"However, General Pingxi’s Wife, she is the granddaughter of Ning Pochi." King Yan slightly raised his head, "Right now, my elder brother is in the capital city. Seven years ago, he was supposed to come to the capital to see Mrs. Ning. Do you think this time he will go to see her?"
The eunuch clearly couldn’t answer that.
King Yan sat up and halfway through, he took in a breath of air, coughing into his chest. After catching his breath, he said, "When will Father Emperor issue an edict to appoint me as the heir? Second Brother has been executed for two or three months now, and Father Emperor’s health isn’t very good. He has no reason to delay further."
The eunuch stepped forward, gently smoothing his back: "It should be soon. I heard that the Ministry of Rites has been handling this matter all along. The Great Hall deeply resents the Emperor and Empress and will not return to the palace. The position of Crown Prince will only be yours, Your Highness."
"But dragging it out like this, I don’t even know if I can wait."
"Your Highness, please don’t say such discouraging words!"
"Whether I say it or not, it’s the same, isn’t it? It’s not like keeping quiet will let me live a few more years."
"Your Highness!"
The eunuch choked up.
"Your Highness!"
At this moment, a voice came from outside the door.
"Your Highness, the Empress is here."
King Yan looked up towards the doorway, then stood up, took a few steps forward, and reached out to open the door.
The reporting Palace Attendant stood just outside the door, and behind him, the Empress walked in from the palace gate.
"Mother Empress!"
King Yan stepped over the threshold.
The Empress stopped in front of him, her eyes first examining his face for a moment, then she said, "Why haven’t you slept yet? Have you taken your medicine?"
"It’s still there cooling, I haven’t drunk it yet."
The Empress withdrew her gaze, walked inside, looked around the room, then turned back and signaled to the eunuch she brought: "Wait at the door."
The eunuch nodded and closed the door.
At this point, Fu Zhen, accompanied by one of the Empress’s palace maids, also walked in from outside.
King Yan’s eunuch was startled at the sight: "You—"
"This is Her Majesty’s command. You may leave."
The Empress’s eunuch interrupted him decisively, coldly indicating with his gaze.
The latter forcefully suppressed his curiosity and bowed out.
The Empress’s eunuch bowed and made a gesture to Fu Zhen, giving her the place by the door.
Inside the hall with the door now tightly closed, the Empress had already sat down on the embroidered couch where King Yan had been sitting. She glanced at King Yan and pointed to the other end of the kang table: "Sit."
After he sat down, the Empress pushed the medicinal decoction that had been cooling towards him: "Drink the medicine first."
King Yan obediently picked up the bowl, lifted his neck, and gulped it down, then grinned at the Empress, lifted his sleeve to wipe his mouth, and placed the empty bowl on the table.
Sitting against the light, the Empress’s expression was hard to discern.
"I remember when you were young, you always cried and refused to take medicine, couldn’t bear the slightest bitterness. As the years passed, you’ve gotten used to it."
King Yan nodded slightly: "After drinking for over ten years, no medicine is too bitter. As long as I can maintain this body, and serve Mother Empress for a few more years, it is my blessing as your son."
The Empress averted her gaze, softly said: "Among the Emperor’s three princes, your fate is actually the best.
"When the second was born, the country had just been established, and the northwest, southwest, and Lingnan still had many remnants to be cleared. We were all busy with state affairs, and the state treasury was also quite empty. In his childhood, his treatment was no different from that of the sons of ministers.
"As for the eldest, it’s needless to say, when I was pregnant with him, I traveled everywhere, relying on the resilience of youth to endure sleepless nights, sewing for soldiers with a swollen belly. At that time, troops were insufficient, and we often had to rely on ourselves. On the morning he was born, I was cooking with the wives of generals under my husband’s command.
"Back then, the Emperor’s troops were just an obscure force in the south, lacking support. As a child, the eldest often went hungry just like the adults.
"Later on, as the Emperor made a name for himself, many flocked to join him. We finally had ample support and no longer starved. At that time, he had to follow his father to learn the art of war, often getting hurt here and there.
"Only you," at this point, the Empress looked at King Yan, "when you were born, the world was at peace. Those years had favorable weather and good harvests everywhere.
"The harem thrived, and the court was prosperous. The civil and military officials governed harmoniously, and they had the time and energy to educate you and your siblings in knowledge and talent."