“Brother, say no more!” Xiao Chanying closed his eyes in anguish.
His elder brother had warned him not to trust their mother and the Emperor too much, but he had dismissed it as his brother’s resentment over his wife’s death.
Since childhood, their mother had carefully protected the brothers in the deep palace. In the entire palace, she alone had protected three children to grow up healthy. In his heart, their mother had always been a great and loving parent.
He knew their mother had played a role in his sister-in-law’s affair, but Xiao Chanying hadn’t liked Gu Qingzhi – she never respected his brother. Besides, though the poison reached his sister-in-law’s hands, their mother hadn’t forced her to take it. He had always felt his mother couldn’t be blamed for this.
That’s why he had let his guard down when his brother said he had tested Shen Yunan’s attitude and found him wavering about their marriage.
He had shown his joy openly, and when their mother saw and asked, he hadn’t concealed anything. He had truly treated her as someone he could confide in and trust. She had even praised Shen Xihe highly, yet then turned around and…
Xiao Changqin understood his brother’s current feelings, for he too had endured this heartbreaking taste step by step to reach today’s state of neither joy nor sorrow, tempered like steel.
Previously, he had shouldered everything, only hoping this one brother who truly cared for him could grow up happy and carefree.
Now he was somewhat tired. Once his affairs were finished, he would have no more attachments. His younger brother must grow up on his own.
Xiao Changqin didn’t push his brother further. He stood and walked to Xiao Chanying’s side, gently patting his shoulder: “Brother, you need to grow up quickly.”
Grow up quickly to weather any storm – only then could he as an elder brother be at ease.
Xiao Huayong couldn’t comprehend the brothers’ sorrows. He too was in good spirits today. Shen Yunan’s words when he returned were tantamount to entrusting Shen Xihe to his care. Though Shen Yunan remained cold toward him, this only made him more delighted.
If he weren’t special to Shen Xihe, why would Shen Yunan be so concerned?
In his joy, Xiao Huayong walked with a spring in his step. Following behind, Tianyuan felt his master was just short of skipping to express his current happiness.
Seeing his master heading toward the Eastern Palace, Tianyuan hurriedly stopped him: “Your Highness, you forgot you still have matters to attend…”
Xiao Huayong slapped his forehead: “Ah yes, I was so happy I forgot the important matters.”
With that, he turned and headed in another direction.
Today was the Double Ninth Festival. Even the Emperor had issued an edict allowing officials on duty to leave early. It should have been a day of family celebration, but an urgent report about intercepted tax grain was presented, and Emperor Youning urgently summoned the three ministers and key officials.
Minister Wang Zheng had some bad luck – first, his path was blocked by two quarreling parties, forcing him to take a detour.
On the detour, he startled his horse and fell off. After finally climbing back on and hurrying to the palace gate, when he tried to tighten the reins to dismount, the horse unexpectedly disobeyed and charged straight ahead.
The palace guards recognized Wang Zheng and cleared the way, planning to subdue the wild horse after entering the gate. However, they hadn’t expected that the Crown Prince, who had been viewing the city with Princess Zhaoning and Young Master Shen earlier, hadn’t left yet and was taking a walk as his health had slightly improved.
Everyone watched helplessly as the wild horse charged straight at the Crown Prince. At the critical moment, a palace guard commander flew over and punched the horse’s neck, sending both Wang Zheng and the horse flying.
Wang Zheng was dizzy from the fall but hurriedly scrambled up to look at Xiao Huayong, regardless of his dignity.
As he expected, the Crown Prince had already fainted from fright.
In the ensuing chaos, the Crown Prince was carried to the Eastern Palace. The Imperial Physicians were urgently summoned to the palace and diagnosed that the Crown Prince had been severely shocked, his pulse was weak as silk, and his condition was critical…
Emperor Youning had just arranged matters regarding the intercepted tax grain when he led his officials to the Eastern Palace. Wang Zheng knelt at the Eastern Palace gate, and even this usually steady man was nervous. Fortunately, he had immediately ordered his men to watch the startled horse.
To his despair, after examination by both the Imperial Physicians and the Imperial Stables’ horse doctors, the horse was found to have no problems.
No one was framing him – he had simply ridden recklessly into the palace in his haste, and worse, frightened the Crown Prince into fainting, aggravating his condition.
Both Minister Cui Zheng and Minister Xue Heng cast looks of sympathy mixed with schadenfreude at Wang Zheng.
“Minister Wang has always been steady and proper in his actions. Why such panic today?” Xue Heng spoke first, his words carrying implications.
“The loss of tax grain affects the people’s livelihood. Minister Wang has always been concerned for the people’s urgencies, setting an example for us all,” Cui Zheng also spoke with a smile.
The matter was already suspicious, and Wang Zheng couldn’t let these two old foxes pin the blame on him. They were both implying that he had panicked over the lost tax grain.
He wasn’t the Minister of Revenue nor the grain transport official – what did he have to panic about?
Unless the grain robbery was connected to him!
“Your Majesty, I indeed had ill fortune when leaving home and grew somewhat hasty fearing delay. At the palace gate, the horse truly did lose control… perhaps… perhaps due to my poor horsemanship,” Wang Zheng bowed and admitted fault.
“Your Majesty,” Xue Heng bowed, “regardless of Minister Wang’s horsemanship, charging into the palace gates is a fact, and frightening the Crown Prince into unconsciousness is real. His Highness had just slightly improved, and this shock had damaged his foundation. If this crime isn’t severely punished, how can it convince the people?”
“I concur,” Cui Zheng also stated his position.
They had once been fellow noble families, and though they often competed, they had always stood together. Wang Zheng, to advance his family’s position, had allied with the Emperor and helped him move against the Gu family along with the Fan family.
If Minister Gu hadn’t made a clean cut on his deathbed and taken all responsibility, their Cui and Xue families might not have fared well either.
They were both disappointed and contemptuous of Wang Zheng, but the Emperor protected him, and he was cunning and careful. Now that they finally had leverage against him, how could they not press their advantage?
Other officials remained silent – this was a fight among powerful figures, and they, being of lesser status, shouldn’t easily take sides.
Emperor Youning was extremely angry at this moment, but with so many people watching expectantly – entering the palace without permission wasn’t a major crime but wasn’t minor either. As Emperor, he could overlook it as an urgent situation, showing tolerance for an important minister.
But the Crown Prince had fainted because of his horse, and so many had diagnosed it as potentially fatal – how could he shield him?
“The Empress Dowager arrives—”
Before Emperor Youning could make a decision, the Empress Dowager, who had already retired for the night, was also alarmed into coming.
Who didn’t know that the Crown Prince was the Empress Dowager’s darling, raised at her knee since childhood?
The Empress Dowager strode in, not even giving Emperor Youning a pleasant look, and rushed into the inner chamber. After looking at the pale, unconscious Xiao Huayong, she fixed her gaze on the Imperial Physician: “How is the Crown Prince?”
The Imperial Physician broke out in a cold sweat, stammering: “In reply to the Empress Dowager, His Highness has been severely shocked… I fear… I fear his condition is not good…”