News of the Tianyou Emperor vomiting at Fengqi Palace quickly spread throughout the entire imperial palace.
Consort Wen felt immensely pleased. After meticulously adorning herself, she hurried to Sweet Spring Palace. Spotting Empress Jiang guarding the entrance to the Imperial Bedchamber, she immediately launched into sarcasm: "His Majesty grew up in Western Path as its prince—he's never accustomed to your delicate cuisine! Though you're diligent, sister Empress, perhaps you should refrain from making such peculiar dishes in the future!"
Proud of her Western Path noble heritage, Consort Wen always looked down on Han palace consorts, including Empress Jiang—a pure-blooded Han woman who had also grown up in Western Path.
In her view, her father had followed His Majesty through countless battles, far more useful than Chancellor Jiang, who only knew how to wag his tongue.
She believed the empress position rightfully belonged to her. How infuriating that even with labor-inducing drugs, she'd still given birth to a prince later than that Jiang wretch, and worse—her Qi'er was born inherently frail.
Facing these barbed remarks, Empress Jiang remained unruffled, responding calmly: "His Majesty promotes Han institutions. He is now the Emperor of Great Chu. Sister Wen should refrain from constantly mentioning Western Path. When you return, remind Duke Wen as well—he should stop stirring disputes between Western Path and Han people outside the palace, lest he create unnecessary troubles for His Majesty."
Empress Jiang knew clearly that although the Emperor grew up in Western Path, his affection for Princess Roushan ran far deeper than for that wretched old Prince Xitu.
"You!" Consort Wen fumed. In verbal sparring, she'd never been a match for the composed and gentle Empress Jiang.
With an angry flick of her sleeve, she entered Sweet Spring Palace.
Upon seeing the Tianyou Emperor reclining on the bed, she immediately cooed: "Your Majesty~" and rushed toward him, the tiny bells on her garments jingling with each movement.
Had she stopped at just one call, it might have been tolerable. But at this moment, she seemed to glitch, repeating "Your Majesty~ Your Majesty~" five times in succession, each coquettish utterance accompanied by deliberate eyelash fluttering.
Her usually seductive eyes now resembled mechanical wind-up toys, blinking back and forth rhythmically.
The sight was dizzying.
The Tianyou Emperor gagged, feeling nauseous again.
Consort Wen stumbled back in alarm, barely steadying herself when Empress Jiang—who had followed her in—supported her from behind.
Only after the Emperor had nearly emptied his stomach of bitter fluids did he say to Empress Jiang: "We have a headache. The Empress should take the Consort back first."
"Your Majesty~" Consort Wen stamped her foot and called out again.
Then she began stuttering repeatedly.
The Tianyou Emperor couldn't suppress another retch.
To any observer unaware of the context, it appeared he was disgusted by Consort Wen.
Steward Feng immediately stepped forward, gesturing for Consort Wen to leave. After staring at the Emperor for two extra seconds and receiving no indication he wanted her to stay, she stormed out of the bedchamber in frustration.
Following closely behind, Empress Jiang covered her mouth with a light laugh: "So His Majesty isn't just nauseated by my fish—he finds Sister Consort equally sickening." Without waiting for Consort Wen to react, she turned and left.
Though seething with anger, Consort Wen could do nothing. Glancing back at the tightly shut doors of the main hall, she clenched her teeth and departed.
Sweet Spring Palace finally grew quiet. After the Imperial Physician administered acupuncture and the Emperor consumed some warm, nourishing congee, his nausea gradually subsided.
With his stomach feeling considerably better, his idle thoughts turned to Li Meiren's earlier drowning incident. If it wasn't Li Meiren who forced the time reversal, then who was it?
Could it be Heaven itself?
Could it truly be as those rebels who rallied under the banner of Jiayi Crown Prince claimed—that he had struck his own ancestors, and heaven would eventually punish him?
Tianyou Emperor quickly dismissed this thought.
He was ordained by heaven, destined for longevity and eternal prosperity.
If the ancestors of the Yan lineage could witness the debauched and reckless behavior of the previous dynasty’s emperor, they would surely approve of his decision to reclaim the throne.
He draped his robe over his shoulders and rose, intending to go to the outer chamber to review memorials.
Feng Zongguan, seeing him step down from the bed, was startled and hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, it is already late tonight. Shouldn’t you rest?"
As diligent as Tianyou Emperor was, how could he agree? He could not sleep until all tasks were completed.
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Feng Zongguan shifted his approach: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Study just sent over the princes’ assignments. Perhaps you could take a look at them first?"
Tianyou Emperor paused, the memorial in his hand hovering mid-air, then nodded. "Very well, present them."
Feng Zongguan promptly handed over the documents.
Tianyou Emperor set aside the memorial he had picked up and took the assignments, examining them carefully.
Today, the Second Prince and Third Prince had fought over a turtle, with the Crown Prince stepping in to mediate.
The Third Prince had failed to complete his policy essay.
He skimmed through the policy essays written by the three princes. The Crown Prince’s essay was, as always, brilliant; the Second Prince’s was somewhat extreme; the Third Prince had only written half, straying far from the topic, and his Western Path script was also subpar.
He continued flipping through. The Fifth Prince had offended his tutor during class and was punished with reciting the Thousand Character Classic. The Fourth Prince had fallen asleep in class and was made to stand as punishment. The Sixth Prince had only memorized half of the Three Character Classic. As for the Seventh Prince…
His seventh son—what was his name again?
His gaze fell upon the inkstone on the desk… Ah, yes, Zhao Yan.
Every royal child’s birth was accompanied by a fate reading from Yuzhen, the National Preceptor. When that child was born, Yuzhen had taken one look and declared that the child’s soul was incomplete, his birth chart exceptionally weak, and that he clashed with the emperor’s fortune. His Majesty should keep his distance.
Moreover, Li Meiren had just angered him at the time. From the moment of the child’s birth, Tianyou Emperor had never laid eyes on him.
The shadow guard reported that the child had been present on the day Li Meiren encountered Wen Guifei.
A sudden thought crossed Tianyou Emperor’s mind: Could it be that this child was the one who forcibly reversed time for him?
He immediately found the idea laughable. How could a child not yet six years old accomplish such a thing?
Tianyou Emperor pulled out the sheet of characters written by the Seventh Prince and instantly felt his eyes insulted.
On the delicate Xuan paper, the messy, black, dog-scratch-like blobs could hardly be called writing. Even characters written with his toes would be more legible.
Was this really his son’s handwriting?
This… was his son’s handwriting.
Tianyou Emperor was first astonished, then appalled. As a diligent emperor who strove for perfection in all things, he found this unbearable.
Feng Zongguan, noticing his contorted expression, quickly interjected, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is not yet six. He must have just started learning to hold a brush."
A mere four-year-old toddler, with fingers thinner than a brush handle—being able to grip the brush and reproduce so many characters was already quite an achievement.
But Tianyou Emperor did not see it that way. Frowning, he remarked, "The Crown Prince’s handwriting was not like this when he was four."
Feng Zongguan flattered, "The Crown Prince is exceptionally gifted—naturally, he cannot be compared."
The Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather, Chancellor Jiang, was half an imperial tutor, and the Empress was exceptionally cultured and talented. The Crown Prince had been personally instructed by Chancellor Jiang from a young age and, as he grew older, had the Crown Prince’s Tutor guiding him.
How could they be the same?
The Tianyou Emperor thought of Li Meiren's rather dull mind and pinched the space between his brows in frustration. He then covered the messy calligraphy copybook on the table and instructed Feng Zongguan, "Have someone deliver this writing along with two copybooks to Jingfu Pavilion. Tell the Seventh Prince to practice his penmanship diligently."
He reviewed the princes' studies almost daily. If he had to endure such atrocious handwriting every day, how could he possibly survive?
Feng Zongguan acknowledged the order and withdrew to the outer chamber, handing the items to a young eunuch while relaying the emperor's exact words.
The young eunuch hurried toward Jingfu Pavilion with the materials.
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Study, all other princes were required to proceed to the equestrian arena after noon for horsemanship and archery, wrestling, and arrow shooting, remaining there until dusk before being dismissed.
Zhao Yan wore a bitter expression, assuming he would also have to go, but was unexpectedly informed that he was still too young for formal studies and wouldn't join until after turning six.
Zhao Yan immediately packed his small bookbag and strode out of the Imperial Study without looking back, under the envious gaze of the Sixth Prince.
Once outside, Chen Xiang approached to carry him.
Zhao Yan retreated two steps, clutching his bookbag while shaking his head. "I'll walk by myself…"
Chen Xiang paused in surprise before persuading, "The distance from the Imperial Study to Jingfu Pavilion is quite far. Let this servant carry you, Seventh Prince. I've always carried you back before."
Zhao Yan continued shaking his head, murmuring softly, "Sister Chen Xiang gets tired. I'll walk."
Chen Xiang felt deeply moved—the former Seventh Prince would never have spoken such considerate words.
She smiled and compromised, "Then let this servant carry your bookbag and hold your hand while walking, alright?"
Zhao Yan nodded, handing her the bookbag before taking her hand and trudging step by step toward Jingfu Pavilion.
He actually had poor sense of direction, simply following wherever Chen Xiang led.
Before a quarter hour had passed, he was completely exhausted, his short little legs feeling nearly detached from his body.
When Chen Xiang extended her hand toward him for the fifth time, he finally yielded and allowed her to carry him.
As Chen Xiang held him while he kept his small bookbag on his back, he cautiously inquired, "Sister Chen Xiang, did I used to cry a lot? Sixth Brother says I always cried and ignored him…"
Thinking he felt upset, Chen Xiang quickly comforted him, "That's not true at all. The Seventh Prince was merely quieter before. All children shed golden tears sometimes. You won't cry anymore now that you're growing up. See, you don't even cry now—you didn't shed a tear when drinking that terribly bitter medicine days ago."
Zhao Yan nodded. "Sister Chen Xiang is right. I even spoke with Sixth Brother today."
Chen Xiang praised, "Our little prince is truly wonderful!"
Zhao Yan's eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.
His inherent temperament didn't seem drastically different from the original owner's—slight variations could be explained away as maturity.
As for studies, with the system's help, though he might not match the original owner's brilliance, he should manage adequately.
When he grew older, blending into the crowd wouldn't seem unusual either.
Having settled on this plan, Zhao Yan felt less panicked than during his initial arrival.
Upon returning to Jingfu Pavilion, Li Meiren immediately came forward, reaching out to take him while beaming. "Little Qi must be tired from studying. Your mother has prepared delicious treats for you—come see."
Zhao Yan wrapped his arms around her neck. Entering the room, he inhaled the rich aroma of fish soup wafting through the air, and a spontaneous sense of happiness welled up inside him.
Li Meiren seated him on a wooden stool before serving him a bowl of fish soup.
Zhao Yan's long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he pushed the soup bowl toward her, speaking cautiously: "Mother Consort, you eat."
Li Meiren pushed it back: "Xiao Qi should eat. Mother Consort will eat later."
Zhao Yan held the bowl and drank slowly. As the warm fish soup flowed down his throat, his stomach felt comfortably warm. He couldn't help but look up and smile at Li Meiren.
His smiling eyes curved like crescent moons, radiating complete satisfaction.
However, this warm atmosphere didn't last long before Li Meiren asked: "How was Xiao Qi's studies today? Did Liu Hanlin have you recite texts? Did they praise you?"
Zhao Yan choked slightly, coughing twice.
Li Meiren patted his back while reaching to wipe his chin: "You child, why do you always choke while eating?"
Zhao Yan felt embarrassed: Who told you to always bring up studies during meals.
After finishing wiping him, Li Meiren continued asking: "I'm asking you, how was today at the Imperial Study? Did you receive praise from the Hanlins?" In her view, her Xiao Qi had already memorized the "Three Character Classic" and "Thousand Character Classic" at such a young age – surely he must have been praised.
Zhao Yan whispered: "Teacher Liu said since I've just started studying, I don't need to recite texts yet. First I should read and practice writing characters…"
Li Meiren looked somewhat disappointed: "Is that so? Then what about the characters you wrote? Mother Consort had you practice brushwork before, surely Liu Hanlin would praise you for that?"
Zhao Yan's face flushed red. He desperately wanted to Revert to a previous save to avoid this question, but he knew Li Meiren had been eagerly anticipating this and would ask eventually.
So he said: "Th-that didn't happen either. The writing was collected."
Li Meiren became excited again: "Liu Hanlin must have taken it to show your Father Emperor. Your Father Emperor is sure to recognize your talent."
Zhao Yan's face turned even redder: That cheap Father Emperor would probably be furious!
Just as Li Meiren was about to ask more, Ban Xia hurriedly led a eunuch from the Hall of Eternal Zenith inside.
Hearing that the Emperor had sent gifts for Zhao Yan, Li Meiren's eyes sparkled with joy: "It must be that your Father Emperor was pleased with your writing and is rewarding you."
Zhao Yan's eyes widened like saucers. The moment the eunuch stepped through the main gate holding the gifts, Zhao Yan vanished the next second.
Although he knew Revert to a previous save wouldn't help much with this situation, he had an ostrich mentality, thinking he could escape for even just a moment.
At the same time, in the Sweet Spring Palace, the Tianyou Emperor who had just stepped out of the bathtub after bathing found himself sitting back in the bathtub the next second.
After going back and forth seven times, his already upset stomach combined with a misstep caused him to trip and fall out of the bathtub!!
With a loud bang, Feng Zongguan serving outside was terrified to death and rushed in with palace maids and eunuchs.
Then they saw their brilliant and mighty Great Chu Emperor, bare-bottomed and face-planted on the ground.
This… this…
This is disastrous!
The Tianyou Emperor roared: "Get out!"
Instantly, everyone who had rushed into the bathing chamber scattered completely.
The Tianyou Emperor supported himself on the bathtub to stand up, his fingers nearly crushing the edge of the tub: Damn it all, he'd better not find out which scoundrel was behind this mischief!