Chapter 139 Secrets of the Previous Dynasty’s Royal Family

Chapter 139: Secrets of the Former Imperial Family

Ji Yuntang couldn't stop admiring it.

She took out the essential oil, squeezed a few drops into her palm, and gently worked it into the roots and ends of his hair.

Compared to her own dry and frizzy hair when she first crossed over, Ji Yuntang said softly, "A He, your hair is so beautiful; you need to take good care of it."

"Only when you get older do you realize how hard it is to have this much hair."

Ji Yuntang thought of some doctors she encountered in her previous life; after aging, many of them had hair that was nowhere near as good.

This really showed off how nice Luo Junhe's hair was.

Luo Junhe stared straight at her and suddenly smiled. "A Tang, are you afraid I'll go bald?"

"I'm in good health; that won't happen."

Having said that, he suddenly changed the subject and said in a low voice, "But in our Dongchen Imperial Family, there really was a prince who went bald at a young age."

Hearing that bit of gossip, Ji Yuntang got interested. "Oh? Who?"

"My fourth imperial uncle, Prince Nanxiao."

"Prince Nanxiao?" Ji Yuntang had never heard of this person before, so she felt a bit unfamiliar.

"What relation is he to your father?"

"A half-brother on his father's side. Back then, Fourth Imperial Uncle and my father were the two sons the Late Emperor favored most. Just like the current Crown Prince and Prince Qi, one was born by the Empress, the other by a Noble Consort."

"And Fourth Imperial Uncle, the legitimate son born by the Former Empress, was the most qualified to inherit the throne. On the contrary, my father was the son of Noble Consort Yong. Although he also had the qualifications, he was a step behind Fourth Imperial Uncle."

Hearing these royal secrets, Ji Yuntang couldn't help being a little surprised.

"So why did your father end up inheriting the throne instead of Prince Nanxiao?"

Luo Junhe's thoughts drifted, and he said slowly, "This is a long story. Let me tell it to A Tang bit by bit."

"The Grand Emperor was a guy who didn't trust anyone. Although he favored both Father and Fourth Imperial Uncle, he hesitated to make either of them the Crown Prince, just to see which one was more ambitious."

"In his eyes, only the most ambitious prince deserved the throne."

"Thirty years ago, my father and Fourth Imperial Uncle were constantly scheming against each other for the throne. The reason Fourth Imperial Uncle lost to Father was because the Former Empress unexpectedly became pregnant."

Ji Yuntang was puzzled. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Emperors always had tons of consorts and kids. The Grand Emperor must have been the same, right?

He could still father a kid in his fifties. Shouldn't that be something to celebrate?

So why did that make Prince Nanxiao lose the succession struggle?

"It is said that the child in her belly was not the Grand Emperor's."

"Back then, the Grand Emperor was sleeping with other consorts and never even set foot in the Former Empress's Fengyi Palace."

Luo Junhe's words hit her like a thunderbolt, leaving her completely shaken.

Wait… had the Former Empress cuckolded the Grand Emperor?

"I don't know if it's true or not, but at that time, the Grand Emperor was indeed very angry. He threw the Former Empress into the cold palace and stripped her of her title."

"After that, the Grand Emperor wrote an imperial edict, appointing my father as the Crown Prince. Fourth Imperial Uncle was defeated outright. He probably never imagined that after all those years of fighting, he'd lose over something like that."

"After my father ascended the throne, Fourth Imperial Uncle voluntarily requested to withdraw from the court and willingly handed over all military power, saying he'd never meddle in state affairs again."

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes and parted her lips. "Your fourth imperial uncle is quite clever. If he had stayed in the court, he definitely would have aroused your father's suspicion, and might have lost his life sooner or later."

By leaving the court and giving up his military power, he saved his own skin.

That way, he could live free and easy.

Luo Junhe also agreed. "Yes. After my father became emperor, Fourth Imperial Uncle moved to a villa outside the palace and rarely entered the palace again."

"People outside the palace all say he's not interested in politics and just wants to live a carefree, untethered life."

But who knows what he really thinks? Only he himself knows that.

Who among outsiders could ever know?

Ji Yuntang changed the subject and came back to it. "So that means Prince Nanxiao is bald?"

"How'd he go bald?"

Luo Junhe thought for a moment and said, "Rumor has it that what happened with the Former Empress hit him hard. He locked himself in his room every day and drank himself into a stupor."

"In time, he went bald."

You see, before all that, Prince Nanxiao was known as one of the most handsome men in the capital.

There used to be a saying in Dongchen Kingdom, "A man so handsome he's peerless under heaven," and that was said about him.

He was even better-looking and taller than Emperor Jingyang.

Back then, Prince Nanxiao was the dream man of countless girls in Dongchen Kingdom—lots of noble ladies wanted to marry him.

Unfortunately, after failing in the succession struggle, he never took a wife.

To this day, he's still alone with no descendants.

If earlier, Prince Nanxiao's surrender of his military tally and request to leave the palace still made Emperor Jingyang uneasy,

now, with no military power and no kids, Prince Nanxiao actually put Emperor Jingyang at ease, so he lessened his grudge and let him do as he pleased.

After hearing this story, Ji Yuntang let out a sigh. "Nothing is more heartless than the imperial family. There really is no real affection among royals."

Everything is built on interests.

As for anyone who threatens the emperor, he can't wait to get rid of them.

Luo Junhe leaned into Ji Yuntang's arms, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"A Tang, the royal family really has no real affection—just scheming and infighting."

"Every emperor throughout history has been paranoid by nature—they'd rather let the whole world down than let the world let them down. Even their own flesh and blood—if it threatens their imperial interests—they'll ditch without a second thought."

"Sometimes I think to myself, why was I born into the royal family? If I were just a kid from an ordinary family, how great would that be? Maybe then I could have lived a peaceful, easy life."

Hearing this, Ji Yuntang couldn't help but feel sorry for Luo Junhe.

He's really been through a lot all these years.

"A He, we can't choose the family we're born into, but we can decide our own future. No one gets to run our lives — not even your father the emperor or mother the empress."

"As long as I'm here, I won't let them bully you anymore."

Ji Yuntang felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier. She had to become stronger quickly to protect those she wanted to protect.

Only the strong could keep from ending up as political pawns in the princes' power struggles.

Luo Junhe's heart warmed. Listening to Ji Yuntang's heartbeat, he wrapped his arms around her soft waist.

"A Tang, once I'm better, it'll be my turn to protect you."

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