Actually, I have many escape routes. When I first woke up, I pretended to have amnesia. Although I occasionally showed my shortcomings in front of my brothers, it didn't matter. My brothers just thought I had remembered something.
Besides, if I say I know nothing, what can the emperor do to me?
If the emperor is unreasonable, then... there's nothing I can do.
In short, if all else fails, resort to staged accidents.
"When you meet the Emperor later, if you don't want to bow, just pretend to cough."
Me: "..." As expected of the Marquis, his thinking is still too advanced.
The carriage slowly entered the palace. Looking out the window at the magnificent palace, I felt a slight stirring in my heart. I always wondered, if it were the young master, what would he do?
"Arrive."
The journey was smooth and unimpeded. Due to my health condition, His Majesty allowed the Marquis's carriage to proceed directly to the palace where the meeting was to be held.
I alighted from the carriage, and the Marquis followed behind me, his steps steady and powerful, like an unshakeable mountain. I took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and composed, but my heart was pounding.
Entering the palace, I was greeted by its ornate carvings and glittering walls, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ambergris. I kept my head down, trying not to look at the palace servants around me with their varied expressions, but out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of several ministers standing to the side, whispering among themselves.
"Summon the young master of the Marquis's residence to an audience."
With the eunuch's shrill voice, I stepped forward, the Marquis following closely behind. When I reached the center of the hall, I coughed weakly, and unexpectedly, I coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
The emperor above showed a slight change in expression, and finally raised his hand to exempt me from the formalities, even offering me a seat.
Before the emperor could even ask a question, I seemed to have a repulsive reaction; I coughed whenever I saw him, and eventually spat out blood—a truly spectacular sight.
I:"..."
I stared blankly at the Marquis, as if to say: Father, didn't you say you were all better?!
Oh no, how much do I have to eat to make up for this?!
After my last question drifted out from my resentful eyes, I fainted in front of everyone.
When I woke up, I found myself lying in a familiar room, with a faint scent of medicine in the air. The Marquis was sitting by the bed. When he saw that I was awake, his brows relaxed slightly, but his eyes still held a hint of worry.
"Father, what's wrong with me?" I asked weakly, my voice hoarse.
"You fainted in front of the Emperor, and now the entire palace is spreading rumors that you are nearing your end." The Marquis spoke calmly, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
"Not long for this world? That's good, saves them from having any more ideas." I chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"The Emperor summoned you to the palace, intending to ask you about the secret art of bringing the dead back to life." The Marquis paused, then continued, "However, you don't need to worry, it just so happens that you've also lost your memory."
Does this count as me being prepared for a rainy day?
The Marquis gently patted my hand to comfort me, saying, "I will handle this for you. The Emperor is bad luck for you; stay away from him next time. He's not a good person."
I:"..."
I couldn't help but laugh to myself. What do you mean by "the emperor is my nemesis"? How ridiculous.
Then, some clues in my mind gradually connected, and I looked at the Marquis and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Father, could I not be your biological son...?"
The Marquis's eyes widened. "How did you find out!"
I:"..."
Is it really that simple? I thought I'd have to complete the dungeon to find out the story. A story where you get the answer just by asking a question is so boring, isn't it?
"Then whose son am I? Is my father's kindness towards me genuine?"
"Of course it's true. You child, since you woke up, you've finally become interested in these things." The Marquis took the medicine soup brought by the servant, lifted my back with a large hand, and poured it down my throat before I could resist.
I was so scared that I didn't dare to resist, afraid of choking and also afraid of getting my bed dirty.
"Isn't this exactly what I want? You even said your young master doesn't like taking medicine, are you trying to fool me?!"
Dongzhu immediately knelt on the ground, trembling, and dared not say a word.
I feel like I have a lot to complain about, but I'm so frustrated that I'm frowning. I should say what I have to say now.
" Dongzhu, you may leave. I have something to say to the Marquis."
"Yes."
I gripped the Marquis's sleeve tightly and asked weakly, "So, stop hiding things from me. Just tell me what's going on. I can handle it."
The Marquis sighed, gently patted my back, and let me lean against the pillow.
"It's a long story."
"Then I'll get straight to the point, Father."
Lord Marquis: "..."
The Marquis was somewhat surprised by my reaction, but he still told me everything about the young master's identity and background.
It turns out that the young master is indeed a prince. His mother, the leader of the Netherworld Cult, had done a favor for the Marquis's family. If it weren't for her, the Marquis's family would have been accused of treason by their political enemies.
That night, she was passing by when she came to visit the Lady of the Marquis, with whom she had a good relationship. However, she saw someone leaving something at the Marquis's residence. When she opened it, she found "evidence" of treason. Seeing that the soldiers outside were about to come in and search while the Marquis was out, she took the item and returned to the Lady of the Marquis's room. By candlelight, she burned the item to ashes.
As for the love-hate relationship between the Emperor and the Lord of the Underworld, the Marquis was not very clear about it. The only thing he knew was that the young master was a prince, and the Emperor himself knew that.
In the Emperor's eyes, the young master was a "hostage" imprisoned in the Marquis's mansion.
In the Marquis's eyes, the young master was a pitiful child who was cursed by his scumbag father.
"I see." That was all I could say in the end. What else could I say? I'm not the young master himself.
But I can help the young master be filial to the Marquis, because I believe the young master will definitely help me take care of my father in this life.
So... do you want to go back to the palace?
"In no mood."
No wonder I had no interest in those handsome princes; they were all brothers.
"Then why should I be in such a hurry to get married?" I don't understand why the Marquis and his wife are like this.
"After marriage, you were freed from the shackles and constraints on your body, but the inheritance within you seems to have disappeared... Although you cannot become as powerful as your biological mother, with the Marquis's family around, no one will harm you."
After saying this, the Marquis seemed a little relieved. He patted my head and continued, "Anyway, just rest assured and get some rest."
I was indeed exhausted because I had coughed up a lot of blood. I could deduce that the biological mother must have hated the emperor intensely before she died, which was why she placed a restriction to prevent the young master from getting close to his father, the emperor.
The next day
There was no further movement from the emperor's side.
Although I can't shine here, I have the young master's foundation in traditional Chinese painting, so I'll indulge in a little bit of refined taste and cultivate my mind.
" Dongzhu, prepare the brush, ink, and paint."
"Yes, young master."
I sat at the table, spread out the Xuan paper, and dipped the tip of my brush in ink, but hesitated to put it down. Dongzhu quietly ground the ink beside me, occasionally glancing up at me, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Young master, would you like to paint or write calligraphy?" he finally couldn't help but ask.
"Let's paint," I replied casually, though I felt a little lost. The young master's basic knowledge of traditional Chinese painting came to mind, but the techniques and compositions were still unfamiliar to me.
As the brush tip touched the rice paper, I tried to outline the landscape from my memory.
Dongzhu whispered a reminder from the side, "Young Master, your specialty used to be flowers and birds, especially peonies."
"Oh? Really?" I paused for a moment, then smiled. "Then let's paint peonies. I think I've remembered a little bit of it recently."
However, the peonies depicted in his painting appear stiff and lifeless, completely lacking the liveliness and charm that the young master remembered.
I frowned, and suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.