If they did not wish to repeat the past, the Duke Residence needed to ensure the calming of the turbulent political situation in Daliang, such that the Emperor no longer feels the need to suppress the Crown Prince through his distrust and apprehension, so that military and political affairs could be in sync, the national treasury full, and the army robust and strong.
King Rui’an thought, "How difficult that is!"
The current political situation was slightly more secure than it had been sixteen years ago, but only slightly more.
After finishing her words, Princess Sheng An noted the grave expression on King Rui’an’s face and realized he had digested her counsel. Seemingly without intent, she added, "The Emperor has been experiencing frequent headaches recently. The weather is getting colder."
The first part of her comment seemed disconnected from the latter half. Upon hearing it, King Rui’an felt a pang of shock. "When did the Emperor start having headaches? It seemed to have started last year, but it was only occasional. The Imperial Doctor from the Imperial Medical Bureau said that the Emperor had overworked himself and needed to rest. However, with the Emperor’s suspicious and cautious nature, having the Crown Prince as a gem before him and the formidable reputation of the Duke Residence by his side, how could he sleep peacefully every day?"
If it was only an occasional headache, that could be dismissed. However, if the headaches were frequent, it could not be taken lightly.
The Emperor was still in his prime and showed no signs of frailty or poor health. The matter of his headaches could be trivial or significant.
With extreme caution, King Rui’an asked, "What did the Imperial Doctor say?"
Princess Sheng An responded, "Who dares to inquire into the Dragon Body’s health?"
King Rui’an agreed silently.
Princess Sheng An began to speak of Xie Lin, "He’s a good boy. I didn’t expect him to become friends with Zhou Gu after their fight. Clearly, they are still young."
King Rui’an immediately remembered Zhou Gu’s act of saving Xie Lin, and expressed his gratitude, "I owe a great debt to Lord Zhou. If he had not been vigilant and protective, my son certainly would have faced misfortune."
Princess Sheng An waved her hand, "Xie Lin has already expressed his gratitude. We should leave their friendship to the young ones and not interfere."
By this she meant that the Duke Residence did not have to hold any obligation towards them, and the relationship between Zhou Gu and Xie Lin should be seen as separate.
Aware of Princess Sheng An’s meaning, King Rui’an realized he must nevertheless be beholden to this favor, especially considering his son, who he’d never put any effort into raising, had lost his life before even entering the court.
The two reached the Imperial Study Room as they spoke.
King Rui’an got off the carriage first and made a show of helping Princess Sheng An. She waved him off, "You go meet the Emperor first. I’ll go chat with the Empress. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her."
King Rui’an did not understand the Princess’s reason for entering the palace, so he nodded and left to meet the Emperor.
The Emperor was having his head massaged by Eunuch Yu An due to his headache, "I feel like my head is about to explode, Eunuch Yu. Do you think I have indulged Prince Yan too much?"
Inwardly, Eunuch Yu thought, "You’ve indulged not only the Crown Prince but also the second Prince, and everyone except for the crude treatment of the Crown Prince and your close attention to the Duke Residence."
But of course, he could not voice these thoughts out loud. Instead, he carefully massaged the Emperor’s temples, attempting to soothe him, "Your Grace, you need to think on the positive side. Perhaps the events surrounding Prince Yan’s wife have nothing to do with him."
The Emperor scoffed coldly, "A couple who shares the same bed, how could one escape contamination if the other is unclean? Those words can only deceive a three-year-old."
Eunuch Yu closed his mouth.
The Emperor continued, "What a bedmate in Ning Yao. After marrying into the Imperial family, there was nothing notable about her. Now that there’s trouble, she turns out to be pregnant with a royal heir."
Eunuch Yu kept silent, knowing not to comment carelessly about matters concerning the royal heir.
The Emperor closed his eyes, saying, "I don’t want to disgrace my ancestors, the previous Emperors, or...."
Before he could finish, he paused, his face shifting, "I want to meet Su Rong. Arrange it for me tonight. I will leave the palace secretly to visit the Shen Residence. Inform Shen Xian and make sure he’s prepared. Don’t leak the information to anyone, I forbid anyone to know."
Eunuch Yu was shocked, "Your Grace, the capital is currently too chaotic, wouldn’t it be better to secretly invite her to the palace?"
The Emperor shook his head, "No."
Observing the Emperor’s stern expression, Eunuch Yu nodded, "This servant will arrange it shortly."
When he heard that King Rui’an had arrived, the Emperor straightened his posture and gestured towards Eunuch Yu An, who immediately left to greet the guests.
After paying his respects to the Emperor, King Rui’an, with his acute senses, noticed the two red finger marks on the Emperor’s forehead. He immediately lowered his gaze and focused his mind on reporting the progress of the investigation to him.
The Emperor’s face turned dark as he read Ning Yao’s confession, "Marquis Nanping certainly raised a wonderful daughter. Women are said to be heartless, but this woman is more sinister than a venomous snake."
The Emperor, unable to contain his anger, ordered Eunuch Yu An, "Bring the Zhao father and son to me."
Eunuch Yu An complied and left immediately.
Upon entering the palace, Princess Sheng An headed straight for the Empress’ Fengyi Hall. The Empress stood to greet her as she approached, "Great Aunt, what brings you here?"
Ever since being lectured by Yan Huisheng, the Empress had refrained from getting involved in his business. Despite her worries about the many significant events unfolding both inside and outside the palace, she maintained her composure.
Princess Sheng An patted the hand of the Empress. Once they entered the chamber, she relayed her purpose, "I came to see you and, incidentally, to assist King Rui’an with his investigation by creating a favorable situation in the palace."
The Empress was confused, "Favorable situation?"
"Yes, a favorable situation," replied Princess Sheng An. "As you control the six palaces, if anything untoward happens, you, as the Empress, would be blamed for any issues, despite not being at fault. However, with me by your side in the palace, things will be different."
After all, her prestige from years past remained. No one dared blame the Princess.
Upon hearing this, the Empress understood and straightened her posture, "Great Aunt, is something about to happen in the palace?"
"You will know in a while." Princess Sheng An gestured her to remain calm.
Left with no other options, the Empress could only cease her inquiries and asked about Zhou Gu’s health instead, "How is Zhou Gu’s recovery from his injuries? Is there any serious problem?"
"There’s nothing serious," said Princess Sheng An, shaking her head. "That child doesn’t take his rest seriously. He relies on his youthful energy and good health. Every day he sits in bed reading, which worries me."
The Empress exclaimed, "That’s not good. If he neglects his health and allows his injuries to fester, it could lead to more serious problems." She then asked, puzzled, "The exams are over. What is he reading now?"
Princess Sheng An sighed, "Travel books."
The Empress remembered that Yan Huisheng had mentioned Zhou Gu’s wish to travel after his exams, and understood, "There’s no rush. He can read them slowly in his spare time."
Princess Sheng An gave no reply, nor did she mention that Zhou Gu was in such a hurry to familiarize himself with Nanchu that he was practically treating the books as enemies, and would have forsaken sleep if she hadn’t forcefully commanded him to rest.
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