We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1032 The Last Moments (Part 1)

Was it that Professor Qian himself didn't want to say?

A complex mix of emotions—heartache, helplessness, and sadness—overwhelmed Li Che, causing his eyes to well up slightly.

Yes, that's something Qian Shi could do.

That stubborn yet considerate old man was always afraid of causing him trouble, and always wanted to shoulder everything himself...

Even after Li Che had achieved imperial power, his mentor never made any demands on him, but simply supported him silently from behind.

However, this did not completely quell his anger!

The imperial physician's duty is to protect the health of the emperor and his officials; how could he conceal the patient's condition just because the patient requested it?

Once this trend is started, the consequences will be endless!

"Foolish! Stupid!" Li Che spat out the four words through gritted teeth, his gaze sweeping over the group of imperial physicians once more. "Even if Master Qian gave the order, as medical officers, do you not know the difference between what is important and what is urgent? Do you not know the crime of deceiving the emperor?"

"I will settle accounts with you later regarding this matter!"

Having said that, he ignored the silent crowd behind him.

Li Che calmed himself down, tiptoed, and walked toward the main room from which a strong medicinal smell wafted.

The servants and maids at the door were already kneeling on the ground, and no one dared to stop them.

Li Che walked through the slightly dimly lit main room, where the air was filled with the old-fashioned smell unique to the old man's room, and the door to the inner room was ajar.

He gently pushed open the door, and an even stronger, bitter medicinal smell wafted out.

The room was simply furnished with a bed, a table, a chair, and a bookshelf.

The window was half-open, letting in only a little light that shone onto the bed.

On the bed, a gaunt figure lay quietly, covered with a thick quilt, yet still appearing thin.

His sparse, gray hair was scattered on the pillow. His face was old and peaceful, his eyes were closed, and only the very faint rise and fall of his nostrils proved that he was still alive.

Beside the bed, an imperial physician was carefully placing the old man's hand back under the covers. When he turned around and saw the emperor enter, he was so frightened that he almost knelt down.

Li Che raised his hand to stop him, making every movement extremely quiet, for fear of disturbing the old man's peaceful sleep on the bed.

He slowly walked to the bedside, stared at Qian Bin's much older face, and felt a tightness in his throat.

Finally, Li Che slowly sat down on the footstool in front of the bed. This posture made him no longer the high and mighty emperor, but a student guarding his teacher's sickbed.

He hesitated for a moment, then gently grasped the old man's withered hand.

Those hands were icy cold; you could barely feel their temperature.

“Master Qian…” Li Che’s voice was low and choked with emotion, “Your disciple has come to see you.”

Qian Bin on the bed showed no reaction, his breathing was weak and long.

Li Lin and Qiu Bai, who followed in, held their breath and dared not make the slightest sound.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the occasional bird calls coming from outside the window, which only accentuated the deathly stillness.

Li Che held his teacher's hand, head bowed, his heart filled with coldness.

Is this person who lent a helping hand when he needed it most, gave him guidance when he was confused, and silently supported him when he encountered obstacles, really going to leave without a trace like this?

In the suffocating silence, Qian Bin's tightly closed eyelids suddenly twitched slightly.

Immediately, her white eyelashes began to tremble.

Under the tense gaze of everyone, a pair of eyes that had seen the vicissitudes of life opened a tiny slit with great effort.

The faint light entered his eyes, and he seemed to have to exert a lot of effort to focus on the blurry figure in front of the bed.

A faint, almost imperceptible voice rang out, yet it sent a shiver down Li Che's spine:

"Your Highness...?"

It's not 'Your Majesty', it's 'Your Highness'.

That was how Qian Bin addressed Li Che when he was still a prince.

That sound instantly shattered Li Che's defenses. He gripped that cold hand tightly, his eyes instantly turning red.

"Teacher...it's me, your student, I'm back."

Li Che's voice was hoarse and had a strong nasal tone.

That long-lost "Your Highness" was like a key, unlocking the floodgates of Li Che's memories and pulling him back from the emperor's majesty to his former identity as a student.

Qian Bin's gaze lingered on Li Che's face, as if trying to confirm whether the person in the dragon robe before him was indeed the young prince from his memory, the one who had been deep in thought, staring at a pile of counting rods and blueprints in the simple study of Fengguo, his eyes shining.

Gradually, a kind smile spread across the old man's deep-set eyes, like the last warm rays of sunlight at the end of winter.

"You... are busy..." Qian Bin's lips moved again, his voice slightly clearer than before, but still weak. "Why rush back... I... am fine."

Looking at his teacher's withered face, Li Che felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

No problem? This doesn't look like a problem at all.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady: "Teacher, why...why did you keep this from me? Why didn't you let the imperial physician tell me the truth?"

Qian Bin did not answer immediately. He gathered his strength for a while before speaking.

"This old man...this whole life..." he said haltingly, his gaze somewhat unfocused, "I haven't accomplished much...I've wasted...so many days..."

“Even if I were to be a teacher to the princes…” He paused for a breath and continued, “I wouldn’t be a very good teacher. Those nobles… who would have the patience to listen to an old scholar… rambling on about mathematics?”

Qian Bin looked at Li Lin behind Li Che and said with a smile, "Your Highness Prince Yan is... the one who dislikes studying the most."

Li Lin chuckled sheepishly, scratched his head, and had tears welling up in his eyes.

Qian Bin's voice grew softer and softer, yet it seemed to take Li Che back to the royal academy of many years ago.

Little Li Che always sat quietly in an inconspicuous corner, out of place with the other princes.

Only when the stern and unsmiling teacher Qian was explaining mathematics would a focused and bright light shine in his usually aloof and indifferent eyes.

“Only… do I remember…” Qian Bin’s gaze refocused on Li Che’s face, which was filled with tenderness. “Your Highness… you were the most attentive among the princes… a small child… sitting in the corner… looking at me… with those bright, sparkling eyes…”

Li Che choked up.

He remembered, of course he remembered.

Those were some of the few moments that brought him joy during his dark and repressive childhood.

Qian Bin was only explaining basic arithmetic at that time, but the beauty of logic contained within it opened a small window to another world for little Li Che.

“In the blink of an eye,” Qian Bin’s smile deepened, as if he were envisioning an amusing scene, “you will… grow up… and be going to your fiefdom… to that harsh… Feng State…”

He paused, a hint of mockery in his voice: "I had thought... our master-disciple relationship... had ended... and we would have no further connection..."

At this point, he let out a short laugh, accompanied by a wheezing sound from his chest: "I never expected... you... brat... to actually... kidnap this old man and take him to Fengguo..."