He was the eldest son in his family. When he was young, his mother was seriously ill and they had no money to treat her, so he sold himself into the palace to earn money.

Now that his parents are being taken care of by his younger brother, and with the monthly allowance he's sent home over the years, they should be able to live quite well.

He has now repaid the debt of gratitude that Murong Qing saved his life back then.

Thinking of this, he looked up at the Crown Prince, at the person he had cared for and accompanied for many years, and smiled. The smile contained reluctance and bitterness, but more than anything, it was a sense of relief.

Murong Zhi: "Get up, let bygones be bygones."

She paused, then added, "Do you want to go back to A-Qing's side? If..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Cheng shook his head and said, "No, Your Highness."

Murong Zhi: "Then you can leave the manor to reunite with your family, and I will let you leave."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng could no longer hold back, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Murong Zhi assumed he wanted to leave the manor and comforted him, "I didn't mention it before because I was reluctant to let you leave. If I had known earlier..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng wiped away his tears and choked out, "No, Your Highness, I just... Your Highness is just too kind, I..."

She paused, suppressing her emotions, and added, "From now on, my life belongs to Your Highness. If Your Highness commands me to die, I will go. If Your Highness still needs me, I will follow you for the rest of my life, until my death." Her voice was firm and resolute.

After a conversation, the master and servant resolved their long-standing misunderstanding. After leaving the Crown Prince's study, Zhao Cheng went back to his work.

After returning from Tianfo Temple, the Emperor entrusted the Bodhi Sacred Lotus to the Imperial Hospital for use in preparing medicinal soups.

After drinking the medicine made from sacred lotus by the Imperial Medical Academy, the Emperor felt much better and thought he had become younger. He became increasingly obsessed with researching herbal decoctions and gradually lost interest in court affairs, becoming annoyed by the persuasion of the Crown Prince and others. A month later, he simply abdicated in favor of the Crown Prince, no longer concerning himself with court affairs, and spent his days at his villa in the Imperial City researching various herbal decoctions and pills with the imperial physicians.

Royal City Villa

Imperial Noble Consort Qin Fei looked at the Emperor, who was studying a pile of unknown herbs, and hesitated to speak.

The Emperor busied himself for a while, rummaging through the herbs he had prepared to brew the tonic soup and setting them aside for later use. He then turned to Qin Fei, who seemed to have something to say.

He said helplessly, "Fei'er, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I'm not going back to the palace. I'm fine here, and I don't want to go anywhere."

He paused for a moment and then added, "Don't come over here unless it's absolutely necessary."

Qin Fei said with some worry, "Your Majesty, all medicines have some degree of toxicity..."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened, and he said, "I know what I'm doing."

Seeing that the Emperor was determined to do so, Qin Fei did not try to persuade him further. She thought that when she returned, she would have to instruct the imperial physicians to send medicinal herbs with mild medicinal properties to the villa, so that even long-term use would not harm their health.

Qin Fei: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony will be on May 17th, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Emperor interrupted her, saying, "You can make the arrangements as you see fit; I won't participate."

Qin Fei: "Yes."

Qin Fei: "What about Qing'er and Ya'er's marriage..."

The Emperor said, "You are in charge."

The Emperor said, "It's getting late. You should return to the palace soon."

Qin Fei: "Yes." After saying that, she got up and prepared to leave.

The Emperor: "Wait."

Qin Fei turned around: "Your Majesty?"

The Emperor said, "Just consider this my way of enjoying my retirement. Don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

The Emperor said, “Please pass on a message to the Crown Prince: From now on, whether it’s matters of the court or their marriages, they should arrange everything themselves and not come to me.”

Qin Fei concealed her worries and respectfully replied, "Yes."