Chapter 2: Repaying a debt of gratitude or seeking revenge?
The Empress Dowager, supported by a female official, stepped over the threshold. All those standing inside and outside kowtowed to pay their respects, and the noise startled Chu Heng, who was taking medicine in the inner room.
Upon seeing the Empress Dowager, Chu Heng thought of the arranged marriage he had heard about before falling asleep. He couldn't help but feel irritated, but he remained outwardly calm. He coughed twice before saying, "Why have you disturbed Mother like this? You can send someone over."
The Empress Dowager hurried to the bedside, and upon seeing Chu Heng, her eyes immediately reddened. She choked out, "Good child, you've finally woken up..."
Chu Heng pursed his lips, trying his best to raise the corners of his pale mouth slightly: "Your son is unfilial, causing your mother worry again."
This wasn't the first time Chu Heng had teetered on the brink of death, but it was probably the closest he had ever come.
Chu Heng thought regretfully, "It's a pity I didn't die."
The Empress Dowager sat down by the couch, took Chu Heng's hand, and said with tears in her eyes, "Take good care of yourself... Heng'er, as long as you get better, I will worry about you no matter how much."
Chu Heng smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "I'm fine now, Mother, please don't worry."
The Empress Dowager carefully examined his face. Perhaps it was because of the two coughs he had just coughed, but she could see a hint of redness on it. The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "You are indeed a master. I have already discussed it with your brother, the Emperor, and we want to recast the Buddha statues at Longhua Temple."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Mother. Please tell Your Majesty that I am currently ill and will definitely go to the palace to express my gratitude after I recover."
Chu Heng pulled his hand out, straightened up by supporting himself on the couch, and then said, "Mother, is Master Pingyi still in the capital? He saved my life, and I should thank him in person."
The Empress Dowager wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and smiled, "Alright, I will pass on your message. Your brother has always doted on you, so these formalities are nothing to worry about. Heng'er, just focus on recovering first."
Chu Heng nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Mother."
The Empress Dowager added, "Master Pingyi is naturally still in the capital. I will send someone to invite him to the Prince's residence to see you when I return."
"Thank you, Mother," Chu Heng said, bowing his head.
Starting from the second year of the emperor's reign, the empress dowager began to plan Chu Heng's marriage, but Chu Heng was too stubborn and refused to agree for a long time.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager finally couldn't stand Chu Heng's procrastination and wanted to use Master Pingyi to facilitate his marriage?
Chu Heng guessed that the Empress Dowager was unlikely to give him an answer, so he could only try to get information out of Master Pingyi.
Oh, Chu Heng just remembered something else. Who exactly is the future Princess Consort of Duan?
Chu Heng, of course, would not ask the Empress Dowager. Instead, he saw the Empress Dowager off and left Zhao Qingshi alone in the room before asking which family the future Princess Consort of Duan was from.
Zhao Qing, observing the prince's expression, replied, "Your Highness, the princess is a daughter of the Lin family in Suzhou. Her parents passed away a few years ago, and she currently lives at her maternal grandparents' home, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion on Ningrong Street."
"The Rongguo Duke's Mansion?" Chu Heng thought for a moment. "I vaguely remember that someone in the Emperor's harem came from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."
Zhao Qing said, "Your Highness, His Majesty's Consort Jia is the eldest daughter of the second branch of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."
"Where are the Lin family members?" Chu Heng asked again.
Zhao Qing sighed, “Your Highness, the Princess Consort is a pitiful person. The Lin family has had only one son for generations. By the time of the Princess Consort, she had no siblings, let alone cousins. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to rely on her maternal grandparents for support.”
"Oh." Chu Heng remained unmoved. Did having siblings necessarily mean something good?
With no one left in the Lin family, the only thing the Lin family daughter could rely on was her maternal grandfather's Rongguo Duke's mansion.
Chu Heng held no real power and had never paid much attention to the political situation in the court, but as the emperor's younger brother, he had inevitably heard his elder brother grumble a few times.
The Rongguo Duke's Mansion was favored by the late emperor, who valued these old noble families. Therefore, the current emperor disliked them. His concubine, who came from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, was appointed by the late emperor when he was the retired emperor.
Why did the Empress Dowager arrange such a marriage for Chu Heng?
The emperor was the eldest son of the late emperor and was made crown prince at the age of fifteen. During this time, several foolish individuals coveted the throne, but all of them were beheaded by the emperor.
As the emperor's own brother, Chu Heng was physically weak and young. In the emperor's eyes, whether he was fighting with his brothers or his father, Chu Heng was just a figurehead who was neither helpful nor a threat to him.
The Emperor had always treated Chu Heng as both an elder brother and a father, never hesitating to show his brotherly affection. The Empress Dowager had always been pleased to see this harmonious scene of brotherly love and respect.
She had no reason to use a marriage to sow discord between the emperor and Chu Heng. Asking the emperor to get rid of Chu Heng would not benefit the emperor, nor would it benefit the empress dowager.
Chu Heng couldn't understand it at all. Was this marriage really just to bring him good luck?
After staring blankly at the curtains for a while, Chu Heng casually asked, "That Miss Lin... what is her name?"
Zhao Qing was taken aback and hurriedly said, "How could this servant know the Princess's given name? Your Highness must ask the Empress Dowager."
This was not a very important matter. Chu Heng slid down into the brocade quilt, closed his eyes and instructed, "Wake me up when that master arrives."
...
On the imperial carriage returning to the palace, the Empress Dowager instructed, "Shuangyun, send someone capable to invite Master Pingyi."
Shuangyun had served the Empress Dowager for over thirty years, and even the current Emperor had to address her as "Aunt." She followed orders and returned to find the Empress Dowager leaning wearily against a soft pillow. She quickly approached and whispered, "Empress Dowager, the Prince will surely recover soon, so you don't need to worry about him every day."
The Empress Dowager shook her head, closed her eyes, and whispered, "Heng'er's health is such that he falls ill one after another, and it really worries me. It's all my fault..."
"Your Majesty, there's nothing we can do about it," Shuangyun hurriedly comforted her mistress. "You endured ten months of pregnancy and all that suffering to give birth to the Prince. If it weren't for your blessings, the Prince wouldn't have made it this far."
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes and pondered for a moment, then said, "Master Pingyi is indeed a master. Heng'er has just recovered from a serious illness, and he looks much better than when he was sick before."
Shuangyun smiled and said, "That's right, that's why I said Your Highness will get better soon."
The Empress Dowager smiled slowly and said, "With the master's auspicious words, Heng'er will recover in the future and be able to marry a princess to continue the family line. I have no other desires."
“Speaking of the Princess Consort, Your Majesty, the imperial decree has just been issued and the Prince is already well. If they get married…” Shuangyun picked up a beauty hammer from the side and massaged the Empress Dowager’s legs. “Master Pingyi said that the Prince would have a long and blessed life, and it really has come true for the Princess Consort.”
These words struck a chord with the Empress Dowager. She had two sons and two daughters. Her eldest son was the supreme ruler of the land, and her two daughters were also doing well. Only her youngest son was chronically ill, causing her endless worry.
This time, the Empress Dowager listened to Master Pingyi's words, knowing that it was just a desperate attempt to revive a dead horse, but she never expected that the old monk would actually have supernatural powers!
The Empress Dowager clasped her hands together and chanted a Buddhist prayer. Then she said, “I, like the Emperor, dislike the Jia family. But I have met the daughter raised by the old lady of the Rongguo Duke, who was once the wife of the third-ranked scholar. If this young lady from the Lin family can inherit her mother’s elegance, she might be a good match for my Heng’er.”
Shuangyun then smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager will know once she summons Miss Lin."
"No rush." The Empress Dowager slowly lay back down. "After I have discussed with the Emperor how to perform the six rites, I will summon her to the palace."
After resting for a while at Renshou Palace, the emperor, upon hearing the news, rushed over to pay his respects to his mother. After inquiring about his younger brother's well-being, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief: "My fifth brother is well, so Mother can rest assured, and I am at ease as well."
The Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, "Master Pingyi has supernatural powers. Once Heng'er is fully recovered, I plan to take him to Longhua Temple to worship Buddha."
"Of course." The Emperor picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "The Empress mentioned the Six Rites to me this morning. Mother, when do you think the betrothal ceremony should be held?"
The Empress Dowager still had some doubts. She looked at the Emperor and said, "No rush. I think we should go to Suzhou to find the Lin family. After all, Miss Lin's surname is Lin. There is no reason for her to marry into the Jia family."
The royal brothers are in a difficult situation. At first, the Empress Dowager was only worried about Chu Heng's life and safety. Now that she has extra thoughts, she has to think about it more.
The emperor shook his head and smiled, saying, "Mother, since Lord Lin entrusted his beloved daughter to you back then, it must be because the Lin family had no one else to rely on. Fifth brother is more important; there's no need to waste time on these things."
"We'll have to give the Jia family face again," the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
The Emperor laughed and said, "Alas, how I wish I could give these old ministers an important position, but unfortunately their families are all useless. Fortunately, my sister-in-law is a girl, and the old lady of the Rongguo Duke's family is a virtuous old lady whose upbringing is certainly not bad. If it were a boy, I would not dare to let my sister or daughter marry into the Jia family."
The Empress Dowager understood the Emperor's meaning: once a daughter is married, she is no longer considered part of the family. As the future daughter of the Lin family will be a royal daughter-in-law, whether she is good or bad will be handled by the royal family according to their rules, and it has nothing to do with the Jia family.
The Empress Dowager was relieved: "When I was still a young lady, the old lady of the Rongguo Duke's mansion was already a daughter-in-law of the Rongguo Duke's mansion. Just imagine how prestigious the Jia family was back then. It's a pity that the men in front of her were not up to the task. There was only so much that she, as a woman, could do."
The Empress Dowager shook her head and didn't say anything more, after all, she wasn't really that sorry for the Jia family.
"Let the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculate the auspicious date another day; we must choose a lucky one," the Empress Dowager said quickly with a smile.
While the Emperor and Empress Dowager were discussing Chu Heng's marriage in the palace, Chu Heng was meeting the "culprit" who had pushed him into this marriage at the Duan Prince's residence outside the palace.
“Miss Lin was a celestial fairy in her past life. She came to this world to repay a debt of gratitude, but she and that person could not be together.” Master Pingyi said in a serious tone, “Your Highness owed Miss Lin a debt of gratitude in your past life. Only by marrying her and saving her from suffering can you repay that debt of gratitude.”
Chu Heng: "..."
This is a real scammer.
"Let me sort this out..." Chu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Are you saying that Miss Lin has someone she's interested in?"
Ping Yidao said, "This man is not a suitable match for Miss Lin..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Heng interrupted him: "You mean that I owed Miss Lin a debt of gratitude in my past life, so in this life I want to break her up with her sweetheart? Master, to me this doesn't seem like repaying a debt of gratitude, but rather like seeking revenge."
Ping Yi said, "The love between the prince and Miss Lin is predestined from a previous life. If the prince does not marry Miss Lin and rescue her from the cage of the Jia family, she will become a stepping stone for someone else. When that person finishes his tribulation and becomes a righteous person, Miss Lin will not be able to overcome her tribulation. At that time, she will not be able to take her rightful place, and her soul will have nowhere to go. She will probably drift away between heaven and earth."
"Oh, the fairy is really capable," Chu Heng said sarcastically.
“The prince will also fail to complete his tribulation and will never be able to return to the Heavenly Court,” Pingyi continued.
Chu Heng said coolly, "Very well, I've long been tired of living."
Ping Yi didn't take Chu Heng's disdain to heart. He put his hands together in a gesture of respect and was about to take his leave when Chu Heng suddenly asked, "Master, you said I am a deity. May I ask what my title is?"
Ping Yi shook his head: "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."
Chu Heng scoffed: "Next time you try to fool someone, I hope you'll have such good luck again, Master."
If Chu Heng hadn't been able to escape danger and Ping Yi's nonsense had been exposed, the monk would probably have been beheaded by now.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Ping Yi said politely.
A note from the author:
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