Chapter 106

Purple Palace.

Emperor Chongzhao lay on the bed with his eyes closed while the imperial doctors were diagnosing him.

The queen stood by.

Doctor Yang withdrew his hand and said, "Your Majesty is exhausted. The situation is somewhat dangerous. The surface temperature of the body cannot be lowered. The fever has lasted too long, and the five elements are out of balance. Other problems will arise in the body."

Queen: "When can Your Majesty wake up?"

Doctor Yang: "Maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow."

The strings that have been glued together after breaking can no longer withstand the usual plucking intensity. If Your Majesty continues to be the same as usual after waking up, it is foreseeable that he will suffer mental and physical damage and his life will be wasted.

Emperor Chongzhao was in a coma for two whole days.

The ministers had not attended court for two days, and people were in a state of unrest.

The eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince, in addition to dealing with the ministers who came to the palace to secretly inquire about the emperor's health, stood guard at the door of the Purple Palace every day, wanting to let their father know their concern as soon as he opened his eyes.

The Fourth Prince only came when he was free, and he did not agree at all with their behavior of waiting here even though they would rather go hungry.

The fifth prince and the sixth prince still have to attend classes in the academy, so they usually come here after school.

Qu Dubian never showed up. He stayed in his own courtyard.

But no one said anything to him, after all, he himself was not fully recovered yet.

It was not until late at night on the second day after Emperor Chongzhao fell into a coma that he slowly woke up.

I have a splitting headache and feel weak all over.

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Yu was the first to notice that he had woken up, and called for the imperial physician to come in for a diagnosis.

"Your Majesty finally woke up, thank God!"

The palace servants in the Purple Palace immediately started to move, and the guards standing guard outside also breathed a sigh of relief. During the days when His Majesty had been in a coma, the sky seemed gloomy and the atmosphere was tense all the time.

Not bad, not bad.

A bowl of warm medicine went down his throat.

Emperor Chongzhao paused for a long time.

He thought he was in very good health and stayed up late all the time, drinking strong tea to stay awake while handling government affairs. Occasionally, he would feel a little uncomfortable, but he would get over it with a good sleep.

He never imagined that one day he would be lying in bed like this, so weak and powerless.

He finished his medicine, leaned against the bed, and looked at his hands.

After the imperial physician finished his diagnosis, he whispered, "Your Majesty is now awake, so there should be nothing serious. However, you should take good care of yourself and not overwork yourself."

Emperor Chongzhao remained calm and said, "Who is still guarding outside?"

Eunuch Yu immediately said, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince are all here, and the rest of the princes have all returned."

Emperor Chongzhao: "The fourth one is not here either?"

Eunuch Yu: “…Yeah.”

The Fourth Prince simply came over to take a look today and then left, so there was no question of whether he was there or not.

"I usually talk to the fourth brother the least. He is very frugal when doing his work and doesn't take it seriously."

It is not known whether the Fourth Prince is not serious about his job or is not paying attention to him.

Eunuch Yu pondered for a moment and felt that it was both.

Emperor Chongzhao rubbed his fingers for a moment and said, "Where is Xiaoqi?"

Eunuch Yu's heart skipped a beat and he explained, "Uh... Over at Pinggui Court, the Seventh Prince's illness hasn't recovered yet."

That means you haven't been here.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Did you send anyone to ask me?"

Eunuch Yu glanced at Emperor Chongzhao's face and said, "You also know that the Seventh Prince doesn't like outsiders to serve him. In Pinggui Courtyard, only Eunuch Ye is taking care of him personally, so..."

Emperor Chongzhao nodded calmly and asked no more questions.

"Let the boss and the other three come in."

"yes."

Eunuch Yu called in the three princes who were waiting in the side hall.

He didn't go in. His Majesty probably wanted to talk to the three princes, and it would not be appropriate for him to go in.

He went to find Eunuch Bao and told him what His Majesty had asked him just now. He said worriedly, "Tell me, even if His Majesty came here once, or if he just sent someone to ask a question, I can always help him smooth things over and praise him."

"Although His Majesty may not say it, he must feel in his heart that the Seventh Prince does not care about him."

The Seventh Prince has a good relationship with the palace maids in the Purple Palace. If there is no conflict of interest, they do not want to see a rift between the Seventh Prince and His Majesty.

But I didn't ask a single question, so it's hard to explain.

Eunuch Bao lowered his voice and said, "Should we find someone to go over and tell the Seventh Prince?"

Eunuch Yu: "It's so late now, and His Majesty has already woken up. It's too late to talk to him now."

-

Inside the palace.

The second and third princes knelt beside the bed, and the eldest prince burst into tears, his cry like a bull's roar:

"Father! You are finally awake!"

The tears in the Third Prince's eyes were almost choked back by this shout, but he almost failed, "Father, you are overworked by worrying about state affairs. You must take good care of your health in the future, otherwise I will be really worried."

The second prince didn't say anything, but his expression showed relief, and one could see that he was worried.

Emperor Chongzhao took in all their expressions.

He said calmly: "Overworked, yes, I am old, and I will need your help in the future."

The eldest prince said with a firm face: "Don't worry, father! I will never refuse even if it means death!"

The second and third princes both kowtowed respectfully, "Father is in his prime. As long as he has a good rest, it will only be a matter of time before he recovers to his normal state. I am still young and have little experience, so I still need your patient guidance."

The eldest prince: “…”

He let go of Emperor Chongzhao's sleeve and looked back in confusion.

The third prince straightened up and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Big brother, you really can’t tell the difference between good and bad words?

After the eldest prince realized what was happening, cold sweat began to seep out of his back. He quickly knelt down and took two steps back, "Your Highness, I also need your guidance."

Emperor Chongzhao said nothing, and the hall fell into silence.

It was so quiet that one could almost hear the breathing, and the eldest prince's heart was pounding.

A bit of a suffocating feeling, unable to breathe.

"Recently, there have been voices in the court calling for a crown prince. The fourth son is lazy, the fifth and sixth sons have not established their own palaces, and you three are the only ones who have been in the court for many years. Tell me, what do you think?"

A fatal question.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Don't be nervous, we are all family, I am just asking you."

The alert lights in the three princes' hearts flashed wildly.

No matter how dumb the eldest prince was, he knew that he could not give a random answer to such a question. If he answered it wrong, he might be directly eliminated, especially when his father was still ill.

"Third brother, what do you think of the eldest brother?"

The Third Prince said: "Big brother is brave and straightforward, and he has been my role model since I was a child."

The eldest prince felt a little nauseous.

Emperor Chongzhao nodded: "Boss, what do you think of your third brother?"

The eldest prince said: "Third brother, your words and conversation are very profound. I can't even flatter you."

"Since both of you think the other is good, who should I appoint as the new emperor?"

The Third Prince: "I am only here to help you share some of your worries. The decision on the crown prince is naturally up to you, and I have no other opinion!"

The eldest prince: "So do I!"

Emperor Chongzhao kicked him out and said, "Those who recommended you two to be the crown princes in the court, weren't they the ministers who defected to you? Am I blind or deaf?!"

"Cough cough cough cough!"

As his emotions fluctuated, Emperor Chongzhao began to cough.

"Father!"

Emperor Chongzhao said coldly: "Get out, I will decide when to appoint a crown prince, it is not your turn to remind me!"

The eldest prince and the third prince were kicked, but they dared not show any emotion on their faces. They cried and told him to take care of himself, and retreated respectfully.

"The second one stays."

The second prince paused and turned around.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Take care of me tonight."

Second Prince: "Yes."

He went to get the bowl of medicine, blew it cool by the bed, and then fed it to Emperor Chongzhao one spoonful at a time.

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly asked, "It must be uncomfortable to be caught between the eldest and the third brother. I just asked them, not you, if you are dissatisfied."

The second prince smiled and said, "Father, you know my character. I never argue with them." He said calmly, "No matter how fierce the argument is, it doesn't matter. As long as you are here, we are the backbone."

Emperor Chongzhao stopped asking questions and drank the medicine one gulp at a time from his hand.

"The fourth one avoided them. As for you, I saw that you were able to maintain a balance among them and remained steady. This is good."

The second prince smiled unchanged, "Then I will make you some snacks later. I learned how to make them from the concubine in the palace. They taste very good."

Emperor Chongzhao acquiesced.

The second prince went to the imperial kitchen to prepare snacks.

When preparing ingredients, he uses scissors to cut off the branches and leaves of the ingredients.

My father's illness reminded countless people, including himself, that he was getting old.

Even if my father continues to delay in appointing a crown prince, he will definitely start to think about it in his heart.

Click.

The second prince used a little force and cut off a leaf that was in the way.

-

Chou hour.

Eunuch Bao, who was guarding outside, suddenly saw a figure coming over with a dog.

The man was wearing blue clothes and had loose hair tied behind his head with a rope.

"Seventh Prince?"

Qu Dubian held a stack of papers in his hand, nodded at him, and coughed twice: "Father is in there, is he still awake?"

Eunuch Bao: "He's awake, just woke up. But he just scolded a few princes. The second prince stayed and went to the imperial kitchen to make snacks."

Qu Dubian handed him the dog leash and said, "Please keep an eye on it for me. I'm going in."

Eunuch Bao remembered what Eunuch Yu had just said to him, and hesitated to speak. After watching the Seventh Prince go in, he sighed.

Why didn’t the Seventh Prince come earlier?

Your Majesty must be feeling uncomfortable.

Emperor Chongzhao was lying on his bed reading the memorials that had piled up over the past two days, and Eunuch Yu was helpless.

"If you don't read the memorials for a few days, the Great Zhou will not be destroyed."

Qu Dubian walked in lightly and said something that made Eunuch Yu's eyelids jump: "Seventh Prince?"

Emperor Chongzhao raised his head and frowned: "Are you scolding me?"

Qu Dubian glanced at him, ignoring Eunuch Yu's desperate blinking at him, and took over in three or two steps, snatching the memorial from his hand, and also took away the tray with the memorial next to it, and put them all far away.

Then he stood in front of the bed without saying a word.

In my impression, Xiaoqi is always smiling, a little heartless, lively and cheerful.

But at this moment his face was tense and expressionless.

Emperor Chongzhao had never seen his youngest son's face so cold, as if it was covered with a layer of ice.

Strangely, the anger in Emperor Chongzhao's heart was extinguished by this coldness. He said: "Xiaoqi..."

"You deserve this beating!" Qu Dubian pulled out the pillow from behind him expressionlessly and forced Emperor Chongzhao back into the quilt. "Didn't the imperial physician tell you to rest? But you just woke up and read the memorial. Are the memorials so good? Can't you take a rest and recuperate before reading?"

"Those ministers who are supported by salaries are not here for free. If there is an urgent matter, they will definitely come to you to tell you. Why would they care about non-urgent matters?"

"You are just relying on your status as the most powerful person in the palace. The late emperor is gone, and the grandmother is gone too. You think no one can control you, so you are making such a fuss."

Emperor Chongzhao was severely punished.

He looked at his youngest son's angry face, and the last bit of anger and dissatisfaction in his heart disappeared.