King Yan’s expression gradually turned solemn. Across the light, he gazed at the Empress, his pale face resembling a lifeless stone sculpture at this moment.
The Empress’s voice grew increasingly slow: "Among the three princes, you were born in the best era, yet your health is the weakest. Do you know why this is?"
Upon hearing this, King Yan slightly raised his eyes, showing a trace of life. He pursed his lips, his gaze deep and profound, but he did not speak.
The Empress continued, "Are you aware of the origins of several concubines in the harem?"
King Yan lowered his eyes again, nodding slightly, "I know. After establishing the nation, apart from the Empress Mother, Father successively took in six imperial decree women.
"They were all orphaned daughters of generals who died in battle during the journey to pacify the world, and daughters of heroes who strenuously supported the Zhou Army’s northern campaign."
"Do you know why none of them have given birth to a prince or princess?"
King Yan looked at the ground and, after a long time, slowly shook his head.
"Because before they entered the palace, they were not intact maidens."
King Yan was taken aback, his lips slightly parted, as if even his breath had stopped.
Throughout the ages, the palace concubines of the vast majority of dynasties had to be maidens before they entered the palace. This was a convention in royal law, and even though the Emperor of Great Zhou was enlightened, he had no reason to break this precedent.
"Why is this?" he murmured, asking.
After he spoke the words, his shoulders involuntarily shrugged up again.
"I will answer you, but let me ask again, as I mentioned before, you were born with top-tier nurturing, but do you know why, after so many years, you still lag far behind the second prince? Even if I were to allow you to immediately assume the position of Crown Prince now, compared to his talents, you would still need to pursue relentlessly to catch up. Do you know the reason for this?"
King Yan’s hands, placed on his knees, clenched into fists, "Naturally, it’s because he was appointed as Crown Prince from a young age, and the scholars of the Hanlin Academy treated Second Brother differently. Moreover, I’ve been sickly since I was young. The Imperial Physician said I shouldn’t exert myself too much—this has been the reason you’ve told me from childhood, hasn’t it, Empress Mother?"
"Neither I nor the Emperor accept incompetence, especially when there are so few princes in the palace. It would be impossible to let a ready prince go to waste here.
"Even if you’re not the Crown Prince, and can’t be the Regent King, you could still become an assistant to the second prince, like Prince Rong. So, the gap between you and the second prince wouldn’t have been so large.
"At the very least, I would have planned for you to set up your own household early, with your own officials and followers, to grow up as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, King Yan’s face turned even paler, and his hands were already grasping the robe covering his legs.
"What is it exactly that Empress Mother wants to say? Are you trying to tell me that you’ve never genuinely cared for me, that my unwavering trust in you all these years is just my wishful thinking or my own misunderstanding?"
"Of course, I truly care for you." The Empress rested her elbows on the kang table, a sharp light in her eyes, "I watched you being born, personally raised you, never missing a moment of your growth. The care and time I invested in you surpassed that of the eldest and second. To this day, my greatest hope for you is still that you will marry and have children soon, spreading your lineage, safely and peacefully living out this life. How could I not truly care for you?"
"You ’watched me being born,’ what does that mean?" King Yan’s voice rose and fell, and the light shimmered in his eyes, "That doesn’t seem like something a birth mother would say."
"You are correct," the Empress said, "All of this is explained by the fact that you are not my child."
"Impossible!" King Yan stood up abruptly, and the forceful movement made his thin body shake several times, his rapid breathing causing him to cough. He used his right hand to support himself on the kang table, eyes wide with anger, cheeks flushed red, "If I am not your child, then whose child am I? It’s been repeated many times that there are no concubine-born children in the harem; I am the legitimate offspring of Empress Yuan; I am the legitimate prince of Great Zhou!"
"Regarding me not being your birth mother, haven’t you already discovered this long ago?" The Empress’s gaze was blazing, like the dazzling golden rays of the sun, "If you didn’t know that you weren’t born of me, if not worried about your future prospects, how could you have found Yi Yi seven years ago?
"In these past seven years, how could you have gone all out to deceive him in front of me, causing him to misunderstand me, and consequently, refuse to acknowledge me as his mother or come to see me?!"