Chapter 107. I can do it too.

When Chu Heng entered, Daiyu was staring blankly at the cold tea. Chu Heng gently patted her shoulder and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Daiyu snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "It's nothing. I just feel that time really flies. It's been almost twenty years since I went to the capital."

Chu Heng laughed and said, "It'll be another two or three years. How come it's already been twenty years? We'll be old men and women by now." He thought for a moment and said, "Being old men and women isn't so bad. I want to see what you'll look like when you're old."

His interruption instantly dispelled Daiyu's melancholy. She said irritably, "What's so attractive about being old? Your hair will be white, and your face will be full of wrinkles. Will you still want to look at it then?"

Chu Heng said sadly, "Hearing you say that, I'm really doomed. I'll be the one who gets old first. When my hair turns white and my face is wrinkled, will you start to dislike me?"

Daiyu said with a stern face, "Yes, I dislike you, what can I do? Can you take an elixir and make yourself immortal?"

"Wrong, wrong. What I need isn't immortality, but eternal youth." Chu Heng took Daiyu's hand and rubbed it against his face. "You still look young, don't you?"

Daiyu couldn't help but laugh: "You get old first, and in a few years I'll get old too, then no one will care about anyone else."

Chu Heng embraced Daiyu, gently stroking her back, and said softly, "We haven't wasted any of our days, and we will in the future. Tomorrow will always be better, won't it?"

"Mmm." Daiyu listened to his heartbeat and felt incredibly at peace.

Unfortunately, this peace was soon shattered by Chu Yang, who covered his eyes with a book and said, "Father, Mother, I have a doubt."

Having had children for years, they had gotten used to it. Chu Heng and Daiyu sat separately as usual. Chu Heng said irritably, "If you have doubts, why don't you ask the teacher? Do you think your parents have the answers here?"

Chu Yang earnestly replied, "Father doesn't have any, but Mother does."

Chu Heng, feeling looked down upon by his son: "..."

Daiyu covered her mouth and chuckled: "What doubts can't be resolved? Come and sit down first."

Chu Heng clicked his tongue: "If I had known, I should have studied harder back then."

"It's too late to regret not studying when you're old." Chu Yang sat down next to his mother and took a moment to reply to his father.

Chu Heng: "..."

Daiyu quickly said, "Alright, alright, none of you are allowed to say anything more! Yang'er, tell your mother what your question is."

The father and son then gave up.

The vigil continued as before, and no one from the family came to visit. The three of them also made no attempt to visit others.

However, things were about to get turbulent in the capital.

This day was supposed to be the day the emperor personally went to Xiaoci County to offer sacrifices, but the crowd waited in vain for the emperor's arrival. Fearing that they would miss the appointed time, the Minister of the Imperial Clan sent someone on horseback to investigate, but the person did not return for a long time.

Afterwards, the Minister of the Imperial Clan sent someone to carefully observe from a distance. With precautions in place, the person who went finally returned. They said that the city gates of the capital were closed and that there were heavily armed soldiers patrolling, indicating that something major must have happened inside.

Now, Xiaoci County not only has people from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs in charge of the Empress Dowager's funeral, but also members of the imperial family, princesses and their husbands, as well as noble ladies from various prefectures. After realizing that something was amiss, everyone became worried.

Besides worrying about themselves, they were even more concerned about their family and friends still in Beijing.

Seeing that today's memorial service could not be held, the Minister of the Imperial Clan and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites advised everyone to go back first, but they were more interested in knowing what had happened in the capital, so they were unwilling to leave.

The Minister of the Imperial Clan wanted to invite several senior princes to take charge of the situation, but they refused. After all, the situation in the capital was unclear, and no one wanted to be the first to act at this time.

Chu Heng was the same. He was the emperor's younger brother and had served as the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court for several years. The current Minister of the Imperial Clan Court also wanted him to step forward, but Chu Heng turned a deaf ear and only said that he had no authority.

After dealing with the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Chu Heng, Daiyu, and Chu Yang sat down in an empty inner room.

Daiyu sighed: "I knew that returning to the capital would not be peaceful, but I did not expect that trouble would break out in the capital before the Empress Dowager's funeral was even over."

Although it was indeed convenient to take advantage of loopholes during the Empress Dowager's mourning period, they were all her own flesh and blood, and they truly showed no filial piety whatsoever.

Chu Heng held her hand: "We didn't do anything anyway. No matter what happens, no matter who wins or loses, it has nothing to do with us."

Chu Yang leaned against his father and asked softly, "Father, is there a rebellion in the capital?"

Chu Heng patted his head: "Don't talk nonsense, we're just waiting for someone from the capital to come."

"Hmm." Chu Yang nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, he tugged at his mother's clothes. "Mother, don't be afraid, and Yang'er isn't afraid either."

Daiyu also patted his head: "Mother is not afraid."

Before long, He Jiayongkang, along with their children and grandchildren, were with their parents.

He Jia almost crushed the handkerchief in his hand: "Fifth brother, the emperor is not coming to offer sacrifices, the city gates are closed, and there are soldiers guarding them. Who knows what might happen? How can you still sit still?"

"What can I do if I can't sit still?" Chu Heng said. "Fifth Sister, sit down and rest. No matter what happens in the capital, you are still a princess."

He Jia's hand suddenly stopped: "Tell me, is it the eldest or the second eldest?"

Chu Heng held up one finger: "Shh."

Yongkang sat down next to Daiyu, sharing the same guess as Hejia.

The changes in the capital must be related to a certain prince, because in recent years, any major event has involved a certain prince.

The fact that the emperor was delayed in offering sacrifices to the empress dowager, the city gates were closed, and the soldiers guarding them all evoked thoughts of rebellion and treason.

...

On this day, the emperor was unable to visit Xiaoci County in person, and it is possible that he will not be able to come again for some time.

The emperor suffered a stroke. Although the symptoms were not serious, he needed to rest and avoid strenuous activity.

The cause of the emperor's stroke also reached Xiaoci County. The second prince plotted a rebellion, gathering a group of rebels in an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate. The eldest and third princes entered the palace to rescue the emperor, but one died and the other was injured.

When the emperor is angry, millions will die.

After the Second Prince's faction was subdued, the Emperor immediately ordered them to be beheaded. Then, the Emperor also ordered the execution of the Second Prince's wives, concubines, and children, as well as the execution of all his family members who had conspired with him. In addition, the Emperor implicated many other people involved.

It is said that the smell of blood permeates the capital city nowadays.

After dealing with these people, the emperor collapsed. The imperial physician diagnosed that the emperor was showing signs of a stroke and needed to rest and recuperate for a few days before he could get out of bed.

The emperor could not leave the palace, so he ordered Chu Heng to offer sacrifices on his behalf.

The emperor never appeared in Xiaoci County again until the Empress Dowager was buried in the imperial mausoleum.

Upon returning to the capital, Daiyu learned that Jia She was also involved in this major treason case. Because the emperor was extremely ruthless, Jia Zheng and the Ningguo Duke's Mansion were also implicated. Fortunately, the Jia family did not lose their lives; they were only exiled after their property was confiscated.

It was already mid-September, but Daiyu still felt she could smell the stench of blood.

Because Chu Heng wanted to go to the palace to meet the emperor first, Daiyu took Chu Yang home first.

Before getting out of the car, Chu Yang said, "Dad, Mom and I will wait for you to come home."

"What are you worrying about, little kid..." Chu Heng pinched his little face. "Daddy is fine. When you come back, Daddy will take you and your mother back to Qingzhou."

Chu Yang replied, "It's alright if we don't go back, Father. Whether we go back or not is not up to us. I know that."

Daiyu put her arm around his shoulder, her eyes a little red: "Yang'er, be good, your father and mother are here, don't be afraid."

Chu Yang raised his hand and grasped his mother's hand: "Mother, I'm not afraid."

Daiyu looked into his eyes, and indeed, there was not a trace of fear in the child's clear black and white eyes. She turned to look at Chu Heng.

The couple exchanged a glance. Over the years, they had been carefully and cautiously teaching their intelligent and precocious son, hoping he would grow up to be an innocent and lively child. Little did they expect that this trip to the capital would render all their efforts futile.

It's understandable that a seven-year-old child would be afraid in such a situation, but Chu Yang's lack of fear is what makes them anxious.

Daiyu said, "You go first, we can talk at home."

Chu Heng nodded, shook Daiyu's hand, and then got out of the car.

On the way to the palace, Chu Heng happened to see pedestrians on the road. The bloody rebellion had happened more than a month ago, but people's faces still showed signs of tension and fear.

The emperor in the palace was the same; his sickly appearance was hard to hide. After listening to Chu Heng's report, he nodded slightly and said, "My health is really not up to par. I'm sorry for the trouble, Fifth Brother."

Chu Heng bowed and said, "These are all my duties, and I am not worthy of the word 'hardship'. It is Your Majesty who is working hard for the country and is truly suffering. You should rest well and recuperate now."

The emperor coughed: "I know that the court and the world cannot function without me, but I am simply powerless to do so..." He punched the bed, "You unfilial son has ruined me!"

The emperor was so angry that his face turned red. Chu Heng stood up and advised, "Brother, please calm down and take care of yourself."

The emperor was panting heavily, and the eunuch serving him patted his chest. It took him a while to catch his breath before he slumped onto the soft pillow.

"I don't trust those ministers to handle the affairs of the previous dynasty. You will keep an eye on things for me for now," the emperor said. "Don't go back to Qingzhou for the time being."

Chu Heng gritted his teeth and lowered his head, saying, "Brother, this is probably against the rules."

The emperor waved his hand: "It's alright, it's just a temporary measure. It will only last a few months. Once I recover, I'll... Knowing that you love to live a carefree life, I will naturally release you then."

Chu Heng could no longer refuse and could only say, "Your subject obeys the decree."

The emperor added, "Also, Yang'er... let him come to the palace to study. The Hanlin scholars in the Imperial Study are all from the imperial examination system, so they won't hinder him."

This time, the second prince rebelled, and many court officials followed him. Therefore, the emperor no longer trusted the princes or the ministers, and he could only temporarily use Chu Heng.

But does the emperor trust Chu Heng?

Of course he didn't believe it, so he sent Chu Yang to the palace to study, hoping to gain control of Chu Heng's weakness.

As Chu Heng left the palace, he clenched his fists. The emperor's isolation and alienation from his people were entirely his own doing.

Chu Yang had no choice but to go to the palace to study. Chu Heng and Daiyu were filled with worry and hatred for the emperor, but Chu Yang was different; he was looking forward to it.

"Father, Mother, I've thought about something for a long time." Chu Yang looked up at them. "Last month, it was the late emperor's grandson who rebelled. He rebelled because he wanted to become emperor. I am also the late emperor's grandson, so can I also become emperor?"

Chu Heng covered his mouth: "Your father isn't the emperor, you can only be a prince, understand?"

Chu Yang reluctantly replied, "Fine."