Chapter 115 The Wedding.
The fourth prince's wedding was scheduled for July. It was only when the Minister of the Imperial Clan approached Chu Heng that he remembered this matter.
Because of Chu Heng's deliberate propaganda, no one dared to speak openly about what the Fourth Prince had done, but everyone knew what was going on in private.
Now, the emperor is bedridden and needs acupuncture and medicine every day, while the sixth prince is sickly and cannot live without herbal decoctions every day. It is all the fault of the fourth prince.
The Fourth Prince even tried to frame the Prince of Duan's heir, causing the young child to be punished by the Emperor and forced to kneel. He can't even leave the house now. It's truly outrageous!
But the emperor was willing to cover for his son, so outsiders dared not say anything, and could only whisper a few words: unfilial sons are rare, but the fourth prince is even rarer. He truly deserves to be a descendant of the imperial family!
The fourth prince is still under house arrest, a house arrest imposed by the emperor's decree. What will happen to his wedding? What will happen to his royal residence?
The Imperial Clan Secretary racked his brains but still dared not ask the Emperor. He wasn't afraid of the Fourth Prince, but he was afraid of angering the Emperor to death!
So he thought he could ask Chu Heng to go with him to ask the emperor, or Chu Heng could go alone.
“It’s only May now, and there are still nearly two months until the Fourth Prince’s wedding,” Chu Heng said. “Why is Uncle in such a hurry?”
Chu Heng's face remained expressionless, but he found it amusing in his heart. Did he really think he was a saint? He was probably eager to anger the emperor to death, but that wasn't the case now, when he wasn't ready.
The Minister of the Imperial Clan said with difficulty, "You have also been through a grand wedding, and the procedures involved are complicated. If we wait until the last minute to discuss it, how can we possibly have enough time?"
Chu Heng asked, "How many of the six rites are left?"
The Minister of the Imperial Clan replied, "Only the betrothal gifts and the wedding ceremony remain. I have already prepared the list of betrothal gifts according to past practice, but... I need His Majesty's approval."
Chu Heng nodded, then hesitated and said, "Uncle, although I am fortunate to be able to assist the Crown Prince with the Emperor's grace, all matters, big and small, ultimately depend on the four officials outside. Moreover, the Emperor only allows me to manage the affairs of the court; I really cannot get involved in the affairs of the royal family."
"This...you're also a member of the royal family, how come you can't get involved?" The Minister of the Imperial Clan Court was forced into this role by the emperor and had no intention of getting involved in these royal affairs. Upon hearing Chu Heng's words, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Isn't that your nephew?"
Chu Heng said, "Uncle, the Fourth Prince is a prince, and as a member of the royal family, he is different from you and me right now."
Zongzhengqing wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief and sighed, "Indeed, this is killing me!"
Chu Heng handed him a cup of tea: "Uncle, don't worry, there's always a way to deal with things."
Zongzhengqing took the teacup, took a sip, and then said to Chu Heng, "We are uncle and nephew. Even if your uncle is asking you for a favor, you have served as Zongzhengqing and know that this position is not easy. If you are considerate of your uncle today, then in the future, if there is anything I need, I will do my best to help without shirking my responsibilities."
Chu Heng laughed and said, "Uncle, what are you saying? If I need your help again, I'll have to wait until my son grows up."
Zong Zhengqing then said, "We are all parents. I also have children, and I also want to be able to go home and see my wife and children again."
Chu Heng paused, then sighed, "Uncle is right. I... I'll think of a way for you."
Zongzhengqing quickly thanked him and said, "Everyone says that Prince Duan loves his wife and son as much as his own life. I can truly empathize with him. This rumor is indeed true!"
Chu Heng smiled bitterly: "I really can't bear it..."
Zong Zhengqing thanked him again, and seeing Chu Heng sitting in the chair deep in thought, he did not urge him.
After a long pause, Chu Heng said, "Uncle, this matter cannot bypass the Emperor. Why don't you choose a time when the Emperor is not in a good state of mind and go there, and ask Eunuch Li to relay the message? That way, no matter how the Emperor reacts after hearing about this, you won't be there in person."
After a moment's hesitation, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court said, "I must go and make contact with His Majesty."
Who told him to dare become the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court at this time? Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he probably wouldn't have a foolproof plan.
After seeing off the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Chu Heng asked Zhao Qing to go to the Imperial Hospital to see who the imperial physicians had been on duty for the emperor in recent days. Although he didn't think the emperor would do anything, he still had to be on the safe side.
The emperor suppressed his anger and protected the fourth prince, who had angered him to this point, simply because the emperor had very few sons left. The emperor was frustrated, but he could not blame anyone else for the bitter fruit he had sown.
...
Perhaps because the emperor was utterly disappointed in the fourth prince, the marriage did not affect him much. The Minister of the Imperial Clan could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He began to plan the various matters of the wedding and did not forget to thank Chu Heng.
The wife of the Imperial Clan Minister sent an invitation and brought her child to the Prince Duan's residence to meet with Daiyu. Chu Yang had a good time with his new friends, but unfortunately, they only came once.
"Mother," Chu Yang asked, sidling up to his mother after finishing his calligraphy practice, "when will Chu Zhi be able to come to our house again?"
Daiyu put down her book and asked with a smile, "You like playing with him?"
Chu Yang nodded: "He is better than the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince."
"Oh?" Daiyu asked curiously, "You think he's smarter than the two princes, so you like playing with him?"
Chu Yang shook his head: "No, Mother, Chu Zhiren is better than them, and of course he is smarter than them, but he is not that smart either."
Daiyu understood his meaning and said with some reluctance, "Yang'er, I'm afraid you can't play with Chu Zhi often for the time being."
Chu Yang wasn't too disappointed: "I know, Mother. I just haven't been out for a long time and I'm feeling a bit bored. Actually, I've only known Chu Zhi for a day, and we're not very familiar with each other."
Daiyu rubbed his head. Chu Yang had never had any playmates his age since he was a child. Apart from his parents, he only had maids, nannies and servants around him. Suddenly, a little friend came, and he couldn't help but miss him.
Even the smartest child is still a child.
"Tomorrow, Mother will take you out to play and buy you two strings of candied hawthorns, okay?" Daiyu gently comforted him.
Chu Yang's eyes lit up: "Great! I haven't had candied hawthorns in ages. Mom, we can't let Dad know, or he definitely won't let me have any."
Daiyu smiled and said, "You're losing your baby teeth right now, so you shouldn't eat too much. Your father is doing this for your own good."
Chu Yang rubbed his cheek and said, "Another tooth of mine is loose, Mom. How long will it take for all my teeth to fall out?"
"That's hard to say," Daiyu said, resting her chin on his hand. "Let Mother take a look."
Chu Yang obediently opened his mouth, and Daiyu counted, saying, "He's only lost five teeth..."
"Sigh." Chu Yang frowned. "Fine, I'm not in a hurry."
Daiyu laughed: "Your teeth are all loose, and you still want to eat candied hawthorns?"
Chu Yang rubbed his face again and said, "Eat up, I haven't eaten for months."
"Alright," Daiyu said, mimicking her son's tone, "Eat."
Chu Yang smiled and nestled into his mother's arms, repeating once more, "Mother, you absolutely mustn't let Father know."
Daiyu smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, this is our secret."
Chu Yang snuggled in his mother's arms for a while before asking, "Mother, I've been reading poetry and books lately, and I've seen many wise rulers who still became senile in their later years. How can we avoid such things?"
Daiyu did not answer directly: "Yang'er, your mother has taught you that all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are his subjects. For the emperor, the whole world is his vassal, so he is arrogant and high above for too long, and he will forget to look down at his feet."
Chu Yang fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
...
The emperor was a person who was very afraid of the heat. Chu Heng still remembered that before he left the capital, every time he had an audience with the emperor in the summer, he would be shivered by the cool air as soon as he entered Haiyan Palace.
Now that the emperor is ill and weak, he is no longer afraid of the heat. There is only an ice chest in the outer room of Haiyan Palace, and there is not even an ice basin in the inner room where the emperor recuperates. Chu Heng broke out in a sweat as soon as he sat down.
The emperor leaned back on the large pillow, his face grim and his mouth slightly crooked: "I think, the fifth prince is getting old and the position of heir has been decided, so it's time to choose a proper crown princess."
After listening to the emperor's words, Chu Heng pondered. The crown prince's mother had passed away early, and his maternal family was weak, so he had no strong support in the court. Now that the emperor was powerless, although the regents could check and balance each other, in the emperor's view, the crown prince still needed to hold onto his own power before he could feel at ease.
Since he couldn't rely on his wife's family, he naturally had to depend on his wife's family.
Chu Heng smiled and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Crown Prince's wedding is a major event. The selection of the Empress is complicated by numerous rules and etiquette. If we start preparing now, it may take three to five years to complete the wedding!"
The emperor's eyelids drooped. Three to five years? Of course, he hoped he could regain his health, but he knew his own body and knew he couldn't wait any longer.
"Let's select a few young ladies of marriageable age and send them to the Crown Prince's palace as concubines for now," the Emperor said, panting. "Regardless of their background, as long as they are of decent appearance and have a docile temperament, let's choose four or five of them first."
Marrying the Crown Princess requires meticulous attention to etiquette, so it can't be rushed. However, adding a few concubines to the Crown Prince's household is much simpler.
Chu Heng thought to himself, "So he was wrong. The emperor isn't choosing a wife for the crown prince; he wants a grandson!"
The other four regents coughed awkwardly. Minister Guo said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's harem... must be managed by Her Majesty the Empress and Her Majesty Consort De."
The other three nodded frantically in their hearts. How many concubines the Crown Prince wanted to add to his harem? Was this something they, former court officials, should be allowed to interfere with? The Emperor was truly delirious with illness to tell them this!
Chu Heng glanced at the emperor without showing any emotion. At present, there was no one in charge of the harem. If the eldest princesses or female relatives of the imperial family were to make the selection, the emperor would definitely worry that each family had other ideas or would place their own people in the harem.
However, at this point, the emperor would not feel comfortable letting anyone choose.
But no matter who is chosen, it's not their place to manage the Crown Prince's affairs.
However, what Chu Heng didn't expect was that this matter didn't actually happen to him, but instead fell on Daiyu.
To be precise, the emperor assigned the Princess Consort of Duan, Princess Shuhe, Princess Hejia, Princess Yongkang, and the wife of the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court to be in charge of this matter.
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