Chapter 37: The Grandson Has a Hidden Illness

Chapter 37: The Prince's Hidden Affliction

Chang Lu had rested for a few hours and got up just before dawn when the sky was still dark. As soon as he arrived at the study of Chenghua Hall with a lantern in hand, he saw the Crown Prince push the door open and step out.

He hurried forward, respectfully calling out, "Your Highness," then glanced at the tightly closed lattice door and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, shall we proceed to the main hall for you to wash up?"

Li Zhangye nodded, his gaze shifting to Shu Yan, who was waiting outside. "Yesterday, did the Empress Dowager summon the Crown Princess for a conversation?"

"No," Shu Yan quickly replied. "However, the Empress Dowager sent Nanny Feng to deliver those portraits."

Observing the Crown Prince's expression, she suddenly fell to her knees with a thud. The ruckus in the study the previous night had been heard by all—it was the first time the Crown Prince had been so enraged.

Shu Yan, fearing the Crown Prince might take his anger out on her mistress, trembled as she spoke, "Your Highness, this was ultimately the Empress Dowager's will. The Crown Princess could not refuse. Please do not punish her."

Li Zhangye's eyes were dark, his emotions unreadable. He merely said calmly, "You may rise. When the Crown Princess awakens, attend to her well."

Hearing this, Shu Yan finally exhaled in relief. She softly acknowledged with a "Yes" and watched as the Crown Prince headed toward the main hall.

Pei Yun, drowsy, turned over and her arm brushed against the edge of the couch, waking her fully.

Morning light streamed through the window lattice, casting delicate patterns at the foot of the couch. It took Pei Yun a moment to realize she was not in her own Linglang Hall but in the Crown Prince's study.

She was lying on a small couch behind the pearwood screen adorned with jade floral and avian motifs in the western part of the study—the very place the Crown Prince had carried her to the night before.

Pei Yun sat up lazily, the cyan silk robe with subtle patterns draped over her sliding off her shoulders. A slight chill made her realize she wore nothing beneath it.

This robe belonged to the Crown Prince.

Instinctively, she pulled the outer garment tighter, but as she lowered her gaze, she saw the bruises across her exposed chest and frowned slightly.

She swore under her breath.

Pei Yun pressed her lips together, her mouth dry. She stepped off the couch, expecting to walk barefoot, only to find her embroidered shoes neatly placed on the footrest.

Yet she distinctly remembered them having been knocked loose in last night’s frenzy.

She didn’t dwell on it, slipping into her shoes and walking around the screen.

But as she stepped out, the disarray before her still startled her. Though she knew the previous night had been intense, she hadn’t expected such a scene.

Her lotus-red robe, water-blue patterned pleated skirt, and the frost-white undergarments lay scattered around the desk.

Summer garments were thin to begin with, and last night, the Crown Prince’s force had torn them apart. A breeze slipped through the window crack, causing the tattered robe to dangle limply from the corner of the desk, marked with unmistakable stains.

Pei Yun recalled how she, too, had swayed atop that desk the night before.

Yet, just like the time he’d intruded upon her bath, the Crown Prince had not truly taken her.

But she had clearly sensed his struggle—the sweat beading on his forehead—only for him to abruptly restrain himself and withdraw at the last moment.

Even so, he had not spared her. His actions were, in a way, even more degrading than if he had taken her. To put it plainly, he had simply chosen a different method.

Pei Yun’s skin was naturally delicate, and her inner thighs still ached from the friction.

Last night had been torment. She had felt as though she were caught in the tide, repeatedly lifted only to fall before reaching the peak. The cycle left her restless and unbearably frustrated. She knew the Crown Prince had done it deliberately, and after being toyed with several times, she had grown angry, sinking her teeth into his shoulder with such force that the iron taste of blood filled her mouth.

The Crown Prince was tall, and his robe on her nearly dragged on the floor. Pei Yun walked to the red-lacquered round table, poured herself tea, and drank it in one gulp before glancing at the scattered portraits at her feet.

The overturned inkstone had splattered ink across the portraits, leaving them completely ruined.

It wasn’t a big deal—after all, none of the women in those portraits were the Crown Prince’s type.

Thinking back to the prince’s irritation last night, Pei Yun figured it was probably because she hadn’t consulted him beforehand. Indeed, if he had truly wanted concubines, why would the Eastern Palace have remained empty for so many years in his past life?

After all, while the rules for taking a secondary consort might be more complicated, if it was just about adding a few lower-ranking consorts, the Crown Prince could decide for himself.

In the end, she’d just been clueless.

Pei Yun set down the teacup in her hand, glanced toward the east, then slowly rose and walked in that direction.

Sunlight filtered in through the window, gently illuminating a painting hanging on the white wall. The moment she approached it, Pei Yun felt like she was thrown back six or seven years, to the days shortly after her wedding to the Crown Prince.

That had been the first time she had examined the painting closely—and the first time her heart had turned cold toward him.

Now, years later, as she studied the painting in detail once more, she wasn’t shocked or saddened by the signature as she had been back then. Instead, her heart was as calm as still water.

Just like the first time she saw it, she was once again awestruck by the painting.

It showed a sunrise.

In the painting, two boys sat on horses, paused atop a cliff, while a crimson sun rose amidst the mist-shrouded mountain peaks in the distance.

The warm morning light bathed the earth, dispelling the thick fog and casting its glow upon the young men. The slightly older of the two turned his head to look back, his lips curled into a bright, eager grin.

Though his face was still boyish, Pei Yun recognized him as the Crown Prince.

The Second Miss Shen, Shen Ningjia, really was as good as they said. Going by the date in the corner, she had been only eleven years old at the time—incredible skill for a kid.

That the Crown Prince still kept this painting, personally created by the woman he cherished, hanging in such a prominent place in his study spoke volumes. Keeping it like this could only mean he still remembered Shen Ningjia.

Pei Yun couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Great, just great—how was she gonna explain this to the Empress Dowager?

If she claimed the Crown Prince was unwilling, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t hold it against him—after all, how could her precious grandson ever be at fault? Every mistake would land on Pei Yun.

Meanwhile, in the Cishou Palace of the imperial court...

The Empress Dowager had just returned from the small Buddhist chapel Emperor Qingzhen had arranged for her behind the main hall when a palace attendant hurried in to announce the Crown Prince’s arrival.

She frowned, unsure yet whether this was good or bad news. When Li Zhangye entered the main hall and finished his greetings, she asked carefully, “Did the Crown Princess say anything to you yesterday?”

Li Zhangye stood in the center of the hall, silent for a moment before answering truthfully, “The Crown Princess brought portraits, planning to set me up with a concubine.”

The Empress Dowager’s tightly knit brows relaxed slightly. “The Crown Princess’s intentions align with mine. Zhangye, you are the Crown Prince, after all. Just one woman in the Eastern Palace? That’s not right. A few more who know how to care for you wouldn’t hurt. Look at your father—before ascending the throne, he swore he’d only have your mother. Yet later, to secure his reign, didn’t he still take on numerous consorts? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have so many brothers and sisters. For men, having multiple wives and concubines is commonplace—how much more so for royalty?”

Li Zhangye listened quietly, waiting until the Empress Dowager finished before replying respectfully, “Grandmother, this grandson has no wish to take a concubine—”

The Empress Dowager’s expression darkened instantly. After a brief pause, she erupted in fury. “It’s because of that Pei woman again!”

A year ago, when rumors had spread about the Crown Princess Pei’s inability to conceive again, she had summoned the Crown Prince and raised the matter of taking a concubine. To her surprise, he had refused, arguing that doing so might invite ridicule toward Pei Shi for her infertility, and begged for more time.

She had relented then, and fortunately, Pei Shi’s womb had proven fruitful—not long after, news of her pregnancy had indeed arrived.

Now that Pei Shi had borne the child, she had brought up the matter again, assuming the Crown Prince could no longer use the same excuse. Yet once more, he had refused.

“What kind of spell has that Pei woman put on you to make you so infatuated? I knew she was deceitful—outwardly obedient, but privately weeping and dissuading you, wasn’t she?”

From the very first glance, the Empress Dowager had disliked Pei Shi. With such striking beauty, in times of chaos, she would have been the type to bring ruin.

And who could say Pei Shi wasn’t a demoness? She’s got the Crown Prince wrapped around her finger so thoroughly that he refused to so much as touch another woman.

Compared to the Empress Dowager's fury, Li Zhangye remained much calmer, though his arched brows furrowed slightly.

"It has nothing to do with Pei Shi."

He seemed hesitant to speak further, his gaze subtly sweeping over the servants in the room. The Empress Dowager immediately understood and ordered Nanny Feng to lead the attendants out.

For a moment, only the Empress Dowager and Li Zhangye remained in the hall.

Li Zhangye sighed before speaking. "Grandmother does not know, but your grandson has a private condition..."

The Empress Dowager froze. "What condition?"

Li Zhangye pressed his lips together, as if struggling to voice it. After a long pause, he finally murmured in a low voice.

"Not every woman... stirs your grandson's interest."

At these words, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened slightly. She clenched the prayer beads in her hand tightly, either in disbelief or outright refusal to believe. Even her tone carried a trace of tension as she pressed further.

"What do you mean by that?"

Li Zhangye: "When your grandson reached the age of understanding, the reason I dismissed the palace maids sent by Mother was because I felt no interest whatsoever..."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned, then suddenly thought of something. She straightened slightly, all traces of her earlier panic gone, and scoffed. "Do not deceive me. If that were truly the case, how did Pei Shi bear you two children? What, no other woman can satisfy you, yet Pei Yun is the exception?"

"Grandmother guessed correctly." Li Zhangye continued, "After marrying Pei Shi, I was initially worried, but unexpectedly, I was able to... be with her. Overjoyed, I thought my condition had been cured. But later, when I attempted to touch other women, I found nothing had changed..."

The Empress Dowager's brows knitted tightly as she listened to the Crown Prince's account, spoken without any sign he was lying. She leaned forward slightly. "Has this condition been examined by a physician?"

Li Zhangye nodded. "Your grandson had the palace doctors check me long ago, but they found no cause. I've consulted famous physicians while traveling outside the capital, but to no avail."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed deeper, and the look he gave his grandmother carried a hint of helplessness. "The Crown Princess does not know of this, nor did Mother before her passing... The reason I have refused to take concubines all these years is precisely because I fear that if too many people discover this, word will get out. If the Crown Prince of Great Zhao suffers from such a condition, the whole kingdom would laugh."

The Empress Dowager's face paled, and she sank back into her chair.

This matter concerned a man's dignity, and her grandson was the Crown Prince—the future of Great Zhao. He would never speak of such a thing lightly.

Moreover, the Crown Prince had always been filial and respectful. Would he really lie to his grandmother's face?

Surely he wouldn't make up such a crazy story just to protect a mere Pei Shi.

Impossible.

After collecting herself, the Empress Dowager let out a long sigh. When she looked at the Crown Prince again, her eyes held a trace of pity. "You have suffered, keeping this secret for so many years."

After Li Zhangye left, the Empress Dowager sat in her armchair, eyes closed as she fingered her prayer beads, her mind racing.

She had always believed the Crown Prince's refusal to fill the inner palace was Pei Shi's fault. But now, it seemed Pei Shi had been useful after all.

At least she'd given him two heirs.

This condition of the Crown Prince was a disaster for the royal line, yet by some miracle, he had married this Pei Shi. The ancestors must have arranged this.

So what if the Eastern Palace stays empty, and let people gossip all they want? The Crown Prince was right—this secret must never get out.