Chapter 75 Dark Tide
At the end of August, news spread from Fanghua Palace that Concubine Xian was seriously ill, and Prince Yu personally came to Fengqi Palace to request to see Concubine Xian.
"Yun Che begs Her Majesty to allow me to visit my mother." The usually flamboyant Prince Yu restrained his edge at this moment, speaking earnestly and with a look of worry in his eyes.
Chan Zhen had Yuan Zhao carried down and looked at him. "I have already called the imperial physician to Fanghua Palace to treat your mother immediately. However, if Your Highness wishes to visit Fanghua Palace, this requires permission from His Majesty."
"If I had received an imperial decree from my father, I would not have come to Fengqi Palace to disturb you." Prince Yu gritted his teeth, suddenly lifted the hem of his clothes with one hand, and knelt upright in front of her. "Please, Your Majesty, help me."
Chanzhen was shocked and quickly asked someone to help him up, but Prince Yu held his neck stiff and did not move, as if he would keep kneeling unless she agreed.
Zen Zhen thought of his father's usual rogue and shameless behavior in front of him, and sighed in his heart that this father and son were really of the same blood.
After all, she couldn't just watch him kneel down all the time. Moreover, according to the imperial physician, the virtuous concubine was indeed seriously ill and her condition was not good. As a son, it was only natural for him to want to see his mother.
"Your Highness, please get up first," Chan Zhen sighed helplessly, "I will agree to your request."
Prince Yu had achieved his goal and stopped pestering her. He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and thanked her: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
He walked out of Fengqi Palace in front of everyone's gaze, with a look of surprise and gratitude on his face. Only after he walked out of the door did the joy on his face suddenly fade. He looked back at the magnificent Fengqi Palace, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
After seeing Prince Yu off, Lu Zhu hesitantly advised Chan Zhen, "Your Highness, if you really want to go and see His Majesty for Prince Yu's sake, please do so."
She had always disliked Prince Yu. In the past, Prince Yu relied on his title as the eldest prince to act arrogantly. At the palace banquet, Princess Yu was also very rude to the Empress. What's more, Concubine Xian was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the deep palace because she framed the Empress. Now that Prince Yu came to ask to see the Empress, she felt that he had some bad intentions.
"I can't let him kneel forever. It wouldn't be nice if it got out." Chan Zhen leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead in embarrassment. She was now solely focused on taking care of Yuan Zhao, leaving all the palace duties to the Imperial Household Department. If Prince Yu hadn't insisted, she wouldn't have bothered with these matters.
Seeing that she knew what was going on, Lu Zhu stopped trying to dissuade her: "Your Highness Prince Yu seems to have become a completely different person now."
He used to be the most flamboyant, but now he has become silent and low-key, and has made some achievements in the court recently. On the contrary, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, who used to be humble and gentle, has now become very radical, exposing his ambition without any concealment. He has made friends with many ministers in the court and has countless supporters.
Chan Zhen had had little contact with Prince Yu in either her past or present lives, and she paid no attention to the changes in his behavior. In her previous life, she was immersed in her own sorrow, and ultimately only heard that the eldest prince had committed some crime and was deprived of the throne by the Guo, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the palace. From then until her death, she never heard of his release.
His Majesty has always been cruel and does not seem to have much fatherly love for his own children, even the Prince of Jin, whom he values the most, is no exception.
Chan Zhen looked at Lu Zhu and said, "Please take a message to Zichen Palace for me."
Lu Zhu did not agree immediately, but asked her in a somewhat tangled tone: "Won't the Queen go in person?"
From the palace, she watched as her own queen and His Majesty had been locked in a cold war for over three months. Although His Majesty visited the young prince daily at Fengqi Palace, the queen consistently avoided him. She had noticed his expression of disappointment several times. She had thought the queen had finally found a way out by agreeing to Prince Yu's request, but she hadn't expected the queen to still refuse to see His Majesty.
Chan Zhen's eyes were empty, and after a long moment he said, "I won't go. Regardless of whether he agrees or not, I'll just pass on his message."
Luzhu hesitated for a long time, and seeing that she was determined, she stopped persuading her.
What could a servant like her say about the affairs between the Empress and His Majesty?
Not long after going to the Zichen Palace, Luzhu brought back news.
"His Majesty said that you are the queen and that you have the final say in all matters in the harem," Lu Zhu glanced at her cautiously, "and he listens to you, too."
Her mother was silent for a long time, and then she let out a soft sigh.
"rhetoric."
…
It had been over a year since they last met, and it felt like a lifetime ago. When Prince Yu saw Concubine Xian again, he almost didn't recognize her face.
"Mother, I am an unfilial son and have caused you suffering." Looking at his mother's thin and sunken cheeks, Prince Yu was full of guilt.
The virtuous concubine's originally muddled eyes suddenly lit up the moment she saw him: "Che'er!"
She excitedly hugged her beloved child, and she felt alive again, with her face glowing again.
"Mother, I heard that you were unwell. I wonder if you are feeling better now." Prince Yu asked, holding her hand.
The virtuous concubine shook her head: "I'm sorry to have worried Che'er. Mother is fine. His Majesty has not treated me harshly."
Although Your Majesty took away her position as a concubine, she still received all the benefits she deserved. She just lost the glory she once had, which made her unable to get over it psychologically.
Seeing that she did not seem to be seriously ill, Prince Yu did not exchange pleasantries with her and just pulled her to sit aside.
"Mother, I have an important matter to discuss with you today. I beg you to help me again."
The virtuous concubine stared blankly at her ambitious and eager son.
When Prince Yu saw that there was no one around, he silently wrote a few words on her palm with his fingers, but Concubine Xian jumped up from her chair in shock.
"No!" She thought of the man's cruel methods, and there was deep fear in her eyes.
"Mother," Prince Yu gritted his teeth and advised her, "Father has already made that little bastard the Crown Prince. Do you really want me to live my entire life as a subordinate?"
"But..." Xian Fei hesitated, "He is your father after all."
"There are no fathers and sons in the royal family." Prince Yu snorted coldly, "The only son in the emperor's heart is probably that little bastard. Since he has no love for me, why should I consider him my father?"
Concubine Xian thought of the hardships she and Yun Che had endured recently, and her heart began to waver: "But your father's methods..."
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has had absolute power in the court. Even a prominent family like the Xiao family was destroyed by him in a blink of an eye. How could Che'er defeat him?
"I will make my own decision." Prince Yu showed a confident smile on his face. "Mother, the palace will need your help when the time comes."
"I can't even leave Fanghua Palace now, how can I help you?" Concubine Xian smiled bitterly.
Prince Yu patted her shoulder and said, "I will find a way to send a few more people to your side."
"If His Majesty finds out..." Concubine Xian said worriedly.
"I'm afraid the Emperor is worried sick about the affairs of the previous dynasty. My good brother is not as content as I am." Prince Yu raised his lip. "The Empress is also busy taking care of that little bastard. She has thrown all the palace affairs to him. Now there are many loopholes for him to exploit."
Seeing his confident expression, Concubine Xian felt relieved and decided to give it another try.
She didn't want to be imprisoned in this dark place forever.
…
In Prince Jin's mansion, Yun Yi was listening to his subordinates reporting news from the palace.
"Has Prince Yu met Concubine Xian?" He gazed at the portrait of the beauty spread out on the table with deep affection, and his fingers stroked it inch by inch.
"It's just as Your Highness expected." The subordinate lowered his head, not daring to look at the table.
Yun Yi chuckled softly, "He's really an idiot. He gets it right when provoked."
"Your Highness is wise," the subordinate paused, a hint of doubt in his tone, "but I don't know why Your Highness is helping His Highness Prince Yu. You are now standing at the forefront of the storm for him."
"I'm not helping him," Yun Yi sighed, "I'm helping myself."
Whether he moves or not, my father will be on guard against him, so he might as well let him attract all the firepower. As for that idiot Prince Yu, I'm afraid my father has never taken him seriously.
The more the emperor underestimates the enemy, the more chances he has.
"Only when the emperor is gone can she return to my arms."
The subordinate lowered his head even lower, not daring to guess who the "she" he was talking about was.
Yun Yi carefully stretched the painting flat, then rolled it up bit by bit into the carefully crafted cabinet. He instructed indifferently, "Keep a closer eye on the palace. No trouble will be allowed in Fengqi Palace. Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to cause trouble will be killed without mercy."
The subordinate heard the warning in the words and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"As you command."
…
At dusk, Chen Dingyao finally put down his pen after reviewing the memorials for the day.
Guo Kai quickly brought hot water to help him wash his hands.
Chen Dingyao washed the ink off his hands and said, "My princes have been quite active lately."
Especially Yun Yi, who caused him a lot of trouble.
Guo Kai didn't dare to respond and just laughed it off.
"Did Prince Yu go to see Lin?" he asked.
Guo Kai replied, "Your Majesty, Prince Yu sat there for quite a while after entering before leaving."
Chen Dingyao shook his head slightly: "He is hopelessly stupid."
He had originally thought that if Yun Che honestly fulfilled his duties, he would be able to support him as a leisurely prince for the rest of his life. Now it seemed that he had overestimated him.
After Guo Kai cleaned up the table, he walked to the window and looked out. The sky was already full of red clouds. Occasionally, a line of wild geese flew over his head and quickly disappeared without a trace.
"It's time to go to Fengqi Palace."
After parting at the New Year's Eve banquet, he abided by the agreement with Chan Zhen and only stayed with Yuan Zhao in Fengqi Palace for half an hour every day, never disturbing her peace again.
But he still asked people to report the news in Fengqi Palace to him every day. Although he could not see her, at least he knew that she was safe and well and had recovered well after the confinement period, and he was truly relieved.
He had walked the road from Zichen Hall to Fengqi Palace countless times, and he knew every tree and blade of grass on the road by heart. Now, even if he closed his eyes, he could walk smoothly all the way to the gate of Fengqi Palace without any stumbling.
He never liked to bring extra people with him when he went to Fengqi Palace, and he didn't ask anyone to inform her, for fear of disturbing her peace.
It just happened that today, when he entered the hall, he saw her holding Yuan Zhao and coming out of the door talking and laughing. When she saw his footsteps, she squatted on the spot and the smile on her face faded.
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at her from a distance of ten steps. They hadn't seen each other for nearly four months. She looked rounder and fuller than when she had just come out of confinement. It seemed that she had recovered well.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." The palace maids surrounding her knelt down and saluted.
Zen Zhen, however, had no expression on his face and turned to leave.
His body was faster than his mind and he stepped forward to grab her.
Yuan Zhao also started crying at this appropriate time.
While Chan Zhen coaxed Yuan Zhao, he said coldly: "Let go."
But she never looked back at him from beginning to end.
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