Chapter 471 Hidden Illness

“I have long known that it is extremely rare for an ordinary man to fall in love with a woman, let alone an emperor. If Your Majesty is in this situation, then it makes sense.”

"The Empress was pregnant before the Emperor was injured. Our Golden Moon Kingdom originally had a prince, but unfortunately he died young. Does that mean there is truly no hope for an imperial heir?"

The crowd whispered among themselves, both excited and nervous. The story was passed from person to person among hundreds of people, and eventually it became: "The Emperor was injured many years ago, which damaged his virility and rendered him infertile. In order to cure his illness, he has been having Physician Huang prescribe medicines that harm his body for many years. Now he is at his limit and will not live much longer."

The officials were thrown into disarray. The whispers of so many people were quite noisy. Even if the emperor and princes, who were not too far away, could not hear what they were saying, they should have been able to hear the sounds, but no one came out.

The conversation between the Emperor and the Prince never stopped, which showed that the Emperor was indeed earnestly imparting the way of the monarch.

Everyone was at a loss, and the more they thought about it, the more worried they became. Someone asked, "Lord Meng should know about this matter. Where is Lord Meng?"

Meng Xingyuan, who was hiding in the crowd, was discovered and soon came under the scrutiny of everyone, who wanted to find some clues on his face.

Meng Xingyuan's expression was tense, his face stiff, and he spoke hastily.

"Nonsense. His Majesty's injuries have long since healed, and I have never heard of such a thing... I have urgent business at home, so I will take my leave now."

After saying this, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the officials' attempts to persuade him to stay and their attempts to pull him away, and fled in disarray.

The other officials watched Meng Xingyuan's staggering figure, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

Meng Xingyuan said that the emperor's injury had long since healed, which meant that the emperor might have indeed injured a vital part of his body back then. Meng Xingyuan also said that he had never heard of this matter, which was obviously contradictory. In addition, his abnormal behavior and his panicked eagerness to leave made the officials even more convinced that the emperor was infertile.

"Why don't we go in and ask the Emperor? It's better than letting our imaginations run wild."

"If it were any other illness, it would be easier to discuss, but the matter of male virility is not something that can be asked casually. Even if it were true, the Emperor would never admit it. If the ruler of a country is infertile, where is the Emperor's dignity? Where is his face?"

"His Majesty has it really tough. He has worked diligently these past few years, trying to be a good emperor while also dealing with our urging on the harem and the imperial heir. Yet he is powerless to do so. No wonder he doesn't want to be emperor anymore; he is simply overwhelmed."

"You say that now that the Emperor wants to abdicate in favor of Prince Zhong, and has also requested to go to the northern frontier, does he know that he will not have an heir and that the throne will eventually be passed to Prince Zhong? So he might as well take advantage of this peace talks between the two countries to reasonably propose abdication, which can both conceal his physical defects and relieve Prince Zhong's predicament?"

"It is also possible that the emperor knew his body would not last much longer, but still wanted to do his best to help the Golden Moon Kingdom get rid of the suffering of war and help the people of the northern frontier get rid of poverty."

"His Majesty is truly a wise and benevolent ruler. Even in such a difficult situation, he still worries about the country and its people, doing everything in his power. Yet we have been pressuring and obstructing His Majesty. Looking back now, I feel truly ashamed..."

"If the Emperor's situation is true, abdicating to Prince Zhong is both a last resort and the best way to break the deadlock at present. If we continue to obstruct him, the Emperor will be caught in an even greater dilemma and unable to bear the burden."

"So, does that mean we should just comply with the Emperor's wishes, withdraw immediately, and then respectfully welcome Prince Zhong to the throne in three days?"

Upon hearing this, all the officials fell silent.

They had indeed considered retreating, but they were still somewhat reluctant to see Wen Zhiming abdicate, and even less willing to be the one to stick his neck out.

Finally, Gu Yan said, "In my opinion, we should step down. If this matter is true, we will ultimately be unable to stop the Emperor from abdicating. It is better for the emperor and his subjects to part amicably over a few years than to be entangled in a mess. If we leave some room for maneuver, the Emperor will do his best to help if the capital is in trouble. If we make a scene, the Emperor will probably be disgusted and resentful."

"But this matter is currently just our speculation. How about this, let's secretly investigate further. For example, we could check the recent purchase and consumption of medicines by the Imperial Hospital, subtly inquire about the Emperor's health from his personal attendants, or even ask the soldiers who fought alongside the Emperor back then about the extent of his injuries..."

"Besides Lord Meng, most of the court officials are here. The Emperor has been focusing on his dealings with Prince Zhong these past few days. It won't be difficult for you to find out these things using your own connections. But remember to keep it from spreading outside. Only pass it on and understand it among the officials. And don't let the Emperor find out anything, otherwise it will not only hurt the Emperor's face, but also damage the relationship between the emperor and his subjects."

His reasoned and well-founded analysis was highly appreciated by the officials.

After everyone nodded, the tasks were distributed, and they left one after another with complicated and heavy hearts.

Gu Yan walked among the officials, and when no one was paying attention, he turned into another palace road and took a side path back to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

There were no officials left in the courtyard at this time, only a few palace servants waiting outside. The voices of Wen Zhiming and Wen Kehao talking softly could still be heard.

Seeing that only Gu Yan had returned, the palace servants welcomed him to the door and gently knocked.

"Your Majesty, I, the General, have arrived."

There was a moment of silence inside, followed by two soft laughs, and then Wen Zhiming's clear voice.

"Let the General in."

Gu Yan pushed open the door and entered. The palace servants who came to greet him had already closed the door behind him and retreated to the courtyard.

Wen Kehao sat at the dragon desk, flipping through memorials, while Wen Zhiming sat beside him drinking tea. He looked up at Gu Yan and smiled, then pointed to an empty seat not far away.

"General, please sit down. I just made a bet with Prince Zhong that all the officials would definitely leave before lunch. Prince Zhong didn't believe it, but now he's lost the bet. The prize between us is two bottles of fine Nanling Chun. I would appreciate it if you could explain to Prince Zhong how you managed to get the officials to agree to leave. The prize I won is yours."

Gu Yan sat down as instructed and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I thank you. Your Highness, I thank you."

He briefly summarized the suspicions of the officials in the courtyard and his answers, and finally looked at Wen Zhiming and said.

"Although I am acting in accordance with Your Majesty's orders, in order to convince the officials, my words contained many disrespectful remarks. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. Now, most officials believe that Your Majesty suffers from a hidden illness that is difficult to talk about. Once the people I have arranged have secretly discovered the information that Your Majesty wants them to know, the officials will all believe it to be true and will have no choice but to accept Your Majesty's abdication and voluntarily be demoted to princes to guard the northern frontier."

"General, you are doing this for me, and you have done it so well. How could I possibly blame you?"

Wen Zhiming spoke calmly, his expression serene.

Last night, after meeting with Wen Kehao, he urgently summoned Gu Yan.

He had many talented generals under his command, but the people he used as persuaders could not be of too low or too high rank. They could not be too close to him, and they had to be reliable and accept his abdication.