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Su Yu, accompanied by Wang Gu, entered with the emperor. Upon seeing a small child lying there with a bluish-purple complexion, Wang Gu stepped forward, holding a silver needle, and began detoxifying the child.
The empress harbored deep resentment. She had never imagined herself at odds with Concubine Ling Gui. However, this time, her intervention had gone too far—daring to harm her own imperial son.
“This time, Your Majesty, I am truly angry. I will not let that woman off,” she declared. No evidence? Could anyone dare to have an opinion when she, the empress, decided to deal with a palace concubine?
The emperor looked at her with a hint of amusement and satisfaction. “You should have been like this earlier. I told you, even if you don’t provoke others, they will not leave you alone.”
The imperial harem was like a large dyeing vat; who could stay spotless within?
The former empress was too pure, making her an easy target.
“Empress, I do hope you can be more ruthless. Only then can you protect yourself and Chang Le. After all, I cannot watch over you both all the time,” the emperor earnestly advised.
“Imperial Sister, you must remember that no one in the harem will treat you as a friend, especially someone ambitious like Concubine Ling Gui. She only wishes for your demise. If you maintain your current mentality, you will only suffer in the future. Think about it carefully,” Su Yu said sternly, looking at the empress.
The empress was truly kind, not overly strict with palace concubines, and did not deny others a way out, relying on the emperor’s favor. However, such an empress was too easy to bully.
Concubine Ling Gui’s blatant attack this time was a vivid example.
As long as there were no witnesses, Concubine Ling Gui would be safe, but the second prince had almost lost his life.
The empress took a deep breath, calming herself. There was a cold determination in her eyes. “Your Majesty, release the news that our son has been cured by the gentleman from the Flowing Toast Pavilion. The child has been taken away by him, and he will only return once a year.”
If she had hesitated before, hoping the child could stay with her a little longer, this incident made the empress realize her mistake.
Xiao Yu is right; having a child in the palace is fatal for him.
“Xiao Yu, can you take this child away with you and accept him as your disciple? Consider it a plea from the empress.” This child, who helped my son escape disaster and almost lost his life, will be my adopted son in the future. I won’t give him too much power, but he will live well.
Su Yu was stunned, looking at the empress. “Empress, are you suggesting…”
The empress immediately knelt in front of the emperor. “Your Majesty, I want to adopt this child as my foster son. He saved the life of our son.”
“Very well.” The emperor looked at Su Yu. “Xiao Yu, I entrust this matter to you. I hope you can teach this child so that he can help Hong Yi in the future.”
“I don’t recommend you adopting him as your foster son.” Su Yu shook her head. “If you just want to show gratitude, treating him well in the future is enough. Adopting him as your foster son goes against your original intention of choosing him.”
“Once a person has an identity that doesn’t belong to them, they start desiring things that don’t belong to them,” Su Yu said, looking at the two of them. “As the emperor and empress, you should be aware of this truth.”
After serious consideration, the emperor realized that adopting the child might not be appropriate. He looked at the empress. “Following Xiao Yu’s suggestion, we can simply treat him well in the future.”
This child’s existence is to serve as a substitute for their son.
Upon Su Yu’s words, the empress also realized that she had acted impulsively.
“Alright, let’s follow Xiao Yu’s suggestion and train this child to be Hong Yi’s guard.”
“Okay,” Su Yu nodded in agreement.
While they were talking, Wan Gu had finished treating the child. “How is he, Wan Gu?”
“It will take a few more sessions to completely clear the toxins,” Wan Gu shook his head. This poison is a bit tricky; it will take a few more sessions to completely cleanse it.
“Well, after you’ve cured the child in the palace, you can return.”
“Understood.”
“Your subordinate is quite capable,” the emperor remarked, looking at Su Yu.
“He’s the apprentice of a divine healer, kidnapped by Yuan Bao,” Su Yu couldn’t help but chuckle when he thought about how Wan Gu ended up with him. The misunderstanding was quite significant.
The emperor didn’t inquire further and shifted the conversation to the matter of the child. “Have you informed Xiao He about this?”
Su Yu blinked, a hint of confusion in his eyes. It seemed he had forgotten to tell Xiao He about this?
“If you don’t clarify things with Xiao He in advance, be careful not to be misunderstood when you bring Hong Yi back. If Xiao He doesn’t support you, I wonder how you’ll handle it,” the emperor warned, noting that Su Yu hadn’t informed Wang Jinhe about the situation.
Giving the emperor a sharp look, Su Yu retorted, “Imperial Brother, if you don’t speak, no one will mistake you for a mute. Just keep quiet.”
“After returning, inform Xiao He in advance. You handle the personnel matters; we won’t interfere.”
“Alright.”
After confirming the child was fine, Su Yu went back to prepare for the departure with the child.
At the same time, Su Yu also wrote a letter to Wang Jinhe, detailing the situation on this side, not forgetting to include updates about the two little brothers.
A few days later, Wang Jinhe received the letter sent by Su Yu.
After reading it, Wang Jinhe’s expression became somewhat peculiar. Su Yu had managed to secure her the title of princess during his visit this time—quite impressive.
However, he was planning to bring the emperor’s newborn son along with him. Frowning slightly as she read the details, Wang Jinhe realized their household would now have an additional nursling. She needed to inform her family about this.
Placing the letter in a box, Wang Jinhe went to find Gu Jiuning and the others.
Everyone in the family was trustworthy. Wang Jinhe informed them about Su Yu becoming a prince of a different surname and the plan to bring the emperor’s son along upon his return.
Yu Bailin recently learned a lot about the mysterious country (Xuanguo) and found out that Ling Gui’s maternal family is from the Xie family. He couldn’t help but harbor some negative feelings towards them.
“Xiao Yu is doing the right thing. As long as the Second Prince stays in the palace, he won’t be free from assassination attempts. Bringing him here, nobody will suspect,” Yu Qingfeng believed that what Su Yu did was not only right but well-executed.
The Xie family is becoming more and more outrageous.
Wang Jinhe looked at Su Xi, uncertain whether to speak up or not.
“Xiao He, what’s with that expression? If you have something to say, just say it directly. This hesitant look doesn’t suit you,” Su Xi teased, looking at Wang Jinhe.
Wang Jinhe took a deep breath and revealed the actions of Yang Shanshan and Su Qin: “Su Yu said these are important confidential matters, and there’s a part he hasn’t disclosed.”
Su Xi felt a chill down his spine, looking at Su Yu with disbelief in his eyes. “Is this… true?”
“It’s true,” Wang Jinhe nodded, indicating that the evidence sent out by Su Yu was definitely accurate.
“Those two beasts! And what about Xia Jiu? Did Xiao Yu say anything about his brother?”
“Big brother has been fined three months’ salary and suspended from duty for two months,” Wang Jinhe informed the anxious elder about the emperor’s punishment for Su Jiu.
Su Xi, reassured that his grandson was safe, sighed in relief, “Fortunately, Xia Jiu is okay.”