Chapter 296 Father and Son, Ruler and Subject
The grand ceremony for appointing the Imperial Preceptor was being prepared in an orderly manner, but Emperor Jingping's good mood was ruined by the arrival of the Crown Prince.
"Does the Emperor need to consult the Crown Prince before appointing the Immortal Miaoqing as Imperial Preceptor?"
"That's not what I meant."
"No? Then why are you blocking the construction of Linxian Tower?" Emperor Jingping was furious at the mention of this.
He had only been ill for a few months when the Crown Prince took over the reins of government, yet the Crown Prince dared to defy him. This was only because his health had greatly improved; if he had remained ill, wouldn't the Crown Prince have been able to control everything?
Thinking this, Emperor Jingping's gaze toward the Crown Prince grew even colder.
The Crown Prince bowed respectfully with his hands at his sides, thus missing the cold glint in Emperor Jingping's eyes.
"Father, the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Concubine and the subsequent ceremony to appoint the Imperial Preceptor have already drained the national treasury. Meanwhile, floods have struck many parts of the south, urgently requiring substantial disaster relief funds. If we were to spend even more money on the construction of the Linxian Tower at this time, the national treasury would be overburdened, especially should war break out—"
"Enough!" Emperor Jingping interrupted the Crown Prince sharply, his gaze towards the Crown Prince not that of a father looking at his son, but more like that of someone who had snatched away what belonged to him.
"Are you implying that I don't care about disasters or war, and only seek pleasure, and am not as wise as you, the Crown Prince?"
He had already heard the praise for the Crown Prince, but considering that this was his eldest son and the heir he had personally chosen, he didn't show it despite feeling uncomfortable. But this rebellious son treated him like this.
"The Imperial Concubine has been with me for so many years and brought me much joy. Although she did not have the title of Empress, she had the power of one. She tragically died while accompanying me to admire the lanterns on the Lantern Festival. Is it wrong to hold a grand funeral for her?"
Speaking of Consort Yu, Emperor Jingping's mood worsened.
He ordered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and other government offices to hold a grand funeral for the Imperial Concubine, not only because he loved her and was saddened by her passing, but also because of the guilt and lingering fear he could not share with others.
He adored the Imperial Concubine, but disregarded her wounded by a poisoned arrow and fled immediately. Later, wanting to see his beloved again, he lifted the fur quilt covering her and was horrified by her purplish-blue face.
From that moment on, he realized all too clearly that he was afraid of death, extremely afraid of death, and wanted to live on for eternity.
"You're already worried about the money spent on the ceremony to appoint the Imperial Preceptor? The elixir concocted by Master Miaoqing cured my illness, and he truly deserves the title of Imperial Preceptor. I just wanted to make the ceremony as grand as possible to express my gratitude. Or is it that the Crown Prince doesn't want to see me recover?"
The Crown Prince knelt down, his chest filled with immense grievance, tears welling in his eyes: "Father, I have absolutely no such intention, nor would I dare to object to the funeral arrangements for the Imperial Concubine or the ceremony for bestowing the title of Imperial Preceptor. However, great disasters are often followed by great plagues, and disaster relief requires a great deal of resources. I urge Father to carefully consider this matter and postpone the construction of the Linxian Tower—"
"Insolent fool!" Emperor Jingping slammed his fist on the table, his face ashen. "You are merely the regent, not the master of this Great Xia! I see you just don't want to put me at ease! Guards, take the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace. He is not to step out of the Eastern Palace without my decree!"
"Father Emperor—" The Crown Prince knelt down and looked up at the gloomy face, feeling it was distant and unfamiliar.
Two eunuchs stepped forward, one on each side, to help the crown prince.
"Your subject takes his leave." The Crown Prince shook off the eunuch's outstretched hand, kowtowed heavily to Emperor Jingping, and then got up and left.
Emperor Jingping was still furious, and kept cursing, "Unfilial son, this unfilial son!"
If the other princes weren't still young, they would definitely depose this unfilial son from his position as crown prince!
Enraged, Emperor Jingping suddenly had a thought: With the immortal Miaoqing around, he could live to be at least a hundred or two hundred years old, let alone immortality. What was there to fear about his young sons? His unfilial sons should not try to control him based on this!
But this thought only flashed through his mind, and Emperor Jingping quickly focused his attention on prolonging life, which meant he couldn't do without the help of the True Person Miaoqing.
"Summon the Immortal Miaoqing to the palace."
When Miaoqing Zhenren was summoned to the palace, Xue Quan brought Xue Han the news that the Crown Prince had been confined to his quarters.
"I know that the Crown Prince is very close to you in private. You should remind him to be more filial to the Emperor and to have less of his own ideas."
Now that things have come to this, Xue Quan has no choice but to hope that the Crown Prince will ascend the throne smoothly. At least there is a bond between the adopted son and the Crown Prince, so if his mistakes are investigated in the future, there might be room for maneuver. But if it were any of the other princes, there would be no chance.
"I understand."
Xue Han then arranged to meet Qiu Heng and told her about the Crown Prince's removal from his regency and confinement to the Eastern Palace.
Qiu Heng held the teacup and murmured, "So that's how it is."
She had previously speculated that the biggest variable in Emperor Jingping's failure to take the elixir and die as originally planned was that the Crown Prince was still alive.
“The Crown Prince is in charge of the country, and once the current emperor passes away, he will undoubtedly inherit the throne. Therefore, Master Miaoqing and the people behind him need the current emperor to recover, because only the current emperor can take everything away from the Crown Prince.”
Xue Han's expression was grave: "The Emperor has taken a potent drug that is too strong for his body, which means he will act swiftly if he intends to harm the Crown Prince..."
First, he was stripped of his regency power and placed under house arrest. What's next?
The crown prince is likely to face a storm that will destroy his status as heir apparent.
"If something happens to the Crown Prince, and the Emperor passes away, the biggest beneficiary will be—" Qiu Heng tightened her grip on the teacup, two faces flashing through her mind.
A king on the verge of collapse, struggling to keep his kingdom afloat, and a young prince full of curiosity about new things.
One is on the verge of death in despair, while the other is growing up in luxury.
They are one person: Emperor Longxing and the Fifth Prince.
“The eldest prince after the Crown Prince is the Fifth Prince,” Xue Han analyzed calmly. “But although the Fifth Prince’s mother, Consort Shu, comes from a good family, she doesn’t have much power.”
No matter how careful a family is, it is necessary to gather followers if they are ambitious for that position. However, Xue Han, who controlled the Imperial City Guard, did not notice anything unusual about Consort Shu's family.
"What about Prince Fu?" Qiu Heng asked.
She kept wondering why Xue Han would kill Prince Fu.
Before, when she was far from this vortex, she couldn't understand it at all. But now, layer by layer, the mystery is being peeled away, and the true face is being revealed.
If it's true that Prince Fu was behind Xue Quan's offering of medicine, and Xue Han, having discovered the truth, killed Prince Fu to avenge his father, then that makes sense.
In the original timeline, if Prince Fu hadn't died, would the young Fifth Prince have been able to smoothly ascend the throne after Emperor Jingping's death? Even if he had, who would have held the real power?
Throughout history, regents have been quite common. After Prince Fu has served as regent for a few years and consolidated his power, a single abdication edict will be enough for him to become the new ruler of the Great Xia Dynasty.
“Prince Fu has a good reputation in the court and among the people. If the Crown Prince and the Emperor both get into trouble, Prince Fu will not be without a chance.” Xue Han stood up. “Right now, the most important thing is to protect the Crown Prince. I will go to the Eastern Palace now.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
