The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Zhu Lingwei was wrapped in rags, completely covering herself, walking on the streets that resembled a human purgatory.

Countless people were huddled in corners, waiting for the rice gruel distribution.

The person beside her stumbled a few times, nearly falling to the ground. Looking back, she saw a refugee whose face was covered, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

The eyes looked as if they had been washed in water, bright and clear. Few people would use lake water to describe eyes, but this person’s eyes were only suitable for this description.

Zhu Lingwei saw her own reflection in that lake-like color, subtly swaying. The owner of the eyes, overcome by the severity of the illness, fell onto the ground.

She was hesitant to remove the person’s mask. Zhu Lingwei’s arm reached out and then stopped. After a moment of hesitation, she finally decided and pulled down the bandage wrapped around Lu Fengmian’s face.

Her mouth and nose were stained crimson red.

She only glanced at it, then quickly helped the person cover her mouth and nose again.

But it was too late. A busybody exclaimed, “She has the plague! It’s the bubonic plague!”

The crowd scattered. Zhu Lingwei sighed helplessly and pulled the person to run wildly. No one risked their lives to stop them. They moved unhindered until they escaped to a small wooden house.

A letter from the court expressed the idea of postponing Lu Fengmian’s return to the capital.

Originally, someone was supposed to proclaim the divine right of the ruler in the face of death, bleeding into the well to save the disaster victims. After rescuing the common people with her blood, everyone’s hearts would be won over. This person would then reveal that she belonged to the Empress’s maternal clan, which would conveniently garner popular support for Crown Prince Zhu.

This person, like Zhu Lingwei, had taken the early-stage antidote, but this type was only useful for “patients” who were not yet infected.

The fake medicine that shattered during transport, forcing Prince Zhao to intervene, would conveniently become the scapegoat for the source of the plague once the incident was over.

Ostensibly, the people of Qilu were without medication, but in reality, the higher-ups were merely waiting for the situation to escalate.

“I didn’t come for nothing. This credit was originally yours,” Lu Fengmian squeezed out a sentence amidst coughs.

“Whether he lives or dies, the credit won’t be mine. Since he dared to renege on the deal and negotiate halfway, he will later impeach my Imperial Mother.”

Zhu Lingwei had thick dark circles under her eyes. After several sleepless nights, she had not only lost weight but also spoke with less filter, becoming increasingly harsh.

“To be mistakenly killed is a dignified way to die.”

She could not sleep peacefully day and night. Her dreams were filled with demons and monsters. She felt intuitively that this was not a good omen, but she only dared to write letters back in secret, not daring to tell others for fear of making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

She had deliberately pricked her flesh with needles and applied gauze from corpses to her wounds, yet after a dozen attempts, she showed no signs of falling ill.

Those who had taken the antidote would usually show some symptoms. After recovering, their blood could be added to medicine to better activate the drug’s properties. She tried this too but couldn’t even take the first step.

Lu Fengmian intended to accompany her and was somewhat unexpectedly infected. The mistress and servant of the Zhao family were very fortunate to be infected. Although no one was satisfied with this outcome, it seemed to be the will of heaven.

There would be more help needed later. She needed to gain everyone’s approval and then represent the people’s allegiance to the Crown Prince’s faction. It was not as simple as just resisting the disease; it meant placing the hearts of the Qilu region’s people in someone else’s hands.

Whether Zhu Lingwei was happy about it or not, this incident alone subtly changed her relationship with Lu Fengmian.

The royal family was so suspicious and cold-blooded. Even if she kept her feelings hidden, the other party would still sense the distance, keenly aware that this was inappropriate.

One should not tie one’s shoes in a melon patch or adjust one’s hat beneath a plum tree, especially when it concerns the foundation of the state.

The distance grew daily. Lu Fengmian remained in her true identity to provide aid, shielding the people of the region with her blood.

Most of the time, Zhu Lingwei only watched from afar. The disguise on her face was masculine, which made her look more solemn and made it harder to discern her true feelings.

“She may not survive. Medicine, hah. If there were truly a medicine, it wouldn’t still be in the experimental stage. No one dares to guarantee that the patient can be saved.” Zhu Lingwei frowned.

Then she asked, “Did my Imperial Father ask me to return to the capital?”

The guard was about the same age as the Crown Prince but remained silent. However, Zhu Lingwei understood the implication. The relationship between the Emperor and Empress was very strained now. Every meeting ended in an argument, and they desperately needed someone to mediate.

“Then we will leave tonight. I will wait for her news of victory in the capital.”

A great mission fell upon the Zhao daughter. Before returning to the capital, the Zhao daughter publicly declared that all this was due to the Son of Heaven’s virtue and blessings.

She was entrusted with a critical mission and was a close friend of the future heir. This resolution of the crisis was a sign that Heaven blessed their great nation.

The return carriage was bumpy, much like the beating hearts of the two people. Each had her own thoughts, her own plans.

The grass and withered shrubs were yellow. The sense of desolation of autumn permeated everything.

The mad dog disease in the capital had not been cured. Effective and practical medicine had not been discovered, and people were still in a state of panic.

Fortunately, the nobles who took specific medicine daily were slow to be infected, and the disease progressed slowly in patients. There were many legendary stories of people being saved from the brink of death.

If the onset of the disease didn’t involve people going mad like untamed wild dogs, fearless of water and light, and could be called a normal illness, people wouldn’t be so suspicious all the time.

If the Qilu plague was an external threat, then the capital’s epidemic was an internal one.

They were both diseases. To truly differentiate, one could only say that the mad dog disease in the city was the result of the former court’s remnants, while the plague outside the city was self-inflicted.

The present situation was an opportunity to consolidate the court and bring the medicine merchants who profited from the national crisis to justice.

The clues quickly pointed to the Mo family.

While everything was waiting to be rebuilt, time flowed into winter.

To prevent their entire family from suffering, they began colluding with rebels, escalating the internal and external threats. The situation finally concluded with the Empress hanging herself and the Crown Prince leading troops to suppress the Mo family’s stronghold.

At that time, a few talented juniors were escorted and fled from Qilu.

Large numbers of servants were banished to the frontier. When it came time to deal with the men and women of the family, the Emperor issued an edict recalling the Crown Prince.

Zhu Lingwei’s defiance led to her house arrest in the Eastern Palace. The palace staff asked Lu Fengmian to go and comfort her, but within half an hour, the sound of tables overturning and shattered teacups and vases filled the ground was heard.

The two argued fiercely, and the visitor was summarily thrown out.

The smashed fruit lay rotting on the stone slab. Lu Fengmian pursed her lips and hurried away, ignoring all attempts by the palace staff to stop her.

Later, on a snowy day, the Crown Prince knelt at the Hall of Mental Cultivation until she fainted. The Emperor was furious, believing this to be coercion of the imperial power, and did not visit her even once after she woke up.

That day, she had a dream. The person in the dream looked exactly like her, but she was overly ostentatious and beautiful, unlike Zhu Lingwei’s own distraught state. She immediately asked, “Do you think Lu Fengmian is wrong?”

In the dream, she scoffed and listed the Emperor’s cold-bloodedness and deep scheming from childhood to the capping ceremony and to the present.

“In my childhood, the Imperial Father disliked my Imperial Mother. Other people’s palaces would be upgraded with each promotion, but how did he treat us? He would dig ponds and build pavilions right where we were? The entire Forbidden City never had a place for us to truly belong.”

“The Imperial Father is too suspicious.”

The floating Zhu Lingwei watched everything with indifference. She was not the slightest bit afraid, as if she had long been accustomed to these illusions.

“Even the palace servants called the Hall of the Pepper Fragrance of a few years ago the Cold Palace. She was the child born in the Cold Palace.”

“There was only one midwife, no celebrations, for fear the girl would die prematurely. And the Imperial Father didn’t even show up a few times in the first three years.”

Zhu Lingwei waved her hand, scattering the mist. The dream was fragile, and the person in the dream reluctantly stopped talking, meeting her gaze.

“Someone! Issue an edict. The Crown Prince is not to leave the Eastern Palace for three months. If she violates this order, she won’t keep this position.” Her red lips uttered words that completely contradicted her appearance. Her tone was sweet, yet the words were filled with chilling severity.

The next moment, Zhu Lingwei suddenly awoke from the dream, feeling a chill. She looked down, and her inner garment was soaked with cold sweat.

Months and days passed. Just after the New Year’s Eve of the tenth year of Zhizheng, the Sun family, the Empress’s closest maternal relatives, was implicated in a corruption case.

This case indirectly involved Zhu Lingwei. In previous years, live people were buried with the deceased at the imperial mausoleum. Now, it was stone carvings, yet within two years, someone dared to embezzle these funds, a truly audacious act.

While punishing corruption, the eunuch conveyed the Emperor’s will, ordering the Crown Prince to choose an auspicious day to personally go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and change her surname to the imperial surname, Li.

Zhu Lingwei defied the decree. The Emperor was furious again but did not immediately impose punishment. More than half a month passed. Just when all the civil and military officials were harboring their own intentions, an imperial edict unexpectedly arrived, stripping her of the Crown Prince title and confining her to the palace temporarily, a confinement that lasted for many years.

“Young Lady, Young Lady, please wake up!”

Countless facial phantom images appeared before her. In the swaying, they would occasionally overlap, and the final combined features belonged to a girl dressed as a maid.

Cong Ji was anxious and pacing. Seeing her Young Lady wake up, she immediately rushed to the bedside, sobbing and rambling.

She spoke of how her Young Lady had been unconscious for three days, how doctors had come one after another, all saying she was fine, but she just wouldn’t wake up.

Lu Fengmian’s voice was dry and cracked. She managed to squeeze out a few sounds, but the maid misunderstood her intention, wiped away her tears, and went out to invite the Master and Madam.

Illness left her powerless, so she couldn’t stop her and had to let her go.

People came in waves. Gifts of condolence were never lacking, and the medicinal tonics tasted truly bitter. Her spirit constantly scattered, as if all things were ephemeral.

She felt she should go and understand Li Qinghuai’s current situation, but she truly lacked the qualification.

After all, many years ago, she had resolutely chosen to marry into a merchant family to escape the Zhao family’s control. Less than a year into the marriage, upon learning the true cause of her mother’s death, she knocked on the palace gate at night, demanding a divorce.

If there was still affection between them before, what remained now was definitely not simple affection.

The next day, she was supported by someone to walk by the lotus pond. The personal maid beside her was trembling.

Lu Fengmian ignored this fear. She had made up her mind. It was merely a burning ancestral hall. If she didn’t leave now, she would truly wither and die here.

She looked gaunt and withered, radiating a sense of illness.

If she didn’t do something to please herself, she feared she wouldn’t be able to hold on.

In the first few days after returning to the capital, Li Qinghuai was busy sorting out official duties and arranging for people to find a suitable residence nearby.

Although a legitimate Crown Prince was not supposed to live outside the palace, it was acceptable to build a Crown Prince’s Residence outside and return to it two or three times a year. Not to mention her, a deposed heir, who could be banished forever without issue.

“Nianci, go deliver an invitation to the Princess Royal’s Residence. I will visit tomorrow.” Li Qinghuai leaned over the desk, slender and aged. The court robes looked too large on her, like a lonely crane constrained.

“Yes, Your Highness.” The maid bowed and was about to turn and leave.

“Wait,” Li Qinghuai paused and continued, “Also send one to the Zhao Residence. I will visit around the time of the minor harvest next month.”

The maid looked slightly surprised but quickly concealed it, responding respectfully.

Not long after the maid left, Li Qinghuai dismissed all the servants and continued to approve unimportant official documents.

She had acted recklessly and was injured this time. Although her Imperial Father hadn’t said anything publicly, what in the world could be hidden from him? The ruler’s mind was as clear as a mirror. His choice not to expose Li Qinghuai’s schemes showed some lingering father-daughter affection.

Li Qinghuai knew her Imperial Father did not love her.

It didn’t matter who held the position of Crown Prince; it was merely a way to manipulate power, allowing those below to check each other, thereby solidifying his supreme position.

Being the Crown Prince required coldness, but not too much coldness.

A person who was too cold-blooded would arouse suspicion.

She used to think that her Imperial Father loved her Imperial Mother, but he loved power more.

Later, she felt that her Imperial Father could not abandon either. He could climb mountains and brave seas for her Imperial Mother, even sacrificing his life, but as long as he lived, he would continue to seek power out of dissatisfaction with mediocrity.

Fortunately, her Imperial Mother, who seemed to be passive, also liked to hold power, so the two did not live harmoniously.

Li Qinghuai put down her pen and slowly leaned back in the chair, letting out a heavy sigh, thinking:

“Since childhood, I’ve had the treatment of the Crown Prince. Imperial Father cared about my studies, morals, horse riding, and archery, but he was not willing to manage the oppression I received from others…”

“It seems that after my Imperial Mother passed away, whenever I faced a crisis of life and death, as long as I dared to act, there would rarely be punishment upon my return.”

Under the teapoy, three books were pressing down on an old memorial delivered by the eunuch.

This was the first time she had received a letter written in her Imperial Father’s own hand since her capping ceremony. Reading it carefully now, it carried a tone of earnestness, even a hint of an old ox licking its calf.

Li Qinghuai raised her hand and rubbed her throbbing temples. Her father had confined her to a large farm while allowing her to live a free-range life, making her fight for the survival of those around her.

It seemed to be for her own good, but Li Qinghuai felt no gratitude.

She was young and frivolous, and to quickly eliminate this frivolity, an unknown number of people had already died.

Her position as Crown Prince seemed precarious and not favored by her Imperial Father, so there were always ignorant people who wanted to drag Li Qinghuai down.

But the head eunuch in the palace knew that as long as Li Qinghuai lived, the throne would ultimately be hers. This fatherly love was inevitably too heavy. After years of forced growth, Li Qinghuai lived a repressed life, and her physical constitution grew weaker.

She put down her writing materials and walked to the Furong Garden.

After the severe winter destruction of the hibiscus, there were only a few yellow, withered blossoms still hanging on the branches in the entire garden.

The improvement in her relationship with Lu Fengmian seemed to have started here.

At that time, her hands were covered in blood, and the dagger at her feet glinted coldly. Yet, Lu Fengmian dared to beg her to believe her, taking advantage of the darkness before anyone could discover them.

It was mid-May, and the cool breeze was refreshing.

Li Qinghuai drank tea for half a day. The Zhao family kept making excuses that Cheng Mei was too ill. Unable to see her, she had to maintain the dignity of both families and left with a calm demeanor.

Just before leaving the reception hall, as she walked along the corridor that led straight to the manor gate, she suddenly looked back, as if sensing something.

The eastern sky was painted six-tenths red. A raging fire burned in the Zhao family ancestral hall. The manor was in chaos, and Lu Fengmian had already vanished without a trace amidst the confusion.