After losing all his heirs, only Prince An remained with royal blood.
Even if the court officials had some doubts, in order to stabilize the situation as soon as possible, they had no choice but to ask Prince An to ascend the throne.
After Chu Qing finished reading the entire plot, he finished his cup of tea. His Highness Crown Prince Wei Xia was his target in this world.
He recently celebrated his third birthday. Because of his status as the Crown Prince, he now has tutors and nannies by his side to teach him what a Crown Prince should do.
Although Chu Qing's memories of the past are mostly blank, he inexplicably feels that a three-year-old child shouldn't be suffering so much in the current situation.
I stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside. When my gaze fell on the ice blocks inside, I realized that there seemed to be a little too much ice.
Under the current conditions, ice is a very rare commodity, and people use it sparingly in everyday situations.
The original owner did indeed hold all the power, but there was only so much ice in total, and no matter what, it couldn't be conjured up.
After carefully searching through the original owner's memories, Chu Qing discovered that the original owner had directly taken over his son's allowance as well, and had even sent a considerable amount to the Prince An's residence.
Despite the sweltering heat, His Highness the Crown Prince's palace had no ice.
The original owner had no memories related to Xia Xia, which shows the extent of her hatred. Now that Chu Qing has taken over the original owner's life, she can understand the original owner's thoughts to some extent.
In the original owner's mind, Xiaxia was not his son, but a mistake made after drinking.
Xiaozhu glanced in the direction of the Empress's gaze, feeling a little nervous. Was it because one of the servants hadn't cleaned the cicada properly, and the Empress had overheard and was unhappy?
"Your Majesty?"
After hearing the cautious voice from beside her, Chu Qing turned her head and looked at the man, who appeared to be quite young.
"Um?"
"Your Majesty, His Majesty said that we can go to the summer palace to escape the heat in a while."
After saying this, Xiao Zhu felt a chill run down his spine. He had completely forgotten that the Empress disliked His Majesty, and he hurriedly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Author's Note:
Xiaxia: Let me figure out how to rip off your dad in this world.
A pawn of the deposed prince
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Chapter 72
Chu Qing wasn't used to this hierarchical way of getting along, so she frowned and told him to get up.
When Xiaozhu stood up, her back was soaked with cold sweat. She was somewhat relieved that the Queen should be in a good mood today and did not get angry because of this.
Even with ice basins placed indoors, Chu Qing was still feeling unbearably hot, his mind preoccupied only with his mission target.
"Where is the Crown Prince?"
When the Empress suddenly asked this question, Xiaozhu was at a loss for words.
"Crown Prince..."
"Alright, take me there."
"yes."
Upon hearing this instruction, Xiaozhu immediately began making arrangements.
The Empress's health was not very good. He had heard before he served her that even after His Majesty had searched for famous doctors all over the country, he had not been able to improve the Empress's health much.
Because the Queen doesn't have much of an appetite in the summer, His Majesty recently invited a cook from the Queen's maternal grandparents' home.
If those who served the emperor and empress did not perform their duties well enough, they would inevitably be punished.
Today, the Queen suddenly mentioned that she wanted to see the Crown Prince, and Xiaozhu was not sure what she meant.
Only when everything was settled and they were about to leave could they signal to a servant to inform His Majesty.
Whether it's the Empress or the Crown Prince, if either of them were to suffer any mishap, it would put those of them in a difficult position.
Chu Qing wasn't unaware of Xiao Zhu's private instructions, but he chose to pretend he hadn't seen it at all.
Since Xiaozhu can command others here, it means that Xiaozhu has the trust of the original owner, or the appreciation of the emperor.
Regardless of which possibility it was, Chu Qing didn't bother to think about it further.
The original owner didn't love this child; in fact, she could be described as disliking him. She always skimped on his food, clothing, and shelter. His Majesty was usually busy with state affairs, and his occasional concern made things a little easier for the Crown Prince.
Xiaozhu held an oil-paper umbrella in her hand. The Empress was not in good health and would feel dizzy if she was exposed to the sun for too long.
Inside the Crown Prince's palace, the young prince held a book in his hand and was reading it aloud, swaying his head as he read, his clear, childlike voice carrying far.
There were cicadas chirping inside the hall, but perhaps because the sound of children reading aloud was mixed in, Chu Qing didn't find it too annoying.
Upon entering, one sees an old eunuch beside the crown prince, holding a fan and fanning him.
Upon hearing footsteps, the young prince instinctively turned his head and glanced around. He vaguely felt that the person in white who entered looked somewhat familiar. Holding the book to his chest, he asked with some confusion:
Who are you?
Chu Qing walked to the soft couch next to him and sat down. The original owner's body was far more fragile than he had imagined. He felt extremely dizzy after walking such a short distance.
"I am your father."
"Father?"
The little guy's eyes lit up instantly when he heard those words. He threw the book aside, jumped off the soft couch, and sat down next to Chu Qing.
"Are you really my father? I've never seen you before."
After speaking, the young prince seemed to realize that his words were somewhat ambiguous, so he quickly covered his mouth, rolled his eyes, and added:
"I'm not blaming you, I'm just asking."
"Father said it's because you're not feeling well that you can't come to see me, right?"
Children are more sensitive to emotions. Although her father had told her that before, Xiaxia did not completely trust him.
Even if what he said is true, his father shouldn't have never come to see him.
While some say it's because of her poor health, Xiaxia prefers to believe that her father doesn't like her that much.
Chu Qing rested her head on one hand and nodded gently.
"Yes, Father was wrong."
The original owner never paid any attention to the taboos in the palace and liked to wear white clothes. Because she had been drinking medicine since childhood, she looked very frail.
His skin was a cool white, and the hand supporting his head looked very thin, as if it could break with the slightest force.
"It's alright, are you really my father?"
"Um."
After Chu Qing waited quietly for the dizziness to subside, she reached out her hand to Xia Xia.
"Come here, let Daddy give you a hug."
He simply couldn't understand how the original owner could have left such a cute little guy aside and ignored him.
Wei Xia was wearing a light yellow prince's robe. The original owner could only cut back on some special items, after all, he was the crown prince of a country, so he wasn't too upset.
His clothes had very delicate embroidery, which made his face look even cuter, especially his big eyes, which looked a lot like the original owner of the body. His curled eyelashes blinked, and his eyes seemed to speak.
Xiaxia remembered that her father had told her that he was not in good health, so when she heard him say that he wanted to hold her, she did not go over immediately.
After thinking for a moment, she didn't let her father carry her. Instead, she climbed up on her own and sat on her father's lap, leaning back slightly in his arms.
At this moment, Xiaxia was like a puppy, sniffing her father's scent with what she thought was a sneaky action.
Unlike the heavy spices used by my father, this one has a delicate and pleasant scent.
"Daddy~"
"Um."
Chu Qing hadn't been in the hall for long when a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. Just then, Xiao Zhu was about to ask the servants to fetch some ice when she heard footsteps coming from the doorway.
The emperor, who was walking at the front, was dressed in black robes embroidered with eagles in gold thread.
Perhaps because His Majesty walked so fast, a long line of people followed behind him, keeping a considerable distance between them.
Wei Yutang suddenly stopped when he reached the door. He knew how much the Empress hated him, and now, standing at the door, he felt a sense of fear.
Ultimately, her worry for Xiaxia prevailed. After entering, she saw Chu Qing holding Xiaxia in his arms on the soft couch through a string of beaded curtains, gently fanning him with a fan in one hand.
The scene before him made Wei Yutang wonder for a moment if he was dreaming.
She walked in quietly, intending to stay a while longer. But when she saw His Majesty, Xiaozhu asked Xiaxia to glance in that direction.
The Crown Prince, who was usually taught by the best teachers, saw his father and, though reluctant, obediently crawled out of his father's arms and stood there to bow to his father.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Rise."
Chu Qing wanted to stand up at this moment, but Wei Yutang shook his head first.
"No need."
He wasn't used to this kind of interaction, and after hearing Wei Yutang say that, he had no intention of being polite to him and continued to sit there.
Now, the person who is least used to this place is Xia Xia. He thought about it for a long time but didn't dare to ask his father if he could continue to hold him while his father was still alive.
"Why did you suddenly decide to come see Xiaxia today?"
Wei Yutang was not used to the overly quiet atmosphere in the hall. He originally wanted to find a topic to talk about, but unfortunately, the one he chose was not very good. He regretted it after he said it.
Previously, Chu Qing disliked him and therefore didn't want to look at Xia Xia much either.
Once, when Xiaxia had a high fever and cried out that he wanted his father to come and see him, Chu Qing coldly refused.
Now that Chu Qing is willing to interact with Xia Xia, if he changes his mind again because of what he said, not only will Xia Xia make a fuss, but even Wei Yutang himself will not be able to forgive him.