The Imperial Study.

Eunuch Wang stopped outside the cabinet door, extending his hand to invite Prince Kang to enter alone.

Prince Kang thought of Father Emperor who had flown into a rage over his aunt in the great hall. Before even seeing him, he grew nervous first, fearing Father Emperor suspected whether he had offended his aunt first, thus causing her to use such vicious means to frame him.

His heart pounding like a drum, Prince Kang barely steadied his expression and walked in with lowered head.

On the east side of the cabinet were a desk and dragon throne—where Father Emperor reviewed memorials, read books, and practiced calligraphy. On the south side by the window was a long couch. Father Emperor could both rest on it and place a low table to sit on the couch reading books and reviewing memorials.

The dragon throne was empty. Prince Kang glanced with peripheral vision toward the long couch, glimpsing Father Emperor’s figure lying face-up on a high pillow.

Prince Kang’s heart jumped in alarm. From childhood to adulthood he had come to the Imperial Study countless times. In late morning, Father Emperor would only lie like this when ill and weak.

Prince Kang looked worriedly toward Father Emperor’s face, discovering that although Father Emperor’s eyes were open, his gaze at the carved beams on the ceiling was hollow and lifeless.

“This son greets Father Emperor.”

When Father Emperor finally blinked his eyelids and turned his head to look at him, Prince Kang hurriedly performed his respects.

Emperor Yongchang waved his hand, then patted the edge of the couch beside him: “Come talk.”

Prince Kang stopped at the couch’s edge in a few steps. Seeing Father Emperor’s dispirited appearance, he asked with concern: “Is Father Emperor unwell somewhere? Should this son send someone to summon the imperial physician?”

Emperor Yongchang twitched the corner of his mouth, mocking himself: “No need. I was angered by your aunt and Third Brother. For their own ambition and selfish desires they acted recklessly, yet implicated me and the entire imperial clan in losing face.”

Family scandals should not be made public, but the channel-digging matter had long spread throughout Qingxia County. So many common people were waiting for the authorities to give them an explanation. Di Xian’s four-hundred-li express memorial had also been submitted. Emperor Yongchang couldn’t chill the heart of a capable official and numerous common people just to conceal the imperial family’s scandal.

If the imperial family had bad seeds with intentions to exploit the people, he as family head had to display such bad seeds and severely punish them, letting the common people know that although the imperial family produced one vicious clan member, there was still an enlightened ruler willing and able to uphold justice for them. At the same time, this would serve as a warning to deter other clan members from daring to harbor hearts for factional strife and harming the people.

Righteousness was righteousness, but Emperor Yongchang’s inner discomfort was real. One was his blood sister, one was his blood son. No matter how deserved their punishment, having personally handed down the penalty, he couldn’t possibly let it go immediately. Especially the Third Imperial Grandson he had held not long ago—the innocent child saddled with such a pair of greedy, stupid, and inferior parents!

Hearing this, Prince Kang knelt down, lowering his head: “It’s all this son’s fault. If this son could have detected Aunt’s resentment earlier and found ways to counsel her earlier, perhaps Aunt wouldn’t have reached this point today.”

Emperor Yongchang: “…”

He sat up cross-legged, staring at his eldest son below for a while: “According to what you say, should I also bear a share of the responsibility for failing to detect it?”

Prince Kang quickly said: “What does this have to do with Father Emperor? Father Emperor handles myriad affairs daily…”

Emperor Yongchang: “Enough. Get up. The evil she committed herself has nothing to do with me or you. I summoned you here not to blame you.”

Prince Kang could only straighten his body. A robust man over eight chi tall, he immediately towered over Father Emperor sitting on the couch.

Prince Kang retreated two steps quite unaccustomed to this, bending at the waist.

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then said: “I only have four sons. Your Third Brother has already been reduced in peerage rank for being implicated by his ambition to compete for Crown Prince. Your Fourth Brother is still young. That leaves only you and your Second Brother…”

Prince Kang immediately knelt down again, his face flushing red: “Father Emperor, this son is stupid and far inferior to Second Brother. You should give that position to Second Brother. This son absolutely won’t have any unwillingness or dissatisfaction, much less follow Aunt’s path!”

He had long admired Second Brother. Only because Second Brother’s legs were crippled did he feel he could compete with Third Brother. Compete as he might, he hadn’t thought of using any harmful methods. Whomever Father Emperor chose, he would accept!

Emperor Yongchang nodded: “You truly are not as intelligent as your Second Brother. In learning you’re inferior, in foresight and strategy inferior, in character and realm inferior, and in the dignity commanding subordinates also inferior.”

Several consecutive “inferiors” spoke until Prince Kang’s face was full of shame with nowhere to hide.

Emperor Yongchang: “But his legs are crippled. An emperor sitting in a wheelchair can only command respect from close ministers and capital officials. More local officials may never have the opportunity to have an imperial audience in their entire lives. If they can’t see your Second Brother, they won’t know that your Second Brother sitting in a wheelchair still possesses undiminished dignity. And once local officials harbor contempt for your Second Brother, they’ll dare to be perfunctory in their official duties.”

Prince Kang could be shamed by Father Emperor’s words, but couldn’t tolerate others looking down on the imperial clan, especially such an outstanding Second Brother. He was immediately angered by those types of local officials Father Emperor mentioned, raising his head: “They dare!”

Emperor Yongchang: “When heaven is high and the emperor far away, local officials dare do many things. Why could your aunt think of digging channels? Because there really are local officials who deliberately cut corners or deliberately destroy embankments to embezzle flood control funds. That’s the major kind. There are also shielding relatives who commit violence, bullying men and dominating women, encroaching on people’s fields, and so on—each with their own methods of corruption, like weevils gnawing crops, impossible to completely eliminate.”

Prince Kang: “Even if they can’t be completely eliminated, they must be eliminated. Eliminating one can protect a field of crops.”

Emperor Yongchang’s face showed gratification: “What I most admire is this sense of righteousness in you. You’re not the material to be an enlightened ruler, but you’re an excellent candidate to be a worthy prince assisting an enlightened ruler.”

Finally receiving praise, Prince Kang felt his face heat up.

Emperor Yongchang: “I trust you’ve already guessed. Last year I already knew your Second Brother was truly the one who recommended Di Xian and thought up the wasteland clearing strategy. He truly has no heart to compete for Crown Prince—he only thinks of helping Qingxia County, Lingshan County, and helping the court accomplish some things. But I’m not a fool either. Following the trail of clues, I forcibly dug him out.”

“I won’t hide it from you. After learning these things, I conceived the idea of establishing your Second Brother. By the time you were instigated to compete for the hunting championship, I had firmly decided to establish your Second Brother.”

Prince Kang again showed a shameful expression.

Emperor Yongchang: “You, everything about you is good, but when encountering major matters you become indecisive without resolution. Anyone can push you. If they push you correctly that’s fine, but what if someone deliberately pushes you into a pit? When you’ve already fallen in and then regret it, will it be too late?”

Prince Kang accepted such criticism. He truly was this kind of person.

Emperor Yongchang: “So I wanted to temper you toward being a worthy prince. Having you inspect channels and mountains served two purposes. First, to let you see with your own eyes your Second Brother’s great talent, making you willingly assist him. Second, to have you see with your own eyes in Liangzhou the local people’s suffering from drought and water shortage, and a capable water control official’s methods for building channels. To have you see at Lingshan what a truly practical official must do step by step from conceiving methods to enrich the people to implementing those methods.”

“Officials are accustomed to writing memorials, but what’s in memorials can be true or fabricated. Only by personally experiencing it can you discern the truth or falsehood of memorials.”

“You handled both these assignments very well. I’m very gratified.”

Prince Kang’s eyes reddened again. So Father Emperor had hidden so much painstaking care!

Emperor Yongchang finally said: “Brothers are flesh and blood. Your Second Brother’s mind works well, but his legs are crippled. So I hope you can be his legs. The projects he cannot personally inspect, you go inspect for him. The local civil and military officials he cannot personally intimidate, you go intimidate for them. Look at you, so tall and burly. When the time comes, put on the python robe, furrow your brows, be impartial in rewarding good and punishing evil. With the court having a worthy prince like you, who would dare not take your Second Brother’s policies seriously?”

Hearing this, not a trace of depression remained in Prince Kang’s eyes. His voice firm, he said: “Father Emperor rest assured. This son will be a worthy prince for life!”

On the twenty-first day of the fifth month, when the horizon had just begun to brighten, civil and military officials had already entered the hall preparing for today’s court assembly.

Before the hundred officials could speak, Emperor Yongchang first had Eunuch Wang read the edict conferring Prince Hui Zhao Sui as Crown Prince. The edict’s wording was extremely simple, but every character was a summary and praise of Prince Hui’s talents, virtues, and established merits. Fighting in campaigns north and south, garrisoning the frontier, recommending worthy men,献策改善民生—truly Heaven’s will, thus established as Crown Prince. An auspicious day would be chosen separately for the investiture ceremony.

When Eunuch Wang’s cadenced voice fell, Emperor Yongchang glanced at his second son, the only one still sitting in a wheelchair, then looked toward the civil and military officials kneeling throughout the hall: “The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation. Establishing the Crown Prince is both my family matter and a state matter of Great Qi. If you beloved ministers have objections to the Crown Prince candidate I have decreed, speak freely.”

Just as officials were exchanging glances, Prince Kang straightened his waist and declared loudly: “Father Emperor is wise and mighty. Prince Hui is truly the only choice for Crown Prince. This son has no objection!”

The Fourth Prince, only fifteen years old and summoned to attend court for the first time, hearing his eldest brother’s words, quickly said: “Father Emperor is wise. This son also has no objection!”

With both princes not competing, and another prince already reduced to Prince of Second Rank, how would civil and military officials dare touch the sore spots of Emperor Yongchang and the new Crown Prince?

“Your Majesty is wise. We subjects have no objections.”

Since this was so, Emperor Yongchang smiled and told everyone to dispense with ceremony.

Eunuch Wang descended from the imperial platform and respectfully delivered the edict conferring the Crown Prince to Prince Hui.

Zhao Sui received the imperial edict with both hands, holding it at forehead level. Facing the direction of the dragon throne, he said respectfully: “Receiving Father Emperor’s trust and regard, this son will certainly be diligent and self-disciplined, not failing Father Emperor’s entrustment.”

Finished speaking, he lowered the imperial edict and completed three kowtows over it.

Eunuch Wang pushed Prince Hui’s wheelchair to the center of the great hall, turning toward the civil and military officials.

The civil and military officials performed respects again, kneeling and bowing to the Crown Prince.

Prince Hui’s Residence.

Because of Princess Imperial Fucheng and Prince Qing being severely punished, Yao Huang hadn’t gone out these past few days. After eating breakfast, she pushed Jun’er lying in a small purple sandalwood cart to stroll in the garden.

Master Deng had crafted so many increasingly useful wheelchairs for Prince Hui. Following the Princess Consort’s instructions to craft another cart for a small child was simply effortless. Silk cloth could be raised above to provide shade, and underneath the cart was a layer of boards for placing things. Having grown accustomed to pushing Prince Hui who weighed about one hundred fifty to sixty catties, pushing Jun’er was even easier for Yao Huang.

Jinbao obediently followed beside the cart. Each time the Princess Consort stopped, Jinbao would raise his front paws onto the cart, craning his head to look at the little master inside.

Jun’er smiled even more joyfully seeing Jinbao than seeing his father prince, happily kicking his two little legs, his small hands also clapping together.

Yao Huang looked at Jinbao, a thought popping into her mind about making a dog-pulled cart. Then she could push Prince Hui’s wheelchair while having Jinbao pull Jun’er’s little cart walking in front—neither father nor son would be delayed.

Just as she was thinking this, the gatekeeper sent someone to relay a message, saying there was an edict from the palace, asking the Princess Consort to quickly receive it.

Having received edicts too many times, Yao Huang wasn’t even excited about this anymore. While handing Jun’er over to the wet nurse to watch, she walked forward with A’Ji, calculating the days and speculating: “Is it a reward of lychees?”

Whenever Emperor Yongchang or Empress Zhou bestowed rewards, even verbal orders counted as edicts.

The errand-running young eunuch: “Didn’t see any boxes being carried. Only holding a tray with an imperial edict.”

An imperial decree?

The last time she received an imperial decree was when she was invested as Princess Consort Hui!

Her heartbeat quickening, Yao Huang steadied her steps and came to the front, kneeling after so long on the hard stone pavement that had been warmed by the sun.

The edict-proclaiming eunuch held the decree and read a long string of text. First was the part conferring Prince Hui as Crown Prince, then conferring Princess Consort Hui as Crown Princess. A stream of flattering words praised until even Yao Huang felt this Princess Consort Hui was truly wonderful—indeed a natural-born Crown Princess!