After Rebirth, the True Eldest Daughter Starts Brewing Green Tea

ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 152

The death of Prince Ning was so brutal that the Emperor had moved to another palace hall. Outside the palace eaves, the heavy rain poured down, quickly washing away the traces of blood, as if nothing had happened. Only the faint smell of blood lingered in the air. The steps were crowded with ministers, but it was eerily silent; not a single person spoke.

It was a deep autumn night, and the cold air was biting. The wind made people shiver, and the rain had soaked the Grand Princess, who had already gone back to change her clothes. Li Zhizhi stood in the crowd, her hands stiff from the cold. She brought them to her mouth and gently exhaled, trying to warm them.

At that moment, a hand suddenly reached over and grasped hers. Its long fingers completely enveloped her hands, and instantly, a mild warmth spread through her. Xiao Yan asked softly, “Why didn’t you ask someone to bring a hand warmer?”

Li Zhizhi shook her head lightly. The night had been so chaotic, how could she think of such a small matter?

Xiao Yan’s hand was warm, but she noticed a wound on the back of his hand that she hadn’t seen before. Though the bleeding had stopped, the wound had turned pale after being soaked in the rain, making it appear painful. Li Zhizhi furrowed her brows and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Only then did Xiao Yan notice his injury. He had initially wanted to say it didn’t hurt, but as the words left his mouth, he changed his mind: “It hurts.”

He furrowed his brows, slightly bent down, and whispered into her ear, inaudible to others, “Would you blow on it for me?”

His words were teasing and playful, but to his surprise, Li Zhizhi didn’t respond with irritation or embarrassment. She didn’t care about the looks of others either. She gently cupped his hand and carefully blew on the wound, her movements tender and focused. Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, staring at her with such a soft gaze that it almost overflowed with tenderness.

At that moment, the palace doors suddenly opened, and a eunuch came out holding a duster. He sharply called out to the crowd, “The Emperor has issued a decree. Prince Ning, Xiao Chao, conspired with the commander of the Dragon Tiger Guard, Liu Bao, and deputy commander Zhang Qing, to revolt and attempt a coup. They have been executed…”

No one was surprised by the death of Prince Ning. The moment he plotted rebellion, his fate was already sealed.

After confirming that the Emperor was unharmed, the ministers began to disperse. A young eunuch approached, bowing and smiling, and softly said to Li Zhizhi, “Princess, please stay. His Majesty has summoned you to the palace for an audience.”

Li Zhizhi was momentarily stunned, surprised as she asked, “The Emperor wants to see me?”

“Yes.”

She exchanged a glance with Xiao Yan, then felt her finger gently squeezed. Xiao Yan whispered, “Since it’s the Emperor’s summons, you should go first.”

Li Zhizhi nodded, following the eunuch into the hall. Inside, several charcoal burners had been lit, and the warmth immediately enveloped her, dispelling the chill from her body.

Guided by the eunuch, she passed through the curtains and screens and entered the inner hall. Emperor Jing Ming was sitting by the couch, speaking quietly with Concubine Rong. Upon seeing her, he ordered someone to offer her a seat.

A eunuch quickly brought over an embroidered stool. Li Zhizhi thanked him and sat at the edge of the stool. She was unsure of the Emperor’s reason for summoning her to the hall, but she didn’t dare to ask, so she simply sat and listened to the conversation between Emperor Jing Ming and Concubine Rong.

After a while, Emperor Jing Ming looked over at her and asked, “Where is your mother?”

Li Zhizhi respectfully replied, “My mother got caught in the rain and has gone back to change her clothes. She should be here to greet you shortly.”

Emperor Jing Ming nodded, and Li Zhizhi hesitated before reminding him, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince…”

Emperor Jing Ming seemed to recall something and asked the eunuch, “Is the Crown Prince still here?”

The eunuch promptly left and returned shortly, respectfully replying, “The Crown Prince is still waiting.”

Emperor Jing Ming glanced at Li Zhizhi, and with a meaningful tone, said, “Go ask him whether he’s waiting for my summons or for someone else.”

Li Zhizhi: …

The eunuch left and returned shortly, speaking formally: “The Crown Prince said he is waiting for Princess Zhao Hua.”

Faced with the emperor’s gaze, Li Zhizhi immediately felt uneasy and stood up, lowering her head and saying, “Your Majesty, it seems the Crown Prince has something to discuss with this subject, so…”

Emperor Jing Ming snorted lightly from his nose and said, “What could he possibly have to say? You don’t have to cover for him.”

Li Zhizhi’s expression was rather awkward. Emperor Jing Ming then said, “Let the Crown Prince come in. Don’t let him freeze out there and catch a cold.”

Li Zhizhi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but suddenly, the Emperor spoke again, “I have five sons, two of whom died and turned out to be capable, the rest are of no use.”

Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, both Li Zhizhi and Consort Rong were somewhat surprised. Emperor Jing Ming, however, didn’t look at them and merely closed his eyes slightly before continuing, “The eldest and second sons were born only a year apart, both from Zitong. Back then, I was still an idle prince with plenty of time to teach them. Zitong had a gentle and resilient personality, was cultured and reasonable, and she taught them well. They were skilled in both literature and martial arts, quick-witted and intelligent, but unfortunately…”

Outside the screen, the footsteps of the approaching person stopped. The eunuch looked at Xiao Yan in confusion, about to speak, but he slightly waved his hand, listening to the familiar, aged voice, and slowly said, “Later, when the third and fourth sons were born, I was already caught up in power struggles and had no time to care for them… The third son’s character is like his mother’s, overly gentle, yet too weak, easily influenced by others, and really not fit for important duties.”

“The fourth…” His tone turned grim, and he let out a slight snort from his nose, “Without a father or brothers, it’s better not to mention that troublemaker.”

“As for the fifth, he is the youngest…” Emperor Jingming suddenly stopped and did not continue. Instead, he opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhizhi. He said, “When he was younger, he studied for a few years but refused to go to the schoolroom. He spent his days idling away, and I originally thought he was a piece of rotten wood, incapable of being shaped. I decided to let him be and didn’t hold high hopes for him, so as to avoid him turning out like the third one… But after observing him, he doesn’t seem to be like that after all.”

At this point, Emperor Jing Ming’s tone seemed somewhat curious as he slowly said, “He looks like a broken stone, but with a little chiseling, he can still be of use.”

Broken stone, Xiao Yan: …

Li Zhizhi suddenly spoke, “Your Majesty, I dare to say, I think your words… seem somewhat biased.”

Xiao Yan, who had been behind the screen, froze, and Emperor Jing Ming was also surprised. He looked up at her and asked, “How am I biased?”

Though his tone was displeased, it did not contain much anger. Li Zhizhi felt slightly relieved and respectfully replied, “Your Majesty always thinks of your first two sons, believing them to be talented, so you compare everything with the Crown Prince and them. But as you yourself said, those two were personally taught by you, raised by Empress Dowager, so everything naturally went smoothly. But what about the Crown Prince?”

She lowered her eyes slightly and spoke softly, “The Crown Prince lost his mother when he was young, and Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs, leaving him unattended. For him to be what he is now, is that not already quite excellent? What is there for Your Majesty to be dissatisfied with?”

For a moment, Emperor Jing Ming was silent. The air in the hall suddenly became still, almost frozen. Li Zhizhi began to feel uneasy, sensing the emperor’s gaze upon her, as if observing or scrutinizing her.

The figure behind the screen moved, and Xiao Yan was about to take a step, but Emperor Jing Ming suddenly spoke, “What you say makes sense.”

Xiao Yan stopped immediately, and Li Zhizhi felt her heart settle. Emperor Jing Ming continued, “In the past, I thought the hardest thing in the world was to sit on this dragon throne. Later, I thought governing a country was difficult, but as I grow older, I realize that raising a child is the hardest.”

At this point, his tone remained calm, but there was a barely perceptible hint of melancholy. Even his sigh was imperceptible, and the Emperor, as always, remained composed as he said, “Not too close, not too distant, neither too far nor too near. It’s much harder to manage than those ministers.”

Li Zhizhi could only reply, “Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are fine as they are now.”

Emperor Jing Ming slightly waved his hand and gave her a sideways glance. “Do you know why?”

Li Zhizhi, a little confused, asked, “Why?”

Seeing the confused look on her face, Emperor Jing Ming suddenly smiled. This was the first time Li Zhizhi had seen him smile. His usually serious face softened, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed, with the lines at the corners of his eyes lifting slightly. It was then that Li Zhizhi realized he actually had a pair of phoenix eyes, no wonder he resembled Xiao Yan so much.

Emperor Jing Ming said, “You’re usually clever, but there are some things you don’t understand at all, which is quite endearing.”

He said slowly, “If it weren’t for you, would he bow his head to me?”

Li Zhizhi was immediately stunned. Emperor Jing Ming looked at her, seemingly amused, and continued, “When he broke his leg, I sent all the doctors from the Imperial Medical Department to treat him, even asking many folk doctors. They all said it couldn’t be cured. I thought to myself, I’ve never heard of an emperor with a broken leg. Perhaps this dynasty would have one. But who would have thought, when you fainted and fell ill, he, a cripple, stood up from his wheeled chair and carried you into the palace, running like a man in his prime. It seemed like a miracle.”

The last four words were almost sarcastic. Emperor Jing Ming spoke with a smile, “Turning stones into gold, reviving withered trees—it was nothing less than that.”

Li Zhizhi knew that Xiao Yan’s leg had healed by then, though it was a bit lame. She hadn’t realized that it was he who had carried her into the palace at that time. She was momentarily stunned, and when she noticed the Emperor’s gaze, her face turned slightly red. She stammered, “I…”

For a long while, she couldn’t find the right words. Usually so quick-witted, she couldn’t seem to apply her skills now. Emperor Jing Ming decided not to press the matter and said, “Let’s not talk about him anymore.”

Li Zhizhi let out a sigh of relief, but then she heard him speak again: “You are a clever person, quite to my liking, and A’yang likes you very much as well. Today, your mother has earned merit, and I don’t have much to reward her with. I thought, why not make you a princess? After all, we’ll be family, and A’yang will certainly be happy—”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan could no longer sit still and immediately voiced his objection: “Your Majesty, I believe this is not a good idea!”

In an instant, several pairs of eyes turned toward him. Emperor Jing Ming gave him a glance and spoke in a calm tone, “I thought your feet had taken root there.”

Xiao Yan ignored the sarcasm in his words and stepped forward, saying, “Father, you cannot make Zhizhi a princess.”

“Why not?”

Xiao Yan looked at Li Zhizhi and said, “Because I like her and wish to marry her.”

Li Zhizhi’s face instantly turned red, but she saw Emperor Jing Ming nod slowly and ask, “Has your aunt agreed?”

Xiao Yan pursed his lips, his voice dropping: “I will ask her.”

Emperor Jing Ming chuckled and said, “If you want to ask her, you might as well ask me first.”

…

A quarter of an hour later, the Grand Princess arrived after changing into fresh clothes to meet Emperor Jing Ming.

The Emperor was lying in bed, looking weak and sickly. He gestured for her to sit, and the two siblings began to talk. Li Zhizhi, who was listening from the side, felt somewhat restless and uneasy.

In just a few sentences, Emperor Jing Ming began to cough, and Consort Rong quickly moved to soothe his chest and help him breathe more easily, repeatedly saying, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? You should say less for now.”

The Grand Princess immediately stood up: “Shall I call for the imperial physician to take a look?”

“It’s nothing…” Emperor Jing Ming waved his hand while coughing. “Even if the physician comes, it won’t be of any use… *cough cough cough*…”

He coughed for a long time before settling down, breathing lightly as he said, “My health… is getting worse day by day…”

The Grand Princess furrowed her brows and advised, “Your Majesty, you are in your prime. There’s no need to worry too much. With proper rest, you’ll surely get better.”

But Emperor Jing Ming only shook his head. “When a person gets old, it’s inevitable. There’s just one thing I can’t put my mind at ease about.”

Li Zhizhi lowered her head, gently scratching her fingertips, as the Grand Princess, unguarded, asked, “What is it?”

“The Crown Prince is still not married.”

The air grew suddenly still, and after a brief pause, the Grand Princess turned to look at Li Zhizhi before saying, “So, Your Majesty means…”

Emperor Jing Ming coughed a few more times and then said, “I’ve looked at many candidates, and I think Zhizhi is quite suitable. If you agree…” He coughed again and added, “Then let the Crown Prince marry her. I will have no regrets.”

The Grand Princess: …

Seeing that she didn’t immediately respond, Emperor Jing Ming let out a heavy sigh. “If you think it’s inappropriate, just treat it as though I never said this. I have many regrets in my life, and this one is not such a big deal.”

The Imperial Concubine’s eyes reddened instantly as she advised, “Your Majesty, please don’t say that. You will definitely see the day when the Crown Prince marries Zhizhi.”

The Grand Princess could not help but press her forehead, thinking to herself: The Emperor and the Imperial Concubine are in perfect harmony, but why does it feel like she’s been caught in a trap?

With the conversation already at this point, she turned to look at Xiao Yan. He immediately stood up and said, “I am willing to marry Zhizhi as my wife and will never abandon her in this lifetime. I ask for Aunt’s consent.”

The Grand Princess looked at Li Zhizhi again. Seeing her slightly lowered head and the redness of her ears, she knew the situation was settled. Reluctantly, she said, “I’ve always said that as long as Zhizhi is willing, I have no objections, and it is still the same now.”

Even so, she still felt vaguely like she had been schemed against.

Become a member!