Emperor Qingping’s health was gradually improving.
At first, he could only move his eyes. He also had very little energy each day, and after being awake for only a few hours, he would lapse into unconsciousness or fall asleep again.
Some time ago, he had even heard that His Highness the Prince of Guangling had spent an entire day in the Imperial Study, not even attending morning court. It was only when dusk fell that the Prince of Guangling finally emerged from the study. He had merely ordered someone to prepare a meal and then had a bucket of hot water delivered to the Imperial Study.
What else would anyone need hot water for after spending an entire day in there, if not that sort of thing?
Emperor Qingping was so furious that his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.
That day, he only barely regained consciousness when the divine physician was performing acupuncture on him.
The divine physician advised him earnestly, “Your Majesty, your health is still rather poor. You must remain calm and try to take things in stride.” As he inserted the needles, he continued in an unhurried tone, “Putting everything else aside, the Heir of the Duke of Yongning is a fine young man. If anything, it’s your son who’s getting the better deal here…”
The Heir of the Duke of Yongning?
Not only had his son really gotten himself a man, but that man was Jun Huailang?!
Emperor Qingping was so furious that his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He glared with both eyes wide open, then promptly fainted again.
More than a month later, Emperor Qingping could finally manage to speak a few fragmented syllables.
Considering his condition, this was already the best possible outcome.
As it happened, Xue Yan was present on the morning when the emperor first managed to speak.
He still did not live in the palace. Every day, after morning court, he would handle that day’s memorials in the Imperial Study, then leave the palace and return to his residence as before.
After some time, the court officials had all grown accustomed to this arrangement. Emperor Qingping still occupied the throne, while the Prince of Guangling administered the affairs of state. In fact, the government was now running even more smoothly than before.
Every few days, after the grand court assembly, Xue Yan would make a routine visit to Emperor Qingping’s bedchamber to inform him of the more important developments in the court.
This had been Jun Huailang’s suggestion.
That morning, Xue Yan arrived at Emperor Qingping’s bedchamber, sat down beside his bed, and began his report without further ado.
Xue Yan had always been concise when speaking, and he was extremely perfunctory about these reports. Once he finished, he would leave. And ever since Emperor Qingping learned that his “wife” was Jun Huailang, he had not given Xue Yan a single pleasant look.
Father and son thoroughly detested each other. Every few days, they would meet briefly, go through the motions, and then part ways again.
However, on this particular day, Xue Yan noticed that Emperor Qingping was behaving rather strangely.
As the emperor glared at him, his lips trembled. It looked as though he was straining with all his might to say something.
Xue Yan let out a cold laugh.
Speak? He probably wouldn’t be able to speak again for the rest of his life.
He glanced sideways at the divine physician beside him.
“What’s wrong with him?” he asked. “Did he take the wrong medicine and end up damaging his brain?”
The divine physician smiled. “His Majesty has presumably been recovering well over the past few days. It looks as though he’ll soon be able to speak.”
Xue Yan looked at Emperor Qingping with utter disbelief and contempt.
“Save your strength,” he said, rising to leave.
But just as he turned around, he heard a familiar yet hoarse voice from behind him.
“…You… you… scoundrel…!”
——
Although Emperor Qingping could now open his mouth to call Xue Yan a scoundrel, he was still unable to move, and his energy remained severely depleted. Thus, despite his considerable improvement, he was still incapable of handling state affairs.
There was also a fair amount of spite behind his refusal.
In the past, Emperor Qingping had worried day and night, working tirelessly from dawn to dusk. He feared that he might fail to maintain a proper balance of power within the court, that someone might covet his throne, and that the court historians might write unflattering things about him.
He had labored day and night, never daring to slack off. At the same time, however, the feeling of standing at the pinnacle of power, with all authority in his hands, was addictive.
But now, after being poisoned and reduced to a helpless invalid confined to his bed, he had suddenly lost his grip on everything he had once clung to so desperately. In turn, his obsession with those things had begun to fade.
This left him with the inclination to think about other matters.
He knew that Xue Yan had no desire to manage the affairs of the court, much less attend morning court and review memorials on his behalf every day. But out of sheer spite, he deliberately insisted on doing the opposite of what Xue Yan wanted.
The less Xue Yan wanted to do the work, the more determined Emperor Qingping was to dump it all on him. And while refusing to do his own work, he would also save up his strength to curse Xue Yan a few times whenever the latter visited every few days.
Since he had not yet regained full control over his lips and tongue, he could never quite control when the words came out.
Emperor Qingping did not care in the slightest. Thus, he would often interrupt Xue Yan without warning while the latter was speaking.
“The affairs of the capital are complicated, but the Prince of Yunnan must be eliminated. I have already dispatched a hundred thousand troops south, and they set out yesterday to—”
“Scoundrel!”
After holding it in for ages, Emperor Qingping finally managed to spit out the insult. It rang out with such force that Xue Yan’s words were cut off mid-sentence.
Xue Yan’s expression darkened. He stared at the emperor, his teeth clenched.
The Emperor Qingping lying on the bed looked back at him brazenly. Although his face could no longer convey much expression, it was obvious that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Xue Yan pressed his lips together, then continued.
“A memorial has arrived from Jiangnan. The supplies previously dispatched there are still insufficient for the ongoing disaster relief efforts. After reviewing the accounts, the Ministry of Revenue has calculated that another three thousand shi of grain and twenty-eight thousand taels of silver will be needed—”
“Ungrateful son!”
Xue Yan’s face turned completely black.
He stared at Emperor Qingping and said coldly, “It seems Father Emperor has recovered rather well. I suppose you no longer need me to administer the government on your behalf and can handle everything personally.”
Emperor Qingping’s lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to force out a few words.
“Can’t… do it!”
——
Back when Emperor Qingping had been healthy, Xue Yan had certainly crossed swords with him in wits on more than one occasion. When Xue Yan had first returned to the capital, the emperor had genuinely despised him from the bottom of his heart.
But even then, Emperor Qingping had never managed to make him this angry.
Xue Yan was so furious that even when he went to the Duke of Yongning’s residence to freeload lunch in Jun Huailang’s courtyard, he still hadn’t calmed down. His expression was so unpleasant that Jun Huailang could tell at a glance that something had happened.
Jun Huailang found this rather amusing. He said nothing, simply studying Xue Yan several times over the course of the meal.
Xue Yan ate with a dark expression, staring at a particular dish that he disliked intensely and continuing to eat it.
Jun Huailang nearly burst out laughing.
He simply refrained from saying a word, waiting to see how long it would take Xue Yan to lose his patience.
Halfway through the meal, Xue Yan finally put down his chopsticks and spoke.
“I quit,” he said fiercely.
Jun Huailang burst out laughing.
From the sound of it, something unpleasant must have happened at the palace.
And the only person in the palace bold enough to upset Xue Yan was Emperor Qingping.
“You quit?” he asked. “Then who will handle all the affairs of the palace, Your Highness the Prince of Guangling?”
“Isn’t he the emperor? He can do it himself,” Xue Yan replied.
“Then the ministers will surely impeach you every day, accusing you of being an unfilial son,” Jun Huailang said with a smile.
Xue Yan answered with complete confidence, “I’m unfilial to begin with.”
Jun Huailang was so amused that he kept laughing, his shoulders shaking.
“That won’t do,” he said. “You may be able to withstand their scolding, but I don’t want to listen to it.”
Xue Yan gritted his teeth. “Then we’ll make sure they have nothing to scold me for.”
Jun Huailang assumed he was merely throwing a childish tantrum.
“How could that work?” he asked. “As long as you remain a prince, you’ll have to attend court. They’ll always find a way to criticize you.”
Xue Yan grew serious. “Then I’ll stop being one.”
“What will you do instead?”
Xue Yan paused, then turned his head toward Jun Huailang and spoke with an utterly solemn expression.
“I’ll become the Heir of the Duke of Yongning’s wife,” he said.