Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” he whispered as he forced himself to step forward. One guard opened the door for him.
Walking into that room was always a kick to the chest. It didn’t matter how many times he visited—he would never grow accustomed to seeing his father pale and thin, hooked up to countless machines with tubes and wires running to him.
Yet, his father’s eyes were still sharp, and there was a smile that spread across his thin lips as his gaze fell on his eldest son. A look of joy and pride. The same look that always filled his eyes when he looked at either Long Wei or Ming Tao.
His smile wavered, but he held on tight as he bowed low to his father. “It is good to see you, Heaven’s Chosen Father.”
As he was still bent low at the waist, he heard a faint laugh behind his father’s oxygen mask and dared to peek up to find his father waving one finger at him. With his other hand, he lifted the mask enough to speak. “Our people do not know they will get such a smartass as an emperor. You have them all fooled.”
Jin straightened and took his father’s hand in both of his as he slid into the chair set beside the bed. “That may be true, but it will still be many years before I sit on the dragon throne. That is plenty of time for you to teach me the error of my ways.”
The emperor huffed. “You’re thirty. If you’ve not learned by now, I have little hope of you changing.”
“Even a stream flowing for thousands of years can change its path. It is accomplished bit by bit, year after year. Never lose hope in my improving, Baba.”1 The only time he got to call his father that was when they were alone.
Jiang Yu squeezed his fingers so tight, stronger than he’d expected him to be. “I will never lose hope in you. You have never disappointed me. You are wise and strong and compassionate. Our people are in excellent hands.”
He didn’t want to talk or even think about this any longer. “How are you feeling today? Have you been harassing the hard-working nurses into giving you food you’re not permitted?”
“Nonsense,” he grumbled, letting his mask fall back into place so he could take a few gulps of the oxygen.
“I can’t imagine why I don’t believe you. Maybe I’m getting reports from the doctor that you are sneaking spicy foods when they are not approved on your list. If it’s not the nurses sneaking that food, it’s the guards.”
“The doctor is making up stories,” his father said, earning a chuckle from Jin that felt real. “Why don’t we instead discuss why you look so tired? I told Qin he’s not supposed to be making your schedule impossible to follow. It will do no one any good if their crown prince is exhausted.”
“It’s nothing. I had trouble sleeping last night and woke early. There aren’t too many meetings today. I’m hoping to catch up on sleep tonight. I promise.”
“Don’t pick up bad habits. You need to sleep. You can’t make important decisions when your brain and body are exhausted.”
“Yes, Baba,” Jin murmured, lowering his eyes.
The emperor checked in on a few pressing national issues, and Jin was quick to reassure him that everything was in hand. The doctor had left strict orders that the emperor was not to be weighed down with stressful matters. All his attention needed to be focused on his health and resting. Jin adhered to those instructions as closely as he could. The goal of his regular visits to see his father was to lift his spirits and distract him from his inevitable boredom.
The one positive out of all this, his father joked, was that he was catching up on his reading. He rotated between reading e-books and listening to audiobooks based on his levels of fatigue that day.
Near the end of the hour, a soft knock on the door announced the doctor and a nurse. After some brief greetings, the nurse and doctor checked their patient’s vital signs and then left again. Jin rose and pressed a kiss to his father’s forehead, promising to return the next day.
“Ming Tao?” the emperor asked as he was leaving.
“Tomorrow. He’s supposed to be arriving in Jin tomorrow. I know he wants to come directly here from the airport to see you, but he may have to wait if it’s too early.”
His father waved a dismissive hand at him. “Make him wait. Let him rest from his travels.”
Jin smiled and gave a final bow to his father. He was skeptical of his ability to keep his younger brother from his father’s bedside, regardless of the hour. The moment their father first took ill, his brother had been in the middle of completing some important work for his internship that was critical to getting his degree. Both Jin and their father told Ming Tao to keep working and finish what he had left. He was supposed to have started classes this fall so he could graduate in the winter, but that had been put on hold as he returned home.