Chapter 118 Another year has passed.

The emperor was extremely sensitive to cold during his illness, so even when it was the coldest time of winter outside, the Haiyan Palace was as warm as summer, which made the emperor feel comfortable.

Most of the eunuchs who served the emperor were very young. They couldn't stand the heat inside the room, so they had to wear summer clothes in the bedroom and change into thicker clothes when they went out. With all this trouble, serving the emperor became a job that everyone avoided.

Normally, the thought of serving the emperor is driven by ambition to climb the social ladder; now, serving the emperor only brings suffering.

Not only did the eunuchs dislike going near the emperor, but even the crown prince felt that facing the emperor was like living through an eternity.

For the crown prince, the most tormenting thing was not listening to politics or studying, but being summoned by the emperor for examination. Although the emperor could not see him often due to health reasons, the crown prince still secretly complained every time.

"Snow disaster?" The emperor stroked the hand warmer, his meaning ambiguous. "In that case, Prince Duan is quite thoughtful, making preparations in advance."

The Crown Prince, unsuspecting, simply said, "It's not just Fifth Uncle; Fifth Aunt and my aunts have also set up soup kitchens in the capital and surrounding counties. It's truly..."

"What did you say?" The emperor frowned as he looked at him. "The Princess Consort of Duan and...which of your aunts set up the soup kitchen with the Princess Consort of Duan?"

The Crown Prince, not understanding the situation, honestly replied, "At first, it was only my fifth aunt and thirteenth aunt. Later, when my eldest aunt and the others found out, they all contributed. Inspired by them, the ladies and grandmothers of noble families are all doing good deeds. I have heard that the news has spread to other places, and many officials' wives and daughters are following suit."

Distributing porridge is nothing new; it's a common act of kindness. But the Crown Prince's words make it sound as if many more people would have starved to death during this snow disaster without Princess Duan's presence!

The emperor rubbed his forehead. This was the downside of the crown prince's mother dying young and never marrying. He had given away the opportunity to win people's hearts.

Prince Duan is indeed a scheming and malicious man. If we let him continue his actions, when the emperor is gone, the country may still belong to the Chu family, but it may not be the emperor's Chu anymore.

"But..." The emperor stroked the hand warmer, hesitating. He was nearing the end of his life, while Prince Duan was in his prime. The court relied heavily on Prince Duan, and he himself did not have the energy or time to fight against Prince Duan.

The crown prince asked in confusion, "Father, what is it?"

The emperor looked at him and had an idea. Chu Heng was not the only regent. He had originally set up five people to check and balance each other. Now was the time to use them.

Soon, the emperor summoned the four regents, excluding Chu Heng, one after another. He repeatedly expressed his deep concern for the snow disaster outside, but said that he was too ill to do anything about it and that he was grateful to his ministers, otherwise the people would have suffered greatly.

But Princess Duan used this natural disaster to buy her reputation, which really chilled his heart. He thought that a woman from a respectable family would not have such scheming thoughts. Perhaps Prince Duan had some kind of foolish idea...

The emperor was deeply worried, and the regents felt exhausted. They wondered whose nonsense the emperor had listened to. These days, which of the officials with any standing in the court didn't distribute porridge and medicine to the people? Many even sent cotton clothes and quilts. Which family hadn't been praised by the common people? According to the emperor, wouldn't all the officials in the court have the ambition to overstep their bounds?

His Majesty has been ill for so long, he has truly become confused.

The ministers' ideas were somewhat disrespectful, but they all thought so in unison, and the emperor's sincerity left them unsure how to shatter his illusions.

It wasn't until half a month later that Lord Guo subtly mentioned that even though His Majesty was currently recuperating and ignoring worldly affairs, one should not blindly believe everything one hears.

The emperor sensed something was wrong. After the prince left, he summoned him again and questioned him carefully several times. Only then did the emperor realize that he had not only completely misunderstood the situation, but had also exposed his suspiciousness and pettiness in front of the four regents.

Unable to bear the blow, the emperor fell ill again that same day. Lord Guo suspected that it was related to him and lived in fear for many days, not knowing whether to hope for the emperor's recovery or his death.

...

When the court sealed the seal in the twelfth lunar month, the emperor was still unable to get out of bed and was too ashamed to face his officials. He only had someone kowtow to him through a screen before dismissing everyone.

Lord Guo is no longer guilty, since the emperor has neither openly found fault with him nor secretly made things difficult for him, although it is highly likely that the emperor's health condition does not allow him to do anything unnecessary.

But this is also one of the reasons why Lord Guo is at ease. After all, the regent is the most common courtier of the emperor. Lord Guo is very clear about the emperor's health condition. It is unlikely to get better. It is just a matter of when the emperor will collapse.

The Crown Prince is young and relies heavily on the regents. Once he ascends the throne, he will inevitably need them as well. Lord Guo is now more focused on how to gracefully retire after achieving his goals.

Lord Guo caught up with Chu Heng in a few steps: "Your Highness, the seal is sealed, but we can't just give up like this. We can't stop distributing porridge and medicine, otherwise those poor people won't be able to have a good New Year."

Chu Heng said, "That's natural. I was just about to discuss this with you all. Not only should each department stay on duty, but we should also arrange a sequence."

Lord Guo said first: "Your Highness, we certainly cannot delay New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. You and your wife are a young couple, and your son is still young. It is only natural for you to be together. Unlike us, our children have companions, and our wives have grandchildren to dote on them. So it doesn't matter if we old men are not included."

The other three echoed this sentiment.

Chu Heng smiled and said, "Thank you all for your kindness, but when a family is together, every day is a festival of reunion. My wife and I won't make a difference of one or two days. I will come over on New Year's Eve. You can arrange the rest as you see fit. Just have someone tell me."

Seeing that he had made the decision, the other four people stopped being polite. Having worked together for some time, they had figured out Prince Duan's style of doing things.

As Lord Guo watched Prince Duan's carriage depart, he thought regretfully to himself, "Given Prince Duan's age and abilities, if he were the emperor's son, it would be most fitting for him to be the crown prince. There would be no need to worry about when the emperor passes away. Unfortunately, Prince Duan is only the emperor's younger brother."

While Guo Daren was expressing his regret, Chu Heng was only thinking about going home. The day after tomorrow was Chu Yang's birthday, and he had prepared some gifts from the south and foreign countries in advance. He wondered if they would arrive in the next couple of days, and he was eager to go home and ask.

"Not yet." Chu Yang sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking out the window. "Dad, the boat is moving so slowly."

Chu Heng smiled and said, "You're just impatient. It should arrive before the New Year anyway."

Daiyu beckoned: "Yang'er, come and have some water."

"Mother, the boat is too slow," Chu Yang repeated to his mother.

Daiyu asked in surprise, "What haven't you seen before? Why are you so eager to see this ship now?"

Chu Yang held the water glass and sighed, "I promised to give it to my cousin, and also to my nieces and nephews. Sigh, being an elder is so hard."

The cousin Chu Yang mentioned is Yongkang's youngest daughter, while his nephews and nieces are the grandchildren of the princesses. Because he has a father who is young and of high seniority, Chu Yang has nephews and nieces who are about the same age as him, and there are many who are older than him.

During this time, because Daiyu and the princesses often visited each other, Chu Yang had met the children and grandchildren of these aunts more or less, and he realized that he had so many relatives.

Chu Heng and Daiyu couldn't help but laugh: "You little rascal, are you even as tall as the table? You're already having the troubles of being an elder?"

Chu Yang puffed out his chest: "Of course I'm as tall as a table! I'll be a year older after the New Year, so of course I'll grow taller!"

Chu Heng pinched his cheek: "Your teeth haven't all grown in yet, so you still have a lisp when you talk. It's a bit embarrassing for your elders."

Chu Yang grinned and said, "I'm not the only one with incomplete teeth, it's not shameful!"

"Hahaha..." Chu Heng and Daiyu burst out laughing when they saw his missing teeth.

Chu Yang initially grumbled a couple of times in dissatisfaction, but then he joined his parents in laughing.

The family of three laughed for a while before Chu Heng told them that he couldn't be home for New Year's Eve: "With this disaster this year, I can't be lazy. Next year, I definitely won't do this, and I'll stay home with you and Yang'er."

Daiyu chuckled and said, "I'm not such a petty or dramatic person. We're not short of a day or two. It's just that you've had to make do. It's the New Year, and it's definitely not as relaxing as being at home."

“If you’re not wronged, then I’m not wronged either.” Chu Heng held her hand. “We don’t have that many rules in our family. If you’re tired, you two can go to sleep. There’s no need to wait up to celebrate the New Year.”

Daiyu smiled and agreed, adding, "I'll have someone send you some good wine and food from home then."

Chu Yang raised his hand and said, "I'll go deliver it to Father!"

Chu Heng tapped his forehead: "It's so cold, you should stay home. Dad's not home, so you have to protect Mom and don't cause any trouble with her, understand?"

Chu Yang nodded earnestly: "Father, I am a man, I know!"

"Okay." Daiyu affectionately rubbed his face. "Mother is counting on you, my little man!"

Looking at the smiling faces of the mother and son, Chu Heng realized that no matter what he had said earlier, he now truly regretted his self-righteous decision. A proper New Year's Eve reunion should be spent with one's wife and children.

However, when Daiyu personally brought Chuheng his meal on New Year's Eve, Chuheng felt that this decision was extremely wise.

Overjoyed, Chu Heng welcomed Daiyu into the house, took her hand, and led her to the charcoal brazier to warm herself. He then asked, "Where is Yang'er?"

Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He's been making a fuss all day, and he couldn't stay awake any longer, so he's asleep. His wet nurse is with him, so it's alright."

"Hmm." Chu Heng then told the maid who had come with him to pour hot tea. The people guarding his side had already moved away because the princess was present.

"Warm yourself up." Chu Heng said with a smile, "It's getting colder outside at night, are you alright?"

"I'm not cold," Daiyu said, letting him arrange it. "It's just that the food needs to be heated up."

Chu Heng smiled and said, "There's a tea room here..."

Daiyu couldn't stand his gaze, so she squeezed his hand: "Is this the first time you've seen me?"