Empress Gu and Pei Yan had been separated for nearly twenty years.
By the time her own flesh and blood was found, he had already grown into a man who could stand tall and hold his own.
They were family, connected by blood, yet an indescribable, inexplicable barrier stood between them.
Every time they were together, a faint sense of distance and awkwardness hung in the air.
No matter how hard she tried to close the gap, their relationship was nothing like that of a normal family.
She had truly missed so much.
The Pei Yan of today was shrewd and resourceful, a man with a mind of his own.
'It's too late to truly connect with my child now!'
Thinking of the culprit who had caused all this, Empress Gu gritted her teeth with hatred.
But she couldn't exact the revenge she craved, and the injustice was suffocating.
Just as she thought of that man, a eunuch's shrill announcement echoed from the distance.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
A flash of annoyance and resentment crossed Empress Gu's eyes.
Yet, a graceful and dignified smile graced her lips as she moved to greet him at the entrance to the hall.
A figure in imperial yellow approached, walking with the leisurely air of a man strolling through his own courtyard.
Pei Yan was exceptionally handsome, and his biological father was not bad-looking either.
But years of indulging in women, obsessed with producing a son, had hollowed out his body.
He was in the prime of his life, yet he appeared old and frail, his former vigor all but gone.
The Emperor's authority was such that he commanded respect without anger, and the palace attendants dropped to their knees.
Just as Empress Gu was about to curtsy, he reached out to steady her, waiving the formality.
Suppressing the disgust and revulsion she felt for the Emperor, Empress Gu personally poured him tea.
The Emperor's gaze swept the room, but he didn't see Pei Yan.
"Where is he?"
"He said he had urgent business. He just left."
The Emperor looked disappointed and sighed. "I was thinking the three of us could have a nice meal together as a family."
Empress Gu sneered inwardly.
To suppress the Gu Family and ensure the heir wouldn't be hers, he had her newborn son swapped with a stillborn infant.
He even allowed his favorite concubine to spread rumors that she was an ill omen, that giving birth to a stillborn would destabilize the empire.
Then came the torrential rains that wouldn't stop, and the collapsing mountainsides...
More and more people came to believe she was a harbinger of disaster, that the stillbirth was a sign she would bring chaos to the world!
It forced her, during her postpartum confinement, to go and pray, kowtowing on every single temple step to plead for the empire and its people.
Perhaps her sincerity moved the heavens, for the torrential rains stopped!
Only then was her and the Gu Family's reputation restored, and she barely managed to save her position as Empress.
Empress Gu could never forget those incidents, not a single one.
And she never would!
He was as cruel as a blade, able to conjure clouds with one hand and rain with the other, manipulating everyone as he pleased.
'Back then, why didn't he ever think of us as a family of three!'
'Such a hypocrite!'
'Utterly laughable!'
Beneath her wide sleeves, Empress Gu's hands clenched. She dug her nails into her palms, barely restraining the surging tide of her hatred.
With a gentle smile, she said, "Your Majesty is occupied with countless affairs. Ah Yan and I feared we might disturb you, so we didn't send word. Ah Yan was just saying that when he goes to the Border, he will beat the invaders into submission and prove himself worthy of your trust."
The Border was perennially harassed by enemy nations, and the people suffered unspeakably.
Pei Yan was going this time to eliminate the threat for good.
The Emperor was satisfied with this son.
He was skilled in both scholarly and martial pursuits, his accomplishments hard-won and his path built on a solid foundation.
If he were to become master of the Eastern Palace, he would certainly be a qualified Crown Prince.
The position of Crown Prince concerned the stability of the empire and could not be changed lightly.
The current Crown Prince had been chosen from among the Imperial Family and legally adopted by the Empress.
Although he was the Emperor's own nephew, he couldn't compare to a biological son.
The Emperor had a mind to make Pei Yan the Crown Prince, but the situation at court was complicated. A single move could affect the entire board, and now was not the right time.
Taking Empress Gu's hand, the Emperor said earnestly, "You have given me a fine son. When he handles this matter well, I will reward him generously."
A genuine smile touched Empress Gu's eyes. "I thank you on Ah Yan's behalf."
"We're family; there's no need for such formalities."
A few years ago, because the Emperor couldn't produce a son, vicious rumors were rampant.
Even after he adopted an heir, the whispers of an ill omen came back to haunt him like a boomerang.
Why couldn't he produce a son?
Because the Royal Family's mandate was at an end!
As these rumors grew more intense, the Emperor finally made up his mind and ordered a secret search for his long-lost biological son.
On the day Pei Yan was born, he was taken from the Capital City by the Emperor's trusted confidant.
At first, the Emperor wanted the child dead.
But perhaps because even a vicious tiger won't eat its own cub, he didn't go through with the cruel act. He only had the child taken far away, ordering that he should never be able to return to the Capital City.
Not two years later, the Emperor suddenly received a secret message: the child had disappeared.
The Emperor had no expectations for this child to begin with, and after a few years of separation, he felt not a shred of affection.
'If he's gone, he's gone.'
'It must be fate!'
He just never expected that he would be unable to father another son afterward.
Daughters popped out one after another, proving he was fertile and that there was nothing wrong with him in *that* department.
But why couldn't he produce a son!
An emperor can do no wrong, so the Emperor decided it was the women's wombs that were failing.
And so, batch after batch of women from good families were selected and brought into the palace.
Still, no one gave birth to a son.
He adopted his nephew and established him as the Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince grew day by day, the Emperor's determination to have a son of his own faded.
He never imagined someone would start rumors to tarnish his name.
'This is outright rebellion!'
The Emperor remembered his firstborn son by his principal wife and decided to find him, no matter the cost.
The investigation eventually led them to General Mei. While leading his troops to suppress bandits, he had rescued many children and women.
One of them, a talented child, he took under his wing to raise.
That year, at a palace banquet, the Emperor ordered his officials to attend with their families, making special mention of the Mei family's valiant and skilled young general.
And so, General Mei brought Pei Yan into the palace.
With a single glance, both Empress Gu and the Emperor recognized him. That was their biological son.
A thorough investigation confirmed it.
To create a legitimate reason to reclaim his son, the Emperor executed his former favorite concubine and her entire family.
He pinned the crime of swapping the imperial heir on them.
With a son, the rumors collapsed on their own.
But what followed was new conflict. The political landscape of the court was about to change once again.
Between the Crown Prince and Prince Chen, one of them was bound to fall.
Recalling all that had happened, Empress Gu's heart ached as if pierced by needles.
The true culprit was right before her eyes, yet she had to put on a smile.
'How I hate him!'
Before the Emperor had even ordered the search for Pei Yan, Empress Gu had already discovered the truth about the swap.
She had endured in silence, then used their own methods against them, turning the knife back on the original perpetrator.
Looking at the white hair at the Emperor's temples and the wrinkles on his face, Empress Gu found herself wanting him to die soon, yet also hoping he would live a few more years.
Lest he die one moment and the Crown Prince ascend the throne the next.
With Ah Yan's abilities, he could take the throne by force if he so wished.
But without a legitimate claim, his words would carry no weight. How could he win the support of the people?
Empress Gu, with gentle care, massaged the Emperor's shoulders like an ordinary wife.
"You've come at a good time. I just had Ah Yan look at some portraits."
The Emperor's interest was piqued. "Who did he choose?"
"The young lady from the Duke of State Pacification Mansion!"