Chapter 43: How Ugly Must It Be

The Crown Prince was seventeen years old, just three years younger than the Prince of Jin.

However, the Crown Prince possessed a slightly more scholarly aura. Although his brows and eyes bore some resemblance to those of the Prince of Jin, the contours of his face and the bridge of his nose lacked the sharp, fierce edge of the Prince of Jin's. His lips were also slightly fuller, making him look less stern and austere, and a few shades gentler and brighter.

The Emperor cast a sideways glance at him and frowned. "What are you going for? Stay right here and keep vigil. As the Crown Prince, you ought to do better than your younger brothers and set an example."

Was the Crown Prince truly this attached to the Prince of Jin?

"If Zhou Ze wants to go, let him go. He can resume the vigil upon his return." The Prince of Jin placed a hand on the arm of the Crown Prince, Zhou Ze. "Let's go."

He looked as though he had just gotten up and was unsteady on his feet, prompting the Crown Prince to support him hurriedly.

"Imperial Father, this son will continue the vigil upon my return."

The Emperor let out a cold hum and then called out toward the group of princes, "Then the Second Prince, you go along as well."

A flash of delight surged into the depth of the Second Prince's eyes. He hurriedly acknowledged the order and came over.

"Imperial Father, this son will support you." He walked over and promptly took hold of the Emperor's arm.

Instantly, the Emperor felt much more comfortable in his heart.

Look at that; the Second Prince was still the sensible one, knowing whom to be close to.

The imposing retinue headed toward the ancestral temple.

Meanwhile, when Nanny Qing woke up today, she felt refreshed and spirited. The fatigue from yesterday had completely vanished, and she hadn't even dreamed last night.

She had slept deeply without a single dream until dawn.

She took the small sachet out from the inner pocket of her undergarment and gazed at it for a long while.

Could it be that the talisman drawn by the Second Young Miss Lu was truly effective?

Yet, this was simply too miraculous.

Nanny Qing thought of Steward Yun. Steward Yun hadn't been sleeping well these past few days either, but because he wasn't as close to Qingyin and Qingbao, he naturally hadn't mentioned the matter to the two maids.

Clutching the sachet, she went straight to find Steward Yun.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Steward Yun sighed. "You know how the Prince's health is; how could I possibly sleep well? The moment I lie down, nightmares haunt me one after another."

Nanny Qing handed the sachet over to him.

"Tonight when you sleep, keep this on your person."

Steward Yun was filled with perplexity. "Why?"

This thing was crimson red; what on earth would an old man like him be doing sleeping with such a sachet on him?

"Just keep it if I tell you to! We'll compare notes tomorrow morning when we wake up!"

Nanny Qing shoved the sachet into his hand with displeasure, glaring at him sternly. "You must sleep with it!"

With that, she turned and walked away.

Steward Yun stared at her retreating back in utter bewilderment and muttered under his breath, "That old hag, so fierce."

With a slight shiver, he tucked the sachet into his robe anyway.

Over at the ancestral temple, the Emperor and his party had already arrived in the main hall.

The spirit tablets on the offering table were all neatly arranged, except for one—it had toppled over.

The Prince of Jin recognized that tablet at a single glance; wasn't it precisely that of his late imperial father?

What was happening this time?

"Th-that fallen one is the spirit tablet of the late Emperor?" the Emperor asked.

The senior monk Zishen, along with Sizhen and Jiechi, kept vigil nearby. Zishen was just about to speak when the young Jiechi blurted out an uninhibited child's remark.

"Yes, and we can't prop it back up."

"Amitabha." Zishen stepped forward to block Jiechi. "My inferior disciple is still young and speaks nonsense. Please forgive him, Your Majesty."

Naturally, the Emperor was not going to quibble with a little monk at a time like this.

What he found bizarre was that the tablet truly could not be propped back up?

"Crown Prince, go take a look."

The Crown Prince Zhou Ze acknowledged the command, walked over, and set the tablet upright again.

"Is the base unstable?" the Emperor asked.

The Crown Prince inspected it closely; there seemed to be nothing wrong. "Replying to Imperial Father, the base is very stable, smooth, and the weight is balanced."

It was neither top-heavy nor bottom-heavy.

"Then was it blown by the wind?"

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, he paused, realizing he hadn't felt any wind at all.

The Prince of Jin watched as the Crown Prince placed the tablet back in order, his expression calm and indifferent. "We'll just wait and see."

Right under the eyes of so many people, let's see how that tablet falls again.

"Since We have come, We might as well burn a stick of incense." The Emperor felt that standing around blankly was somewhat awkward.

Zishen hurriedly lit a stick of incense and brought it over.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince also took incense sticks. When it was offered to the Prince of Jin, he waved his hand and refused it. "This Prince has no need."

Zishen felt somewhat perplexed. Why would there be no need?

The Emperor led the Crown Prince and the Second Prince in bowing and offering incense. Once they inserted the incense into the burner, several pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the tablet without blinking.

After a long while, the tablet remained completely motionless, steady as a rock.

The Emperor looked toward Zishen.

"What is the meaning of this?" Didn't they say it couldn't be propped up?

Zishen was equally astonished.

Sizhen and Jiechi exchanged glances, the master and apprentice simultaneously scratching their round, shiny heads in utter incomprehension.

"Eh..."

"Are you toying with Us?" The Emperor's face darkened.

Zishen hastily chanted an Amitabha. "Your Majesty, how could this poor monk dare to make a joke out of the late Emperor's spirit tablet?"

Upon reflection, the Emperor realized that was true.

He had known Zishen for over a decade, and the monk was simply not that kind of character; he had always been quite steadfast.

"Then what is this all about?"

"Perhaps the late Emperor was merely hoping that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince would come to offer incense?" Jiechi chimed in first once more. "Now that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince have arrived, the late Emperor is no longer throwing a tantrum."

This remark left everyone somewhat at a loss. Was that truly the case?

They waited for a while longer, but the tablet did not fall.

"Very well, as long as nothing is amiss, let us return to the palace."

The Emperor and the others headed out first. The Prince of Jin remained still; only then did he walk over, take a stick of incense, and speak. "Imperial Father, I already have a fiancée and have returned to the capital. I promised you I would not leave—what else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"

He inserted the incense into the burner.

"My lifespan was originally tied to yours, and your departure almost dragged me down with you. Now that I have been saved and brought back to life by Lu Zhaoling, are you perhaps dissatisfied?"

*Clack.*

The tablet toppled over.

The Prince of Jin: "..."

The space between his brows twitched.

He propped the tablet upright once again. "Could it be that you truly desire me to accompany you in death?"

The tablet did not fall.

Logically speaking, this was simply impossible.

The Prince of Jin found it utterly absurd. Could this tablet genuinely hear his words? Was it truly reacting to him?

A thought stirred in his mind, and he asked again, "Surely you can't be dissatisfied with Lu Zhaoling becoming my Imperial Consort?"

"Clack!"

The tablet fell once more!

A small, bald head poked in from outside the doorway.

The Prince of Jin stood frozen in place, staring at the fallen tablet.

He drew a deep breath, suppressing his shock.

"Are you truly dissatisfied? Fine, next time I will bring her here so you can tell her yourself." The Prince of Jin turned and strode away.

As soon as he left, little Jiechi scurried in, propped the tablet back up, and bowed to it.

"Late Emperor, do you dislike the future Princess of Jin? Eh, does the Prince of Jin already have a consort? Could it be that she looks terribly ugly, which is why you dislike her? Just how ugly must she be?"

So hideous, in fact, that even the late Emperor's spirit tablet manifested its spirit!

From this moment on, Jiechi's curiosity regarding the future Princess of Jin soared to its absolute peak.

The next day, the moment Nanny Qing woke up, she went to find the steward.

The daylight was already bright, yet Steward Yun, who usually rose earlier than the chickens, had not even woken up yet.

"Old Yun! Get up quickly!" Nanny Qing pounded heavily on the door.