Chess moves
Inside the Zichen Palace, the smell of medicine mixed with the fragrance of ink.
The emperor leaned against a mountain of memorials, his pale fingers gripping the red brush, interrupted from time to time by heart-wrenching coughs, his shoulder blades shaking violently beneath his bright yellow uniform.
Ning Chengji stood aside, his little face showing a calmness that was inconsistent with his age.
He silently handed the warm ginseng tea to the emperor, and carefully used a paperweight to press down the papers that were disturbed by the emperor's coughing and breathing.
Several memorials spread out on the table were clearly marked with imperial seals, all of which were orders of demotion - some were former officials of the Eastern Palace, as well as followers of Prince Yong. Every word and sentence was tearing the already precarious court apart.
"Cough... cough cough..." The emperor tried hard to suppress the fishy and sweet taste in his throat, and his voice was very hoarse.
"Chengji, see? The court is like this table, full of things, so we have to clear it out and move things around, otherwise, it will be a mess..."
"Grandson understands." Ning Chengji's voice was very soft, his eyes swept across the red-ink comments, pain flashed across the depths of his eyes, and then was covered by deeper silence.
He understood that this "clearing" and "moving" were the emperor's grandfather paving the way for him, and were also means to consolidate his power. The price was the ups and downs of countless people's official careers, and even their lives and property.
Steady and powerful footsteps were heard outside the hall. General Pan Wei, wearing armor and holding a sword, strode in, bringing in a murderous atmosphere.
He knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, Pan Wei, pays homage to His Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Stand up." The emperor raised his hand and motioned Fu'an to hand a report to Pan Wei. "Pan Qing, take a look at this."
Pan Wei quickly glanced over, his brow furrowed, his bronze face even more solemn. "Your Majesty, these rumors have quietly spread throughout the capital. Although I dare not point them directly at Your Majesty, their intentions are extremely malicious!"
"What did you say about me?" The emperor leaned back in the dragon throne, as if he had expected it.
"They say..." Pan Wei's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger, "Your Majesty is aging and suffering from illness, and has acted inappropriately recently. He drove out Prince Yong and imprisoned the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has always been known for his benevolence and virtue, and has committed no serious offenses. This has chilled the hearts of his subjects."
The hall was dead silent, with only the emperor's suppressed breathing as the sound could be heard.
Ning Chengji's little hands unconsciously clenched his sleeves, Father!
"Nothing serious?" The emperor suddenly burst into a violent coughing fit, his body curled up, his face turned from pale to blue, as if he was going to vomit out his heart and lungs.
Ning Chengji hurried forward, using his small body to support the emperor's arm, and said urgently: "Emperor, take care of yourself! Imperial Physician! Send a message quickly..."
The emperor suddenly raised his hand to stop him, breathing heavily, but his eyes were fixed on Pan Wei: "Your Highness, is he virtuous? If he had not done something great, how could I have done this! He, he..."
The following words eventually turned into an extremely heavy sigh. He couldn't let the world know that his eldest son, whom he had high hopes for, actually dared to murder his biological father!
Once this stigma is confirmed, the prince will undoubtedly die and Cheng Ji will be disgraced forever.
The emperor closed his eyes tiredly, with deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. After a long time, he felt a cold little hand gently covering the back of his skinny hand.
He opened his eyes and met Ning Chengji's clear eyes that were no longer childish.
"Grandpa Emperor," Ning Chengji said with a calmness beyond his years, "Grandpa Emperor is not wrong."
The emperor's heart was shaken, and he held his grandson's hand tightly with his backhand, his voice hoarse and almost broken: "Chengji, do you understand?"
Ning Chengji lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes: "Grandpa Emperor is trying to save my father's life."
The scene in Xiyuan completely cut off the last trace of his fantasy about his father's image in his heart, and also made him understand the helplessness of his grandfather's thundering means.
If the emperor truly had a reputation for virtue, how could he have ended up being confined to the Western Garden, with no one daring to speak out? This "preservation" was the last dignity the emperor gave the prince, and also the last chance of survival for the Eastern Palace lineage.
The emperor's throat rolled over, his heart churning with indescribable complex emotions, a mixture of sorrow and relief. He shook his grandson's hand firmly, then turned his gaze towards Pan Wei, who stood solemnly. His eyes hardened again, "Mr. Pan!"
"I am here!"
"The capital is under turmoil, and things are going on like a raging fire. Cough..." The emperor suppressed another cough. "I'm leaving the palace guards and the patrols at the nine gates to others. I don't trust them. You, take charge of them all and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Although the prince asked to be imprisoned, it is inevitable that some people will have evil thoughts about him. He still has several good sons who are usually respectful, but they don't know how to be respectful now.
Pan Wei's heart was filled with awe. He knelt on one knee, his armor clanging. His voice was firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, I, Pan Wei, obey your command! I will live up to your majesty's trust and will sacrifice my life for you."
After saying this, Pan Wei retreated.
Calm returned to the hall and the atmosphere eased slightly.
After dealing with memorials for a while, the emperor leaned back in his chair, seemingly exhausted. Ning Chengji stood obediently beside him, gently stroking the emperor's back.
The emperor's gaze slowly swept across the clepsydra at the corner of the palace, and he suddenly spoke with a barely perceptible softness in his voice: "Chengji, your Aunt Mingzhu would usually be here at this time, right? Today, she's late."
Ning Chengji heard this, and a hint of childish dependence finally appeared in his eyes. He whispered, "Yes, Grandpa Emperor, Auntie is a little late today."
Ning Lingyi was indeed blocked at the corner of the palace road leading to the Purple Palace.
Princess Shen was dressed in plain clothes, with only a silver hairpin in her hair. She looked much thinner and was standing there quietly, like a white plum blossom that had remained silent after a storm.
When she saw Ning Lingyi, her eyes were filled with emotion. She took a step forward and was about to kneel down in salute.
Ning Lingyi was startled and quickly stepped forward to hold her arm: "Imperial sister-in-law! What are you doing? You absolutely cannot do that!"
Crown Princess Shen stood up, her eyes reddened. She looked at Ning Lingyi, her voice choked with sobs, yet remarkably clear: "Mingzhu, you should accept this gift. Chengji is with the Emperor's grandfather, and it's thanks to you that he's always been there for him. As his mother, I've seen him very little since he was taken away..."
She paused, took a deep breath, and looked straight into Ning Lingyi's eyes as if she had made up her mind: "I know that you took Chengji to Xiyuan that day."
Ning Lingyi's heart moved slightly, but she said nothing.
The Crown Princess' tears finally rolled down, but her voice was unusually calm, even carrying a sense of relief that the dust had settled: "Thank you, Mingzhu. We'll see each other sooner or later."
"Instead of letting him have false thoughts in his heart and suffer every day, it is better to let him see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears that the love between father and son will have to face reality one day. A short pain is worse than a long one." Her words contained a mother's heart-wrenching pain, as well as a long-term decision for her son's future.
Ning Lingyi looked at the Crown Princess who had once been gentle and docile, and whose brows were now etched with the spirit of vicissitudes and toughness, and her heart was filled with emotion.
She said softly, "You are too kind, sister-in-law. Chengji misses you too. He is a sensible child."
"I know..." Crown Princess Shen raised her hand to wipe away her tears, forced a smile, and nodded deeply to Ning Lingyi again, "Anyway, thank you, Mingzhu."
After saying this, she did not stop, turned around, her back straight, and with an indescribable loneliness, she quickly disappeared at the other end of the palace road.
The husband was imprisoned and the son was taken away.
Whether the husband comes to power or the son is in power, one of the father and son will be hurt, and the warmth will be gone long ago.
Everyone in the palace was thinking about state affairs, but she was the only one who was thinking about her young husband and small children.
She is nothing more than a miserable person in the deep palace.
Ning Lingyi stood there quietly for a moment before she composed herself and walked quickly towards the Zichen Palace.
As I stepped into the hall, the smell of medicine and ink remained.
The emperor half-closed his eyes to rest. When Ning Chengji saw her, his eyes immediately lit up, and his little face became more lively. He quickly came forward and said, "Auntie!"
Ning Lingyi saluted the emperor and touched Chengji's head: "We were delayed on the road for a while. How are you feeling today, father?"
The emperor slowly opened his eyes, his gaze moving between Ning Lingyi and Cheng Ji, who was nestled beside her. A complex and inexplicable emotion flashed through his eyes. "I'm fine. But Cheng Ji was just talking about you. He seemed even more affectionate to you than to me."
"Your Majesty, you're joking. Chengji loves you the most." Ning Lingyi said.
"Yes, yes, Ji'er likes Grandpa Emperor the most!" Ning Chengji immediately followed.
Ever since Aunt Mingzhu took him to see his father last time and brought him back, he has remembered Aunt Mingzhu. Everyone in the palace treats him as the crown prince, and only Aunt Mingzhu cares about his feelings. Although he is young, he understands.
Seeing Aunt Mingzhu, even though he didn't show it on his face, he felt a little relieved.
The emperor understood what was happening.
He paused, his eyes falling on the pile of memorials on the desk, then looked at his precocious grandson who had lost his innocence too early, and suddenly said, "Mingzhu, you are very insightful and your knowledge is not inferior to that of men. Chengji is studying beside me now. He has a heavy workload and is surrounded by old scholars. I think, why don't you become Chengji's half-teacher? In your free time, teach him some things beyond books?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Chengji's eyes lit up instantly, and he looked at Ning Lingyi expectantly. His little hand unconsciously grabbed her sleeve, silently pleading.
Ning Lingyi's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately declined politely: "Your Majesty, you are joking! I am a humble and uneducated child, how dare I be your teacher? The Crown Prince has his own great scholars to teach him, I..."
"Hey," the emperor waved his hand, interrupting her, his tone unquestionable, yet also like a joke, "If I say you can, you can do it, and Chengji is willing too, right?"
He looked at Ning Chengji.
"Yes! Grandson is willing! Please teach me, auntie!" Ning Chengji immediately joined in, his voice clear and crisp, with the eagerness unique to children.
The emperor smiled, and without caring whether Ning Lingyi was willing or not, he casually pulled a blank piece of gold-sprinkled paper from the table, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote a few lines in a flamboyant manner. Then he handed it to Fu'an: "Here, take it. This is my handwriting, for Princess Mingzhu. Princess Mingzhu, please feel free to inquire about the Crown Prince's studies and give her some guidance."
Fuan respectfully presented the light gold-sprinkled paper to Ning Lingyi.
The ink on the paper had not yet dried, but just a few words had already tied her future with the crown prince more closely together.
Ning Lingyi looked at the "handwritten note", then looked at the emperor's meaningful eyes, and then looked at Chengji's eyes full of dependence, and finally took it silently.
The paper feels cool to the touch, but the imperial seal in cinnabar is eye-catching. What does my father mean by this?
The wedding is in two months. My father hopes that as the future Queen Consort of Beishu Khan, she will consider their friendship today and take care of Chengji when he ascends the throne in the future?
Or do you hope that if anything happens to Chengji in the future, you, his aunt, can step in and make the decision for him?
Ning Chengji leaned against her, his small hands clutching his sleeves. She lowered her eyes, gently stroked the top of Chengji's head, and whispered, "Aunt is here."
Dusk falls outside the window, the palace walls are darkened, and the imperial edict goes into the sleeve, like a piece being dropped on a chess game.
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