After Empress Qin’s remains were laid to rest in the imperial tomb, Eunuch Lu from Emperor Ximing’s side gracefully walked toward Chu Li and Mu Yunjin.
Upon approaching, he bowed to Chu Li, Chu Ye, and the others. “His Majesty commands all Your Highnesses to proceed to Jingming Hall shortly.”
With these words, Eunuch Lu walked away.
Mu Yunjin stood to the side, biting her lip. She glanced at Chu Li, then stole a look at Chu Ye.
Jingming Hall was where the morning court was held.
……
After returning to the palace, Mu Yunjin stood at the steps outside Jingming Hall. She noticed many officials in court attire heading into Jingming Hall, each with a solemn expression and hurried steps.
“Chu Li, you go in first,” Mu Yunjin said to Chu Li beside her.
Chu Li glanced at her, seeing her somewhat distracted state. His lips curved into an elegant smile. “Wait here for this prince.”
…
…
“Mm.” Mu Yunjin nodded firmly, tugging at Chu Li’s sleeve and speaking reassuringly. “It will be fine.”
Hearing her solemn tone, Chu Li couldn’t help but smile. His smile deepened as he rubbed her face, then turned and walked into Jingming Hall.
Mu Yunjin watched Chu Li’s receding figure, her hands clasped together. She leaned against a nearby stone pillar, pressed her lips together, and tried her best to calm herself, hoping to hear some of what transpired inside.
Minister Mu, now changed into his official robes, was walking briskly. Catching sight of Mu Yunjin in the corner by the steps, he approached her. “Yunjin, why are you here?”
“I’m waiting for Chu Li,” Mu Yunjin answered naturally.
Minister Mu’s face darkened slightly, but he didn’t say much. “Be careful, staying here alone.”
With those words, he entered Jingming Hall.
……
At this moment, Jingming Hall was filled with a solemn atmosphere.
Emperor Ximing, now dressed in his dragon robe, walked into the hall and sat on the dragon throne in the center. With a somber expression, he looked at the crowd below.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!” Everyone below knelt in obeisance.
“Rise, ministers,” Emperor Ximing said.
Everyone stood up.
Emperor Ximing placed both hands on the armrests of his throne, his gaze sweeping over the princes standing to one side. He coughed lightly. “These past few days, with the illness and death of my Imperial Mother, I have, amid my grief, thought about many things.”
“Life is unpredictable. I do not know when I might suddenly depart. After much consideration, I have summoned all princes and ministers today to announce some matters.”
Below, everyone remained silent, their gazes fixed on Emperor Ximing. Most could guess what would be said next.
“Time flies. I’ve recently realized that all my sons have grown up…”
Emperor Ximing did not continue, clenching his fist as he looked toward Minister Mu, who stood at the head of the right side. “Minister Mu, please read the edict.”
Minister Mu was startled but slowly nodded. He stepped forward, and Eunuch Lu, standing beside Emperor Ximing, bent down to hand a bright yellow imperial edict to Minister Mu.
Taking the edict, Minister Mu felt its immense weight. After taking a deep breath, he slowly opened it.
Glimpsing its contents, his expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered and began to read the edict. Just as he was about to speak, he remembered that Mu Yunjin was still standing outside the hall and unconsciously raised his voice.
“By the will of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, His Majesty decrees: Since ascending the throne, I have always prioritized the nation and never dared to be negligent. Now, having ruled Western Yuan for more than thirty-five years, I am gradually feeling physical fatigue and weakness. Fortunately, I have outstanding offspring, many with courage and wisdom who can shoulder great responsibilities. After much consideration, the Fourth Prince Chu Ye, with his upright character and thoughtful nature, is the best candidate to succeed to the throne. Today, I hereby bestow upon the Fourth Prince Chu Ye the title of Crown Prince, to reside in the Eastern Palace. I hope that Crown Prince Chu Ye will, in the future, have the people in his heart and not disappoint my earnest intentions.”
After reading this far, Minister Mu intentionally paused, his gaze sweeping over those below. There was a clamor among the officials, but the princes showed no expression.
Outside the door, Mu Yunjin bit her lip, taking in every word of the edict read by Minister Mu. Although she had already known about this, hearing the actual edict now, she couldn’t help but punch the stone pillar beside her.
In the hall, Minister Mu lowered his eyes and continued reading the rest of the edict—
“The Third Prince Chu Qing is also a moldable talent. He is hereby bestowed the title of Prince, with the title ‘Chen,’ and shall attend morning court daily from today onward.”
After a pause, Minister Mu glanced at Chu Li. His hand holding the edict began to tremble slightly as he continued—
“The Sixth Prince Chu Li is also conferred the title of Prince, with the special title ‘Ning.’ It is hoped that in the future, he will jointly assist the Son of Heaven in stabilizing the country and bringing peace to the family, strengthening the foundation for national peace.”
“By imperial decree!”
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”
After reading the edict, Minister Mu retreated to the ranks of officials. Chu Ye stepped forward from the side, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times heavily. “Your son will spare no effort and will not fail the prosperous empire that Father Emperor has established.”
“Good.” Emperor Ximing nodded with satisfaction, looking toward Grand Tutor Zhuang. “Minister Zhuang, starting tomorrow, you will enter the Eastern Palace and begin to assist Ye’er in learning the ways of governing.”
“This minister obeys the decree,” Grand Tutor Zhuang bowed his head.
After a pause, Emperor Ximing glanced at Chu Qing and Chu Li but didn’t say much. He looked toward the ministers. “These past few days, I’ve been busy with my mother’s affairs. Do any of you have matters to report?”
An official stepped out of the ranks and respectfully spoke. “Your Majesty, a few days ago, Magistrate Yang Wanshan of Qingzhou sent a letter stating that Qingzhou’s terrain is treacherous, surrounded by mountains and waters. Recently, there have been continuous torrential rains for two months, causing severe flooding. Over half of Qingzhou’s people have already perished. Food and water supplies have been cut off, and the people are suffering greatly.”
“Is this true? If it has been raining for two months, why is it only being reported now?” Emperor Ximing was furious.
The official was frightened and lowered his head. “The letter was written a month and a half ago. Qingzhou is far from the imperial city, and with the flooding, this letter probably encountered many problems on its way here.”
Hearing this, Emperor Ximing’s expression softened slightly. “Although Qingzhou is remote, they are still my subjects. The flooding must be resolved.”
With these words, Emperor Ximing turned to the silent Chu Li and smiled. “Li’er, since you have now been conferred the title of Prince Ning, this task of stabilizing the people’s hearts shall be entrusted to you.”
Everyone was startled again, all somewhat surprised.
Qingzhou’s terrain was near the border, an extremely poor and desolate place. For this flood, sending any official would suffice. It seemed a waste of talent for the Emperor to dispatch Chu Li.
But on second thought, the Emperor had just named Chu Ye as Crown Prince and conferred the title of Prince Ning on the typically cold and indifferent Chu Li.
This character “Ning” (peace) probably had other implications…
“Your son obeys the decree.” Chu Li didn’t say anything else, accepting Emperor Ximing’s words.
Emperor Ximing nodded with satisfaction, his gaze falling on Chu Li with deeper meaning. “Since that’s the case, the flood cannot be delayed. You will set out for Qingzhou tomorrow.”
Chu Li nodded.
……
Mu Yunjin stood outside the hall, having only heard the edict read by Minister Mu earlier, but not the matter of the Qingzhou flood. Now, with her arms crossed, she watched the ministers walking out one by one, craning her neck to look for Chu Li.
A moment later, Chu Li walked slowly out of the hall, his eyes slightly downcast. Occasionally, officials would congratulate him on his conferment, but he ignored them.
“Chu Li…” Mu Yunjin called out upon seeing him.
Hearing her voice, Chu Li raised his eyes to see the woman smiling at him, beckoning him over. A subtle tremor passed through his heart.
Chu Li approached Mu Yunjin and put his arm around her. “Have you been standing here long? Are you tired?”
Mu Yunjin shook her head. Her lips curved up, and after a moment, a smile emerged. She bowed to Chu Li. “Greetings, Prince Ning Your Highness.”
“Foolish,” Chu Li uttered the single word, leading her toward the palace gate.
Today, Mu Yunjin didn’t react much to the word “foolish.” As they walked, she occasionally looked up to observe Chu Li’s expression.
Chu Li naturally knew that Mu Yunjin kept stealing glances at him. He lowered his eyes slightly. “What are you looking at?”
Mu Yunjin stopped, looked around, and seeing no one nearby, took Chu Li’s hand. “Being conferred a prince title isn’t bad. At least there aren’t as many trivial matters. The Crown Prince has to learn to govern the country and care for the people—how exhausting that life must be…”
As she finished speaking, Chu Li unexpectedly tapped her on the head. Then, a low laugh sounded above her. “Which eye of yours saw this prince coveting the position of Crown Prince?”
Mu Yunjin was momentarily dazzled by the sudden smile. At this moment, seeing a smile on Chu Li’s face was like seeing a treasure to Mu Yunjin. Her heart settled a bit.
“You don’t care about the Crown Prince position?” Mu Yunjin asked again, not quite believing it.
“Mm.” Chu Li nodded, pulling her toward the palace gate, his eyes fixed ahead. Hearing the continued muttering beside him, his lips curved into a faint smile.
……
After returning to the Prince’s mansion, they arrived at the entrance to find people sent from the palace already there, replacing the nameplate.
Many commoners passing by stopped to look at the nameplate of the Sixth Prince’s mansion being replaced with “Prince Ning’s Mansion.”
Entering the mansion, a group of servants came forward, kneeling to Chu Li and Mu Yunjin. “Greetings to Prince Ning, Your Highness, greetings to Princess Ning.”
Mu Yunjin frowned and waved her hand at these people, signaling them to leave.
She still hadn’t figured out Chu Li’s feelings about being conferred a prince title—why were these people adding to the confusion?
Walking to Liquan Pavilion, Mu Yunjin was about to return to her room when Chu Li called her. She turned to look at him. “This prince must leave on a journey tomorrow and won’t be back for some time.”
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin immediately ran to Chu Li, frowning as she looked at him. “Are you saying you won’t take me with you?”
Chu Li nodded. “This prince is going to Qingzhou to address the flooding. The terrain there is treacherous, and the environment is harsh. I won’t take you. You stay at the mansion and look after it for this prince.”
Mu Yunjin was slightly stunned. Flooding?
The Emperor was quite troublesome. Though he had also conferred a prince title on Chu Qing, why specifically send Chu Li to deal with flooding?
After thinking about it, Mu Yunjin spoke with puffed cheeks. “No! I want to go too!”
“Not allowed.” Chu Li flatly refused, his lips pressed tight. “You will stay at the mansion and wait for this prince to return.”
His tone brooked no argument. Seeing a dark shadow over Chu Li’s features and his cold, indifferent tone, Mu Yunjin knew he was on the verge of anger.
So she pouted and snorted coldly. “Fine, I won’t go. Why should I miss out on comfort? I’m not that stupid!”