Chapter 708 Fortune Telling (5)

Emperor Wenhui sighed, a look of dejection etched across his brow. Perhaps it was his prolonged illness that had deteriorated his complexion. His usual outbursts in the Golden Palace were merely forced, for there were many who coveted his position. If he fell, the court would be in chaos, and those with ulterior motives would likely exploit this opportunity.

When the princes were young, they didn't think anything of it. But when they grew older, they realized that they were not raising sons but a pack of wolves. Now that the wolf cubs have grown up, some things have become uncontrollable.

"How is the Crown Prince's health lately?" Emperor Wenhui asked Eunuch Su beside him.

Eunuch Su quickly replied, "The Empress met with the Crown Princess yesterday. The Crown Princess said that the Crown Prince's condition has improved. The Imperial Physician also said that he will get better after some recuperation."

Emperor Wenhui shook his head and said, "The Crown Prince's health is a problem." As the most legitimate heir to the throne, the Crown Prince was frail. While he had a number of supporters and was able to maintain control in the early years, the gradual growth of the Zhou and Li factions suppressed the Crown Prince's limited influence. Especially with the recent addition of the Ding Prince, Emperor Wenhui felt a headache. Fortunately, despite his frailty, the Crown Prince had fathered a grandson. This meant that even if Emperor Wenhui passed away, the Crown Prince's frailty would allow the grandson to succeed to the throne as long as he could hold on until he was older.

Imperial Physician Su observed Emperor Wenhui's intentions, seemingly oblivious to them. However, he remained deeply aware that the crown prince was still Emperor Wenhui's favorite. The reasons were simple: first, the crown prince's legitimate succession to the throne, and second, his frail health, making him the least threatening to Emperor Wenhui. Unlike his other sons, the Zhou prince's faction was arrogant and almost defiant; the Li prince's faction appeared benign, yet privately associated with many ministers. Even the Ding prince, seemingly the least ambitious for power, was now, in Emperor Wenhui's eyes, a dog that bites but doesn't bark. Each of them was as fierce as a wolf, forcing Emperor Wenhui to be on guard.

A cold breeze blew in from the window, slightly curling the rice paper on the desk in the imperial study. Imperial Physician Su, observing this, quickly rose and closed the window, saying, "It's getting late, Your Majesty, and you should go to bed early."

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince, the man Emperor Wenhui had been talking about, was speaking to someone. Anyone who saw this would be shocked. The person speaking to the Crown Prince was none other than Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi.

One of them was the "legitimate" crown prince in the eyes of Emperor Wenhui, and the other was a "dog that bites but doesn't bark" in the hearts of the other princes. But at this moment, they were sitting at opposite sides of the table, drinking plum wine over a low fire, and chatting.

The Crown Prince said, "Ninth brother, don't take this matter to heart. Father only misunderstood you because he listened to the slander of a villain. After a long time, when the misunderstanding is resolved, he will naturally treat you as before. Why give up on yourself, ninth brother?"

Fu Xiuyi shook his head: "Brother, you don't know how depressed I am. I can't avoid the disaster that has come my way. I am just a leisurely person and have no desire for power or wealth. I just want to live a free and easy life. In the past, apart from the affairs at hand, I have never interfered in other matters. But when the Shen family incident happened, my father still suspected me. This father-son relationship is too cold."

"Ninth brother, be careful with your words." The Crown Prince was startled and quickly stopped Fu Xiuyi from finishing his words, saying, "There are no parents in the world who are not wrong. You are the Emperor's son, and the Emperor will not do anything to you. If you want to blame someone, blame those villains."

The subject they were discussing was the recent confiscation of the Shen family's property. Although Emperor Wenhui had kept it a secret, the other princes all had spies within the palace, and with Shen Wan as the intermediary, the true cause of the Shen family case was known to the princes. Because of this, the princes viewed Fu Xiuyi differently. Originally, the other princes had been battling each other to the death for the throne, believing the Ninth Prince to be a carefree prince with no ambitions, content to be content with being a leisurely prince. Therefore, they hadn't deliberately targeted Fu Xiuyi. But once this incident unfolded, they discovered he had a hidden agenda. The most taboo in a conflict is to be in the open while the enemy is in the dark. This was especially true for a struggle for the empire, where one could easily risk their lives. Prince Ding had been observing the conflict from the shadows, perhaps hoping to profit from the conflict.