After the Crown Prince left, Emperor Jingming returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
By dawn, Emperor Jingming had finally dozed off, and he didn’t rise from his bed.
Emperor Jingming had fallen ill.
One day, two days, three days… The ministers who didn’t need to attend court began to worry.
The princes also started to feel anxious, with Prince Qi being the most concerned.
“Father’s illness comes at an inopportune time…” Prince Qi sighed to his wife.
The Crown Prince’s series of blunders, coupled with the scandal from Qianhe County being brought to Emperor Jingming’s attention, could very likely shake the Crown Prince’s position as heir apparent.
Yet Emperor Jingming had fallen ill.
Illness comes like a collapsing mountain and leaves like pulling silk. After being sick for a while, Emperor Jingming’s pent-up anger would dissipate, and remembering old affections, his resolve to depose the Crown Prince would waver.
Thinking about this, Prince Qi felt frustrated.
“Could it be that even Heaven is on the Crown Prince’s side?”
Princess Qi consoled him: “My lord, don’t think that way. If Heaven truly sided with the Crown Prince, how would it allow him to cause trouble repeatedly and have Father learn of it each time? The Crown Prince is constantly eroding the father-son bond with the Emperor. Sooner or later, Father will be completely disappointed in him.”
Prince Qi smiled slightly.
The Crown Prince’s repeated troubles being known to the Emperor had nothing to do with Heaven; it was due to his covert efforts.
Of course, his other brothers had likely played their parts as well.
“Delay breeds change. Who knows when this ‘sooner or later’ will come?”
Princess Qi’s eyes flickered: “What do you mean, my lord?”
Prince Qi’s gaze turned cold: “Naturally, it’s better to act sooner rather than later. We must seize the opportunity of Father’s illness!”
Since the Emperor had fallen ill at this inconvenient time, he would turn this misfortune into an advantage, making the Emperor completely lose faith in the Crown Prince.
This time, he wanted the Crown Prince’s life!
The chilling intent in Prince Qi’s eyes made Princess Qi hesitate to inquire further. She only asked, “When shall we go to the palace to visit Father?”
With Emperor Jingming ill, the princes living outside the palace, whether they could see him or not, had to visit the palace daily to show their filial piety.
“Let’s get ready and go now. We can’t let others steal the spotlight.”
When the Prince and Princess Qi arrived at the palace, they found that several of their brothers and their wives had already gathered, except for Prince Yan and his wife.
Jiang Si and Yu Jin were currently in a carriage heading to the palace.
Early that morning, their daughter Ahuan had spit up, causing the new parents to panic. Only after ensuring their daughter was fine did they feel at ease leaving.
The couple was also discussing Emperor Jingming’s illness.
“Father has been ill for several days, and no one has seen him. I wonder how serious his condition is.”
Yu Jin sneered: “It’s all because of the Crown Prince.”
Although the news of the Jinli Town woman coming to the capital to seek the father of her unborn child hadn’t spread, Yu Jin was familiar with people in the Shuntian Prefecture. He had even recruited a few individuals during his time there, so he learned about it immediately.
Moreover, he had discreetly leaked the woman’s story to Prince Qi, so he had anticipated this development.
Jiang Si lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.
The autumn sky was clear and vast, inspiring a sense of openness in those who gazed upon it.
She lowered the curtain and said, “The Crown Prince’s days are likely numbered.”
She hadn’t seriously discussed the matter of deposing the Crown Prince a second time with Yu Jin yet and now seemed like an appropriate moment.
Yu Jin smiled: “Fourth Brother is more anxious than us. He might try to take the Crown Prince’s life while Father is ill.”
Jiang Si sighed lightly: “Indeed. If the Crown Prince is deposed a second time, the chances of him keeping his life are slim.”
In her previous life, the Crown Prince was deposed a second time on charges of treason and given poisoned wine. The Crown Princess was also sentenced to death, with only the Crown Prince’s son and two daughters sparing their lives. The young prince was confined, while the two daughters were sent to be raised in some unknown household.
Jiang Si felt no sympathy for the Crown Prince’s death but pitied the Crown Princess.
As they spoke, they arrived at the palace gates and made their way to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
“Seventh Brother, you’re the last to arrive,” Prince Lu called out as Yu Jin entered.
Yu Jin glanced at Prince Lu and said coolly, “We’re all the same if we can’t see Father. Did you come early just to chat?”
Prince Lu rubbed his nose and fell silent.
Every interaction with Seventh Brother left him at a disadvantage. He’d better keep his mouth shut.
There was a commotion at the door as Pan Hai approached.
“Eunuch Pan, how is Father?” everyone asked.
They had been coming for several days but still hadn’t seen Emperor Jingming.
Pan Hai looked around, greeted everyone, and said, “His Majesty requests the presence of the princes and princesses.”
Everyone sighed in relief.
They would finally be able to see him today.
The Crown Prince was the most excited.
For the past few days, he had been anxious, unable to sleep soundly, constantly wondering how his father would punish him. Not being able to see his father’s face made him even more uneasy.
The Crown Prince eagerly walked ahead.
Pan Hai hesitated for a moment and said, “Your Highness, please wait.”
Everyone stopped and looked at the Crown Prince and Pan Hai.
The Crown Prince impatiently asked, “Didn’t Father call us in? Why are you stopping me, Eunuch Pan?”
Pan Hai forced a smile and said, “Your Highness, His Majesty called for the princes and princesses to enter…”
The Crown Prince was stunned and asked in disbelief, “Father won’t see me?”
Pan Hai nodded slightly.
The Crown Prince’s face quickly turned the color of a pig’s liver. His lips quivered as if he wanted to question further, but he swallowed his words.
The others averted their gazes and followed Pan Hai inside, soon leaving only the Crown Prince and Crown Princess in the hall.
“Why won’t Father see me?” Once everyone had left, the Crown Prince couldn’t contain himself and angrily whispered to the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess glanced at him, her face expressionless, and said, “Your Highness should understand why.”
The Crown Prince froze, his fists clenching so tightly they creaked.
To be singled out and not received by his father in front of so many people was utterly humiliating.
No, it wasn’t just about losing face. Was Father preparing to abandon him?
The Crown Prince shuddered, his face turning from pig’s liver to ashen.
Seeing the Crown Prince fall silent, the Crown Princess naturally had no interest in comforting him.
For this man who was supposed to comfort disaster victims but ended up sleeping with a woman, she had lost even the emotion of disappointment. Now she only hoped for one thing: When the Emperor recovered, he would depose the Crown Prince on grounds of moral failure. At least then the family could live peacefully, and the Crown Prince wouldn’t ascend the throne to ruin the Great Zhou.
The two remained silent, still waiting in the hall.
Whether they would be summoned or not, they couldn’t leave early. It was a matter of attitude.
Emperor Jingming’s illness wasn’t severe, or rather, it was purely brought on by wave after wave of anger caused by the Crown Prince.
At this moment, he looked around at his sons, said a few words to each, and then waved his hand to dismiss the group.
Today’s audience was to tell these rascals that he wasn’t going to die yet, so they shouldn’t let their imaginations run wild.
“Thank heavens, Father looks quite well. He’ll surely recover soon.”
The Crown Prince, hearing this with his anxious mood, couldn’t tell if he felt sad or happy.
Pan Hai coughed lightly: “Your Highness, you should return now. The princes are leaving as well…”
The Crown Prince walked out with a dark face, the Crown Princess silently following behind.
Jiang Si glanced at the Crown Princess, thought for a moment, and slowed her pace.