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墨書 Inktalez
Just as He Yu said, even if he entered the palace, he would not go to the emperor but would head straight to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
Due to the emperor's serious illness, the atmosphere in the palace was extremely solemn at this moment. Every short distance revealed the Imperial Forest Army standing tall and serious. Perhaps they were afraid of a rebellion?
Living in this vast palace, surrounded by guards, one still remained so vigilant.
Ultimately, it was just a position that drained one's energy. It was truly incomprehensible why one would struggle so hard for such a position—was it just to suffer?
He Yu lowered his head, shook it, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. However, he did not dare to fully smile; at least among these princes, he was probably the only one who did not want to be emperor.
Thinking this way, he felt a bit more relaxed and continued striding towards the Eastern Palace.
Upon arriving at the Eastern Palace, Zhou Zhiquan had already known that Xuanping Wang would enter the palace today. He had been waiting early at the east gate. When he saw He Yu approaching, he quickly stepped forward to pay his respects, "Greetings, Wang Ye."
"There is no need for formalities, Zhou Gonggong. Is the Crown Prince inside?" He Yu asked gently. Regardless, he still needed to maintain the proper demeanor.
"Of course he is," Zhou Zhiquan immediately replied. Now that the emperor was seriously ill, no one in the palace dared to wear a smile; everyone had a serious expression. However, He Yu knew that among them, there were probably very few who genuinely felt sorrow for the emperor. "This morning, I received word that Wang Ye was coming to the palace. After attending to the emperor's illness this morning, the Crown Prince has already returned to the Eastern Palace. Please go ahead."
"Alright, thank you, Eunuch." He Yu nodded slightly in gratitude.
Zhou Zhiquan also lowered his head and stepped back a few paces to make way for He Yu. He Yu walked into the Eastern Palace and headed straight for the Crown Prince's study. Inside the study, the Crown Prince was focused on reviewing memorials. With the emperor's serious illness, both the Eldest Prince and Fourth Prince were unable to bear the responsibilities; however, someone still needed to review daily state affairs. Otherwise, delays could lead to major issues.
With the emperor's illness being severe, it naturally fell upon the Crown Prince to handle these memorials.
Hearing movement at the door, the Crown Prince raised his head with some displeasure. Just as he was about to scold someone, he saw that it was He Yu and smiled slightly instead as he set down the memorials in his hand. "You’re here; why didn’t you have someone announce your arrival?"
"I never reported anything when I came here," He Yu said casually.
The Crown Prince chuckled a few times, though his voice was low. At this critical moment, if anything went wrong, those people would make a big deal out of it. He Yu closed the door behind him and unceremoniously poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot, then sat back in his chair and savored it leisurely.
"How is it? This tea is not easy to come by. It took quite a bit of effort," the Crown Prince said as he also sat down at the table.
Now that there were only the two of them in the room, they were not worried about being seen by others. Naturally, they relaxed a lot, and the Crown Prince had a smile on his face. He Yu didn't mention the tea; he just stared at him for a moment and clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, look at those dark circles under your eyes. You haven't been resting well these days, have you?"
"Not just that I haven't been resting well," the Crown Prince shook his head with a bitter smile. "I can barely rest for two or three hours at most; that would be considered luxurious. I have to attend to affairs during the day and review memorials at night, leaving me no time to sleep."
He Yu nodded in understanding. "What is the Emperor's condition like now?"
"It fluctuates, sometimes good and sometimes bad," the Crown Prince sighed and shook his head. "My father is getting older, and he has been running a high fever every day. Last night it seemed to subside, but yesterday it flared up again. It's truly exhausting."
Indeed, if he hadn't practiced those strange pills with those Taoist priests in pursuit of so-called immortality, he might have lived longer. But who could blame him for making such choices? He Yu kept this thought to himself; he had heard from Xiao Yao that in their era, there were specialists who studied the longevity pills of past emperors, which were actually more poisonous than poison itself, yet some people still believed in them.
He Yu glanced back at the pile of memorials on the desk and thought about how he spent his days playing around with his daughter-in-law and children. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness about his own life. The Crown Prince noticed He Yu's expression and understood his thoughts; he shook his head with a bitter smile. "Don't pity me; this is something I have to bear as the Crown Prince. There's no way around it."
"Yes, you are the Crown Prince after all," He Yu said without any sympathy.
Yang Yunqing had nothing to say and could only wear a fatigued smile.
After enough joking around, He Yu naturally turned to serious matters. He sat up slightly straighter. "Given this situation, I assume you've already made preparations?" His certainty prompted the Crown Prince not to hide anything; he nodded straightforwardly. "Yes, with my father's current condition, who can believe he will fully recover? Naturally, preparations must be made since he spends every day lying in bed in a daze. Truly, illness comes like a landslide..."
Who isn't? He Yu also sighed in his heart, but sighing aside, if He Yu truly had any feelings for this person, he wouldn't have come up at all. After all, at this point, no one knows whose fault it is.
The only option is for everyone to pretend to be deaf and mute, treating this matter as if it never happened and letting it pass without further discussion.
Sighing, the Crown Prince said, "When will your princess find some time to visit Consort Chen? These days, Consort Chen has been attending to the illness and has been sleepless and exhausted."
After all, Consort Chen is his aunt. Although she is a consort in the palace, if it weren't for Consort Chen back in the day, there wouldn't be He Yu today. He Yu is very grateful to Consort Chen. Thinking back to his previous life, he was close to the Fourth Prince and was deceived into going out to lead troops, filled with grand ambitions.
Who in the palace didn't know that this was a trap set by the Fourth Prince? As for whether this trap was instigated by the Emperor or was purely the Fourth Prince's own idea, aside from the Crown Prince and Consort Chen's earnest persuasion, others remained silent and even encouraged him from the sidelines.
It truly is...
Looking back now, it's hard to tell whether one should cry or laugh.
However, in this life, the only ones He Yu is grateful for are the Crown Prince and Consort Chen. Consort Chen is a concubine in the harem. It is not appropriate to disturb her too often; he only remembers to send her gifts during festivals or when he occasionally goes out. He also often asks Xiao Yao to visit Consort Chen in the palace and keep her company.
However, these actions over the years have made it so that although Ning Consort has always been against Consort Chen, she still does not dare to truly suppress her. After all, Xuanping Wang and the entire He Family are backing him up; Ning Consort has her reservations. As long as she hasn't lost her mind, she won't reach the point of becoming enemies with Consort Chen. Although they don't see eye to eye, their conflicts are merely verbal sparring.
Now that the Sun Family has fallen apart, Ning Consort from back then has also been demoted. The highest-ranking consort in the palace naturally becomes Consort Chen.
At a time when she should be enjoying life, unexpectedly, when the Emperor fell seriously ill, Consort Chen attended to him to the point of sleepless nights. He Yu immediately said, "I understand. I'll go back and tell Yao Yao to find a time to visit."
The Crown Prince nodded, propping his head up as if feeling a bit fatigued. Seeing this, He Yu knew he couldn't stay any longer. He stood up and said, "Since that's the case, I should take my leave. You should rest well and not tire yourself out again; you are the future of Dafeng!"
"Don't worry." The Crown Prince nodded, fully aware of the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. "I know what I'm doing."
"That's good to hear." Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, He Yu also felt relieved and took his leave from the palace.
After sending off He Yu, the Crown Prince sat in his study for a while and called out, "Zhou Zhiquan!"
"Servant is here." Zhou Zhiquan hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.
"Where is the Consort?" the Crown Prince asked, looking up.
"She is in the room accompanying the Princess," Zhou Zhiquan replied after a moment's thought.
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and said, "You and the Consort should convey my meaning to her. Have her take some nourishing medicinal ingredients to visit Consort Chen. These days, the Consort has been worried about the Emperor's illness and needs to take good care of herself."
"Understood. Servant will go relay the message to the Consort right away." After Zhou Zhiquan finished speaking, he saw the Crown Prince nodding and, with no further instructions, took his leave to find the Consort.
Meanwhile, He Yu returned to the Wang residence and discussed this matter with Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao listened to how Consort Chen had been attending to the Emperor's illness for several days and thought for a moment before saying, "Then it seems that the Consort still has feelings for the Emperor."
"Perhaps," He Yu replied as he leaned back against his pillow and let out a long sigh. "After all, she has been with the Emperor for decades. Although she hasn't been favored above all others in the harem, the Emperor has still taken care of her. Back then, Consort Chen was strong-willed and quite stubborn. The Emperor tolerated her, and now, after so many years, it's fair to say they are like an old married couple."
"Indeed," Xiao Yao sighed as well. There are really not many favored consorts left in the harem nowadays. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "How is the Emperor's illness? Is there any chance of improvement?"
At home, He Yu was naturally much more relaxed. The children had all gone out to play, and even Yuhui had been taken out by a few boys. With just the two of them left, there was nothing wrong with that. He Yu shook his head, "It seems things are not looking good. The Crown Prince has already started preparing; I'm afraid it will happen in just a few days."
Although the words were unclear, the meaning was expressed clearly enough. Xiao Yao responded with an "oh" and did not ask further.
It seemed that Dafeng would have to change temporarily.
Understanding He Yu's implication, Xiao Yao began preparing to enter the palace. After writing a note, she submitted it, and soon the palace sent word that Consort Chen had been attending to an illness and could not spare any time.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao did not mind; she simply instructed someone to deliver the prepared medicinal materials to that person and said, "Please take good care of Consort Chen's health."
The person repeatedly agreed, and after another round of reminders from Xiao Yao, she added that for now, she would not disturb Consort Chen. Once Consort Chen had some free time, she would visit the palace to have a good talk with her. The person acknowledged this and took the precious medicinal materials back to the palace.
When He Yu returned from outside, he happened to see this scene and walked over to embrace Xiao Yao. "Was that someone from the palace?"
"A steward from Consort Chen's side," Xiao Yao replied. "I submitted a note to the palace yesterday, and today he came saying that Consort Chen has been busy attending to her illness these past few days, so I had no choice but to refrain from disturbing her."
Nodding in understanding, He Yu continued, "Since Consort Chen is like this, let's put it off for now. It won't be too late after this period."
While He Yu spoke these comforting words to Xiao Yao, he understood in his heart that the palace was likely under strict lockdown now. To rush into the palace could bring disaster upon oneself. Although Xiao Yao did not fully grasp this, since her lord seemed unconcerned, she vaguely sensed something was off and nodded in agreement. "Then later on, when the princess is not busy anymore, I will go visit."
"Yes, that's good." He Yu smiled as he led Xiao Yao into the house.
Time quietly passed by, and before they knew it, another month had gone by.
Xiao Yao looked at the calendar; the New Year was approaching. The court had yet to resume its sessions, but fortunately, the various departments were operating quite normally, and there had been no news regarding the Emperor's health.
Xiao Yao wondered if Qidi would be able to make it through this year.
Although He Yu currently held no official position in the court, the Crown Prince was overwhelmed with work. As a result, many matters from the Ministry of War were brought directly to Xuanping Prince's Mansion after receiving the Crown Prince's permission.
In recent days, He Yu had been meeting with various ministers almost every morning in the front courtyard. However, He Yu did not make decisions himself; he often just offered a few suggestions and then let the people from the Ministry of War take them back for the Crown Prince's judgment.
The Crown Prince could only helplessly accept the few additional suggestions that were returned unchanged. After all, He Yu was not currently holding an official position in the court. Nevertheless, having those few pieces of advice from He Yu was already a significant help. Although the Crown Prince was well-versed in Military Strategy and understood the situation at the borders, He Yu, who had fought on the front lines for two years, clearly understood these matters better.
Those who fought on the battlefield were not at all like those scholars in court who only knew how to complain and argue.
Regarding the movements of the barbarians at the borders, the Crown Prince preferred to trust He Yu. Even if these civil officials wore their mouths out with complaints, the Crown Prince occasionally comforted them by adopting some of their suggestions, which left many officials feeling utterly frustrated with no outlet for their grievances.
Amidst this silent confrontation, changes gradually occurred in the capital.
The Emperor has passed away. (To be continued)
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