When the Deposed Crown Prince Was Reborn as Troublemaker - Chapter 99

You Yusui listened as Cui Yan explained the effects of Zhufang Pill to him, and couldn’t help but think of the two unborn children killed by You Yuyi — this was truly heaven’s justice, swift and certain retribution.

And also — Cui Yan, Imperial Physician Cui, are you truly not a master of sterilization? You Yusui couldn’t help but look at Cui Yan with a strange expression.

Cui Yan, who was being stared at by You Yusui, felt a creeping unease on his scalp. He kept feeling that something was off.

“Your Highness, if you have something to say, just say it,” Cui Yan said.

You Yusui then spoke. “This prince feels that if you were in the castration chamber, you would surely be an exceptionally outstanding sterilization master.”

Cui Yan: ……He was only an imperial physician.

However——

You Yusui looked toward Huo Xiling and Cui Yan and said, “But why didn’t the two of you tell me about this matter?”

Especially Huo Xiling — why had he kept it from him?

Cui Yan coughed once and said, “That was my own decision to make. Young General Huo had only just found out when, not long after, he got into an argument with you. He likely didn’t have the chance to tell Your Highness.”

After saying this, Cui Yan glanced at Huo Xiling. Who could have known that the moment this young man returned, he would get into an argument with the Crown Prince, and even caused the Crown Prince to suffer mental and emotional distress? If Xie Tan found out about this, he’d probably skin Huo Xiling alive.

Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui and said, “It’s my fault.”

You Yusui shook his head and reached out to touch Huo Xiling’s forehead. He didn’t blame Huo Xiling — he only blamed himself for having struck and injured Huo Xiling.

“It’s this prince’s fault,” he said. He had simply been too afraid — afraid that Huo Xiling would see through his secret, discover that he was a monster, and then abandon him.

Cui Yan, standing to the side and watching the two exchange such a deeply affectionate gaze, sank into silence. Perhaps he shouldn’t be here at all — perhaps he should be out in a field somewhere instead.

“I shall take my leave,” Cui Yan said, picking up his medicine chest and making to go.

“Wait!” You Yusui hurriedly called out to stop him.

“Does Your Highness have further business?” Cui Yan turned back and looked at You Yusui.

“Please do not tell my maternal grandfather and cousin about my illness,” You Yusui said.

However, the words had barely left his mouth when Eunuch An Hai arrived carrying tonics.

Cui Yan looked at You Yusui and said, “Does Your Highness think that your falling ill is something that can be hidden from anyone?”

You Yusui silently lay back. Since even his father emperor already knew he was ill, his maternal grandfather and cousin surely knew as well.

“Upon hearing that Your Highness had caught a chill, His Majesty had this old servant bring these tonics over,” said Eunuch An Hai, who had arrived bearing the tonics. He looked at You Yusui and continued, “Seeing that Your Highness is in good spirits now, it seems this time you should recover very quickly.”

You Yusui thought of that pile of tonics stored in his treasury — he alone probably couldn’t finish them all even if he ate them for an entire year.

“His Majesty also said that in a month’s time, the vassal kings will come to the capital for the Qianqiu Banquet, and at that time, Your Highness shall have first pick of all the fine things they bring,” said Eunuch An Hai after setting down the tonics.

(TL: 千秋宴 (qiānqiū yàn) is a fixed Chinese term meaning a grand imperial celebration, usually tied to longevity and the emperor’s birthday.)

Upon hearing An Hai’s words, You Yusui was somewhat surprised. Since when had You Fengyun become so generous? He wasn’t going to fob him off with that worthless piece of calligraphy anymore?

Having delivered both the tonics and his message, Eunuch An Hai did not linger and left directly to return to Xuande Hall to report back.

You Yusui watched An Hai leave and said, “This prince hadn’t wanted my maternal grandfather and elder cousin to worry.”

Ever since that time when he had fallen unconscious for five full days and nights in Dayang County and his maternal grandfather and cousin had traveled from thousands of li away to come and see him, he had not dared to fall ill carelessly and cause his family to worry.

Cui Yan looked at You Yusui and said, “Your Highness need not worry. It is only a common cold — a minor ailment. After drinking this imperial physician Cui’s medicine, you are already seventy or eighty percent recovered. As for Xie Tan and Lord Xie, I will speak to them myself and will not let them be troubled.”

“Many thanks,” said You Yusui, a smile spreading across his face.

“No need for thanks.”

Then You Yusui looked at Cui Yan and said, “I have one more matter to ask your help with.”

“What matter?” Cui Yan asked.

“The palace attendant in my palace who used to tend the incense burner has died,” You Yusui said, lowering his gaze. “The clue that might have led to the mastermind through the palace attendants has been cut off.”

Cui Yan frowned deeply upon hearing this. “I fear the person behind this is even more cunning than we had imagined.”

“This prince and Xiling suspect that the poison in Li Xiyue’s hands came from either the Imperial Noble Consort or You Yuyi. But the scheme of introducing the poison into the incense burner to poison this prince — they wouldn’t have thought of that method, and they don’t have the brains for it,” You Yusui said with certainty.

Never mind how formidable the Imperial Noble Consort and the First Prince appeared to be inside and outside the palace — the face they had within the palace was given to them by You Fengyun, and in the inner palace rivalries, the Imperial Noble Consort had been bested by Consort Xian time and again for years. Had it not been for You Fengyun’s deliberate favor toward mother and son out of consideration for Prime Minister Su, the weeds on their graves would already be a person’s height by now.

As for the face they had outside the palace, that too was propped up by Prime Minister Su’s years of prestige and authority. Otherwise, why would those scholars who thought so highly of themselves have treated You Yuyi with such courtesy?

“What I want you to investigate,” You Yusui said, “is the true original owner of this poison.”

Moreover, You Yusui’s instincts told him that this poison involved matters far and wide — perhaps he and Li Xiyue were not the only ones who had been poisoned with it.

“Very well,” Cui Yan agreed.

It would be extremely difficult to uncover the person behind all this relying solely on the poison and a few simple clues. But Cui Yan still wanted to try.

After Cui Yan left, You Yusui let out a sigh and looked at Huo Xiling. “Even though the one behind this is not the Imperial Noble Consort, the fact that she has this poison in her hands means she is likely inextricably tied to this affair.”

Huo Xiling looked at You Yusui. “What does Your Highness wish to do?”

You Yusui smiled slightly. “One who has done nothing wrong need not fear the knock of ghosts at the door.”

Meanwhile, in Xuande Hall, You Fengyun saw Eunuch An Hai return and asked, “How is the Crown Prince’s condition?”

An Hai immediately replied, “His Highness the Crown Prince is in excellent spirits. Imperial Physician Cui says it is only a mild chill — after one dose of medicine, he is already seventy or eighty percent recovered.”

Upon hearing this, You Fengyun set down his memorials. “Good.”

Then You Fengyun continued, “In another month’s time, the vassal kings will all be coming to the capital, won’t they.”

Upon hearing this, An Hai immediately recalled what the Empress Dowager’s palace attendants had told him to convey, and so he smiled and said, “Indeed. The Empress Dowager has been talking about Prince Liang constantly of late, looking forward to seeing him every day, and she hopes that Your Majesty will allow Prince Liang to remain in Chang’an a while longer.”

You Fengyun glanced coolly at An Hai, then said, “Speak plainly. What did the Empress Dowager give you?”

The Prince Liang in An Hai’s words was You Fengyun’s own younger brother, You Fengming — the younger son of the reigning Empress Dowager, and Empress Dowager Li’s most dearly beloved child.

An Hai gave an awkward laugh upon hearing this. He said, “This servant merely——”

Without waiting for An Hai to finish, You Fengyun gave a cold snort. “It’s not easy to save up a little pension for yourself in your old age — Zhen won’t make things difficult for you.”

Eunuch An Hai hurriedly said, “Many thanks to Your Majesty for your understanding, many thanks to Your Majesty for your understanding.”

Men like him, without children or descendants, could only count on saving up a large sum of money before their bodies gave out in old age, so they could leave the palace and live out their remaining years — was that not so?

Therefore, You Fengyun said nothing more to An Hai about it.

After some consideration, You Fengyun said, “This year, let all the vassal kings stay through the autumn hunt. Once the autumn hunt is concluded, then allow them to return to their fiefdoms.”

An Hai smiled upon hearing this. “The Empress Dowager will surely be overjoyed.”

“Mm,” You Fengyun responded casually.

And so the matter of the vassal kings remaining through the autumn hunt before returning to their fiefdoms was settled just like that.

It was precisely at this moment that the Imperial Noble Consort came seeking an audience, carrying a bowl of restorative soup.

You Fengyun had no wish to see her, but the Imperial Noble Consort refused to leave, and You Fengyun had no choice but to let her in.

The Imperial Noble Consort was seen entering with the bowl of restorative soup in her hands, tears brimming in her eyes, and she walked up to You Fengyun and immediately knelt down, saying, “This consort implores Your Majesty to forgive Yi’er.”

You Fengyun: ……

Then, weeping and sobbing, the Imperial Noble Consort continued, “Yi’er only just regained his memories, and then suffered the blow of losing his child one after another. Overwhelmed with grief, he unavoidably neglected his duties — this consort implores Your Majesty not to reproach him.”

You Fengyun: ……He had already handed down the punishment, and now you come to say this. And besides — wasn’t it your own doing that caused the secondary consort of Prince Yan to miscarry?

But You Fengyun could only pinch his nose and pretend not to know, personally raising Su Hewan up from the ground with his own hands.

“Yi’er losing child after child — Zhen grieves deeply in his heart. Naturally Zhen would not make things difficult for him,” You Fengyun said.

Though You Fengyun said such things with his mouth, in his heart he was already cursing: He grieves over losing a child — what grief? Looking at the dark circles under his eyes, the damage he’s done to his own vitality from his nocturnal activities must have been considerable indeed.

Su Hewan let out a breath of relief upon hearing this. What she had come for was precisely for You Fengyun to let the matter go without further pursuit.

“As long as Your Majesty understands,” Su Hewan said softly, and then went on to raise the matter of taking in another secondary consort for You Yuyi.

“The Princess Consort of Prince Yan cannot bear children, and the secondary consort has just suffered a miscarriage. I fear the Prince Yan’s residence cannot gain a new addition to the family for the time being. Yi’er is already of such an age, so this consort wishes to take in a new secondary consort for Yi’er, to bring sons and grandchildren to the prince’s residence,” Su Hewan said softly.

She had long set her eyes on the daughter of her father’s student. That young woman was surnamed Yang, and her father, born of humble origins, had become a pillar of strength in the court. By getting rid of the child in Mo Shanshan’s womb, she ensured that the prince’s household would have no eldest illegitimate child — that way, the first child born by her father’s student’s daughter after she married in could rightfully and legitimately become the heir of the prince’s residence.

Otherwise, without sufficient benefit, why would the Yang family exert themselves on Prince Yan’s behalf?

You Fengyun, after listening to Su Hewan’s words, said, “The Yang family — handle it as you see fit.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hewan hastily said, “Many thanks to Your Majesty, many thanks to Your Majesty.”

After the Imperial Noble Consort left, You Fengyun looked at An Hai and said, “The Crown Prince has also reached the age where he should be becoming a father, hasn’t he?”

“Indeed,” said An Hai, looking at You Fengyun. Could it be that His Majesty intended to arrange a marriage for the Crown Prince?

You Fengyun felt that the Crown Prince’s constitution was truly far too frail — he was worried about whether the Crown Prince could even produce an heir, and had already begun thinking about which imperial son’s child to adopt and give to You Yusui.

The First Prince and the Third Prince — he thought nothing of either of them. The Sixth Prince went without saying. The Fifth Prince was one who indulged in pleasure and amounted to nothing — none of them could produce anything worthwhile.

You Fengyun then said to An Hai, “Tell me — is Consort Hui clever?”

“Consort Hui is brilliantly intelligent, deeply favored by Your Majesty, and conducts herself with measured propriety in all things,” An Hai said, not knowing why You Fengyun had suddenly raised this question, but giving his praises nonetheless.

You Fengyun nodded. Besides, Consort Hui was also very good-looking. And so he said, “Once Consort Hui’s child is born, adopt it over to the Crown Prince.”

The moment those words fell, An Hai nearly choked to death on his own saliva.

Your Majesty — there is no logic in this world by which a younger brother becomes a son!

Yet You Fengyun felt this decision of his was perfectly sound, and even began thinking of taking the child the moment it was born to be raised by the Crown Prince.

An Hai had already fallen into despair. How was he to persuade His Majesty not to do such an unreliable thing? The Crown Prince would certainly never accept this!