Chapter 276
That evening, after Han Jing and Yan Shujin had put the child to sleep, Han Jing, lying in bed, asked, "Does the princess think Emperor Yan's condition is real or fake?"
Yan Shujin thought for a moment and said, "I can't guess either, but I do know one thing: if it were me, and I really had a health problem, I wouldn't let my younger brother leave."
Even if there are many conflicts between the two, the issue is not about the conflicts themselves, but about safety.
Yan Shujin laid bare her joys and sorrows, saying, "Even if a crown prince were established now, surrounded by wolves, I would entrust the crown prince to my brother. Even if the final result is that wolves are brought into the house, at least there will be a chance to turn things around."
These are words that Yan Shujin wouldn't even say to King Xuan, yet she could tell Han Jing.
Yan Shujin said, "If Emperor Yan felt that his health was failing and that's why he wanted to complete the reforms quickly, that's one explanation, but I don't think it's quite right. After all, the most important thing about reforms isn't the initial success, but rather that they need a process."
Han Jing understood Yan Shujin's meaning, embraced his wife, and said, "What the princess means is that even if the reforms were successful during Emperor Yan's reign, if the successor cannot persevere, then all the previous groundwork will have failed."
Yan Shujin hummed in agreement, which is why she found the matter strange.
Han Jing frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then, is it that the Empress Dowager has misunderstood?"
Yan Shujin didn't think the Empress Dowager would tell Prince Xuan information she wasn't sure about, especially when Prince Xuan was about to leave. However, Yan Shujin had a question: why did the Empress Dowager choose this time to tell Prince Xuan this news? Did she want Prince Xuan to stay, or... to make preparations in advance?
However, Yan Shujin felt it was more likely the latter. Without the Empress Dowager's intervention, it would have been impossible for Prince Xuan to leave so smoothly.
The latter is understandable, since Empress Dowager Yan has two sons, while Emperor Yan currently only has two sons, one born to Consort Han and the other being weak and sickly. In Empress Dowager Yan's opinion, it would be better for her other son to inherit the throne than for the throne to fall into the hands of Consort Han's son.
Empress Dowager Yan and Consort Han's son were not only from different generations, but also not close at all. Consort Han was also clueless. After Consort Liu and her son died, she should have taken the initiative to let her son get closer to the Empress Dowager, or even earlier. But it was too late to say anything.
Whether it's better for the new emperor to be his close son or his grandson whom he doesn't know well and even looks down on, Empress Dowager Yan must be able to figure it out.
Yan Shujin knew Empress Dowager Yan's temperament; she wouldn't have told Prince Xuan if she wasn't unsure, so the whole matter...
Han Jing looked at Yan Shujin's expression and asked, "What's wrong, Princess?"
“Actually, I think this matter might be half true and half false.” Yan Shujin hesitated for a moment before speaking her thoughts. “His Majesty may be in poor health, but it’s definitely not that serious. Some of the information was deliberately leaked by Emperor Yan. Since the Empress Dowager was able to detect it, it won’t be long before others find out as well.”
After a long silence, Han Jing said, "Does Your Majesty intend to wipe out all those with disloyal intentions in one fell swoop?"
Yan Shujin hummed in agreement. In fact, what she said was somewhat hurtful. Emperor Yan wanted to eliminate all those with disloyal intentions, which meant that he also suspected Prince Xuan and even used the Empress Dowager.
Han Jing felt a chill run down his spine and a tremor run down his spine. He said, "So, Emperor Yan guessed that the Empress Dowager would..."
"I don't know," Yan Shujin said, snuggling into Han Jing's arms. "But the Empress Dowager's choice isn't hard to figure out."
Han Jing sighed and asked, "What does the princess intend to do?"
Yan Shujin recalled a sentence the Empress had once said. At that time, she didn't quite understand it, but now she felt that the Empress was indeed worthy of being Emperor Yan's wife for decades: "My aunt once told me that unless you see it with your own eyes, everything else may be false."
Han Jing couldn't help but ask, "Did the Empress foresee this?"
Yan Shujin shook her head. The only person who could give an answer was no longer there. Whether the Empress had foreseen it or was speaking from the heart was now a secret: "I don't know. Let's wait and see. What happens in the capital is not a big deal to us. If His Majesty really does... then it would be safer for us to strike later."
Han Jing held Yan Shujin's hand, noticing that his wife's hand was a little cold: "Then let's deal with the situation in the southwest first."
Yan Shujin lowered her eyes slightly and said, "If I have the chance, I would like to meet General Shi."
In fact, Yan Shujin was just sighing, but she didn't expect to meet General Shi so soon. General Shi came with Luo Zhengyao.
Luo Zhengyao had only been by General Shi's side for a few days when he was exposed. However, General Shi did not make things difficult for him and instead took him under his wing.
Yan Shujin hadn't expected General Shi to come to her door so directly, but since he had come, Yan Shujin couldn't possibly refuse to see him. Moreover, Yan Shujin even had someone invite Prince Xuan.
General Shi made no attempt to hide anything, stating frankly, "More than 70% of the supplies sent by the imperial court are unusable."
King Xuan said, "Impossible. Those barbarians haven't been defeated yet. If..."
Seeing General Shi's expression, King Xuan was speechless.
General Shi sneered and said, "Not everyone is as reasonable as Your Highness."
King Xuan's expression changed, and he said, "However, General Shi's battle with the barbarians has been going on for quite some time."
General Shi did not deny it. Having come this far, he was no longer going to hide anything and said, "What will we do after winning the battle? Become His Majesty's casual weapon that might be discarded at any moment?"
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