The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 233

The raging fire almost destroyed everything the Thirteenth Prince had in Fengtai.

Just as the fire was about to be extinguished, a team of carriages and horses arrived in haste.

Leading them was a trusted aide of the Thirteenth Prince.

Upon their arrival, the fire-fighting efforts accelerated, and in less than half an incense stick’s time, the fire was completely put out.

After the fire was extinguished, the leader rushed into the charred courtyard.

In the courtyard were three water tanks.

The lids of the water tanks had been burned to ashes, and a fallen beam lay across one of the tanks.

Fortunately, the tanks were not broken.

The man rushed straight to the water tanks.

Zhou He was trembling inside one of the tanks, nervously trying to peek out to see the state of the fire, when he was confronted by a sullen face.

Startled, Zhou He burst into tears.

“What’s your name?” the man asked, standing in front of the water tank. He pulled Zhou He out of the tank and casually placed him on the ground, his face stern.

Dripping wet, Zhou He shook his head, looking around in fear.

“Where are the others?” he asked, his voice quivering.

Receiving no answer, the man frowned, his face showing a hint of menace. “I asked you, what’s your name?”

Terrified, Zhou He looked up at the man. “I don’t have a name.”

“No name?”

“They all call me ‘bad luck’.”

The man twitched at the corners of his mouth, suspecting this was indeed the Thirteenth Prince’s eldest son.

“I’m taking you home.”

With that, he turned and strode out of the courtyard.

Zhou He did not move.

Hearing no footsteps behind him, the man turned around. “Why aren’t you following?”

Zhou He looked bewildered. “Where to? This is my home.”

The man, losing patience, walked back, hoisted Zhou He onto his shoulder, and walked out.

Zhou He screamed in terror.

“Who are you? Let me down! Help! Someone help! A kidnapper is taking me!”

Zhou He shouted desperately, but the people on the estate were already dead, and the villagers, intimidated by the group, dared not intervene.

Moreover, the one being taken was just a “bad luck” child from the estate.

With no parents, who would care?

Zhou He buried his face in the man’s back, waving his hands and shouting for help.

The man ignored Zhou He and mounted a horse, placing Zhou He in front of him, and rode off.

In the palace.

Imperial Study.

The country cannot be without a ruler for a day.

The Emperor and Empress had both died suddenly, but state affairs could not be delayed.

As the only blood relative of the Emperor, the Thirteenth Prince, the Emperor’s younger brother, was naturally appointed as the regent.

The regency was just a formality until the mourning period ended and he ascended the throne.

Dressed in a grey silk robe with dark patterns, the Thirteenth Prince’s eyes revealed an irrepressible excitement.

Venerable Master Hongzhu of the Great Buddha Temple stood there with a compassionate expression, his eyes closed in sorrow.

“Your Highness, rest assured, I will ensure the rituals for the Emperor and Empress are performed properly.”

The Thirteenth Prince leaned on the large desk before him, exuding authority.

“The dream you mentioned this morning, do you remember it clearly? Any details left out?”

Venerable Master Hongzhu was taken aback, then brought his palms together in a gesture of prayer.

“Amitabha, such a sin. As a monk, I…”

Earlier that morning, Venerable Master Hongzhu had entered the palace.

After dismissing everyone else, he told the Thirteenth Prince about a dream he had.

Venerable Master Hongzhu said he dreamed of the deceased Emperor and Empress. They spoke of their grievances, especially the Empress, who said her spiritual power could bring down heavenly fire to burn her enemies to ashes.

In the dream, there was a child with a blurry face, kneeling and praying for his family’s safety.

Behind him, the fire raged, and the dead Empress screamed in anger.

Fearful that the dream was an ominous sign, Venerable Master Hongzhu hurried to inform the Thirteenth Prince.

The Thirteenth Prince’s expression had frozen upon hearing this.

He knew exactly how the Emperor and Empress had died.

But this old monk couldn’t know.

The monk had been close to the Empress. What was his intention in sharing this dream?

The Thirteenth Prince wasn’t sure of Venerable Master Hongzhu’s motives, so he merely asked him to perform the Emperor and Empress’s mourning rituals meticulously for forty-nine days.

After Venerable Master Hongzhu left, the Thirteenth Prince summoned Master Deqing.

This Daoist had helped trigger the Thousand Insect Gu in the Empress’s body.

Upon hearing the monk’s dream, Master Deqing’s face changed dramatically.

“Your Highness, this is the Empress’s spirit visiting him in a dream.”

“A dream?”

“The Empress and Emperor’s spirits are unwilling to leave, but having no trusted person to rely on, they visited the monk in a dream.”

Stroking his beard, Master Deqing paced, then smiled thinly.

“Unfortunately, the monk didn’t grasp the meaning, thinking it an ominous sign for the kingdom, so he came to warn you.”

The Thirteenth Prince pondered this. “You mean the monk isn’t testing me?”

Master Deqing laughed. “Testing? How could he? He knows nothing. He merely had a frightening dream and came to warn you, as you are now the ruler.”

“And the child he mentioned…”

“I suspect that child might be your son. But it’s just a dream, Your Highness. No need to overthink it. The Thousand Insect Gu is so powerful that even the Empress’s spirit couldn’t harm you. If she were still alive, I could still trigger the Gu and make her suffer.”

This satisfied the Thirteenth Prince.

But Master Deqing’s words reminded him of the child at the estate in Fengtai.

When the tofu girl caught his eye, he intended to make her a consort.

But the Princess Consort’s jealousy led her to poison the girl on the night she gave birth.

Such a venomous woman, he still shuddered at the thought.

Thankfully, an assassin had killed her.

Recalling this, the Thirteenth Prince hesitated but decided to send for the child from Fengtai.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he sent someone, Minister Liu from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau arrived.

Minister Liu reported that the south of the capital had an unusual fire presence, not an ordinary fire but an underworld fire that could lead to a great blaze if not addressed.

Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince’s face turned pale.

“Not an ordinary fire?”

“A clash of stars has created intense underworld fire in the south. If exposed to open flame, it could cause a massive fire.”

“How can it be resolved?”

Minister Liu shook his head. “It can only dissipate over time unless someone with a specific fate prays for you.”

“How long will it take?”

“Two or three months, but if…”

“If what?”

“The intense fire, if ignited, could be catastrophic. Fire can come from anything, even a kitchen stove. And once it starts, it won’t dissipate easily.”

The Thirteenth Prince paled further.

He thought of Venerable Master Hongzhu’s dream.

Previously wary of the monk, he now trusted Master Deqing’s words.

The monk, unaware of the true cause of death, had merely come to warn him.

Seeing the Prince’s anxiety, Minister Liu suggested, “Your Highness, we must find someone with the right fate to resolve this.”

“A child?” the Thirteenth Prince blurted out.

Minister Liu, confused, didn’t respond immediately.

“I mean, is this person a child?”

Minister Liu shook his head. “I haven’t calculated that yet.”

In frustration, the Thirteenth Prince threw a cup at him.

“If you haven’t, why tell me this? Just to upset me?”

Hit by the cup, Minister Liu knelt hurriedly.

“Go and calculate!” the Thirteenth Prince ordered.

After dismissing Minister Liu, the Thirteenth Prince summoned Venerable Master Hongzhu.

Venerable Master Hongzhu recalled his “dream” carefully and shook his head. “I have told Your Highness everything I saw.”

“The child in the fire, did you see him clearly?”

Venerable Master Hongzhu shook his head. “No, the child’s face was blurry.”

“What about his size and shape?”

Furrowing his brow, Venerable Master Hongzhu thought, then shook his head again. “I don’t recall. I was too shocked by the scene.”

He paused and said, “Your Highness, perhaps it was just my grief over the Emperor and Empress’s deaths causing the dream.”

The Thirteenth Prince’s mouth twitched.

Of course, it meant something!

As they spoke, footsteps sounded outside, and a young eunuch opened the door to announce, “Your Highness, the person has been brought back.”

Venerable Master Hongzhu turned in confusion.

The Thirteenth Prince said, “Bring him in!”

The door opened, revealing a ragged, terrified child, trembling all over.

He was accompanied by the leader of the imperial guards.

“Your Highness, when I arrived in Fengtai, the estate was burning.”

At these words, the Thirteenth Prince’s face turned ashen.

Venerable Master Hongzhu’s eyelids twitched in shock. “What! A fire?”

The guard leader nodded at Venerable Master Hongzhu and continued his report.

“Villagers said the fire started suddenly and burned fiercely. They tried for two hours to extinguish it. When we arrived, the estate was charred.”

He glanced at the child beside him.

Since the Thirteenth Prince never acknowledged this son, the guard wasn’t sure of his attitude toward the child.

“I found him in a water tank. Smart enough to hide there, but his hair was scorched.”

The Thirteenth Prince looked at the child.

Zhou He had taken a pill from Venerable Master Hongzhu that altered his appearance slightly.

He looked somewhat like his original self, yet different.

His large eyes stared in fear at the man behind the desk.

The man who was his enemy!

He wanted to rush over and bite him to death, but he couldn’t.

Not only could he not, but he also had to call this man father.

Clenching his fists, Zhou He struggled to suppress his rage.

The Thirteenth Prince looked at the child, about four or five years old, feeling conflicted.

“What is your name?”

Zhou He kept his mouth shut.

The guard leader spoke. “Your Highness, he said he has no name. Everyone calls him ‘bad luck’.”

The Thirteenth Prince’s face darkened.

His son, nameless and called ‘bad luck’?

“How old are you?”

Zhou He remained silent.

The guard leader, unsure, urged Zhou He. “Answer His Highness.”

Zhou He, appearing frightened, whispered, “I don’t know. No one told me my age.”

The Thirteenth Prince’s expression turned darker.

“And your parents?”

Zhou He shook his head. “I have no parents. They say I’m an abandoned child they picked up.”

The Thirteenth Prince’s face turned black as coal.

This was his son.

Even if he didn’t favor him, how could the servants treat him so poorly!

Even if he didn’t care for his son, he was still the master of the estate.

If those wretched people weren’t already dead, he would have had them executed.

“Were you scared of the fire?”

Zhou He shook his head, then nodded, tears in his voice.

“I was scared.”

The Thirteenth Prince glanced at Venerable Master Hongzhu, then asked the child, “What were you thinking when the fire started?”

“I… I was thinking about my father.”

The Thirteenth Prince’s eyes flickered. “You said you had no parents?”

“They said I had no parents, but I couldn’t have come from nowhere. I must have parents. I thought if everyone outside died in the fire, what would happen to me? I hoped my father would come for me.”

He glanced at the guard leader.

The Thirteenth Prince’s face darkened further.

Why look at him!

He brought you back, but he’s not your father!

The guard leader stood silently.

The Thirteenth Prince pointed at Zhou He and asked Venerable Master Hongzhu, “Does he resemble the child?”

Venerable Master Hongzhu looked at Zhou He carefully, then shook his head. “I cannot recall clearly.”

The Thirteenth Prince sighed in disappointment.

He felt no attachment to this son.

Though angry at the servants’ mistreatment, it didn’t mean he felt any paternal love.

His anger was more about the lack of respect for him.

Waving a hand, he ordered, “Take him to Chenghui Palace.”

Chenghui Palace was the palace closest to the Imperial Study in the south.

Whether or not the child in the monk’s dream was his son, it was best to be cautious.

Zhou He was led away, confused and uncertain.

After he left, Minister Liu from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau hurried in.

“Your Highness, the evil aura has been dispelled!” Minister Liu announced breathlessly.

“Dispelled? By whom?”

Minister Liu shook his head.

“We do not know. But this has not only dispelled the evil aura, but Your Highness also now has the protection of the Red Lotus Light.”

“Red Lotus Light?”

Venerable Master Hongzhu folded his hands in prayer.

“The Red Lotus Light is the most auspicious light in Buddhism. Your Highness, being protected by this light, is indeed a chosen one.”

His sigh was filled with sorrow for the deceased Emperor and Empress.

The Thirteenth Prince didn’t care.

Zhou He, now residing in the grand Chenghui Palace, soon received numerous rewards.

The lavish gifts nearly filled the courtyard.

The entire Chenghui Palace was in a festive mood.

No one remembered that the mourning period was still ongoing.

Officially, rewards should not be given.

Looking at the piles of gifts, Zhou He tried his best to appear both shocked and delighted.

But inside, he was miserable.

From now on, he was no longer Zhou He.

He had to become the grand prince of this palace.