Yan Lin moved quickly, but Yan Huisheng was even quicker.
Since he had dared to secretly collude with the old Duke to deploy troops, he was confident he could control the situation when it came to light.
Prince Yan Lin had long been under his surveillance, so any movements he made would be reported to the Eastern Palace immediately. Therefore, the letter asking for assistance from Marquis Nanping hadn’t actually arrived. What arrived was a letter from Marquis Nanping asking the Emperor to abdicate and renounce his title. And when Yan Huisheng got the letter, he learned that Yan Lin was planning a move. He then had someone copy Nanping’s handwriting and create a forged letter about a rebellion in Jibei.
As expected, this letter played a major role in the early court session. All were dumbfounded by the news in the letter, but he was still in control of the situation.
Who would have thought that the honorable Crown Prince would stoop to forging a letter from Marquis Nanping?
Even if one day the Marquis of Nanping found out about it, he would willingly bear the blame and absolutely not deny that he wrote the letter. After all, the Marquis Nanping Residence, including the Marquis himself, had long pledged allegiance to the Eastern Palace.
Since Yan Lin had committed such a great crime, no court officials dared to plead for him. The faction of the second prince was all in fear, and they could only watch as the Emperor fainted out of anger. Yan Huisheng, as the Crown Prince, took over governance and ordered Yan Lin to be thrown into the celestial jail.
The second prince’s faction had no power to resist.
After Yan Huisheng gained power, two-thirds of the court officials already belonged to the Eastern Palace’s camp, leaving only a small faction of neutrals and a small faction of die-hard followers of the second prince. Their small fire, under Yan Huisheng’s control, couldn’t burn a prairie.
The supporters of the second prince felt in danger and believed all was lost. After the early court session, they scattered, seeking help from others.
Some people even sought help from the Eastern Palace, offering countless gold, silver, and jewels in exchange for the Crown Prince’s mercy for their entire family.
In history, wars for power and position always have winners and losers. At this moment, the second prince Yan Lin was the one who had fallen from grace.
Yan Huisheng paid no attention to these matters and instead stayed by the Emperor’s bed, waiting for the Imperial Doctor’s diagnosis and for the Emperor to wake up.
In a short time, the Emperor had fainted repeatedly from anger, which was not a good sign. His health deteriorated, especially today when he was most angry.
After the Chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau took the Emperor’s pulse, he bowed to Yan Huisheng, his face grim. In a low voice, he said, "Your Highness, the Emperor’s condition... is not good."
"How bad is it?" Yan Huisheng’s expression also darkened.
The Chief found it difficult to explain.
Yan Huisheng waved his hand to dismiss everyone else, looking at the Chief, "Just tell me straight."
The Chief lowered his voice, "The Emperor has repeatedly suffered from anger, which has injured his internal organs. The old wounds have not been healed yet and new ones are added. If he can rest and stay calm without anger, he can live for three to five more years. If he has another episode like this, I’m afraid... it’s irreversible."
Yan Huisheng fell silent.
The Chief looked up at Yan Huisheng. He couldn’t tell what was going on in the Crown Prince’s mind, but he could sense that the Crown Prince wasn’t thrilled with the Emperor’s condition.
After all, they were father and son, bound by blood.
The Chief sighed quietly, "Anyway, the Emperor needs to rest."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I understand. When the Emperor wakes up, tell him everything as it is."
The Chief bowed in acknowledgment.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress hurriedly came from the Imperial Harem to the restful Hall. Seeing the Crown Prince’s gloomy face and the Emperor’s pale face as he lay unconscious on the bed, she wasn’t sure whether to think the Emperor deserved it, or whether his condition was advantageous or detrimental to the Crown Prince.
She whispered, "The Emperor is here with me, you go and take care of business!"
With the head of the second prince’s faction now in a celestial jail, it was prime time to deal with the rest who were in a state of panic.
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "There’s no rush."
Seeing his unusual expression and his refusal to leave, the Empress asked, "What did the Imperial Doctor say?"
Yan Huisheng didn’t hide it from the Empress and told her what the Imperial Doctor had said.
After hearing it, the Empress felt bitter. The Emperor was in his prime, his health had always been good, and he’d been lively and vigorous. The incident with the Imperial Concubine was a major blow to him, and now the matter of Yan Lin reaching out to the Jinglu Troops has caused him to completely lose control, dealt another major blow. Most of what he had done in recent years was wrong. The ones he guarded against were loyal, while the traitors were ignored. What he held in his hands tightly turned out to be a joke. How could he not cough up blood?
As husband and wife, although their feelings had long faded, the Empress couldn’t feel happy at this moment.
During the years when the Emperor suppressed the Crown Prince, the Empress had wished numerous times, even in her dreams, for the Emperor to die soon. But when his health was really damaged, she found herself not hating him as much.
As the Empress thought about it, she concluded that it was probably because her son, the Crown Prince, was now in a secure position and everything was going smoothly. After all, no matter what, the Emperor had never considered deposing the Crown Prince. This made her hate him less and not wish for his death as eagerly as before.
Mother and son were silent for a while, and the restful Hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After a long time, the Empress said, "That Chen He, such a troublemaker, have you managed to control him?"
Yan Huisheng nodded.
Of course, he had controlled him, otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to expose the matter. The moment he exposed it, Chen He was captured.
Yan Lin had managed to connect with Chen He and reach into the Jinglu Troops, but Yan Huisheng had also recruited people, only the close confidants of Chen He.
The Empress sighed in relief, "That’s good."
In the restful Hall, the Empress and the Crown Prince were watching over the Emperor, while outside the hall, the court officials were anxiously waiting for news.
When the Chief of the Imperial Medical Bureau left the restful Hall, he was surrounded by people, mostly old officials, who cared more about the Emperor’s health.
Of course, the Chief would not reveal the true condition of the Emperor as he had to Yan Huisheng. He only said that the Emperor had a heart attack due to anger and would probably not wake up anytime soon. He had prescribed medicine, and at the earliest, the Emperor would not wake up until the evening.
The court officials were relieved that the Emperor was okay. But with the Emperor out of danger, they faced an even more pressing problem: the Crown Prince’s prediction that Zhang Ping was dividing his forces to attack the Capital City. If this prediction was accurate, the Capital City would be in danger, and they would all be in danger. They all had high positions and wealth and didn’t want Zhang Ping to attack their homes, nor did they want a change of dynasty. They just wanted to live peacefully.
So, an impatient official asked, "Where is the Crown Prince? Why hasn’t he come out yet?"
Naturally, with the Emperor’s life no longer at risk, the Crown Prince, with his heavy responsibilities, should be out discussing countermeasures with the other officials.
As they kept waiting for him to appear, an old official requested to see the Crown Prince.
As the requests from outside the hall continued, the Empress sighed, "You should go! Don’t worry, I will stay here to watch over him." She whispered, "If he takes care of his health properly, doesn’t he still have three to five years left?"
The underlying meaning was that even if they were upset, it wasn’t now.
Yan Huisheng nodded, stood up, and left the restful Hall.
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