Chapter 88: Born of Humble Origins

The Emperor left first, while the Empress found an excuse to stay behind.

The imperial physician, seeing that the Empress clearly wished to speak to the Crown Prince alone, hurriedly bowed and withdrew.

The room returned to silence.

The Crown Prince met the Empress's stern and imposing gaze, knowing there was no way to avoid the impending conversation.

"Speak. What is really going on?"

The Empress had no patience for pretense and asked directly.

The Crown Prince could not guess how much she had already deduced, so he tried to feign ignorance, hoping to muddle through. "Mother, what are you referring to? What do you mean? I truly don’t understand."

"Don’t pretend with me," the Empress snapped, her expression darkening as she pointed at Lie Chang'an, who lay unconscious on the bed. "What happened to him? Why did he insist on personally requesting to go to Mount Wangyao in search of the antidote? And what were you trying to tell your father just now?"

At her words, the Crown Prince realized the Empress did not yet know that Guyu had been poisoned while trying to save Lie Chang'an. Relieved, he forced a smile. "Mother, as I said, General Chang'an felt guilty for failing in his duty to protect, and so insisted on seeking the antidote himself. As for what I wished to say to Father just now, there was nothing."

"You are my son. Do you really think you can deceive me?" The Empress's tone grew serious as she looked at the gravely injured man on the bed, analyzing the situation calmly. "Even if guilt weighed heavily on his heart, no one would, after enduring a hundred strokes and with one foot in the grave, still insist on personally seeking the antidote at Mount Wangyao. In the end, he clung to life with his last breath, determined to bring the 'Ten Blood Flowers' back."

She paused, then turned back to the Crown Prince, her conclusion sharp and unyielding. "So, the real reason is that he is deeply in love with Guyu. Is that correct?"

The Crown Prince was stunned; he had not expected the Empress to see through everything, and for a moment, he was speechless.

After a long silence, he decided to speak frankly. "Mother, since you already know, why not bless them and ask Father to grant them marriage? Look, General Chang'an risked everything to save Guyu, placing his own life at stake. That alone shows he is a man of responsibility and deep feeling, someone truly worthy of her trust. Moreover—"

"What do you know?" the Empress interrupted, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. She rarely lost her temper; frail since childhood, anger easily affected her health, and besides, her nature was gentle and composed, accustomed to speaking softly. But that did not mean she lacked a temper.

She was truly enraged. She could not believe that the son she had raised with such care and pride would be so impulsive, so oblivious to his sister’s future!

"This Lie Chang'an is nothing but a military man of humble origin—what prospects could he possibly have? Even if your father values him now, what if one day he is discarded like an old shoe? Without a powerful family to back him, no matter how firm his footing at court may seem, he can never truly secure his place! He alone can never withstand the power of those entrenched families, their roots deep and tangled!"

"Is a powerful family background truly so important? Yes, he comes from humble beginnings, a mere general, but doesn’t Father rely on him to defend the realm, to keep the kingdom secure? Is he not being promoted and trusted, drawn closer and nurtured as a confidant?"

"That is precisely because your father is paving the way for your future reign! Let me tell you, your father values him now only because he can lead troops and repel foreign enemies. If he had no abilities, as a general of humble birth, without the support of those unshakable family factions, your father could crush him with ease! Why do you think your father allows him to command in battle, yet refuses to grant him true military authority? It is because, while your father trusts him, that trust is not absolute. He intends to cultivate Lie Chang'an as a confidant but has no wish for him ever to become a threat!"