Pei Lin sat upon the dragon throne, his expression appearing somewhat irritated. He pinched the space between his brows, and upon hearing footsteps, he knew the incoming person was Dafu. Knitting his brows, he spoke up, “Is Duanmin here?”
Dafu then reported the events of moments ago truthfully to Pei Lin.
“Your Majesty, please drink this medicine; perhaps it can offer some relief,” Dafu said softly.
Pei Lin let out a cold sneer. Whether it could offer relief was something he knew best in his own heart.
“Imperial Prince does not wish to drink it—it is of no use whatsoever. It would be better to wait until after Imperial Prince dies, and let those old men in the Imperial Medical Bureau who specialize in treating brain ailments saw open Imperial Prince’s head, to see just what kind of thing is wreaking havoc inside Imperial Prince’s brain.”
“Your Majesty!” Dafu hurriedly fell to his knees, the tray still held steadily in his hands. “Your Majesty must take care of your imperial body! His Highness the Crown Prince is still young—please consider His Highness the Crown Prince as well!”
Pei Lin closed his eyes, and only after a long while did he say in a slow voice, “Set it down.”
Dafu wanted to say something more, but in the end could only set down the bowl in his hands and retreat outside.
Before stepping out the door, he raised his head to steal a quick glance, only to find His Majesty had not even looked at the medicine once, which made Dafu feel anxious in his heart.
Pei Lin rubbed his forehead. He did not know why his headaches were flaring up with increasing frequency lately. Compared to the excruciating sharp pain of the past, it was different this time—it was the sensation of a dull knife slicing through flesh.
Looking at the medicine before his eyes, Pei Lin raised his hand and flipped it over.
He had no need for these useless things; drinking them served not a shred of purpose.
If forced to choose, he would rather let himself suffer unto death from the pain.
Only when it pained him could he see her.
She had been gone for so many years, yet not once had she ever entered his dreams.
Inside Mingxiu Hall.
A group of people looked at the mooncakes placed before them; the person delivering them had said these were rewarded by His Majesty.
The women exchanged glances with each other, their expressions filled with confusion. This was truly a rare occurrence—His Majesty had never concerned himself with them, so why would he send eunuchs over with mooncakes this time?
Who knew who spoke up first, their voice still trembling, “Could it be… he wants to poison us to death?”
“It shouldn’t be, right?”
“Who knows what His Majesty is thinking? What if he just wants us dead?”
“It seems… that might not be impossible either.”
Jiang Wei said nothing, silently picking up a piece of mooncake and taking a bite. The crispy crust enveloped sweet yet ungreasy bean paste; as she ate, she nodded, “This is the taste!”
Even if unable to attend the banquet, tasting the skills of the imperial chefs made Jiang Wei feel it was thoroughly worth it.
Back when Jiang Wei picked up the mooncake, the eyes of the others had already shifted over, and seeing her eat it, they stared at her even more fixedly. Only after seeing that she was genuinely fine did someone pick up the mooncake in front of them and begin eating.
As she ate, one Seventh-Rank Maidservant began to cry. “If I had not entered the palace, I ought to be by my parents’ side right now.”
Right now, their parents were present at the imperial banquet, yet they had no way of meeting, a thought that stirred up the other Seventh-Rank Maidservants’ longing for their parents back home as well.
Eating the mooncake, Shen Ying was not thinking of the original owner’s parents, but her own. In the past during Mid-Autumn, her father would personally make mooncakes for the family to eat.
Back then, she was extremely picky, refusing to eat this and that. Knowing she was losing weight, her father specifically made a reduced-sugar version, yet she hadn’t eaten it even once.
Her mother would eat a bit, though not too much either.
Now that she wanted to eat them, she could no longer do so.
She wondered how Mom and Dad were doing now, and whether they were missing her as well.
Shen Ying swept a glance at Jin Dou. Seeing it listless and weak, she knew that speaking to it would bound to yield no response, so she simply ignored it altogether.
The next day, Pei Lin attended court as usual, still bringing the little Crown Prince along.
He did not want his child to come into contact with that woman who shared the same name and surname as his mother; a fake was a fake, and could never become real.
If it were truly her, then why did she not come to find him?
Arguments broke out in court once more. Those voices caused Pei Lin’s head to ache as if splitting open, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Looking at those ministers who were spitting saliva in their excitement, he suddenly wanted to kill them. A sheet of crimson spread before his eyes, as if seeing the sight of blood spurting from their bodies.
Pei Lin’s nose caught the stench of blood as well. He wanted to kill them, wanted to kill everyone!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Just as he raised his hand, his finger was grasped. Pei Lin instinctively wanted to fling it away, only to hear a soft, tender voice, “Imperial Father.”
Pei Lin froze for a moment. He felt this voice sounded somewhat familiar, yet for a moment could not recall who the speaker was.
The crimson before his eyes seemed to dissipate somewhat; he saw a blurry shadow before him, a tiny one.
That was… Yun’er?
It was his child.
No, it was the child of him and her.
“Adjourn court!” Pei Lin said, closing his eyes.
He had perceived his own abnormality as well, and could only return first; if he stayed any longer, he would be unable to suppress the murderous intent in his heart.
Dafu turned his head and caught sight of Pei Lin’s blood-red eyes, instantly growing panicked. Yet he ultimately refrained from making a scene, hurriedly following along.
Stepping out of the ministers’ sight, Dafu was about to go over to support Pei Lin, only to hear him say, “Send the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace and forbid him from coming out.”
Just as Dafu was about to acknowledge the order, he discovered Pei Lin had already departed with wide strides.
“Imperial Father!” The little Crown Prince immediately wanted to chase after him, but was pulled by the arm by Dafu, who was quick of eye and hand. Dafu hurriedly turned around to instruct Eunuch Liu at the Crown Prince’s side, and then rushed off frantically to pursue Pei Lin.
However, Pei Lin had driven everyone out, remaining inside the main hall all alone. Dafu held an ill premonition, thinking to push open the door to steal a quiet glance, only to discover the door was locked from the inside.
Pressing his ear against the door to listen for a long while, he heard not a single sound, which made Dafu even more anxious in his heart.
It was not until the sun set in the west that no sound had emerged from the room whatsoever.
Dark clouds gathered overhead at some unknown point, and a wind blew up outside, causing Dafu’s outer robe to flutter. A sharp flash of thunder struck past, accompanied by the sound of porcelain crashing to the floor inside the room.
Dafu’s heart leaped into his throat, an ill premonition instantly washing over him. Unable to suppress it any longer, he hurriedly pounded on the door, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please open the door!”
A clap of thunder echoed. Pei Lin felt only a buzz in his head as that familiar sensation returned once more. The headache caused his hands to clench into fists, pounding heavily against his head, wishing he could pry his skull open.
No matter how he endured, that voice continued to circle in his mind, plunging him into excruciating agony.
Reaching out, he swept his hand across the table before him; the teacup crashed to the floor, emitting a crisp shattering sound. Hearing the movement, Dafu gritted his teeth and gathered several eunuchs to break open the door along with him.
“Eunuch Fu, this servant…”
“Dog-things, your Grandpa Fu truly taught you in vain! Listen up, all of you—if anything happens, your Grandpa Fu will take the fall. If anything happens to His Majesty, every last one of you will die!” Dafu pointed at those eunuchs and cursed.
Those eunuchs dared not say anything further, hurriedly helping Dafu break open the door together.
The moment the door opened, Dafu immediately charged into the hall. The interior of the hall was pitch-black, making it impossible to see clearly.
It was only after lighting a lamp and seeing Pei Lin’s appearance that Dafu received a fright.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
“Scram! Get out for Imperial Prince!” Pei Lin roared.
In truth, he could not see clearly at all, nor could he hear Dafu’s words clearly, relying merely on a few shreds of past familiarity to identify the incoming person.
Dafu first leaned close, only to be pushed hard into a tumble. Naturally, he dared not approach again, stamping his feet in anxiety from the side. His Majesty’s old ailment was flaring up again—at a time like this, no matter who approached, it would mean death.
Watching His Majesty smash the items inside the hall to pieces, his hands cut open by the shattered porcelain pieces, yet still holding his head while roaring in agony.
“Scram! Get out of Imperial Prince’s brain! Don’t even dream of controlling Imperial Prince again—get out for Imperial Prince!”
“You killed my wife, yet still expect Imperial Prince to accept your arrangements? Don’t even dream of it!”
Dafu was terrified to the point of turning deathly pale.
He was a senior servant who had stayed by His Majesty’s side, knowing early on that His Majesty claimed there seemed to be something inside his brain, and even said someone was talking.
Yet the imperial physicians could diagnose no result whatsoever, and the next day His Majesty would recover as normal, refusing to utter another word regarding his headache.
Dafu was uneasy, making inquiries in private with imperial physicians skilled in treating brain ailments, learning that headache ailments of this nature were exceedingly severe and would affect a person’s behavior to a certain degree.
Right now His Majesty could still manage to control it himself, but if he were to lose control one day, he feared he would fall into a wild frenzy.
Later, when His Majesty learned that he had inquired into the situation, he did not lay blame, saying only that if he were to lose control one day, Dafu should stay far away from him. He also instructed Dafu to live well and take good care of the Crown Prince.
Pei Lin had not completely lost his mind. He merely felt there were people around him, and in his ears was a chirping clamor, as if many people were speaking.
“Oh no, the Crown Princess is having a difficult labor!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, it can’t be delivered—the child simply can’t be delivered!”
“…”
The voices were exceedingly noisy, until finally only a single sentence entered his ears with crystal clarity:
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess… she has passed away.”
Pei Lin seemed to return to that day once more, as if seeing the person in his arms, the color on her face draining away bit by bit. He tried desperately to warm her body, yet still could not stop the temperature of her body from gradually dissipating.
He opened his eyes abruptly, and what he saw before him was a stream of golden characters sliding past at rapid speed.
Those words slid by far too quickly; Pei Lin could only capture a few terms, such as “male lead,” “treasured sister,” “seeking death,” and the like.
This kind of situation had persisted for many years. Ever since she departed, he had briefly forgotten her, and when he recalled her again, he would see these strange scenes.
Without any omen, appearing as if out of thin air.
Whenever he saw them, he felt a headache as if his skull were splitting open.
These could not truly drive Pei Lin mad; what genuinely caused him to lose his mind was that those words claimed she was a malicious woman.
Claiming that her death was entirely brought upon by her own self-destruction.
Claiming that she used favors to demand gratitude and knew not what was good for her.
And claiming that in the future, he would be healed by some “treasured sister,” and his and her child would also acknowledge that “treasured sister” as a mother.
Those scrolling characters made him want to kill people as he watched.
Pei Lin was filled with intense irritation. He saw those scrolling golden characters once more; among those densely packed words, he was able to accurately capture the characters cursing her, and subsequently lost his mind.
He wanted only for those characters to vanish. If those characters were human, he wanted only for those people to die.