Lord Yingchuan watched his son on horseback and felt deeply moved. This was almost exactly as he had dreamed.
He had dreamt of this scene many times: his son growing up healthy, resuming male attire, not needing to be exceptionally outstanding, but living freely and uninhibitedly.
"Hao'er!" Lord Yingchuan also spurred his horse forward. Although he hadn't seen his son for a long time, he received his portraits every year.
There was no awkwardness between father and son.
"Your Highness." After they finished their greetings, Lin Yan also rode over, dismounted, and greeted the Lord.
"We are family, calling me Your Highness is too distant." Although Lord Yingchuan did not wish for his son to truly be with a man, seeing his son like this, he realized he might not be able to separate them.
"Right, Yan Ge, you should call me Father King too," Zhao Hao quickly came over and pulled Lin Yan's hand.
"Father King," Lin Yan called out generously.
"Good, this is for you." The Lord took out a sachet from his embrace. "A token for the change in address."
"Thank you, Father King!" Zhao Hao immediately took the sachet and retrieved a jade pendant from it.
It was a four-clawed dragon-shaped jade pendant, crystal clear and exquisite.
Zhao Hao directly hung the jade pendant on Lin Yan's waist. "It looks very good!"
"Thank you, Father King!" Lin Yan felt a little shy.
Lord Yingchuan smiled happily and then led them back to the temporary encampment.
Upon returning to the temporary encampment, Lord Yingchuan eagerly asked them about their situation in the capital, with his primary concern being Zhao Hao's health.
Even though he knew Zhao Hao had recovered, he couldn't help but worry when he heard repeated reports from the capital about Princess Fu'an falling gravely ill.
"Father King, I am truly well," Zhao Hao spun around in front of him, urging him to carefully observe his condition.
"It's good that you're well. My son has truly grown up. You're almost as tall as Father King," he said, reaching out to stroke his son's head.
"I will be as tall as Father King soon," Zhao Hao said with a smile. "I will definitely be taller than Father King in the future."
"Father King is waiting for that," Lord Yingchuan laughed even more heartily. "Yan'er, you've worked hard all these years."
He hadn't forgotten Lin Yan, whom he had always been very pleased with. Lin Yan had truly helped them a lot. Now that she was his son's beloved, he could not possibly overlook her.
"What are you saying, Father King? We are all family, there's no talk of hardship or not."
"It has been hard. You two children were alone in the capital, surrounded by danger. It was difficult enough just to preserve yourselves, yet you accomplished so much. You are truly remarkable. Your mission is almost complete; leave the rest to Father King. Trust Father King, I will surely forge a bright path for you."
Zhao Hao and Lin Yan settled into Lord Yingchuan's army. Zhao Hao stayed by Lord Yingchuan's side, learning about troop deployment and strategies for managing people.
Lin Yan, on the other hand, took charge of logistics, responsible for the movement of grain and fodder, directly liaising with the Consort in the rear.
Lord Yingchuan had already secured the Lin family's safety before his rebellion. Now, the elder Madam Lin and Mother Lin had settled in Yingchuan, living next to the royal manor.
As for other members of the Lin clan, their blood ties were not as deep, so the royal manor did not concern itself with them. Any larger actions would surely be noticed.
As soon as Lord Yingchuan launched his rebellion, the princes who had been fiercely competing immediately turned their attention outward, uniting against a common enemy.
Their first move was to go to Princess Fu'an's manor to capture her, only to find substitutes for Princess Fu'an and her consort.
"Fu'an must have received news of Lord Yingchuan's rebellion early, so they left substitutes and fled the capital."
The surviving princes gathered, discussing how to deal with the invading Lord Yingchuan.
"Of course, Fu'an is Lord Yingchuan's only child, so he would definitely have notified her in advance to evacuate."
"So you're saying Fu'an was faking her illness all along?" The Second Prince furrowed his brow and began to recall everything about Fu'an.
But as he recalled memories of Fu'an, they were all of her looking frail. It couldn't be that all the imperial physicians were colluding with her, so was Fu'an truly ill or pretending?
"She was probably genuinely ill; the imperial physicians aren't fools."
"Is it useful to discuss this now? Fu'an has already escaped, so we have no leverage over Uncle Lord Yingchuan. Our only option now is to fight."
"Easier said than done. How do we fight?" The Fourth Prince scoffed at the group of brothers, each with their own agenda.
They spoke of the country, of the court, but it was all for their own selfish interests. No matter who it was, their aim was to seize power. Lord Yingchuan's rebellion provided them with an excuse. Their father was incapacitated, and their elder brother, the regent appointed by their father before he fell unconscious, was unable to act. Therefore, they had to choose someone to lead, and that person would be the next emperor.
He had no hope himself. Watching these men scheme and fight, he found it utterly ironic. They wanted to win him over, to gain his support. How could that be possible! He now wished to eliminate them all. If he couldn't be emperor, he would ensure they had no chance either. Better that they be dealt with by someone else than by these people who had harmed him.
Lord Yingchuan's rebellion must have come with full confidence. He didn't believe any of these brothers could contend with him.
"Actually, I have a method to make Father Emperor wake up briefly." However, after waking, it would drain all of Father Emperor's life force, and he would die in his sleep. He hadn't mentioned it before because even if the Emperor woke up, he wouldn't pass the throne to him. But as his second brother rightly said, the situation was tense, and they needed to choose someone quickly.
The country couldn't be without a ruler for a day. Father Emperor was already in this state and would soon pass away. They definitely needed to choose a Crown Prince as soon as possible to manage the overall situation. However, none of these princes were willing to yield to the others, so they couldn't remain in this stalemate forever.