Chapter 149 Just give up on that idea.
After listening to Prince An's report, the emperor remained silent for a moment before waving him away. Prince An bowed and withdrew; he had his reasons for saying those words.
He wanted the emperor to know that Prince Kang had taken a liking to Jiang Yu, but he couldn't say it directly. Although the emperor had entrusted him with the Imperial Guard, he was very wary of him, especially when it involved other princes.
So he brought up the matter of the Prince of Lingnan sending gifts to Tang Boyang. The Prince of Lingnan was a thorn in the emperor's side. Although the Prince of Lingnan was related to the Tang family and it was normal for him to send birthday gifts to Tang Boyang's mother, the emperor would still investigate.
Many people clearly witnessed Prince Kang's attempt to shield Jiang Yu from drinking today, which ultimately failed. Moreover, if Jiang Yu were to become Prince Kang's consort, it would undoubtedly have some impact on the situation in the capital. This matter will surely be known by investigating what happened at the Tang family's banquet today.
Was he worried that if the emperor found out about this, it would affect Jiang Yu? He was somewhat concerned, but compared to the fact that the emperor had some minor complaints about Jiang Yu, it was nothing.
Moreover, as long as Jiang Yu's investigation into the embezzlement case involving military supplies is completed, this great achievement can completely overshadow the slight discomfort the emperor is currently feeling.
The emperor did not disappoint Prince An. Not long after he left the imperial study, the emperor said to Zhao Fuquan, who was standing to the side, "Check who attended Tang Boyang's mother's birthday celebration today, who gave gifts, and what gifts they gave."
Zhao Fuquan acknowledged and left, while the emperor continued reading the memorials. As night fell, the investigation results were released, and Zhao Fuquan carefully reported them one by one. Finally, he spoke of the matter concerning Prince Kang: "Today, Lord Jiang of the Duke of Chu's mansion..."
Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned, thought for a moment, and then realized that the "Lord Jiang" Zhao Fuquan was referring to was Jiang Yu.
Then Zhao Fuquan continued, "Lord Jiang, who was with Marquis Anyuan, was seated at the head table. Marquis Anyuan introduced Lord Jiang to the guests at the head table, and when they arrived at Marquis Anling's table, Marquis Anling offered Lord Jiang a drink..."
The emperor frowned upon hearing this. "This Marquis of Anling, he's so old, yet he hasn't changed his ways at all."
Then he looked at Zhao Fuquan and said, "Go on."
Zhao Fuquan responded and continued, "Just then, His Highness Prince Kang arrived. He reached out to take the wine cup from Lord Jiang's hand to drink for him, but Lord Jiang dodged it..."
This happened in public, making it easy to investigate. Therefore, Zhao Fuquan recounted every detail clearly. After he finished, the air in the imperial study seemed to freeze; the emperor's face was so dark it could drip ink. Zhao Fuquan lowered his head, even his breathing becoming extremely soft.
After a while, the emperor said, "Summon Prince Kang over."
Zhao Fuquan hurriedly ordered someone to carry out the order, and when he returned to the imperial study, the emperor's face was still gloomy. Zhao Fuquan poured a cup of tea and carefully placed it beside the emperor.
Then the emperor said, "Even he's getting impatient! Are they all waiting for me to die?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down," Zhao Fuquan tried to persuade him, but that was all he could say, not daring to utter another word.
Not long after, a commotion came from outside. Zhao Fuquan went out to see what was happening and saw Prince Kang standing there, dressed in a silver-gray robe, tall and elegant, with a gentle and refined air.
Zhao Fuquan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, the Emperor is waiting for you."
Prince Kang smiled and looked at Zhao Fuquan, wanting to know why the Emperor had summoned him so late. Just moments ago, he had been happily playing on the bed. Zhao Fuquan, however, seemed oblivious to the meaning in his eyes, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, please."
Prince Kang's heart tightened; he realized this might not be good news. Thinking of what had happened at the Tang family today, his face paled. His father probably didn't want her to marry Jiang Yu, but he felt Jiang Yu was the best choice. She was shrewd and resourceful, and backed by the Duke of Chu's mansion and the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion.
Moreover, the fact that Jiang Yu was able to enter the court as an official shows that the Emperor and Empress Dowager still favored the Duke of Chu. Furthermore, he was genuinely interested in Jiang Yu; a woman like that would surely be more interesting to play with in bed.
He weighed Jiang Yu's value in his mind, entered the imperial study, and bowed to the emperor. However, the emperor kept his head down reading the memorials, neither raising his head nor telling him to rise, which made Prince Kang even more nervous.
After a long while, the emperor finally raised his head, but still did not allow him to get up. Instead, he asked, "How is your queen's health?"
“It’s gotten even worse,” said the Prince of Kang. “We’ve had the imperial physician examine me, and we’ve also found some famous doctors in the countryside, but nothing has helped.”
His voice was filled with sorrow, as if he were deeply worried about Princess Kang. If he hadn't been so obsequious to Jiang Yu today, the Emperor would probably have believed him.
"You're so sick, why did you go to the banquet?" the emperor asked again.
The Prince of Kang carefully replied, "When the Princess Consort was still young, she had a deep affection for Old Madam Tang."
The emperor hummed in agreement, then said, "And what about you? Your princess is ill, and at her grandmother's birthday celebration, you were fawning over other women. What will people say about our royal family? You may not care about your reputation, but I do."
The emperor picked up several memorials from the side and threw them at the emperor. One of them hit Prince Kang in the corner of his eye, and blood immediately flowed out.
Prince Kang hurriedly knelt down, "Father, please calm down. Your son only saw that Jiang Yu, a woman, was being forced to drink at a men's banquet, and wanted to help her."
"Help? Does Jiang Yu need your help? Marquis Anyuan is right here! Even if Marquis Anyuan isn't here, there's the heir of the Duke of Wei, the Tang family, and so many relatives and friends of the Duke of Chu's mansion attending the banquet. Is it your turn to help?"
The emperor stared intently at Prince Kang, who was sweating profusely. He forced a smile and said, "Your subject truly admires Minister Jiang."
The emperor narrowed his eyes, his gaze darkening as he thought of his son's reputation for wisdom and respect for scholars. He then said, "Admire? And then? Will you marry her as your queen, or do you want her to become one of your henchmen!"
The word "partisan" startled King Kang, who immediately kowtowed, "No, no, I never thought of that, and I have no partisan."
The emperor stared at him intently for a long time before finally saying, "I'm telling you, Jiang Yu has no chance of entering the royal family. Just give up on that idea."
"Your subject has never thought of that." Prince Kang continued to kowtow. In fact, just a moment ago, he had thought of telling the emperor that he liked Jiang Yu and that he wanted to wait until his current queen passed away so that Jiang Yu could become his next queen.
Now he no longer had that thought. It was at this moment that he truly understood that his father had never intended for him to be the crown prince, nor had he intended for him to inherit the throne.
He kept his head down, his eyes filled with malice and madness, but the emperor couldn't see it. What he saw was his son kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear at his words.
"Get up," the emperor said.
Prince Kang stood up, his eyes filled with fear when he looked up. The emperor was pleased with his appearance and said, "Take good care of your queen, and don't let your subjects lose heart."
This subject naturally refers to Tang Boyang.
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