(Fictional world)
The weather in the capital city was only just starting to get cold in September, and many people were still wearing only light clothing, but the stoves in the Prince Kang's mansion were lit early in the morning.
"Sister Yufu, has the Prince gone to sleep?"
The voices outside the window were soft and gentle, and didn't sound like normal men's voices.
"I coughed all night yesterday, and the imperial physician gave me some sedative medicine. I'm feeling a bit calmer now."
The maid named Yu Fu replied in a low voice, afraid of disturbing the people inside.
"I'll hurry and report back, so His Highness won't have to rush over after court."
"Go quickly."
After the two finished speaking in hushed tones, the eunuch immediately went to report back, leaving no sound of footsteps.
Inside the room, Xie Ming, dressed in a white nightgown, sat cross-legged on the bed. He was not asleep as Yu Fu had said, nor was he calmed down because he had taken a tranquilizer.
Instead, he returned, and his frail body had recovered considerably.
He doesn't intend to become as strong as an ox; he's fine as he is.
The body's foundation isn't completely broken, it's just weak. You have to be extra careful every autumn, but once the season is over, nothing serious happens.
Not long after the people outside left, several servants stood in the courtyard with something to report.
"Yu Fu, come in..."
Knowing why they had come, Xie Ming called the maids from outside into the room.
Previously, he had four personal maids, one personal eunuch who also served as the chief steward of the palace, several head maids, and dozens of other eunuchs and maids.
But if you really count, his only confidant was that chief eunuch.
"master."
Hearing her mistress's voice, Yu Fu was annoyed by the intruder's inconsiderate behavior. Her mistress had finally fallen asleep, only to be woken up by this clueless person. Despite her anger, she quickly rushed into the room.
Upon catching a glimpse of the stunningly beautiful woman who had just entered, Xie Ming couldn't help but cover his lips and chuckle.
No wonder I treated this maid so well back then; I must have seen her potential back then.
Who would have thought that ten years later, this beautiful and graceful woman would become a "big cutie" weighing over 300 pounds?
"This servant greets Master."
Yu Fu placed her hands on her forehead, bent her knees, and knelt down to worship.
"Get up."
The voice above was clear and pleasant, but Yu Fu dared not look up. She only dared to glance at the shadow sitting cross-legged behind the curtain.
A pair of slender, flawless hands could be vaguely seen on the moon-white satin, fiddling with a string of jade beads.
"Who offended you?" Xie Ming asked with a light laugh, imagining his future kind-faced nanny.
"It was the Imperial Concubine who sent them over!"
"Ha~ They're in a hurry." He paused, then added, "Go and prepare some food for me."
Yu Fu smiled and agreed, but her heart was heavy with sorrow. Such a good master—heaven was truly blind!
After leaving the room, Xie Ming adjusted his cloak, got off the bed, went to the study next door, took out a few books, and returned to the bed to read them.
His status in this life was extremely high; he was the emperor's fifth son, and the crown prince was his brother, born to the empress.
However, he fell victim to a trap and became known as a sickly man, destined to be unable to seize the throne. He was destined to be the next emperor's mascot, enjoying a life of wealth and glory.
In his previous life, the imperial physician diagnosed him as being too weak to have children, so the emperor and empress arranged for him to be adopted by a member of the imperial clan.
Later, after he handed over most of the palace to his heir, that scoundrel actually poisoned him to consolidate his position.
He had no intention of having any more heirs in this lifetime, and that ungrateful wretch would find a good place to go.
But in essence, that adopted son wasn't a legitimate member of the royal family; in fact, his entire family wasn't.
As for why they became members of the imperial family, the story begins with the founding emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
Before Emperor Taizong rose in rebellion, he was just an ordinary member of the Xie clan. He was the eldest son in his family, and his father remarried a widow from town with a child after his mother's death.
The father remarried and had a new son, so he no longer valued his eldest son as much as before.
Emperor Taizu also left home at a young age to make his way in the world, but little did he expect that his venture would lead him to the throne.
When the news reached the town, the emperor's father even fantasized about ascending the throne and reaping the benefits.
Who was Emperor Taizu? He was a man who founded a new dynasty and created a new world. How could he be manipulated by greedy country bumpkins?
Just before ascending the throne, he hosted a banquet for clan leaders and relatives in the palace, while those sitting with him were generals and commanders whose bloodlust had not yet subsided.
So when the banquet ended, the clan chief came out trembling and said that when the great ancestor's grandfather encountered a ferocious beast on the mountain, he was saved by the great ancestor's uncle, who also lost his life as a result.
Before his death, Emperor Taizu's grandfather wanted Emperor Taizu's father to adopt a child for that uncle to carry on the family line. Emperor Taizu's father agreed, but it never came to fruition.
After the clan chief finished speaking, he and the clan elders knelt before the great ancestor and begged him to fulfill his grandfather's last wish.
Thus, before he ascended the throne, Emperor Taizu became someone else's child, and his biological father became his uncle.
As for whether there really is such a biological uncle, well! There are plenty of people in the clan who have no one to carry on the family line, so just move one over.
Out of gratitude for the clan's concern for his grandfather's last wish, the founding emperor designated one grandson from each of the clan chiefs and elders to be placed into the direct line of succession.
It is said that in the future, his uncle will not only have a son, but also a grandson, so he can eat the incense of several families every year during Qingming Festival.
Those children also benefited from this favor, and in the end, both sides were satisfied and happy.
The emperor's son became the emperor's nephew, and the emperor's former father was furious, chasing after him in tears to complain.
Finally, Emperor Taizu was thoroughly annoyed, but unable to kill him, so he granted him a hereditary title and sent him away.
Xie Ming's later adopted son, Xie Shuli, was a descendant of Emperor Taizu's stepson and a child brought to the Xie family by Emperor Taizu's stepmother.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
