Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Father doesn’t want me anymore?
That day, the emperor suddenly collapsed before his court, shocking everyone in the court and the public, fearing his health was failing. If Emperor Jianping passed away, the throne would naturally pass to the five-year-old crown prince.
But the problem is that although the little prince is smart, he is really young. The country relies on the eldest prince. If he ascends the throne, he will definitely be constrained and rely on the person who actually holds power and governs the country.
When the Crown Prince grows older and understands the truth that there can't be two tigers on one mountain and no one can sleep beside my bed, he will definitely strike back. By then, the entire Great Jin will be plunged into a bloody storm.
Without the imperial power, what chance would these old ministers have of survival? Therefore, whether out of selfishness or fairness, all the civil and military officials in the court and the country hoped that Emperor Jianping would wake up soon.
It was another day of dismissal from the imperial court. Emperor Jianping's health had not yet recovered and he was still resting in the Purple Palace. However, he was able to handle official business for a few hours a day and meet with some important military officials.
If there was an extremely urgent matter to report, the Imperial Chief Eunuch Li Fu would lead the person to the Purple Palace and let the minister meet the emperor in person to explain the important matter.
After the minister finished reporting the important matters, he saw that Emperor Jianping looked depressed and did not dare to say anything more. After receiving the reply, he bowed and left. When he saw Li Zongguan outside, some ministers who wanted to get close to him could not help but ask him:
"Your Majesty suddenly fell into a coma for several days and was weak after waking up. Can the Imperial Physician explain why?"
Li Fu looked at the ministers beside him who were eager to learn, and replied, "Your Majesty had an argument with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that day. He was so angry that his heart was hurt. The imperial physician said that he just needs to take good care of himself, and you ministers don't need to worry."
Normally, when ministers met the emperor, he would be accompanied by the crown prince. But today, only the frail majesty was there, but not the clever and eccentric crown prince.
Could it be that when the Crown Prince pleaded for Minister Kong, he really angered the Emperor and was punished by His Majesty?
Such a good prince was actually punished for them. The officials present that day couldn't help but speculate in their hearts.
Li Fu had served the emperor for many years and had developed a pair of sharp eyes. He could tell at a glance what the ministers with different thoughts were thinking.
Yin smiled and said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is diligent and eager to learn. He is currently studying hard in the upper study. You gentlemen need not worry. After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the only legitimate son of the Master, and he is also very intelligent. The Master loves him so much that how could he bear to punish him?"
The ministers were relieved, thinking that this was all good. They had long forgotten that they were also one of the people who opposed Emperor Jianping's decision to appoint a crown prince.
…
The prince was indeed in his study, but he wasn't studying hard. He felt his father had been upset a few days ago and probably wanted some quiet time, so he sensibly didn't bother him.
The prince sat on his own little soft stool, holding his chin with both hands. His face, which originally had no flesh, was rubbed like this and immediately became baby fat.
He asked anxiously, "Yanping, what do you think our father is doing now?"
Yan Ping was a young eunuch serving the Crown Prince. He had adopted Li Fu as his godfather several years earlier and had been promoted by him. He was clever and alert, knowing how to seize opportunities, and serving the Crown Prince wasn't a waste of talent.
Yan Ping said respectfully: "In reply to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty is meeting with ministers in the Purple Palace, and Minister Kong just came out from inside."
Minister Kong was not beheaded for his treasonous remarks that day. The Crown Prince advised him that the Emperor did not actually issue an edict and only fined him a few months' salary, that was all.
Kong Shumin was a man of unyielding character. Ever since he was chosen by Emperor Jianping as one of the two successful candidates in the imperial examinations and entered the court as an official, he had always harbored a long-cherished wish.
He was willing to be a loyal and honest minister under the emperor, and always advise the emperor against his words and deeds, so that Emperor Jianping's reputation would be passed down through the ages and he would be loved by all people in later generations.
But today, when he visited Emperor Jianping and saw how weak he looked after his illness, he felt a little regretful.
He was right to advise His Majesty, but he really shouldn't have used such a direct method. If he had been a little more roundabout, wouldn't His Majesty have been so angry that he collapsed in public in the Qianyuan Hall?
He was partly responsible for the damage done to the dragon's body. Kong Shumin was a stubborn person, aloof and proud, otherwise he would not have pointed out the shortcomings of Emperor Jianping in public that day.
But Emperor Jianping was an emperor after all, the supreme ruler, and he was so angry at his words that he fainted for several days. Kong Shumin had been taught the idea of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism since childhood, and when he saw the situation he had caused, he wished he could die for his crime.
Although Emperor Jianping was in poor spirits, he did not make things difficult for him. He just discussed some state affairs casually and then told him to leave.
Kong Shumin was moved and impressed by the emperor's magnanimity, and his loyalty to the emperor became even more deeply rooted in his heart.
As Emperor Jianping finished processing the remaining memorials, the sky gradually darkened. Li Fu saw that his eyes were tired and he had already put down his red brush, so he guessed that he was going to rest. So he stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, would you like to have the meal served?"
Li Cheng frowned slightly, feeling annoyed, and nodded without saying anything.
A eunuch presented the imperial meal, tested each one with a silver needle for poison, and then respectfully withdrew from the table. Li Fu, as usual, was about to serve the dishes to Emperor Jianping, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him.
"I don't have a good appetite, so just take whatever you want. You don't have to worry about anything."
Li Fu had no choice but to stop and wait. Normally, His Majesty would eat three meals a day with the Crown Prince, but now that the Crown Prince was not around, His Majesty didn't even raise his eyelids, showing no intention of asking any questions.
What he wanted to say went over and over in his mind for a few times, but Li Fu couldn't help but say, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still in his study. I heard from the eunuchs beside him that he hasn't had his meal yet."
Li Cheng gently placed the silver chopsticks on the table and rinsed his mouth with tea. "If you're hungry, just ask someone to bring you food. If you're not by my side, are you really going to starve to death?"
"So, will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sleep in the Purple Palace tonight, or..."
"Let him go back to Languang Palace to sleep." Emperor Jianping had already finished his meal and took the medicine brought in by the palace maid and drank it all in one gulp.
Languang Palace is the residence of the crown prince. The original East Palace is some distance away from the imperial city, and Emperor Jianping could not possibly place such a young child there.
If a new East Palace was built near the Imperial Palace as the Crown Prince's residence, it would be a waste of time and money. After much deliberation, Li Cheng randomly pointed to a palace close to the Purple Palace and settled Li Huaizhou there.
However, everyone who had been waiting by the emperor's side for a long time knew that before the little prince was three years old, he lived with his father in the Purple Palace, and the wing rooms next to the Purple Palace had become the prince's permanent residence.
Now that the prince is getting older, it is not appropriate for father and son to be too close, so Emperor Jianping ordered him to go back to Languang Palace to sleep.
But the young prince was used to living in the Purple Palace and was used to acting coquettishly and foolishly. Emperor Jianping had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
After Emperor Jianping finished speaking, he wiped his hands with a cotton handkerchief, looked up and saw Li Fu's hesitant look, knowing what he wanted to say, he snorted and said, "I won't be angry with anyone because of this, it's just that the child is clinging to me, and I want to be alone for a few days."
Li Fu thought, His Majesty has been shutting down his love life ever since Empress Xiaode passed away, his moods volatile and unstable. It's a relief to finally have the Crown Prince by his side, chattering away all day, and at least he seems somewhat popular.
If the Crown Prince were not around, it is not difficult to imagine how monotonous and gloomy Your Majesty's life would be.
However, after receiving the affirmative answer from His Majesty, Manager Li curled his lips, bowed and said with a smile: "Yes, I understand."
Emperor Jianping glanced at him coldly and sneered: "You cunning slave, it's bad enough that you are unfaithful to your master, but you actually dare to ask me for information in a roundabout way."
Li Fu smiled kindly, his eyes narrowed into a line, and his face looked full of flesh. He was not afraid of the emperor's blame, and said:
"I love the little prince so much that I love his family too. The little prince is the blood of our master, His Majesty. I love Your Majesty, so naturally I have great respect for the little prince born to Your Majesty. Although Your Majesty usually takes good care of the little master, his energy is inevitably limited. I have to take good care of the little master for Your Majesty so that You don't have to worry."
"You cunning servant, you have a clever tongue," Li Cheng scolded him with a smile. Emperor Jianping had been gloomy for some time, but he finally smiled, though it was a faint smile, which at least comforted Li Fu.
He was really afraid that his prince would be unable to get over the matter of Empress Xiaode.
The emperor smiled and returned to his usual solemnity. He glanced at the compartment. Li Fu knew what His Majesty was going to do next, so he quietly and slowly asked him to leave.
Li Cheng walked to the compartment, where he usually rested. There were thousands of scrolls placed inside. Opening any one of them, there was no doubt that they were all of the same person - the emperor's first wife, Empress Xiaode.
It was said that the emperor was deeply in love with his first wife and for many years he had never filled his harem with concubines. He only lived with the tablet of Empress Xiaode and the children she left behind.
Li Cheng didn't know what the rumors were, and he didn't care. As long as it didn't involve Zhang Niang's reputation after her death, he could ignore it.
Whether the rumors spread by outsiders that the emperor and empress were deeply in love were true or not is not the point, but everything placed in this huge compartment was related to Empress Xiaode.
No eunuchs or palace maids were allowed to enter without permission. Even the crown prince, born to Empress Xiaode, could only enter with his father's permission, and they were not allowed to touch anything. The emperor often locked himself in there, often for entire nights.
At this moment, Li Cheng's slender white fingertips gently stroked the person in the portrait, and his usually calm and mellow voice was now choked with sobs.
He called: "Zhang Niang".
"You suddenly came into the dream, are you trying to tell me something?"
He was grief-stricken and in pain, his sorrow suppressed for years, and he felt he could not hold on any longer.
He lied to himself and asked, "Have you always been by my and my child's side, never leaving? If you were, could you please move the curtain beside me?"
As always before, the curtain stood quietly by, motionless.
Li Cheng wasn't surprised by this; he had anticipated it. He'd been disappointed so many times that his heart had become numb.
As usual, Emperor Jianping entered the inner chamber and began to talk endlessly. The palace servants outside initially thought that His Majesty was talking to someone, but after serving more and more, they knew that His Majesty had this habit and gradually got used to it.
Li Huaizhou stayed in the study until evening. It was already dinner time, but his father hadn't sent anyone to call him back. The young prince felt angry and disappointed. He realized that his father no longer cared about him. He was no longer his father's beloved little treasure.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt wronged, and the more wronged he felt, the more he wanted to cry. Tears flowed like pearls from a broken string, and he couldn't stop them at all. Just as he was crying hard, Yan Ping reminded him, "Your Highness, General Manager Li is here."
"Who is that Chief Steward Li? Get him out!" The little prince was so angry that he ordered the man to be kicked out without even listening.
But Li Fu was the Grand Steward of the Imperial Court. His every move represented the will of His Majesty. Who would dare to stop him? Moreover, this man was Yanping's godfather, who had single-handedly promoted them, his sons. Yanping felt immense gratitude and respect for Li Fu and did not dare to stop him.
Li Fu walked in with a smile, waved his whisk, bowed and said, "Your servant pays his respects to the prince."
"What are you doing here?" The prince didn't want to look at him, so he turned his head away, looking very arrogant.
The old steward knelt and approached the little prince. Seeing the tears on his face, he exclaimed, "How long have you been crying, Your Highness?"
"I didn't cry!" Li Huaizhou suddenly got angry.
Li Fu had been with the prince since he was born, and he knew his little master's personality well. When he encountered something sad, he would become arrogant and difficult to comfort. He didn't know who he took that from.
He probably took after Liang Yuan. He also watched Emperor Jianping grow up, and he knew the emperor's personality when he was young.
"Okay, okay, I didn't cry. I am old and my eyes are blurry. I made a mistake. I hope Your Highness will not blame me." Li Fu loved the little prince from the bottom of his heart and coaxed him with a smile.
Li Huaizhou snorted, finally willing to look him in the eye. "What are you doing here? Wouldn't it be a good idea to let me starve to death here?"
Li Fu was furious when he heard this. He was afraid that the child would be very upset. If he couldn't appease him properly at this moment, the little prince might remember this for years.
"What are you talking about, Your Highness? Your Highness is a precious creature. When the Emperor is resting in the Purple Palace, he is worried that you will be thirsty, hungry, or get hurt while playing. The Grand Tutor is not here these few days, and there is no one to teach Your Highness. The Emperor is afraid that your little prince will be wronged in some way."
The one who is currently teaching the Crown Prince is the eldest son of Grand Tutor Di. Back then, when the youngest son of the Di family had conspired with the virtuous king to rebel, the Crown Prince only punished Grand Tutor Di's youngest son and demoted the Di family. As for the rest of the Di family, no one was held accountable.
Because of Emperor Jianping's trust in Di Lao, when the Crown Prince was three years old, he appointed Di Lao's eldest son, Di Qiu, as his Grand Tutor. However, Grand Tutor Di had caught a cold a few days ago and had to take some time off.
Without the guidance of the Grand Tutor, the Crown Prince had to be dragged to the side of Emperor Jianping to learn the civil and martial arts of an emperor.
Li Huaizhou finally felt relieved after listening to the old steward's words. He knew his father cared about him, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Otherwise, why would he send Li Fulai as a lobbyist?
Li Fu couldn't help but laugh secretly when he saw the little prince trying hard to suppress his lips and pretend to be serious. He knew that the little prince was no longer angry, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.
She continued, "The Emperor is worried about Your Highness, and he specially asked me to order food. Your Highness has been in the study for so long, he must be hungry, otherwise I..."
Li Huaizhou suddenly stood up from the small stool and asked, "Has the emperor used it?"
"Your Majesty has already eaten it, but only took a few bites."
"I want to go see my father!" He jumped out like a monkey, running very fast. Li Huaizhou heard that his father had only eaten a little bit of food, and he was worried that his father would lie on the couch unconscious like the past few days.
He has been without a mother since he was a child and cannot be without a father anymore.
The little prince was afraid that he would be too late and would only see the cold corpse of Emperor Jianping, so he hurried to the Purple Palace, and disappeared in a flash with his short legs clattering.
Yan Ping was fine; he was young and agile, easily catching up with the Crown Prince. Li Fu, however, was not so lucky. He was already stout, and now, with his advanced age, he could only run a few steps before he was exhausted and gasping for breath. He had no choice but to ask the eunuchs to take good care of the Crown Prince.
Li Huaizhou opened the palace door, only to find it pitch black inside, without even a candle. He lifted the lantern in Yanping's hand and peered around, then ran to the inner room to search the bed, but his father was nowhere to be seen.
The little prince's heart trembled, and his voice became tearful as he cried out in despair, "Father! Father!"
"Father doesn't want me anymore?"
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