Chapter 99.1 â Letting Go of Past Grievances
After returning from the Eastern Palace, Lu Qipei had another good talk with Qi Yang. She firmly said that the Crown Prince would not find anything, and Qi Yang was initially at a loss gradually calmed down.
In the following days, the Eastern Palace remained calm, as if the extreme test that day never happened.
Qi Yang was worried for a while, and it was only after seeing everything continuing as usual did she truly become relieved. However, because the Crown Prince knew about those things, even though he couldnât verify it, once he became suspicious, Qi Yang could no longer depend on him like before.
On the other hand, Lu Qipei also took the time to return to the Lu family, reminding Qi Bo to restrain everyone and not let the Crown Prince catch a handle on them. At this point, even if Qi Bo still had some resentment or dissatisfaction with Lu Qipei, he still did his work well.
And Lu Qipei never doubted Qi Boâs ability in doing things. After all, he was someone who managed to maintain his power even under Xie Yuanâs influence, forcing the latter to plot to the north!
At the beginning of August, King Wu was finally found. Unfortunately, his appearance was no longer as lively as when he left the capital in high spirits.
What Mingzhou sent back to the capital was a coffin. The person inside was dressed in brocade robes and crown, but the body had been soaked in water and endured long-distance travel in this hot weather, and it was no longer in good shape.
It was said that when Consort Wu opened the coffin and saw it, she couldnât restrain herself from crying and fell seriously ill afterwards. However, there were also rumors that the condition of King Wuâs body was too bad, Consort Wu inhaled too much gas and vomited, and it was this shock that made her fall ill.
In any case, King Wu Mansion indeed lost its master, and just like that, another of the Emperorâs sons was gone.
The Emperor did not value the other princes aside of the Crown Prince very much, but at the end of the day, they were his sons. Even though he had been prepared ever since he received the news that King Wu was washed away by the flood before, he still felt very sad when he really received news of his sonâs death.
Incidentally, the autumn rain of August dissipated the summer heat that lingered in the capital, and the Emperor inadvertently fell ill.
In the end, the elderly were the ones who couldnât stand sickness the most. Although the Crown Prince had been sickly for the past three years and had to rest in bed to recuperate from time to time, he was after all still young, and could slowly recuperate after each bout of illness.
But the Emperor was different. Although it was just a minor sickness, it seemed to have destroyed his health, and made the originally hale and hearty person look much older.
There was always a knot in Qi Yangâs heart when it came to the Emperor, but right now, she couldnât help but worry. âI went to the palace for an audience today, and when I saw Royal Father, the brilliance in his eyes seemed to have reduced, and there were silver hairs on his head.â
When she said that, she looked at Lu Qipei, her eyes filled with worries and fragility that she herself did not notice.
Lu Qipei hugged her and patted her back to comfort her, but there was nothing more she could do. People were born, grow old, become sick, and die. This was something that no one could stop, not even if you were the Emperor, the richest man in the world.
Whatâs more, the Emperorâs condition right now wasnât anything big; he just got sick and grew older. But he would still grow older every day.
Qi Yang naturally understood this fact. She worried for a few days and asked the royal physician how the Emperor was doing, and gradually let go of her worries. For a while, she went to Xuanshi Hall more and to the Eastern Palace less.
The Emperor was aware of this, and one day he smiled and shook Qi Yangâs hand, saying, âYouâre still the one who worries about me the most. When I was sick, everyone would quickly come running, and once I got better, everyone disappeared one by one. Only you always care about me. Recently, you havenât even gone to see your Royal Brother.â
Hearing this, Qi Yangâs heart skipped a bit, then she immediately smiled and said, âWhat is Royal Father saying? I used to go to the Eastern Palace often, thatâs because Royal Brother was weakened and often fell ill. But now that Royal Father is sick, of course itâs more important than Royal Brother.â
The Emperor laughed at her words and only believed her a bit. Well, whether he believed it or not, it was beyond othersâ speculation. He raised his hand and stroked his daughterâs hair, saying, âYour brother is kind and strict on himself, he will definitely be a wise ruler in the future. You have been close to him since childhood, and this is a bond that no one else can trade for. Donât drift away from his just because of a small matter.â
Qi Yang raised her eyes in a daze, and met the Emperorâs gaze that seemed to understand everything yet also contained warmth. Her heart suddenly felt some pain, and all the grievances and knots in her heart from the past live seemed to have disappeared.
Seeing that her eyes were a little red, the Emperor was startled, then he smiled again. âWhat is it, have you been wronged? If youâve been wronged, donât hide it. Now thereâs still Royal Father to call the shots for you. If the Crown Prince have wronged you, I will scold him for you!â
Qi Yang couldnât help but smile when she heard this, and it was as if time had returned to back during her childhood. But she knew that this kind of warmth only lasted for a moment, and she soon broke out of it herself. âNo, Royal Brother did not wrong me. Itâs just that there was some misunderstanding between us, and things were a little unpleasant before⦠I really canât hide anything from Royal Father.â
The Emperor didnât ask her for the specific reason, and after saying a few words casually, he pushed Qi Yang and said, âGo and clear things up with your brother quickly, so things wonât go too long and really create a rift between you.â
After this conversation, the Emperor really looked as if he was getting old, and worrying about all kinds of things for his children.
Qi Yang sighed inside, and went to the Eastern Palace after exiting Xuanshi Hall.