Eunuch Feng hurried to Jingfu Pavilion and returned shortly, bringing Li Jieyu with him.
Li Jieyu's eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying. The moment she saw the Tianyou Emperor, tears began streaming down her face again: "Your Majesty, Xiao Qi is missing."
The Tianyou Emperor was furious: "What do you mean, missing?"
Li Jieyu explained: "After Xiao Qi returned from school, he said he was tired. I let him nap in his room for half an hour before getting up to practice calligraphy. Half an hour later, when the maid went to wake him, she found the window open and Xiao Qi gone." Her tears flowed uncontrollably again: "I searched every corner of Jingfu Pavilion but couldn't find him, then sent palace maids to search outside Jingfu Pavilion, but still no trace. It's already been two hours…"
Worried he might have fallen into the lotus pond again, she rushed to the Imperial Garden to search, where she happened to meet Eunuch Feng on the way.
The Tianyou Emperor frowned: Xiao Qi must have slipped out through the window while Little Fifth and Little Sixth were arguing, during the repeated time reversals.
He suddenly remembered Little Fifth's earlier words: Could that child have really sneaked off to the Imperial Hospital?
Then going around telling everyone: "My Father Emperor's… rooster can't stand up anymore. Can you cure it?"
Wouldn't that mean embarrassing him twice over by making him lose face throughout the entire Imperial Hospital!
The Tianyou Emperor felt utterly wretched and loudly ordered Eunuch Feng: "Quick! Send fast runners to the Imperial Hospital immediately to find him!"
While Li Jieyu was still puzzled why they were searching the Imperial Hospital, Eunuch Feng rushed out again, leading guards toward the Imperial Hospital.
However, when the group hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Hospital, they found no sign of the Seventh Prince.
The Imperial Hospital staff also said they hadn't seen the Seventh Prince.
This was truly strange.
If he wasn't at the Imperial Hospital, where could he be?
The Tianyou Emperor had been so angry he couldn't think straight. Calming down, he remembered the shadow guards had been following the child all along.
He immediately left the Imperial Study, summoned the shadow guards, and ordered them to find the child.
Before long, the shadow guards hurried back. They reported that after sneaking out of Jingfu Pavilion, the Seventh Prince had gotten lost in the Imperial Garden. Finally, to avoid passing palace staff, he had hidden among the rockeries by the Lotus Pond and fallen asleep.
One of them was currently guarding the young prince.
Soon, the sleeping Zhao Yan was carried to the side chamber of the Imperial Study. When the Tianyou Emperor went to check, the child was sleeping soundly on the soft couch, even snoring lightly.
This really wasn't Zhao Yan's fault. He had worried all night, gotten up early to study, then gotten lost in the Imperial Garden and walked for two hours.
At just five years old, he simply couldn't stay awake any longer.
The Tianyou Emperor was speechless, his pent-up anger with no outlet. He could only summon Li Jieyu and her palace staff before him.
Li Jieyu had already learned about what happened in the Imperial Study and understood why her son had gone to the Imperial Hospital. She now stood trembling with fear.
Chen Xiang and Ban Xia were already kneeling on the ground. Ban Xia kowtowed while pleading: "Your Majesty, spare us! This servant only repeated what happened when Li Jieyu encountered Consort Yun in the Imperial Garden. I specifically avoided the Seventh Prince, I don't know how he overheard."
Chen Xiang quickly added: "Your Majesty, Ban Xia truly only repeated Consort Yun's words."
The Tianyou Emperor frowned: "If you only repeated Consort Yun's words, how could that child say such things in the Imperial Study?"
According to their accounts, Consort Yun only said he couldn't perform. But what Xiao Qi said in the Imperial Study was that his… couldn't stand up, and he couldn't pee.
Li Jieyu fell to her knees with a thud: "Your Majesty, it's just children passing words among themselves. No one really knows exactly what Xiao Qi said. Perhaps what Xiao Qi initially said wasn't the same as what the Sixth Prince and others reported… If you think it's inappropriate, shall we have Xiao Qi explain it to the Sixth Prince and the others tomorrow?"
"Silence!" The Tianyou Emperor was so angry his liver ached.
If she didn't know how to speak properly, she should keep quiet. Did she really want Xiao Qi to go tell those children that he couldn't perform?
Those children—even the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were only ten years old—what could they possibly understand about not being able to perform?
They would probably take those words about his inability and ask the servants around them.
Did he, the Son of Heaven, still want to maintain any dignity?
Li Jieyu closed her mouth, mumbling.
The Tianyou Emperor said sternly, "Li Jieyu, for failing to maintain proper discipline, your stipend is suspended for three months. The servants who gossiped recklessly are to be sent to serve in the outer court. From now on, the Seventh Prince will be accompanied by people assigned by Feng Lu."
"Your Majesty! This matter is entirely Consort Yun's fault. Why am I being punished?" Li Jieyu was indignant, though she only showed grievance on her face.
The Tianyou Emperor warned her, "Don't mention Consort Yun. I will punish her myself, and it will be heavier than your punishment! If you say another word, you'll be confined to your quarters!"
Who cared whether Consort Yun would be punished? She just didn't want her stipend suspended.
Her rank was low, and her stipend was already meager. If it were suspended for three months, how would she afford the Xuan paper for Xiao Qi's daily calligraphy practice?
The hairpins and fabrics she had been awarded earlier couldn't be exchanged for silver.
Li Jieyu lifted her head and said very sincerely, "How about Your Majesty doesn't suspend my stipend and just confines me to my quarters instead?" After all, she rarely left Jingfu Pavilion these days anyway.
The Tianyou Emperor was left speechless.
Seeing his displeased expression, Li Jieyu quickly raised one finger: "How about suspending it for just one month?"
"Do you think this is a marketplace?" Punishments could be bargained over?
Li Jieyu slowly extended two fingers: "Then two months?"
The Tianyou Emperor was at a loss for words. He flicked his sleeve and left the side hall.
Outside the side hall, the Crown Prince and the other princes stood in an orderly line. When they saw him emerge, they straightened their postures even more.
The Tianyou Emperor, frustrated, swept his gaze over them and said coldly, "All of you, copy the 'Disciple Rules' thirty times each. I will inspect them in five days!"
The Crown Prince bowed to accept the punishment: "Your son obeys!"
The Second Prince, unwilling to accept this, stepped forward: "Father Emperor, your son has done nothing wrong. Why must I be punished along with the others?"
The Tianyou Emperor glared at him coldly: "Forty copies of the 'Disciple Rules'!"
The Second Prince fell silent and stepped back angrily. Given his father's temper, if he said more, the punishment would only increase.
The Tianyou Emperor asked again, "Does anyone else have objections?"
The Third Prince and the Sixth Prince wore bitter expressions, while the Fourth Prince showed little reaction. The Fifth Prince's small face scrunched up like a bun, and he pouted as he asked, "Then, did Father Emperor punish Xiao Qi too?"
The Tianyou Emperor was displeased: "Is that what you're concerned about?"
"N-Not exactly…" The Fifth Prince timidly retreated half a step: "Then, can Father Emperor pee?"
The Sixth Prince, horrified, covered the Fifth Prince's mouth, but the Tianyou Emperor had already heard.
The Tianyou Emperor's face turned as dark as a pot bottom. What? Hadn't he seen enough from climbing the wall earlier? Did he want him to pee on the spot to prove it?
"Fifty copies of the 'Disciple Rules' for everyone!" With that, he turned and left without looking back.
As soon as he left, the Sixth Prince released the Fifth Prince and snapped, "Why did you have to bring that up again?" Thirty copies in five days could barely be finished, but fifty? Unless he grew two extra hands.
The Fifth Prince whimpered, "I was just curious…"
"Curious my foot! If you don't know how to speak properly, then shut up!" The Second Prince shot him a glare before turning and striding away.
The Third and Fourth Princes followed in silence without a word.
"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, wait for me!" The Sixth Prince scampered after them, his footsteps pattering.
Only the Fifth Prince and the Crown Prince remained outside the side hall.
Tears welled up in the Fifth Prince's eyes as he looked pitifully at the Crown Prince. "…Crown Prince Brother, what did I say wrong?"
The Crown Prince looked at him, hesitating to speak, then hesitating again, before finally sighing at his foolishness and walking away.
Waaah…
The Fifth Prince completely broke down, sitting outside the side hall and wailing loudly.
The servants of Yunxiang Palace, noticing the Fifth Prince hadn't emerged from the side hall for a long time, hurried over. Seeing their young master crying heartbrokenly, they rushed forward to comfort him.
As soon as someone reached out, the Fifth Prince swatted their hand away and roared, "Get away, all of you! I want my mother! I want my mother… Waaah… I want my mother!"
Zhao Momo said helplessly, "Fifth Prince, Consort Yun cannot come."
"I want my mother!" The Fifth Prince paid no heed, continuing to cry and scream.
Zhao Momo had no choice. It was bitterly cold, and she couldn't let him sit on the freezing ground. She resolutely picked him up, holding him like a piglet, and carried him all the way back to Yunxiang Palace.
Even after arriving at Yunxiang Palace, he continued to throw a tantrum.
Consort Yun, furious, slapped him on the bottom. The Fifth Prince yelped, covering his little rear end and sniffling as he looked at her. "M-Mother…"
"Cry, all you know is crying!" Consort Yun was livid, her own eyes red and swollen—clearly, she had been crying too. "Why couldn't you behave? Why did you have to follow the Fourth Prince and the others to see your Father Emperor…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "Do you know that because of you, your mother was reprimanded by your Father Emperor? And now I'm confined to the palace for three months?"
His Majesty had shown her no face at all, scolding her in front of all the servants of Yunxiang Palace.
Heaven knows how much effort it took last time to have Wen Guifei help lift her confinement.
And now, not even two days later, she was confined again—for three months.
Three months! It would last until the New Year.
Consort Yun was utterly humiliated!
The Fifth Prince trembled at her scolding, his sobs growing quieter. "Waaah, I was just worried about Father Emperor peeing…"
"Pee what?" Consort Yun snapped angrily. "Even if something were wrong with your Father Emperor, is it something a six-year-old child should meddle in?"
The Fifth Prince didn't even dare to sniffle now, muttering pitifully, "Fourth Brother went to see first, and I… I just followed…" Besides, he hadn't even seen anything.
"You, you! What am I to do with you? You only see what's right in front of you!" Seeing his tear-streaked, messy face, Consort Yun's heart softened. She knelt down, pulled him closer, and wiped his face. "You only saw the surface. All of you fell right into the Seventh Prince's trap. Now he's perfectly fine, while all of you got punished!"
The Fifth Prince's eyes widened. "Xiao Qi deliberately got us punished?"
"What do you think?" Consort Yun continued wiping his face as she spoke. "He incited the Sixth Prince to say those things to you, then ran off right after school. Your mother heard that your Father Emperor didn't punish the Seventh Prince. Do you still think he's not hateful?"
Though it was clearly that bitch Li Jieyu who spread the rumors, Consort Yun ended up receiving the heaviest punishment.
Consort Yun simply couldn't swallow this injustice.
That wretch Li Jieyu must be deliberately retaliating against her for yesterday's incident in the Imperial Garden.
What cunning scheming!
Consort Yun began suspecting that Li Jieyu's foolishness was all an act. Perhaps she had pretended to fall out of favor with His Majesty years ago because she found it difficult to navigate between the Empress and Wen Guifei.
"From now on, stop giving the Seventh Prince such looks! Your mother has told you – the reason he gave you tanghulu earlier was to mock you!"
The more Consort Yun spoke, the more convinced the Fifth Prince became.
Xiao Qi is a villain!
No matter how delicious tanghulu might be, he would never accept anything from him again.
Wiping his tears, he pattered to his own bedchamber, retrieved the last remaining tanghulu from its brocade box, and furiously threw it on the ground, stomping on it vigorously.
The bright red tanghulu was crushed into fine pieces, making crunching sounds under his feet.
The Fifth Prince kept stomping while muttering curses under his breath.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yan, who had been sleeping, suddenly sneezed and woke from his dreams.
"Awake?" A voice came from above.
Zhao Yan looked up and realized he was being carried in someone's arms – none other than Li Jieyu herself.
He immediately shivered and nervously called out "Mother," his eyes darting around anxiously.
Then he discovered they were outside the side chamber of the Imperial Study.
Hadn't he been on his way to the Imperial Hospital?
Later, he seemed to have hidden among the rockeries in the Imperial Garden… How did he end up here after waking up?
Zhao Yan was utterly perplexed.
"Are you cold?" Li Jieyu noticed his shivering and quickly took the thick coat from Chen Xiang to wrap around him. Still carrying him, she continued walking while scolding: "Even if you wanted to go to the Imperial Hospital, you shouldn't have slipped away without a word. Do you know how worried your mother was?"
Chen Xiang, Ban Xia, and Xiao Luzi immediately followed behind.
Zhao Yan's eyes fluttered nervously, not daring to respond.
Li Jieyu continued her lecture: "If your Father Emperor hadn't sent people to search for you, your mother would have thought you'd fallen into the lotus pond again and nearly jumped in to rescue you. Your Father Emperor's health isn't for a child like you to worry about. And from now on, don't tell other princes that your Father Emperor's… little bird can't stand up…"
Zhao Yan looked shocked: How… how did Li Jieyu know about that?
"Your Father Emperor holds grudges. This time even the Crown Prince and Second Prince were punished together. Fortunately, you were asleep, so your Father Emperor didn't remember you…"
Why were the Crown Prince and Second Prince punished too?
"Ah, those princes are really bold, actually going to the privy to watch His Majesty relieve himself…"
Though Li Jieyu didn't finish her sentence, Zhao Yan could piece together most of the story.
He had only casually mentioned to Sixth Brother that 'Father Emperor's bird can't stand up,' and then the Crown Prince, Second Brother, and the others all found out. They had the audacity to form a group, climb walls, and sneak peeks at their cheap father relieving himself…
Finally, they were all caught together and punished together!
Even though he wasn't present, Zhao Yan could imagine how furious his cheap father must have been!
What man would admit to being impotent!
Especially the Son of Heaven.
To be considered impotent by his own sons.
Ah, that fragile ego of his cheap father!
Zhao Yan began to worry deeply about being the only one who escaped punishment. His cheap father disliked him the most – there was no reason why the Crown Prince and others would be punished while he alone was spared.
However, his worries were soon overshadowed by Li Jieyu's frantic pressure on his studies.
Because of his sneaking out, Li Jieyu assigned him several extra pages of calligraphy practice. Combined with the assignments left by Liu Hanlin, Zhao Yan had no mental capacity to think about anything else.
This was no different from being punished.
The top priority was still to cure his Father Emperor's hidden ailment.
The reason he hadn't reached the Imperial Hospital earlier was because he wasn't familiar with the route.
He might not know the way, but Jiu Jiu, as a palace guard, certainly would. He could ask Jiu Jiu to draw him a map, then find another opportunity to go later.
He glanced at Xiao Luzi serving nearby and gave a small yawn.
Xiao Luzi immediately asked: "Is the Seventh Prince feeling sleepy?"
Zhao Yan nodded.
Xiao Luzi promptly made his bed, tidied his desk, and helped him settle in for the night.
Zhao Yan lay motionless in bed until he heard the door close, then quietly climbed out of bed, reached for the coat by his bedside and put it on. He crept to the windowsill, pushed open the window and peered outside.
The moonlight was cold, frost covering the ground.
He fumbled in his sleeve, pulled out a whistle and blew it.
A clear bird-like sound blended into the night, startling the shadow guard dozing in the tree. Through the dense branches, he looked toward the child leaning out the window.
What was the Seventh Prince doing in the middle of the night?
The whistle sounded several more times. Zhao Yan waited for a while, but no one came. Disheartened, he lowered the whistle.
Well, it was so late – Jiu Jiu must be asleep.
Just as he was about to close the window, a figure swiftly approached.
Zhao Yan perked up, whispering: "Jiu Jiu, you're awake too! I thought you were asleep and wouldn't come."
As if the Tianyou Emperor could sleep!
The culprit had finally awakened – of course he had to come see what was happening.
The Tianyou Emperor ignored his enthusiasm and said coldly: "After the trouble the Seventh Prince caused, His Majesty is very angry. We subordinates have been punished along with you – how could we sleep at night!"
The light in Zhao Yan's eyes instantly dimmed. He whispered guiltily: "I… I'm sorry…"
His small face fell, eyes welling with tears: "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to ask the Imperial Physician if Father Emperor's illness can be cured…"
The Tianyou Emperor frowned: "If His Majesty is unwell, he will naturally summon the Imperial Physicians. There's no need for a child like the Seventh Prince to ask about such matters!" Those people at the Imperial Hospital weren't useless – no child needed to remind them about the Emperor's health.
"I know…" Zhao Yan's voice carried a nasal urgency: "But I want Father Emperor to get better quickly!" The genuine concern in his tone was unmistakable.
The Tianyou Emperor's furrowed brow relaxed: "The Seventh Prince seems to care deeply about His Majesty?"
Zhao Yan nodded emphatically: "Yes, if Father Emperor doesn't get better, I can't sleep every night! I feel terrible, just terrible!" The thought of Li Jieyu's intense tutoring methods made him lose all appetite and sleep.
If his Father Emperor could recover and distract some of Li Jieyu's attention, that would be good too.
A flicker passed through the Tianyou Emperor's eyes: This child's responses always surprised him.
First when he sent him out of the palace for blessings, and now this.
He had treated Xiao Qi so coldly, yet Xiao Qi genuinely seemed to like him as a father.
The Tianyou Emperor's tone softened slightly as he explained word by word: "His Majesty is in good health!"
Zhao Yan sniffled and looked up at him: "Did Father Emperor tell you that?"
The Tianyou Emperor nodded.
Zhao Yan said in a milky voice, "Grown-ups always lie. Like my mother—she says she has money when she clearly doesn't. And Sister Ban Xia—she says she isn't crying when she clearly is."
The Tianyou Emperor replied, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven and does not lie." After saying this, he felt a pang of guilt himself.
Wasn't he, at this very moment, deceiving a child by using Bai Jiu's identity?
And he had done it more than once.
Zhao Yan pouted, "The Son of Heaven is also human, born from a mother's womb. Why wouldn't he lie?" Jiu Jiu seemed completely brainwashed by his cheap Father Emperor, blindly trusting his boss's words.
The Tianyou Emperor thought: This child is being stubborn again.
He couldn't very well drop his pants and pee on the spot to prove it.
The Tianyou Emperor fell silent.
Zhao Yan felt it was necessary to straighten out the thought process of his only friend; otherwise, he might end up counting the money after being sold out by his cheap Father Emperor.
So he spoke with feigned gravity, "Mother said Father Emperor is diligent. He attends court every day, reviews memorials, checks mine and my royal brothers' schoolwork, and works tirelessly until very, very late! Father Emperor has been this busy, this hardworking, and this exhausted since Crown Prince was born. Surely, he must have fallen ill, right?"
The Tianyou Emperor was moved. He had been on the throne for years, and it seemed like he was genuinely busy every day.
Occasionally, he suffered from headaches or minor ailments, but he often pushed through while reviewing memorials.
He considered himself as strong as iron, and his court officials and consorts also believed he was robust.
It was touching that a child barely over five years old would think he was tired and overworked.
This child truly cared about him.
The pent-up frustration in the Tianyou Emperor's heart dissipated considerably.
Fine, he could let the punishment slide.
But he would never admit to being weak!!
"Seventh Prince, this humble official means well. His Majesty is in good health. Please do not dwell on this matter anymore, and never go to the Imperial Hospital again." The Tianyou Emperor slightly emphasized his tone, intimidating him, "Otherwise, His Majesty will surely punish you! More severely than even the Crown Prince!"
Zhao Yan's small frame trembled.
The Tianyou Emperor was pleased with his fear, a slight smile curling his lips as he turned to leave.
However, after taking a few steps, he returned to the window the next moment.
Despite his fear, the child stubbornly repeated, "Father Emperor is truly ill."
The Tianyou Emperor's face darkened. Without a word, he vanished.
The next second, he was back at the window.
The child was unusually persistent, staring at him and repeating, "Jiu Jiu, Father Emperor is truly ill!"
The Tianyou Emperor thought: It seems he won't be able to leave today without admitting he's sick!