The Crown Prince was nearly frightened into paralysis by Yujin’s glance, his scalp tingling with fear.
Had he failed to conceal it well enough? Had Seventh Brother discovered something?
That Seventh Brother was no easy adversary – he was quite cunning.
At that moment, the Crown Prince had completely forgotten that Yujin had saved his son’s life.
Yujin gazed at the Crown Prince with an ambiguous smile.
Was the Crown Prince feeling guilty about something?
Although he didn’t know what foolish thing the Crown Prince had done this time, just staring at him like this was enough to make him nervous. That was exactly what Yujin wanted.
A fool would always be a fool, and when feeling guilty, they would lose their composure.
Yujin maintained a calm expression, inwardly feeling quite pleased with himself.
Cold sweat had begun to form on the Crown Prince’s brow.
What exactly had Seventh Brother discovered?
The Crown Prince’s heart was in turmoil, feeling as though he couldn’t hold on much longer.
The Empress covered Emperor Jingming with a thin blanket, then turned to address everyone: “You should all return now. The Emperor needs to rest. Once you leave the palace, do not speak of today’s events, to avoid causing panic among the people.”
“We humbly obey the Empress Dowager’s instructions,” everyone responded in unison before withdrawing.
After some consideration, Prince Qi led his Princess Consort to the Yuquan Palace.
Consort Xian was feeling quite vexed.
She had always thought the Empress was out of favor, but when did the Emperor start frequenting the Kunning Palace so often?
Moreover, while the Emperor was unwell, she would visit him daily, often only managing to see him once out of every three attempts. Just now, when news came that the Emperor’s condition had worsened, she had hurried to the Yangxin Hall but wasn’t even allowed to see him.
It was outrageous. She held the position of Consort, so what right did the Empress have to prevent her from seeing the Emperor?
The only consolation was that Consort Zhuang and the others also hadn’t been able to see the Emperor immediately.
“Your Highness, Prince Qi and his Princess Consort have arrived,” a palace maid reported.
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian immediately ordered them to be brought in.
“You’ve just come from the Yangxin Hall? Did you see your father?” Consort Xian dismissed the attendants and asked urgently.
Prince Qi nodded, “We did.”
“How is the Emperor?”
Prince Qi spoke in a low voice, “He seemed only a bit weak at first, but shortly after we entered, he suddenly fell ill. It didn’t look good…”
“Was the Empress there?”
Seeing Prince Qi nod, Consort Xian’s face darkened with anger, “The Empress truly thinks she can control everything!”
“Mother, I noticed Father trusts the Empress greatly. You shouldn’t show your dissatisfaction with her…”
Consort Xian regained her composure and said coolly, “I don’t need you to remind me of that.”
No matter how resentful she felt, she had smiled faintly when the Empress denied her entry. It was Consort Ning who had voiced a few complaints.
After all, the Empress was the Empress. Even if she didn’t like it, she could only keep it to herself.
Feeling increasingly stifled, Consort Xian glanced at Prince Qi, “Why have you come at this time?”
Prince Qi smiled, “Mother, there’s no need to worry. Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother have also gone to visit their respective mothers.”
“What about Seventh Brother?” Consort Xian asked casually.
“Seventh Brother…” Prince Qi paused before continuing, “He and his wife have left the palace.”
Consort Xian slammed her hand on the table, saying coldly, “I knew that good-for-nothing was heartless!”
No matter what, Seventh Brother was still the son she had carried for ten months. She never expected that beast to be so unfilial.
The Princess Consort of Qi had remained silent throughout, but upon seeing Consort Xian’s anger, she secretly curved her lips into a smile.
“Mother, please don’t be angry,” Prince Qi tried to calm her, then lowered his brows and said, “Actually, I came at this time because I have something to tell you.”
“Speak,” Consort Xian calmed down, seeing that Prince Qi wanted to discuss something important.
Prince Qi spoke softly, “When we went to visit Father together, initially everyone was waiting outside, but Father summoned Seventh Brother and his wife for a private audience…”
Consort Xian’s eyes narrowed, “Is that so?”
Prince Qi nodded, “Mother, what do you think Father’s intentions might be?”
Consort Xian frowned and remained silent.
The Emperor had a private audience with the Seventh Brother. Could he be growing senile?
“From what I’ve observed, the Crown Prince’s position as heir apparent isn’t as secure as before. In the coming days, you must prioritize stability. After the Crown Prince, you’re next in line. Unlike Prince Jin, who was born to a palace maid, you have a good reputation among both civil and military officials. As long as you remain steady, regardless of whom your father favors or values, no one can surpass you. ‘If there is a legitimate heir, establish him; if there is no legitimate heir, establish the eldest.’ This is the rule passed down by our ancestors. Even if this rule is violated and an heir is chosen based on merit, you still have the greatest chance. As for choosing an heir based on affection, only a foolish ruler would do that.”
Consort Xian took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, then continued, “The Crown Prince is incompetent and unvirtuous. He was deposed and then reinstated, precisely because your father is a man who follows the rules and is unwilling to give up on the Crown Prince, his eldest legitimate son, unless necessary. If the Crown Prince falls, it would be extremely difficult for anyone else to compete with you.”
Establishing the eldest legitimate son as heir, regardless of merit, was the rule of law. Even if the legitimate eldest son was mediocre and his younger brothers more capable, the heir must be the eldest legitimate son. This was determined by etiquette and law, and even the emperor had to abide by it.
“I understand, Mother.”
“Good. These are critical times, so I won’t keep you any longer.” Consort Xian’s gaze swept over the Princess Consort of Qi, saying coolly, “Daughter-in-law, you must take good care of the Prince and help share his burdens. Don’t fuss over trivial matters. Only when Fourth Son prospers can you prosper.”
The Princess Consort of Qi lowered her eyes and replied, “Daughter-in-law understands.”
In the Chunhua Palace, Consort Ning was scolding Prince Lu.
“Are you that idle? Who told you to step on the Crown Prince’s trousers?”
The incident of Prince Lu stepping on the Crown Prince’s trousers and exposing his knee padding had already spread throughout every corner of the harem. As Prince Lu’s mother, Consort Ning naturally knew about it.
Every time she thought about it, Consort Ning became furious.
Looking at her indifferent son, her face darkened even more.
“When no one else moved, you had to be the one to make a scene. Are you afraid the Crown Prince won’t hold a grudge against you?”
Prince Lu chuckled, “Mother, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to—”
Consort Ning glared at him, fuming, “You little beast, if you didn’t mean to, I’ll write the character for ‘king’ upside down!”
Prince Lu muttered under his breath, “It’s still ‘king’ even when it’s upside down.”
Seeing that Consort Ning was about to explode with anger, the Princess Consort of Lu secretly kicked Prince Lu’s leg from behind.
Prince Lu’s leg gave way, and he fell to his knees, hugging Consort Ning’s legs and pleading, “Son knows he was wrong. Please don’t be angry, Mother. It’s not worth getting wrinkles over this.”
Consort Ning glared around with a dark face.
Where was the knife? She wanted to chop up this little brat!
As Emperor Jingming suddenly suffered a heart attack, each palace had different reactions.
Back at Prince Yan’s residence, Jiang Si asked Yujin, “Why were you looking at the Crown Prince like that earlier?”
Yujin stroked his chin and said, “The Crown Prince is problematic.”
“Oh?”
“The Crown Prince has repeatedly angered Father. Finally getting an audience with Father should have been a good thing for him. But I observed closely, and when Father paid attention to him, even his breathing became erratic. This doesn’t seem like excitement, but more like he’s done something he shouldn’t have and feels guilty,” Yujin explained calmly.
Having practiced martial arts since childhood, he was very sensitive to people’s breathing rhythms and had noticed the Crown Prince’s abnormality early on.
“Ah Jin, are you saying that Father’s sudden heart attack might be related to the Crown Prince?”