Grand Tutor Pei's lectures were starting to fade away from Lingchen's attention. The temperature around the pavilion was not too cold or too hot. It seemed like the perfect weather for anyone to fell asleep. With the way the wind blew, if Princess Lingchen had listened to more philosophy for another minute, she might really doze off.
Princess Lingchen forced herself to snap out and lifted her head to look at the Grand Tutor. The old man had his head buried into the book in his hand. It doesn't seem like the Grand Tutor noticed her sleepiness. Quietly, Princess Lingchen reached for the cup of tea beside her table. She took a sip and frowned, seeing that her tea has turned cold.
Ah Zhen, her maidservant noticed her displeasure and quickly took the cup from her.
It was at this time that Grand Tutor Pei choose to look up. He stared at the Crown Princess' face with his stern face before he asked a question regarding his lecture. She was lucky that the Grand Tutor choose to ask a subject from a topic where she had been paying attention.
The surrounding turned noisy with the sound of her maidservants and guards around the pavilion greets. The Princess lifted her head and saw her father, the Emperor, headed towards her.
Grand Tutor Pei stood up and moved to the side, while Princess Lingchen stood up with Ah Zhen's help. When the Emperor stopped before her, Lingchen lowered her head and curtsied. "Your Majesty." Both the princess and Grand Tutor Pei greeted.
The Emperor glanced at the Grand Tutor. He waved a hand and soon, Grand Tutor, and everyone else retreated away from the pavilion, leaving just the princess and her father. Only the Emperor's guard stood around the building while keeping their distance. The Emperor sat down at where the Grand Tutor previously sat and spoke to Lingchen."Have a sit,"
Princess Lingchen sat down silently. She stared at her father's haggard face and waited for him to speak first.
The Emperor browsed through the books that the Grand Tutor had left on the table. "I heard from Grand Tutor Pei that you have been studying hard these days."
"If I'm going to help you ease your burden in governing Da Cheng, of course, I will have to study hard." The Princess said.
The Emperor lifted his gaze to study his daughter's expression. His body shivered when the chilly wind blew over. "It's cold outside. Why don't you study in your study hall?"
"I can't always stay in my palace whenever winter is approaching. Or else, the others might suspect that something is wrong with my body. I can't allow anyone to take advantage of my condition."
"It has been a while since the last time the poison reacted," the Emperor said. "I don't want to see you suffer."
Princess Lingchen's lips curved into a faint smile. It seemed that Mingyue and Ah Zhen had hidden the news of her sudden relapse from her father well. "Don't worry. I'm wearing layers of clothes and my maidservants helped me to keep me warm."
The Emperor expression softened at his daughter words. He knew how much his daughter had suffered from that poison in her body. Lingchen was his only child. Although he could not show it much, he doted on his daughter.
"I'm sorry that you have to go through all these." The Emperor said. "Lingchen, if things get too hard, I won't blame you if you choose to give up the throne. Although your uncle, Prince Yi, does not have much interest in politics, if he is forced to step up, I know that he will do his job well."
"I won't give up."
The Emperor was about to say something when he saw the Crown Princess' determined gaze.
"Imperial Father, please don't make me give up," Lingchen said. "Until I found out who was the one who wanted to kill me with that poison, I can't give up on Da Cheng's throne. I can't allow anyone who would harm others to have control over Da Cheng."