The palace of the Crown Prince of Chu.
"Father is entering the palace by carriage?"
"And he's bringing the imperial seal to the city gate before entering? Could it be that Father's condition is critical, and he's hurrying to write a decree of succession outside?"
The Crown Prince of Chu paced anxiously in the hall, his face occasionally revealing a hint of reluctance, followed by flashes of excitement and malice.
"Your Highness, the King is not dead yet. Fortunately, we have a backup plan. Imperial Physician Chen has been bought off. Once you become Emperor, you can have as many beautiful men as you desire."
The Crown Prince, initially hesitant, quickly gritted his teeth upon hearing this. "Tell Chen to be ready!"
...
At dawn, the King of Chu was carried back, his eyes tightly shut and his face ashen.
Soon after, the Empress of Chu, the Crown Prince, and Princess Yunwu hurriedly arrived one after another.
"Father!" The Crown Prince cried, tears streaming down his face and soaking the King's collar.
The King's eyebrows twitched.
If he hadn't been forewarned by the sage from Jing Country, he might never have imagined that the Crown Prince, who appeared so grief-stricken and panicked, could be the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.
"Your son will surely punish the assassin severely! Father!" The Crown Prince continued to pledge his loyalty.
The King's temple throbbed. Severe punishment, or silencing the perpetrator?
"Father, the imperial physician has arrived," the Crown Prince announced, maintaining his position closest to the King's bedside, holding his hand.
The Empress followed closely, with Princess Yunwu anxiously standing at the foot of the bed, unable to move any closer to the King.
For the Crown Prince outranked the Princess!
Once the Emperor passed away and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Princess would become merely a subject.
The King glanced at his children's positions, his heart a tumult of emotions.
The prince who sought to harm him, lacking in virtue and wisdom, had been elevated to a position second only to the Emperor himself.
Meanwhile, his daughter, the princess who truly cared for him, perfect in virtue and surpassing in wisdom, could barely stand in the corner, without even a chance to speak at this moment.
The King sighed inwardly.
At this moment, he inexplicably recalled Xiao Yunzhou's advice.
'Old Chu, that poisoned pig needs to be dealt with early, lest it affect the others...'
The King wasn't injured; he felt no pain anywhere. Yet he lay in bed, surrounded by the children of his middle age and the Empress who had shared his joys and sorrows throughout the years.
Before him, several imperial physicians hurriedly discussed treatment options.
This scene of tension and familial weeping gave the King the illusion that he truly was on his deathbed.
If not today, then perhaps some day in the future.
The King, a formidable ruler in his own right, couldn't help but think of his legacy amidst the Crown Prince's mournful wailing.
In life, he believed he had not failed the Chu royal ancestors or his subjects. He could lead troops into battle and manage state affairs with equal diligence.
But what of after his death?
Would he close his eyes only for the Chu State to be ruined by the Crown Prince he had appointed?
Busy with state affairs and years of personal military campaigns, he had neglected the Crown Prince's education. He and the Empress had spoiled this late-born only son!
If the Chu State were to fall in the future, would all his life's meticulous planning be in vain?
Would his fate be no different from that of Xiao Yunzhou, who spent his days in meditation and playfully teasing his daughter, neglecting his duties?
No, the Chu State might end up worse off than Jing Country!
The King's lips twitched.
'You keep hesitating to deal with it, raising that poisoned pig to maturity, even intending to let it breed.'
'Old Chu, aren't you creating a massive disaster?'
'How can your pigsty thrive afterwards? In the future... they'll all be sick, and you won't have time to cry, I tell you!'
Recalling Xiao Yunzhou's words, the King felt a surge of discontent.
The sage from Jing Country was incredibly powerful.
Jing Country would likely prosper under the sage's guidance. But the Chu State, after he closed his eyes, would be ruined by an incompetent Crown Prince who listened to the whims of his eunuchs!
The King had been competitive all his life, defeating neighboring countries. But in the future, his son would squander his legacy. The mere thought infuriated him!
As the King pondered this, listening to the Crown Prince's wailing pleas of "Father, open your eyes and look at your son," he couldn't suppress his anger. He wanted to leap from the bed and strike the Crown Prince's head!
The matter of the Crown Prince's attempt on his life hadn't been fully investigated yet, so he set that aside for now.
But the Crown Prince's incompetence and weakness, being manipulated by a group of eunuchs, enraged the King!
How could the Crown Prince possibly contend with the sage from Jing Country?
'Old Chu, besides the 30% price reduction, you should also change your preference for sons over daughters. It's all for your own good.'
'If you don't heed heaven's will, you'll surely face retribution.'
Xiao Yunzhou's words from that day mysteriously echoed in the King's ears again.
The King glanced at the weeping Crown Prince by his bedside, then at Princess Yunwu, her eyes red but holding back tears, and felt his heart shake violently.
Could this advice also be a hint from the Jing Country sage to him, the King of Chu?
If he continued to forcefully favor sons over daughters, propping up this hopeless fool of a Crown Prince, would he be going against heaven's will, bringing harm not only to himself but to the entire Chu State?
As this thought struck him, the King's hands began to tremble slightly.
"Chief Physician Liu, how is my father?" the Crown Prince quickly inquired.
The King closed his eyes.
Chief Physician Liu kept his head bowed, not daring to look up. Behind him knelt three or four other imperial physicians.
They took turns checking the pulse before finally agreeing on a prescription.
"His Majesty has broken his spine in the fall. I'm not certain, but we can try medication and acupuncture for now."
"Useless fool!" The Crown Prince's face twitched, his eyes betraying a flash of joy, which he quickly suppressed. He stood up and kicked the Chief Imperial Physician to the ground. "What use are you all?"
The Crown Prince's fleeting glimpse of hope and expectation went unnoticed by the Empress and Princess Yunwu seated on either side, and the kneeling physicians.
But the King, lying on the bed, saw the Crown Prince's joy clearly from his vantage point!
The King's eyes bulged in an instant, his breathing becoming rapid.
"Hurry up and write the prescription, go brew the medicine!" the Crown Prince berated the physicians.
He then turned to dismiss Princess Yunwu, "Royal Sister, Father has been the victim of an assassination attempt, and the culprit has not yet been questioned. I must ask you to endure confinement in your original Qiong Palace!"
Princess Yunwu was about to speak in anger when the Crown Prince shot her a fierce look. "Royal Sister, I am the Crown Prince. Do you dare disobey my orders?"
"Guards!"
In an instant, four of the Crown Prince's personal guards surrounded Princess Yunwu.
Princess Yunwu gritted her teeth, somewhat suspicious of the Crown Prince. She was about to call her personal guards to resist when she suddenly felt something lightly kicking the hem of her skirt at the foot of the bed.
Princess Yunwu was startled. As her gaze shifted slightly, she saw the King of Chu lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, yet he suddenly winked at her.
In an instant, Princess Yunwu's heart was in turmoil. She lowered her head and said, "Fine, I'll leave then."
She quickly cast a lingering glance at the King of Chu, only to find him still with his eyes closed. Conflicted, she turned and left.
By noon, heavy guards were stationed at the King of Chu's bedchamber, not even allowing a mosquito to fly in.
At the King of Chu's bedside, only the filial Crown Prince and the Empress of Chu remained, without even a single physician left behind.
The Crown Prince, putting on a filial act, said, "Mother, let me feed Father the medicine. I haven't had many chances to show my filial piety." As he spoke, he pretended to wipe away tears and took a bowl of medicinal soup brought in by a eunuch from the outer door, bringing it to the King of Chu's lips.
But just as the soup was about to flow into the King of Chu's mouth—
Suddenly, a hand reached out from beside the bed!
"Your Highness, allow me," said Ji Duan, the Chancellor, who had appeared out of nowhere, standing alongside the returning Chief Imperial Physician.
"Who—who let you in?!" The Crown Prince of Chu's hand shook violently, spilling all the medicinal soup onto the King of Chu's bed.
The Chief Imperial Physician stepped forward, examining and sniffing the spilled medicine on the King's bed. Then, meeting the King of Chu's already open and piercing tiger-like eyes, he trembled and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, this bowl of medicine is not the prescription I prepared this morning!"
"It's a strong laxative!"
The King of Chu closed his eyes in pain for a moment, then said, "Summon Princess Yunwu and the ministers of the Inner Cabinet for an audience."
"I will disinherit this unfilial beast!"
[Oh wow, how exciting! Princess Yunwu is finally going to rise up!]
Watching the live stream from afar, Xiao Chuchu's heart instantly burst into fireworks.
[Oh my god, holy crap! The system says we've initiated the first recovery of an imperial elite character—the King of Chu, occupying ten slots, damn it!]
[The progress jumped straight to 80%! My goodness!]
Xiao Yunzhou had just picked up his teacup, only to spill it all over his legs in an instant.
What?
Ancestors above!
Even the emperor of a neighboring country can be won over?!
