The Qianwan Emperor was not in the harem at this time, as he was still in the imperial study discussing matters with the ministers. The envoys from Xiwan were about to arrive in the capital to pay their respects and deliver the national letter, and there were many pressing matters on the desk that had to be dealt with.

To be fair, the Qianwan Emperor was not a foolish and licentious emperor, although Shangguan Mingde would sometimes curse him as a muddled ruler, he was not always like that. The previous court had set four morning courts a month, but under the Qianwan Emperor, it became a daily morning court, with regular inspections of the officials' achievements and clear rewards and punishments. It could be said that although he was indeed somewhat immoral as a man, as an emperor, he was very wise and decisive.

Prime Minister Xia Zheng finished his elaboration on the various arrangements for the audience with the envoys from Xiwan. When he raised his eyes, he saw the Qianwan Emperor sitting silently behind the desk, lost in thought. He quickly lowered his head and coughed lightly.

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly came back to his senses, "Prime Minister."

"Your subject is here."

"The spring imperial examination has ended, hasn't it?"

Xia Zheng was stunned for a moment, "...I believe it has just ended when the great bell rang."

The Qianwan Emperor nodded, then unexpectedly and without much continuity said, "Since that's the case, the crown prince is not young anymore and has not yet had a grand wedding. The empress said that your younger daughter is beautiful and well-mannered. I think we should betroth her as my son's wife. What does the Prime Minister think?"

Prime Minister Xia trembled, then immediately knelt down and kowtowed nine times, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for the grace!"

Today's crown princess, barring any unexpected circumstances, would be the future empress.

In fact, this "expectation" was not uncommon in the palace. A slightly seasoned snack, a few words with ulterior motives, or even a momentary whim of the emperor... could all lead to this unexpected occurrence. There were too many possible errors that could completely destroy the path to becoming empress. At the same time, the stable approach was to ensure that the crown prince ascended to the throne.

Mingde had always been eagerly hoping for Prime Minister Xia's daughter, who held power at the time, to become the crown princess. For this, he did not hesitate to frame and kill Xia Zhaoyi. If the elder sister became the emperor's concubine, the younger sister could never be the crown prince's principal wife.

As for him conveniently framing Noble Consort Ding's maternal family, that was purely Shangguan Mingde's vicious petty behavior.

The Qianwan Emperor looked down on Mingde's little tricks behind the scenes for a while, but even if he wanted to stop it, he couldn't. He couldn't really deal with Mingde, could he? All he could do was, even though he clearly knew that Mingde was hoping every day for him to issue a decree betrothing the crown prince, he deliberately held back on issuing that decree.

From winter to early spring, he watched as Mingde scratched his heart out every day, hovering around him every day, hesitating to speak, but he just leisurely refused to let him off the hook.

You're playing little tricks with me? I'll make sure you can't succeed.

The Qianwan Emperor had originally planned to drag it out for a year or two. After a year or two, he would slowly find some fault to investigate and deal with the Shangguan family. A child from a disgraced family with no official position would easily fall into his hands.

But now that something sudden had happened, he was going to do something that would be very unfair to Mingde, which might cause that little thing to explode or even jump over the wall... So he had no choice but to give a little compensation and buffer beforehand.

The Qianwan Emperor coughed and said, "Rise, my beloved official. I see that the crown prince can't be delayed any longer. Let's choose an auspicious date and hold the grand ceremony."

Just as Xia Zheng was about to open his mouth to thank for the grace, Zhang Kuo suddenly emerged from behind the crystal curtain, leaned over to the Qianwan Emperor's ear and said a few words. The Qianwan Emperor's face changed. He stood up without saying a word and went straight to the inner hall.

The entire court of officials was stunned. Zhang Kuo immediately stood up, waved his whisk, and solemnly said, "Hear the decree, officials: If there are matters, discuss them tomorrow. The court is dismissed for today—"

This "discuss them tomorrow" was added by Zhang Kuo himself. In fact, if there was really an urgent matter, it could be sent into the palace through someone in the afternoon. But Zhang Kuo estimated that after the emperor saw Mingde, he would not easily leave. If the emperor was able to have the mind to deal with government affairs this afternoon, it would be impossible.

The palace servants were gathered around Mingde in the inner chamber of Zhengtai Palace, serving medicine and water. Suddenly, the Qianwan Emperor kicked the door open with a bang and barged straight in.

The palace servants hurriedly knelt down together, "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

The Qianwan Emperor impatiently waved his hand to excuse them. Long live? At this moment, the person was almost out of breath, what long live!

Ah Zui, who was beside the crown prince, was just walking to the door to inquire about the situation. When she saw the Qianwan Emperor inside, she immediately stopped in her tracks. Who knew that the corner of her scarlet dress still fluttered out and was seen by the Qianwan Emperor. She was about to avoid him when she heard the emperor say from inside, "Grand Chamberlain, come in!"

Ah Zui hurriedly walked in and bowed, "This servant pays respect to Your Majesty..."

The Qianwan Emperor interrupted her, "Where are the imperial physicians? He's already unconscious, why are you still covering him with such a thick quilt? Do you want to suffocate him to death? You're a Grand Chamberlain, and you don't even know how to handle this?"

Ah Zui thought to herself, I haven't even come in yet, what does this have to do with me?

She immediately knelt down and said, "Those ignorant servants don't know any better. This servant will personally take care of Lord Mingde. Your Majesty has many affairs to attend to, it's better to..."

The Qianwan Emperor interrupted her again, "Can't I stay by his side?"

Ah Zui immediately said, "This servant wouldn't dare!"

She held a role akin to a housekeeper in the crown prince's palace. The empress treated her as half a daughter, and the emperor, seeing her loyalty and decisiveness surpassing the crown prince on a daily basis, did not say much to her either. Ah Zui personally took a snow fur coat to replace the brocade quilt. As a result, when the Qianwan Emperor saw it, he impatiently asked, "Don't you have anything lighter?"

Ah Zui hurriedly said, "This servant will go and get Your Majesty's fox fur coat right away."

A chief eunuch beside the Qianwan Emperor was startled. Before he could remind that it was against protocol, Ah Zui pinched the back of his hand, and he hurriedly retreated.

After a while, the fox fur coat was brought. Just as Ah Zui was about to put it on Mingde, she heard the Qianwan Emperor snort and say, "I'll do it myself."

The Emperor, who had never served anyone before, carefully and gently removed the blanket and wrapped the sleeping Mingde in a fox fur coat, taking care not to disturb him. Ah Zui glanced over and saw Mingde's shoulder blades covered in bruises, some purple and some green, with traces of blood seeping through. He couldn't help but gasp in shock.

This was not consummation, it was simply a deliberate attempt to ruin someone.

The Emperor wrapped Mingde entirely in the fox fur and lifted him into his arms, striding out with big steps. The chief eunuch hurried to catch up and asked, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

As he walked, the Emperor calmly said, "From now on, let him stay in my bedchamber."

The chief eunuch was about to cry out that this disregarded the system, but the Emperor's next words stopped him in his tracks. The Emperor paused before the imperial carriage and turned to him, saying in a low voice, "...Arrange everything according to the standards of the Fengxian Palace."

The chief eunuch was shocked.

The standards of the Fengxian Palace... that was the treatment given to the current Empress.

_

When Ding Huang entered the hall with a bow, he thought he saw the Emperor holding a child in his arms, but he quickly lowered his head without getting a clear look.

"Your servant Ding Huang pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live..."

The Emperor interrupted him with a sharp glance, then lowered his voice and pointed to the desk in front, "Put it up there."

Ding Huang hurriedly presented the examination papers he was holding with a bow. As he approached, he saw the young man in the Emperor's arms, his thin body wrapped in fox fur, with only the tip of his nose exposed, looking frighteningly pale as if he could stop breathing at any moment.

The Emperor seemed afraid of disturbing the boy, and unfolded the paper as quietly as possible. Ding Huang said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Imperial College official Xie Hongjie has reviewed this paper and strongly recommends this candidate for the top scholar position. But your servant, upon reading this person's views, became very apprehensive..."

The Emperor stared at the handwriting on the paper without moving. Even though the name was sealed, he could tell who it was from the thin and bony calligraphy.

"Debauchery, extravagance, misgovernment, obstinacy, muddleheadedness, cruelty, violation of human relations, unfit to be a model for the world..." The Emperor read out the words one by one in a low voice, then let out a cold laugh. "Eight resounding charges."

Ding Huang bowed his head deeply.

The Emperor closed the examination paper. It was also at this desk, also holding this person in his arms from behind like this, also guiding his hand stroke by stroke to teach him calligraphy. It was also this kind of early spring weather, but the air was as cold as if it were late autumn. Outside the Qingzhen Palace, the sky was high and far, but not a single bird soared across it.

How old was that child at that time? That hand, thin and delicate, was held in his palm, every exquisite bone pressing against his hand, as if it could be crushed and dissolved into his own flesh and blood with just a little force.

Such good handwriting, such splendid literary talent, now on this desk stroke by stroke indicting his crimes: debauchery, extravagance, misgovernment, obstinacy, muddleheadedness, cruelty, violation of human relations, unfit to be a model for the world...

Mingde was sleeping in a daze, his head buried in the Emperor's arms, breathing lightly, the slight airflow gently tickling the muscles of the Emperor's neck.

The Emperor put down the examination paper and said indifferently, "This person has good penmanship."

Ding Huang's heart trembled.

"Then let him be named the top scholar."

Ding Huang looked at the Emperor. The Son of Heaven, high above, had a solemn and dignified expression, seemingly revealing no true emotions.

Ding Huang kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, retreating with great ceremony, "Your servant receives the decree!"

Perhaps his voice was a bit loud, as the young man in the Emperor's arms suddenly started coughing. The Emperor quickly held him tight and said to Ding Huang hurriedly, "You may go."

Ding Huang hastily withdrew from the door. With a final glance before closing the door, he saw the Emperor tightly embracing the person in his arms with one hand and caressing that person's face with the other, murmuring, "Why are you still coughing... be good... are you thirsty? Do you want some water..."

On a certain night in early spring of the 17th year of the Qianwan Emperor's reign, the Imperial Medical Academy was suddenly broken into by a pair of guards holding an imperial edict. The head physician Wang Junyi tremblingly put on his clothes and was immediately grabbed.

"The Imperial Medical Academy receives the decree: enter the palace at once!"

The physicians on duty were herded like ducks into a carriage. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at breakneck speed, nearly shaking their old bones apart. When Wang Junyi got off the carriage with a shudder, he saw that it was the Emperor's bedchamber, the Qingzhen Palace, brightly lit and bustling with people in the night.

The palace maids were all whispering: it was that favored consort who had fallen gravely ill, coughing up blood mouthful after mouthful, soaking through several sets of bedsheets with sweat...

But which palace the consort was from, no one could say for sure. Wang Junyi, leaning on his cane, led the group of frightened physicians into the palace for an audience. The Emperor was sitting by the huge dragon bed in the inner chamber, one hand lifting the bed curtain, his expression not only gloomy but even a little flustered.

Wang Junyi was the first to kneel down tremblingly, "This old servant pays his respects..."

"Enough, enough, Physician Wang, come quickly and see what's wrong with him!"

Wang Junyi hurriedly hobbled forward with his cane. Through the translucent white gold-embroidered bed curtains, he could not clearly see what the person on the bed looked like, only a hand hanging outside the curtains, thin and delicate, with bones starkly protruding.

Wang Junyi said "Excuse me" and gently placed that hand on a gold-lacquered glass tray, pressing two fingers on the pulse for a while. The Emperor kept his eyes fixed on him the whole time, finally asking, "What's wrong with him?"

Wang Junyi hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "Your Majesty, this noble person's pulse is rough and weak, not very smooth, seeming to have a deficiency..."

The Emperor nearly kicked him out. "What's the point of you saying all this! Get someone else!"

The imperial physicians came forward one by one, each taking the pulse for a while, and then all of them used the mediocre words of "deficiency syndrome" and "deficiency of both qi and blood" to make excuses. Finally, Wang Junyi prescribed a prescription, which was still a mild blood-nourishing tonic.

The Qianwan Emperor knew that these old imperial physicians only knew how to seek stability and avoid mistakes, and when he saw the prescription, he was so angry that he threw it on the ground.

"Did I keep you old things to regulate qi and blood deficiency? Can blood deficiency cause so much blood vomiting? You are all useless!"

The person behind the bed curtains suddenly started coughing, getting more and more severe, and then he curled up. The Qianwan Emperor hurriedly held him in his arms and wiped the corners of his mouth with his hand, which was covered in blood.

"You bunch of imperial physicians who enjoy ease and comfort! Can't you even figure out what the symptom of vomiting blood is? No matter what the situation is, you just use the words qi and blood deficiency to fool me. You all want to go home, don't you!"

"Your Majesty," a person at the end of the imperial physician team suddenly knelt down, "I boldly ask Your Majesty to let me take a look at the complexion of this noble person, may I?"

Wang Junyi turned around abruptly, tremblingly pointing at him with his cane: "Hu Zhicheng! How dare you disregard the system!"

Hu Zhicheng, the middle-aged imperial physician who had always been excluded, was used to such sarcastic remarks. He knelt down neither humbly nor arrogantly and said, "I'm guilty of a capital crime, and I beg Your Majesty to make a decision."

If it were normal times, the Qianwan Emperor would definitely have the same idea as Wang Junyi: this person is too bold. But at this time, the Qianwan Emperor couldn't care less. He waved his hand and said, "Just look, as long as he can be cured, looking won't lose a piece of flesh! You come up."

Hu Zhicheng thanked for the grace and carefully lifted the bed curtain.

The Qianwan Emperor sat on the edge of the bed, one arm around Mingde, wrapping him from his shoulders and holding him on his knees. He held him so tightly that it took Hu Zhicheng a few seconds to see Mingde's complexion in the messy bedding and clothes. It turned out to be not a concubine, but a boy at most in his teens.

The boy was very beautiful, it could be said, even more beautiful than the general concubines in the harem. The clarity of a teenager was oddly mixed with tenderness, like a streak of the most vivid blood in clear water.

Hu Zhicheng lowered his head and said, "I'm guilty of ten thousand deaths."

The Qianwan Emperor's voice was a little unsteady: "Did you figure out anything?"

"I'm guilty of ten thousand deaths," Hu Zhicheng said, "Night sweats, coughing up blood, low fever in the afternoon, face like peach blossoms... I think this young noble has corpse poisoning."