The shadow guard acknowledged the order and hurried to Jingfu Pavilion.
Inside Jingfu Pavilion, the Revert to a previous save had occurred eight times. This time, Zhao Yan finally got up.
Anyone forced awake eight times in a row would have lost all drowsiness.
He obediently sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Chen Xiang and Ban Xia to fuss over him. Once everything was properly arranged, Li Meiren personally carried him to the table.
Two plates of steaming pastries were placed on the table. Li Meiren pushed them closer to him: "Eat quickly. After you finish, hurry to the Imperial Study! Xiao Qi has already missed many days of study. You absolutely cannot be late today."
Zhao Yan hadn't seen such exquisite pastries in the past two days. These two plates on the table were clearly specially prepared for his schooling.
They must have cost Li Meiren a considerable amount of silver.
Zhao Yan took a small bite of the pastry. Li Meiren continued her admonitions: "My Xiao Qi is the cleverest. When you get to the Imperial Study, behave well. The daily assignments of all princes are delivered to your Father Emperor. Your Father Emperor loves intelligent children most. If you perform well in your studies, your Father Emperor will surely value you!"
Zhao Yan choked, coughing violently until tears streamed from his eyes.
Li Meiren hurriedly brought a cup of warm water to his lips while patting his back with her other hand.
Tears welled in Zhao Yan's eyes from coughing: Did she have to push him so hard academically?
What if she discovered he was a dunce who scored zero in exams? Would she faint from anger?
Moreover, this was a Seize the throne story. Being so aggressive would just make him cannon fodder.
Zhao Yan stole a glance at Li Meiren: His mother consort didn't seem particularly bright either.
Noticing the child's gaze, Li Meiren urged: "You silly child, drink quickly! After you finish, I'll take you to the Imperial Study." As she spoke, she packed the previously prepared books into his small satchel, asking while doing so: "You've memorized the 'Three Character Classic' and 'Thousand Character Classic' these past few days, haven't you?"
Zhao Yan nodded with vague sounds. Li Meiren slung the small satchel over his shoulder. His entire shoulder sank immediately, and his small face scrunched up like a bitter melon.
A windproof cap was placed on his head. Li Meiren picked him up and walked out, with Chen Xiang and Ban Xia quickly grabbing lanterns to follow.
Outside the room, the howling wind immediately assaulted their ears. Zhao Yan squinted against the wind. Noticing this, Li Meiren pressed his head against her neck and used her cloak to completely cover his small face.
A sweet, warm fragrance enveloped his senses.
Zhao Yan sniffled and cautiously wrapped his arms around Li Meiren's neck, nestling his face against her shoulder with attachment.
If Li Meiren didn't force him to study, she'd probably be a wonderful mother consort.
The little child sighed like a weary adult…
The winter night was starless, the sky pitch black, with only the lantern's glow illuminating their immediate path.
Jingfu Pavilion was remote, while the Imperial Study was located closest to the Tianyou Emperor's Hall of Eternal Zenith. The journey from here to the Imperial Study took a full two quarters of an hour.
As Li Meiren lacked imperial favor, Zhao Yan had no Sedan chair to ride despite the long distance. After walking just one quarter of an hour, fine beads of sweat already dotted Li Meiren's forehead.
Detecting her slightly labored breathing, Zhao Yan loosened his grip around her neck and whispered: "Mother consort, shall I walk by myself?"
Li Meiren patted his back and shook her head: "No need. You've just recovered from illness – you mustn't overexert yourself."
Seeing this, Chen Xiang handed her lantern to Ban Xia and took Zhao Yan from Li Meiren's arms to continue the journey.
Li Meiren walked alongside, reaching out to adjust the child's hat brim as she smiled and said, "Xiao Qi knows to care for his mother now. As long as you study well, nothing could make me happier."
Zhao Yan pursed his lips, clinging to Chen Xiang's neck without speaking.
As they passed through the Imperial Garden, a six-person sedan chair cut in from the left side, directly bumping into Ban Xia who was carrying a lantern and causing her to stumble. Half of Ban Xia's body collided with the nearby osmanthus tree.
When she steadied herself and saw who it was, Ban Xia was startled and timidly glanced back at Li Meiren. Li Meiren narrowed her eyes, reached out to pull Chen Xiang, who quickly retreated to the side with Zhao Yan in her arms, allowing the sedan chair to pass first.
A woman reclined lazily in the sedan chair, dressed in bright red palace attire embroidered with intricate vine patterns. A section of her fair wrist was adorned with a silver snake-patterned bracelet. With high-arched eyebrows and deep-set eyes, her beauty was indescribable.
Her appearance was completely different from everyone he had seen recently.
She seemed to be from an ethnic minority.
Beside her sat a child about eight or nine years old, leaning crookedly against the sedan chair's thick soft cushions. He shared the same high-arched eyebrows and deep-set eyes, though his face appeared somewhat pale. The boy was wrapped snugly and warmly in a snow-white fox fur cloak, sleeping soundly and peacefully.
Zhao Yan tilted his head to look into the sedan chair: Which of his brothers was this?
Ah, both were imperial princes, yet the difference in treatment was too obvious.
The woman in the sedan chair seemed to notice his gaze. Her half-closed eyes opened and turned in their direction. After seeing him, her gaze passed over him to land on Li Meiren behind him. Her beautiful eyebrows arched slightly as she waved her hand to signal the sedan chair to stop.
Wu Momo, following beside the sedan chair, immediately called out, and the several eunuchs carrying the chair hurriedly halted their steps.
The person in the sedan chair looked down condescendingly at Li Meiren, her light blue eyes filled with contempt. Her crimson lips parted as if releasing a cold wind: "Isn't this Consort Li, whom His Majesty has cast aside?" She chuckled lightly: "Oh no, we should call you Li Meiren now. The Seventh Prince just fell into the water a few days ago, and you're already sending him to study. Aren't you afraid something might happen to him again?"
Li Meiren pulled Chen Xiang, who was holding the child, behind her and straightened her back, responding through gritted teeth: "Imperial Concubine, Xiao Qi is an imperial prince, protected by dragon aura!"
Imperial Concubine?
Zhao Yan quickly searched his memory: Was this woman before him Wen Guifei? The daughter of the current Duke Wen, who was the Right Virtuous King of Western Path?
Then the prince sleeping in the sedan chair must be his Second Brother?
According to the original book's description, his Second Brother was somewhat weak due to premature birth. He needed to take medicine regularly and stay warm.
However weak he might be, he still outlived this short-lived cannon fodder character.
With half-hearted careful nurturing, he might even live to a hundred.
Zhao Yan stole another glance at the Second Prince in the sedan chair: Even in such poor health, was he coming to study this early too?
Were all the princes in throne succession stories this competitive?
Wen Guifei stared at Li Meiren's straightened back and felt her hands itch: "After all these years, you still can't break your habit of having a sharp tongue! Wu Momo, slap her face! Beat this seductive face to pieces for me!"
Li Meiren was originally selected by Empress Jiang to divide Wen Guifei's favor. Both were equally beautiful, but Wen Guifei's beauty appeared sharp and flamboyant, like a poisonous dahlia from Western Path at first glance. Meanwhile, Li Meiren's beauty was more lush and gentle, like a peony blooming to its fullest in Central Plains.
However, the peony of Central Plains ultimately couldn't compete with the well-supported dahlia from Western Path.
Li Meiren came from an inconspicuous family background and lacked intelligence. She had offended the noble consort and spoken recklessly, angering His Majesty.
After being demoted, she lost favor and influence, and the Seventh Prince she gave birth to was also despised. There was no hope for her in this lifetime.
Originally, if she hadn't appeared before Wen Guifei, the noble consort might have magnanimously let her be. But who told her to be in a bad mood recently, and Li Meiren happened to cross her at the wrong moment!
Wu Momo acknowledged the order and stepped forward to slap Li Meiren.
Her palm was large and thick—if it landed squarely, Li Meiren's face would likely be ruined.
Zhao Yan wasn't particularly brave, but he was fiercely protective of his own.
The moment Wu Momo's hand reached out, Zhao Yan's small body lunged forward, his hands grabbing tightly onto Wu Momo's meticulously styled bun. He mustered all his strength and tugged, shaking it vigorously.
No one had expected such a small child to suddenly strike, and with such speed and precision, seizing Wu Momo's hair.
Wen Guifei was so startled she sat upright in her sedan chair, and even Li Meiren beside her was taken aback.
Her Xiao Qi was usually well-behaved but sensitive and timid—how had he suddenly become so fierce?
Wu Momo cried out in pain, "Aiyo!" and quickly retracted the hand meant for striking, grabbing instead at Zhao Yan's hands as she shouted, "Let go, aiyo, let go!" She felt as if her entire scalp was about to be torn off.
But the child was a prince, even if not favored, so she didn't dare use too much force.
Zhao Yan puffed out his cheeks, glaring fiercely at her with a babyish ferocity, refusing to let go.
Back in the orphanage, he had often been bullied. Even then, he knew that if he didn't make the other party fear him in one go, he would only suffer more bullying.
The commotion between the two grew so loud that the Second Prince, sleeping in the sedan chair, furrowed his brow as if about to wake.
Wen Guifei tensed for a moment, soothingly patting the Second Prince. She leaned over, using a handkerchief to cover his ears, and hissed at Wu Momo in a low voice, "Hurry up and pull that little brat away! Don't disturb Qi'er!"
With this command, Wu Momo immediately applied more force, trying to pry Zhao Yan's hands loose.
Seeing this, Li Meiren also reached out to pull Wu Momo's hands away.
Zhao Yan blinked his dark eyes twice and, just before Wu Momo could exert more force, decisively chose to Revert to a previous save.
Fortunately, fortunately, he still had a backup plan.
The next second, they were walking again on the dark palace path, still a quarter of an hour away from the Imperial Garden.
Li Meiren, carrying Zhao Yan, had fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
Zhao Yan squirmed a couple of times, insisting on being put down to walk on his own. His small body wriggled and slipped downward.
Li Meiren, already tired from the walk, lost her grip for a moment, and he slipped down. Holding his hand, she said with some annoyance, "Xiao Qi has just recovered from his illness. Why must you walk on your own?" Zhao Yan swung her hand and said in a soft, sticky voice, "Mother is tired. Xiao Qi has grown up. I'll walk by myself." His real intention was to stall for time—with his short legs, by the time they reached the Imperial Garden, Wen Guifei's sedan chair would surely have passed by already.
Li Meiren coaxed, "Mother isn't tired. Your studies are important; we mustn't be late. Chen Xiang, you carry Xiao Qi."
As Chen Xiang bent down to pick him up, he immediately clung to Li Meiren's leg, refusing to move.
Li Meiren frowned. After a two-second standoff, she relented, "Alright, let's hurry, or we'll be late." She took Zhao Yan's small hand.
Zhao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and began walking slowly with his short legs. Several times, when Li Meiren tried to carry him, he dodged away.
As time ticked by, everyone grew increasingly anxious.
After passing through the Imperial Garden, Zhao Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Before Chen Xiang could reach out to carry him, Wen Guifei's sedan chair appeared in the distance once more.
The Second Prince was not on the sedan chair, clearly indicating Wen Guifei had already escorted him to the Imperial Study and was now returning.
Zhao Yan was astonished: How did she move so quickly?
From afar, Wen Guifei also spotted their group, her eyebrows slightly raised as she prepared to speak.
Zhao Yan inwardly cursed his miscalculation and initiated another Revert to a previous save.
The third time, he insisted on taking a different route, attempting to bypass the Imperial Garden and reach the Imperial Study from another direction.
If they took an alternate path and moved slowly enough, Wen Guifei would surely have returned via the original route.
This time, they indeed encountered no sign of Wen Guifei, and the four of them safely arrived at the main entrance of the Imperial Study.
Zhao Yan heaved a great sigh of relief and waved to Li Meiren.
Li Meiren patted his head and instructed, "Hurry inside now, study well." Then she turned to Chen Xiang beside him and added, "Take good care of Xiao Qi, don't let anyone bully him."
Chen Xiang nodded in acknowledgment and led Zhao Yan into the Imperial Study.
As Li Meiren turned around, a dark shadow flitted past behind her, startling her. Ban Xia, holding the lantern, quickly reassured her, "Do not fear, Meiren, it was just a stray cat."
The 'stray cat' leaped over tree branches, scaled high walls, and raced swiftly until it landed within the Imperial Bedchamber of the Tianyou Emperor. It repeated its report: "Your Majesty, Li Meiren left Jingfu Pavilion around the first quarter of the Yin hour, then took a long detour via Chaolu Palace to reach the Imperial Study. The Seventh Prince was the last to arrive at the Imperial Study."
Seated before the imperial desk, the Tianyou Emperor stared at the reviewed memorials before him, which had decreased three times in succession, his brow nearly knotted in frustration: "Why did she not take the shortest path through the Imperial Garden, but instead detour via Chaolu Palace?"
The shadow guard shook his head: "This servant dared not approach too closely, only observing from a distance that Li Meiren paused at the fork in the road for two breaths before heading towards Chaolu Palace."
The Tianyou Emperor asked further: "When she arrived at the Imperial Study, was Wen Guifei present?"
The shadow guard shook his head again: "No, Wen Guifei had already returned along the Imperial Garden route after escorting the Second Prince."
The Tianyou Emperor pondered: The first time the shadow guard reported, Li Meiren brought Xiao Qi from Jingfu Pavilion, encountered Wen Guifei in the Imperial Garden, and conflict arose, with the Guifei's attendant attempting to strike Xiao Qi. Time reversed. The second time, Li Meiren had Xiao Qi walk on his own, causing a delay that avoided Wen Guifei in the Imperial Garden, but they met her again after exiting the garden. The third time, Li Meiren directly took a longer alternate route and perfectly evaded Wen Guifei…
Connecting the three instances of time reversal, it seemed Li Meiren knew she would encounter Wen Guifei and intentionally avoided her in the second and third attempts. Once successfully avoiding Wen Guifei, the reversals ceased.
So, was the constant reversal of time truly related to Li Meiren?
How did she acquire such heaven-defying ability?
The Tianyou Emperor tapped the imperial desk twice, and another shadow guard appeared in the bedchamber.
The Tianyou Emperor continued his inquiry: "What have you discovered from your investigation outside the palace regarding Li Meiren?"
The shadow guard knelt on one knee and calmly reported: "Your Majesty, Li Meiren's father, Qiao Bin, originally named Duan Hongfang, once served as a retainer in the former Crown Prince's residence. After the former Crown Prince disappeared, he left the residence, changed his name and registered residence, entered the service of the Minister of Rites, and was later recommended to the Ministry of Rites, currently holding the position of Ninth Rank Registrar."
Princess Roushan, mother of the Tianyou Emperor, was the half-sister of the previous dynasty's emperor, making the previous Crown Prince and the Tianyou Emperor cousins.
It was said that this former Crown Prince cousin was accomplished in both civil and military arts, with outstanding character and appearance. The previous dynasty's Grand Emperor had precisely because of this exceptional grandson installed the Crown Prince's incompetent father as emperor.
Unexpectedly, after ascending the throne, the previous emperor became infatuated with a seductive consort and contemplated deposing the Crown Prince. Later, under fabricated pretexts, he dispatched the deposed Crown Prince to suppress bandits in the northern territories. After the deposed Crown Prince fell into a trap and disappeared, the previous emperor cast aside all restraints, descending into greater debauchery and misrule. This eventually triggered the rebellion of the Three Princes, creating the opportunity for the Tianyou Emperor's rise.
In the third year of his reign, rebel forces suddenly emerged in the provinces, rallying under the banner of the Jiayi Crown Prince to oppose Great Chu and attempt to restore the previous dynasty.
Some had previously served as retainers in the former Crown Prince's residence…
Over the years, numerous assassination attempts had occurred within the palace.
Another attempt had taken place just days before Xiao Qi fell into the water.
Could Li Meiren be a spy planted in the palace by the Jiayi Crown Prince?
Better to mistakenly kill than to mistakenly spare.
For this reason alone, Li Meiren—who could manipulate his schedule—seemed to have outlived her usefulness.
The Tianyou Emperor coldly commanded: "Avoid the Seventh Prince's notice and eliminate Li Meiren silently."
Two shadow guards nodded and swiftly vanished from sight.