Shou Kang Palace.
Prince Cheng sat there drinking tea, and the Empress Dowager tried to persuade the Emperor to rescind his decree, but he did not leave.
Upon hearing the voices of palace maids greeting the Empress Dowager from outside the palace, Prince Cheng put down his teacup and rose to greet them.
The Empress Dowager entered, supported by a palace maid. Prince Cheng asked, "Has the Empress Dowager persuaded the Emperor?"
The Empress Dowager said, "I have asked the Emperor to choose another fiefdom for you in the north."
Prince Cheng then said, "Even the Empress Dowager can't persuade the Emperor, so why must the Emperor change my fiefdom?"
The Empress Dowager sat down and said, "Are you aware that there are mines in the Wangzhou fiefdom?"
King Cheng was startled.
He quickly stepped forward, "Who said there are mines in Wangzhou, a fiefdom?"
The Empress Dowager said, “Someone secretly reported to the Emperor that there is a gold mine in your fiefdom of Wangzhou. The report has been held by the Emperor for many days. The Emperor has not yet made a decision to take back the fiefdom. You are his younger brother, so it is not unreasonable for him to give you a gold mine as an elder brother. However, Wangzhou was hit by a flood, the national treasury was empty, and it was difficult to allocate money and grain for disaster relief. So the Emperor took the opportunity to take back Wangzhou.”
"His Majesty puts the well-being of the country and the nation first, putting aside personal feelings for his family. This is his responsibility as an emperor."
King Cheng was stunned, unsure whether he had misheard or his mother had misremembered. "Gold mine? How could there be a gold mine in Wangzhou? Did Your Majesty mishear?"
The Empress Dowager looked at Prince Cheng and said, "If it's not a gold mine, could it be an iron mine?"
"If it were iron ore, even a secret report would have been enough for the Emperor to send people to Wangzhou to verify it long ago. Why would it have waited until today?"
"His Majesty has not yet sent anyone to Wangzhou. He is still skeptical. He thinks that even if it is false, you are his own brother, so it is not unreasonable for him to give you a better fief. However, since you do not want Yuzhou, I will have him choose another one for you in the north."
The rumor that there was a gold mine in Wangzhou, even if it was false, once the news spread, it was impossible for Wangzhou to become his fiefdom.
King Cheng's eyes were icy cold.
I thought that killing the people who went to investigate the iron mine would put my mind at ease, but I underestimated the person behind it all.
They actually sent a secret memorial directly to the emperor, using the gold mine as bait to get the emperor to send people to Wangzhou to investigate the iron mine!
King Cheng remained silent. The Empress Dowager looked at him and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Prince Cheng hurriedly replied, "Your subject was unaware of the gold mines in Wangzhou. I will follow the arrangements of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."
The Empress Dowager was fairly satisfied with this answer.
As Prince Cheng was about to take his leave, Granny Zhao entered. Seeing Prince Cheng present, she didn't intend to reply, but the Empress Dowager asked, "How is Princess Cheng?"
Granny Zhao had just returned from visiting Princess Cheng and came back to the palace. "Princess Cheng is still the same as she was a few days ago; her condition has not improved."
The Empress Dowager looked at Prince Cheng and said, "Why is there no improvement at all? Are these quack doctors in the palace unable to even cure a simple case of drowning and catching a cold?!"
King Cheng said, "Cold is easy to treat, but fright is the root of the disease."
The Empress Dowager also knew that Princess Cheng was badly frightened after being pushed into the well, but so many days have passed and she is still not well. Princess Ling fell into the lotus pond while pregnant and acted as if nothing had happened. Is Princess Cheng's courage not as good as that of a junior?
Standing to the side, Zhao Mama said, "Today, when I visited Princess Cheng, she looked very sad and was afraid that she would not live much longer. She was worried that it would affect Princess Yong'an's marriage. I beg Your Majesty to find a good match for Princess Yong'an as soon as possible."
Princess Yong'an is of marriageable age. If Princess Cheng were to die, Princess Yong'an would have to observe three years of mourning for her.
The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. "Has it gotten this bad?"
Granny Zhao did not speak.
The Empress Dowager looked at Prince Cheng and asked, "Has Doctor Tao been asked to visit Princess Cheng?"
King Cheng shook his head.
The Empress Dowager's face showed displeasure. She knew that Princess Cheng was not in Prince Cheng's heart. She had forced Prince Cheng to marry her back then. But after so many years of marriage, Princess Cheng had even borne him two children. How could she not care about Princess Cheng's illness to this extent?!
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was somewhat angry, Prince Cheng immediately stood up and said, "I will go and invite Doctor Tao right away."
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Prince Cheng had already bowed and taken his leave.
Watching Prince Cheng leave, Granny Zhao looked at the Empress Dowager, hesitant to speak.
The Empress Dowager saw this and said, "Speak if you have something to say."
Zhao Mama said, "Regarding Princess Yong'an's marriage, Princess Cheng has a preferred candidate."
"Who?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"General Cui's son."
The Empress Dowager frowned. "Why didn't you say anything in front of Prince Cheng?"
Zhao Mama said, "Princess Consort Cheng said she didn't dare to speak to Prince Cheng. She knew he wouldn't agree, but as a mother, she doesn't ask Princess Yong'an to marry into wealth and status. She only asks that the other party be of good character. She will listen to you, Empress Dowager, and Prince Cheng in her life, but she wants to make her own decision regarding Princess Yong'an's marriage. She begs you, Empress Dowager, to grant her wish."
As she spoke, Granny Zhao took out a ten-thousand-tael silver note from her bosom and said, "Princess Cheng gave me ten thousand taels of silver so that I could convey these words to Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on the silver note, and she said, "Giving you ten thousand taels just for a few words, it seems you really don't have much time left..."
Granny Zhao said, "General Cui is the elder brother of the Lady of Xuanping Marquis's family. The Marquis of Xuanping is on the side of Prince Ling. I have advised Princess Cheng that Your Majesty would not agree to marry Princess Yong'an to Young Master Cui, but Princess Cheng still insists that I pass on her message..."
The Empress Dowager said, "With such persistence, it seems she is determined to give Yong'an to Young Master Cui."
"Fine, let's do as she says."
Granny Zhao asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, you agree?"
The Empress Dowager said, "Princess Cheng would not harm Yong'an. She did it for Yong'an's own good, and it was her last wish. I cannot bear to let her leave with regrets."
“But what about King Cheng…”
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