Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Lu An took the letter, gave it a read, then pressed his lips together and asked, "Dad, what do you reckon we should do? Little bro's idea seems like a raw deal—why the hell should we just hand the throne to that Murong Jie for free?"

Lu Tong snapped, "What the hell do you know about it? This is what they call love! Love! I already told you, you wouldn't get it—you're just a snot-nosed kid who doesn't know jack about love! Ugh, my boy's just like me. Back then, to set her free, I was happy to be her secret boyfriend, happy to be the man behind her! But I loved every second of it! Why am I even bothering to tell you all this? Go write your brother back and ask what he wants me to do!"

Lu An went "Oh," then asked, "So little bro really ain't gonna sit on the throne?"

Lu Tong said with a knowing look, "You really think I give a damn about that throne? I just can't stand that dog emperor's bullshit! The old emperor was a good ruler—folks lived pretty peacefully under him. But look at what this current emperor's been doing? He only promotes his own cronies, doesn't give a damn about the people or the soldiers. All he cares about is his precious dragon throne! But An'er, ever think—even if we took that throne, could we really handle it? Being emperor ain't easy. It's not like being a general where you just gotta know how to fight. Running a whole country is all complicated and twisty—I can't wrap my head around that. My boy's brilliant, but I worry about him having to go through all that. If he really doesn't want it, I can't force him as his dad, right?"

Lu An tsked: "Dad, with all this talk, aren't you just spoiling him rotten? Look what you've done to my little bro! The throne ain't something you can just hand over!"

Lu Tong went "Oh," then said, "Then write him back and tell him we don't agree."

Lu An scratched his head and muttered under his breath, "Then... then... forget it. The throne ain't that big a deal anyway. What matters most is little bro's happiness!"

Lu Tong gave Lu An a disgusted look: "You just keep spoiling him, then!"

Three days later, Lu Yunqi got a letter from his dad asking what he wanted him to do. Lu Yunqi grinned slyly, thinking, "Man, General Lu Tong really is the ultimate doting dad. Whatever his son wants, he gets."

Lu Yunqi wrote back to his father, telling him only to hold his troops steady—he had his own plans in motion.

Lu Tong was just in the mood for a break anyway. Since his son told him to hold steady, he might as well find some amusement in the military camp.

A while back, his son had sent him a mahjong set carved from white jade, and he was just about to play a few rounds with some old subordinates to pass the time.

Meanwhile, in the capital, with the Empress's staunch protection, the Second Prince had been placed under lifelong house arrest in his manor and reduced to commoner status, with no further chance of inheriting the throne.

At the Crown Prince's residence, Murong Feng was overjoyed, gleefully pulling his trusted strategist Yue Feng aside for a drink: "Master Yue is truly a genius! That brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone leaves me in utter awe."

Yue Feng waved his feather fan and chuckled softly, saying, "Your Highness, don't celebrate too soon—this is only the first step. Though you've eliminated your two biggest rivals, whether you can truly secure the position of Crown Prince still depends on His Majesty's will!"

Murong Feng snorted coldly: "One of my brothers is dead, the other imprisoned. Who's left to contend with me? That Murong Jie who was betrothed to Lu Yunqi? Hahaha, a barbarian bastard like him—how dare he compete with me?"

Yue Feng stroked his beard: "Your Highness still needs to handle the tasks His Majesty assigns you well. Only by earning the Emperor's approval can you truly become the heir apparent. Also, if you have time, you should return to the palace to visit the Empress more often. Regardless, her maternal family is your greatest asset."

But Murong Feng's expression shifted as he said, "I'll... I'll go another day! Mother hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days. I... I'll visit her another time."

Yue Feng urged, "Precisely because she's unwell, Your Highness should go comfort her! She only has you as her son now. If Your Highness shows some filial piety, the Empress will surely rally her entire clan to support you."

Murong Feng nodded reluctantly: "Fine, after I finish handling the refugee resettlement, I'll go to the palace to visit Mother."

Yue Feng nodded: "Very well. The refugee resettlement is of utmost importance—Your Highness must handle it well. Once that's done, the Emperor can persuade the ministers to establish you as Crown Prince early."

After seeing Yue Feng off, Murong Feng's joy faded completely. A sudden fear crept into his heart.

Killing his own blood brother and framing another—it was the most insane thing he had ever done.

Had he made a mistake?

Murong Feng smashed a cup with a crack, recalling the words his mother had screamed at him while pointing at his nose, and he laughed like a madman: "A man must be ruthless to rise above! Father seized his throne from his own brothers—why shouldn't I be able to do the same?"

And so, Murong Feng accepted it all with ease. As long as he could become emperor, what did it matter if he'd killed his own brother?

At the Lord Nine Thousand Years' residence, Lu Yunqi's morning sickness was getting worse. He lay in bed, unwilling to move. Murong Jie couldn't bear to watch any longer and forcibly summoned two imperial physicians from the palace to examine him.

It wasn't that Lu Yunqi didn't want to see a doctor—it was that ancient Chinese medicine was too powerful. One pulse reading and they'd know exactly what illness you had, even pregnancy could be easily detected.

If he let these two imperial physicians examine him, wouldn't everything be exposed?

But then again... being exposed wasn't such a big deal. If Murong Jie knew he was pregnant, wouldn't he treat him with more tenderness?

So he extended his fair, slender wrist and asked the physicians in a sickly voice, "Doctors, what illness do I have? Why does it have the same symptoms as pregnancy? Please, take a good look—am I pregnant?"

The two physicians were covered in black lines. One took his pulse, then the other. After both finished, they said in unison, "Your Highness, you... you seem to have a heat syndrome."

Lu Yunqi: ???

Wait, what? I thought ancient Chinese medicine was supposed to be amazing?

How can they not even detect a pregnancy pulse?

He clicked his tongue dismissively: "Look more carefully—I'm clearly pregnant, how is this a heat syndrome?"

Heat syndrome—heatstroke. What the hell, heatstroke!

One of the physicians took his pulse again and said, "Your Highness's pulse is strong and healthy—there's really nothing wrong. It's... it's possible... it really is just a heat syndrome..."

Lu Yunqi was about to say something more when Murong Jie cut him off: "Alright, stop teasing the two physicians. If it's a heat syndrome, then it's a heat syndrome. Rest well at home these next few days and don't go running around outside. And stop talking about being pregnant. You... you're a man after all, constantly proclaiming you're pregnant. If word gets out, people will laugh at you for no reason!"

Lu Yunqi: ...What the hell, so I've got a bun in the oven, and it comes with a built-in invisibility cloak?