HLnovel Chapter 617 The Chosen One (2)
Chapter 617 The Chosen One (2)
Pei Yun, who had been observing from the sidelines, witnessed the entire scene. Remembering the prompt she received upon entering the "door"—"The Chosen One"—she decided to follow the boy first.
The boy's clothes were completely out of place in the palace; they were wrinkled and looked like they hadn't been washed in days, the sleeves were noticeably too short, and the edges were somewhat blackened.
He arrived at a dilapidated palace at the northernmost part of the palace. Perhaps the palace was holding an emperor's birthday banquet today, because there were obviously fewer guards here, and the boy arrived at the Cold Palace without any trouble.
"Mother, Mother!" The boy pushed open the creaking door, a smile appearing on his face for the first time.
Pei Yun followed behind him and saw a gaunt woman sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair was disheveled and her whole body emitted an indescribable odor.
"Mother, there's a banquet at the palace today. I found some snacks in the Imperial Garden. Here you go, this is your favorite osmanthus cake..." The boy climbed onto the bed and sat opposite the woman, his slightly immature face showing innocent joy.
The woman's eyes were glazed over, she seemed delirious, and she muttered to herself. Without even glancing at the boy, she simply raised her hand and flung the osmanthus cake from his hand to the ground.
A sadness beyond his years was evident in the boy's eyes. He got out of bed, picked up the osmanthus cake, carefully wiped off the dust, and then offered it to the woman's lips.
He repeatedly and softly called out "Mother," finally coaxing the woman into eating the pastries. Only then did the boy feel relieved, and he left the cold palace, rubbing his rumbling stomach...
The emperor's birthday banquet was extremely grand and extravagant. After the boy arrived at the main hall, he did not sit in the front row reserved for princes. Instead, he hid in the corner furthest from the emperor, enduring his hunger and staring longingly at the dishes on the table.
Pei Yun took this opportunity to observe everyone in the hall. First was the emperor. This old emperor was bloated and had dark circles under his eyes. It was clear that he had been ruined by wine and women and would not live much longer.
He has nine princes under him, the eldest of whom is the crown prince. Judging from what happened in the imperial garden just now, he is arrogant and aloof, and treats his younger brothers with the attitude of a superior.
The second prince kept trying to curry favor with the emperor and the crown prince at the banquet. The third prince seemed to be the crown prince's half-brother, and his attitude towards the crown prince was much more casual, with a cynical smile on his face. The fourth prince drank fine wine while leering at the dancing girls.
The Fifth Prince, whom I had met in the Imperial Garden before, no longer had the gloom on his face. He was raising his wine cup and befriending the court officials present. The Sixth Prince was a thin young man who seemed to be ill. He only stayed at the banquet for a short while before being helped away from the main hall.
As for the Seventh Prince, that boy was wolfing down the food in front of him at the table, looking extremely hungry. The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince were too young to come to the main hall.
After observing the princes, Pei Yun began to observe the princesses and the court officials present...
The birthday banquet lasted until nearly 9 PM before ending, and the attendees began to leave according to their status and rank...
Night, the Eastern Palace—
The Crown Prince returned to his study with a somber expression. He was filled with anger and slammed his fist on the table, saying bitterly, "The Fifth Prince is like that, he wants to drag all those ministers to his side. He's so openly forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, and Father Emperor just sits by and lets him run wild!"
The Third Prince closed the door, walked up to the Crown Prince, and said casually, "Father's preferential treatment of the Fifth Prince is naturally because of Consort Yu..."
"I am the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the rightful crown prince. What right does he have to compete with me for the throne?!"
"The Empress Dowager passed away early, and Consort Yu is currently favored by the Emperor. In addition, the Yu family behind her is a powerful clan. The Yu family is hoping that Consort Yu will be made Empress, and then they will remove you and support the Fifth Prince as the Crown Prince..."
"The Yu family is truly treacherous and ambitious!"
"Brother, Consort Yu's family is now all the power in the harem. We must be careful that she doesn't whisper sweet nothings in Father's ear. You've been collecting beauties from all over the country lately, why don't you present them to him? You know our father, he loves beautiful women the most..."
The Third Prince whispered in the Crown Prince's ear, "This way you'll have more spies in the harem. If Consort Yu makes any moves, you'll know..."
The Crown Prince's expression changed slightly, and he squinted as he sized up the Third Prince: "Third Prince, you seem to know everything about the people around me..."
“Brother, we are compatriots. If you don’t trust me, who else should I trust?” The Third Prince sensed the other’s displeasure, but still smiled. “…Brother, once you become emperor, you’ll have as many women as you want. Why bother with these…”
……
It was nearly midnight when the Third Prince returned to his residence, and a secret guard emerged from a hidden room in his study.
The Third Prince's face was no longer as relaxed as before; in the candlelight, his expression revealed a hint of ferocity as he asked, "How is it?"
"After returning to his residence, the Second Prince whipped all the servants until their skin was torn and bleeding before going to his room to rest..."
"Hmph! The second son is desperately trying to please the Emperor and his elder brother in the palace, but he can only vent his frustration on the servants. What a spineless wretch!"
"The Fourth Prince was very drunk. He originally wanted his men to send the dancers from the banquet to his residence, but the chief eunuch of the palace stopped him. Now..."
"He should be in Father Emperor's bedchamber right now..." the Third Prince said sarcastically.
"After the banquet, the Fifth Prince went to see Consort Yu. There are spies from the Yu family in the palace, so the spies couldn't find out what they said… The Sixth Prince collapsed after returning home. His family summoned the imperial physician, and judging from the physician's tone, it's something that will happen this year… As for the Seventh Prince…"
"No need to say anything more, the people who come next are all useless," the Third Prince said impatiently.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince have been engaged in a fierce power struggle lately, and the Six Ministries are already in disarray. The powerful families in the capital and the ministers in the court are all choosing sides..."
"You underestimate these old foxes. Before the overall situation is settled, apart from a few people who want to take credit for the success of the new emperor, these aristocratic families will not choose sides so quickly. They will only side with the winner."
"The court is in chaos, His Majesty..."
"Ha! Our Emperor is incompetent and foolish in governing the country and the people, but he is very clever in protecting himself. You think he doesn't know that his eldest brother and the fifth brother are fighting? On the contrary, he not only knows they are fighting, but he is also the one who started it. His eldest brother is in his prime, while he is getting old and weak. He has always been suspicious and began to support the fifth brother intentionally or unintentionally in his early years, so that the fifth brother and the eldest brother would fight each other. In this way, their forces would check and balance each other, so that he could sit on the throne steadily..."
"Then why doesn't Your Highness..."
"No, it's not time for them to step into the limelight yet. Let them fight to the death, and let the two of them contend while the third party benefits..."
……
Pei Yun sat on the rooftop, listening to the discussion between the master and servant below...
Three months later, after gaining a general understanding of this mortal world, Pei Yun returned to the palace.
The guards in the Cold Palace were not strict, and the boy had already figured out the route. He secretly carried the food in his arms to a secluded and cold room.
"Mother!" The boy happily sat down next to the mentally challenged woman and handed her the steamed bun in his hand. The woman smelled the aroma, snatched the bun, and began to eat it in large bites.
Just then, Pei Yun, who had been silently observing, appeared. Her appearance startled the boy: "You, you...who are you? How did you...appear so suddenly!"
The doors here were very old and creaked when pushed, but the woman entered silently, like a ghost. The Cold Palace was almost completely dark and cold, with no candles lit. This terrified the boy, who thought he had encountered a ghost!
Pei Yun didn't want to beat around the bush and asked directly, "Do you want to be the emperor?"