Chapter 345 Undercurrents
Why did Ninth Brother say that?
Li Nanke asked.
Shen Cong recounted his conversation with the emperor to her, a bitter expression on his face.
“From the time I entered the palace until I left, it was almost an hour, and he never mentioned a single thing about the Emperor’s last edict.”
Li Nanke speculated, "Could it be that His Majesty has just woken up and is unaware of the rumors circulating among the people?"
Shen Cong shook his head, denying it outright.
"Impossible. The purpose of my brother in establishing the Imperial City Guard was to keep abreast of the movements in the court and among the people."
Moreover, Erfeng said that after the Emperor woke up, he first saw Qin Wei, and then summoned me to the palace.
Qin Wei is the commander of the Imperial City Guard.
The emperor saw him first upon waking up, which means he must have already heard about the rumors.
Shen Cong covered his eyes with one hand, remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh, his voice somewhat strained.
"My brother and I can never go back to what we were before."
Li Nanke felt extremely sad. She knew that Shen Cong was raised by the emperor and regarded the emperor as a brother and father, showing him great respect.
But one day he suddenly discovered that beneath the warm exterior of what he thought was brotherhood lay unfathomable scheming and suspicion.
For Shen Cong, this was tantamount to the sky falling down!
Even though he had doubts for months, accepting it was still heartbreaking.
She didn't know how to comfort Shen Cong, so she could only sit silently beside him and gently hold his hand.
The warmth on the back of his hand made Chen Cong tremble slightly, and he slowly raised his head.
After staring at Li Nanke for a moment, Shen Cong said in a low voice, "I'm fine."
Li Nanke smiled and put the chopsticks into his hand.
"Since there's nothing else, let's eat. We need to eat our fill so we have the energy."
Shen Cong's lips twitched slightly. "Okay, let's eat."
The news that the emperor was going to the imperial palace to recuperate spread throughout the court and the country in less than half a day.
Shen Cong served as acting regent, instructing the eldest prince in handling state affairs, and was assisted by his left and right ministers.
After the imperial edict was issued, the emperor immediately ordered people to prepare new clothes and get ready to depart.
When Empress Xue heard the news, she was furious and smashed her favorite tea set.
"What does Your Majesty mean by this? A-Xu is the rightful heir of the throne. Your Majesty is going to the palace to recuperate. A-Xu should be in charge of the country."
Why should King Xuan be put in charge of the state? What kind of logic is it to leave the eldest son unused and instead use the younger brother?
Empress Xue seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and she lowered her voice, saying, "His Majesty... he wouldn't really want to make Prince Xuan the Crown Prince, would he?"
Before Shen Xu was found, His Majesty had no other princes, and many ministers in the court submitted a memorial requesting that Shen Cong be made Crown Prince.
Although His Majesty did not agree, he also did not refute those memorials, but simply kept them in the archives without issuing them.
At that time, both she and His Majesty still held a sliver of hope that they could find Shen Xu.
“But now that A-Xu has been found, why does Your Majesty still… I really don’t understand Your Majesty’s actions now.”
Duke Xue sat at the lower end of the table, listening quietly to her complaints. Only when he saw her becoming increasingly agitated did he speak.
"Your Majesty, please don't be hasty. I think His Majesty's move has a deeper meaning."
Empress Xue frowned, looking irritable.
"What deeper meaning could there be? Isn't it just favoritism towards King Xuan? Even though we raised King Xuan."
I used to care for him too, but he's not Ah Xu after all. Besides, if it weren't for saving him back then, I wouldn't have lost Ah Xu.
Empress Xue felt as if her heart was being torn apart whenever she mentioned the years Shen Xu spent living among the common people.
“Ever since A-Xu was lost, I really haven’t been able to treat King Xuan the same way I used to.”
What if His Majesty really intends to pass the throne to him? What will become of my Ah Xu?
Duke Xue patted her hand.
"Your Majesty, please don't worry. Since receiving the news, I have been pondering this matter repeatedly. I believe that His Majesty has absolutely no intention of passing the throne to Prince Xuan."
"How so?"
Duke Xue leaned forward and whispered the rumors circulating in the marketplace.
"...Just as such rumors began to circulate, His Majesty went to the imperial palace and appointed Prince Xuan to oversee the country."
I sense that His Majesty is testing Prince Xuan, which precisely demonstrates that His Majesty has no intention of passing the throne to him.
Empress Xue's expression shifted uncertainly.
"The late emperor's edict? Where did this rumor come from? Is it really true?"
Duke Xue looked helpless.
"Your Highness is His Majesty's bedmate, haven't you heard a single word about it?"
Empress Xue shook her head.
"You know, when His Majesty ascended the throne, I was grieving over A-Xu's disappearance, and I had no mind to pay attention to anything else."
As she spoke, Empress Xue leaned forward and asked anxiously, "Brother, what should we do now?"
Are we just going to stand by and watch Shen Cong become regent? And do nothing at all?
Duke Xue nodded.
"Didn't His Majesty say that the eldest prince should learn how to handle state affairs from Prince Xuan? Then let His Highness study hard."
At this time, what would please His Majesty most is that His Highness has learned an excellent ability to handle state affairs.
As for Your Highness…
Duke Xue stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty requests permission to accompany His Majesty to the temporary palace and personally take care of him."
Empress Xue blurted out, "What if His Majesty suddenly..."
She gestured with her hand as if she had just breathed her last.
He lowered his voice and said, "If we're not in the capital at that time, and Prince Xuan really does have the late emperor's edict, wouldn't we be at a disadvantage?"
Duke Xue shook his head.
"Your Majesty is mistaken. If something were to happen while you were by His Majesty's side, you would be able to control the situation."
Besides, the eldest prince is His Highness's only legitimate son. Even if there really is a will from the late emperor, as long as we don't acknowledge it, no one can prove that the will is real.
Moreover, I will remain in the capital and do my utmost to take good care of the eldest prince.
He whispered a few words to Empress Xue.
Empress Xue thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, I will go and request an audience with His Majesty to accompany him to the imperial palace to serve him."
Empress Xue went to Daqing Palace and offered to go to the imperial palace with her.
"If I cannot stay by Your Majesty's side, I am truly worried about your health."
Her eyes reddened as she spoke.
The emperor gazed at her for a long time, then gently patted her hand.
"Since the Empress is so kind, let's go together."
The emperor spoke a few words with Empress Xue, then drifted off to sleep again.
Empress Xue had never seen the emperor so weak. She was both worried and afraid. Remembering the Duke of Xue's instructions, she gritted her teeth and ordered the palace maids to return to the palace to pack their things.
Her brother was right; she had to stay by His Majesty's side at all times.
The emperor and empress packed their things quickly, and two days later, the emperor and empress Xue, along with several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, went to the Luoyang Imperial Palace.
I heard that the emperor fell into a coma after arriving at the imperial palace, and the time he was awake each day was getting shorter and shorter.
Before they knew it, it was the day before New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, an eunuch came to deliver an imperial edict, saying that His Majesty was still asleep and would not be returning to the palace on New Year's Eve. He requested that Shen Cong preside over the New Year's Eve banquet in his place.
Panic began to spread throughout the court, and an undercurrent started to stir.
Some people even approached Shen Cong directly...
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