As soon as the imperial edict naming the Crown Prince was read in court, eunuchs naturally came to report to both the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility.
The Empress Dowager learned of Yu Jin becoming Crown Prince before Emperor Jingming arrived.
“Empress Dowager, His Majesty is here.”
The Empress Dowager, who had been like a clay statue since hearing the news, suddenly came to her senses at the maid’s reminder. She gripped her prayer beads tightly and nodded.
With the eunuch’s announcement, Emperor Jingming strode in.
“Mother, did you enjoy your breakfast today?”
The Empress Dowager’s lips twitched. “At my age, everything tastes the same.”
Emperor Jingming sat beside the Empress Dowager, beaming. “I’ve come today with joyous news to share with you.”
The Empress Dowager gazed at Emperor Jingming silently.
Emperor Jingming said with a smile, “I’ve named Seventh Brother as Crown Prince.”
The Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows slightly.
At her age, her eyebrows were already graying, as if dusted with snow. This gesture appeared somewhat cold. “Congratulations to Your Majesty.”
“Let us rejoice together,” Emperor Jingming said, in excellent spirits.
He had expected some unwise ministers to challenge him in court, but to his surprise, the session had concluded smoothly without a ripple of dissent.
Although he had prepared rebuttals for any objections, it was better that no one had caused trouble. He did not enjoy conflict, after all.
The Empress Dowager took a teacup from a maid and handed it to Emperor Jingming, gesturing for the attendants to withdraw.
Emperor Jingming took a sip of tea and smiled. “The tea here is always the best, Mother.”
The Empress Dowager said coolly, “That’s because Your Majesty is filial.”
Emperor Jingming replied humbly, “I haven’t done enough.”
The Empress Dowager restrained the urge to grit her teeth and asked calmly, “Such a significant matter, how was it suddenly decided?”
Emperor Jingming smiled. “It wasn’t a sudden decision. The matter of an heir is crucial to the future of the Great Zhou and has always been of paramount importance to me. I’ve been considering it for a long time.”
“I truly didn’t expect it would be Seventh Brother… You never mentioned it before…”
Emperor Jingming looked at the Empress Dowager and said sincerely, “The harem should not interfere in politics. I thought if I discussed it with you, Mother, wouldn’t that put you in a difficult position? So I didn’t want to trouble you with it.”
The Empress Dowager couldn’t help but clench her teeth.
What a fine excuse for not wanting to trouble her!
Looking at Emperor Jingming’s earnest face, the Empress Dowager felt somewhat dazed.
Sometimes she wondered if the Emperor’s filial piety towards her was just an act!
It was the same when Prince Yan was registered under the Empress’s name, and now again when Prince Yan was named Crown Prince. Each time, he settled matters with lightning speed, leaving no room for intervention.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” Emperor Jingming asked with concern, seeing the Empress Dowager’s silence.
The Empress Dowager came back to herself and said dejectedly, “I’m old now, my mind wanders easily. Who knows when I might—”
Emperor Jingming quickly consoled her, “Mother, you’re in excellent spirits. You’ll surely live to a hundred.”
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and asked, “Has an auspicious date been set for the Crown Prince’s investiture?”
Emperor Jingming rubbed his nose and shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll have the Imperial Astronomers report a suitable date soon.”
“Mm, Your Majesty has just named a Crown Prince. You must have many matters to attend to. Don’t waste time here.”
Emperor Jingming stood up. “Then I’ll come visit you again later, Mother.”
As soon as Emperor Jingming left, the Empress Dowager’s face darkened. She slammed the teacup onto the table with a loud clang.
Prince Yan, the prince registered under the Empress’s name, had so unexpectedly become Crown Prince, catching her completely off guard.
Fuqing always avoided misfortune, and now Prince Yan had become Crown Prince…
The Empress Dowager’s eyes grew cold.
Want to smoothly invest in the Crown Prince? It won’t be so easy.
Emperor Jingming quickly summoned the Chief Imperial Astronomer and ordered him to select an auspicious date for the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony as soon as possible.
Only after the investiture ceremony would the Crown Prince move into the Eastern Palace, officially establishing his position.
The Chief Imperial Astronomer returned to his office and immediately assigned this important task.
The auspicious date for investing in the Crown Prince couldn’t be chosen lightly; it needed careful selection.
There was an astrologer in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau named Zhu Duohuan, specifically responsible for observing summer celestial phenomena. That night, he climbed the observatory tower to observe the stars, then spent the entire night calculating without rest, his eyes fixed and full of terror.
The Heavenly Dog swallowing the sun, the Heavenly Dog swallowing the sun…
Calm down, perhaps he had calculated wrongly.
Zhu Duohuan returned home and slept heavily. When he woke, instead of hot tea and food, he was greeted by his wife’s calm face.
“Awake?” Zhu’s wife handed him a damp cloth.
As a minor seventh-rank official, life in the capital was quite difficult. There was no need to keep a maid for such small tasks; Zhu’s wife did everything herself.
Zhu Duohuan took the cloth and wiped his face, then hurried to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“To the office, there’s an urgent matter.”
Zhu’s wife called him back. “I have an urgent matter too.”
Zhu Duohuan returned, asking his wife in surprise, “What is it?”
“They contacted me.”
As soon as his wife said this, Zhu Duohuan shuddered, completely awake now.
“What did they say?”
“They asked if you’ve found any inauspicious days recently.”
Zhu Duohuan froze for a moment, then let out a long breath. “Yes.”
The Heavenly Dog swallowing the sun predicted that the emperor’s virtue or decisions were flawed, bringing great calamity to the people. What could be more inauspicious than that?
After hearing this, his wife pressed her lips together and said, “They want you to set that inauspicious day as the auspicious date for investing the Crown Prince.”
Zhu Duohuan was silent for a while, then said in a muffled voice, “I understand.”
Another long silence followed.
The couple sat wordlessly facing each other. After who knows how long, they suddenly burst into tears, hugging each other.
They were pawns, suicide agents, people whose fates were not in their own hands. Even their marriage had been arranged by their superiors. Once an order came down, it had to be executed without question.
But their lives had been peaceful for too long. Married for over a decade with no contact from above, the tranquility had given them the illusion that they could grow old together in this simple life.
They were human too. Even though there had been no feelings between them at first, living together and guarding the same secret for so long, it was inevitable that they would begin to hope for more.
But dreams are just dreams, and there’s always a time to wake up.
The Chief Imperial Astronomer soon reported the auspicious date: the twenty-sixth day of the sixth month.
Emperor Jingming naturally didn’t think much of it and instructed Pan Hai, “Send someone to inform the Prince… the Crown Prince’s mansion, so he can prepare.”
Pan Hai acknowledged the order and sent Little Le to deliver the message to Prince Yan’s mansion.
Little Le was his favorite apprentice. Now that Prince Yan was Crown Prince, letting Little Le gain more exposure would bring countless benefits.
Little Le rushed to Prince Yan’s mansion without delay. Looking at the mansion’s nameplate, he couldn’t help but marvel: he knew he hadn’t backed the wrong horse in supporting Prince Yan. Given how quickly Prince Yan had become Crown Prince, perhaps it wouldn’t be long before—
Ahem, by then his master could retire, and he could completely take over his master’s position to share the burden.
Little Le was ushered in cheerfully and conveyed the message to Yu Jin.
Hearing that the auspicious date was set for the twenty-sixth of the sixth month, Yu Jin thought to himself that it wasn’t far off. Once he moved into the Eastern Palace, it wouldn’t be so convenient to go out. Perhaps he should ask A Si if she wanted to go boating in the next few days.