“Your Highness, a royal decree from the palace has arrived, requesting for your presence in the palace.” The butler informed his master in a rush.
“Prepare my attire…”
“As you wish…”
There was no change in Ming Jue’s expression. He already knew the reason why his father had summoned him. His father would soon be disappointed.
Everyone in the capital was aware that Prince Li was gifted from a young age and had been the emperor’s favourite child. He had inherited his father’s ability to memorize everything he saw.
The emperor was overjoyed and decided to raise him personally and Prince Li did not fail to live up to the emperor’s expectations. As if blessed by the gods, he was proficient in both literature and martial arts. Rumours about the prince’s capabilities had spread across the continent.
When he turned sixteen a few years ago, he was bestowed a title and a mansion, which was unprecedented in history.
Even among the imperial court, officials privately speculated that even if the official appointment ceremony had not been held, the position of crown prince already belonged to Prince Li. But as things were now…
There was indeed some truth in their speculations. Emperor Ming Yuan had groomed his youngest son with the intention of making him the crown prince. He had even handed over the commanding rights for half of the military forces of the Great Yuan Empire to Prince Li. However, this incident caught the emperor off guard.
“Greetings to Father Majesty…”
Emperor Ming Yuan sat upright on the throne dressed in a bright yellow robe embroidered with dragons. He had sharp eyebrows and was glaring intensely at the subjects in front of him with a pair of phoenix eyes. He threw the bamboo slips in his hand at the officials below and was about to go into an outburst.
Seeing Ming Jue enter the court, his expression eased slightly. He frowned and waved to dismiss the officials.
“Be at ease, there is no need for salutations. How is your body? Do you feel any discomfort?”
At this moment, Emperor Ming Yuan looked the same as any ordinary old father who was worried about his own son. The dignified presence was nowhere to be found.
“I appreciate father’s concern. I feel fine”
“Father has invited a hermit doctor for you.”
He turned to the eunuch, who immediately understood his intentions and left the hall after bowing.
A little while later, the eunuch came back with a white-haired old man carrying a medicine box.
The old man bowed down and paid his respects to the person sitting on the throne. “This commoner greets His Majesty and His Royal Highness.”
“Be at ease, Dr. Yao Zhu. You may have a seat.”
Ming Jue maintained a nonchalant expression and did not refuse his father’s good intentions.
“Please hold out your hand, Your Highness” Ming Jue moved as instructed.
The old man closed his eyes and meticulously checked the pulse of the prince. The imperial court hall fell into a complete silence. Emperor Ming Yuan observed the old man’s expression, while his hands clenched tightly on the armrests of his throne.
After some time, the old man withdrew his hand and there was a frown on his face. Emperor Ming Yuan strode forward and asked eagerly, “How is the condition of Prince Li? Is there any way you can cure him?”
The old man sighed in his heart. It seems that the rumour was true. King Li was indeed poisoned. It was a nasty poison that would render the victim unable to have any children, which originated from another continent across the oceans. He had only seen this poison twice in his life.
After a pause, he knelt down and solemnly replied, “This poison is incurable.”
Alas, today would probably be his last. When the emperor discovered him, he was mentally prepared for his head to fall off at any time. The problems that haunted the royalties were never easy to resolve. In the end, he drew the short end of the stick.
Emperor Ming Yuan was enraged and slammed his hand on the armrest.
“Aren’t you being hailed as a genius doctor? How could you not even have a cure for the poison!”
The old man knew that his fate had been sealed, and made up his mind to give a direct answer.
“This poison is a colourless and odourless secret concoction produced in another continent. After ingesting it, the victim will feel groggy for three days. After that, it will make men completely lose their reproductive ability. When the poison is activated, the victim will experience extreme pain. This commoner had only seen this poison once, and that person had passed away. So far, no cure has been found.”
“Please forgive this commoner for being incompetent.”
Emperor Ming Yuan listened with complex emotions. He held back his tears in pain when he looked at his youngest son who he had high hopes for.
A prince who was incapable of producing an heir had no chances of becoming a king. Emperor Ming Yuan understood this fact far better than anyone else could.
In contrast to Emperor Ming Yuan, who was in a state of grief, Ming Jue listened to the familiar diagnosis without any emotions. He had already accepted reality and had no intention to ascend the throne. In the past, he worked hard to meet his father’s expectations. But in the present situation, he could only resign himself to fate.
But even if he was fine with giving up on the throne, he would never permit anyone to usurp it by force, much less by that despicable group of people.
He believed that his father would be able to find someone more suitable to inherit the throne.
“You may leave now.” Ming Jue adjusted his robe and took the initiative to send the old man out, before his father threw a fit like what happened in the previous life.
After all, he had a clearer understanding of his own situation than anyone else. After experiencing it twice, he knew that there was no cure for this poison. This time, he had no intention to waste his energy and time searching for a cure.
In the first place, he had never considered having an offspring. His mother would have to be disappointed again in this lifetime.
The old man was stunned by the unexpected door to survival and quickly acknowledged. “As you command…”
Ming Jue went in front of his father. He recalled the miserable sight of the emperor who was suffering from illness in his previous life, and then looked at the father in front of him who was still healthy and strong. He felt a slight ache in his heart. It was not too late to change the future. This was more than enough time.
He saluted his father solemnly. “This son has made father worry and failed to meet your expectations.”
“I will send someone to search for a cure again. I don’t believe that a cure does not exist for that poison in the world.”
He patted Ming Jue on the shoulders.
Just then, the eunuch reported that the eldest prince, Ming Yan, was requesting an audience.
Emperor Ming Yuan shouted in a bad mood. “Reject him and tell him to scram.”
He knew exactly what the other sons were planning.
When Prince Li fainted after being rescued, the imperial physician had diagnosed him on the spot. It was revealed that he was inflicted with a rare poison which hindered his ability to have children.
Since then, the other princes who used to avoid the emperor kept appearing like flies.
(Hmph! I am still alive, yet all of them are brazenly showing their desire for the seat where I am still warming my ass.)
What a bunch of imbeciles.
He held back his anger and asked Ming Jue, “Do you have any suspects in mind regarding the assassination attempt?”
When he recalled that incident, the resentment in his heart grew stronger. His precious son, who he had carefully groomed to perfection, had been ruined. There was no way he could let the matter rest. He vowed to tear the perpetrators to pieces.
“Not yet. They were very careful with their movements and left no traces. I will investigate again…”
Ming Jue had made a thorough investigation of this incident in his previous life and had some suspects in his mind. But before he was absolutely sure of the identity of the mastermind, he did not intend to disclose it.
Emperor Ming Yuan was exhausted. There had not been a single piece of good news at all today. He took a deep look at Ming Jue and hesitated for a while before sending him off. “Go back to rest. Put aside military affairs for the time being and focus on recuperating your body first.”
“I will excuse myself for the day. Please take proper care of your health, father.” Ming Jue bowed towards his father and prepared to leave.
Looking at the back view of Ming Jue as he departed, Emperor Ming Yuan felt that his son seemed to have lost a lot of weight. He let out a sigh.
“Chang De, bring a cloak to King Li.” The head eunuch, Chang De, got up and did as instructed as he sent Prince Li to the horse chariot.
“Please take care, Your Highness.”
He bowed and waited until the chariot was out of sight, before raising himself back up. He dusted himself and went back to the palace to wait on the emperor.
Ever since Prince Li had been poisoned, various rumours had spread outside, all of which claimed that Prince Li would fall from his grace.
Only those who were the closest aides to the imperial family had a clear picture of the situation. From the earlier events today, even if Prince Li was no longer destined for the throne, he would still remain the most beloved child of the emperor. No one in their right mind would dare to serve him thoughtlessly.
……
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked my translation and wish to support me, you could leave a comment below or in novelupdates, or send me a Ko-Fi. Thank you!
