Li Jieyu never expected such good fortune to descend so suddenly.
Xiao Qi had only just caught the Emperor's attention, and she thought it would take at least half a year before they would gradually appear before His Majesty again.
Naturally, she was willing to regain favor.
Her family background was humble, unable to provide Xiao Qi with a powerful maternal clan for support. But if she became a favored consort, she could at least give Xiao Qi some confidence.
The moment Li Jieyu received the imperial decree, she began primping herself, striving to appear as charming and captivating as when she first entered the palace.
After spending half the day grooming, she could only pick out two plain garments and a silver hairpin that had lost its luster.
Li Jieyu frowned repeatedly at her reflection in the mirror: His Majesty only remembered to promote her rank, why didn't he bestow some gold and silver jewelry?
At the very least, some fabric to help her and her son through the winter would have been nice.
It seemed Xiao Qi had merely caught His Majesty's attention—the Emperor still hadn't truly taken them to heart.
Li Jieyu pressed her lips together: For Xiao Qi's sake, she needed to try harder.
After fixing herself up, she began grooming Zhao Yan.
The child did have two thick padded jackets, but those were from back when she was favored, bestowed by His Majesty. The fabric was too fine—she couldn't bear to wear them herself, so she eventually had them altered for Xiao Qi to wear.
Even so, it was clear they were quite old.
As she smoothed out the wrinkles on the jacket's surface, Li Jieyu instructed him: "Xiao Qi, when your Father Emperor arrives later, remember to be sweet-tongued and bold, understand?"
Zhao Yan nodded obediently.
Li Jieyu casually asked further: "How's your memorization of the 'Three Character Classic' coming along? Your Father Emperor loves intelligent children—he might test you on it."
Zhao Yan's face twisted in agony—he really had been trying to memorize it. But after all this time, he only remembered the first small section.
Seeing his delayed response, Li Jieyu simply said: "How about you recite it for your mother first?"
Zhao Yan's face filled with terror.
Just as he was at a loss, Chen Xiang hurried over, exclaiming: "Jieyu, His Majesty—His Majesty is already at the gate! You must go greet him!"
Li Jieyu immediately shoved the "Three Character Classic" from the table into his hands, instructing him: "Review it carefully. Your mother will go welcome your Father Emperor first."
With that, she stood up and followed Chen Xiang out.
As the three of them barely reached the main entrance of Jingfu Pavilion, Ban Xia and Xiao Luzi were already kneeling on the ground. The Tianyou Emperor, clad in bright yellow dragon robes, strode in, followed not only by Feng Zongguan but also a crowd of attending guards and servants.
Li Jieyu lifted her skirt and hurriedly knelt.
"Your humble consort welcomes Your Majesty," she said, then bowed her head quietly waiting, exposing a slender, pale, and delicate neck.
The Tianyou Emperor looked down at her profile—five years had passed, yet that face, even dressed plainly, could not conceal its lush beauty.
Truly a natural-born beauty.
He glanced around—Jingfu Pavilion was indeed remote and shabby. Aside from some ugly rocks in the courtyard, there wasn't even a single decent plant or tree.
"All rise," the Tianyou Emperor said, then asked: "Where is Xiao Qi?"
Li Jieyu stood up, her beautiful eyes sparkling with laughter, showing no trace of the years of separation: "Xiao Qi is such a diligent child—he's still inside reading."
Diligent?
The Tianyou Emperor raised an eyebrow—this child had nothing to do with diligence; he even needed help writing a few large characters.
Emperor Tianyou walked inside while saying, "We rarely visit. Tell him to stop writing and come chat for a while."
Li Jieyu beamed with delight and shot a glance at Ban Xia, who immediately headed toward Zhao Yan's room.
When Emperor Tianyou's party reached the main hall, freshly brewed tea and pastries were already arranged on the table. After he took his seat, Li Jieyu stepped forward to pour tea for him.
The emperor took a sip and gestured for her to sit as well.
Once Li Jieyu was seated, Emperor Tianyou glanced at the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and suddenly asked, "We recall your family hails from Pingcheng in Anyang, do We not? Pingcheng is most renowned for its double-sided embroidery."
Li Jieyu was deeply moved. "Your Majesty remembers?"
As the emperor nodded, she continued, "This humble consort and my mother lived in Pingcheng since childhood and were only brought to Yujing by my father when I turned thirteen."
Emperor Tianyou feigned surprise. "Why were you only brought to Yujing at thirteen? Was Official Qiao so neglectful of you and your mother?"
Li Jieyu replied with grievance, "Since Xiao Qi's birth, Your Majesty has scarcely seen Xiao Qi either."
The emperor, who had been trying to extract information, was momentarily speechless, thinking to himself that this Li Meiren remained as tactless as ever, blurting out such inappropriate remarks.
Chen Xiang, standing beside Li Jieyu, hastily tugged her sleeve. Li Jieyu instantly fell silent and instead explained, "Earlier, when my father was struggling to establish himself alone in Yujing, though this humble consort and my mother were not with him, he constantly thought of us, frequently sending letters and monthly allowances home."
Emperor Tianyou's eyes flickered. "Did Official Qiao mention in his letters where he had been making a living before?"
Li Jieyu shook her head. "No, Father usually only reported his well-being and shared trivial matters." She looked at the emperor suspiciously. "Why does Your Majesty suddenly inquire about my father?"
Emperor Tianyou said, "It is nothing. We merely wish to understand you better."
Tears welled up in Li Jieyu's eyes. "This humble consort… thought Your Majesty had utterly cast me aside…"
The emperor reached out and patted her hand reassuringly. "How could that be? We know you are merely straightforward. That incident years ago when you offended Us and the noble consort was unintentional. Now that Xiao Qi has grown so much, any lingering anger has long since faded."
Li Jieyu did not believe his empty words. If he truly cared, could he have remained angry for five whole years?
But she did not care whether the emperor was sincere at this moment. What she wanted was his favor, a strong backing for Xiao Qi.
Feigning emotion, Li Jieyu leaned delicately against Emperor Tianyou. "Your Majesty…"
Just as the emperor was about to embrace her, the previously frail Li Jieyu suddenly stood up and hurried toward the door. "Xiao Qi, come quickly. Your Father Emperor was just speaking of you."
The emperor's raised hand hung awkwardly in the air, so he simply beckoned to Zhao Yan instead. "Xiao Qi, come here."
Zhao Yan followed Li Jieyu over, his gaze drifting uncertainly to Emperor Tianyou's face. He felt a vague sense of familiarity but could not pinpoint why.
Then his thoughts shifted: This is a living emperor.
Zhao Yan stood properly like a well-behaved child.
Emperor Tianyou asked him, "Xiao Qi, were you studying earlier?" But as soon as he asked, he noticed the boy was completely distracted, his eyes darting around the emperor's surroundings as if searching for something.
Seeing this, Li Jieyu gently nudged his hand. "Xiao Qi, Father Emperor is speaking to you."
Zhao Yan nodded vaguely, his eyes drifting toward the guards stationed outside the door.
Emperor Tianyou could no longer contain his curiosity. "What are you looking for, Xiao Qi?"
Zhao Yan quickly shook his head. "Nothing…"
The Tianyou Emperor asked again, "I heard you brought tanghulu for the Crown Prince and the others, and even made a special trip to see Little Fifth?"
Zhao Yan continued nodding, "Yes, Fifth Brother is sick. Poor thing."
This child was straightforward and held no grudges at all.
Little Fifth had previously reported him and even knocked over the lottery tube in front of him during the drawing.
The Tianyou Emperor deliberately teased him, "Did Xiao Qi bring tanghulu for Father Emperor?"
Zhao Yan let out an "ah," scratched his temple, and muttered softly, "There's none left. Father Emperor isn't a child…"
The Tianyou Emperor chuckled lightly, in a rather good mood. "It's good there's none left. Children shouldn't eat too many sweets, or they'll ruin their teeth." After saying this, he continued asking, "What book was Xiao Qi reading just now?"
Zhao Yan dawdled, unwilling to answer.
Li Jieyu, thinking he was shy, immediately chimed in, "The Three Character Classic. Xiao Qi is clever—he could already recite it before going to the Imperial Study." As she spoke, she nudged Zhao Yan forward. "Xiao Qi, quickly recite it for your Father Emperor."
Zhao Yan's small brow furrowed almost imperceptibly: he had never seen a mother so adept at setting her son up.
Even though he was extremely reluctant, he opened his mouth and began reciting: "At the beginning of life, nature is good. By nature, people are similar; by habit, they diverge…"
The first few lines were recited fluently, to the Tianyou Emperor's slight surprise: Had he really memorized it? Impossible, right?
When he reached "If a person does not learn, they will not know righteousness," the child began to stumble.
Tianyou Emperor: As expected, he doesn't know it.
He picked up his teacup again and took a leisurely sip. Before he could swallow the tea, he caught the child stealthily pulling a slip of paper from his sleeve and glancing at it twice.
The Tianyou Emperor choked on his tea, but before he could cough, time rewound, and the child continued reciting as if nothing had happened.
The Tianyou Emperor was speechless: Even cheating so blatantly.
From then on, Zhao Yan would stumble every couple of lines, openly peek at the cheat sheet, and immediately revert to a previous save.
Before even halfway through the Three Character Classic, he had reverted thirty times.
The Tianyou Emperor drank his tea until his stomach ached and hurriedly interrupted him, "Alright, Xiao Qi is indeed 'clever.' Let's have supper first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the child let out a long sigh of relief, and his clenched sleeve unconsciously dropped.
The cheat sheet, unnoticed, fluttered gracefully onto the Tianyou Emperor's instep.
The messy, scrawled handwriting made his eyes hurt. Fearing the child might revert again, he nonchalantly lifted his foot and stepped on the slip of paper.
Supper was gradually served—a simple meal of eight dishes and one soup.
Ordinary consorts typically ate only two meals a day, but the Tianyou Emperor, diligent and often working on memorials late into the night, had developed the habit of eating three meals.
Supper was more of an afternoon snack than a proper meal.
Hence, it wasn't particularly lavish.
The Tianyou Emperor reached out and placed a plate of scallion eggs in front of him, saying with a double meaning, "Eat more. Eggs are good for the brain."
Zhao Yan stared at the scallion eggs, swallowing saliva but not touching them.
Just as the Tianyou Emperor was puzzled, Li Jieyu said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Qi has never liked scallions since he was little. He won't eat eggs if there are scallions in them."
"Doesn't eat scallions?" The Tianyou Emperor eyed the child suspiciously.
Then why had this child kept reverting in the Imperial Study, specifically to eat scallion eggs?
Zhao Yan wrinkled his little face and nodded: "I don't want any." Seeing Father Emperor staring at him, he quickly pushed the scallion egg dish toward Li Jieyu with trembling hands: "Mother Consort likes it, Mother Consort should eat."
"Good Xiao Qi." Li Jieyu reached out to pat his head.
Witnessing this scene, the Tianyou Emperor felt a pang of melancholy: Did this child claim not to like the dish because he knew Li Jieyu favored it?
Had life in Jingfu Pavilion become so destitute that even an egg required mutual deference between mother and son?
He couldn't resist asking Li Jieyu: "When was the last time Jingfu Pavilion had this dish?"
When the Emperor initiated such inquiries, Li Jieyu wouldn't miss the chance to highlight their hardships. With a somber expression she replied: "Last time… it was only after I pawned my silver hairpin that we could afford some meat…" She then offered the scallion eggs to the Tianyou Emperor: "Your Majesty, please have some too."
This made the Emperor's heart ache even more, inevitably recalling his own impoverished childhood with his mother in Prince Xitu's tent.
Back then, the old Prince Xitu had neglected them too, frequently withholding proper food and clothing.
Though he wasn't as wretched as that old scoundrel Prince Xitu, he certainly hadn't been a good father to Xiao Qi either.
No wonder the child feared him so.
With this realization, the Tianyou Emperor directly placed a portion of fragrant scallion eggs into Zhao Yan's bowl, stating sternly: "Children shouldn't be picky eaters. Don't claim not to like things – eating well helps you grow tall."
Wahhh! He'd been trying so hard not to stare at the fragrant scallion eggs, and now Father Emperor had put some right in his bowl! Was he trying to kill someone with this delicious aroma?
Zhao Yan blinked several times, looking helplessly at Li Jieyu.
Fearing he might cry and displease the Emperor, Li Jieyu quickly said: "His Majesty only wants what's best for Xiao Qi. Since your Father Emperor wants you to eat, you should eat."
Pressing his lips together, Zhao Yan began taking small bites of the eggs in his bowl. While his face remained neutral, inwardly he was bursting with joy.
So delicious!
Father Emperor didn't seem so scary after all!
The Tianyou Emperor observed Zhao Yan's thin, small frame and instructed Feng Zongguan: "Tell the Imperial Kitchen to pay more attention to Jingfu Pavilion's meals from now on. Include more meat dishes. Especially these scallion eggs – they nourish the brain and body. Prepare more for the Seventh Prince." They were just eggs – if the child wanted them, he should have his fill.
Even Zhao Yan's eyebrows hidden behind his rice bowl seemed to curl with happiness.
Watching Zhao Yan's fluffy crown of hair, Li Jieyu grew anxious: Xiao Qi, you must resist! They're just scallion eggs – at worst, Mother Consort will help you eat them every day.
Though father, mother, and child operated on completely different wavelengths, they unexpectedly shared a harmonious meal together.
After dinner concluded, the Tianyou Emperor gently patted Zhao Yan's head and said warmly: "No need for reading or writing practice tonight. Rest well." With that, he rose and headed toward Li Jieyu's main chamber.
His large hand felt dry and warm. Zhao Yan stared blankly for a moment, his gaze unconsciously following the tall retreating figure – until he accidentally spotted the crib notes beneath the imperial dragon boots.
Zhao Yan panicked, frantically patting his sleeves but finding nothing.
When had his crib notes fallen out?
He struggled to recall – probably when he lowered his hands after reciting his lessons.
This is terrible! If Father Emperor discovered the crib notes under his boots, he'd definitely know he'd cheated during the recitation.
Father Emperor would surely tell Li Jieyu once he found out.
Li Jieyu…
He couldn't even imagine what that academic-taskmaster mother of his might do.
More than half an hour had passed since dinner—even if he used Revert to a previous save now, it would be too late to prevent the cheat sheet from falling out.
Zhao Yan stepped forward to follow the Tianyou Emperor, but Li Jieyu at the doorway grabbed him, crouched down to wipe tiny crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and whispered soothingly, "You've worked hard, Xiao Qi. Tomorrow, your Father Emperor won't be here, and no one will force you to eat scallions anymore. Be a good boy, go back and get some proper rest. If your stomach feels uncomfortable, tell Chen Xiang."
After saying this, she pushed Zhao Yan into Chen Xiang's hands and instructed, "Take good care of Xiao Qi."
Chen Xiang nodded, picked up Zhao Yan, and left immediately.
Zhao Yan stared fixedly at the Tianyou Emperor's shoe soles, trying hard to calm himself: Don't panic, don't panic. That cheap Father Emperor isn't leaving tonight—there's still a chance to retrieve the cheat sheet…
Li Jieyu watched as Chen Xiang carried him away, her eyes misty with tears. Clenching her fists, she silently psyched herself up: The rest is up to her. Tonight, no matter what, she must win over His Majesty.
She turned resolutely and chased after the Tianyou Emperor back to the main bedroom.
In the main bedroom, the faint scent of Dragon Saliva Incense wafted through the air. After bathing and changing into a sheer gown, Li Jieyu came to help the Tianyou Emperor undress. Once they were on the bed, she placed a hand on his broad chest and called out softly and sweetly, "Your Majesty…"
After some intimate caressing, the Tianyou Emperor was thoroughly aroused. He flipped over, pinning her beneath him. Under the mandarin duck brocade quilt, their silhouettes entwined…
Just as the Tianyou Emperor was about to proceed to the next step, the Dragon Vein abruptly extinguished, and his half-removed trousers snapped back to his waist.
Frustrated and unwilling to give up, the Tianyou Emperor pulled his trousers down again. But the next moment, they returned to their original position, and the Dragon Vein went out once more.
Hovering above her, the Tianyou Emperor frowned in irritation: Didn't I send that child to bed? What's wrong now?
As the Tianyou Emperor started to rise, Li Jieyu, sensing the situation turning sour, mustered all her charms and wrapped herself around him again.
The beauty was soft and pliant, her breath as fragrant as orchids.
The Tianyou Emperor felt his blood surge, and the Dragon Vein reignited from the ashes. He leaned in to kiss her. Fortunately, this time, he smoothly removed his trousers and progressed without interruption until the final step—the Great Wall was just one shudder away from completion… when a hand slowly emerged from under the bed and grabbed his dragon boot.
A furry head curiously peeked toward the bed, and its eyes met the Tianyou Emperor's gaze directly.
Those eyes were dark and sparkling.
The Tianyou Emperor instantly deflated.
Terrified, he jerked himself away from Li Jieyu, pulled the quilt over them, and gritted his teeth, "Xiao Qi, what are you doing here?"
Zhao Yan trembled at the roar, inwardly cursing his curiosity for nearly killing the cat.
The next moment, time reversed once again.
The Tianyou Emperor found himself lying beside Li Jieyu again, and a pair of soft, boneless hands began to wander over him.
The Tianyou Emperor remained utterly calm, too traumatized to react.
All he wanted to know now was what madness had possessed that little brat to sneak under the bed and spy in the middle of the night.
He took a deep breath and delivered a chop to the back of Li Jieyu's neck as she was fervently trying to arouse him.
Li Jieyu slumped softly into his arms.
The Tianyou Emperor snapped his fingers. Within two breaths, a shadow guard appeared and knelt by the bed.
The Tianyou Emperor commanded, "Spread the order: if the Seventh Prince shows up, the guards at the door are to pretend they didn't see him."
The shadow guard acknowledged and vanished.
Two minutes later, Zhao Yan once again appeared furtively near Li Jieyu's main bedroom.
The first time, he tried to sneak into the room with the attending palace maid but was caught by the sharp-eyed Feng Zongguan. The second time, he attempted to climb in through the window, only to be hauled away by the guards stationed nearby.
The third time, as soon as Father Emperor and his mother consort left, he slipped in with the maids delivering the bathtub. He hid under the bed in advance and had already retrieved the cheat sheet, but curiosity about the movements on the bed led him to take a peek—and he was caught red-handed by Father Emperor.
This time, he swore he wouldn’t let curiosity get the better of him again.
He would grab the cheat sheet and make a quick escape.
In the dim light, Zhao Yan stealthily crept to the door of the main bedroom.
The door opened, and several young eunuchs carried the bathtub out. Feng Zongguan stood with his back to the room, quietly giving instructions nearby.
Zhao Yan tiptoed past Feng Zongguan, mentally chanting: Don’t see me, don’t see me, if you see me, Revert to a previous save…
The small figure slipped into the room and scurried along the wall like a mouse.
One of the guards at the door couldn’t help but glance over. Feng Zongguan shot him a warning look, and the guard immediately averted his gaze, pretending not to see anything.
The door closed again, plunging the room into darkness. The Tianyou Emperor, hidden behind the Bronze Mirror by the window, silently observed a corner of the room facing the bed.
The child crawled frantically yet cautiously toward the bed on all fours. He paused every few steps, cautiously checking his surroundings before continuing…
Five minutes later, the child finally reached the bed and slipped underneath, lying motionless on the floor like a mouse. His small ears perked up, listening intently for a moment to confirm it was safe before reaching out to feel around the edge of the bed.
Whoosh! One of Li Jieyu’s shoes was pulled under the bed but quickly pushed back out.
Soon after, her other shoe was dragged under as well, only to be returned shortly after.
The small hand, undeterred, began groping wildly around the area where Li Jieyu’s shoes were placed.
Suddenly realizing something, the Tianyou Emperor lifted his dragon boot and glanced underneath—the cheat sheet was still firmly stuck there.
The Tianyou Emperor thought: This child went through all this trouble, repeatedly Reverting to a previous save, just to retrieve this cheat sheet?
He silently returned to the bedside, removed his dragon boot, and placed it next to Li Jieyu’s shoes.
Soon, the small hands dragged his dragon boot under the bed. After the boot was returned, the child crawled out from under the dragon bed and retraced his path like a little mouse, heading back toward the door.
The Tianyou Emperor picked up his dragon boot and glanced underneath—the cheat sheet was indeed gone.
The Tianyou Emperor sighed in disbelief: He went through all that just to step on that cheat sheet!
As expected, there was no avoiding the inevitable Revert to a previous save.
His own interference had backfired, leaving him utterly frustrated.
Rubbing his temples, the Tianyou Emperor waited for the child to crawl out.
The door opened again as Feng Zongguan entered with two palace maids. Seizing the opportunity, the child slipped out unnoticed.
One of the guards at the door couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
Feng Zongguan paused, dismissed the two maids, then approached the bedside and bowed to the Tianyou Emperor. "Your Majesty, shall this servant check on the Seventh Prince?"
The Tianyou Emperor shook his head. "Let him be."
With that, he lay down wearily on the bed.
Seeing this, Feng Zongguan withdrew with the maids.
Just as the Tianyou Emperor was growing drowsy, a clear whistle pierced through the night sky and reached his ears.
The Tianyou Emperor ignored it, turned over, and continued sleeping.
The whistle ceased for a while, then persisted with relentless determination.
Irritated, the Tianyou Emperor sat up, hastily changed into shadow guard attire, and appeared at the window of Zhao Yan's room.
Had he not been wearing a mask at that moment, he would surely have frightened the child into tears.
Zhao Yan remained oblivious, bouncing excitedly when he spotted the figure and calling out sweetly, "Jiu Jiu, where have you been? I thought you'd come to Jingfu Pavilion with Father Emperor, but I searched everywhere and couldn't find you."
He hadn't seen Jiu Jiu since arriving in Yujing.
Even when he whistled two days ago, no one came.
Behind his mask, the Tianyou Emperor froze for a second: So when the child had been scanning the room earlier, he was actually looking for me?
His tone softened slightly, "What did you need me for?" If it was about copying texts again, he might just strangle the boy.
"For you." A tanghulu was thrust toward him, the child's eyes sparkling as he said softly, "I'm giving this to you. It's really sweet."
The warm lantern light from the room spilled out, making the candied hawthorn skewer in the child's hand still appear vibrant and appetizing.
The Tianyou Emperor suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy: When he'd teased the child earlier, the boy had claimed to have no tanghulu left.
In the child's heart, Bai Jiu the guard ranked higher than him, the Father Emperor.
Even though they were the same person, he couldn't help feeling subtly displeased.
In an uncharacteristically childish manner, he asked, "Why doesn't the Seventh Prince give the tanghulu to His Majesty? If you gave it to him, His Majesty would probably be very happy."
"Father Emperor wouldn't be happy at all. He says sweets rot your teeth." Zhao Yan pouted. "But I've never had anything sweet in Jingfu Pavilion. Not even candied fruits when I take medicine. Sister Chen Xiang says candied fruits are expensive, and we don't have money to buy them."
The sour feeling in the Tianyou Emperor's heart transformed into a dull ache. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Then why is the Seventh Prince giving tanghulu to the Crown Prince and the others, and to this humble guard?"
Zhao Yan's eyes curved into happy crescents. "The Crown Prince and the others are my brothers. They share their good things with Xiao Qi too. Jiu Jiu is my good friend, and good friends should share things with each other." The child pushed the tanghulu closer, urging quietly, "I saved this one specially for you. Eat it quickly, or the sugar will melt!"
The Tianyou Emperor looked down and indeed saw translucent syrup slowly dripping from the end of the tanghulu.
But he was still wearing his mask.
Zhao Yan seemed to quickly notice this too, reaching up with his other hand to pull at the mask.
Having been caught off guard once before, the Tianyou Emperor reacted swiftly this time, stepping back two paces.
The child tilted his head in confusion. "Has the wound on Jiu Jiu's face not healed yet?"
The Tianyou Emperor replied in a hushed tone, "It's healed."
The child's lips curved upward. "Then take off your mask quickly, Jiu Jiu, so you can eat the tanghulu." His eyes shone with anticipation.
The Tianyou Emperor remained silent, making no move to accept it.
The child urged him again.
Finally, the Tianyou Emperor reached out and took the tanghulu while flicking a copper coin with his other hand.
A sharp gust of wind extinguished the candle, plunging the room into darkness.
Zhao Yan gasped and turned to look at the candlestick, but could see nothing. When he turned back, he heard the figure before him say, "It's delicious."
Zhao Yan turned around, eyes curving happily. "It's good, right? Next time Jiu Jiu goes out of the palace, can you bring me more?The Tianyou Emperor's faint touch of emotion vanished instantly.
This child really was…
The child held up one finger, pleading pitifully, "Just one, just one is enough. When my mother gets her monthly allowance, I'll pay you back. Good friends should help each other, right?"
The Tianyou Emperor chuckled faintly. "Fine."
The child bounced happily twice. "Yay! Jiu Jiu is the best!"
The Tianyou Emperor, fearing the child might leap from the stool, said impatiently, "Alright, Seventh Prince, hurry to bed. This humble servant must attend to the night watch."
The child nodded with soft murmurs, clambering down from the stool on all fours and groping his way toward the bed in the dark.
After just a few steps, a thud sounded, followed by the child's yelp of "Aiyo!"
Startled, the Tianyou Emperor lowered his voice to ask, "Are you alright?"
The child rustled as he scrambled up, replying in a milky, childish tone, "Fine, fine, Jiu Jiu needn't worry about me." He hadn't taken two more steps before he stumbled again with an "Aiya!", then picked himself up and continued feeling his way forward.
The Tianyou Emperor massaged his forehead: This child truly is a clumsy one.
Only after confirming the child had safely climbed into bed did the Tianyou Emperor finally exhale in relief, turning to head toward Li Jieyu's main chamber.
Now wide awake, he simply had Feng Zongguan bring over memorials to review slowly. By the time he was nearly finished, Feng Zongguan entered with Bai Jiu.
Bai Jiu bowed with lowered head, speaking in hushed tones, "Your Majesty, I thoroughly investigated all guards, palace maids, and eunuchs on duty in the Imperial Garden that day. No one witnessed how the Seventh Prince fell into the water. The incident appears to be genuinely coincidental."
"Appears to be genuinely coincidental?" The Tianyou Emperor looked up at him: "That day, besides the guards, palace maids, and eunuchs on duty, did people from other palaces pass through the Imperial Garden?"
Bai Jiu hesitated: "Well… people from the Empress, Wen Guifei, Chen Fei, and Consort Yun's quarters all passed through, but this isn't an area where this humble servant can extend investigation…" Mere passage alone made the matter difficult to ascertain.
The Tianyou Emperor nodded: "I understand. Let the matter rest here. You may withdraw."
After speaking, he noticed Bai Jiu remained motionless.
Looking up, he saw Bai Jiu's gaze fixed on the porcelain dish on his desk. On the dish lay a brightly colored Tanghulu, its sugary glaze having spread across the entire plate.
The Tianyou Emperor frowned, suddenly speaking: "Henceforth, cover your face when entering the inner court."
Bai Jiu looked puzzled: "What does Your Majesty mean?"
The Tianyou Emperor stared at him impatiently. Bai Jiu grew apprehensive and immediately assented before withdrawing.
The main chamber fell quiet, candle flames flickering. The Tianyou Emperor's gaze returned to that string of Tanghulu.
He had overlooked a question earlier.
If that child truly wanted crib notes, why didn't he simply reverse time to when he was memorizing texts?
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk as he pondered: Unless… the child's time reversal ability has temporal limitations.
Then how long is this time limit?