“Cough, cough, cough.” Wenchuzhu covered his mouth and began to cough violently.
This caused Murong Jue to freeze abruptly, his eyes brimming with overwhelming fury as he squeezed them tightly shut, exercising the utmost restraint and forbearance to keep from rushing out.
With no movement beneath the bed, Wenchuzhu let out a soft sigh of relief.
The coughing just now had been intentionally manufactured by Wenchuzhu precisely to stop Murong Jue from recklessly storming out.
Murong Jue was a military general and unquestionably possessed formidable martial prowess, but this was the imperial palace, Xie Huai’s territory. The moment he gave a single order, no matter how great one’s martial arts might be, two fists could not match four hands, and it would only ruin their plan completely, turning all their efforts to waste.
This time, Wenchuzhu needed to move step by step, with absolute caution, unable to afford a single mistake.
Xie Huai gazed coldly at Wenchuzhu’s coughing fit: “You spoke out of turn and offended this prince; I shall make a note of it for now.”
With that, he strode away, enveloped in an aura of cold gloom.
Wenchuzhu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth.
Murong Jue emerged from beneath the bed, gazing with immense heartbreak at the sickly emperor who seemed as though a gentle breeze could sweep him away.
Wenchuzhu was emotionally and physically exhausted, longing only to be left in peace. He said, “You must leave quickly; this place is truly dangerous.”
Emotions churned in Murong Jue’s eyes. How he wished to pull the person before him into his arms and protect him fiercely, yet such an action would be an affront to the Emperor.
“This minister takes his leave.”
After Murong Jue departed, Wenchuzhu could no longer hold on, collapsing onto the bed as his phoenix eyes became veiled in a mist of tears.
The medicine Xie Huai had brought proved truly effective, and Wenchuzhu’s fever finally broke.
As soon as his health improved, Wenchuzhu went to the Eastern Palace to check on Yu’er.
When he arrived, the wet nurses were busy serving Yu’er his meal.
Several of the nannies were extremely meticulous, terrified of any lapse in their care.
Wenchuzhu looked on at the scene. For the nannies to act like this, they must have followed Xie Huai’s orders, especially since both the outer court and the inner palace were controlled by Xie Huai’s hands.
“Why would he treat Yu’er so well?”
Wenchuzhu narrowed his eyes slightly, a lingering puzzle in his heart.
Back then, it was also Xie Huai who insisted on establishing Yu’er as the Crown Prince.
The crown prince represented the future succession to the throne.
Everything had a cause-and-effect relationship.
He was Xie Huai, after all!
He would never act on a sudden whim or without purpose.
Wenchuzhu raised a hand to massage his brow; his frail health left him with no energy to analyze too many complex matters.
“Yu’er.” Wenchuzhu came to Yu’er’s side, pulling the little fellow into his arms with deep affection. He took the bowl and chopsticks from the nanny’s hands and personally fed Yu’er his meal.
“You may all withdraw first.”
Hearing Wenchuzhu’s words, the nannies exchanged glances. One of the older nannies said, “Your Majesty, the Prince Regent instructed us never to leave the Crown Prince’s side for even a moment.”
With a sharp, piercing glare, Wenchuzhu cast a glance at the nannies beside him: “I am the Emperor. I command you all to get out.”
The nannies did not move, speaking in unison: “We take orders only from the Prince Regent.”
In the past, palace servants would still superficially obey Wenchuzhu’s commands. But now, they openly and brazenly defied him.
It was evident that Xie Huai was doing this deliberately, escalating his torment of Wenchuzhu to exact revenge.
Wenchuzhu stared at the nannies before him for a moment, then closed his eyes to sort through his thoughts.
Tomorrow was Xie Huai’s birthday. When Murong Jue led his troops to storm the palace, a fierce battle would inevitably ensue.
With swords having no eyes, he had to hide Yu’er in a safe place and keep him far away from Xie Huai.
Yet right now, Xie Huai had explicitly assigned these nannies to watch him, preventing him from taking Yu’er away.
And in the imperial palace, he was entirely isolated and without aid.
As night fell, Wenchuzhu had no choice but to leave Yu’er and return to his own sleeping quarters.
A night of sleeplessness. The next morning, Wenchuzhu donned a luxurious dragon robe embroidered with golden threads and wore the nine-dragon pearl crown upon his head. The crown, inlaid with expensive gems by artisans of gold, featured natural pearls along the suspended bead chains that were perfectly round and flawless without a single blemish.
With envoys from the Longshu Kingdom present today, Wenchuzhu, as the emperor, naturally had to dress in a formal and respectable manner.
Once dressed, Wenchuzhu was supported by a eunuch, boarded the imperial sedan chair, and headed toward the Mingguang Hall.
Halfway there, passing by the Eastern Palace, Wenchuzhu commanded, “Stop. I am going in to check on Yu’er.”
The accompanying attendant demurred, “The Prince Regent has given instructions…”
“Stop.” Wenchuzhu interrupted him with a chilling, cold expression. “Do you want me to jump off this sedan chair right now?!”
At a time like this, not a single accident could be permitted. Hurriedly, the attendant brought the sedan chair to a halt before the gates of the Eastern Palace.
After being helped down from the sedan chair by the eunuch, Wenchuzhu pushed the eunuch aside and strode inward.
One attendant remarked, “Should we follow the Emperor inside?”
Another attendant replied, “No need. What can a sickly person possibly accomplish!”
They never expected that Wenchuzhu, after all, was a man possessing his own resolute backbone.
The moment Wenchuzhu entered the Eastern Palace, he tore the pearl crown from his head and hurled it straight at the two nannies who had let down their guard entirely around him.