Returning to the capital, Zhao Tuo escorted Qin Yuanxi. After all, Zhao Tuo was the great general who had conquered distant lands, and having him by his side made Qin Yuanxi feel more at ease.
During the journey back, Qin Yuanxi traveled comfortably in a spacious carriage, while Zhao Tuo rode a chestnut-colored tall steed, keeping close by his side. Every now and then, Qin Yuanxi would lift the carriage curtain to steal glances at him.
Eventually, Qin Yuanxi invited Zhao Tuo to join him inside the carriage. Only after they arrived in the capital did Zhao Tuo remount his horse, presenting himself as a devoted guardian. Seeing the calmness in Zhao Tuo’s bright eyes, Qin Yuanxi’s restlessness subsided.
‘What’s the big deal about returning to the palace? I’ll handle any challenges that come my way. Besides, I have a loyal and capable general like Zhao Tuo,’ Qin Yuanxi thought to himself. ‘A general who’s handsome and competent, what’s there to worry about? Let’s just go back to the palace and enjoy the comfort. At least the palace offers good food and accommodation; after all, I am the emperor.’
The journey back had its share of minor hardships despite the luxurious carriage. It was still bumpy and uncomfortable, which took a toll on Qin Yuanxi’s delicate body. Upon returning to the palace, he felt drowsy and lethargic. After having a light meal with Zhao Tuo, he retired to his sleeping chambers.
Initially, Qin Yuanxi wanted Zhao Tuo to sleep alongside him, but Zhao Tuo refused. Qin Yuanxi realized that he needed to cultivate their relationship gradually, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to share the emperor’s bed right away. So, he arranged for Zhao Tuo to rest in a nearby side hall. If Qin Yuanxi knew who had used that chamber before, he might reconsider his decision.
In the side hall, the Regent Prince, Lu Bohuan, slowly opened his eyes. He pressed his throbbing forehead, then sat up and casually glanced around, realizing he was in the palace. However, he couldn’t recall why he was there. He vaguely remembered his recurring headache before, and he must have taken medicine and should have been sleeping in the prince’s mansion. How did he end up in the palace?
Looking at the sky, it seemed to be time for the morning court assembly. Lu Bohuan asked a eunuch to bring his morning court attire. He intended to head directly to the front hall for the assembly, but as he changed clothes, he noticed something was amiss.
Lu Bohuan couldn’t find his military command token. He always kept it with him and never let it out of his sight. But at this moment, it was nowhere to be found. A cold glint flashed in his eyes; he distinctly remembered having it before. How could it have disappeared while he was asleep?
Furthermore, how did he manage to sleep through the night and end up in the palace?
A trembling palace servant replied, “Yesterday, the prince returned to the palace together with His Majesty. As it was late, the prince decided to stay in the palace for the night.”
“Returned with His Majesty?” Lu Bohuan’s eyebrows furrowed even deeper. “When did His Majesty leave the palace?”
Having finished dressing in court attire, Lu Bohuan noticed another missing item—a jade pendant. The pendant had been bestowed upon him by the late emperor during his coronation, and he had worn it ever since. If it weren’t for the loss of the more important military command token, he would have noticed the missing pendant first.
These two items were valuable and difficult for ordinary people to take, so how did they disappear, and when did they vanish? Lu Bohuan had no clue.
What puzzled him even more was that wasn’t His Majesty supposed to be confined to the Fuzhao Hall, copying books as punishment? When did he escape the palace, and why was he unaware of it?
The young eunuch could feel the temperature in Prince Lu’s expression dropping rapidly, and he was trembling like a sieve, lying still on the ground, too scared to move even an inch.
Everyone knew that Prince Lu was a ruthless warrior on the battlefield, a bloodthirsty demon who emerged from the depths of hell. Even His Majesty didn’t dare to offend him. Snuffing out the eunuch’s life would be as simple as squashing an ant.
“Prince Lu, it’s been more than half a month since you left the palace.” The young eunuch, fearing any inaccuracy in his response, quickly added, “It was on the night of the Lantern Festival when you left with His Majesty.”
More than half a month? It was the night of the Lantern Festival when he left with His Majesty?
Lu Bohuan’s face had already turned icy. Why couldn’t he remember anything? Yes, the Lantern Festival, that headache-inducing night indeed was the Lantern Festival. The night he punished the emperor for copying books was also during the Lantern Festival. In other words, from the Lantern Festival until now, more than half a month had passed, and Lu Bohuan had no recollection of this entire period!
His fists clenched tightly, and a chilling aura emanated from Prince Lu’s entire body. Losing memory of over half a month was deeply unsettling to Lu Bohuan, and he asked in a low voice, “I returned to the palace last night?”
“Yes,” the young eunuch didn’t know the significance behind the question, but since Prince Lu asked, he had to answer honestly without thinking too much about it.
Lu Bohuan’s fists tightened with a ‘crack,’ and his expression seemed ready to kill.
So, for more than half a month, he had been with the emperor the whole time. As for where they went and what they did, Lu Bohuan had absolutely no idea. Not knowing that was one thing, but what was more crucial was that during this half a month, he had lost his coronation jade pendant and military token. Well, he practically lost everything he could lose!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Yuanxi was waking up in a daze.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for morning court. If you don’t get up now, you’ll be late, and Prince Lu might not be pleased.” The eunuch Ding Yi called out anxiously, almost on the verge of tears. “Your Majesty, wake up! You can’t go back to sleep.”
“It’s your first day back in the palace, and you must attend the morning court. If you don’t get up, it’ll be difficult to explain.”
“Your Majesty, please wake up. Let this servant help you change clothes.”
“Why are you all making such a fuss? It’s too early to get up and attend morning court. I don’t understand any of it,” Qin Yuanxi grumbled, feeling unwell and irritated from being woken up by the eunuch. He felt as if he would rather be dead than endure this.
He was lightheaded and throbbing all over, and he had never been an early riser, let alone the hardships of long journeys back and forth. He finally slept comfortably, so why did he have to get up early to go to court?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a mere puppet? Why couldn’t Prince Lu handle everything? Isn’t his presence at the morning court enough? Why must they make him do something?
Reluctantly, after countless pleas and appeals, the eunuch finally managed to get Qin Yuanxi up. Now donning the dragon robe for the morning court, he felt like a puppet doll, feeling even more unsteady.
He felt like he was dying!
When he was outside, he dressed in simple clothes. Although he maintained the image of a charming young gentleman with layers of wide-sleeved robes, it was undoubtedly different from the Emperor’s ceremonial attire, much lighter, for sure. The Emperor’s clothes, along with the heavy golden crown on his head, weighed at least twenty to thirty catties, and in this outfit, Qin Yuanxi was already feeling breathless.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, “What about Zhao Tuo? Isn’t he attending the court session?”
Ding Yi was momentarily puzzled but quickly realized that Prince Lu had the surname Zhao. He had indeed used that alias when they were at the border. It seemed that His Majesty had been using that same name to address the Prince during their time together. Ding Yi hurriedly replied, “Considering the time, he should be waiting in the main hall already. Your Majesty, please hurry; we can’t afford to delay any further.”
“I know, I know.” Qin Yuanxi still looked displeased, but the thought of seeing Zhao Tuo at the court session made him feel a bit better.
Well, for Zhao Tuo’s sake, he would endure and let it go; there was nothing significant to fuss over.
In the splendid and dazzling grand hall, Qin Yuanxi sat high on the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers who stood with bowed heads below. His mood slightly improved when he spotted the person closest to him.
He had no idea what he was supposed to do during the court session. The only advantage was being able to openly gaze at Zhao Tuo below.
However, Zhao Tuo looked somewhat different today. He had changed out of his previous military attire and was now wearing formal court attire. He exuded an air of authority, slightly aloof and stern. Though Zhao Tuo was not much of a talker, he wasn’t this cold when they were together. Perhaps it was because of the formal occasion and the numerous people around; he had to uphold the demeanor of a Grand General. Qin Yuanxi didn’t dwell on it much and continued to gaze at Zhao Tuo for quite some time before trying to identify the powerful Prince Lu among the crowd. Unfortunately, despite scanning around, he couldn’t figure out who exactly Prince Lu was.
The book had mentioned that Prince Lu was very handsome, even holding the title of the most handsome man. Among all the civil and military officials present, Zhao Tuo seemed to be the most handsome, so was Prince Lu not attending the court session today?
Strange.
“Prince Lu, along with Your Majesty, eradicated the bandits of the Changze Mountain stronghold. The case has been handed over to the Ministry of Justice due to the involvement of local officials colluding with the bandits. I request a thorough investigation and judgment from Prince Lu and Your Majesty.”
Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? Qin Yuanxi couldn’t quite grasp what was going on, but he heard Zhao Tuo reply coldly, “This matter is under the full authority of the Ministry of Justice. I command the Ministry of Personnel to strengthen assessments across all regions. Such absurdity must be severely punished to serve as a deterrent.”
“We will follow Prince Lu’s instructions diligently.”
Qin Yuanxi looked at the cold-faced Zhao Tuo below and blinked before finally comprehending what those people were saying. They referred to Zhao Tuo as Prince Lu? And they were following Prince Lu’s instructions? How many Princes were there in the court? Only one, right?
The Regent Prince, Lu Bohuan. What’s going on? When did Zhao Tuo become a Prince?
“Your Majesty, Prince Lu is addressing you,” a eunuch reminded him softly by his side. Qin Yuanxi just managed to snap back to reality, looking at ‘Zhao Tuo’ standing below with an impatient expression. It seemed that he was dissatisfied with Qin Yuanxi’s absent-mindedness. Qin Yuanxi swallowed hard, forcing himself to catch his breath and then asked, “What did the Regent Prince say just now? I didn’t hear clearly.”
“Do you have any instructions, Your Majesty?”
Lu Bohuan coldly glanced at the Emperor on the dragon throne. He felt that the Emperor was acting strange today. After staring at him for a while, the Emperor started to daze off again, lost in his thoughts. Lu Bohuan couldn’t help but think of the half-month he barely remembered, and his expression grew even darker.
As Qin Yuanxi looked at Lu Bohuan’s increasingly ominous expression, there was no trace of Zhao Tuo’s considerate manner. He couldn’t catch his breath and suddenly felt lightheaded, eventually fainting on the dragon throne.
Oh no, there was no loyal and devoted Grand General; there was only an ambitious Regent Prince. He fell into the trap!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
