Chapter 122. The main text of Chapter 122 is now complete.

It was already past midnight when Chu Heng returned home. Chu Yang was nestled beside his mother, dozing off, but Daiyu was wide awake and very alert. Hearing the door open, she quickly got up to check, which also startled Chu Yang out of his drowsiness.

“Yang’er?” Daiyu stroked her son’s hand, but her eyes were looking outside.

"Mother... Father's back?" Chu Yang yawned and raised his voice to ask, "Father, is that you?"

Chu Heng strode in: "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Daiyu looked him up and down: "Why are you so late?"

Chu Heng sat down on the bed and took Daiyu's hand to comfort her, saying, "I'm fine, completely unharmed."

Daiyu was relieved and asked, "What took so long?"

Chu Heng said, “The late Emperor has just passed away. Although the coffin has been prepared long ago and the funeral rites follow the established rules, there are still many details to discuss. Also, there’s our family…” He gestured with his chin towards Chu Yang, “The late Emperor’s dying edict ordered the new Emperor to appoint Yang’er as the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince has not yet ascended the throne, there is no official decree, so Yang’er’s status is not formal. However, he is still only regarded as the Heir Apparent of Prince Duan. They are arguing about whether this is disrespectful to the late Emperor. The people from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs have been arguing about this for half a day.”

Chu Yang, nestled on his mother's arm, said upon hearing this, "I am Father's son, and Father must avoid suspicion in this matter, but shouldn't the Crown Prince say something? Father, how will the Crown Prince respond?"

Chu Heng said, "The Crown Prince has nothing to say."

Given the Crown Prince's temperament, this is not surprising at all.

Daiyu then asked, "How did they finally decide?"

Chu Heng smiled slightly: "Have Yang'er follow behind the Crown Prince."

Daiyu nodded: "In the end, she is still concerned about the late emperor's last will and testament."

This was partly due to Chu Heng's influence; the late Emperor had personally instructed him to act as regent, meaning Prince Duan was about to become a true regent.

Chu Yang clenched his fist and said, "I won't let my parents down!"

Chu Heng and Daiyu ruffled his hair together, and Daiyu smiled and praised him, "Yang'er is the best."

As they were talking, the clock outside chimed a few times, and Chu Heng hurriedly said, "It's getting late, go to sleep quickly, we have to get up early tomorrow. There will be a lot of trouble in the next two or three months, from the funeral to the burial."

Daiyu covered her mouth and yawned: "I'm sleepy too."

Chu Yang fell asleep quickly, but he still rolled to the corner of the wall. Daiyu didn't lie down until Chu Heng finished washing up and got into bed.

Chu Heng wrapped his arms around her and gently patted her back: "Don't be afraid anymore, our lives will be easier from now on."

With the deceased emperor no longer an obstacle, the new emperor weak, and Chu Heng still possessing the authority of the imperial edict, the court officials dared not utter a word of dissent, and they no longer needed to live in fear.

A tear slid down her cheek, and Daiyu choked out a sob before saying in a muffled voice, "We've rehearsed it many times, but I'm still a little scared."

"Everything is fine now," Chu Heng repeated softly. "There's no need to be afraid anymore."

Daiyu let out a soft breath: "I'm not afraid anymore."

Chu Heng gently patted Daiyu's back until she fell into a deep sleep. Only then did he get up to look at his son before closing his eyes again.

...

The funeral arrangements for the late emperor were proceeding in an orderly manner. The Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites had made preparations long ago, and the civil and military officials had been waiting for this day for the past two years. However, they were just mechanically following the rules, unable to process what was happening.

The late emperor's dying edict was puzzling. The crown prince was still young, so it was understandable that Prince Duan would act as regent. However, the order for the new emperor to appoint Prince Duan's heir as the crown prince raised suspicions.

After all, by handing over the throne, the lineage of the late emperor would have almost no chance of inheriting the throne in the future. What was the late emperor after?

This makes one wonder if Prince Duan used some underhanded tactics to gain all the benefits.

However, those words were indeed spoken by the late Emperor himself, and no one saw Prince Duan coerce the late Emperor in full view of everyone.

Moreover, even if we take a step back and assume that Prince Duan was indeed able to coerce the late emperor and had designs on the throne, wouldn't it be more legitimate for him to become emperor?

There are precedents for passing the throne to a younger brother when the prince is young, so why does he have to beat around the bush?

The Prince of Duan's heir is only a nine-year-old child. To expect him to inherit the throne with just a word from the late emperor is wishful thinking.

Once the Crown Prince has his own child after his marriage, the Crown Prince's position as the heir apparent will be in grave danger.

Keeping vigil for the late emperor was incredibly boring. As everyone looked at the Prince of Duan, who stood a step behind the Crown Prince, they couldn't help but ponder the late emperor's true intentions and try to figure out what was hidden behind it all.

However, even after the late emperor's funeral and successful burial in the imperial mausoleum, no one had figured out what had happened. With the new emperor about to ascend the throne, no one had time to think about the late emperor anymore.

Due to the late emperor's will, only Chu Heng was left as the legitimate regent to assist the new emperor. The previous four regents had all returned to their posts. Therefore, everyone came to ask Prince Duan for his opinion on how to proceed with the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

Chu Heng turned around and asked the Crown Prince, who was seated at the head of the table, what his request was. The Crown Prince seemed not to have heard what was being discussed below. Only after a little eunuch beside him reminded him did he realize what was happening. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "I... I have no objection if my royal uncle decides."

The Crown Prince has always conducted state affairs in this manner. In the past, the ministers would only sigh in secret, but now, when they hear such words again, they sigh in silence in front of the Crown Prince.

What else? Should they continue to comfort themselves that the Crown Prince is hiding his true abilities? If the Crown Prince is so good at hiding his talents, the ministers wouldn't be burying their heads in the sand like this.

However, this makes sense. Of the late emperor's six sons, none of the eldest, except for the youngest who was still unknown in terms of ability, were capable of being entrusted with the throne. Therefore, the late emperor had the idea of ​​appointing a crown prince after the new emperor ascended the throne, so as not to let the Chu family's empire fall into the hands of others.

This makes sense; the late emperor's banishment of his sixth son could be explained, as he simply wanted his youngest son to escape the turmoil in the capital.

Regardless of how logically the court officials try to justify their actions, the three members of the Duan Prince's family have been extremely busy lately.

From the time of the late emperor's funeral, Chu Heng and Daiyu had to keep vigil for him, as well as various other things to do.

The Crown Prince only knew how to mourn, Chu Heng, who had the late emperor's will, could not slack off. He had no title of emperor but did more work than the emperor. Daiyu had to deal with relatives, princesses, and officials' families. Chu Yang was not having an easy time either.

At the late emperor's funeral, he stood behind the crown prince, a position where he couldn't slack off, and he complained about being tired every day when he got home.

Then, Chu Yang would add, "I'm tired, but this is the price I have to pay. My parents are even more tired than I am."

With the late emperor recently deceased, Chu Heng and Daiyu took advantage of the chaos to clean up the mess, ensuring that everything vanished with the late emperor, leaving no trace. Only then were they at ease.

With the family of three working together, they weathered the funeral of the late emperor and the ascension of the new emperor. Things gradually returned to normal, and Chu Heng rightfully took charge of the government, preparing to gradually consolidate power.

Daiyu continued to act as a strategist behind the scenes, while the couple also jointly taught the growing Chu Yang.

Soon the day arrived for the formal investiture of the Crown Prince.

The ceremonial robes were hastily made by the palace embroiderers, layer upon layer, almost crushing Chu Yang. He patted his chest and said, "This is the weight of the vast empire and the millions of people."

Upon hearing his words, Daiyu's eyes reddened: "Yang'er has grown up."

Chu Yang looked up at his mother and smiled, "Not yet, Mother. Yang'er is still a child. When I come back, I'll still want to be pampered by you."

Daiyu burst into laughter through her tears: "This mouth of yours is exactly what your father learned."

Chu Heng grasped Daiyu's hand and laughed, "You've wronged me. This boy is self-taught."

Chu Yang stuck out his tongue: "I'm smart, Mom, I'm the smartest, aren't I?"

He wore a crown on his head, and Daiyu simply touched his face: "Yes, our Yang'er has always been the smartest."

Chu Yang had just raised his chin and hadn't even spoken when Zhao Qing came over to remind him that the auspicious time had arrived.

Daiyu nodded and patted Chu Yang on the shoulder: "Go ahead."

Chu Yang took a few steps back, knelt down and kowtowed to his parents, then led the group away without looking back.

Daiyu couldn't hold back any longer and leaned on Chu Heng's shoulder, sobbing softly. Chu Heng gently held her and stroked her back with one hand.

Daiyu grabbed his clothes: "Aren't you going?"

Chu Heng said in a low voice, "I'll stay with you... Yang'er has his own path to walk, I'll just stay with you."

“…Hmm.” Daiyu leaned against his chest to calm her turbulent emotions, and then said, “Yang’er is really growing up.”

Chu Heng chuckled and said, "Are you trying to slack off? But it's too early. This brat will be bothering us for at least five or six years, maybe even seven or eight."

Daiyu's sadness dissipated completely, and she punched Chu Heng: "I'll annoy you too someday, annoy you for the rest of my life!"

Chu Heng lowered his head and nuzzled her cheek: "I wish you would bother me in the next life, and in the life after that."

Daiyu dodged away, then deliberately said, "So you think I'm that annoying? Then I'd better not bother you anymore."

"Then I'll bother you." Chu Heng chased after her, gently kissing the corner of her mouth. "Even if you find me annoying, I'll still pester you."

Daiyu chuckled, her face flushing red: "You shouldn't be so proper in public. People will laugh at us if they see us like this."

Chu Heng knew she was shy, so he didn't push his luck. He simply half-embraced her and whispered some sweet nothings to cheer her up. After a while, he suddenly asked, "What should we do in the future? Have you made any plans?"

Daiyu was taken aback. Chu Yang was still young and needed his parents' support. Once he grew up and could stand on his own, they... would be able to do as they pleased.

This was the first time Daiyu had thought about this future, and she was somewhat taken aback. She murmured, "I need to...think about it carefully."

They would no longer be trapped in the capital, nor confined to Qingzhou; the world was vast, and they could go anywhere.

Chu Heng squeezed her hand and smiled, "Okay, take your time thinking about it. We have many years ahead of us, so we can think about it slowly."