Chapter 116 Palace Coup "May everything go smoothly for you from now on."

It was late spring, and the capital was ablaze with blossoms. On the Emperor's birthday, the city was adorned with lanterns and colorful decorations, red ribbons fluttered in the breeze, and drums and music resounded. Large red lanterns hung in front of every mansion, and the streets were lined with flowers and ribbons. Even ordinary people's homes had red paper banners with birthday wishes pasted on their doorframes. Several days earlier, high-ranking officials from various regions had begun arriving in the capital to offer their congratulations to the Emperor.

The palace was bustling with activity. Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, wine cups clinked and melodious music filled the air. Civil and military officials were seated according to their rank, each dressed in splendid robes and beaming with joy. At the very front of the imperial family line sat the Third Prince, his crimson ceremonial robes accentuating his handsome features. A faint smile graced his face, revealing nothing amiss.

His gaze would occasionally sweep over the empty seat in front of him, reserved for the Second Prince, who was unable to attend due to a recurrence of his leg injury. Each time his eyes fell on that empty seat, his hand unconsciously clenched in his sleeve, his fingertips digging deeply into his palm.

As the banquet reached its climax, several officials exchanged meaningful glances, their eyes subtly glancing in the direction of the Third Prince.

"Why is the Third Prince still in the capital? Wasn't he already enfeoffed as the Prince of Yanmen and supposed to go to his fiefdom?" someone asked in a low voice to his colleague beside him.

"I heard it's to celebrate His Majesty's birthday, so I specially requested permission to stay in the capital for a few days," another person replied, but couldn't help adding, "It's just that Yanmen... is really not a good fiefdom."

"I heard about what happened to Consort Jing a while ago..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was stopped by a warning look from someone nearby. Some things don't need to be said explicitly; they are understood without being spoken.

Although the emperor had strictly ordered a complete cover-up of the family banquet that day, with so many people and so many rumors, some inevitably leaked out. These astute individuals quickly connected the Third Prince's fiefdom arrangements with the scattered rumors, figuring out most of the truth.

"To treat an adult prince so poorly for the sake of an unborn child, Your Majesty's move is rather risky," an old minister sighed inwardly, but remained outwardly composed.

Night deepened, and the candlelight flickered. The Emperor rubbed his temples, his face revealing his weariness. Seeing this, Eunuch Fu quickly stepped forward, bowed, and whispered, "Your Majesty, would you like to rest for a while in the side hall?"

The emperor nodded slightly and, supported by Eunuch Fu, quietly left his seat.

Incense wafted through the side hall, where the emperor rested with his eyes closed on a soft couch. Eunuch Fu quietly withdrew, preparing to fetch his master a bowl of hangover soup.

Half-asleep, the emperor was suddenly startled awake by the sound of footsteps. The footsteps were heavy, thumping on the bluestone slabs, completely different from the light, cat-like steps of Eunuch Fu. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately opened his eyes.

"Who is outside?" The emperor sat up straight.

The door was pushed open, and Qi Jing appeared in the doorway. He was alone, with a strange expression on his face, which seemed both respectful and revealed a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Qi Jing bowed respectfully.

The emperor's heart sank. "Why is Jing'er here instead of feasting in the main hall?"

Qi Jing straightened up, walked slowly forward, stopped a few steps away from the imperial bed, and said with a smile, "Your subject has come to request Your Majesty to issue an edict."

He watched as the emperor tensed instantly, his smile widening. "The imperial edict appointing me as the crown prince."

"Absurd!" The emperor, sensing something was amiss, stood up and shouted, "Where is the commander of the Imperial Guards? Protect me!"

Outside the hall, all was deathly silent.

In the suffocating silence, the door was pushed open again. General Li, the commander of the Imperial Guards, strode in, carrying the unconscious Eunuch Fu in his arms. The old eunuch was carelessly thrown on the ground like a rag doll.

General Li stepped forward expressionlessly and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards are here."

The emperor's expression finally changed. He stared intently at Qi Jing, his voice trembling with anger, "You...you dare to rebel?"

"Treason?" Qi Jing laughed as if he had heard something funny, and his laughter echoed in the palace. "Father, you forced me to do this."

“A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Even these warriors know how to choose. Does Father still not understand? Second Brother is a cripple who can't even get out of bed. We don't even know if the child in Consort Jing's belly is a boy or a girl. Besides your son, who else can you choose?”

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, the gentle facade on his face shattering completely to reveal his狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) true nature. "But what about you? Yanmen! You actually intend to send your son to that barbaric land of Yanmen. Father, you are truly so kind and loving towards your son!"

The emperor looked at him with heartache and disappointment in his eyes, "I granted you this fiefdom hoping you would temper your character, but who knew you would..."

"Enough with these high-sounding words!" Qi Jing interrupted sharply. "Today, I will give Father Emperor two choices. Either issue an edict to establish me as Crown Prince, or—"

His smile was maniacal. "I beg Father to 'die suddenly from an illness,' so that I may rightfully succeed to the throne."

"How dare you!" The emperor's eyes widened in fury. "Today, all the civil and military officials are in the hall. If you were to murder the emperor and seize the throne, your ascension would be illegitimate. Do you think you can hold onto this empire?"

"Whether they can sit still or not, we'll only know after we try." Qi Jing slowly shook his head. "I believe that when I put my knife to their necks one by one, they will know what to do."

As they were talking, the sound of orderly footsteps and clashing weapons came from outside the hall; the Imperial Guards had already surrounded the entire side hall. Eunuch Fu slowly awoke, and upon seeing this, he was horrified and about to cry out when General Li grabbed him by the neck, forcing him to fetch the imperial edict and writing implements.

"Father, please." Qi Jing pointed to the unfolded bright yellow silk, turned to the emperor, and put on that hypocritical smile again. "As long as you write the decree of abdication, you will still be my good father, and I will still be your good son. I will take good care of you until you grow old."

The emperor looked at the silk ribbons that represented supreme power, and with a sudden wave of his hand, knocked them all to the ground. "Even if I die, I will never hand over this vast empire to a rebellious son like you!"

Qi Jing's face instantly darkened, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He drew a sword from General Li's waist and pressed it against the emperor's neck. "Then you can die!"

The blade grazed the emperor's skin, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped out.

At the critical moment, a figure burst through the door. The young general in silver armor, with a sword flashing like lightning, precisely deflected the knife from Qi Jing's hand and stood in front of the emperor.

"Your humble servant Zhong Dingye has arrived late to save Your Majesty!" The young general knelt on one knee, his voice firm and powerful.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen elite soldiers rushed into the hall and quickly brought the situation under control. Those imperial guards who still wanted to struggle saw that things were not going well and laid down their weapons and surrendered.

General Li stared at the soldiers' uniforms, gritting his teeth in anger, "People from the outskirts of the capital... how did you end up in the palace?"

No one answered his question. After confirming the emperor's safety, Zhong Dingye knelt down again and reported, "Your Majesty, I have successfully completed my mission."

The emperor looked down at the third prince, who was being held down by soldiers, his face showing no relief at surviving such a close call. He sighed heavily, "Jing'er, you have disappointed me greatly."

Qi Jing sneered, turned his head away, and refused to look at him again.

A palace coup was thus averted without a trace. Inside the main hall, some ministers keenly sensed something amiss.

Why hasn't the emperor returned for so long? Why have the guards outside the palace been replaced?

The princess, seated on the high platform, remained calm and composed. With a gentle wave of her hand, the musicians' movements changed, and the music grew even more stirring. The melodious singing and graceful dancing completely masked the commotion coming from not far away.

The Pei residence was quiet, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects. Meng Lingyao went to bed early; her health had greatly improved, but the imperial physician had advised her to continue resting and avoid strenuous activity. Therefore, she did not attend the Emperor's birthday banquet at the palace today.

Half-asleep, she felt herself being gently embraced in a warm hug. The embrace carried a familiar scent, a delicate fragrance of herbs and trees gently enveloping her. She stirred groggily, instinctively snuggling closer to the source of warmth.

"Go to sleep." A very soft voice sounded in my ear.

She soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, when Songlan brought in warm water, her face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Miss, something terrible has happened!"

Meng Lingyao leaned lazily against the headboard, and seeing her impatient look, she couldn't help but smile. "What's making you so happy?"

"Last night at the palace's birthday banquet, the Third Prince suddenly fell ill and died." Songlan said in a low voice while helping her mistress wash up, "The Emperor, on his own birthday, suffered the loss of his son, and tears streamed down his face. Even more tragic was Consort Rou, who was so heartbroken upon hearing the news that she followed her son in death! Just now I overheard the servants in the manor talking about how the Emperor's birthday was truly unsettling."

Meng Lingyao paused slightly in her hand holding the comb, then resumed her composure. "Is that so?"

She knew perfectly well that these rumors were most likely deliberately spread. The only truth was probably that the Third Prince and Consort Rou had indeed passed away.

As evening fell, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the courtyard in gold. Pei Xu returned home for dinner, looking no different from usual, except for a hint of weariness in his eyes, suggesting he hadn't had a proper rest the night before.

The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows on the wall. Meng Lingyao casually asked, "I heard something happened in the palace last night?"

Pei Xu nodded and briefly revealed the truth about last night.

After hearing this, Meng Lingyao remained silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at him, the candlelight flickering in her eyes, "I thought you would take action yourself."

What an honor it is to save the emperor!

Pei Xu remained calm, placing a piece of pig liver into her bowl. "I shouldn't get too involved." This matter is best handled by someone in the military, and my cousin is an excellent candidate.

Meng Lingyao looked at the piece of pig liver in her bowl, poked at it with her chopsticks in disgust, but still obediently ate it. She really didn't care about the power struggles in the court; she only knew that this matter had benefited her maternal family, which was a good thing.

The Third Prince's funeral was extremely simple, even less grand than the one held by Prince Qing and his wife. Upon hearing the news, Princess Suxin cried and laughed, seemingly insane, repeatedly muttering "retribution, all retribution," which frightened the maids standing by so much that they dared not approach her.

As the widow of the third prince, Zhao Ruxuan should have gone to Yanmen to observe mourning, but the emperor, considering her young age and widowhood, granted her permission to stay in the capital.

That day, Meng Lingyao was finally allowed by the imperial physician to leave her room and walk around in the courtyard. She was observing the growth of several newly transplanted exotic flowers and plants by the flowerbed when Songlan came to report that Miss Zhao was requesting an audience.

Before long, Zhao Ruxuan entered the courtyard. She was dressed in plain clothes, her expression was calm, and she was followed by several female guards.

"Here are yours." Zhao Ruxuan got straight to the point, pointing to the guards behind her. "Thank you for your help. If it weren't for them, I'm afraid I would have gone with Qi Jing."

Meng Lingyao looked at her in confusion, "What's going on?"

"After Qi Jing's incident in the palace, several of his advisors rushed into my room, saying they wanted to kill me to be buried with their master." Zhao Ruxuan spoke calmly, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs. "Luckily, they protected me, otherwise..."

Meng Lingyao remained silent. The Third Prince's actions were becoming increasingly reckless, and his advisors were probably also implicated, ultimately meeting such an end, which was not entirely unjust.

She looked at Zhao Ruxuan and felt a strange mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity towards the woman before her. She was almost unrecognizable from the Zhao Ruxuan she remembered.

Her eyes now held a calm and sharp edge, the carefree innocence she once possessed completely vanished. She couldn't quite tell whether this change was a blessing or a curse.

"What are your plans for the future?" Meng Lingyao asked softly, gesturing for her to sit down on the stone bench.

Zhao Ruxuan curled her lips slightly, her smile carrying a hint of self-mockery and a touch of relief. "If I were from an ordinary family, perhaps I could have divorced and remarried. Like my sister-in-law, no, Madam Fang, or Madam Zhuo. But since I married into the royal family, I am destined to be a member of the royal family for life."

"It's not so bad. With the title of the widow of the Third Prince, at least she will be well-fed and clothed for the rest of her life, and she will have a whole household of servants to serve her. She is already better off than many others."

She gazed at the distant sky, her eyes somewhat unfocused, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself, "Once the storm has passed, I would like to request permission to go to Mount Tai to pray for blessings, or perhaps to visit the northern frontier. I have lived all these years and have never left the capital."

Meng Lingyao nodded gently. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on them. "May everything go smoothly for you from now on."

Spring turned to summer, and the long-awaited good news finally came from the palace—Consort Jing had given birth to a son!

The emperor was overjoyed and issued an imperial edict reducing taxes by 30% across the country and granting a general amnesty to demonstrate his boundless benevolence. The capital was filled with jubilation, and teahouses and taverns were buzzing with talk of the newborn prince.

Meng Lingyao had largely recovered, and on a clear, sunny day, she brought gifts to the palace to visit Consort Jing.

Consort Jing was delighted to see her, and took her hand to examine her closely. "You look much better, so I'm relieved." Her gaze was gentle, and she considerately avoided mentioning the prince, afraid of touching on Meng Lingyao's painful memories.

"Your Majesty, would you have the honor of meeting the young prince?" Meng Lingyao asked, her expression frank.

Consort Jing was slightly taken aback, then smiled and asked the wet nurse to bring the child over.

The little one was wrapped in a bright yellow swaddling cloth, his skin fair and tender, his features strikingly similar to Consort Jing's, very handsome. Meng Lingyao watched his waving little hands, and a soft spot in her heart softened. Newborn lives, like tender buds sprouting from treetops, always bring joy to the heart.

After the wet nurse took the prince away, Meng Lingyao had Songlan present an exquisite brocade box. "This is a freckle-removing balm that I made according to an ancient recipe. I had several pregnant ladies try it, and it was somewhat effective. However, everyone's constitution is different, so it may not be effective for everyone. If Your Majesty does not mind, you can give it a try."

Consort Jing was both surprised and delighted. She took the brocade box and gently opened it. A delicate fragrance wafted out. "You were sick and still thinking about this. How can I bear to do this to you?"

“Studying these things is a pleasure for me, not a hardship,” Meng Lingyao replied with a smile, her eyes bright.

Consort Jing ordered her personal maid to carefully put away the brocade box. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Meng Lingyao's expression suddenly become serious. Her maid was holding another object that looked like an account book.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to discuss with you," Meng Lingyao said softly.

Consort Jing understood and immediately dismissed everyone except her most trusted head maid.

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Author's Note: This story is expected to conclude tomorrow. Currently planned side stories include the daily life of the young couple's adopted daughter (their biological daughter), and the story of their godson, Shen Xiaoshan. There will also be some content about the Zhao siblings' experiences in the Northern Frontier. I also want to write an "what if" story, roughly about Yao Yao after her third dream, about Yao Yao after her divorce and the older, unmarried Pei Daren—a story of an old house catching fire, hehe. I don't know if everyone would like to read it; it might be included in a bonus side story. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to buy it, so as not to affect your subscription. [dog head with rose][dog head with rose]