The Empress Dowager's birthday celebration lasted throughout the week. With that over, The Empress was organizing the back palace and the children for the hunt. Prince hadn't seen her in anything more than passing, so when he heard that The Emperor was staying the night in Yikungong, he stopped by for dinner.

Prince Han did his best to keep the smile when he saw The Empress eating dinner alone. It was mid-month, so The Emperor was supposed to spend the night in Yikungong. Instead, he was probably convalescing at Xiang gui ren's bedside. It was a bit much. She wasn't dying. She had a scratch on her face.

The Empress piled his plate full the moment he sat down.

"Is His Majesty spending the night at Chengqiangong?"

"No, more missives were delivered, so His Majesty is spending the night at Yanxindian to work on them. You know he likes to do as much as possible before we're set to leave. In fact–"

Laying her chopsticks down, The Empress grabbed Prince Han's hands with an alarmingly familiar look on her face.

Prince Han felt like running.

"–This year's hunt is going to be very special,"

"Really?" Prince Han tried to tug his hand away, "Are the game reports good? Shall I hunt a leopard for you?"

"Who cares about all that? The stars have finally aligned. All the families are bringing along a daughter of marriageable age. Even General Batu! Zhishi, Xiurong will be there!"

Prince Han hoped the smile on his face didn't look as painful as it felt, "Oh...is she?"

"Yes! It was a shame you couldn't speak to her at Royal Grandmother's banquet, but you did see her, right? She's grown even more beautiful,"

Of course, Prince Han had seen her. How could he not? The Empress ensured Xiurong sat directly across from him the entire evening. Prince Han had appreciated her whole visage while hiding from her later that night. Had Jiayi not saved him, he would've spent the night in the streets. From the moment The Empress forced them to meet five years ago, Prince Han did his best to avoid her.

It wasn't anything against Xiurong. In the few moments they've spent together, Prince Han could be assured that Xiurong was a kind, beautiful, well-bred woman that wouldn't be anything other than a perfect wife. That was the problem.

Prince Han didn't want a wife.

Well, he did eventually want a wife, just not now. It was a ridiculous thought and an unfilial one as well. What 19-year-old man didn't marry? By the time His Majesty was 19, he and The Empress had been together for years. There was just so much he hadn't done yet. So many places he hadn't been. So much glory left to be wrought in the name of the Great Qing. How could he be by His Majesty's side at a moment's notice with a wife and child at home? It just wouldn't do. It would be best to avoid it and Xiurong altogether. General Batu would get the message and marry Xiurong to another well connected man. Prince Han could make it to 25 as a single man if he were lucky. He knew he was being ungrateful. So many people would kill to see their wife before their wedding day. Prince Han had the chance to pick her and didn't want it.

"You can marry sometime after the new year," said The Empress, bringing plates of sweet cakes closer to him, "And during the draft, His Majesty can find a few cefujin and concubines for you. Once you're engaged, we can start building your house in the capital. There are some nice plots of land–"

"Mother, please," said Prince Han, his head spinning.

"Mother?" Echoed The Empress, "It's been some time since you've called me that. Shall I go back to calling you Shishi?"

Prince Han felt his cheeks redden, "Please don't. I'm just thinking, Yian will be ready to marry in a few years, too. I don't want to steal this sort of thing away from him when I have Royal Mother to find a wife for me,"

It was a little mean to bring up The Empress Dowager like this. She had never taken one ounce of interest in him. The idea that she was thinking about his marriage was laughable. If The Empress Dowager had her way, he'd be unmarried until the day he died, and The Empress knew that.

"I'm...sure Royal Mother could do that, but as she gets older, this sort of thing can stress her out. I don't mind taking over. Speaking of Yian, it would be a crime if he married before you. I won't have it,"

"Fine, fine, if I have any spare time between hunting bears and foxes for you, I'll spend some time with Xiurong,"

The Empress smiled, "That's all I ask,"

Prince Han wondered how long The Empress would continue to ask. These conversations made him miss The Emperor even more. His Majesty never pestered him over marriage. Whenever The Empress brought these sorts of things up, His Majesty would happily take his side, saying that there was no harm in Prince Han being unmarried for a bit longer.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful but comfortable. The Empress happily regaled him with the going-ons of the back palace. She was animated in a way that he rarely saw in front of the concubines. It was like he was sitting with his mother instead of The Empress.

"Your Highness," interrupted Jerjer gugu, "A eunuch from the Imperial Hospital is here. Sixth Prince is ill,"

"Send him in," said The Empress.

"Your Highness The Empress, Sixth Prince has a cough and a fever. The doctor is asking you to approve his treatment,"

"The Imperial Hospital doesn't usually need my approval for little colds like this," said The Empress.

"Sixth Prince nursemaids reported that he's been ill for days, unable to sleep and eat from the coughs and has a fever and night chills," said the eunuch.

"Days?! Why didn't anyone report this to Her Highness sooner?" Asked Prince Han.

The eunuch cowered, "I–I don't know. I was only told to report to Her Highness. Please forgive me!"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"My lord, please calm down," said Jerjer gugu, "If Sixth Prince's nursemaids waited so long to report, his illness must have suddenly taken a turn for the worst,"

"Fetch my raised chair," The Empress said before turning to Prince Han, "You don't have to wait for me to return. You can go back and rest,"

Prince Han shook his head, "I'll meet you there,"

Sang'er borrowed a lantern, and the two stepped out into the night.

"My lord," said Sang'er, "Are you alright?"

Prince Han shook his head, "Walk faster," he ordered.

Sang'er wouldn't understand Prince Han's urgency. Prince Han was beginning to see himself in Yiqiang these last few months and hated it. During his previous visits, Prince Han convinced himself that what happened to him would never happen to Yiqiang. The Emperor was too good, and The Empress too thorough. But he could already tell it wasn't true. Yiqiang was at the age where The Emperor should be asking for his assistance and eagerly scrutinizing his coursework. Prince Han couldn't recall The Emperor mentioning Yiqiang by name once since his arrival.

To be an unfavored son was the same as dissolving into dust. People walked through you day in and day out. Being close to him meant courting The Late Emperor's ire, so everyone stayed away. When The Empress took him to the palace, his brothers and sisters were polite to him but nothing more. His cousins ignored him. Most of The Emperor's concubines ignored him or played nice to get his attention. It wasn't until The Emperor sent him away with his 10th brother, Duke Shoushan, did he become close to any sibling other than The Emperor.

The A Ge Sou was silent when Prince Han arrived. Yiqiang was a miserable sight to behold. He curled up at the head of his bed, his little body shaking with the force of his coughs. His face was red, and his eyes were wet and swollen. His nursemaids stood by his side, offering a cloth for Yiqiang to spit his phlegm. They offered no comfort or a kind hand.

Useless.

Prince Han didn't acknowledge their greetings and went straight to Yiqiang. Yiqiang crawled into his arms, limp and exhausted. The poor child couldn't even cry properly, instead letting out a mix of rasping gasps and hiccups. The sight of Prince Han, favored by The Emperor, compelled Yiqiang's nursemaids to suddenly behave like proper servants and have a cup of fresh tea for him in moments. Prince Han tossed it to the ground.

"Useless! Is this how you serve your master?!"

The nursemaids dropped to their knees, "Sixth Prince catches small colds now and then like every child, and they clear up on their own. We just assumed–"

"Damn your assumptions," said Prince Han, "Guards! Take these slaves to The Office of Careful Punishment and cane them 30 times,"

The nursemaids' cries of mercy stopped when The Empress arrived. Gone was the mother who pinched his cheeks moments ago. She had put on the costume of The Empress.

"Your Highness The Empress, please save us!" They cried, "We did nothing wrong!"

Prince Han snarled, "How dare you lie to The Empress! Look at Yiqiang! What have you done right?"

The Empress surveyed the room before calling for the doctor, who scrambled to his knees before her.

"Speak,"

The doctor swallowed, "Replying to Your Highness, after investigating, I can conclude that Sixth Prince's liver fire is attacking his lung. This can be the result of inner turmoil and anger,"

"Is this something that can happen overnight?" Asked The Empress.

Shaking his head, the doctor replied, "This attack can only come from a repeated build-up of anger and resentment—at least a month's worth. Your Highness, needn't worry. We caught it before–"

Suddenly, the doctor went silent.

Prince Han's blood ran cold, "Speak? Before what?"

"Before...before the fire spread and caused an internal bleed,"

Jerjer gugu glared down at the nursemaids before jerking her head towards the door, "Drag them out,"

"Be quiet!" She barked when the nursemaids began to beg, "For every heir you disturb, your beatings will double,"

Prince Han looked down at Yiqiang when the boy's clammy hand clutched his own, "Am I going to die?"

"Of course not," said Prince Han, "Right?"

"Very right," said the doctor, "Liver fire is a common ailment. Sixth Prince's medicine will be ready in the morning. I'll take my leave,"

The Empress ordered her servants to bathe Yiqiang and put him to sleep. Prince Han watched him be carried away.

"Zhishi," said The Empress, "Could you do me a favor?"

✺

"Royal father didn't come say goodbye," Yiqiang said as tears dribbled down his cheeks.

On the order of Xu taiyi, Yiqiang had spent the last week in bed. Other than doing his breathing exercises, he was to rest.

Prince Han leaned over and wiped them away, "There was just too much to do. That's why he left me here to watch over you so something like this doesn't happen again,"

So deep into his illness, Yiqiang could never make the trip to Mulan. The Empress asked that Prince Han be the one to deliver the news. Yiqiang was devastated. It was a rite of passage to hunt by The Emperor's side for the first time. It was when you truly became a man. Now, Yiqiang would be the first prince to miss it.

When The Empress wondered how Yiqiang would deal with the disappointment while everyone was away, Prince Han jumped at the chance to stay behind. Not just because he could avoid any matchmaking but because he feared that Yiqiang would become even sicker alone. The doctor's words had etched themselves into his brain.

'This sort of attack can only come about from a repeated build-up of anger and resentment,'

There was no way that Yiqiang wouldn't succumb to the liver fire and bleed to death if he were left alone. He had no mother and a man who was the Son of God before he was a father. The odds were against him.

Prince Han rubbed Yiqiang's back as he hunched over from another bout of coughs.

"Next year, the two of us will catch a tiger and a great black bear," said Prince Han.

"Could I give the pelts to mother?" asked Yiqiang.

"We'll see,"

Prince Han had no kind thoughts about Yiqiang's mother. The woman accused The Empress of a monumental crime and was given the grace of house arrest rather than execution for Yiqiang's sake. His current state made it clear that the choice was pointless. In Prince Han's opinion, the sooner Yiqiang forgot Shu pin, the better.

"My lord," said Sang'er, "Xiang gui ren sent over a few gifts for Sixth Prince,"

Yiqiang sat up and wiped his face clean of any wayward tears, "Send them in,"

Prince Han hadn't seen Jiayi since the night of the banquet, so he was disappointed when a chubby eunuch and a round-faced girl stepped inside.

"Xiang gui ren asked us to make a few things in the little kitchen to soothe Sixth Prince's throat," said the maid, "Tangerine skin tea, ginseng chicken soup, and fish soup,"

Yiqiang turned his nose up at it, "The other maid brought shark fin soup. I want that. Take everything else back,"

"Even the toys?" The maid asked.

"Toys? What toys?" Yiqiang crawled over Prince Han's lap to look closer at the tray in the eunuch's arms.

The maid smiled and handed Yiqiang a few tops, "Jiejie heard you were feeling poorly, so she painted these for you. Look at this one. When you spin it, the warrior charges!"

Prince Han carried Yiqiang over to the table. The bright white top had several figures of an armored Bannerman on all sides. When the maid ripped the string back, and the top began to spin, the Bannerman took his spear and sprinted. Yiqiang's eyes widened in wonder. He turned to the maid when the top finished its dance. Yiqiang eagerly snatched up the others.

"Uncle, look! This one's a tiger! And this one's a bear!"

Prince Han smiled, "We didn't even have to take the trip to Mulan to get them,"

"I want a dragon," Yiqiang told the maid, "And dancing girl! Tell her to paint it right now and bring it to me,"

"Yiqiang," Prince Han said, "Thank Xiang gui ren and let them go back,"

"But–"

"Now,"

"Fine," huffed Yiqiang, "I thank Xiang niangniang for her gifts,"

"Our mistress will be glad you liked them," said the eunuch.

Despite his protests, Yiqiang gobbled down the soup and tea that Xiang gui ren sent before spending the evening with his tops.

They were amazing. The Bannerman's uniform and spear were a perfect recreation. The tiger's fur seemed to glisten. The bear's gaping maw was terrifying. How did that girl get all that onto a piece of wood? He thought back to the first time he saw Jiayi in the gardens. The curve of her brow, her skin's warmth, and her very steady hands. Tomorrow he would visit Xiang gui ren and thank her personally.

It was only polite.

The following day, however, was filled with chaos.

Yiqiang was gone.