As Duke An Guo was summoned, news of Consort Xian’s fate quickly spread beyond the palace walls.
At that time, Prince Shu was watching two crickets fight in a jar.
Intimidated by Yu Jin’s formidable reputation, Prince Shu had temporarily withdrawn from the succession race. To cultivate his character, he had spent a fortune on a pair of crickets to hone his patience.
Recently, he had pitted his winning cricket against Prince Kang’s and won a thousand taels of gold, somewhat easing his household’s finances.
Hearing the news of Consort Xian’s demise, Prince Shu’s hand trembled, nearly toppling the jar. He hugged it close, his heart pounding for a long while.
After regaining his composure, Prince Shu wiped the cold sweat from his brow, more determined than ever in one thought: Stay far away from that demon Seventh Brother!
The Eighth Brother fell from grace because of the Seventh, the Fourth Brother met misfortune because of him, and now even his birth mother was eliminated…
What? This incident had nothing to do with the Seventh Brother.
Prince Shu scoffed.
How could it be unrelated? Anyone who crossed the Seventh Brother ended up either dead or injured. Who would believe it was all coincidence?
Suddenly, one cricket let out a loud chirp. Prince Shu, now somewhat experienced, knew this meant one had emerged victorious.
Looking down at the triumphant large cricket in the jar, Prince Shu slowly exhaled.
Never mind. Raising good crickets and winning some gold and silver wasn’t bad. He’d make do with this for now. He could always make his move after the Seventh Brother met with misfortune.
Consort Xian’s death sent shockwaves through the court. Officials began to ponder: The Emperor had nearly dealt with all the princes, yet the position of Crown Prince remained vacant. This couldn’t continue. Perhaps it was time to propose that the Emperor name a Crown Prince.
The officials calculated that it had been nearly a year since the former Crown Prince was sentenced to death. Surely the Emperor could remain calm if they brought up the subject of naming a new Crown Prince now. At the very least, he wouldn’t immediately throw a paperweight at them for mentioning it.
In this atmosphere of restless anxiety, about half a month after Consort Xian’s incident, an official finally raised the issue of naming a Crown Prince during morning court.
After a tense exchange between the Emperor and his ministers, the court naturally dispersed in discord.
Returning to Yangxin Palace, Emperor Jingming paced back and forth in anger.
How soon they were pressuring him to name a Crown Prince again!
The court, the harem – why couldn’t they give him peace of mind?
Feeling a melancholy that no one could understand, Emperor Jingming walked out with his hands behind his back, unconsciously finding himself outside Kunning Palace.
Glancing at the gates of Cining Palace, Emperor Jingming was startled.
How did he end up here?
Since that day when he and the Empress had parted on bad terms – well, they’d been parting on bad terms quite often lately.
Anyway, since that day when the Empress had stormed off, he hadn’t set foot in Kunning Palace again, and surprisingly, the Empress hadn’t sent anyone to invite him either.
Thinking of this, Emperor Jingming felt his anger rise.
Not only was there no one to share his worries, but the Empress was adding to his troubles. Life had become unbearable!
Emperor Jingming approached with a grim expression.
Seeing the Emperor arrive, the palace servants were about to announce him, but Emperor Jingming stopped them.
The joke’s on them – he was in the middle of a cold war with the Empress. If the servants announced him and everyone knew, where would he put his face?
At this moment, the Empress was eating grapes.
The grapes, like agate, were a delightful purple. Chilled with well water, they were cool and sweet, an absolute delight to eat.
As Emperor Jingming entered, he saw a palace maid skillfully peeling grapes. A crystal plate nearby was piled high with green grape pearls, while another maid used a silver toothpick to offer a grape to the Empress’s lips.
Emperor Jingming’s face turned greener than the peeled grapes with anger.
Shouldn’t the Empress be trembling with fear, unable to sleep or eat after being neglected? What was this situation?
“Ahem!” Emperor Jingming coughed loudly.
The Empress turned her head, quickly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and rose to greet him: “Your Majesty has arrived. Why didn’t you let the servants announce you?”
Emperor Jingming’s expression twisted momentarily.
If he’d been announced, how could he have caught the Empress so contentedly eating grapes?
It was truly infuriating!
Walking past the Empress, Emperor Jingming sat down in a chair, picked up a toothpick from the crystal plate, and popped a grape into his mouth.
The Empress waved for the attendants to withdraw, then sat down opposite Emperor Jingming and asked, “Aren’t they sweet?”
Emperor Jingming nodded involuntarily.
They were indeed very sweet, especially pleasant when one was feeling irritated.
The Empress smiled slightly: “Then Your Majesty should eat more.”
Emperor Jingming suddenly came to his senses: Had he come here to eat grapes? He had come to confront the Empress!
Well, confrontation might not be the right word, but if he was unhappy, the Empress shouldn’t be so at ease.
Other couples shared joys and sorrows, but this woman didn’t understand at all.
Unconsciously eating another grape, Emperor Jingming spoke: “Today, those old fools… ahem, the ministers brought up the matter of naming a Crown Prince again.”
The Empress gave a faint “Mm” and lowered her eyes to eat grapes.
Seeing the Empress consume grape after grape, the plate nearly emptied in the blink of an eye, Emperor Jingming gritted his teeth and asked, “What does the Empress think?”
The Empress paused, glanced at Emperor Jingming, and said, “The harem should not interfere in politics.”
Emperor Jingming was taken aback, then said irritably, “I’m just asking for the Empress’s opinion. It’s not interfering in politics.”
The Empress wiped her hands with a handkerchief and calmly said, “Since Your Majesty asks for my view, I’ll speak boldly. I hope Your Majesty won’t take offense.”
“Go ahead and speak.”
“The princes have all grown up. Leaving the position of Crown Prince vacant is like a bonfire in the night attracting moths. It’s impossible to stop them from rushing towards it.”
Emperor Jingming was silent for a moment, then asked, “Does the Empress also agree that a Crown Prince should be named soon?”
The Empress didn’t respond, continuing to eat grapes.
Of course, she agreed with naming a Crown Prince. Not only did she agree, but she wanted her adopted son Yu Jin to take that position.
But it wasn’t appropriate for her to state this explicitly.
Emperor Jingming stood up, murmuring, “I need to think this over carefully.”
He walked towards the exit, casually picking up the last grape and popping it into his mouth.
The Empress stared in disbelief at the empty crystal plate, then curved her lips in a smile.
Returning to Yangxin Palace, Emperor Jingming shut himself in his room, deep in thought.
In his youth, his mother had told him something: “If you’re not a natural genius, when everyone disagrees with you, it proves you’re wrong.”
Was he truly wrong in not rushing to name a Crown Prince?
His health was still good. He could endure the headaches of this position for another eight or ten years without issue. If he named a Crown Prince now, who knew what changes might occur over such a long period?
Throughout history, those who were named Crown Prince early rarely had good outcomes. His eldest son, Yu Lang, was no exception.
However, the minister’s urgency was likely due to his advancing age. He had to admit, in the past two years, he had felt increasingly overwhelmed. Perhaps it was time to choose an heir to share his burdens.
Share his burdens?
Emperor Jingming’s eyes lit up.
That’s right! While the Empress couldn’t share the burdens of state affairs, a Crown Prince could!
It wasn’t fair that he alone should bear all the worries. The ministers could curse if they wanted to and bang their heads against pillars if they wanted to. The women in the harem could eat roast chicken or grapes as they pleased. Everyone seemed to be living more freely than him, the Emperor!
Emperor Jingming, feeling sorry for himself, began to ponder over his sons.