Chapter 106. Old friends.
"Yang'er is still young. Can he bear to keep vigil these days?" the emperor asked first.
Chu Heng said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. He is fine. It is his duty to fulfill his filial duty to his grandmother."
The emperor waved his hand: "Filial piety is only in the heart, not in what one does. We brothers will not speak ill of each other, and Mother will not blame her grandson. If Yang'er can't take it, he can go and rest. It's alright."
Chu Heng then said, "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's care for your nephew. Last year, I hired a martial arts instructor for Yang'er. He studied for a year and his health has improved considerably. He can handle it, so please rest assured, Your Majesty."
"That's good." The emperor smiled slightly. "Although you only have one son, he is better than my six."
Chu Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "My son is unruly. I only asked someone to discipline him to prevent him from causing trouble all the time. He is also young and cannot learn anything. How can he compare to the princes?"
The emperor said, "They're just taking advantage of their age. What's the big deal about reading a few more books? When Yang'er reaches their age, what will they have to compete with..." At this point, the emperor shook his head.
Chu Heng was horrified. No matter how much the emperor disapproved of his son, what did he mean by dragging Chu Yang into this?
Even if he meant nothing by it, if these words were to get out, who knows if the princes would hold a grudge against Chu Yang because of it!
“The princes have great Confucian scholars to teach them and my elder brother to personally guide them, which is naturally good. It’s just that my elder brother is too demanding, which is why he is always dissatisfied. As for me, I can only read a few books and I won’t amount to much in the future,” Chu Heng said.
The emperor smiled and said, "I think you are being too harsh. Yang'er is still so young. Don't be too strict with him. He's just a child. He should play when he's supposed to."
Chu Heng hurriedly replied, "Yes, I was thinking the same thing. We'll take our time when we return to Qingzhou and let him have some fun along the way."
"Hmm." The emperor sighed again. "Mother was always worried about you, but thankfully you came back in time, so she has no regrets."
Chu Heng lowered his head and said, "It was my fault that I was unable to fulfill my filial duty to my mother."
The emperor picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "This is the rule of our ancestors, it has nothing to do with you. Besides..." He slowly put down his teacup, "My mother is also worried about me."
Chu Heng recalled the Empress Dowager's last words before her death. His guess was correct: the Empress Dowager was urging the Emperor to appoint an heir as soon as possible to ensure the stability of the country.
After returning to the capital for half a month, Chu Heng had a clear understanding of the situation in the court.
The Fang family no longer holds real power in the court, but the eldest prince has amassed enough power behind him that he no longer needs to rely solely on the Fang family.
Besides the support of his maternal grandfather's family and his father-in-law, the second prince also had many followers.
After the third prince got married, he also entered the court and gradually gained some supporters. Although he was not as good as his two older brothers, he was able to form his own faction.
The fourth prince has just been betrothed and will soon be entering the court. He is eager to try his luck for the throne.
The emperor had a total of six sons, but the only ones who were not involved were the fifth prince, who was studying in the Imperial Study, and the sixth prince, who had not yet received his formal education.
As for the court officials, there were quite a few who wanted to gain merit by supporting the emperor, and in the current situation, there was no chance of advancement in the court if they did not take sides.
What was the emperor's attitude towards creating this situation?
It sounds like the emperor is dissatisfied with all his sons, which is why he has been delaying in appointing an heir. But looking at the situation in the court, is it really the right decision for him to allow his sons to form cliques and engage in corrupt practices?
"I have heard a saying: 'Raising a child for a hundred years, one will worry for ninety-nine.'" Chu Heng chose the most harmless angle. "No matter how old you are, Your Majesty, you are still a child in Mother's eyes, so naturally she is worried about you."
The emperor twirled the prayer beads in his hand and said dejectedly, "I know what Mother is worried about, but... alas, Fifth Brother, you have been away from the capital for many years. You don't know what kind of people your nephews have become. With their behavior and manners, how can I entrust the country to them?"
But since the emperor was determined to bring up this topic, Chu Heng could only carefully say, "If Your Majesty thinks there's anything wrong with the princes, just teach them. Don't upset yourself. Besides, like father, like son, Your Majesty's children won't be any worse."
As Chu Heng spoke, he felt that his words sounded somewhat familiar. How had his conversation with the emperor come full circle? Was the emperor going to bring up Chu Yang again?
Fortunately, the emperor did not mention Chu Yang this time. He began to complain to Chu Yang about how useless his eldest, second, and third sons were, and also said that his fourth son was restless, his fifth son was not good at studying, and his sixth son... oh, the sixth prince was too young, so the emperor could not find fault with him for the time being.
In short, in the emperor's eyes, none of his sons were good enough.
Chu Heng couldn't agree with the princes, so he could only repeatedly try to reassure the emperor until someone outside invited him, at which point he was able to leave.
When Chu Heng returned home that evening, he confided in Daiyu, saying, "After listening to His Majesty's words, I still don't understand. If the princes had been chosen as heirs earlier, the court wouldn't be in this state today!"
In the past, the emperor had the appearance of a wise ruler, and the dynasty enjoyed a prosperous era. But now, the emperor seems to be confused, and the court is filled with factionalism, power struggles, and corruption, making the dynasty increasingly unclear.
"Who can fathom the Emperor's thoughts?" Daiyu waved her round fan listlessly. "Judging from the Emperor's intentions, he will not appoint an heir apparent yet. As such, the court will not be stable, and who knows when this turmoil will end."
Chu Heng sighed: "We can't just bring up something like this... Forget it, let's go back to Qingzhou and avoid seeing it."
For a prince like Chu Heng to interfere in the matter of the heir apparent is suicidal. Questioning the emperor is even more unacceptable for him. Therefore, it's best to stay away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Daiyu calculated the days: "We need to pay our respects before we can request permission to leave the capital. By then it will be the end of the year, so we'll probably be spending the New Year on the road this year."
Chu Heng held her hand: "Wherever we go, we'll celebrate the New Year there. After all, we're a family, so it doesn't matter where we are."
Daiyu smiled: "Looking at the customs of other places, it's quite interesting."
Their plan was excellent, but the situation changed more unexpectedly than they anticipated. After this trip to the capital, it became difficult to determine when their family of three would return.
...
On the third day of the seventh lunar month, the coffin of the Empress Dowager was moved to Xiaoci County. The emperor, along with his relatives and officials, personally escorted the coffin, offering sacrifices at the city gate and the Lu Palace, demonstrating the utmost benevolence and filial piety.
The emperor was to personally observe a hundred-day vigil for the Empress Dowager in Xiaoci County before returning to the capital. His relatives and ministers earnestly advised him to prioritize state affairs, which finally stopped him. After the grand memorial service, he led his ministers back to the capital to handle state affairs.
Before the auspicious time and day arrived, the Empress Dowager's coffin could not be buried, and the emperor still had to travel back and forth between the palace and Xiaoci County to offer sacrifices.
During this period, Chu Heng was unable to return to the capital, and Daiyu and Chu Yang were also in this place. Zhao Qing had prepared accommodations for them in advance.
The days of vigil were all the same. On this day, after returning from the memorial service, the family of three was playing Go in the house when Zhao Qing came in and reported, "Your Highness, Your Highness, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wei family requests an audience with Your Highness."
Daiyu was taken aback: "Which Wei family?"
Zhao Qing replied, "Your Highness, the eldest mistress of the Wei family is surnamed Shi, and she is the grandniece of the late Duke Rongguo's wife."
Daiyu was surprised: "It's Yun'er, please come in."
Chu Heng stood up and said, "Yang'er, Mother has to see guests. Come over there with Father."
Chu Yang said, "I want to study now, Dad. You can play by yourself."
Daiyu couldn't help but smile: "All the fathers know is how to play, they're not as good as your son."
Chu Heng pinched Daiyu's earlobe with displeasure and said with a smile, "Then I'll go study with Yang'er. Send someone to call me when I leave."
"Let's go quickly." Daiyu patted his hand.
Just as the father and son stepped aside, Shi Xiangyun entered the room. She was no longer a young lady from a noble family, but a housekeeper, and her demeanor was completely different from before.
Shi Xiangyun was about to bow when Daiyu quickly told her maid to help her up, saying, "Sister Yun, we are sisters, there's no need for such formalities."
Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "Sister Lin."
Daiyu invited her to sit down, then asked someone to pour tea, and politely greeted her, "It's been many years, how are you, Sister Yun?"
Having spent years socializing with Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun could naturally sense Daiyu's awkwardness and politeness. Therefore, she replied politely, "Everything is fine. I don't need to ask; just by looking at Sister Lin, I know you are even better."
Daiyu smiled and said, "Qingzhou is far from the capital, so there are fewer constraints there."
Shi Xiangyun smiled easily: "After the New Year, my husband will be taking up a post in another region. The children and I will go with him, which will make things easier for us."
"This is a good thing," Daiyu said with a smile.
In the first few years after Daiyu arrived in the capital, Shi Xiangyun visited the Jia family, and they slept together at night. Even though they bickered, they were still close sisters.
Later, Xue Baochai arrived, and Shi Xiangyun and Daiyu became much more distant. And then, to this day, they find it difficult to find things to talk about freely.
Shi Xiangyun also sensed the awkwardness. She lowered her eyes slightly and said, "I just suddenly remembered things from my childhood and had a sudden idea to come and see Sister Lin. It's nothing else."
She is now the measured and measured Grandma Wei, and today's rash behavior is something only Miss Shi could have done back then.
Upon hearing this, Daiyu felt a slight pang of sadness: "Now that the old lady is gone, we are all going our separate ways. All good things must come to an end, and this is the natural order of life."
Daiyu learned of Grandmother Jia's death from a letter from Yongkang. After losing the title of Duchess of the State, the two branches of the Jia family separated.
Jia She inherited the title, and his family lived off the title's property and the inheritance he received. Wang Xifeng had already passed away, and now Jia Lian's second wife was in charge of the household affairs.
Although Jia Zheng could only receive a portion of the family property, Grandmother Jia always favored the second branch of the family and gave them a considerable amount of their own money and property, so their family was actually better off than the first branch.
After the girls got married, they rarely returned to their parents' home. Without Grandmother Jia, Shi Xiangyun no longer visited the Jia family often. The sisters who used to accompany her often in her youth were eventually separated by distance.
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