cold clothes

"Huh? Fifth Prince is here too?" Zhao Qun noticed Zhao Yin and looked surprised. He curiously looked at his younger brother whom he hadn't seen for a long time and found that he was half a head taller and half a shoulder thicker than his brother. It seemed that his brother hadn't been so thin back in September.

"Third Imperial Brother." Zhao Yin bowed his head in greeting.

"My son, you're back so late today, all excited. Did something interesting happen in the Zichen Palace?" Empress Wang greeted him with a smile, looking Zhao Qun up and down with concern, as if trying to see if there was anything wrong with him. "Why are you dressed so lightly? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"Mother, today Father Emperor had my second brother and me compete in horseback riding and archery, and I won! Father Emperor rewarded me with a Ferghana horse!" Zhao Qun said excitedly, his face beaming with pride.

Starting six months ago, the Second Prince Zhao Miao and the Third Prince Zhao Qun accompanied the Emperor to the Zichen Hall to discuss state affairs. As a result, the court quickly split into three factions: one faction, led by the Wang family and composed of aristocratic officials, supported the Third Prince; another faction, mainly composed of Confucian scholars who entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, supported the Second Prince, who revered Confucianism; and the remaining faction remained neutral.

It goes without saying that the Third Prince's faction was more powerful than the Second Prince's faction, but the most powerful faction in the court was the neutral faction. They only obeyed the emperor's orders, and before the emperor established the crown prince, the struggle in the court was still shrouded in darkness.

Empress Wang was naturally happy for her son Zhao Qun after hearing his words, and said with concern, "You must have sweated a lot, right? Go and change your clothes quickly. It's the dead of winter now, and it's easy to catch a cold if your body gets cold."

"I changed, I changed. I only came back because I knew Mother was worried about me changing my clothes," Zhao Qun said with a grin.

Suddenly, Zhao Qun turned to Zhao Yin and said, "By the way, Fifth Brother, Father mentioned you today."

Zhao Yin, who had been pretending not to notice the mother and son's conversation, was taken aback and looked at Zhao Qun in confusion. Would his father actually talk about his weak, sickly, and useless son?

When the emperor mentioned Zhao Yin, Empress Wang's gentle expression turned slightly somber.

Zhao Qun didn't think as much as Zhao Yin and his mother. He said, "When my second brother and I finished our horseback archery competition, my father suddenly sighed and said, 'The Xie family has been high-ranking officials for generations, producing many talented people. They hold high-ranking positions in the court and have been appointed as generals and marquises on the battlefield. My fifth brother has Xie family blood. If he is healthy, he will definitely be a man of both literary and military talent.'"

Upon hearing this, both Zhao Yin and Empress Wang's expressions turned ugly for a moment.

Suppressing the inexplicable anger rising in his heart, Zhao Yin said sadly, "It is because I am dull-witted and my illness is incurable that I cannot meet Father's expectations."

"Oh dear, your illness will definitely get better, you're much better now," Zhao Qun realized he had said something inappropriate and tried to make amends, "On New Year's Eve, I am ordered by my father to attend the Xiuyun Lake Grand Gathering and enjoy the festivities with the people. Fifth Brother, would you like to come with me?"

Empress Wang immediately retorted, "Your fifth brother is in poor health. What are you thinking, sending him out of the palace to be exposed to the cold wind?"

"Ah, this is my oversight," Zhao Qun said with an embarrassed smile.

Empress Wang said to Zhao Yin, "Yin'er, would you like to stay here for lunch?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Physician Li has instructed me to eat only medicinal food. I will eat by myself. I will take my leave now."

"Then let's go," said Empress Wang.

Zhao Yin bowed and slowly left the main hall of Renming Hall.

Back in the courtyard, Zhao Yin dropped his disguise, his face turning ashen. Imperial Physician Li teased him, "Oh, did the Empress tease you again?"