Even the fastest and healthiest goshawk would need to fly a full eighteen days to travel from Da Shun’s capital to the imperial palace of Gu Shu.

  And in these eighteen days, the situation in the capital had stabilised. And because it was the New Year, the Emperor put down the seal and did not carry out morning court, so this holiday dragged on and on until the sixteen day of the first month. Therefore, during these days, everyone had more free time and no one entered the palace, the liveliness in the palace also quietened down.

  Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui and the Emperor were loving and spent their days together, occasionally walking around in the palace, and nothing much happened. As for the Eighth Prince Xuan Tianmo, he used the reason of recuperating to stay in the Sheng Palace all day and told the outside world that he was allergic after eating something and could not receive visitors for the time being.

  With regards to the Eighth Prince’s condition, the people did have some suspicions, everyone remembered the Eighth Prince’s appearance when his illness suddenly flared up during the imperial banquet on the first day of the New Year. Some people even remembered that his legs were clamped tightly together and he seemed to be squirming non-stop, looking like he was in extreme pain. But no one knew what illness was an allergy and some of them did secretly ask a physician. The physician also said that the symptoms of allergy could manifest in any area, it was just that as long as they did not come in contact with what they were allergic to, they would recover after a period of time. It was then the people from the Eighth Prince’s faction started to relax.

  Feng Yuheng did not enter the palace to help adjust Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui’s constitution, and Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui did see all the imperial physicians in the imperial health hall, and everyone gave her prescriptions based on her “desire to have a son”, she was drinking bitter soups and medicines all day, and drinking them was troublesome.

  The Emperor advised her: “Why don’t we ask Old Ninth’s wife to enter the palace and help you adjust? Her medical skills is still good and the old men at the imperial health hall are not her match. Seeing you drink these things every day, even We feel bitter watching it. We heard that Old Ninth’s wife has those tablet kind of medicines in her possession, they are not bitter and eating them is not a sin.”


  But did Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui still dare to let Feng Yuheng enter the palace, since Feng Yuheng left the last time, her heart had been in a panic, with the addition of the Eighth Prince’s illness, the heart which she held up had never been put down once. Seeing that the Emperor brought up this topic again, she voice her thoughts directly: Your Majesty, that Princess Yu is still someone by the His Highness the Ninth Prince’s side, and you also know, His Highness the Ninth Prince had always been eyeing the throne, asking her to enter the palace to adjust This Concubine’s constitution, it does not make sense.”


  “Old Ninth is eyeing the throne?” The Emperor frowned and scoffed coldly, “It’s useless whoever is eyeing it, We have already made up our mind to pass the throne to Mo-er, his thoughts would not be entertained.” Saying this, he sighed again and said: “It’s been some days since Mo-er entered the palace, We don’t know if his allergic condition has improved.”


  Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui sighed as well, saying directly: “This Concubine is also worried about him all day and is unable to sleep properly at night.”


  “We can tell.” He used his large hand to caress her, “Seeing you become frailer by the day, Our heart also aches, so it’s decided! We will allow you to leave the imperial palace, go to Sheng Palace personally to visit Mo-er, saving the trouble of always worrying about it. We also wish to know about Mo-er’s situation, after you took a look, explain it to Us properly.”


  “Your Majesty allows This Concubine to leave the palace to see my imperial son?” Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui was very happy. The concubines and noble ladies could not leave the palace, unless they had special permission from the Emperor, but under normal circumstances, this kind of special permission was too rare. Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui also wanted to see Xuan Tianmo and ask him about his illness, but she could not leave and Xuan Tianmo had not come, causing her to be filled with anxiety these few days. Today, the Emperor actually gave such a grace and she was so happy that she quickly knelt down to kowtow three times to the Emperor.

  The Emperor helped her up and even put his outer cape personally around her shoulders and let his personal attendant Wu Ying go with her. Then as he watched Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui leave Zhao He Hall, he suddenly said: “Xiao Yuan Zhi, have a stroll with Us.”


  Saying this, he waited for a while and no one replied. He was a little stunned and wondered why he would say such a sentence out loud, who was Xiao Yuan Zhi? For a while, his mind was a little messed up.

  A Eunuch on standby in the hall approached and stood at the Emperor’s side with his hands at his sides, waiting for orders. Half a beat later, the Emperor finally spoke: “Accompany Us for a walk outside, the charcoal in this hall is burning too brightly, it’s so hot that We are getting a headache.”


  The Emperor said he wanted to take a walk outside, then the people following him could not be small in number. In a short while, the palace staff on standby in Zhao He Hall followed, situated near and far, looking very grand.

  The Emperor did not stop them and walked in front with his hands behind his back. He walked with large steps, ignoring all of them.

  He walked without any destination in mind but was definitely walking around in the imperial palace. From Zhao He Hall to the imperial harem, then from the imperial harem to the garden, then going around the garden and leaving, he walked around the lake covered in ice. With this walk, he walked for close to two hours, such that the palace staff following could not help but remind him: “Your Majesty, it is cold outside, we should return!”


  The Emperor did not speak and only walked continued to walk on the side paths with his head lowered. In reality, he was thinking, thinking what was that cloudy feeling which would occasionally occur recently? Without Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui at his side, he noticed one thing, once Imperial Yuan Gui was not at his side, his mind would wander easily, thinking about various things in the imperial palace, thinking about how he lived through those days in the past? Why did he feel like he had forgotten many things? He also thought about what Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui said just now, the Ninth Prince was also aiming for the throne. These disorganised thoughts would only rise up after Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui left, and as long as Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui returned to his side, strong feelings of happiness would come, making him think that Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui was the best person in the world and the Eighth Prince was the one he truly wanted to hand over the throne to.

  The Emperor felt he was ill, it was an illness where he could not stay away from Imperial Concubine Yuan Gui, he was lucky that he still had this concubine at his side! If not, no one would be able to cure his sickness and he would be like this until the end of his days, walking around like a headless chicken, always feeling that he had no strong foundation. To put in a poetic manner, he was like a piece of duckweed, having no roots and no knowing where to go towards.

  Going around to the front of a small garden, the Emperor stopped, and seeing the thick layer of snow in the garden, he suddenly mumbled to himself: “Are We so old that We cannot hold up anymore? This should be called something like dementia, right?” After saying this, he was stunned again, dementia? Where did he learn this term? In his memories, it seemed like something had said this term to him, but he did not remember which person told him this.

  The Eunuch at his side did not understand what he said and quickly asked: “Your Majesty, is something the matter?”


  The Emperor waved his hand in dismissal and wanted to say that nothing was wrong, but at this moment, he saw someone walk over from the other side of the small path. He was in Eunuch attire and his head was lowered. When he came closer, that person discovered that someone was in front and when that person looked up and saw him, he was stunned, then looked down and approached respectfully, knelt down, saying: “This Servant greets Your Majesty! Not knowing that Your Majesty was here, This Servant has disturbed Your Majesty, This Servant asks for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”


  Looking at that person, the Emperor called out in surprise: “Zhang Yuan? Why are you here?” Then added on reflex: “The ground is so cold! Why are you kneeling?” But after saying it, he suddenly realised, servants should kneel when they see him, right? So many people have knelt before, then for just this Eunuch, why did he worry about this Eunuch catching a cold? He wanted to wanted to change his tone, but for some reason, he felt that this Eunuch did not have to kneel when he saw him, this thought came from nowhere, making him feel strange.

  The person kneeling down heard these words and his heart ached in waves. But even though it ached, Zhang Yuan was already afraid, he no longer dared to act however he wished in front of the Emperor. He knew that the current Emperor was no longer the one he served from young. Though the appearance was the same, the insides have changed totally. He might be sent to the Department of Guilty Servants again, and he was unwilling to go to that place again in his life. Those days might just end up being the most terrifying memories he would have in his life.

  “Your Majesty, This Servant is not afraid of the cold, This Servant will continue kneeling.” He spoke respectfully and cautiously, his head never looking up a little. The unfamiliar use of words were completely different from Zhang Yuan in the past. The Emperor looked at this Eunuch and started to feel dazed again, feeling once again that he truly forgotten many important things.

  Time passed quietly between the two of them who were kneeling and standing and after a long time, the Emperor sighed heavily and spoke in a self-absorbed manner: “We are old, and do not remember many things, We keep feeling that you are close and familiar to Us, but We do not remember why We feel this way. We have forgotten everything in the past, everything!” He spoke as he reached out in front of Zhang Yuan to act like he was helping Zhang Yuan up and said: “You should stand up! Go do what you need to, We wish to be left to Our own thoughts.”


  Zhang Yuan respectfully and cautiously kowtowed to the Emperor and said: “This Servant will take my leave.” Then he stood up, backed up a few steps, then turned around to leave.

  The Emperor shouted on reflex: “Xiao Yuan Zhi!” Once this call came out of his mouth, he immediately remembered, he used to address this Zhang Yuan as Xiao Yuan Zhi! He finally remembered who Xiao Yuan Zhi was, but…… so what if he remembered? Other than this form of address, the most he could remember was that this Zhang Yuan did serve him for some time, and more than that, he had no impression. There seemed to be a piece of cloth in his head, after just remembering a little, someone would move the cloth and wipe away a little, making him forget what he just remembered.

  But the one moving the cloth, who was it?

  He was very conflicted yet Zhang Yuan stopped walking when he heard that call of Xiao Yuan Zhi and finally looked up to meet the Emperor’s gaze, but with this look, his tears poured out fiercely and he could no longer control them.

  When the Emperor saw it, he was more confused, he asked in a daze: “Why are you crying? Why did you cry after seeing Us? Did We scare you?”


  Zhang Yuan shook his head and only took one step back, not speaking.

  Seeing him back up, the Emperor took one step forward on reflex, he had an urge to coax the Eunuch to stop crying, because he felt bad seeing the Eunuch cry. His heart ached a little. It was like seeing his child cry in front of him, making him want to go up and placate him. But an Emperor placating an Eunuch, wasn’t it a little strange?

  At this moment, behind the Emperor, the Empress’ voice was suddenly heard: “Zhang Yuan is This Wife’s servant now, Your Majesty, since you have forgotten everything in the past, then…… let him go!”