Chapter 543: Sons as Pawns

Chapter 543: A Son Like a Chess Piece

When Ji Yuntang arrived at Cining Palace, she discovered that the Imperial Advisor was also there. Both he and Empress Dowager Yuan were hovering around Yuanchao, fussing over him.

But Yuanchao remained completely silent.

Seeing that he wouldn't speak, not even opening his mouth, the Imperial Advisor started losing his temper as he kept questioning him.

"Are you mute? You won't tell us how you lost your hair, and you won't even speak—how are you gonna get the ministers to listen to you if you won't even open your mouth?"

Yuanchao's jaw was tight. Empress Dowager Yuan, feeling bad for him, quickly pulled him into a hug and said to the Imperial Advisor, "Enough. He's just a kid—why you gotta be so hard on him?"

Turning to Yuanchao, she said, "Chao'er, I know I didn't take good care of you before, so it makes sense you're mad at me. Once you move into the palace, I'll be with you every day, okay?"

"Anything you want, Mama will get it for you."

Yuanchao looked up at her, his eyes cold. "I don't wanna stay here. I wanna go home."

He hadn't been out much, but he wasn't stupid.

He'd always known they were his parents, and he called them Mama and Papa.

Whenever they had time, they'd come by the yard to see him, bringing gifts and snacks.

In the past, whenever Empress Dowager Yuan and the Imperial Advisor came to the small courtyard, they'd wear black cloaks and veiled hats, hiding their faces and bodies completely.

But they never stayed the night—they always left before dark.

Yuanchao figured they were busy, but he couldn't understand why other kids got to live with their folks and he didn't, not even being allowed to step outside.

He'd asked Empress Dowager Yuan about it before, and she'd told him his health was bad and he needed to rest quietly in the yard, because going out would be dangerous.

Yuanchao had always held onto those words.

But now, he finally realized his parents were actually the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Advisor.

The reason they wouldn't let him out or live with them was simple—he wasn't of legitimate royal blood in the Xishu Kingdom.

If his mother was really Empress Dowager Yuan, then his father should've been the Late Emperor, not the Imperial Advisor.

So he could figure out that his parents' relationship was wrong.

This messed-up situation was hard for Yuanchao to wrap his head around.

The more he'd once wanted to get out, the more he now wanted to go back.

Yuanchao looked at Empress Dowager Yuan and the Imperial Advisor and said it again.

"I wanna go home. Take me back."

The Imperial Advisor was getting pissed. "Go home? What's there for you at home? How's that better than living in the palace?"

"With your status now, only the imperial palace is good enough for you. Do you get that you're about to become the supreme Son of Heaven? That's something millions dream of but can never have!"

Yuanchao's face went pale, and he stared back stubbornly. "I don't wanna be the Son of Heaven. I just wanna go home."

He knew the weight of being the Son of Heaven, and he knew damn well he didn't have what it took to hold that throne. He didn't give a damn about power.

He'd never imagined his own parents would shove him into that spot one day.

Seeing how dead set he was against the throne, Empress Dowager Yuan tried to talk him into it. "Chao'er, there's so much to gain from being emperor. Not only will you never worry about food or clothes and have tons of consorts, but you can also live however you want. Anything you like in this world can be yours."

"Not only that, you'll have ultimate power. Everyone has to obey you. Their lives, their fates, their money—all of it in your hands alone. Want someone to be an official? Done. Want someone dead? They're dead. Don't you want that feeling of being above everyone else?"

Empress Dowager Yuan herself craved that kind of power and loved the feeling of the whole world bowing to her.

Too bad she was a woman.

She'd thought about making herself the first female emperor of the Xishu Kingdom, but her dad said no, and so did the four great families.

They figured women should stick to running the household and raising kids, handling the inner palace.

State affairs and ruling the court—that was men's work.

Besides, Empress Dowager Yuan was getting old. Sometimes, with too many memorials to read and state affairs to deal with, her body and mind just couldn't keep up.

Not to mention her migraines—when they got bad, she could barely walk.

This was a man's world, and they were dead set against a woman becoming emperor, let alone bowing down to one.

Empress Dowager Yuan was bitter about it, but she couldn't fight that many people.

So she settled for the next best thing—putting her own son on the throne as the Crown Prince.

After all, once Yuanchao sat on the throne, she would still be the one governing.

What difference was there between that and being the female emperor herself?

It was the first time Yuanchao had seen Empress Dowager Yuan like this. He could see the rampant ambition on her face.

It was as if, in that instant, his gentle and caring mother had suddenly bared sharp fangs and become terrifying.

This version of Empress Dowager Yuan felt foreign to him.

He took two steps back, putting some distance between himself and her.

"A person's life and death should be decided by themselves, not controlled by anyone."

"I have no other desires—I just want to live a simple life to the end. I don't want supreme power."

"If you truly care about me, let me go back. I don't like this place, and I don't want to stay here."

Yuanchao's face was pale, and he coughed a few times, his voice sounding weak.

But Empress Dowager Yuan directly ignored this, her eyes filled with stubbornness and madness.

"No, you do want it—you just haven't realized it yet!"

"Once you become emperor, you'll discover how wonderful these things truly are."

"Chao'er, trust your mother, alright? Everything I'm doing is for your own good. I would never harm you."

Yuanchao kept his mouth shut and said nothing.

He knew that Empress Dowager Yuan had already made up her mind—she would push him onto that throne no matter what.

His resistance was useless against them.

"Cough, cough." Just then, a cough sounded. Empress Dowager Yuan and the Imperial Advisor turned to look and realized that Nanny An had already brought Ji Yuntang over.

It was unclear how much of their conversation Ji Yuntang had overheard.

Thinking this over, Empress Dowager Yuan decided to test Ji Yuntang, and said softly, "Doctor Yun is here."

She looked at Yuanchao and said, "This is my nephew Yuanchao. He was perfectly fine before, but for some reason, all his hair fell out overnight. Please come take a look at him."

It was the first time Ji Yuntang had seen Yuanchao.

The young man was handsome, with a clean, refined air about him. His face was pale from illness, his lips almost completely devoid of color, and wearing a snow-white brocade robe, he appeared even more fragile.

Getting a bit closer, you could smell Chinese herbs on him—a little bitter, but not bad.

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