On the way back to the Imperial Palace from the Duke Residence, the Emperor talked with Yan Huisheng the whole way.
After entering the palace gate, he said to Yan Huisheng, "Go and see your mother first."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I will go at once."
Without returning to the Eastern Palace to bathe and change clothes, he directly went to see the Empress.
The Empress knew that her son was returning to the capital today. She knew that the Emperor had led all the officials to welcome him outside the city. But as the Empress, she couldn’t go, and could only wait anxiously in the palace, waiting for most of the day. When she finally saw Yan Huisheng, she was overjoyed and cried, her eyes red, "Mother heard that you were injured, have you recovered? Shall we invite the Imperial Doctor to come and examine you?"
Yan Huisheng paid tribute to the Empress, and quickly said, "Mother, rest assured, I’ve recovered. The Imperial Doctor accompanied me on the journey when I left the capital, did you forget?"
"I didn’t forget, but I’m not at ease without letting the Imperial Doctor check your pulse," The Empress consulted with him, "Let’s call the Dean of the Imperial Medical Bureau — he’s the best with medical skills."
After all, the Imperial Doctor who accompanied him was not as good as the Dean of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Yan Huisheng reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I’ll listen to mother"
The mother and the son talked for a while, and when the Dean of the Imperial Medical Bureau arrived and checked Yan Huisheng’s pulse, he confirmed that the Crown Prince was in great health and the wound had fully healed. The Empress was finally completely relieved.
The Empress, knowing that her son was tired, didn’t ask him to return to the Eastern Palace. Instead, she arranged for him to bathe and change clothes in her palace, and to rest in the side hall where he used to live when he was a child, waiting for the Palace Banquet.
Yan Huisheng didn’t reject the Empress’s loving mother’s kindness and accepted her arrangements.
Not until the Emperor waited for half an hour without seeing Yan Huisheng come to find him, did the Emperor send someone to ask. When he learned that he was resting in the Empress’s palace, the Emperor gave up, thinking that the mother and son’s affections were deeper than the relationship between him and the Crown Prince. Even though their relationship had warmed up today, it still wasn’t as close as the Empress and the Crown Prince’s.
Therefore, he went directly to the Empress’s palace. Even if the Crown Prince was resting, he could just chat with the Empress. He planned to make more efforts to improve the relationship.
The Empress didn’t expect the Emperor to follow her. He was weary from the whole day’s event— leading officials to welcome back the Crown Prince and old Duke from their victorious return from the war. If it were in the past, he would have taken a rest and not come here. But now, he seemed tireless and followed her in.
The Empress was touched, reflecting that times were different now. As the saying went in the Imperial Harem, ’a mother owes everything to her son’s rank’. The son she gave birth to was capable, had successfully maintained the heir’s position. Consequently, she as his mother had obviously benefited a lot.
She remembered those years when the Emperor would only visit her palace twice a month on the first and fifteenth days. Sometimes he would just sit for a while and then leave. Not to mention Concubine Zhen, who had favor across the six palaces and surpassed her, even Concubine Xian and Concubine De were held in higher regard than her, always arrogant in front of her.
Now it was fine, all those women were gone. The Imperial Palace was finally peaceful, and she finally gained some respect. Even if she despised him in her heart, the Emperor came every three to five days.
The Emperor lied down on the bed, "I will take a rest here and later I’ll go to the palace banquet with the Crown Prince."
What could the Empress say? She could only nod, "Your Majesty, please rest. I won’t let anyone disturb you."
The Emperor held the Empress’s hand, "I’m really happy. I’ve thought about it, tomorrow I will discuss with the Crown Prince about my abdication."
The Empress immediately said, "Your Majesty, you’re still..."
"Don’t tell me that it’s my prime time. The Crown Prince is capable, which is a blessing for me, and a good thing. I’m increasingly physically and mentally weakened. If I retire early, I can rest." the Emperor said.
The Empress frowned, "In my view, Your Majesty is in good health. I believe that the Crown Prince is not in a hurry either. Please, don’t rush into this matter. The Crown Prince just returned to the capital, let him rest and don’t bother him with this matter, alright?"
What she said was just like when they were young, not so cautious anymore, more like what a husband and wife would say.
The Emperor was moved, "Okay, I’ll listen to you. You make sense. We’ll let him rest first."
Although both of them knew that Yan Huisheng couldn’t rest, there were a lot of affairs in the capital and a lot of state affairs waiting for him to make decisions.
Yan Huisheng rested in the Empress’s palace for an hour. When he woke up and saw the Emperor also there, he was stunned.
The Emperor motioned to him, "Let’s go. I’ve been waiting for you. The palace banquet is about to start." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Yan Huisheng nodded.
The victory celebration banquet was not a palace banquet. The women did not participate. Naturally, the Empress didn’t need to be there.
Watching the father and son leave together, the Empress turned and went back to the inner hall to rest. The wet nurse who was attending her whispered, "Your Majesty, compared with the past, the Emperor is really different now. You have finally achieved what you aimed for."
The Empress said, "His Majesty talked about abdication, which didn’t seem to be fake. I wonder if the Crown Prince will agree." She sighed, "Knowing the Crown Prince, he might not agree."
The wet nurse asked in a low voice, "Isn’t it good if His Majesty abdicates early and the Crown Prince ascends to the throne early? At present, from the court to the countryside, everyone admires the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it’s what the people want."
Daliang’s defeat of Dawei, with the Crown Prince personally supervising the front line, made his reputation unprecedented among the people. At present, nobody could challenge the Crown Prince’s position. It’s perfect timing for him to ascend the throne now; if they wait too long, there’s no guarantee that the Emperor won’t change his mind and play any balancing tricks again.
The Empress said, "Of course it’s the best. But let’s see what the Crown Prince decides. Whatever decision he makes, I’ll support him."
Just like when she learned that Yan Huisheng had fallen in love with Su Rong, she didn’t interfere much. After all, there was the marriage contract with Zhou Gu. She trusted her son, and in the end, even though he liked Su Rong, he didn’t let his feelings cloud his judgement and kept proper distance from her. Perhaps Su Rong didn’t even know that he liked her.
When the Emperor and the Crown Prince arrived at the Palace Banquet, all the ministers were already there. The old Duke watched the time and arrived a step ahead of the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
Everyone paid tribute and chanted long live. After everyone was seated, the Emperor praised the Crown Prince and the old Duke for their contributions and made some cheerful remarks before ordering the banquet to start.
Palace maids and eunuchs came in one by one, carrying delicacies of land and sea to set the table. With songs and dances contributing to the joy, the atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful.
The Emperor raised his first glass to honor the old Duke, "Old Duke, I toast to you. I didn’t expect that after this battle, you still appear to be vigorous. Having you in Daliang is indeed a blessing for Daliang and for me."
The old Duke quickly said, "All credit goes to the Crown Prince. I’m old, and fell sick during the period. I relied completely on the Crown Prince." Before the Emperor could speak, he sighed again, "I’m not as young as I used to be. When I was young, I could fight for eight days without getting tired. Now I’m full of aches and pains. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince leading the charge, I might have been beaten by Yuan Zhao. In short, thanks to the Crown Prince. I’ve learned that one must give in to old age."
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