“…for this will get a bit unpleasant”
It happened so fast that everyone in the room, even Miyojin, nearly missed what happened.
Before she even finished her sentence, Xia Yu reached for a thin throw knife hidden in her sleeves and launched it with daunting swiftness. Her knife hit Zemin, and half of the blade was buried in his neck. His blood oozed from that fatal cut and sprinkled over the emperor and his bed. It dripped abundantly on the prince’s robes as his body slumped to the ground and his sword fell. Needless to say, the Fourth Prince never rose again. Miyojin, along with the emperor and the empress, stared in surprise.
“Now, it’s over. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for staining your dignified self with your own son’s blood.” Xia Yu said bowing once more at the emperor.
Upon hearing Xia Yu’s apology, Miyojin regained from shock and rushed to his mother. He cut off her mother’s chains. While he did that, the emperor tried to adjust himself so he could sit up.
“It’s alright. You did nothing wrong. If truth be told, you did well and saved us.” the emperor said in a weak but grateful tone.
Miyojin was able to free his mother and they hurried to the emperor’s side. Xia Yu went closer to the emperor but kept a respectful distance. After all, she is only an in-law.
“I must go outside and extend my gratitude to those who aided you in saving us.” the emperor said to Miyojin.
“Father, are you sure about this? You are still poisoned.” Miyojin said in worry.
“Yes, it is important to give regard to those who saved us. Come and help me get up.”
Although both Miyojin and the empress were worried, they still followed the emperor’s command. They helped His Majesty get up from his bed and supported him as he walked out of his quarters and then his palace. Meanwhile, Xia Yu followed them from behind.
Outside the Emperor’s palace awaits General Cheng, his army, and the guards of the Xia family. In the middle of them are the Fourth Prince’s men, apprehended and awaiting their fate. They all kneeled and bowed when they saw the emperor.
“Greetings to His Majesty!” General Cheng greeted in a loud voice. Soon after, the army and the guards also said their greetings in unison.
“Greetings to His Majesty!”
Despite being shaky, the emperor stood tall.
“I thanked everyone for your loyalty and bravery…” the emperor began.
He went on to announce the death of the traitor prince and decreed that all his allies would be imprisoned and subjected to a court trial. He then turned to Miyojin.
“I am deeply happy that my Second Son is here with us, alive and well. My innocent Third Son will also be let out of prison immediately. Despite the loss of my First Son, I am relieved that my Second and Third are alright and-“
The emperor suddenly stopped speaking. He looked like he was restraining himself until he could no longer hold it in. He coughed violently, blood spilling out of his mouth. Horror and panic spread to those who saw it.
Miyojin immediately grabbed onto his father while the empress cried for someone to get a doctor. Due to the amount of blood he coughed out, the emperor fainted in the arms of his Second Son.
Three days had passed since the day of the infiltration of the Imperial Palace and when the emperor fainted. The ruling monarch of the Great Yong Empire was on his bed barely conscious as the Imperial doctor checked up on him. The empress, Prince Miyojin, and Prince Jinyi were at his bedside waiting in anxiety.
The Imperial doctor had finished the diagnosis and bowed before the Imperial Family.
“Imperial Doctor, how is His Majesty?” the empress asked, restlessness etched on her face.
The Imperial doctor looked hesitant before he opened his mouth to speak.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… but His Majesty doesn’t have much time left. We will still attempt to find a cure. However, Your Majesty and His Highnesses should prepare themselves.”
The faces of the Imperial family went pale. The Imperial doctor bowed to them and made his leave. The empress sat on a stool beside the emperor. She grabbed her husband’s hand, feeling the lack of strength in it, and pressed the back of his hand to her cheek. Her gesture made the emperor stir which brought him back to consciousness.
“M-M-Miyo-j-jin” the emperor called in a labored tone.
Miyojin heard him and went closer to his side opposite his mother. He also grabbed his father’s other hand as he spoke.
“Yes, Father. It’s me, your son, Miyojin.”
“Yes… my son…” his father said as he put pressure on his hands holding him tight.
“Our Great Yong Empire… the empire…”
Although the emperor couldn’t finish his sentence, Miyojin knew exactly what he meant.
“Yes, Father. I understand. I will do the best of my abilities for our empire.”
The emperor barely managed to smile before his eyelids dropped and his hands loosened around Miyojin’s. He didn’t open his eyes again. That very night, rain began to pour from the sky as if it was lamenting the passing of a soul.
Miyojin’s head began to hurt seeing the many scrolls that he still has to read for today. It has been a few weeks since the end of the funeral ceremony for Emperor Zhang Zhu Yi. Miyojin, who is now officially the Crown Prince, has a lot of things to do in preparation for his coronation which is only a week away.
He remembered his brother, Zhujin, who spent his younger years preparing to fulfill the role of the Crown Prince and eventually, the role of the emperor. Now, Miyojin has to study the same thing and must complete them in a week. On top of that, he has to see through state affairs as the unofficial monarch of the empire.
Why is this so hard?
The Crown Prince had his hands on his face in frustration. However, he knew he should go forward. He shouldn’t fail his late father and late brother. He must become an excellent emperor to protect their nation. He was in the process of resolving his epiphany when, suddenly, he heard the eunuch make an announcement.
“Your Highness, Lady Mo wishes to see you.”
When he heard her name, Miyojin sat up straight. He told the eunuch to let her in. Lijuan entered the room with two servants carrying trays of meals. She bowed to Miyojin before speaking.
“Your Highness, I have brought your lunch.”
Miyojin looked surprised to hear that it was already the middle of the day.
“Oh? Is it noon already? Have you eaten your lunch?”
“No, I have not, Your Highness.”
He noticed the formal way Lijuan was addressing him. Then, he noticed her looking at her side. She seems to be eyeing the door. That was when he realized the situation.
“You can join me for lunch. The servants may leave and tell Eunuch Dong that he and the servants can leave and take a break.”
The servants followed the Crown Prince’s instructions and left the room. They heard more footsteps leaving which meant that there were no servants outside of the room. Because of this, Lijuan sighed in relief and approached Miyojin.
“It seems I will go crazy with these infinite restrictions on decorum,” Lijuan commented as she brought the tray of food closer to Miyojin.
Miyojin pulled Lijuan close, making her sit on his lap.
“It will get crazier once I become emperor. I hope you won’t think too much of it. How are you, by the way? Is our baby kicking again?” Miyojin said as he began to rub Lijuan’s belly. Just looking at the size of her belly, they can already tell that they will meet their bundle of joy soon.
“Yes! Just this morning. I was speaking to our child. As if he… or she heard me, I felt a kick.” she said while rubbing her belly as well. Miyojin got excited hearing this.
“It seems that our baby can already recognize her mother’s voice,” Miyojin said as he leaned his face to the belly of Lijuan. He kissed her belly as he started cooing words to the child inside. He hoped his son or daughter would also recognize his voice. His gesture was so endearing that Lijuan couldn’t fight the fit of giggles that erupted in her.
For a moment, Miyojin forgot about his worries. He and Lijuan were in their little world as if they were only an ordinary couple anticipating the birth of their child. Little did they know that they had an audience of two with one peering through the slightly opened door.
Xia Yu had an unreadable expression as she saw and heard the exchange between her husband and his concubine. Beside her was Boyang, holding a tray of food that Xia Yu cooked herself. She made sure that this single meal had enough nutrients to keep anyone energized for the whole day. However, it seems she was a bit too late. Without another sound, she and her maid left with her tray of food, leaving the two undisturbed.
The next morning, Miyojin had just sat at his desk to begin another day of work. It hasn’t been that long since the breaking of dawn. However, since he knew he had a lot of work to do, he woke up as early as he could to begin the day. He was about to grab one of the scrolls when he heard the eunuch’s announcement.
“Your Highness, Her Highness, the Crown Princess, wishes to have an audience with you.”
Miyojin’s eyes widened in surprise and glee. He could finally see and talk to Xia Yu. The last time they talked was after the emperor collapsed. She asked for permission to lead the investigation and bring all those involved in the assassination and the poisoning of the emperor to justice. He, of course, granted her the authority. However, this caused him to see her less.
The last time he saw her was during the funeral of the emperor. She wasn’t at his side during the funeral but he caught a glimpse of her with her family when they paid their respects. After the funeral, she suddenly disappeared. His in-laws said that she caught word that some of the suspects were escaping the capital thus, she had to stop them at once. Nevertheless, the prince received constant reports of her progress and the status of her investigations.
Because of Xia Yu’s dedication, all those who were suspected were captured. Those who were proven guilty were punished. She was able to wrap up everything the other day. Miyojin was expecting she would visit him yesterday but she didn’t come. Even so, he felt happy that she was here now.
After granting her entrance, the door opened revealing Xia Yu. It has been so long since he saw her in her imperial princess robes. He also noticed the two scrolls in her hands. Xia Yu bowed.
“Greetings to Your Highness!” she said.
“Greetings to you as well, Crown Princess. What brings you here?” Miyojin said with a smile. He has been meaning to call her with her new title. He feared that he wouldn’t be able to get that chance since they would soon change their titles again.
“May I come closer, Your Highness?”
Miyojin wanted to comment about her being too formal with him. However, he sensed the seriousness of her tone and realized she had something very important to say.
“Yes, you may.”
Xia Yu drew closer to him. When she was close enough, Miyojin asked her.
“What is it you need to say?”
Xia Yu smiled and said…
“Let’s get a divorce now.”
