Seeing the Fourth Prince in the Emperor's manor, the Palace maids bowed before him. "Is his majesty asleep?" Nianzu asked one of them.
"No, your highness."
Eunuch Jin came there with Chief Eunuch and greeted the Prince. "Your highness, why are you here at this hour?" Eunuch Jin humbly questioned him.
"To meet my father. Please tell him that I have to discuss something important," Nianzu asserted. Eunuch Jin nodded and walked in while the Chief Eunuch left the manor. A minute later, Eunuch Jin came out and informed the Fourth Prince that he could meet the Emperor.
Nianzu walked in. He found his father on a chaise, sipping the tea. "Sincere apologies to disturb you at this hour, Father," Nianzu politely said.
"You did not disturb me." Han Wenji passed him a smile and gestured to him to take a seat on another chaise. Nianzu sat while Han Wenji ordered the Tea maker to serve tea to the Fourth Prince.
The tea maker handed the teacup after pouring tea in it to the Fourth Prince. Nianzu raised the cup, turned his head to the right, and sipped the tea. He put the cup on the table beside the chaise and peered at his father. "I want to converse in private, Father," Nianzu urged.
The tea maker bowed and left the chamber.
"What is it that you want to talk about at this hour?" Han Wenji was curious.
"Father, do you remember the day when you told me during the morning greetings session that I can choose the woman of my choice to marry?" Nianzu did not want to jump to the question. He had many other suspicions in his mind regarding his father's interference in all those things.
Han Wenji knitted his brows and hummed. "Do you have that woman in your mind?" Han Wenji asked.
"Father knows," Nianzu replied.
"A commoner cannot be the choice of the Princes," Han Wenji this time straightforwardly answered Nianzu.
"It appears Father already knows about my choice," Nianzu chuckled.
"Prince Nianzu's behavior around a commoner was enough to show that," Han Wenji asserted.
Nianzu smiled. He was a little dejected seeing his father's behavior towards his choice of woman. "Father, did you tell her to leave the village?" Nianzu looked into the eyes of Han Wenji. "Be truthful because even if Father lies, I will see through it," Nianzu affirmed.
"Since when has conversation regarding a commoner became so important?" Han Wenji did not want to admit his orders to send Chuntao away.
"Why? A commoner is also like us, isn't he?" Nianzu frowned.
"Their status is still lower. We have many important things to discuss, yet the Prince is adamant on that topic only," Han Wenji sternly said.
"Chuntao's topic is important. Father, I have deep respect for you. However, you did not do good by sending her away from Shanxi. She loves her parental house. How could Father decide for her life?" Nianzu almost lost his temper.
Han Wenji wondered how the Fourth Prince found out about all this. "To prevent strange rumors among the people. You are the advisor of the nation yet you…"
"I do not want to be the advisor then," Nianzu pronounced. "For the Nation, I let her go. I thought it would be enough for me to watch her from afar. I am not a man of many desires. All these years, I only suffocated in the Palace. I had faith in you. You should not have broken it," Nianzu proclaimed. He lowered his eyes.
"When a child goes on a wrong path, a parent has to bring him on the right one. To prevent you from getting hurt in the future, I decided to do this. At this moment the Fourth Prince is angry, that's why cannot see what his father truly wants for him," Han Wenji explained to Nianzu, who laughed wryly.
"Father, I am hurt now because Chuntao had to leave Shanxi, her birthplace, because of me. Loving a commoner was never walking into the wrong path. Father shall not play with my feelings towards someone," Nianzu announced his decision to Han Wenji.
"Father, tell me where did you send her?" Nianzu requested.
"The Prince shall leave," Han Wenji was not willing to answer.
"I will not until Father tells me," Nianzu stated.
"It is of no use. After the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess return, you have to marry Princess Zhu Lin," Han Wenji asserted.
"I will not marry her after today's incident," Nianzu stated, and drew his brows together. "Father shall tell me about-"
"You may leave," Han Wenji ended the conversation. He was not ready to listen to Nianzu's opinions because, in his eyes, it was a crime to grow feelings for a commoner. He could not forget the teachings of his forefather.
Nianzu curled his fingers and fisted them. He stood up, bowed, and walked out from there. He went straight to the residence of Du Qin, the spy of Sheng Li who worked as a servant in the Palace. Sheng Li had told the Fourth Prince so that in time of need, in his absence, Nianzu could converse with him. Nianzu ordered him to find the whereabouts of Chuntao as early as possible.
Du Qin nodded and asked the Prince about her face. Nianzu took a folded paper from inside his pocket, which was the sketch of Chuntao. "Your highness, I will inform you in the morning," Du Qin stated.
"No worries. Find everything about her. Thank you," Nianzu's humble behavior impressed Du Qin. Hearing words of gratitude from the mouth of a Regal person was rare. The Fourth Prince was truly a gem among all the Princes. Nianzu came back to the Eastern Pavilion.
"Is it the time when I shall turn selfish? All these years, I thought of Father and Mother, but when I needed them the most, they turned their faces away.. I cannot expect anything from my mother as her greed had grown after getting the title of the Empress," Nianzu contemplated.
