"His name is Bai Yunyu."

"Bai Yunyu?" Concubine Ai seemed to think for a while and then slammed the table angrily. "HE IS THE SON OF THAT OLD JEWELER, RIGHT?!"

Xi Yue jolted with the sudden outburst from Concubine Ai. She didn't expect her future mother-in-law to get so angry. Her face turned red out of fury.

"W—What is it, E'nie?"

"Huang Shu has been tricking me!" Concubine Ai yelled. "Since last year, he always recommends me to buy jewelry from that old Jeweler, and the rumors spread that old jeweler makes exquisite pieces."

"I admit that his crafts are amazing… so I thought Huang Shu must've recommended him because of his skill… It turns out, it was to boost the livelihood of his dirty little lover, that Peasant Ger, Bai Yunyu!"

"Ugh!"

Concubine Ai was in a terrible mood after knowing the truth. "I can't let this happen. That bitch Ger Bai Yunyu must've bewitched Huang Shu, just like how that bitch old Ger bewitched my Emperor husband, Emperor Jing!"

Xi Yue thought she would need to paint Bai Yunyu as evil for Concubine Ai to hate him. But turned out, she already had an innate hatred towards Ger men. Probably because Emperor Jing discarded everyone solely because he fell in love with that Ger in his forty.

It was ridiculous for the harem members because they all got defeated by an old man for Emperor's favor.

"Hmph! I bet that bitch ger Bai Yunyu must've used his body to seduce Huang Shu. He must've used my son's power as Imperial Prince to get more money. What a greedy bitch!" Concubine Ai cursed more and more.

"E'nie, I think if you didn't separate them anytime soon, Huang Shu would be too enamored by that Ger, and there will be no turning back at that point," Xi Yue said.

"You're right, Xi Yue, we really need to do something, so he wouldn't dare to seduce my son anymore," Concubine Ai thought. "In fact, I know just the way to do that."

"What will you do, E'nie?"

"I will make sure that nobody wants to marry him anymore. I will make him the most worthless Ger in the city," Concubine Ai said with a malicious smirk on her face, and Xi Yue was more than happy because, with this, her competition had been removed.

***

Huang Shu was busy studying with Bai Yunyu in a quiet garden. They were preparing for Yunyu's national test tomorrow. Huang Shu was already nineteen years old, so he had more experience of proper study than Yunyu.

But it was still surprising to Huang Shu because Yunyu proved himself to be more than capable of finishing the questions he gave without much trouble.

"Wow, Yunyu, you're smarter than many people I knew, even to some o my Imperial brothers," Huang Shu complimented.

"Of course! I studied a lot!" Yunyu prided himself, which made Huang Shu chuckle. He approved Yunyu's claim, and they spent their time harmoniously to help Yunyu's study.

"Are you ready for tomorrow's test?" Huang Shu asked.

"Heh, of course, I do! I will ace all tests and make you proud of me!" Yunyu said confidently.

[I mean, this is Ancient China, so… it's given that I will ace the national exam. The perk of transmigration, hehe~]

Huang Shu also had no doubt in Yunyu and nodded, "Just take a breath and write what you understand. The way they judge it is by reading and seeing whether you're virtuous enough to solve a problem."

"Yeah, yeah, it's okay. You worry too much, ah!"

Huang Shu and Bai Yunyu spent time harmoniously in this garden until late evening. Bai Yunyu returned to his house and met Meilan and his old father, who were eating together.

"Ah, my son, you're going to take part in the national exam, correct?"

"Yes, dad," Yunyu replied.

"Good, good. You should be doing well, dad wants you to chase your dream, even though we are just a commoner, but that doesn't mean that we cannot do anything about our status!"

Bai Yunyu was so happy with the smooth growth of his love life and how good his dad in this world treated him.

[In real life, my dad is a cold man that barely speaks to me, and he was never kind to mom. Maybe that's the reason why mom fell ill in the first place.]

…

[I know what you want to say. You're going to congratulate me for being this strong and growing up without parents. But really, I'm fine!]

…

Pupa wanted to say something, but he realized that Yunyu wouldn't appreciate it.

***

[D-Day National Exam]

Huang Shu was dressing his best, thinking that he should bring Yunyu to eat somewhere to celebrate after the test.

He combed his hair alone because he hated whenever a servant touched his hair. Huang Shu was about to leave before a servant from his mother's Palace arrived in front of him.

She looked troubled, carrying a cup of warm tea covered with the lid. Huang Shu frowned when he saw this servant, "What are you doing here?"

"Your Highness, um… Milady Concubine Ai wants me to bring you this. This is a rejuvenating tea, and she said that you should drink it as soon as possible while it's warm.

Huang Shu frowned. It was rare for his mother to give him something like this. But he didn't think much about it. He had another more important thing to do: personally pick Yunyu up with his Imperial carriage.

He had decided to properly introduce Bai Yunyu to his Emperor Father after seeing how much his father loved that Ger of his. It would be a fair trade for him to love a ger as well, right?

And for his First Brother and Concubine Mother… well, he will think about it later. He just couldn't miss the chance, mainly since he ensured that Yunyu would ace the Imperial exam, probably becoming the champion.

'If Yunyu becomes the national champion, then I can pride myself that I've taken the smartest Ger in the Empire. Nobody would mock Yunyu. Since he was smart and beautiful, he would give me a strong, healthy, and clever child in the future.

Huang Shu felt his head was above the cloud whenever he thought about his future life with Yunyu as husband and wife.

'I want at least five little buns. But from what I heard, it's tough for Ger to give birth, so most of them only have one or two….'

'Oh well, whatever that is, as long as I can marry him, then I will accept everything!'

Huang Shu walked in the Palace's corridor straight to the main hall, but his step halted shortly after.

He felt intense dizziness that attacked his head all of a sudden. Slowly, Huang Shu lost his strength, "Ugh… why is my body…?"

Huang Shu closed his eyes and fell to the ground like timber.

A few minutes later, the eunuchs that had been ordered by Concubine Ai carried their Seventh Prince back to his room and tied him to the bed, just in case he might wake up earlier than they thought.

Concubine Ai walked in after a while and looked at her son with a cold gaze, "My son, this is what happened when you want to trick your mother."