Chi Hengji had been clever since childhood. Even though his parents wanted to hide his health problems from him, their occasional worried glances and the doctors they kept bringing to examine him had let him guess the truth with near certainty.
After learning about it, he did not sink into dejection or despair as they had imagined. Instead, he worked even harder.
He saw things clearly: even if he could live for only a little over a decade, he would still make that life brilliant.
He gently declined his parents' plea to stay home and nurse his health in hopes of gaining a few more years, and resolutely stepped into the imperial court.
Fortunately, he was lucky enough to encounter a reasonably wise sovereign, one who valued ability over seniority. That allowed him to become prime minister in his youth and gave him more opportunities to pursue his ambitions.
As for romance, he had never considered it.
He was merely someone destined to die young. He would not hold some young woman back.
If he truly did marry, he would certainly marry someone with whom he shared mutual affection, rather than following the few who married solely to leave behind descendants.
He had once yearned for love, too, but he had always felt he probably lacked the good fortune to meet such a person.
Better to focus on my work.
The first time he saw Jiang Nuan, he withdrew his gaze after a single glance. She was merely one of the emperor's many children, not someone worth his attention.
Yet in the very next moment, her inner voice actually rang out in his ears!
For an instant, he even wondered whether his illness had reached its final stage and he had begun hearing things.
But after observing the reactions of