Chapter 114 Planning.

Minister of Personnel Pei said, "If Your Highness had truly harmed any prince, why didn't His Majesty issue a clear decree to punish you, and instead appointed Your Highness to assist in governing? It's likely that the Fourth Prince is too young and has misunderstood what people are saying, or perhaps he heard it from a play and has taken it seriously. This is utter nonsense!"

Based on the Fourth Prince's words and actions just now, he has no hope for the future. He'll be lucky to be a carefree prince in the future. Lord Pei isn't afraid of offending him.

The other three also came forward to offer Prince Duan a way out. The Fifth Prince was stunned. His Fourth Brother was already married, and he was still young? How could they make up such stories about being misled and instigated? The Fifth Prince felt that he was too ignorant.

But Prince Duan was not buying it. He still said, "Your Highness speaks with such certainty. I think, since the Crown Prince is unwilling to testify for me, let's go together to see His Majesty. What do you four think?"

Not good!

The emperor was establishing a crown prince and appointing regents, all so he could focus on recovering from his illness. They had all seen the emperor in that state; he looked like he would die if he suffered any more shock. Who would dare to disturb him at this time? Who would dare to bear the reputation of causing the emperor's death?

The four men tried their best to persuade Prince Duan, but he remained unmoved, insisting on seeing the Emperor to prove his innocence, or he would quit and go home. Minister Guo then turned to the Crown Prince for help: "Since Your Highness is also aware of this matter, why don't you enlighten us?"

"I..." Without the threat of the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince dared to speak, but he was afraid that if he told the truth, he would expose the fact that the Fourth Prince had murdered the Sixth Prince, so he hesitated, "I was indeed there, but... but... the Fifth Prince and... and my cousin did not murder the Sixth Prince, it was... it was... a eunuch who did it."

This made his words seem to make things worse. At this moment, the four regents were cursing the fourth prince in their hearts. He rarely appeared in public, so they did not understand his feelings. Only today did they realize that he was a real fool!

What kind of situation is this? The emperor is seriously ill, the court and the country are barely stable, yet he still dares to utter such an ambiguous statement. It's truly... stupid!

As for the Crown Prince, he seemed incapable of shouldering great responsibilities, so they could only sigh. After all, the Emperor really didn't have any other sons to choose from. Compared to the extremely stupid Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince, if properly taught, might turn out well.

Fortunately, Li Zhong came to their rescue. He conveyed the emperor's decree, proving the innocence of Prince Duan. As for the fourth prince, he was disrespectful to the crown prince and slandered Prince Duan. In addition to being flogged and having his monthly allowance deducted, he would also be confined to his quarters. The emperor did not say when the confinement would be lifted.

The four regents breathed a sigh of relief and remembered the purpose of their trip. Just as Lord Guo was about to step forward to speak, Prince Duan suddenly bowed to the Fifth Prince: "Your Highness, this woman just now protected the Emperor. May I ask you to call the imperial physician to examine her injuries?"

The Fifth Prince was stunned for a moment, and only then did everyone notice that the little palace maid who had been knocked down by the Fourth Prince had gotten up at some point and was standing with her head bowed at the bottom of the steps.

She seemed surprised that someone would mention her, and disregarded etiquette, looking up at Prince Duan.

Chu Heng nodded to her, and the little palace maid quickly lowered her head.

The Fifth Prince then realized, "Yes...yes, we should call the imperial physician. She has rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor, so...from now on, she shall come and serve me!"

The young palace maid hurriedly said, "Thank you, Your Highness." She bit her lip, then turned around and said again, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Chu Heng did not respond, but instead spoke to the Fifth Prince about attending court. Since the Emperor had appointed the Crown Prince to oversee the country, he could no longer hide in his own little world.

The newly appointed crown prince nodded with a bitter expression; from beginning to end, he had no say in anything.

...

When Chu Heng returned home, Daiyu and Chu Yang were discussing history. He sat quietly to one side and waited for them to finish their discussion before handing each of them a glass of water.

"Dad, are you busy today?" Chu Yang asked first, then tilted his head back to drink water.

Daiyu held up a water cup: "Your lips are a little dry. You seem to have talked a lot. You're the one who should drink some water." As she spoke, she handed the cup to Chu Heng.

Chu Yang got up and poured two glasses of water: "Dad, Mom, you both drink some water."

Chu Heng smiled and said, "I didn't say much. I just don't like the tea in the palace and I'm too lazy to ask someone to pour me water."

Chu Yang sipped his water, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Pouring water takes less effort, Dad. Why are you so reserved? Is someone giving you a hard time?"

Daiyu laughed and said, "Your father is being picky. What's so great about plain water? Bring a few bottles of dew and honey tomorrow."

"Oh." Chu Yang said with a grin, "Dad taught me not to be picky, but it turns out you are very picky yourself."

Chu Heng ruffled his hair: "You dare to laugh at your father? See how I teach you a lesson..."

"Ah! Mother, save me!" Chu Yang hurriedly ran behind his mother.

Daiyu, trying to stop him, laughed and said, "Yang'er, your leg doesn't hurt anymore! Chu Heng, stop teasing him, or he'll fall again!"

Chu Heng reached out and grabbed the little guy, trapping him in his arms: "Daddy, take a look at your legs."

Chu Yang kicked his legs and shouted, "It doesn't hurt anymore! It hasn't hurt for a long time!"

Daiyu leaned closer: "Let me see too."

Afraid of kicking or stomping on his mother, Chu Yang immediately stopped moving and said, "Mother, I really don't hurt anymore. The imperial physician came today, and you already saw him."

Daiyu gently rolled up his trouser leg, and the little guy's knee was still covered in bruises, which made his parents feel heartbroken.

"It doesn't hurt yet..." Chu Heng pinched his son's cheek. "You brat, you still don't tell your father and mother the truth."

Chu Yang felt wronged: "It really doesn't hurt. The imperial physician said it's just scary to look at. Such bruises will fade more slowly."

Daiyu nodded in affirmation: "That's what the imperial physician said, but Yang'er, you have a precedent, so even I don't dare to believe you."

Chu Yang knew this was referring to the pain he endured while being treated that day. He whispered, "Mother, I am a man, so I cannot let you be sad for me."

Daiyu stroked his face: "Mother is not sad, Mother is heartbroken for you."

Chu Yang obediently replied, "Don't worry, Mother, I won't make you feel sorry for me anymore."

Chu Heng tilted his head and chuckled, "I'm afraid that's impossible, silly boy. Your parents will have to worry about you for the rest of your life."

"Ah..." Chu Yang slowly understood what his mother meant. He touched his mother's hand and said, "I also feel sorry for Dad and Mom."

The family of three sat and chatted for a while when a maid came in to ask if they could have their meal served. Daiyu glanced at the clock and said, "It's getting late, serve the meal."

After the meal, Chu Heng talked to Daiyu about what had happened in the palace and the court that day, and he specifically mentioned the little palace maid in the Crown Prince's palace.

“I think she will remember what happened today, but it’s not easy to get in touch with her right now,” Chu Heng said. “However, we’re not in a hurry; we’ll take it one step at a time.”

Daiyu said, "You shouldn't talk to the palace servants around him. The Crown Prince is not yet married, so I have no reason to enter his palace. There is indeed no suitable opportunity right now."

With the Empress Dowager gone and the Empress staying indoors, Daiyu no longer needed to go to the palace to pay her respects. While this saved her trouble, it was still a problem.

Chu Heng scoffed: "The Crown Prince's marriage... whether His Majesty will live to see that day is still uncertain."

Daiyu asked, "Now that the Fourth Prince has made such a scene today, and His Majesty has heard the news, has his illness worsened?"

"His Majesty has a filial son who has nearly driven him to his death several times. Not only do we have to clean up his messes, but we also dare not punish him too severely, lest something really bad happen to him," Chu Heng said with a smile. "Fortunately, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy has superb medical skills, so His Majesty can still prolong his life for a few more days."

“However… it’s good to keep the Fourth Prince around.” At this point, even though there were no outsiders in the room, Chu Heng lowered his voice, “He might be able to do us a great favor in the future.”

Thinking of Chu Heng's plan, Daiyu said cautiously, "He is so stupid that he is quite uncontrollable. You must be very careful."

Chu Heng gently rubbed her palm reassuringly: "I'll remember."

...

The crown prince is nominally in charge of the country, but he is just a figurehead. He can review memorials on behalf of the emperor, but the words in the memorials must be taught to him by someone else, otherwise he would not even dare to pick up a brush.

The five regents were the ones who could teach the Crown Prince how to review memorials. Because of Prince Duan's high status, the other four said they should be in charge of him, but since His Majesty did not specify any order of precedence, none of them treated him as an equal.

Prince Duan did not just say that; whenever he asked the regents about important or minor matters, he never acted on his own initiative. He always consulted with them before asking the Crown Prince for approval.

The other four regents had not been in power for long, and they still remembered the Confucian teachings on the proper relationship between ruler and subject very well. They dared not overstep their bounds in the slightest, and were therefore very afraid that Prince Duan would seize power. Now that they saw that he had the demeanor of the Duke of Zhou, they could not help but admire him.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. These words, spoken by the regents, quickly reached the ears of the court officials. Prince Duan's reputation grew even better, and some people even began to curry favor with him, but Prince Duan ignored them all.

This has always been Prince Duan's style. The four regents have been in court for many years. Although they had never worked with Prince Duan before, they had never heard anyone say a bad word about him.

Moreover, they recalled past events. Whether in the past or now, it was always the emperor who issued decrees to give important positions to Prince Duan. Prince Duan had always worked diligently and served the emperor loyally. Were they being suspicious of him because they were being petty and judging him by their own standards?

For a moment, it made people feel guilty towards Prince Duan.

Chu Heng was not oblivious to what was happening around him; he was aware of the discussions among the court officials, but they had guessed wrong.

Chu Heng still doesn't interact much with the court officials. He has no immediate plans to usurp the throne and doesn't need to rush to control the previous dynasty. He is now focusing more on the palace, and he wants to use the time he spends walking around the palace to slowly infiltrate the imperial court.

Chu Heng had lived in the palace for more than ten years, and with Zhao Qing, who had many old friends in the palace, by his side, it was not difficult for him to gather some useful people. The difficulty was how to gradually erode the emperor's people and eventually control the emperor.

Fortunately, the emperor is currently bedridden and has limited time to wake up each day. There is no concubine in the harem to step forward and take charge, which gives Chu Heng an opportunity.