Emperor Ming Chong had wanted to laugh, but a violent fit of coughing surged up.
He turned his head, clenching his fist against his lips as he coughed, his entire body bending forward.
The smile on Princess Ming Zhao’s face vanished instantly. She immediately stood up, moved to sit beside the couch, and began patting Emperor Ming Chong’s back in steady strokes, her movements practiced and familiar.
“Take it slow… breathe slowly.”
When his coughing eased slightly, she felt that his hand was ice-cold.
After catching his breath, Emperor Ming Chong slowly straightened with her support.
He held his daughter’s hand and guided her to sit on the cushioned seat beside him. His eyes never left her face, tracing from her brows to her chin, then back to her eyes again.
“Awu, these thirteen years in Lingyang—you must have suffered. Do you resent Imperial Father?”
Princess Ming Zhao shook her head vigorously, the jade hairpin in her hair swaying along with the motion.
“I don’t. I know Imperial Father did it for my own good. Back then…”
She paused. “Back then, how old was I? Five. I spoke without restraint, relying on my ignorance, saying all sorts of shocking things. ‘The Zheng Family wants to harm us, the Zheng Family are villains’—I could shout it eight hundred times a day.”
She tugged at her lips in self-mockery. “You had just taken the throne then. How many eyes were watching from below? The dragon throne hadn’t even warmed yet.”
“If my words spread, wouldn’t they have brought trouble to you?”
【It wasn’t just trouble. You were afraid I would end up like the late emperor—killed by the Zheng Family, who then claimed he died of exhaustion to conclude his life.】
【You sent me to Lingyang, far from the capital. It was both an explanation to the Zheng Family and the only way you could think of to keep me alive.】
Emperor Ming Chong looked at his daughter, speechless. He knew Awu had grown up—some things needed no explanation for her to understand.
“It was Imperial Father who was useless,” he said hoarsely.
“Who said that?” Princess Ming Zhao patted the back of his hand. “I was very happy in Lingyang!”
“No one nagged me all day about how to walk, how to speak, how many teeth to show when smiling. If I wanted to climb trees, I climbed trees. If I wanted to go into the river to catch fish, I did. I could say whatever I wanted—so carefree!”
As she spoke, she even gestured a little, her eyes bright, as if recalling something truly amusing.
But as Emperor Ming Chong watched her lively expression, the sorrow in his eyes only deepened.
“You really have grown up. If your mother could see you…” He stopped halfway, swallowing the rest of his words.
The light on Princess Ming Zhao’s face dimmed slightly. She lowered her eyes, staring at her clasped fingers.
Mother…
Her memories were already blurred. Her mother had been the wife Emperor Ming Chong married when he was still a distant member of the imperial clan. They had shared a deep bond.
But when giving birth to her younger brother, Ming Yu, she had suffered complications and died from hemorrhage.
Princess Ming Zhao had been too young then, remembering only a warm embrace and faint lullabies.
A few years after her mother’s death, her father had been pushed onto the throne. The palace was filled with daughters of powerful families, yet the smiles on his face grew fewer and fewer. Still, he had only one Princess—her—and one prince, Ming Yu.
Emperor Ming Chong cleared his throat, changing the subject.
“Awu, you’re eighteen this year, aren’t you?”
Princess Ming Zhao looked at him and nodded.
“In ordinary families, girls would have been engaged at fifteen or sixteen. I’ve always kept your matter in mind.”
He looked at her, his gaze complicated. “Tonight, the palace will hold a banquet to welcome you. The notable young men of the noble families in Ye City will all attend.”
“Take a good look. If there’s someone you find agreeable… someone to your liking…”
“Imperial Father.” Princess Ming Zhao interrupted him, tilting her head. That sly smile returned to her face, her eyes curving. “You don’t need to circle around it.”
“You say I should pick someone I like—but you must already have someone in mind, don’t you? Tell me, which family have you set your sights on?”
Emperor Ming Chong felt a bit embarrassed by her bluntness, but more than that, he felt relieved.
“The Cui Clan of Qinghe—what do you think? Their status is impeccable, truly unmatched.”
“They have a young master, given name Huai, about your age.”
“I’ve inquired—his temperament is extremely gentle, and he’s well-read. His talent and reputation are both excellent.”
【Cui Huai?】
Princess Ming Zhao ran the name through her mind but had no impression.
【He’s not Cui Weijin.】
【Just a collateral branch of the Cui family. The name sounds good, but what real power does he have? Just an empty shell.】
【That’s not what I want.】
“No.” Princess Ming Zhao shook her head in refusal.
Emperor Ming Chong was taken aback. “Why? Awu, that Cui Huai, I think—”
“His cousin,” Princess Ming Zhao leaned forward, bringing her mouth close to Emperor Ming Chong’s ear, “Cui Weijin—I think he’s quite good.”
The expression on Emperor Ming Chong’s face froze instantly. He stared at Princess Ming Zhao as if seeing his daughter for the first time.
“Awu, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, Imperial Father wants to find you a powerful support—a strong husband’s family. If the Cui family can be secured, then even if Imperial Father passes one day, with the title of a Cui daughter-in-law, they might protect you somewhat, so you won’t—”
But Cui Weijin?
He shook his head. “He is the current head of the Cui family—the Chancellor, the Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince!”
“He wouldn’t look favorably upon us. His father, Duke Cui, would never agree either.” He paused. “To attach yourself to him? Awu, don’t even think about it. Give up that idea immediately—you’d be gambling with your life!”
The lightness and mischief on Princess Ming Zhao’s face slowly faded. She placed her hand over her father’s cold one and squeezed firmly.
Her palm was warm.
“Imperial Father, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m no longer that five-year-old girl who was frightened by a few words and only knew how to shout nonsense.”
“In these thirteen years in Lingyang, I didn’t just learn how to climb trees and catch fish. I saw much, heard much, and learned much more—what can be said, to whom it can be said, and what must be kept in the heart.”
【Right now, only Cui Weijin can protect us. I must win him over!】
Emperor Ming Chong’s lips trembled as he tried to say something more.
But suddenly, a voice came from outside the hall.
“Elder Sister? Is Elder Sister inside? Imperial Father, may I come in?”
Before the words had even fully fallen, a figure in an apricot-yellow brocade robe entered—it was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen.
He was in the midst of growing taller, his frame slightly slender, with a trace of childishness still lingering on his face. Yet his features already showed a resemblance to Princess Ming Zhao.
It was Crown Prince Ming Yu.
After entering, he did not forget his manners. He properly bowed to Emperor Ming Chong, his posture precise.
“Your son greets Imperial Father.”
After completing the salute, he straightened—but his eyes had already stuck to Princess Ming Zhao.
He wanted to rush forward and grab her hand, but remembering he was in front of Imperial Father, he forced himself to stop. Instead, he tightly grasped the sleeve of her robe.
“Elder Sister!” His voice brimmed with unconcealed joy. “You’ve finally come back! If you hadn’t returned soon, I would have forgotten what you looked like!”
Princess Ming Zhao looked at the face before her, overlapping with the memory of the chubby little child who used to drool and call her “Elder Sister.”
She reached out and gently flicked his straight nose.
“No manners,” she said with a smile, though there was no real reprimand in her tone.
Encouraged by that, Ming Yu grew bolder.
Holding onto her sleeve, he gave it a small shake and leaned closer. “Elder Sister, there’s a palace banquet tonight. I’ve prepared something special for you—it’ll definitely leave everyone stunned!”
He looked as if he had everything under control.
“Let them open their eyes wide and see just how beautiful my Elder Sister is—make their jaws drop!”
Princess Ming Zhao laughed at his enthusiasm, and the heavy atmosphere between her and their father completely dissipated.
She ruffled his hair, messing up a strand of his neatly arranged topknot.
“You little rascal.”