The Regent’s Secret

During the rainy season, there were occasional sunny days, and Li Yi repeatedly went to the Emerald Wave Pond to paint, taking advantage of the heavy water flow after the rain to sketch the grand waterfall.

As usual, his followers stayed at a distance, and Li Yi walked through the sparse and short bushes towards the pond.

The waterfall roared like thunder without end, and the waterfall basin was filled with waves for several zhang (a unit of measurement) in diameter. Splashing water droplets flew towards the shore.

Li Yi entered from behind the Emerald Wave Pond, facing the magnificent sight of the waterfall flowing straight down.

In the past, no matter how early the Crown Grandson arrived, the Shizi had already been waiting by the pond. Today, Li Yi did not see anyone around, which was strange.

Just as he was about to call someone over to ask, he saw something moving in the deep part of the Emerald Wave Pond. He looked closer and saw that it was a human figure. Before Li Yi could think of anything else, the person plunged into the waterfall, swimming towards the bottom. Li Yi instinctively wanted to shout a warning of danger.

But the person had already pushed himself up against the current of the falling waterfall!

When the person stood upright, his back was exposed to the sky. He was tall and slim like a crane, with a slender waist, showing the unique grace of a young man.

The waterfall poured down like a silver river, cleansing his handsome bones and muscles, sparkling like jade.

The young man spread his arms and let the white waves splash towards him, like snowflakes hitting his face. He slowly raised his head, and Li Yi seemed to have seen his handsome face with closed eyes. His originally tied-up black hair was washed down to his shoulders, creating a strong contrast of black and white that deeply touched Li Yi’s heart as an artist.

In an instant, the colors of the mountains and forests lost their luster.

Water droplets formed clouds and stacked up to the stone where the young man stood. He moved lightly and was about to turn around.

Li Yi’s heart was about to jump out of his chest, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the young man, nor could he move his legs. He stared dumbfoundedly as the young man turned around…

In an instant, the young man had jumped down from the waterfall and floated down the current to the shore in a few breaths. When he stood up, he still had his back to Li Yi and walked to the opposite bank.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous!”

Li Yi was suddenly awakened by the shout from behind. He saw a long and colorful snake rushing towards him, with a head as large as a bowl and a bright red tongue slipping in and out. The sound of its hiss grew louder as it swayed its body.

Li Yi unconsciously took a step back, but the mossy ground by the pond made him slip and fall into the water.

The long snake was about to follow, but the guard who had just arrived confronted it. Li Yi was unprepared and fell into the cold pond water, which rushed into his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. The outside world was cut off, and in the quietness of death, an imperceptible vortex pulled him into the depths.

The memory of falling into the pond in his previous life came rushing back like a noose, and Li Yi was suffocated by fear. He struggled, and the noose broke. He grasped the hands that suddenly appeared, as if he was wrestling with the abyss, refusing to let go.

As he struggled and the noose tightened, he used the strength of those hands to break free, bit by bit…

As soon as he emerged from the water, the air rushed back into his lungs like sharp blades. Li Yi coughed violently in pain, and someone helped him pat his back. When he stopped coughing, tears welled up in his eyes again.

Between gasps, he looked at the person who had pulled him up through his tear-filled eyes. He couldn’t help but let out a cry, but soon his face turned red, and he lowered his head to cover his mouth and nose. 

It was just a subconscious act of embarrassment, but he ended up getting a nosebleed in his hands. 

The Shizi was kneeling beside him, completely naked, helping him rub his back and spit out water. 

Zhao Yuan had never thought of putting Li Yi in danger just to test his feelings for him. When he saw Li Yi fall into the water, he didn’t even hesitate to jump in after him, not even bothering to put on his clothes.

At this moment, Li Yi looked embarrassed and Zhao Yuan quickly got up and put on his clothes. In the meantime, the guards had already swam over from the other side.

An eunuch was also running around the pond and had arrived by now.

“Your Highness! We have failed in our duty and ask for your punishment.”

“Your Highness! This slave was late!”

The people who came along were all apologizing in a chaotic manner, and they rushed to Li Yi’s side to help him put on his clothes and tend to his wounds. They quickly sent someone down the mountain to prepare for the rescue.

Li Yi was already fine at this point, and he wanted to express his gratitude to the Shizi. He silently watched him standing far away with a deep gaze, deeper than the pond water.

Back at the palace, Li Yi did not mention anything to the people who were following him from a distance. He only said that he accidentally fell into the pond, and the guards and eunuchs had done a great job protecting him.

Due to the Crown Grandson’s face, the Emperor did not punish those people severely, but the Crown Prince immediately changed Li Yi’s attendants.

It was already midsummer, and the Emperor was supposed to go to the summer resort for a while. The Crown Prince stayed in the palace to handle government affairs as usual, and Li Yi accompanied him to take care of him.

The school also suspended classes during the hot summer months. One month later, when Li Yi returned to the palace, it was already early autumn. The Pan Palace had already reopened at the end of summer, and Li Yi was a week late in returning to school with his classmates.

On the first day, Li Yi did not see Zhao Shen.

On the second day, there were no students standing in the square, and there was no one in the classroom. Li Yi couldn’t wait until the third day, and when someone came to ask about his well-being, he tried to act nonchalant and casually asked, “It seems that I haven’t seen the Dian Nan Wang Shizi. Did the school come up with a new punishment to replace standing?”

The person who came also casually replied, “I heard that the boy is sick. I don’t know if he’s faking it or not.”

Li Yi’s heart tightened and he asked, “How long has he been sick?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since the start of school.”

It had already been more than ten days since the start of school. This meant that the Shizi had been sick for at least half a month.

Li Yi immediately wanted to leave the side hall. Despite his rationality, he pretended to be overwhelmed by the heat and asked the doctor for permission to take a breath of fresh air in the garden pavilion before returning. Of course, no one dared to refuse him, and he was personally escorted out by a scholar. When asked if he wanted to return to the palace, Li Yi insisted on only taking a breath of fresh air.

Once outside the hall, he repeated the same words to the attendants and ended with, “Don’t follow me, it’s stuffy. I’ll come back alone. Ping An, you come with me.”

Ping An was the little eunuch who had been spared his life by Li Yi’s words before. He was only seven or eight years old, but already treated like an adult in the palace. Li Yi liked him for his clear eyes and lack of ulterior motives.

In the garden, Li Yi hurriedly passed through the pavilion. Ping An was surprised to see him, and Li Yi instructed him, “I want to visit Dian Nan Wang Shizi. When you go back, pretend this never happened.”

Ping An blinked his big eyes and nodded suddenly.