Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Qi Hanzhou remained silent for a long time. When Doctor Chen mentioned congenital toxin, the first thing that came to his mind was the Ning family case. Back then, Consort Ning had given birth prematurely to the Sixth Prince, leaving him frail and weak in his early years. Later, Consort Ning, suffering from postpartum depression, decided to harm her own child and poisoned him with Suihongzi.

Now there were spies from the former dynasty in the palace, along with Ying Fusheng's Suihongzi and the Empress Dowager's Mother-Child Gu... He had seen the Empress Dowager's medical records; her coughing and headaches went back to when she was young, at least ten or twenty years ago. The hands of the former dynasty's spies had reached into the palace even then, and they were still active today.

If so, his investigation needed to go further back than the present.

Ten to twenty years ago—the Xu family, the Ning family... and the imperial family.

Below, the carriage that would take him to the palace was waiting. Ying Fusheng had just reached the carriage when he seemed to sense something and looked up. He saw Qi Hanzhou standing by the window and nodded in acknowledgment.

Qi Hanzhou met his gaze and suddenly remembered the time when he first began to suspect him—they had looked at each other from above and below, just like now. It was as if Ying Fusheng was born with a kind of certainty, from engineering the fall of the Ning family to bleeding himself to nurture the child gu. He seemed to know everything, yet nothing at all.

Qi Hanzhou could see the ambition in Ying Fusheng's eyes.

Contradictory and impossible to fathom.

"Junior General?" Doctor Chen asked.

Qi Hanzhou considered for a moment. "There are some things I’m not sure about yet. If there’s any change in his pulse later, please let me know."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Xuqiu.

Chen Xuqiu was sitting in the private room. Hearing this, she lifted her gaze. "This tavern is a bit too lively."

Downstairs, a group of young nobles were gathered, talking about something. Shen Changcun was drinking with a few colleagues, already tipsy, while Shen Yunfei was still muttering to Weng Yanqing. The noise was hard to ignore, drawing Qi Hanzhou’s attention. Just then, a Brocade Guard officer poked his head in. "I just overheard something, Junior General."

"The Sixth Prince’s birthday is coming."

Qi Hanzhou was slightly taken aback.

...

Inside the carriage, Ying Fusheng looked away, his gaze falling on his own palm. "Qi Hanzhou has found out."

Song An looked over, puzzled. "Your Highness?"

Some things couldn't be hidden from Qi Hanzhou. If he wanted to use him to deal with the mastermind behind the scenes, certain secrets were unavoidable, even if Ying Fusheng felt those things didn’t matter. His goal today was Chen Xuqiu. His current body was too weak. In his previous life, meeting Chen Xuqiu and Qi Hanzhou had only barely kept him alive. In the end, even without the new emperor’s poisoned wine, he wouldn’t have survived that winter.

What he had said to Doctor Chen was true—this body was an obstacle, especially his mind.

He could bear illness and disaster, but what he feared was going mad.

The acupuncture treatment allowed him to maintain clarity of mind, but the residual poison in his body remained a hidden danger. Now, moving step by step, gaining the upper hand, he could not afford to slack off.

Song An said, "There is one more thing. Adjutant Ye and I made inquiries and learned why the Brocade Guard appeared in the Cold Palace that night."

At this, Ying Fusheng’s expression tightened slightly, and a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes. "Go on."

"Regarding the deaf-mute matron Your Highness was investigating, the Brocade Guard found that she had been seen in the Cold Palace. It was Junior General Qi who used the Qi family’s connections to dig this up, more detailed than what I had found." Song An spoke while carefully observing Ying Fusheng’s expression. When he heard that the woman had appeared in the Cold Palace, a strange look appeared in his eyes.

This person was the one who, in his previous life, had revealed his birth origins to him. She came from Kunning Palace and had shown up in the Cold Palace.

A series of coincidences that defied logic. Now, with no trace of her in the palace, yet her identity plaque was closely tied to Kunning Palace... It was uncertain whether such a person even existed at all.

The carriage swayed. Song An studied the prince’s expression closely, noticing a strange change on his face upon hearing this news.

Outside the window, dusk was falling, contrasting with the darkness inside the carriage. The twilight cast a shadow on his face, and in the faint light, the young man’s cold eyes were sharp, containing indescribable emotions. Finally, he smiled.

"So that’s how it is. Truly deep scheming."

The carriage entered the palace, and a few days passed in silence.

Qi Hanzhou acted quickly. The next day, he dispatched the Qi family guards stationed in the capital to escort Doctor Chen to Jiangnan. When Chen Xuqiu's visiting card was delivered, Song An had already, through careful maneuvering, quietly arranged for Chen Xuqiu to have the status of a personal physician. This identity gave her freedom to enter and leave the palace at any time with Ying Fusheng’s token, and could stay in Wanchun Hall as long as she wished.

"Your Highness is really giving me this?" Chen Xuqiu was quite surprised when she found out. She couldn’t understand what the Sixth Prince was thinking. His trust in her seemed excessive—wasn’t he afraid she would misuse it?

Song An said, "His Highness said you are a Jianghu wanderer, used to freedom. He doesn’t want to restrain you."

The Sixth Prince was frail and often needed imperial physicians to take his pulse. Since Wanchun Hall had just been bestowed, it was easy to arrange for new staff.

Taking this opportunity, Ying Fusheng had Song An promote some trusted palace attendants to serve him.

The emperor’s gift of Wanchun Hall came without a deadline for him to move in. The items originally placed in Weiyang Palace had been moved by the Empress Dowager’s people, but the things from Cining Palace had yet to be relocated.

It wasn’t until one day, at the break of dawn, when the attendants of Cining Palace carried in congratulatory gifts, that he realized—

His twelfth birthday had arrived.

Twelve years old. At this age, other princes would leave their consorts and move to the Prince’s Hall.

He had assumed as much. Lady Yu led the attendants in decorating the side hall, the entire hall draped in red, dispelling some of the sickly atmosphere.

"Her Ladyship says Your Highness can live in Cining Palace as long as you like." Lady Yu had the attendants decorate the side hall. Since it was Ying Fusheng’s birthday, the Cining Palace staff were busy adorning the various rooms. "If you wish to move to Wanchun Hall, you are always welcome to return to Cining Palace."

The Empress Dowager’s words meant that until Ying Fusheng left the palace to establish his own residence, Cining Palace was always open to him.

New-year garments were placed aside, and gifts were stacked in boxes—from the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and other palaces. Ying Fusheng stood by for a long time. The new clothes fit him perfectly. It wasn't until Song An called out to him that he came back to himself.

"Your Highness?" Song An asked.

Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes. "Nothing. Just... not used to it."

In the past, he barely celebrated his birthday. As he grew older, living in the Cold Palace, birthdays had faded from memory. Yet now, time had flown by, and in this life, he had celebrated his birthday twice in Cining Palace.

Among the gifts, one was placed among those from the Empress Dowager. Ying Fusheng approached and saw that it bore the character "Xiao."

—It was a gift from the Xiao family.

What was unusual was that there was another gift.

Song An said, "This one was received by some unknown attendant. It’s a painting... but strangely, it has a few strands of animal fur tucked inside it."

Fox fur. It was Hu Buyu’s gift.

Ying Fusheng found it novel. He pinched the fox fur, his expression remained calm. "Keep these for now. Don’t let anyone else notice. Later, have Shen Changcun bring a jug of wine to Lord Hu of the Ministry of War."

Song An understood and said, "Your Highness, Master Shen has sent word that he wishes to see you."

Ying Fusheng frowned slightly. Shen Yunfei?

Nothing had happened in the Ministry of War recently. He glanced at the gift from Hu Buyu, thoughts running through his mind. After a moment’s consideration, he said, "Prepare the carriage."

As soon as he left the palace, the streets seemed a bit livelier than usual.

Ying Fusheng leaned out to look, but before he could ask, the carriage turned off course, deviating from the intended route to the Shen residence. He hesitated slightly, but before he could inquire, the driver had already entered the alley.

When the carriage stopped outside a tavern, the sound of firecrackers exploding made Ying Fusheng pause in his steps. He looked up and saw Shen Yunfei, along with a group of idle nobles, waiting at the entrance. "Happy birthday!"

The tavern was extremely lively. Liu Dengke, nicknamed Fatty Liu, told everyone that the day's drinks and food were free, drawing a large crowd of commoners to join the fun. As Ying Fusheng entered the tavern, he still felt a bit unaccustomed, but was immediately pushed forward by Shen Yunfei and the other playboys to where a bowl of longevity noodles sat. The noodles were made by Madam Shen herself, who insisted the birthday celebrant must eat them.

Ying Fusheng stared blankly at the scene, his expression froze in an unusual stillness when he saw the longevity noodles placed before him.

"I told mother there was no need to prepare this—surely there would be some in the palace..."

Just as Shen Yunfei tried to help him out, he suddenly saw Ying Fusheng pick up his chopsticks. The longevity noodles were mostly vegetarian, and the cook seemed to have considered Ying Fusheng's prolonged illness and poor appetite, adding only light toppings. It was nothing like the palace's delicacies, but it was a flavor Ying Fusheng had never tasted before.

"Your Highness, there's also the longevity peach and cake..."

"Are you trying to make His Highness explode from eating?"

Song An, standing nearby, quickly stepped in when he saw that.

Inside the tavern, the rich merchant Liu Dafu declared he wanted to throw a grand birthday celebration for the Sixth Prince, but Weng Yanqing turned it down, calling it too lavish and that His Highness would not like it. Instead, all the celebration was squeezed into the tavern. The Liu family, afraid they wouldn't show off their wealth and respect, found various ways to celebrate with the common people. The commoners who came to join in could fill two whole streets.

"Liu Dafu has no idea what gift you'd like, so he found a way to make donations in your name."

"Over there are Lord Shen's gifts... and some from unknown people."

...

Unlike the palace banquet, where people raised their glasses, each with their own agenda, the tavern's bustle spread inside and out. The commoners had no idea a prince was celebrating his birthday; they only knew a young master was having a birthday. Ying Fusheng got "happy birthday" from everyone he met—simple, heartfelt wishes.

Soon, he was surrounded by the crowd.

"These people are way too bold. With so many here, what about the prince's safety?" On a higher vantage point, Ye Xuanjiu hadn't even finished speaking when he saw a figure dart past.

Ying Fusheng had never been caught in such a crowd before. Outside the tavern, performers had been hired. When the street artist breathed out a fire dragon, the rush of heat made Ying Fusheng stumble back half a step, only to be steadied by someone. Qi Hanzhou, masked, stood among the crowd, seemingly out of nowhere.

The performer had already switched to a new act.

When it came to tricks, Liu Dengke and his gang had a hundred different ones. Ying Fusheng's eyes lingered on Qi Hanzhou briefly before getting pulled away by the next show. He had never seen this before. Commoners gathered around, cheering. Street performers showed their skills. The liveliness was right before him.

Since his rebirth, he had grown used to the capital's hustle, watching from inside a carriage or a tavern, but he had never felt this kind of excitement up close.

Around him were ordinary people. Shen Yunfei, beside him, roared his approval, making the crowd even more pumped. Drums and gongs clattered, overwhelming Ying Fusheng.

The crowd pushed Ying Fusheng's guards to the side. Qi Hanzhou frowned slightly and was about to tip off the Brocade Guard, when he looked down and saw the young man tilting his head up. Sunlight and the performance shimmered in Ying Fusheng's eyes, as if filled with tiny sparks. Those eyes held less scheming, only the innocence of his youth.

Qi Hanzhou paused, hand on his sword hilt, standing silently behind him.

Ying Fusheng shook off the bustle and saw Qi Hanzhou standing still. He wore a mask, covering his face completely. But the aura around him was enough to make the surrounding commoners leave a little space—just that much.

Qi Hanzhou looked at him. "Your Highness, step back a bit."

The excessive liveliness still made it hard to walk. Ying Fusheng glanced sideways, his mind wandering. "I never thought I'd be watching the street fun with you."

Qi Hanzhou looked at him with confusion.

But Ying Fusheng had already wiped the expression off his face.

Just watching the fun—not court bustle, but simple commoner excitement.

The tavern's liveliness went on until evening, only dying down when Ying Fusheng had to head back to the palace. The Empress Dowager was still waiting for him at Cining Palace. Ying Fusheng had arrived empty-handed, but returned with a carriage full of gifts from others.

Song An told him who had sent each gift. Suddenly, when he opened one, a cold gleam flashed from inside.

Song An: "This is..."

The short blade was sharp, its icy gleam unmistakable. It was a sleeve sword.

The gift was unsigned, but Ying Fusheng knew it was from Qi Hanzhou.

Song An had hidden the fact that Master Shen and the others had prepared a birthday feast. He noticed Ying Fusheng's silence. "Since the palace held no big celebration this year, Master Shen and the others came up with this. This servant overstepped."

Ying Fusheng looked at the sleeve sword and closed the gift case.

"Just a bit of fun—no harm in watching once in a while."

...

At the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince's twelfth birthday was not grand this year. Even his banquet was rushed, celebrated only by Empress Xu. The Emperor only sent presents, not showing up himself.

The Crown Prince's expression darkened. Hearing the commotion from Cining Palace made him feel that he, the Crown Prince, had even less status than a regular prince.

With Shuang Yue dead, that person's plans in the palace fell into chaos. He only sent assassins to tell the Crown Prince to keep still for now, then disappeared for several days, leaving no news. When Father gave Ying Fusheng the Wanchun Hall, he swallowed it. But this year's measly birthday banquet filled him with fear that Father's favor was slipping away.

"How is Grandfather's side?" the Crown Prince asked.

A maid whispered, "The Grand Secretary has been at home lately and hasn't been to the cabinet to see to matters."

The Xu family had grown quieter by the day. Meanwhile, the Emperor had promoted several new exam graduates into the Ministry of Works. The Crown Prince grew more and more unsettled. He knew that person told him to stay calm and not stir up trouble. But if the Xu family kept going like this, his supporters would only shrink.

In these days, the Yun family's arrogance at court was threatening to step over him as Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince glanced at the gifts placed beside him, his expression darkening.

He could not just sit and wait.