Within the Yangxin Palace, the Emperor bore the pallor of illness and seemed weary.
Several key ministers had come early in the morning to meet the Emperor. Firstly, there were indeed important matters to discuss, given that the Emperor had been absent from court for some time. Secondly, they also wanted to probe into the Emperor’s health, to be prepared and plan accordingly.
Upon entering the Yangxin Palace, Su Rong saw the Emperor’s appearance and thought to herself that sickness could come as quickly as a mountain collapsing, and recede as gradually as pulling silk. The Emperor, who had seemed robust just a few days ago, had fallen ill in such a short span due to the major case involving Imperial Concubine Zhen. His injury was presumably internal, caused by pent-up anger, and severely affected his vital organs. This would not be easy to recover from.
Given the Emperor’s noble status and luxurious lifestyle, his health was naturally more delicate than the average person. The prescriptions given by the Imperial doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau were likely to be all about regulating his health, not daring to administer heavy doses, hence the slow recovery.
But Su Rong did not intend to interfere with the Emperor’s condition. Yan Huisheng did not plan to have her involved either, otherwise, someone would have already gone to invite her from Dongsi Hutong when the Emperor was unconscious.
She paid her respects to the Emperor, calling out "Uncle," while handing the food in her hands to the eunuch serving at the side, "I’ve brought some small snacks from outside the palace for you."
The Emperor smiled upon hearing this, "What kind of snack?"
Su Rong answered, "Pastries from Chengji House."
The Emperor replied, "Ah, this is very famous, I ate it a few years ago. I’m glad you bought it for me." Smiling, he instructed the eunuch at his side, "Bring it to me quickly."
The eunuch complied, used a silver needle to check for poison, put it in an exquisite dim sum dish, and handed it to the Emperor.
The Emperor picked up a piece, tasted it, and approvingly said to Su Rong, "This is the taste. The five-nut blossom cake from Chengji House. Your mother also loved it."
Su Rong smiled.
The Emperor signaled her to sit.
Su Rong sat down, watching as the Emperor ate one piece of the five-nut blossom cake, and was about to eat another, but was stopped by the eunuch at his side. He said he was afraid that the Emperor would have indigestion, after all, he had just eaten breakfast not long ago, and he had to be careful with overeating. He still had to take his medicine later. If he ate too much, he wouldn’t be able to eat his medicine.
The Emperor reluctantly withdrew his hand, waved to the eunuch, and asked him to go down.
After the eunuch left with the plate, only Su Rong and the Emperor were left in the hall. The Emperor sighed to Su Rong, "Ah, everyone says it’s good to be an emperor, golden and jade, clothed in brocade and jade, wind and rain at command, hundreds of responses with one call, and a word can determine a person’s life or death. But they don’t know, the Emperor also has many helpless situations, even if I want to eat another cake, there’s someone supervising me. Whenever I do something unusual, there’s an Imperial Censor staring at me relentlessly, impeaching me, and a historian recording it, making me reflect on myself three times a day."
Su Rong nodded, "Indeed, Uncle, you’ve been working so hard."
The Emperor shook his head, "The foundation left by our ancestors cannot be destroyed. If it’s destroyed in my hands, I would be a sinner throughout the ages and would have no face to see our ancestors in the Imperial Mausoleum. Even if you are an emperor, you can’t do as you please, and mistakes can be made."
He looked at Su Rong, "As for how to deal with Imperial Concubine Zhen, I’d like to ask your opinion, after all, she is also considered your senior sister according to what I know."
"She has long since severed ties with my master." Su Rong said, "However, after all, she is my master’s daughter. I suppose my master in the underworld is still worried about her and hope she’s well."
She understood why the Emperor was not in a hurry to close the case and deal with it. First, he was really ill, and second, it was nothing more than reluctance. It was really hard to resist the tenderness of a beautiful woman. Indeed, he was reluctant to lose a fragrant beauty and was asking her opinion. Otherwise, he would have dealt with it long ago. Why ask her? After all, she and Imperial Concubine Zhen had no relationship.
The Emperor said, "You make a good point."
He sighed, "Your master taught you once, it’s not easy. Although I am your uncle, I feel ashamed that I’m not even as good as your master in teaching you how to live. As for Imperial Concubine Zhen, she’s carrying my royal heir again in her belly. Given these two reasons, I’ll spare her life!"
Su Rong neither shook her head nor nodded, "Imperial Concubine is your woman, Uncle, whatever you decide is fine."
The Emperor said, "For such a major case, although I am the emperor, it’s not just up to me." He then asked Su Rong, "As for the Crown Prince’s Consort, what do you think I should do?"
It was unexpected for Su Rong that the Emperor asked her about Imperial Concubine Zhen, and then the Crown Prince’s Consort. She looked at the Emperor, "Uncle, you should discuss it with the court officials."
The Emperor said, "I just want to hear your opinion."
Su Rong thought, you don’t want to hear me, you don’t want to put the Crown Prince’s Consort to death, right? And you are afraid that the Crown Prince won’t accept it, so you want me to say it. She didn’t express what she was thinking, but since the Emperor asked her, she intentionally took a moment to think and carefully chose her words to please him, "Since you might spare the life of Imperial Concubine Zhen, and the Crown Prince’s Consort is also carrying a royal heir, they should be spared as well. Uncle, you are benevolent. Those who do good will receive good in return. The unborn baby is innocent after all."
The Emperor was satisfied, "You make a good point."
After asking about the disposal of Imperial Concubine Zhen and the Crown Prince’s Consort, the Emperor said, "Did you know that Old Protectorate Duke brought Zhou Gu into the palace yesterday and said that Zhou Gu wouldn’t be taking the Palace Examination anymore and planned to travel for three years, requesting my approval? I agreed."
Su Rong nodded, "He mentioned it to me."
The Emperor said, "It’s good for him to travel for three years, but according to what I heard, he might go to Nanchu."
Su Rong looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor probed her, "If he goes to Nanchu, what do you think? Why not keep him in Nanchu to help you? Zhou Gu is talented in both literature and military tactics. You will need reliable people when you first go to Nanchu. Zhou Gu, that lad, should be more reliable than anyone else."
Su Rong said, "If he does go to Nanchu, as long as he doesn’t cause me trouble, it would be fine. I don’t expect him to help me a lot."
The Emperor laughed immediately, "You, child, why do you have such a negative opinion of him? Although you two have broken off your engagement, considering your mother’s relationship, he is your cousin. Although not as close as the Crown Prince, there is still a relationship, and he is not a clueless person, he won’t hold you back."
Seeing that Su Rong did not speak, he said, "The political situation in Nanchu is complicated. Even though you have the help of the Ye Xiang Residence, the Ye Xiang Residence has its own agenda. As they help you, they will inevitably consider their own interests. But Zhou Gu is different. If he goes to Nanchu and is willing to stay, you should let him stay a bit longer to assist you. After all, a place like Nanchu is an excellent place for self-improvement, no matter where he is."
It seemed that Su Rong was convinced by these words, "What you said makes sense."
She nodded, "If he doesn’t hold me back, if he really goes to Nanchu, if he is willing to stay in Nanchu for a longer period of time, and is willing to help me, then let him stay!"
The Emperor revealed a smile, "That’s correct. As the Princess of Nanchu, the future queen, you should make use of everyone who can be used. Don’t bring personal feelings into this. You should know, as an emperor, you don’t have likes and dislikes, just national stability."
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