The plain congee naturally belonged to Zhao Yan. Holding the spoon, he subconsciously scooped a spoonful of scallion omelet into his mouth.
The rich aroma of scallions and the mellow fragrance of eggs instantly relaxed him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
So delicious!
Just as Li Meiren picked up her chopsticks, she stared at him in astonishment, while even Chen Xiang and Ban Xia serving nearby looked surprised.
Zhao Yan sensed something amiss. Gripping the spoon, he warily met Li Meiren’s gaze.
Li Meiren eyed him suspiciously: “…Xiao Qi, don’t you hate scallions the most?” No matter the dish, if it contained even a trace of scallions, he wouldn’t eat it until they were picked out. She pushed the steamed egg custard toward him: “This one is yours.”
Zhao Yan’s cheeks bulged, unsure whether to swallow or spit it out.
He felt utterly miserable.
Scallion omelet—his absolute favorite.
Whimpering inwardly, did this mean he could never eat it again?
Zhao Yan painfully chose to Revert to a previous save. The next moment, Li Meiren handed him the spoon again. His gaze lingered reluctantly on the scallion omelet before he resolutely picked up the steamed egg custard and began eating it spoonful by spoonful.
The scent of scallions permeated the air. Zhao Yan closed his eyes briefly, finished the steamed egg custard, and continued drinking his congee.
Only when his little belly was round and full did he stop.
He absolutely could not let anyone detect that he wasn’t the original Seventh Prince.
Yet, Li Meiren’s next words still shattered his composure.
Watching his excellent appetite, Li Meiren remarked: “Since Xiao Qi eats so well, his illness should recover quickly. Once you’re better, you must study diligently in the Imperial Study. Your father will surely be delighted to see you.”
The mere mention of studying gave Zhao Yan a headache.
If he remembered correctly, Great Chu was established after the Western Nomadic Tribes entered the Central Plains.
The Tianyou Emperor’s mother—his nominal grandmother—was originally a peace-marriage princess sent by the previous dynasty to the Western Tribes. Unfavored by the old Western King, even his father, the legitimate heir, was neglected.
The Tianyou Emperor was raised single-handedly by Princess Roushan and studied Central Plains Han culture from childhood. Enduring exclusion and hardships in the Western Tribes, he killed several half-brothers before ascending to the Western King’s throne.
As the Western Tribes grew stronger, the emperor of the previous Central Plains dynasty became arrogant, extravagant, and lustful. His reign plunged the Central Plains into misery, yet instead of reflecting, he militarized aggressively. Coveting the mineral veins in the Western Territories, he disregarded Princess Roushan, his own sister, and the Tianyou Emperor, his nominal nephew, launching an attack on the Western Tribes.
The Tianyou Emperor, pushed to the limit, seized the opportunity during the internal strife of the Three Kings to lead his troops and occupy the Central Plains. He brought all twelve Western Tribes back to Yujing. After ascending the throne, he personally enshrined Princess Roushan’s memorial tablet in the imperial ancestral temple, changed the nation’s name to Great Chu, and adopted the reign title Tianyou.
Bearing the bloodlines of both the previous dynasty and the Western Tribes, the Tianyou Emperor, to foster integration between the two peoples, abandoned the complex surnames of the Western Kings and did not continue the previous imperial family’s surname. Instead, he adopted the first surname in the Hundred Family Surnames—Zhao—as the imperial surname.
He then implemented sweeping reforms, simplifying all Western nobility surnames into Han surnames. The palace’s Wen Guifei was originally from Western nobility—her original surname was so long even Zhao Yan couldn’t remember it.
The Tianyou Emperor valued education deeply. Princes in the palace had to study both Han and Western languages from childhood—mastering the Han Four Books and Five Classics, historical texts, and classical teachings, while also practicing Western wrestling, archery, and equestrian skills.
Studying as a prince in Great Chu was tougher than being an office worker—rising before dawn at the Yin hour and not sleeping until the Xu hour. They rose earlier than roosters and slept later than dogs. Forget slacking off—they barely had time to catch their breath.
The book mentioned that the original owner seemed to have died from overexertion due to studying early in the morning, succumbing to a severe cold at the age of seven.
As for why he fell into the lotus pond earlier and died, Zhao Yan couldn't figure it out either.
But when it came to studying, Zhao Yan felt that he might actually be worse than the original owner, who was just a five-year-old child.
He was never particularly bright, and his memory wasn't great either. Even in his previous life, he was often scolded by his teachers for being slow-witted. After barely making it through the college entrance exams and working as an office drone for less than a year, he now had to start studying all over again as a child!
This was practically going to be the death of him!
Zhao Yan decisively chose to revert to a previous save, then stared at the bowl of porridge, unable to swallow a single bite.
He truly had no appetite—he was terrified by the thought of his future academic life.
He had been too greedy, wanting parents, but this starting point was just too much of a hell mode.
Wahhh, if he jumped into the lotus pond now, could he still go back home?