Call Me the Mother of Quick Transmigration

by Usui Takumii

not mine, from bubble tea translations.wordpress.

8. 71 to 80

Chapter 71 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 11)

Li Yi Cheng served Jiang Zhi En a bowl of ginger and red date congee. "The morning is cold. Foster father can warm his stomach with a bowl of ginger and red date congee!"

Jiang Zhi En hummed and took the bowl. He glanced at it. "You know that I don't eat shredded ginger."

"Son picked out the shredded ginger, knowing that foster father doesn't eat it," Li Yi Cheng said respectfully.

Jiang Zhi En nodded in satisfaction. He raised the bowl and slowly drank the congee.

Li Su rolled her eyes secretly. There were still many problems! She then picked up a soup dumpling and ate it in one bite.

Jiang Zhi En looked at Li Su's rude gesture, shot her a disgusted look, then looked away.

After finishing breakfast, Auntie Zhang respectfully cleaned up the dishes. Li Yi Cheng made tea. Jiang Zhi En looked around and said, "This place is a bit on the small side. There aren't that many people who can serve you. But, it is not a good time to relocate. When the wind subsides, I will transfer you out of here."

"No, when I have money, we can move ourselves," said Li Su.

"Hehe, it's not that I underestimate you, but do you know how much a house costs in the capital? You can't even afford a side room in the capital!" Jiang Zhi En said disdainfully.

"That's why I have to hurry up and make money. I went to the shop that day to take a look. It has such a good location and the powder inside is good, but the business is bad! I took a closer look. The furnishings and service attitude were all subpar, so no wonder it wasn't making money! Here is the plan I wrote. You can take a look. If you think it is feasible, then change it. If there is anything you don't understand, let Yi Cheng come back and tell me!" Li Su took out the plan she had written late last night.

When she saw that Jiang Zhi En didn't pay much attention to it, Li Su was a little angry. "Hurry up! Don't delay me making money!"

"Look at you. Your thoughts are full of silver. How vulgar! Yi Cheng is going to be an official in the future. Your appearance is too shameful for Yi Cheng," Jiang Zhi En said as he rolled his eyes. He then took the so-called plan and read it.

Li Yi Cheng was unhappy, but Li Su shook her head. It was better to be rude than to be fake. At the very least, it made people feel closer.

Jiang Zhi En saw it, and then did a double-take. This plan was written in great detail, from the decorations and layout to the training of the personnel.

After reading it for a while, he raised his head and looked at Li Su with a strange expression. "This was really written by you too. Yi Cheng wouldn't write such ugly words. It seems that you have some skills. Unfortunately, you don't use it for other things. Okay, I'll change it immediately to what you said. Rest assured, it won't delay your money."

This Li Su was intelligent. It was a pity that it was rather unorthodox.

"Let's go. It's time for class. Today is the monthly exam. As your foster father, I look forward to your performance." Jiang Zhi En took the plan and looked at Li Yi Cheng approvingly.

From Jiang Zhi En's point of view, if Li Yi Cheng couldn't cope with this kind of turmoil, then how would he face all the court intrigue in the future? How would he win over the hearts of the people in the future and use them? This was a good opportunity to test it out.

Li Yi Cheng nodded earnestly. "Thank you very much, foster father. Mother, your son is going to school."

Li Su nodded and took out a cloth bag that contained some snacks she made for Li Yi Cheng. These past few days, Li Yi Cheng ate a lot at dinner. She guessed that Li Yi Cheng must be dealing with something, but she did not intervene. Instead, she prepared some extra snacks for him to fill him up. After all, Li Yi Cheng was only 7 years old. He was still growing and it would be bad if she couldn't feed him nutritious things.

Li Yi Cheng smiled slightly. "Mother, I'm going." After these busy days, this meeting should be over. He will let those people know that it is impossible for them to surpass him in this life. He doesn't scheme to subdue people's hearts, so he didn't care about those people. What he had to do was leave those people behind forever so that they could only look at him from a distance for the rest of their lives.

Li Yi Cheng had always felt that when he got further away from them, when he finally stood at a height that was beyond their reach, the jealousy and unrestrained behaviour would naturally disappear. All that would be left was them looking up in absolute surrender!

The results of the monthly test were as expected. Li Yi Cheng once again took the top position. His total score was leagues above second place.

There were rewards for first place on the monthly exam, 10 silver liang. Li Yi Cheng received the reward from his foster father and had just exited when he was surrounded by several people.

Li Yi Cheng glanced at them, then took off his outer garments. He carefully folded them, set them aside, then untied the purse from his waist and put it on top of the clothes. He didn't intend on paying them any attention, but if they wanted to fight, then Li Yi Cheng didn't mind playing with them.

Then, he slowly rolled up his sleeves. "Are you coming one by one or all at once?"

They were furious. The one who was leading rushed up immediately. After a moment's hesitation, the others also surrounded him.

While Li Yi Cheng had made rapid progress in all aspects, he still couldn't take on 9 people. He also knew that he couldn't win, so he only stared at one person for a fight, Lu Da, the one who was always suppressed by him.

No matter how the others beat him, he just beat up Lu Da. Li Yi Cheng had been beaten. He had a bruised nose and a swollen face with blood all over it. He was half kneeling on the ground, panting. As for Lu Da, he couldn't get up after being beaten.

Li Yi Cheng was covered in blood, but insisted on getting up. He slowly walked towards his clothes. He felt pain every time he took a step, but he still stood straight.

He looked down at the blood and frowned slightly. Someone next to him quickly helped him pick up his clothes. Li Yi Cheng nodded slightly. "Thank you, sir."

This person was the gentleman who taught Li Yi Cheng the art of war. At that time, he looked at Li Yi Cheng approvingly. "The enemy is strong and we are weak. To catch the brigands, you must first catch their king1. Very good! Follow A-Jia to go wash and change your clothes."

"Thank you, sir." Li Yi Cheng endured the pain and respectfully saluted him. He then walked off without looking at the dumbfounded classmates who were standing there.

The man looked at those people with disdain. "Your skills aren't as good as his and you don't know how to have introspection. Instead, you used such a method to attack a fellow classmate. You should be ashamed! You still don't know what to do? Help Lu Da up and get him fixed up."

From then on, the people under Lu Da didn't dare to target Li Yi Cheng, especially Lu Da. He was afraid of being beaten up by Li Yi Cheng. Not only did Lu Da dare not to target Li Yi Cheng again, but he defended Li Yi Cheng. Of course, this is what happened after.

That being said, Li Su saw Li Yi Cheng leave in good condition and then return injured. She knew what happened.

Li Yi Cheng had a face full of shame, but Li Su didn't say anything about it. Instead, she asked, "Have you taken medicine?"

Li Yi Cheng didn't expect Li Su to say this, so he didn't react for a while. "I have taken medicine. All the wounds are superficial. It will just take a few days to heal. Mother, don't worry." In fact, his injuries were quite serious. He had hurt his lungs and he must take good care of them, otherwise it would affect his life. But, he didn't dare tell his mother the truth for fear that she would cry.

Li Su didn't speak. She just touched Li Yi Cheng's hair.

When Li Yi Cheng fought, he only had one thought, that he couldn't lose! He didn't regret fighting, even though he was beaten so badly. But now, when he saw his mother, he regretted it. How could he forget how sad his mother would be?

"Okay, between us, is it interesting to keep secrets? In addition to the ointment, is there any other medicine that you need to ingest? Bring it over! I'll make it for you," Li Su said sternly.

Li Yi Cheng knew that he couldn't hide it from his mother, so he took out the medicinal ingredients. "These three need to be cooked together."

Li Su took the medicine and turned to go to the kitchen. Li Yi Cheng suddenly said, "Mother, I am sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for. As long as you don't regret it," Li Su said with a sigh.

After a while, Li Su brought the medicine. She happened to see Li Lu Xi playing with Li Yi Cheng. Li Yi Cheng was bending over to pick up Li Lu Xi, Li Su hurried over and put the medicine on the table. She reached out to hug Li Lu Xi. "Lu Xi, your older brother is injured and can't hold you."

Li Lu Xi was a little unhappy, but lay obediently in Li Su's arms and looked at Li Yi Cheng pitifully.

Li Yi Cheng smiled. "Mother, it's okay to hold her."

"Don't treat your body so casually. You are still young and can recover well, but when you reach a certain age, you will regret it. Hurry up and drink the medicine. Don't read books tonight. Take a break and go to sleep early. It's not too late to work hard after you recover," said Li Su.

"I know, mother. Don't worry," Li Yi Cheng said with a smile.

Li Su rolled her eyes and took Li Lu Xi away. "Let's go, Lu Xi. Let your mother read a story to you."

Li Yi Cheng suddenly remembered something. "By the way, mother, your son showed foster father the Three Character Classic with pictures that you compiled for Lu Xi. He thought it was very interesting and contacted the bookstore. The bookstore thought it was good and is willing to pay fifty silver liang for printing and publishing. If more books are sold in the future, then they will give mother a silver liang for every one hundred copies."

Li Su was sullen. Damn it! This old woman originally planned to make money by writing a storybook. But, she hadn't written anything yet. Instead, this pictorial version of the Three Character Classic had made money. Really!

"I see. The rest of the manuscripts are in the room. You can take it," Li Su said blankly.

Li Yi Cheng thought that Li Su was still angry and didn't dare to speak. He drank his medicine silently then went back to his room.

That night, Li Su saw that the light in Li Yi Cheng's room was still on. She couldn't help but knock on his door. She planned to have a good talk with her son, but when she saw his tired face and bright eyes, she didn't know what to say.

She had always lived as a bystander. She wasn't keen on revenge and didn't care about much. She was more concerned about how to complete her task and how to change Li Yi Cheng's original fate.

But she seemed to have neglected Li Yi Cheng's feelings. Lu Wen Da abandoned his wife and kids to marry someone else, which has caused a lot of harm to Li Yi Cheng. Li Yi Cheng worked so hard to prove the meaning of his existence and to make Lu Wen Da regret it. As a bystander, was she qualified to accuse him of not cherishing his body?

1.(擒賊先擒王) idiom: if one wants to take out a group, then one has to take out the leader first. I couldn't remember what the EN equivalent was.↩

Chapter 72 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 12)

In the end, Li Su didn't say anything. She just patted Li Yi Cheng's shoulder. "Rest early. Go to school tomorrow morning."

Li Yi Cheng thought that his mother would blame him, so he didn't expect that she would just tell him to rest early. He laughed. "I know. Mother, your son's arm is injured, but I need to practice calligraphy. Otherwise, sir will say something in class tomorrow."

Li Su nodded. "Are you hungry? Mother can make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry. There are snacks in the house. It's late, mother. Rest early!" Li Yi Cheng smiled.

Li Su touched Li Yi Cheng's head. "Okay, mother will head back."

When she turned around, Li Su began to consider the possibility of directly killing Lu Wen Da and Princess Chang Shan. She determined that it was unlikely. Even if she could really kill them, it would be difficult to hide the bodies. If she died too, then Li Yi Cheng might blacken. Forget it.

Damn! If you make my son unhappy, I will make you unhappy too!

Li Su decided to do something to make sure Lu Wen Dan's life wasn't too comfortable.

Li Su thought for a long time, then decided to use her own methods. She found Jiang Zhi En and asked, "Prince Qi played tricks last time. Did you want to retaliate?"

Jiang Zhi En glanced at her. "How did you know that the prince did not want revenge? But, it is the crown prince!" Why didn't the prince think of revenge? The empress had strict control over the harem, otherwise it would not be so easy to let the prince enter the situation last time. The crown prince was heavily protected, so even if the prince wanted to retaliate, it would be difficult to do anything for a while.

Jiang Zhi En saw Li Su's smug look. "Do you have a way?"

Li Su smiled and said, "Actually, you are looking in the wrong direction. Even if you want revenge, why must you target the crown prince? What kind of identity does the crown prince have? Why don't you change the direction?"

Jiang Zhi En saw through it. "You mean Princess Chang Shan and Lu Wen Da?" Then, he sneered. "What? Do you feel sorry for your son?"

"If you know, then why ask?" Li Su rolled her eyes. "They are the reason my son has to work so hard. Why does my son have to be so tired while they are happy up there?! Hurry up! Will you do it?"

Jiang Zhi En snorted coldly. "Come on. The prince already finds it difficult to move. I know what to do. Go back and wait for the news!"

Soon enough, the opportunity came.

The empress' birthday was not celebrated because she was still young and there was flooding south of the river. Only a family banquet was held in the palace. Princess Chang Shan and Lu Wen Da also went to the palace for the banquet. After the banquet was over, it was discovered that the emperor's son-in-law, Lu Wen Da, and a concubine from the East Palace were behaving in an ambiguous manner, behaviour that was considered to be inappropriate. When that concubine saw someone was coming, she was ashamed and threw herself into the lake.

Finally, the empress spoke. "The emperor's son-in-law drank too much and therefore acted improperly. Then he was pulled away to sober up. We and the emperor have decided that, in the future, the emperor's son-in-law is not allowed to enter the palace without an imperial decree. After all, there are a lot of women in the harem." She then glanced at Princess Chang Shan. "Bao Ling, take care of your husband. If he can't drink, then he shouldn't. If something like this happens, then it is your empress mother and your older brother who will lose face."

After speaking, High-Ranking Imperial Concubine Qian and Prince Wang helped the empress back to the palace to rest.

The crown prince was younger and his understanding was not deep enough. His face was red with anger. The empress looked as usual and respectfully sent them off.

Princess Chang Shan looked at Lu Wen Da, who was lying on the ground, in anger and distress. "Empress mother, older brother, someone framed him. Darling Lu would not be so rude."

"Enough. Return to the palace before we talk," the empress said angrily.

At this time, the guards had already picked up the concubine from the East Palace who had thrown herself into the lake. The crown prince glanced at her and recognised that she was a pipa player that he had accidentally accepted. A lowly person was really a lowly person. Why didn't anyone else have an accident? It just happened to her. The crown prince looked away in disgust. "Drag it out. Don't dirty your eyes."

Two eunuchs immediately came over and dragged her away.

Jiang Zhi En stood at the gate of the palace, waiting. When he saw that the corpse had been sent out, he lifted the white cloth and looked at it. He said softly, "Don't worry, our family will keep our promise. Your younger siblings have already been taken and our family will arrange a good place for them."

After Lu Wen Da was splashed with cold water a few times, he woke up. He didn't know what had happened, so he knelt on the ground blankly. "Empress Mother, Your Highness, Princess, what happened? What happened?"

Xiao Bao Ling was embarrassed and annoyed. She was about to fight with Lu Wen Da, but was interrupted by the empress. "What happened today was the work of that Qian and her son. It had nothing to do with him. However, the empress has already said that he will not be allowed to enter the palace in the future without a decree. You should leave the palace as soon as possible!"

"Empress mother!" Xiao Bao Ling yelled, aggrieved. The emperor's son-in-law was forbidden from entering the palace. This also made her lose face. How could she tolerate this?

"It's just the emperor's son-in-law who can't enter. We never said that you cannot enter the palace. What does it matter?" How could such a thing happen on the empress' birthday? But, she still had the spirit to comfort her daughter.

The crown prince's expression wasn't good. He didn't like Lu Wen Da at all. After this incident, he didn't have any positive feelings towards Lu Wen Da and he also didn't have the patience to deal with Xiao Bao Ling. "Okay, today is empress mother's birthday. You should rest assured!"

Xiao Bao Ling looked at the empress, aggrieved. The empress frowned. "Fine, you go out first. We can talk about this later."

Xiao Bao Ling had no choice but to stand up and say goodbye. She saw Lu Wen Da still sitting there, stunned and feeling innocent about the humiliation he suffered today. She slapped him. "You are the one who caused trouble, so what are you doing here?"

Lu Wen Da was hit by a woman for the first time in his life. He couldn't accept it, even if the one who hit him was a princess. Just when he was about to attack, the empress and the crown prince's cold gaze swept over him. Lu Wen Da jolted out of his daze. He endured the humiliation and covered his face. "Yes." He then followed Xiao Bao Ling out of the palace.

The empress and the crown prince then discussed some matters.

Lu Wen Da heard what happened and his expression was indifferent. He had nothing to say for a long time.

Xiao Bao Ling was still chattering and Lu Wen Da felt like the sky was about to collapse. The crown prince didn't like him, but now it was like this. If something like this happened, he was afraid that the crown prince was completely disgusted by him. Would he never be useful to him in this life? What should he do? Could he only yield to a woman for his entire life?

Lu Wen Da's heart beat violently and he finally spouted a mouthful of blood, falling in the carriage.

After Li Su and Li Yi Cheng knew the truth, they were stunned. Li Su felt that if Lu Wen Da continued like this, then he would be able to lead himself to death without Li Yi Cheng having to do anything.

Jiang Zhi En smiled. As soon as this happened, the empress and crown prince had lost face and Prince Qi let out an evil laugh. His mood was relaxed. "Your idea, although quite malicious, was still very useful."

Li Su glanced at the silent Li Yi Cheng. She knew that Li Yi Cheng had always wanted to make Lu Wen Da regret his decisions. Now that he didn't need to do anything to Lu Wen Da, she figured he would need some time to accept this.

Although there was some relief to this incident, there might be terrible consequences that followed, Li Su thought.

"Have you ever thought about it? The road to the crown prince has been blocked. What will Lu Wen Da do next? He is a man with ambition and a desire for power. In order to climb his way to the top, he will do anything. What do you think he will do next?" Li Su asked.

Jiang Zhi En frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he might be desperate. What if he seeks refuge with Prince Qi? What will you do then?" Li Su said. "Don't forget why we are cooperating with you."

Jiang Zhi En began to think about this possibility seriously. His goal had always been Princess Chang Shan and the crown prince. Prince Qi's goal was the crown prince. If Lu Wen Da could take refuge with Prince Qi and be used by Prince Qi, then his identity as Princess Chang Shan's husband could be used to humiliate the crown prince. Prince Qi would definitely agree. However, Jiang Zhi En thought of this and looked up at Li Yi Cheng. "If Lu Wen Da really does seek refuge with Prince Qi, I hope that you can leave him alone for the time being. After dealing with the crown prince and Princess Chang Shan, you can have Lu Wen Da."

When Li Su and Li Yi Cheng heard Jiang Zhi En's words, they understood that the two parties were just strangers. Li Su did not speak and Li Yi Cheng did not object after he carefully considered it. Of course, he was not qualified to decide.

"Yes, son will listen to foster father. I just hope that foster father will remember what he said."

After Jiang Zhi En left, Li Yi Cheng said, "Mother, son is going to read."

Li Su grabbed Li Yi Cheng. "Yi Cheng, are you unwilling?"

Li Yi Cheng did not refute her. In fact, he was unreconciled. Nobody would be willing to work with an enemy.

"Don't blame your foster father. His goals and our goals have never been the same. I was just guessing. If Lu Wen Da really seeks refuge with Prince Qi, then we can think of other ways. If he can change his course halfway, can't we also do the same?" Li Su smiled.

"Mother, what do you mean?" Li Yi Cheng was moved. "Son understands." His adoptive father's current master was Prince Qi. If Prince Qi insisted on using Lu Wen Da, then he could change his master. His foster father likely won't object. His foster father said that as long as Li Yi Cheng could help him get revenge on the crown prince and Princess Chang Shan, then anyone could be his master.

Next, he would have to keep his eyes open and choose a master who was suitable, and easy to control.

Seeing Li Yi Cheng's renewed spirit, Li Su knew that everything was still heading on the original trajectory, but there was a small difference. In this life, Li Yi Cheng would likely not be the Nine Thousandth. She would make whoever it was who made her a son a eunuch one as well!

Chapter 73 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 13)

Sure enough, after half a month, Jiang Zhi En brought them bad news. Li Wen Da had quietly found Prince Qi and expressed his sincerity to him. Moreover, Lu Wen Da's speaking ability convinced Prince Qi, who accepted Lu Wen Da's surrender.

Li Su and Li Yi Cheng glanced at each other.

Li Yi Cheng pondered over this. He then solemnly bowed to Jiang Zhi En. "May I ask foster father for help for one thing?"

Jiang Zhi En glanced at him. "What do you want?"

"Your son wants to serve the twelfth prince as a reading companion or a guard."

Yes, among the many princes, he chose the most inconspicuous one. The 12th prince's mother was a palace lady who was favoured by the emperor because of her outstanding beauty. Once she was pregnant, she was conferred the status of Court Lady from the Highest-Ranking Imperial Concubine. After Concubine Li died, one could see that her title of 'Li' showed everyone her status in the emperor's mind, that she was just a plaything who served people.

Jiang Zhi En was a little surprised. He had thought about many possibilities, but he never expected Li Yi Cheng to request this. "The twelfth prince… We are on friendly terms. Before she passed, Concubine Li treated me to a meal out of kindness. Therefore, I have always taken care of the twelfth prince. It won't be difficult to send you to his side. Why did you think of this?"

Concubine Li used to be a palace lady without a family background. The 12th prince had average qualifications. Among the princes, he was silent and unknown. If it hadn't been for Concubine Li's kindness to him, then the 12th prince would have died a long time ago.

"Yes, son has thought about it. Prince Qi is now the sun in the sky and has many capable people around him. Your son believes that he does not have the qualifications to have Prince Qi give up Lu Wen Dao for your son. Then, your son has to choose another master. Adoptive father can rest assured that your son will not be an enemy of Prince Qi and that your son does not have this ability," Li Yi Cheng said frankly.

Jiang Zhi En smiled slightly. Li Yi Cheng was still young and arrogant. After he thought about it for a while, this might be a good thing. He should let Li Yi Cheng deal with the 12th prince for a few years first to wear down his arrogance. Additionally, Li Yi Cheng had some abilities so having him by the 12th prince's side could let me feel a little more assured.

It seemed that Prince Qi was the best candidate to move the crown prince, but it didn't hurt to have options.

"You're not against it?" Jiang Zhi En looked at Li Su.

"Me? Why should I oppose it?" Li Su asked.

"Did you know that my original plan was to let Yi Cheng take the imperial exam next fall? He would return to Shan Dong to participate. With his ability, it would be possible for him to get a title from the exam. You really don't object to him giving up his chance at the imperial exam to go and study with the little-known twelfth prince?" Jiang Zhi En frowned. He thought it was a pity.

Li Su glanced at Li Yi Cheng. "As long as Yi Cheng doesn't regret it, then I as his mother will support all his decisions!"

Li Yi Cheng was touched, but Jiang Zhi En was disdainful. "Loving mothers can ruin a child. You two will suffer!" As Jiang Zhi En said that, he thought that Li Yi Cheng was still young and him entering the imperial palace to work now in the name of a child prodigy was very good. He was afraid that the imperial palace life may ruin him. Well, if Li Yi Cheng could sharpen his mind in this time, it would be fine. He could then participate in the imperial exam later.

"Since you have thought about it, then foster father will arrange things for you. You must be a good servant now that you have decided to serve the twelfth prince. I will send someone over with the twelfth prince's preferences. However, even if the twelfth prince is rather unknown, he is still a prince. The preferences he shows might not necessarily be his real preferences. You can grasp this. You still remember what adoptive father said, right? We must do our best," said Jiang Zhi En.

Li Yi Cheng nodded seriously. "Don't worry, foster father. Your son knows."

Li Su started to think hard about what the 12th prince liked. When she transmigrated, she was flustered. She only roughly remembered the plot and there weren't a lot of notes about the 12th prince. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to help her son.

However, nobody knew how, but Li Yi Cheng still succeeded in becoming the 12th prince's confidant with his own ability. She believed that Yi Cheng must have this ability.

Within a few days, Jiang Zhi En was ready. "It just so happens that the twelfth prince needs a study companion. I recommended you to him and he agreed."

"Going to the study to read books? Isn't the twelfth prince nine years old this year? Hasn't he been going since he was six?" Li Yi Cheng asked. He had read information on the 12th prince and the 12th prince was the same age as him.

"Don't you know that the twelfth prince isn't favoured? His mother died when he was young and the emperor did not like him. Nobody in the palace cared about him. If the thirteenth prince was not six years old now, and if Concubine Shu had not thought of the twelfth prince, then the twelfth prince would never have the opportunity to study. Nobody else would think of him," Jiang Zhi En said lightly. Although Concubine Li was nice to him, all he could do was secretly cover the daily life of the twelfth prince. He could not easily take action or he would get into trouble, even if he did have the ability to.

Li Yi Cheng bowed his head. Was the 12th prince's situation so unbearable? Sure enough, a child without a mother was pitiful. Fortunately, he was different; he still had a mother and a younger sister.

Li Su remembered something suddenly. "My son can enter as a study companion, but he can't be that thing!" Li Su originally wanted to say 'eunuch', but she remembered that Jiang Zhi En was a eunuch. She swallowed the word back in fear of hurting his self-esteem.

Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes. This woman! If it wasn't for Yi Cheng's sake, he wouldn't talk to her. She was vulgar and ignorant!

"I will go to the palace in three days. Here are the rules and specific things you need to know when entering the palace as a companion. Take a good look. Here are some of the twelfth prince's preferences. Be a companion to the prince. You could leave early and return late. Your place is too far away, so it is inconvenient. You will have to live in the palace. The twelfth prince doesn't mind. You can't leave casually either. On the thirtieth of each month, you can take a day off and go home. Get ready." After Jiang Zhi En finished speaking, he glanced at Li Su again, checking to see if she was anxious.

Li Su didn't think there was anything to worry about, so she pretended that her son was going to a boarding school. The only thing she worried about was whether her son's life would be in danger in the palace.

"If something goes wrong, will you help?" Li Su asked.

Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes again. "Don't worry, as long as he doesn't die, nothing will happen. He is the son of this old man!" Did she think he spent so much time and energy on Yi Cheng only to have him get into an accident? He couldn't bear it either. He was also counting on Yi Cheng to help him in his retirement!

Li Yi Cheng looked cautious. "Yes, your son will not let foster father down."

Jiang Zhi En nodded in satisfaction at Li Yi Cheng. "Good boy!"

This damn eunuch. The difference in treatment was too obvious. Fortunately, Li Su had no interest in men, let alone a eunuch.

Li Yi Cheng studied the materials Jiang Zhi En sent him for the next few days.

The night before entering the palace, Li Yi Cheng knocked on Li Su's door. It was cold today and there was no entertainment. Li Su rests early and plays with Lu Xi at this time.

When Li Lu Xi saw Li Yi Cheng, she was so happy that she jumped on the bed for her older brother to hug her.

Li Su smiled and moved aside. She patted the bed. "Come over."

Li Yi Cheng was a little embarrassed. Li Su smiled. "Come here. Isn't it cold? Besides us, there are no outsiders here. Why are you embarrassed?"

Li Yi Cheng smiled, embarrassed. Then, he took off his shoes and went over to the bed to play with his younger sister.

After playing for an hour, Li Lu Xi was tired, so she leaned against Li Yi Cheng and fell asleep. Li Yi Cheng stared at his younger sister in surprise before looking at Li Su. "Mother, is younger sister asleep now?"

Li Su smiled and moved Li Lu Xi into the bed, changing her position to something more comfortable before covering her with the quilt. "What's so strange about this? Children are like this. You were also like this when you were young. One second you were playing and the next you were asleep."

Li Yi Cheng touched his head in embarrassment. Was he really the same when he was a child? Then, he remembered why he came here tonight. "Mother, I'm going to be a servant in the palace. Do you have anything to tell me?"

After he said those words, Li Yi Cheng felt embarrassed. Why did he sound like a baby? He was already so old.

Li Su smiled and motioned for Li Yi Cheng to lie in her arms, but Li Yi Cheng blushed and refused. Li Su didn't force it. She sat up and looked at Li Yi Cheng seriously. "Of course I have something to tell you. No matter what you want, remember that you need to save yourself. It doesn't matter if it is for revenge or for standing out, mother will support you in whatever you want to do, but you have to be kind. Compared to your life and the peace that comes with it, nothing else matters. Okay?"

Li Yi Cheng guessed that his mother would say that, but he wanted to hear his mother say it in person. In Li Yi Cheng's heart, his mother might not be the person who knew him the best, but she was definitely the one who supported him the most, trusted him the most, and loved him the most. No matter when and where, Li Yi Cheng knew that as long as he turned his head, he could see his mother.

"Mother, you will always be with me, right?" Li Yi Cheng said as he lowered his head.

Li Su smiled. She touched Li Yi Cheng's head. It didn't matter if he had an inclination for power as the Nine Thousandth. It wasn't bad to be a powerful minister. She was still waiting to live a few more years of blessing.

"Yes, mother will always be with you, so don't be afraid. Don't hesitate. Let it go and just do it!"

Chapter 74 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 14)

The next morning before dawn, Jiang Zhi En came over to pick them up. Li Su got up early and made breakfast for Li Yi Cheng. At this time, Li Yi Cheng was eating.

Jiang Zhi En glanced at the table and said, "Oh, there is a lot today!" Then, he sat down unceremoniously. Li Yi Cheng didn't want for him to say anything and immediately handed him some chopsticks. Jiang Zhi En nodded in satisfaction. He didn't say anything and just ate.

The corners of Li Su's mouth twitched. This damn eunuch really didn't think of himself as an outsider.

There really were a lot of dishes for today's breakfast. That was because Li Su thought that Li Yi Cheng would not be able to eat the meals she cooked often in the future, so she tried her best to make Chinese and Western delicacies. These included twisted steamed rolls1, soup dumplings2, prawn dumplings3, shao mai4, beef noodles5, and other Chinese dishes. As for the Western dishes, there were fried chicken legs, fried chicken wings, burgers, sandwiches, chicken rolls, and more. Although she knew that Li Yi Cheng couldn't finish eating everything, she still wanted to make more so that Li Yi Cheng could eat more.

"This fried chicken leg tastes good. Why didn't you make it before?" Jiang Zhi En asked while he ate.

"If it wasn't for Yi Cheng, I wouldn't be making all of this. Do you know how much it costs to do this? Auntie Zhang is still distressed at how much she had to take out," Li Su said angrily.

"How was this fried? Write out the method. Don't worry, I don't want your recipe for nothing. I will give you the silver, just like the powder shop. We will continue to cooperate, but this time I will be seven and you be three?" Jiang Zhi En thought that this was fresh and tasted good. If they sold this, then many people would buy it.

"Sure, that's fine. I'll tell you the recipe. It's actually very simple. The key is the ingredients. As long as you master the preparation of the ingredients, then others will not be able to imitate the essence of it." Li Su suddenly felt a little regretful. Why didn't she remember it earlier? But, it was useless to think of such things. Opening a store in ancient times without a backer would result in the shop closing sooner or later.

Jiang Zhi En was 80% full after he ate. He put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, picked up the teacup, and rinsed his mouth. When Li Yi Cheng saw him stop eating, he also put down his chopsticks.

Li Su saw that and asked, "Yi Cheng, are you full? Do you want to eat more?"

Li Yi Cheng shook his head.

Li Su glanced over and saw that there were some chicken sandwich rolls and burgers left. "I'll put it in a box for you. You can eat it when you're hungry. Here, this can be eaten cold and with hot tea."

Li Yi Cheng was a little moved. He looked at Jiang Zhi En, who nodded and said, "Okay, just a bit. Eat it yourself, but don't give it to others, especially the twelfth prince. If something happens to him, you won't be able to afford the consequences."

"Don't scare people. If Yi Cheng can't afford it, then isn't there still you? You are a sincere foster father, aren't you?" Li Su said nonchalantly as she put the food in a box.

Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes angrily.

After everything was cleaned up, the day was getting brighter. They needed to get going. "Let's go!" Jiang Zhi En got into the carriage first.

"Mother, your son will be going. Mother, take care!" Li Yi Cheng bowed deeply, then turned to go into the carriage. He didn't look back.

Li Su watched the carriage leave. She sighed and turned around to let Old Li close the door. She suddenly understood Long Ying Tai's words. As parents, we must watch our kids grow up and drift apart; all we can do is stand at the end of the path and watch them gradually disappear from our path and tell you silently: don't chase after us.

As soon as Li Yi Cheng left, Li Su felt that their home was empty. It was obvious that Li Yi Cheng didn't spend much time at home before, but now it felt different. Only Lu Xi, who was oblivious to all of this, had a great time playing with Little Que Er.

It was time to go to the Jiang manor for make-up class today.

Li Su regained her energy and asked Mother Qiu to take care of Lu Xi. She then got Old Li to take her to the Jiang manor by carriage.

Li Su saw that the seat that Li Yi Cheng used to take had someone else sitting in it. She didn't know how to feel. She then looked away and continued to teach.

Out of nowhere, Li Su heard Lu Wen Da's voice.

When she heard the sound, Li Su looked up just in time to see Lu Wen Da nod and bow behind a luxuriously dressed young man. That young man looked arrogantly over and said, "These are orphans who are being trained. They are all from poor background and have outstanding aptitudes. Famous teachers have been invited to teach them carefully. In the future, they will have a place in the court."

"The prince is wise!" Lu Wen Da's face was full of flattery and he scanned the boys in the room.

The visitor was Prince Qi. Because Lu Wen Da had managed to be a detriment to the crown prince, he was happy and looked to Lu Wen Da a few times. In addition, he and Lu Wen Da swore a sacred oath and signed a contract. In order to prevent Lu Wen Da from backstabbing him, Lu Wen Da took a strange poison at the beginning and needed to take an antidote every month to show his loyalty. Therefore, Prince Qi fearlessly allowed Lu Wen Da to see his true strength.

Li Su stood there calmly. She was fortunate that she was giving a make-up class at the moment as she still wore a veiled hat6. Even if she was face-to-face with Lu Wen Da, he might not be able to recognise her.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhi En rushed over quickly. He persuaded Prince Qi and Lu Wen Da to leave.

Prince Qi pointed at Li Su and said, "Lord Jiang, is this the woman you were talking about? Come here and let This Prince take a look."

Jiang Zhi En frowned. "Prince, that woman is this minister's cousin. She is remaining faithful in memory of her deceased husband and lives at home as a widow. As she knew something about make-up, this minister invited her to teach the class. If the Prince wants to see her, then this minister fears it would be inappropriate."

Prince Qi still respected Jiang Zhi En a lot. Seeing that Jiang Zhi En had said such things, he didn't force things. "So it turned out that it is the Lord's cousin. This Prince was rude. Lord and Madam, please don't blame This Prince."

Li Su bowed her knees slightly in courtesy.

Jiang Zhi En smiled slightly. "Prince, why don't we go and sit somewhere else? This minister asked for someone to prepare some beef. It is a three-month old calf so the meat is tender and juicy. This minister asked for it to be cooked so that we can enjoy the snow. Is this okay?"

Prince Qi nodded and looked back at Lu Wen Da. "What does Wen Da think?"

Lu Wen Da smiled. "Thank you, Prince. This minister is willing to accompany the Prince."

Prince Qi smiled. "I heard that the empress was feeling unwell. Younger sister Chang Shan went to the palace to attend to her. No wonder you have time."

The mockery in Prince Qi's voice made Lu Wen Da uncomfortable for a moment, but he quickly covered it up. Prince Qi noticed his discomfort but didn't think much of it. Jiang Zhi En lowered his head and smiled.

"Prince, the emperor's son-in-law, please follow me." Jiang Zhi En smiled.

Prince Qi strode forward. Jiang Zhi En was half a step behind and said to Lu Wen Da, "The Prince has always been like this. He does not say that with any malice. Emperor's son-in-law, please don't take it seriously."

Lu Wen Da smiled slightly. "The Lord is polite. How could I dare blame the prince." Prince Qi had such a high status. He was the proud son of the emperor. When did he have to worry about other people's thoughts and opinions? What he said was already considered polite.

It didn't matter what kind of insult he received. He would step on the humiliation and contempt from everyone and slowly climb up! One day, he would prove his ability and he would make those people regret it!"

After Prince Qi left, Li Su sighed in relief. She didn't want to continue the class. After a few words, she asked the children to try out make-up on each other to change their appearances.

Lu Da stood up after he saw that nobody else was around. "Sir, do you know where Li Yi Cheng has gone?" He knew that the sir was Li Yi Cheng's mother, so she must know where Li Yi Cheng had gone.

As soon as he said that, all the children in the room, except for the newcomer, looked over at Li Su.

Li Su smiled. "He's gone to do what he wants. Sooner or later, you will do the same. You will go and do what you want."

"Is it dangerous?" Lu Da asked.

"Do you care about him?"

"Of course. We are classmates!" Lu Da said with his head raised.

"I don't know, but I believe him. He will protect himself." Li Su smiled. Sometimes the friendship between children was strange. It was obvious that they hated each other before, but now they got along well.

Lu Da stopped talking, sat down, and clenched his fists. They all came here, like Li Yi Cheng, but Li Yi Cheng had already left. They still had to continue their studies here. They didn't know when Sir would approve of their abilities so they could get out of here.

He had to work harder to catch up to Li Yi Cheng. He would not always be worse than Li Yi Cheng!

The rest of them had the same idea.

For a while, Jiang Zhi En arranged for someone to send Li Su back. "The lord said that he did not know about Prince Qi's sudden visit and had allowed the madam to be shocked. But, the lord has said that the powder shop has good business. Madam has attracted the attention of others. If the fried chicken shop has good business, then it is estimated that more people will notice the madam. Madam needs to prepare."

Li Su had been mentally prepared for a long time. There was nothing to be afraid of. Didn't it go smoothly today? "I know."

When she got home, Mother Qiu had taken Lu Xi and Little Que Er to the porch to look at Old Li's snowman. Lu Xi was struggling to get down on her own. Mother Qiu and Little Qiu Er were encouraging her on either side.

When Lu Xi saw Li Su returned, she was extremely happy. "Mother!"

Li Su walked over slowly and picked up Lu Xi. Lu Xi pointed at the snowman in the yard and said, "Mother, look! Snowman. Snowman."

Li Su touched Lu Xi's small hand, which was warm. Then, she touched Little Que Er's hand, which was a bit cold. "Let's go inside and play. Let Little Que Er read with you, okay?" Most of the clothes that Lu Xi wore were made by Mother Qiu and herself. Mother Qiu was always careful. Lu Xi wore warm and beautiful clothes, but the clothes on Little Que Er were a bit thin.

Lu Xi looked at the snowman, then at Little Que Er before she finally nodded.

There was a thick carpet inside the house. Li Su let Lu Xi and Little Que Er lie on it with a charcoal basin next to them. Mother Qiu watched them and told them not to touch the charcoal basin.

Li Su opened the cabinet and took out some materials. She then called Auntie Zhang. "Little Que Er's clothes are a bit thin. Here are some materials. Take them and make some clothes for Little Que Er when you have time."

Auntie Zhang was grateful. "Thank you, madam, but there is no need. Little Que Er can stay next to the stove with this servant all day. It isn't cold."

Mother Qiu glanced at Auntie Zhang. "The madam is rewarding you, so you should accept it."

When Auntie Zhang picked up the material, Li Su sat at the table and continued to practice her calligraphy. Mother Qiu saw this and whispered to Auntie Zhang, "The madam is rewarding you because she saw that Little Que Er's clothes were a bit thin. Just accept it and make some clothes for Little Que Er. The madam will also be happy to see it."

Auntie Zhang wiped her tears. Fortunately, they had met a good master and there was hope in life.

Chapter 75 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 15)

While Li Su practiced calligraphy, she heard Lu Xi and Little Que Er's laughter. She stopped writing and looked at the children's innocent smiles.

It started to snow again. Li Su gently opened the window and the cold wind entered. Li Su shivered, then quickly closed the window.

She wondered how Yi Cheng was now. Was he cold? Was he hungry? Li Su sighed.

At this time, Li Yi Cheng had settled next to the charcoal basin and was drinking hot milk tea and eating the burgers and sandwiches he brought with him with his new master.

Li Yi Cheng looked at the 12th prince, who was eating the hamburger. He silently lowered his head. Foster father, I really did not want to let the 12th prince eat this, but he wanted to eat it. He pushed me since he is my master. I couldn't help it!

On the first day Li Yi Cheng entered the palace, he had to familiarise himself with the environment and learn how to deal with the people around him. He also had to calmly observe the 12th prince and note his preferences. After class finished in the afternoon, the 12th prince returned to the palace, then went to wash up and rest. Li Yi Cheng felt hungry. He remembered the snacks his mother packed for him, so he took it out. He prepared some hot water and had some of the food to fill his stomach.

After he had taken 2 bites, the 12th prince was suddenly standing in front of him.

Li Yi Cheng hurriedly knelt. The 12th prince didn't speak. He just stared at the sandwich in Li Yi Cheng's hand.

Li Yi Chen hesitated. "Your Highness is honourable. This…"

The 12th prince did not speak but continued to stare at him.

In the end, Li Yi Cheng had no choice but to serve him the rest. The 12th prince was not stingy and offered him hot milk tea. The two of them huddled next to the charcoal basin and began to eat.

Li Yi Cheng sighed. He knew that the 12th prince was pitiful, but he didn't expect him to be this pitiful. Although this palace was the 12th prince's residence, he was the only one living in it. The rest of the princes and princesses lived with their biological mothers. Regardless of whether their mothers were favoured or not, they had their mothers to look after them. Naturally they did not have to worry about food or clothing. Only the 12th prince didn't have such a thing. There were many eunuchs and maids serving him in this palace, but they were not dedicated to him.

When the two of them had almost finished eating, a few eunuchs and servants came in with a food box. The head eunuch, Si Zhen, frowned when he saw this, but he knew that Li Yi Cheng was Sir Jiang's adopted son. So, he swallowed back his complaints. "Your Highness, dinner is ready. Here is your meal."

The 12th prince nodded.

Si Zhen glanced at Li Yi Cheng and motioned for him to leave first.

After Li Yi Cheng left, Si Zhen persuaded him in a low voice, "Your Highness, a person's heart is hard to predict. It is better to be careful."

The 12th prince glanced at him and continued to eat, not speaking. Si Zhen waited to the side, guessing that the 12th prince should be full. He then persuaded, "Your Highness should eat less. Take care to accumulate food."

The 12th prince put down his chopsticks.

"Your Highness, shall these servants help you prepare to rest?" Si Zhen asked.

"No, the homework that Sir assigned hasn't been completed. I want to practice calligraphy, then let him come over."

After Si Zhen heard that, he nodded slightly and turned around to call Li Yi Cheng.

The 12th prince was practicing calligraphy. Si Zhen added another charcoal basin to the room. The 12th prince glanced at Si Zhen. "Go rest. Have him come here."

Si Zhen glanced at the 12th prince. "Your Highness should rest early. Your health is important." Then, he called Li Yi Cheng aside and said, "His Highness is weak. Please persuade him. Don't let His Highness be troubled."

Li Yi Cheng nodded to express his understanding.

The 12th prince practiced his calligraphy while silently reciting what they learned today. Li Yi Cheng ground ink beside him.

Although the 12th prince worked hard, he felt a pain in his wrists after a while. After a while, his entire body ached.

He was a little depressed and put the pen on the table. He then coughed violently while he covered his mouth. Li Yi Cheng quickly brought over a cup of hot tea, but the 12th prince shook his head. The 12th prince sighed after he finally stopped coughing.

In the study room, he wasn't the youngest, but his marks were at the bottom. He couldn't even compare with his 13th brother, who was a few years younger than him. Therefore, he was considered a dull person. The other princes were given rudimentary knowledge when they were 3-4 years old. When they went to study at 6 years old, they could keep up with the work. Only the 12th prince began to recognise words at 5 and then could officially study at 9.

The 12th prince knew that he could only be successful if he relied on himself. Nobody cared about him. Therefore, he had to work harder than the others. It was a pity that his broken body always dragged him back.

Seeing this, Li Yi Cheng said boldly, "Your Highness, is there something you don't understand?"

The 12th prince glanced at him. "You know this?"

"This servant has the courage to try it out," said Li Yi Cheng.

"Okay. Then tell me, what does this article mean?" The 12th prince put the book in front of Li Yi Cheng.

Li Yi Cheng held up the book. "The body grows skin. The parents endure it and don't dare to cause injury. This is the beginning of filial piety. Move on in life by propagating one's belief and become famous at a later time to show your parents. This is the end of filial piety. The husband's filial piety starts with a marriage, then he must be a gentleman, and finally he can get on with life.1 This means…"

The 12th prince was lounging, but he slowly straightened up and had a serious look on his face. "Have you learned all of this?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Li Yi Cheng said respectfully.

The 12th prince slapped Li Yi Cheng's hand and said, "I know Lord Jiang would not arrange for me to have a companion for no reason. In that case, you have to teach me! I am late to study, so I have to work harder than everyone else. But, I don't have a biological mother, no family background, and my teacher in the study class does not take me seriously. There is nobody around me. You have to help me!"

"Yes, since this servant is serving Your Highness, then Your Highness is this servant's master. This servant will do his best." Li Yi Cheng felt relieved that he had taken the first step. "Your Highness, the wind is cold and it is late. Your body is weak. Why don't you go sit on the bed and this servant will explain it to you slowly?"

The 12th prince nodded and raised his voice. "Servants, I'm going to sleep."

Si Zhen immediately brought people in to help the 12th prince wash up and change clothes. The 12th prince suddenly pointed at Li Yi Cheng. "You go wash up, then come over and talk to me."

Si Zhen looked at Li Yi Cheng and nodded to signal for him to move.

From then on, with the help of Li Yi Cheng, the 12th prince studied hard all day and all night. He quickly caught up with the class and received praise for the first time from his teacher.

The 12th prince's sudden emergence made some people unhappy. For example, the 13th prince's biological mother, Concubine Shu. Soon, someone went about to suppress the charcoal fire in the 12th prince's palace, and a lot of cold things were added to his diet. The 12th prince soon relapsed and fell ill. As he was afraid of infecting the other princes, he stopped going to the study room. He could not go back until the imperial doctor diagnosed his illness.

The 12th prince was flushed and lying on the bed. His body was hot, but his heart was cold.

Li Yi Cheng knelt at the head of the bed. "Your Highness, it was this servant who was not thoughtful and forgot to remember that one with outstanding talents are easily the targets of jealousy and blame.2 This servant was negligent."

"It doesn't matter. It is my fate!" The 12th prince laughed at himself.

"Does Your Highness accept your fate?" Li Yi Cheng saw that nobody was around. The eunuchs and servant ladies saw that the 12th prince had offended Concubine Shu, so they all hid. Si Zhen, who was still loyal to the 12th prince, had been beaten.

The 12th prince didn't speak. Even the compliments from his teacher weren't enough. What could he do if he didn't admit defeat?

"It seems that Your Highness has accepted your fate, but I haven't! Why can some people stand above the rest? Why did I have to be the one who was sacrificed? I am not convinced. One day, I believe that I can stand at the top with my own strength and look down on those who once looked down on me! Your Highness, your life is better than mine. Your starting point is higher than mine. You only need to put in a little more effort to get what you want. Do you really want to give up now?" Li Yi Cheng said, word by word.

The 12th prince sat up abruptly and said, "What can I do? My biological mother died when I was young, I don't have the support of a family, and I am alone in the palace. Anyone in this palace can pinch me to death. What do you want me to do?" He was not happy, but what could he do?

"So what if Your Highness doesn't have a biological mother, or support from an outside family? These are only your shortcomings now. But, one day, maybe these will be good things! Also, have you forgotten that it is your father emperor whose word is final! Instead of complaining and giving up here, why don't you give it a shot?" Li Yi Cheng stared into the 12th prince's eyes.

"How? If emperor father still thought about me, I would have been able to study earlier than nine," the 12th prince said as he smiled sadly.

"This minister is willing to do work for Your Highness!" Li Yi Cheng solemnly bowed his head to the 12th prince.

The 12th prince was stunned and looked up at Li Yi Cheng. "What do you want?" There had never been such loyalty with no strings attached in this word. He knew that Jiang Zhi En sent Li Yi Cheng to his side. Li Yi Cheng had even said so. Then, what did they want? He had to weigh his options before he could decide.

"Your Highness, I want power and influence. I want to be in the highest position. For this, I am willing to give you my loyalty and my life!" Li Yi Cheng said seriously.

The 12the prince felt this was a little absurd. "If you want this, then you should go to the crown prince and not me."

"Your Highness, I think that the friendship forged amongst the charcoal is more reliable than the icing on the cake." Li Yi Cheng smiled.

The 12th prince felt a little at a loss. "Really? Do you think I can do it?"

"Of course. I believe in Your Highness!" Li Yi Cheng was very determined.

The 12th prince was silent for a while. Yes, he was also emperor father's son. Why couldn't he fight? He was a dignified prince. Did he have to live with help from others for the rest of his life? Besides, even if he didn't fight, would those people let him go?

If that was so, then why shouldn't he give it a shot? Perhaps the heavens would sympathise with him, then maybe he could succeed. Even if he failed, he would make sure his life was worthwhile!

"Okay, I, Xiao Qi Yu, swear to the heavens that if I really get what I want, then I will give you everything you want. You will be under one person, but above tens of thousands! If you break this oath, then lightning will strike you and you will not live long," the 12th prince said solemnly. He did not doubt Li Yi Cheng's loyalty, nor the truth of his words. After all, he was a prince with nothing. There was no need for others to conspire against him.

Of course, Xiao Qi Yu did not think that just Li Yi Cheng would help him get what he wanted. But, after what happened just now, he suddenly wanted to understand a lot of things. Li Yi Cheng was just the beginning. In the future, he would get more people.

Xiao Qi Yu also understood that his vow was a bit outrageous, but he didn't know if he could get what he wanted in the end. But, at this moment with such circumstances, Xiao Qi Yu was willing to promise such a thing to the boy with firm eyes. It was the greatest promise he could give.

For the trust and the encouragement he received, he decided on this.

I don't know if I translated this correctly. It's a passage from one of the 13 Confucian Classics.↩

Chapter 76 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 16)

His motivation had been stirred. Xiao Qi Yu asked, "Then, what shall we do next?"

"First, hide your power and bide your time! This should not be a surprise. Your Highness must have already thought about this. His Majesty still has a lot of time, so there is no need to rush. You have to keep a low profile and accumulate your strength. You need to wait for the right moment. Second, this dynasty is ruled by filial piety. Filial piety is an indispensable virtue if you want to stand out amongst the princes. However, this servant…" Li Yi Cheng had already thought about these things a long time ago, and now he exposed them.

"In the future, in front of me, you do not need to address yourself as a servant," Xiao Qi Yu said as he leaned on the soft pillow. "Get up and talk!"

Li Yi Cheng smiled slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness!" Then, he stood up.

Xiao Qi Yu said, "I understand what you said, but when it comes to filial piety, how can I compare to my older brothers? I can't even compare to thirteenth brother."

"It is up to His Majesty to decide whether it is comparable. Moreover, not only does Your Highness have to do it, but also make your filial piety known," said Li Yi Cheng.

"What's the use of filial piety?" Xiao Qi Yu was puzzled.

"Your Highness, I mean that you should silently show your filial piety. Don't make a big splash. As for your filial piety, His Majesty will know of it one day. While being too deliberate and fanciful with your filial piety might be moving at the time, you may feel like a hypocrite afterwards. This isn't good. If you have been silently showing your filial piety for ten years without asking for anything or making it public, then don't you think His Majesty will consider that your type of filial piety is better and more sincere than the other? Could His Majesty be more moved?" Li Yi Cheng said.

Xiao Qi Yu thought about it for a while. He understood what Li Yi Cheng meant. "But how can you be sure that father will take note of me?"

"In these upcoming days, Your Highness only needs to do two things. Your Highness is still young, so there is still plenty of time. Take your time!" Li Yi Cheng said while he looked at Xiao Qi Yu's eyes.

Xiao Qi Yu slowly nodded.

Over the next few days, Xiao Qi Yu stayed inside his Duan Ben Palace to recuperate. Half a month later, the imperial physician announced that he was cured and that he could go back and study.

Xiao Qi Yu was far behind in his homework when he returned. The teacher was angry and said that he was rotten wood that could not be cultivated.

Xiao Qi Yu became more silent. But, every day, he would copy the scriptures in Duan Ben Palace and pray for empress mother and His Majesty to live peacefully. Then, every month, Li Yi Cheng quietly sent them to Huang Jue Temple for 100 days before dispersing it to the common people.

For a while, the wind and the waves were calm.

At the end of the month was New Year's. His studying was on break for the holidays. Li Yi Cheng had a total of 4 holidays. He only needed to enter the palace on the 3rd day of the new year. Xiao Qi Yu was a little reluctant. Li Yi Cheng smiled bitterly. "Your Highness, I have not been out of the palace for two months. My mother will worry. Besides, the New Year is coming. I can't spend New Year's in the palace." Li Yi Cheng didn't leave the palace at the end of last month because Xiao Qi Yu was ill.

Xiao Qi Yu's eyes lit up. "Your mother? Is she outside the palace? Can I visit with you?"

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that this is not proper?" Li Yi Cheng was a little embarrassed.

Xiao Qi Yu also knew that this was unlikely. He just said it casually.

Li Yi Cheng saw his disappointed expression and thought that Xiao Qi Yu had been trapped in the palace since he had been born. It was a bit pitiful. "Would it be fine if I give something interesting to Your Highness when I return tomorrow?"

This was fine! Xiao Qi Yu nodded quickly. "And the bun you ate last time. Bring some of them."

His Highness was talking about the hamburger? Li Yi Cheng laughed. He also thought the name was a bit strange, but his mother insisted on calling it that. "Okay, I will tell my mother later and let her make more." After staying in the palace for more than 2 months, he understood the 12th prince's position in the palace. Apart from the 3 standard meals a day, nobody would prepare hot meals or dishes for him if he was hungry at night. They were all the snacks they left during the day, and they ate them with hot tea.

Li Yi Cheng left the palace. Old Li was already waiting there with a carriage. After he saw Li Yi Cheng, he jumped out of the carriage and said, "Madam, the young master is out."

When Li Yi Cheng heard that his mother had come as well, he ran over. "Mother!"

The corner of the curtain was lifted and Li Su showed half her face. "Yi Cheng, get in the carriage." Half of Li Lu Xi's face was shown as well, and she cried out, "Older brother!"

Li Yi Cheng cried out in surprise. "Mother, why did you bring Lu Xi out? It's so cold outside."

"Get on the carriage. We can talk about it when we go home." Li Su smiled.

Li Yi Cheng jumped into the carriage. "It's really warm." Li Yi Cheng hugged his sister.

Li Su looked at Li Yi Cheng. She hadn't seen him for 2 months. He had grown up a lot. The palace was really a place to train people!

On New Year's Eve, Li Su cooked and Auntie Zhang prepared something like a hot pot barbecue. They celebrated the New Year together. They originally wanted to prepare one table, but the Old Li, Auntie Zhang, and Mother Qiu refused to eat with them, saying that there was a difference between master and servant. Li Su then had to prepare 2 tables for everyone to eat at separately.

It was snowing outside and the room was warm. Everyone was talking and laughing. It was very lively.

Suddenly, someone banged on the door. At first, nobody cared. But, Li Yi Cheng heard it later and mentioned it.

Old Li headed out to open the door. Jiang Zhi En came.

"The palace banquet was not interesting. I have come to join you in the fun." Jiang Zhi En came in under an umbrella. He frowned when he saw the two tables, one large and one small, with Auntie Zhang and Mother Qiu sitting at one.

Auntie Zhang waited with a pale face and stood aside.

When Li Su saw this, she rolled her eyes, disappointed. "Since it is like this, Auntie Zhang, will you take the table to the kitchen to eat?"

Old Li, Auntie Zhang, and Mother Qiu hurriedly carried the table away when they saw that Jiang Zhi En did not object. Auntie Zhang also took Little Que Er with her.

Li Yi Cheng brought in a chair and chopsticks. Jiang Zhi En sat down and took a look. "It's best to eat hotpot in this weather."

Li Yi Cheng was half full already. He stood up to serve Jiang Zhi En. "Foster father, have the soup first. It will warm your stomach. What do you want to eat? I'll help you."

Jiang Zhi En nodded. "Just a bit."

Li Su secretly rolled her eyes. This damn eunuch really didn't consider himself as an outsider.

As soon as Jiang Zhi En showed up, the lively atmosphere disappeared. Li Su randomly took 2 bites, then stopped eating. She concentrated on watching Li Lu Xi eat.

Li Lu Xi was still young. Hotpot and barbeque were things that could cause indigestion, so Li Su had stewed her a beef soup with rice. Li Lu Xi ate it with relish and didn't want anyone to feed her. She held the spoon and stuffed her mouth without chewing.

Li Su didn't care. She just clapped her hands and encouraged Li Lu Xi. "Lu Xi is awesome!"

Jiang Zhi En only felt terrible. "Where is the nursing mother? Why doesn't she feed her?"

Li Su glanced at him. "Our Lu Xi always eats by herself."

"What kind of style is this?" Jiang Zhi En frowned. This Li Su was getting increasingly excessive. People shouldn't abuse their child like this!

Li Su glanced at him. He was so naggy. Did he think he was the kid's father? Why does he care how she looked after her kid?

When Jiang Zhi En saw this, he wanted to say something. Suddenly, there was banging on the door again. Old Li hurried out and opened the door. A few servants rushed in. "Lord Jiang, there was an accident in the palace. The thirteenth prince passed away. Lord Chen wants you to return to the palace as soon as possible!"

Jiang Zhi En stood up, walked outside, and asked, "What the hell is going on? Why did the thirteenth prince die?"

Li Yi Cheng thought about it for a long time, then picked up Jiang Zhi En's cloak. "Mother, I am sorry. Your son has to go back to the palace." Something had happened in the palace. He didn't know if the 12th prince was involved.

He caught up to Jiang Zhi En and handed him the cloak. "Foster father, I will return to the palace with you."

Jiang Zhi En nodded. "Okay, tell the twelfth prince to stay in Duan Ben Palace."

Li Yi Cheng nodded and glanced back. Mother was standing at the doorway, watching him worriedly. He smiled and waved to his mother, who also waved back.

Li Yi Cheng turned and followed Jiang Zhi En. Li Su stood at the door and watched them disappear into the heavy snow. She watched Old Li close the door and watched the footprints on the ground quickly get covered by snow. She sighed. He had only come back yesterday and had already left today.

She was afraid that, in the future, there would be less time for them to meet and it would be normal for them to be apart.

However, Li Su didn't feel sad for long. She heard her daughter cry out, "Mother, I want to drink soup, fish, and meat."

Li Su turned around. The sadness and worry on her face shifted to a smile instead. "Does Lu Xi want to drink some fish soup? Okay, mother will give it to you."

Jiang Zhi En quickly took Li Yi Cheng into the palace. After they entered, they parted ways, and Li Yi Cheng went directly to Duan Ben Palace.

Xiao Qi Yu was very surprised when he saw him. "Why are you back?" Then, he remembered what happened in the palace today. "Were you worried about me? Don't worry. This matter had nothing to do with me."

Li Yi Cheng didn't understand this matter and he didn't know what was going on. "Your Highness, do you know how the thirteenth prince passed away?"

"It is said that in the empress' palace, older sister Chang Shan broke his favourite toy. Instead of apologising, older sister Chang Shan reprimanded him. As a result, thirteenth younger brother ran out crying, but the path was slippery and he fell. After he fell, he hit his head against the stone steps outside the empress' palace and he stopped breathing. The servants who attended to thirteenth younger brother were beaten to death, along with the maids and eunuchs on duty in Kun Ning Palace. Concubine Shu has cried and fainted many times," Xiao Qi Yu said as he poured a cup of hot tea for Li Yi Cheng.

Li Yi Cheng was relieved. "It is fine if you don't involve yourself in this matter."

Xiao Qi Yu smiled wryly. "I don't have the qualifications to stay at the empress' palace. I go to Tian Zheng Hall every year when it is the bridal banquet. You came back. I am very happy." Xiao Qi Yu patted Li Yi Cheng on the shoulder.

Li Yi Cheng smiled and said, "Can Your Highness guess what will happen this time?"

Chapter 77 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 17)

Xiao Qi Yu sneered. "Older sister Chang Shan has been hiding in the empress' palace since the incident and doesn't dare to show her face. The empress has always loved older sister Chang Shan the most. When thirteenth younger brother had the accident, the empress made the immediate decision to beat the maids and eunuchs on duty in order to excuse older sister Chang Shan. But, Concubine Shu is not to be underestimated. Concubine Shu's mother and the empress dowager are cousins, and she has always followed the lead of the highest-ranking imperial concubine. This time, emperor father has to weigh who is more important, the empress and crown prince older brother, or the empress dowager and Concubine Shu."

Li Yi Cheng lowered his head and thought for a moment. "Your Highness, do you think that His Majesty is very embarrassed right now?"

Xiao Qi Yu glanced at Li Yi Cheng. "What do you mean?"

Li Yi Cheng didn't say anything. He just smiled slightly.

Some of the children who grew up in the palace were really innocent. Xiao Qi Yu immediately understood what Li Yi Cheng meant. "Yi Cheng, follow me."

Outside Tai Ji Palace, Cheng Jing Zhong looked solemn. He had just sent away the highest-ranking imperial concubine and he sighed. His Majesty was heartbroken over the death of the 13th prince, but Princess Chang Shan was involved. The empress and crown prince had come separately, and so had the highest-ranking imperial concubine. Another message came from Ci Xian Hall, asking for His Majesty to go there. Although Concubine Shu did not show up, she cried in Qi Yin Hall.

Everyone was forcing His Majesty to take a stance. Who could understand His Majesty? Chen Jing Zhong had accompanied His Majesty as he grew up. Cheng Jing Zhong felt sorry for His Majesty.

"Companion Chen, Companion Chen!" Chen Jing Zhong heard someone call him. He looked over and saw a prince-like person standing to the side, beckoning him.

Chen Jing Zhong frowned. Was that the 12th prince? Why was he here?

Chen Jing Zhong walked over to the 12th prince. "Your Highness, it is cold. Why are you wearing so little? Are you here to see His Majesty? His Majesty is probably not in the mood to see you right now."

Xiao Qi Yu looked worried. "Companion, I am not here to see emperor father. With thirteenth brother gone, emperor father must be worried. Companion, please take good care of emperor father and make sure he takes care of his health."

Chen Jing Zhong was a little surprised. The 12th prince had always been a transparent existence in the palace. His birth mother was just a lowly court lady. Because of her beauty, she had been favoured by the emperor. The 12th prince was born after they had slept together once and she was tossed away after. The title she received after she died was because the highest-ranking imperial concubine mentioned it casually in order to block the empress. Nobody in the palace paid attention to the 12th prince.

"Yes, companion. I'm just worried about father emperor. Don't tell father emperor I was here. I'll go back first. Thank you, companion." Xiao Qi Yu left with Li Yi Cheng. On the way, due to either the snowy road or nervousness, Xiao Qi Yu almost slipped. Li Yi Cheng went to help him, but both of them fell.

Chen Jing Zhong felt a bit funny. He remembered that the 13th prince had died because he fell and hit his head. He couldn't help but frown. "Quickly, you guys, help the twelfth prince go back. Be careful. Don't let the prince fall."

Several eunuchs chased after the 12th prince and escorted him back to Duan Ben Palace.

Chen Jing Zhong returned to Tai Ji Palace and saw that the emperor was still sad. Chen Jing Zhan thought for a while, then treated the 12th prince's words as a joke to the emperor. "Your Majesty, even the twelfth prince knows that you have to take care of your body and not mourn too much. I also hope that the thirteenth prince's spirit is in the heavens, but I am afraid that the twelfth prince and I have the same idea. Your Majesty should take care of yourself."

The emperor sighed. "Qi Rui was Our son. Bao Ling is Our daughter. Both of them are Our children and We cannot bear to slight any of them. All of them are forcing Us."

Chen Jing Zhong sighed. It was very clear who was in the right and who was in the wrong in the matter of the 13th prince's death. The eunuchs and the palace ladies did not serve the 13th prince well, but it was really because of Princess Chang Shan, who was arrogant and domineering and bullied those smaller than her. In fact, His Majesty could only reprimand Princess Chang Shan, reduce her influence, then give her a reason to make a comeback in a few years. In this way, His Majesty could address Concubine Shu's anger and give an explanation to the empress.

The empress, however, did not care. She blindly favoured Princess Chang Shan.

This put His Majesty in a difficult situation.

It's just that Chen Jing Zhong couldn't say this, so he had to rack his brains to change the subject. "Your Majesty, this servant saw that the people serving the twelfth prince were a bit uncomfortable. In such a snowy day, the twelfth prince was wearing such thin clothes and only had one companion with him. They also fell on their way back. This servant set the twelfth prince back with a few of the eunuchs."

Emperor Liang was distracted. "You did the right thing. Find a few honest people to serve Twelve. Twelve is also a filial child."

Even if the most respected son of Emperor Liang was the crown prince, Xiao Qi Ming, and the most loved son was Prince Qi, Xiao Qi Xing, the emperor also loved the other princes. It was only Little Twelve. His biological mother had died early and Emperor Liang didn't have any impression of him. He couldn't even remember Twelve's name.

But at this moment, Qi Rui died. Qi Ming and Qi Xing, as the eldest and second son, did not know how to comfort him. On the contrary, they spoke and talked about their own interests, which made him feel a bit cold. On the contrary, Little Twelve, who had no presence, seemed to care about him. That gave Emperor Liang a little more comfort, and he began to reflect on whether he had been too negligent about Twelve previously.

Chen Jing Zhong bowed his head and said, "Yes, this servant will do so." Cheng Jing Zhong knew that the 12th prince was now on His Majesty's radar.

The princes were all sons of His Majesty. Chen Jing Zhong didn't care who was spoiled. He was just grateful for anyone who made His Majesty feel at ease.

That night, Chen Jing Zhong picked a few palace ladies and eunuchs and sent them to Duan Ben Palace. Xiao Qi Yu handed these people to Si Zhen.

Si Zhen knew that these people were personally chosen by Lord Chen. He knew that His Highness was now on His Majesty's radar and he felt happy, but also a little worried. He was afraid that His Highness would have new people to serve him and he would no longer be needed. Now that His Highness handed these newcomers to him, Si Zhen was very excited. This showed that His Highness still valued him the most!

"Yes, Your Highness."

"All of you leave. I want to read. I don't need too many people here," said Xiao Qi Yu as he waved his hand.

Si Zhen led the eunuchs and palace ladies out.

Since then, Xiao Qi Yu's life slowly changed. First, all the furnishings in the side hall where he lived had been renewed. His diet was also more comprehensive. When he read at night, he could have hot meals. He also received a lot of clothes. He felt a bit sorry for the firewood department, who sent ample charcoal fires.

This was the first time that Xiao Qi Yu felt like a prince.

In Cang Wu Palace, the crown prince and empress were fighting. "Endure it until everything has calmed down. This matter was originally Bao Ling's fault. It is very important for Bao Ling to take the initiative to come forward and admit her mistakes in order to calm down the emperor and imperial grandmother. Even if imperial grandmother and emperor father are going to punish her, then the most that will happen is that she will lose her title. As long as the children are well, do you need to worry about this?"

The empress knew this, but Xiao Bao Ling refused to do this. "Why do I always have to endure it? It's obviously not my fault. I am an imperial princess. No matter how you look at it, Concubine Shu is only a concubine. Do you want me, an imperial princess, to bow to a concubine? The emperor's son-in-law was punished and I have lost all face amongst my sisters. If I was punished further with my money and title taken away, then what face would I have? I would rather die! Besides, what does Xiao Qi Rui's death have to do with me? He was fated to have a short life!"

Xiao Bao Ling was also very wronged, okay? She was just distracted for a bit and bumped into Little Thirteen. Little Thirteen was fine. His jade horse was broken and he was unwilling to forgive her, so he kicked up a fuss. She was upset, so she loudly scolded him.

She didn't expect that Little Thirteen was so used to being spoiled by Concubine Shu that he immediately ran out crying. He then slipped and fell to his death. At that time, there was blood splattering the steps and she was terrified, okay?

"You are still saying this!" The crown prince trembled with anger. "Fortunately, I haven't been to court in the past few days. The accounts attacking this incident have already begun to pile up on emperor father's desk. Empress mother, do you really have to wait until things have gone out of control?"

The empress' face sank while Xiao Bao Ling's eyes were red. "You want me to endure it again. Why? Why?"

The empress hugged her daughter, distressed. "Good child, you have been wronged. Believe in your empress mother. Your empress mother will make it up to you sooner or later. Your empress mother will get revenge for you for all the humiliation you have suffered today."

When Xiao Bao Ling heard this, she knew what was going to happen. She felt resentful, but there was nothing she could do. She merely lay in the empress' arms and burst into tears.

Before long, the empress took the crown prince and Xiao Bao Ling to kneel in front of Concubine Shu's Qi Yin Hall to admit their mistakes. The situation turned around at once. Concubine Shu got up from her bed and knelt in front of the empress. What was her status? How could the empress and crown prince kneel in front of her palace? If this spread out, then people would think that she threatened the mother of the country.

In the end, everyone was happy. The empress took Xiao Bao Ling to confess her mistake. Concubine Shu forgave Xiao Bao Ling.

His Majesty decreed that Princess Chang Shan would have her counties cut to 500. Her title had been on par with the crown prince, with 1000 counties, but now it was halved, making her just a common princess.1

Xiao Bao Ling lost face and hid in the princess' mansion.

The empress summoned her several times, but Xiao Bao Ling refused to go.

Not long after, Lu Wen Da sent a message to Prince Qi, saying that Princess Chang Shan often talked about her resentment.

Jiang Zhi En suggested a plan to Prince Qi and Prince Qi accepted it.

On this day, the weather was clear. Prince Qi entered the palace to greet Emperor Liang. He talked about Xiao Bao Ling. Prince Qi smiled and said, "I haven't seen younger sister Bao Ling in the palace recently. Emperor father's punishment might have been too harsh. Younger sister Bao Ling is a girl and she cares about her face. Why doesn't emperor father go see Bao Ling? Emperor father can show love for younger sister Bao Ling and it will also give her face."

Emperor Liang thought about it. Bao Ling hadn't entered the palace for a few days and the crown prince was too angry. However, these words were very pleasing, so he readily agreed.

Chapter 78 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 18)

Prince Qi accompanied Emperor Liang to Princess Chang Shan's mansion.

Because Prince Qi wanted to surprise Xiao Bao Ling, he didn't let anyone pass on the message and just entered directly.

As a result, before they reached the main room, they heard Xiao Bao Ling cursing, with the occasional sounds of lashing and suppressed □□ from the palace ladies.

"Sluts! All of you are sluts! You sluts only know how to be partial! You all bully me! All of you bully me!" Xiao Bao Ling beat and scolded them.

The emperor's son-in-law, Lu Wen Da, persuaded her. "Don't beat them, princess. If you are angry, just come to me. Why do you beat them when they have done nothing wrong?"

"You're begging for leniency for these sluts? All you men are the same. You feel distressed when you see them shed some tears, don't you? You want to plead for leniency for them? I want to hit them! I am the master and they are the servants. If I hit them or scold them, then I can. They ran to emperor father, crying, and emperor father cut my title! It's better that my title of princess was seized and I was demoted to a commoner? Those sluts have done what they wanted, isn't that right?" Xiao Bao Ling hit them more fiercely. The sound of the whip cracking through the air continued, and the palace ladies cried more.

"Princess, His Majesty reduced your title for your own good since it blocked everyone's mouths. The thirteenth prince was indeed, because of you… Ah!" Lu Wen Da tried persuading her again.

"Shut up!" Xiao Bao Ling was anxious and cracked her whip, which happened to hit Lu Wen Da in the face. Xiao Bao Ling regretted it when she saw that she had really hit Lu Wen Da. But, when she remembered what Lu Wen Da said, she became angry again. "Are you speaking up for those sluts too? Xiao Qi Rui's life was fated to be short. What did it have to do with me?! You and emperor father are muddle-headed. Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Qian and Concubine Shu shed a few tears, and his heart softened. I am an imperial princess and I had to kowtow to a concubine and ask her to forgive me! Hah! Is she worthy?!"

When Emperor Liang heard this, his entire body trembled with anger. Fortunately, he had felt guilty over Chang Shan and wanted to see her to soothe her. As a result, she ended up making these complaints in the mansion, saying that he was muddle-headed and also called her aunt a slut! This was too much!

Prince Qi's expression wasn't good. Anyone who heard their mother being called a slut would not have a good expression, but he still held back his anger. "Emperor father, younger sister Bao Ling is just confused. Since that is the case, emperor father should not mind this."

Emperor Liang snorted. "Qi Xing, you are kind. Thinking of her, seeing her, and giving her room to step down… Who knew… We are returning to the palace!"

After speaking, Emperor Liang turned around angrily and left.

Prince Qi turned his head and glanced over triumphantly, then chased after the emperor.

In the carriage on their way back to the palace, Prince Qi deliberated and tried to persuade the emperor. "Emperor father, younger sister Bao Ling is still young. She didn't mean what she said, so you should not pay any mind to her words."

Emperor Liang closed his eyes tightly. "She is still young? Hehe. Qing He is two years younger than her and is nothing like her. We see that it was the empress who spoiled her!" He then opened his eyes and looked at Prince Qi. "She was disrespectful to your mother. Are you not angry?"

Prince Qi smiled wryly. "Your son is how many years older than Bao Ling? Can I still fuss over such a thing? What would become of your son? Besides, younger sister Bao Ling is indeed a little unhappy these days. It is understandable she is sometimes unhappy."

Emperor Liang sneered a little. "Not doing well? We think her life had been too smooth before."

After returning to the palace, Emperor Liang suddenly decreed that Princess Chang Shan had disrespected her elders and cut her counties by a further 300!

Xiao Bao Ling almost went crazy when she received the decree. If she hadn't been blocked by Lu Wen Da, then she would have likely ripped up the decree on the spot. Lu Wen Da tried to persuade her, but couldn't hold Xiao Bao Ling back. She rushed into the palace, angry.

She was going to ask emperor father what she had done wrong. Emperor father wanted to cut her title again. Which villain had instigated this?

Fortunately, the empress had expected her to react like this and had sent someone to stop her at the gate of the palace to bring Xiao Bao Ling to Cang Wu Palace, lest she anger the emperor again.

"Empress mother! Emperor father reduced my estates again. Now, I only have two hundred counties. There is no princess who only has two hundred counties in all of Da Liang! What face do I have now?!" Xiao Bao Ling cried.

The empress was distressed and helpless. "Your emperor father has already sent out the decree. What can you do? Do you want to quarrel with your emperor father? Empress mother has already told you to bear with it for a while. As long as your older brother is well, you will be able to get everything back sooner or later."

"Sooner or later? Sooner or later? How long will I have to wait? I can't stand it anymore!" Xiao Bao Ling cried. "I have always been the most respected one amongst the sisters. The others only had six hundred counties. I was the only one with one thousand, comparable to a prince. How? You always want me to endure it. I can't endure it!"

"Even if you can't bear it, you must! All the things leading to this day were your own fault! If it wasn't for you airing your grievances in your mansion which emperor father happened to hear, why else would emperor father cut your title again?! You are careless with your words and deeds, and yet you still have the face to complain here!" The crown prince strode in. "Do you know that, because of you, yesterday was the fifteenth. Emperor father should have been resting in Cang Wu Palace, but he went to Highest-Ranking Imperial Concubine's place. Do you know that, because of you, emperor father is not giving me any face? How do you still have the face to cry?"

Xiao Bao Ling stopped crying. "Empress mother, is what older brother says true?"

Resting in the palace on the 15th day of the lunar new year was a custom left by the ancestors. For so many years, even if the emperor doted on Highest-Ranking Imperial Concubine Qian, he had never broken this rule. But now…

She calmed down suddenly.

Xiao Bao Ling was just a little domineering. She was not a fool. She knew that she relied on the empress and the crown prince. Now, emperor father was taking his anger out on empress mother.

"Who was it? Who is the one attacking me?" Xiao Bao Ling muttered to herself.

"Even now you don't know who the enemy is?" the crown prince said sarcastically.

"That day, it was Prince Qi who suggested that your emperor father go and visit you. They happened to see you beating an innocent palace lady while uttering complaints. Now, not only is your emperor father angry, but your grandmother is also very dissatisfied with you," the empress sighed and said. "Bao Ling, your empress mother still stands by those words. Empress mother and your older brother know your grievances. Everything you have lost will be returned to you by your empress mother, two-fold. You will be safer from now on. You and your husband have been married for some time. Previously, you had lost a child, but your body has been restored. You should also have a child. Perhaps your emperor father will forgive you for the sake of the child."

Xiao Bao Ling felt so wronged that she couldn't help but lie in the empress' arms and cried.

Seeing her like this, the crown prince was angry and distressed. "Fine, stay in the princess' mansion at peace. Empress mother and older brother will find a way for you, again and again and again for you, working until we die."

The empress just hugged Xiao Bao Ling without speaking, but her expression was gloomy.

Soon, the empress and the crown prince began to counterattack. First, someone from the court took bribes and abused the law with Highest Ranking Concubine Gui's respected brother, the governor of Shan Dong, Qian Zhi Liang. They acted with utter disregard for human life. Emperor Liang was furious. Qian Zhi Liang was to be removed from the office and all his crimes were to be investigated and he would be dealt with accordingly.

After the incident, empress dowager's mother, who was 80 years old, went to the palace and cried to the empress dowager and the highest-ranking imperial concubine. She pleaded for her grandson.

The empress dowager had been in the palace for a long time so she still had political sense. Her face was pale. "He did such a huge thing and almost implicated Mother Ying and Qi Xing. Old madam, do you have the face to plead for him? When the decree comes out, how will you beg for leniency? I said it before that he must be cautious with his words and deeds and to not make mistakes. What are his results?"

Old Madam Shou An said, aggrieved, "Your nephew has been wronged. He really didn't do those things."

"The emperor will find out whether he had been wronged!" said the empress dowager, holding back her anger.

"Mother Shu, you can't ignore Zhi Liang. He is your only nephew!" Old Madam Shou An cried. She then looked at Concubine Qian. "Mother Ying, Zhi Liang is your older brother. You can't ignore him. Zhi Liang did this for Prince Qi."

Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui's eyes were red and she looked at the empress dowager. "Empress mother, aunt!"

The empress dowager glanced at her. "Okay, I know what to do. You and Qi Xing must not interfere in this matter, okay?"

Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui and Old Madam Shou An didn't quite understand. The empress dowager shook her head angrily. "They are aiming for Zhi Liang, but they want to drag Qi Xing into the water. You and Qi Xing mustn't interfere in this matter. If the emperor asks you about it, you should not plead for Zhi Liang, but instead take the initiative to blame Zhi Liang and express the hope that the emperor will punish him severely. The same goes for Qi Xing."

"The more aggressive you behave, the more insightful and righteous you will appear. The emperor's heart will move towards you!" The empress dowager explained this all when she saw that Old Madam Shou An and Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui did not understand.

Old Madam Shou An and Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui understood. Old Madam Shou An said, "I know what to do. I will go back and ask your eldest brother to file a complaint."

The empress dowager breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was not too stupid or outrageous.

Emperor Liang had a headache recently. He was not unaware of what was really going on. He knew that the crown prince and Prince Qi had always been at odds, but they were still able to get along on the surface. Now, he had no idea what happened. The two seemed to have completely removed that façade. If one did something on one day, then the other retaliated the following day. It didn't matter if they involved their other brothers. It left the emperor utterly devastated.

"Your Majesty, take a sip of chrysanthemum tea to calm your anger!" Chen Jing Zhong brought a cup of chrysanthemum tea over.

"Why do you remember that We need to drink?" Emperor Liang took the cup and had a sip. It was sweet, and he felt a little better.

"It was the twelfth prince who reminded this servant. He said that Your Majesty has been a little angry recently and mentioned that this servant should make some chrysanthemum tea for Your Majesty," said Chen Jing Zhong.

When Emperor Liang heard him talk about Qi Yu, he finally felt a little more comfortable. "That child is attentive." These days, he had been busy with government affairs. He only saw Qi Yu once and never had the chance to speak to him. That child had seen that he was a bit angry.

Chen Jing Zhong laughed. "The twelfth prince has filial piety. This servant heard Xiao Shun Zi, who waits upon the twelfth prince, say that the twelfth prince has been silently copying Buddhist scriptures for you and the empress dowager. These were then sent to Huang Jue Temple for the master to enshrine them before dispersing them to the common people so they can pray for Your Majesty and the empress dowager."

Emperor Liang was surprised. "Why didn't anyone tell Us about this?"

Chen Jing Zhong smiled and said, "This is just how the twelfth prince is. He has always acted silently. These copied scriptures have always been secretly sent out."

Emperor Liang smiled, comforted. He finally had one good son. "I haven't seen Qi Yu for a few days. Ask him to come over and accompany Us for dinner!"

"Yes."

Chapter 79 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 19)

Due to how aggressive the crown prince's party was in contrast to the profound justice High Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui and Prince Qi displayed, Emperor Liang eventually sided with High Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui and Prince Qi in Qian Zhi Liang's case. Qian Zhi Liang didn't matter, but he was Qi Xing's uncle, so he wanted to give Qi Xing a bit of face. Moreover, the crown prince's side showed strength in this matter, which surprised Emperor Liang.

Therefore, Emperor Liang deliberated over the matter and ended up dismissing Qian Zhi Liang from his position and forfeiting his salary. After half a year, in the name of the empress dowager's birthday, Emperor Liang quietly reinstated Qian Zhi Liang.

Since Xiao Bao Ling had her counties stripped from her, she had been keeping behind closed doors, tangling with Lu Wen Da. Lu Wen Da also wanted to have another heir as soon as possible. Power, of course, was important, but filial piety was the greatest!

But after spending half a year trying, there was nothing. Lu Wen Da was going crazy! He even wondered if there was something wrong with Xiao Bao Ling's body. As a man, he naturally refused to admit that there was a problem with his body, but Xiao Bao Ling was a princess and he did not dare to question her rashly.

Xiao Bao Ling was furious when she heard that Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui's older brother had his punishment revoked on the empress dowager's birthday. She was initially irritable, but staying at home for the past 6 months had made her worse. The princess' mansion had secretly disposed of the corpses of 4-5 palace workers.

"I am emperor father's legitimate daughter, but in his heart, I can't even compare to Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui's older brother. Qian Zhi Liang can have his punishment revoked when he made such a big mistake, but what about me? I just scolded a few sluts! Emperor father has not summoned me once in the past six months. The banquet rewards have not been given to me! Empress mother and older brother have told me to endure it, but have I not endured enough?" Xiao Bao Ling went crazy in the side courtyard.

Lu Wen Da stood outside the door and watched Xiao Bao Ling go crazy, expression blank. In fact, he really wanted Xiao Bao Ling to rush to His Majesty and go crazy, but unfortunately she didn't dare to do that.

Suddenly, Xiao Bao Ling stepped on the fragments of a cup. She slipped and fell to the ground. She felt severe pain in her abdomen and felt something flowing out of her lower body.

Lu Wen Da remained expressionless until the maid pointed at Xiao Bao Ling's lower body and screamed, "Blood, blood!"

Lu Wen Da was shocked. It shouldn't…

"Princess Chang Shan had another miscarriage?" Li Su asked, surprised. Wasn't this the second one? If this continued, then wouldn't it be easier for her to have miscarriages in the future? It seemed that Lu Wen Da's life was not as good as the original timeline. At least he still had two daughters in the last life.

"Not only that, but the imperial doctor said that Princess Chang Shan has had two miscarriages in a row, hurting her body. The imperial doctor is afraid that she will not be pregnant again. After Princess Chang Shan heard the news, she had someone give Lu Wen Da medicine so that he will not be able to let a woman conceive anymore." When Li Yi Cheng talked about this, there was an amazing light in his eyes!

Li Su was very alert. "Silly son, what do you want to do? Although Lu Wen Da is not a good person and deserves not to have children, but your mother is thinking about her grandchildren! Don't do stupid things."

"Mother, what do you mean? Your son was just thinking that, if Lu Wen Da knows that he can no longer have children, do you think he will jump the wall quickly? It would be good to see if he and Princess Chang Shan fight," said Li Yi Cheng.

Li Su patted her chest. "It would be best if you didn't have these thoughts. I'm afraid you will take this matter to heart for the next while."

Li Yi Cheng smiled helplessly, then he hesitated. "Mother, the twelfth prince wants to visit. Is that okay?"

"The twelfth prince? Isn't he a prince? Can a prince leave the palace so easily?" Li Su didn't quite understand.

"Of course the prince can leave the palace," Li Yi Cheng said. The 12th prince was small and nobody paid attention to him before, so nobody was willing to bear this responsibility. Now, the 12th prince had His Majesty's attention, so of course he could leave the palace.

"That's fine then. The fifteenth of next month is Lu Xi's birthday. I plan on having a barbeque in the yard. If the twelfth prince is interested, then he can come. I don't know if your foster father will come that day. By the way, I quarrelled with your foster father. Your foster father has been a bit too enthusiastic about Lu Xi recently. Go back and tell him not to have plans for my daughter anymore. My Lu Xi will not marry out in the future. She will only recruit a son-in-law," Li Su said sternly.

Li Yi Cheng didn't know how to feel about this. "Mother, how old is Lu Xi? Aren't you thinking too far ahead? Besides, foster father probably didn't mean it like that. Maybe he just thinks Lu Xi is cute and simply likes Lu Xi."

"Tch, your foster father has only cared about benefits. Does he simply like Lu Xi? Hmph. He invited a wet nurse and a teacher for Lu Xi. I thought that this was a good thing. After all, I don't have enough knowledge, so I don't want to hinder Lu Xi. In the end, guess what the wet nurse and the teacher taught Lu Xi?" said Li Su.

"What?" Li Yi Cheng asked.

"I won't say anything about the Confucian moral injunctions for women1. That wet nurse taught Lu Xi how to serve people!" Li Su was still a little angry when she thought of it. "How old is Lu Xi? They want to teach her these things. Isn't it ridiculous? I finally drove out the wet nurse and the teacher. I don't go to the class at the house anymore. I teach at home."

Li Yi Cheng frowned. "Was there such a thing? I will see foster father later!" He only had one younger sister, Lu Xi. He would never let anyone use his sister's lifelong happiness as a ladder for their promotion! If foster father had such an idea, then he must stop it in time.

"Don't be angry. I've already made it clear to your foster father. Although your foster father got angry, he finally gave up the idea. Your foster father still cares about you." Although Jiang Zhi En was eager for quick success, he still cared about Li Yi Cheng. Although he was a foster father, what he did was nothing different from an actual father.

Li Yi Cheng also understood this. "Your son knows. Your son will tell foster father." He can be successful in the palace, but he couldn't do it without foster father's secret aid. He was also very grateful to foster father, but he still had his principles. His mother and Lu Xi were his only bottom line and nobody could touch them.

Who knew what Li Yi Cheng said to Jiang Zhi En, but on Lu Xi's birthday, the twelfth prince and Jiang Zhi En came.

The Li family's yard was not very big. It was also hot. Li Su asked people to set up an awning. There were a few long tables underneath full of food, like burgers and sandwiches. There was a lot of food that Xiao Qi Yu had never seen before.

"Are all of these made by auntie?" Xiao Qi Yu couldn't help but ask. What should he do? He really wanted to eat it! When he was young, he was often hungry, so Xiao Qi Yu attached great importance to appetite.

"Yeah! Why?" Li Yi Cheng asked.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that if auntie sells food, then she must have a good business." Xiao Qi Yu smiled.

"Didn't I tell you? My mother is also one of the bosses behind Travelling Cloud's Aunt Chicken," Li Yi Cheng said with a smile.

"Aunt Chicken, this name…" Xiao Qi Yu thought it was a bit funny, but he knew that Li Yi Cheng was a filial son. He didn't dare to criticise his mother's aesthetics in front of him.

"Mother, Lu Xi! Come and hug older brother!" Li Su just exited the house holding Li Lu Xi's hand. Today, Li Lu Xi looked very good. Li Yi Cheng reached out to hug Li Lu Xi, but Li Lu Xi twisted her body and refused to hug him.

Li Yi Cheng was a little hurt. "Does Lu Xi dislike older brother? Why don't you let older brother hold you?"

"Did you not see that she is wearing new clothes today?" Li Su asked angrily. "Don't hug her, or the new clothes will get crumpled and not look good."

Li Yi Cheng smiled. "Why? Our Lu Xi has always been a fairy. She looks good all the time. In your older brother's eyes, you are the best!"

Li Lu Xi was very comfortable. She finally looked at his face, smiled, and opened her arms so that Li Yi Cheng could hug her. He did.

"Yi Cheng, is this your younger sister? She is very cute." Xiao Qi Yu walked over and smiled. Then, he bowed his hands to Li Su as a junior. "Hello, auntie."

Li Su was a little surprised. When she saw Xiao Qi Yu's normal appearance, Li Su smiled politely, but she didn't know how to address him. "Uhh…"

"Lord Jiang, let's not care about formalities today. Just let all the adults call me Qi Yu," Xiao Qi Yu said first.

"Sir, does His Majesty know that you have come out today?" Jiang Zhi En asked.

"I told emperor father and emperor father agreed. Don't worry!" Xiao Qi Yu still respected Jiang Zhi En. After all, when he had nothing, Lord Jiang was the first person to show kindness to him. Whatever motive he had, he didn't care. He accepted this kindness.

Li Su rolled her eyes. "Don't stand around anymore. Today is Lu Xi's birthday banquet. Shouldn't you congratulate her on her birthday?"

Jiang Zhi En and Xiao Qi Yu followed suit. They smiled at Li Lu Xi and wished her happy birthday. They then ordered for the gifts they prepared to be given to Li Lu Xi.

Li Su took a look. They were all gold and jade toys. How tasteless!

Jiang Zhi En saw the contempt in Li Su's eyes and angrily said, "What gift did cousin prepare for Lu Xi?"

Li Su tsked with disdain and turned around to take a box from Mother Qiu. "Look! This is the gift I prepared for Lu Xi. I will prepare a copy for her every year on her birthday."

Jiang Zhi En opened it and saw that it was a deed of a house on Lin Xi Street. "This is?"

"This is the dowry I have prepared for Lu Xi. The dowry is generous so my Lu Xi will not be bullied in the future!" Li Su was very content.

"Then what did you prepare for Yi Cheng?" Jiang Zhi En said irritably. He knew the financial situation of the Li family well. This house required a lot of money. "Lu Xi is a girl, but Yi Cheng is a boy."

Li Yi Cheng smiled and said, "Foster father, don't worry. I don't have any issues with my mother preparing things for my younger sister. You said that I am a boy, so I will prepare what I want with my own ability."

Jiang Zhi En looked at Li Su, who looked proud after hearing what Li Yi Cheng said. This family was really wonderful. Normal families left their property to the son, but this family. Really!

1.(三從四德) women are to obey 3 men – their father, their husband, and their son. Then, they need to display the 4 virtues – morality, physical charm, proper speech, and efficient needlework.↩

Chapter 80 – My Son is the Nine Thousandth (final)

Xiao Qi Yu looked at it all. He always knew that the Li family's atmosphere was very good, but when he saw this, he was a little shocked.

But after he got over his shock, he felt envy.

Jiang Zhi En didn't say anything. He wouldn't say anything. He would just go along with it. Yi Cheng was his adopted son. Li Su would do what she wanted. He could take care of him as his foster father.

Li Yi Cheng put down Li Lu Xi and took out a gift that he had personally made. There were two ebony hairclips, one large and one small. He first placed the smaller one in Li Lu Xi's hair. He then picked up the larger one. "Your birthday is your mother's good day. Today is Lu Xi's birthday, which is also mother's good day. Mother, I will also give you this hairpin that I made. Do you like it?"

Li Su took the hairpin and looked at it. She was full of praise. "I like it a lot. Thank you, Yi Cheng."

Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes. A grown man was doing these things. Really.

Li Su had already pulled out her jade hairclip. She then let Li Yi Cheng help her, then looked at Jiang Zhi En. "How is it? My son's craftsmanship is good. This hairpin is good!"

Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes and he did not say anything.

Instead, it was Xiao Qi Yu who sincerely gave his praise. "Auntie looks really good wearing this hairpin!"

Li Su laughed. "You have good eyes, Qi Yu!" Then, she patted his shoulder.

Jiang Zhi En saw that she was like this, and felt a little helpless. Although the 12th prince said that they did not need to go through with all the formalities today, but he was still careful. Fortunately, this child was not like his mother, otherwise he would be really worried.

Xiao Qi Yu and Li Yi Cheng were at the Li household for the entire day. Everyone was happy and they were reluctant to go back to the palace.

Li Su took Li Lu Xi and sent them off to the palace gates.

Xiao Qi Yu still wished to continue, but Li Yi Cheng continued walking to Duan Ben Palace. Xiao Qi Yu said, "Auntie likes to play. How can she be so fun?"

They had only managed to take a few steps when they saw Xiao Shun Zi hurry over. "Your Highness, you are back. His Majesty asks you to go to Tai Ji Temple for dinner."

"What is going on?" Xiao Qi Yu and Li Yi Cheng asked.

Xiao Shun Zi hesitated, but said, "Princess Chang Shan and the emperor's son-in-law fought. Princess Chang Shan ran to the palace, crying. His Majesty was very angry and Lord Chen had to persuade him for a while. They are waiting for you."

Li Yi Cheng lowered his head. It was as he thought.

Xiao Qi Yu said, "Although older sister Chang Shan and the emperor's son-in-law are married, but they are very different. The emperor's son-in-law is a bit too excessive. Furthermore, older sister Chang Shan just suffered a miscarriage. The emperor's son-in-law was too much."

"That's right! It is said that the crown prince is also very angry and ordered for the emperor's son-in-law to be caned and scolded. The emperor's son-in-law quarrelled with the princess, then left," said Xiao Shun Zi.

Li YI Cheng looked at Xiao Shun Zi and wrote 'filial' into Xiao Qi Yu's hand. Xiao Qi Yu nodded slightly, then increased his pace.

They soon arrived at Tai Ji Temple. "Your son pays respects to emperor father."

Emperor Liang did not appear to be angry. He smiled and waved his hand. "Get up. You left the palace today. Did you have fun?"

Xiao Qi Yu smiled and walked to stand next to the emperor. He talked about what happened today and mentioned the variety of food he had.

Emperor Liang laughed, curious. "Was that fried chicken that delicious?" He heard from Chen Jing Zhong that Qi Yu often went hungry when he was younger and so he attached importance to good food. These were small, harmless matters.

Xiao Qi Yu nodded. "Yes, emperor father. Did you know there is a shop in the capital called Aunt Chicken? It is Yi Cheng's mother's place. The food tastes really good. Your son wanted to bring some back for emperor father to try, but your son was afraid that was against palace etiquette, so your son did not dare to bring any." When he finished speaking, he looked like he still wanted to continue.

"What is this? Jing Zhong, have someone go there tomorrow to, what was it, Aunt Chicken? This name… Is a bit tasteless. You let someone go there and bring back some for Us to try," Emperor Liang said with a smile.

Chen Jing Zhong smiled. "Yes, this servant will remember."

Xiao Qi Yu smiled and said, "Emperor father, Yi Cheng's mother gave the name Aunt Chicken to the shop. She said it was easy to understand and more in touch with the common people. Don't say the name isn't good in front of Yi Cheng. Yi Cheng is very filial towards his mother. His father died when he was young, so it was not easy for his mother to raise him and his sister. Today was Yi Cheng's younger sister's birthday. Yi Cheng said that his younger sister's birthday was also his mother's good day, so in a show of his sincerity, he gifted his younger sister and mother hairpins."

When Emperor Liang heard this, he sighed with emotion. "That makes sense, but some people don't understand."

Xiao Qi Yu was a bit nervous. "Emperor father!"

"It's nothing. Is Yi Cheng really your companion? It is good he is a filial child. This kind of filial piety is deserving of an award," said Emperor Liang. "Since he is filial, then We shall award his mother with a title. Give her a title of a sixth rank lady!"

Li Yi Cheng accepted this imperial grace, stunned. He reacted soon after, hurriedly bowing in thanks. "This servant thanks Your Majesty on behalf of this servant's mother!"

Emperor Liang did not pay much attention to companions, so his actions today were merely on a whim. He waved his hand casually. "That's fine. Take care of Twelve in the future."

Li Yi Cheng stood up. It was just a sixth rank title.

Xiao Qi Yu seemed to understand what Li Yi Cheng was thinking. Yi Cheng, if you believe in me, I will personally give auntie a first rank title in the future.

Xiao Qi Yu had dinner with Emperor Liang before he returned to the palace.

Emperor Liang sighed. Now, he could only temporarily feel at peace when he was with Little Twelve. "You should pay more attention to Duan Ben Palace." He often summoned Qi Yu these days, so he was afraid that someone would attack Qi Yu.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. This servant has already made arrangements. In fact, there are many high-ranking concubines in the harem who do not have children. Why doesn't Your Majesty find an honourable foster mother for the Twelfth Prince?" Chen Jing Zhong asked.

"No, I'm afraid Qi Yu will change if he has a distinguished adoptive mother. If that were to be the case, then We wouldn't even have a filial son." Emperor Liang sighed.

"Your Majesty has been worrying too much. All of the princes are filial." Chen Jing Zhong smiled.

"Really? You and I both know better. Is the filial piety they exhibit sincere?" Emperor Liang said calmly. "Has the imperial doctor treated my son-in-law? How is the situation?"

"Yes, the imperial doctor confirmed that Lu Wen Da has been drugged and cannot impregnate women anymore." Chen Jing Zhong also felt that Princess Chang Shan had done something outrageous. Even if she couldn't give birth anymore, did she really intend to prevent Lu Wen Da from having descendants?

Emperor Liang smashed his cup angrily. This wicked girl! If one was going to do something bad, it should be done secretly, or it results in waste. A man wouldn't be able to handle this. It would lead to resentment and he would leave! This was useless. This is also Lu Wen Da, who would take this matter seriously and consider actually leaving.

"Go. Get the crown prince."

"Yes."

After a while, the crown prince hurried over and talked with Emperor Liang for a while. After, the crown prince exited Tai Ji Palace with a pale face. He hurried back to the Eastern Palace.

"Go and tell Lu Wen Da that he has two options. He can either live with Chang Shan honestly, or he can take red crane poison, use a dagger, or hang himself with three feet of white silk," the crown prince said blankly.

"Yes."

Lu Wen Da was lying on the bed as he listened to what that person said. "There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no sons is the worst. I am now like this. What kind of face can I have? To choose just one between red crane poison, a dagger, or three feet of white silk…"

The person who came here to tell Lu Wen Da the news was a little surprised. "Emperor's son-in-law, although you are married to the princess, you are also a subject of His Majesty. You should understand the truth of the relationship between a monarch and his ministers. The minister has no choice but to die. Now that this is happening, the crown prince is very angry."

"Yes, I know that His Highness the crown prince is very angry. Otherwise, why would I be here?" Lu Wen Da was a bit disheartened now. He felt like a broken man. All his ideals and ambitions were useless. He didn't even have an heir, so what good was all of that? Was it worth being humiliated by others or having to live under Chang Shan for the rest of his life?

He had been blind, confused, and mistook a rock for a pearl. His regrets were now useless.

That person had anxiously entered. "Emperor's son-in-law, do you really not want your life? Even if you don't have an heir, you can adopt one. Why would you offend the princess and the crown prince for this? The most important thing is that even His Majesty is angry."

Lu Wen Da was unmoved. He turned his head and stopped talking.

The messenger was forced to return to the palace and make his report.

The crown prince heard that Lu Wen Da didn't understand the favour, so he was furious. "Since he is ignorant of this favour, then give him what he wishes. Give him a bottle of red crane poison!"

"Your Highness, the princess…"

"Do what I want!" The crown prince didn't have the patience to worry about these messy things anymore.

"Yes!"

Xiao Bao Ling learned that the crown prince had ordered someone to give the emperor's son-in-law red crane poison, so she ran back to the princess' mansion. She ignored the empress' attempts at obstructing her.

"Darling Lu! Darling Lu!" Xiao Bao Ling stumbled along the way. She still had feelings for Lu Wen Da. She didn't think there was anything wrong with drugging Lu Wen Da. Only she could give birth to Darling Lu's child. Since she can't give birth, then neither could Darling Lu. But, she didn't expect that Darling Lu's reaction would be to actually hit her. She was furious for a while, so she went to the palace to find the empress to support her.

She never thought that Darling Lu would die. She never thought things would turn out like this. She never thought about killing Darling Lu.

Xiao Bao Ling rushed to the room and saw Lu Wen Da lying motionless on the bed, his breathing weak. She quickly yelled, "Call the doctor, hurry!"

She then pounced on Lu Wen Da. "Darling Lu! Darling Lu!"

Lu Wen Da was still conscious. "Bao Ling!"

Xiao Bao Ling cried and held Lu Wen Da's face. "Darling Lu, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to die. I'm sorry."

Lu Wen Da suddenly reached for Xiao Bao Ling's lips, as if asking for a kiss.

Xiao Bao Ling quickly kissed him. She felt Lu Wen Da push something into her mouth. She was caught off guard, and swallowed it.

With an expression of horror on her face, she hurriedly pushed away Lu Wen Da. She fell to the ground, vomiting. "Darling Lu, what did you make me eat?!"

Lu Wen Da was suffering a severe pain in his heart. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth. "What did you eat? It was the red crane poison from your brother! I saved half for you. You said that we are husband and wife, so we will naturally share all our joy and sorrow."

Xiao Bao Ling also felt pain. She was horrified. "Servant, get a doctor quickly!" Then, she fell to the ground.

Lu Wen Da endured the severe pain and watched the palace ladies and eunuchs surround Xiao Bao Ling in panic. He only felt some comfort in his heart. He should have done this a long time ago. He didn't know if he could see his parents, Li Su, or Yi Cheng. He didn't know if they would forgive him.

Lu Wen Da gradually lost consciousness.

When Li Su heard that Lu Wen Da had died, she couldn't believe it. "What did you say? Lu Wen Da is dead? Really?"

Jiang Zhi En nodded. "Not only that, he fed Princess Chang Shan half of the red crane poison before he died. Fortunately, the imperial doctor managed to treat Princess Chang Shan in time, but she has been in a coma and has yet to wake up. The empress and crown prince were furious. The crown prince has deep hatred for Lu Wen Da!"

Li Su didn't know what to feel. It wasn't surprising that Lu Wen Da ended up like this. She didn't care about Lu Wen Da's end. What she cared about now was her son's mental state.

"How is Yi Cheng?" Li Su asked with a sigh.

"Don't worry. Don't underestimate Yi Cheng. He will be fine." Jiang Zhi En rolled his eyes.

Li Su also rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't feel distressed since he wasn't his son. "If there is time, let Yi Cheng come back. I will talk to him."

"I knew you would say that. Here is a letter for you. Read it!" Jiang Zhi En took out the letter from his sleeve, annoyed.

"If you had it, you should have said something earlier!" Li Su grabbed it and opened it to look at it.

After she finished reading it, her mood had not improved. "Yi Cheng always reports good news, but not the bad news. Let him return!"

"Loving mothers are so interfering!" Jiang Zhi En said angrily.

In fact, after learning of Lu Wen Da's death, Li Yi Cheng was indeed confused. Although Lu Wen Da died alone and in despair, he had no time to do anything. Lu Wen Da had received his retribution, but he was still confused.

But then, Lu Wen Da had been killed by the crown prince. Princess Chang Shan was alive, but practically dead. The empress went into a frenzy. She became increasingly aggressive towards the Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine and Prince Qi. In the court, the crown prince and Prince Qi fought even more fiercely. All of this caused Li Yi Cheng more worries. If the empress and crown prince learned that he and his mother were still alive, would they turn their anger towards him and his mother?

No, he couldn't relax. He had to climb higher!

Thinking of this, Li Yi Cheng had made his resolve and he was no longer confused.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, ten years passed. In these past ten years, many things had happened. Princess Chang Shan died and the highest ranking imperial concubine had her appearance ruined due to an accident. The crown prince and Prince Qi fought and both sides suffered losses. The crown prince had two sons die while Prince Qi fell from a horse and crippled his leg. Prince Qi couldn't accept this and died due to depression.

The battle for the throne did not stop even after Prince Qi's death. It intensified. After the death of Prince Qi, the other princes rose up in a bitter struggle. The crown prince was attacked from all sides. They were impatient and came to an impasse. Finally, he embarked on a road to ruin, and tried to force the emperor to abdicate. He was eventually suppressed.

The crown prince was defeated and the empress died in Cang Wu Palace.

Emperor Liang lost 2 sons and suffered a severe blow. He fell ill. The battle for his successor intensified and Emperor Liang was overwhelmed. He finally declared that the 12th prince would be appointed as the crown prince and he would supervise the country.

A year later, Emperor Liang died and the 12th prince ascended the throne, starting the reign of Guang De. His companion, Li Yi Cheng, entered the Ministry of Civil Personnel. Li Yi Cheng started as an officer in the Ministry of Civil Personnel, then joined the cabinet 3 years later. After a year, he became the head of the cabinet. Together with Jiang Zhi En, the head of the Department of Rites, became a powerful minister during the Guang De period. Due to the emperor's frailty, the court was controlled by two people known as Left Li and Right Jiang.

In the 6th year of the Guang De era, the emperor welcomed Li Yi Cheng's younger sister into the palace as the highest ranking imperial concubine. A year later, she became the noble highest ranking imperial concubine. In the same year, he named Li Su as the highest ranking lady.

In the 9th year of the Guang De era, the noble highest ranking imperial concubine gave birth to a 3rd son. In that year, the empress died of an illness. Noble Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Li was made the empress and her son was established as the crown prince.

In the 15th year of the Guang De era, the emperor died and the head of the court, Li Yi Cheng, followed the emperor's will and supported the crown prince to ascend the throne. Because the crown prince was young, Li Yi Cheng was the regent and declared it to be the Xuan He era.

In the 10th year of the Xuan He era, the emperor got married. In that same year, he took over the government.

In the 20th year of the Xuan He era, the emperor died without children. Li Yi Cheng then chose the Xuan De emperor's younger brother, Prince Lu as the crown prince and supported him to the throne. The era was then changed to Cheng De.

In the 2nd year of the Cheng De era, the emperor abdicated the throne to Li Yi Cheng. Li Yi Cheng then ascended as the emperor and renamed the country Great Qi and changed the reigning dynasty to Jian Yuan. Li Su was the empress dowager and he named his younger sister as Princess Tai He. He was an honourable ruler. He named his wife as the empress and his eldest son as the crown prince.

In the 2nd year of the Jian Yuan era, the crown prince had a son.

In March of the 8th year of Jiang Yuan era, the empress dowager passed away. In July of the same year, Princess Tai He also passed away.

Ten years after the founding of the Jian Yuan era, Li Yi Cheng died.

According to the historical records, Li YI Cheng was a shocking talent and wise beyond his years. When he was young, he accompanied the emperor of the Guang De era and was favoured by him. He became the head of the cabinet for four years and controlled the government for more than 30 years. In the end, he became the emperor and established Great Qi.

He was brilliantly talented, shrewd, strong, wise, and decisive. Apart from the history books condemning him for establishing himself as the emperor, they gave him a very high evaluation.

The historical records greatly discussed his achievements, but also talked about the relationship between him and his mother, the empress dowager. After he ascended the throne, he did not confer a posthumous title to his biological father, only for his esteemed mother. He supported and served the empress dowager, exhibiting great filial piety. He paid respects to his mother in the morning and in the evening. Ten years passed like a day. When they went on an inspection tour, he would wait on the empress dowager and wait upon her. The empress dowager instructed him, so there was nothing wrong with it. After the empress dowager passed away, the emperor stopped going to court for 10 days and suffered from a serious illness. The empress dowager was bestowed many posthumous titles, the most titles for an empress dowager in the history of Da Qi.

The empress dowager was also very upright. One time, the emperor was forced to retreat. This move was criticised by political scholars. His wife, sons, and subjects all tried to persuade him. Only the empress dowager supported it with all her strength, saying, "What my son does has been destined by the heavens. You don't need to say anything more." With the support of the empress dowager, he eventually ascended the throne and founded Da Qi. The country continued for another 160 years.