Chapter 103: Emperor Xianping, who loved to show off
After they settled down for the night, Luo Fu snuggled close to Xiao Yu and whispered in his ear about the royal affairs she had heard from Princess Kangping and Princess Yi'an. Then she asked Xiao Yu, "You spend more time with the Emperor and the Crown Prince than we do. What do you think of the Emperor's treatment of the Crown Prince?"
Aside from the private matters concerning Empress Xie, the Eldest Princess, the Princesses, and the Consorts that were inconvenient to disclose to Xiao Yu, Luo Fu and Xiao Yu could talk about almost anything. Although Xiao Yu was a loyal and upright official who never considered his personal relationships with the Emperor and the princes when he was in office, Luo Fu believed that from Consort Li's perspective, she and Xiao Yu had long been considered to be part of Empress Xie and the Crown Prince's faction. Therefore, the couple needed to be mindful of the father-son relationship between Emperor Xianping and the Crown Prince.
Xiao Yu: "...The Emperor will indeed not ask the Crown Prince to play Cuju with him, but the Emperor will regularly test the Crown Prince's studies every month. Whenever there are important national affairs, the Emperor will also call the Crown Prince to attend to the government. So you, the Eldest Princess, and the Princess can rest assured. The Emperor is always cultivating the Crown Prince as the heir apparent. His affection for the Second Prince and other younger princes is purely a father's love for his youngest son."
Hearing this, Luo Fu was indeed relieved.
Two days later, Xiao Yu brought back another message, saying that the Emperor Xianping had selected several officials to accompany him on a horse race the next morning, and had also summoned the Crown Prince to accompany him.
The fact that the second prince, who was only nine years old, could not do horse racing shows that Emperor Xianping had a close relationship with each of his princes.
Luo Fu felt more at ease and asked Xiao Yu, "Did they ask you to go?"
A hint of helplessness crept onto Xiao Yu's handsome and refined face. As a subject, being neglected and alienated by the emperor was certainly not a good thing, but being too favored by the emperor wasn't necessarily all good either. For example, tomorrow he would have to leave his bed early to accompany Emperor Xianping on horseback for at least an hour. Normally, Xiao Yu didn't like riding horses when visiting his parents-in-law in Ganquan Town; riding was bumpy and tiring, definitely not a pastime he preferred.
Luo Fu laughed at him: "You're acting innocent after getting a good deal. If Father came, he would definitely not mind being summoned by the Emperor to accompany him."
Xiao Yu rolled over and pinned his wife down, looking into her bright eyes and saying, "I prefer to be with my wife."
Luo Fu: "..."
.
In early August, when the weather was no longer so hot, Emperor Xianping decided to hold a hunt in the Western Garden, and then the imperial entourage would return to the capital in two days.
Although Xiao Yu knew some martial arts, only the Xiao family knew this. Xiao Yu usually didn't show off in public, so Emperor Xianping didn't ask Xiao Yu to accompany him on the hunt. Instead, Xiao Lin, who was in charge of the Vermilion Bird Guard, was assigned to protect Emperor Xianping. Xiao Hu was in charge of the Western Camp and did not come to the palace with the emperor this time.
Consort Li learned of the Emperor's hunting plans before Luo Fu did. On that day, she summoned her mother, Lady Chen, the wife of the Duke of Dingguo, to her palace under the pretext of admiring flowers.
The second prince, the second princess, and the fourth prince went outside to have some fun. Consort Li ordered her trusted confidants to keep watch outside, while the mother and daughter moved into the inner room to talk.
Consort Li was both nervous and excited. She whispered to her mother, "Mother, the Crown Prince will also be participating in this hunt. He's only seventeen, and his horsemanship isn't as good as his academics. What if he falls off his horse..."
Madam Chen quickly reached out and pressed her hand to her daughter's lips. She walked quietly to the door and window of the inner room, then returned to her daughter's side and sat down next to Consort Li. She whispered, "I also hope for such a wonderful thing, but we can only hope that fate will bring him down. We must not act rashly. There are many people in the palace, including the Emperor and Empress's spies around you. If you dare to have such thoughts, you will be handing over your own incriminating evidence."
Consort Li: "I certainly won't do it, I hope Mother..."
Madam Chen glared sternly at her daughter: "What do you expect me to do? I am indeed in charge of the inner quarters of the Duke's mansion now, but all the guards in the Duke's mansion listen to your father and his brothers, including the military officers under your father who accompanied the emperor this time. If I were to give them orders, it would be tantamount to asking your father for a letter of divorce."
Her husband, Li Wei, was a great general who was devoted to protecting the country. When the old Duke was alive, her husband was often away guarding the border. The couple didn't have much affection for each other to begin with, and being separated for a long time made them more like strangers. Even though her husband had returned to the capital in recent years, he never took pride in his daughter becoming a favored concubine in the palace. Instead, he often admonished her to be careful with her words and actions, including advising her to be a virtuous concubine in the harem and not to have any ambition to overstep her bounds or compete for favor.
Madam Chen didn’t even dare to tell her husband her secret wish that the second prince could seize the throne, so how could she ask him to help frame the crown prince?
Consort Li quickly grasped her mother's hand and coaxed, "I know Mother's difficulties. I didn't mean to alarm Father. But my eldest and second brothers are here. Arrows have no eyes in the hunting grounds. With their martial arts skills, they might be able to startle the Crown Prince's horse without anyone noticing..."
Whether her elder brothers take matters into their own hands or use their connections to arrange for reliable people to do it, as long as things go well, her second prince will be the definite candidate for the new crown prince. At that time, not only will she be able to gain status through her son, but her two elder brothers will also become prospective imperial brothers-in-law.
Ms. Chen was of one mind with her daughter, but she preferred to proceed cautiously rather than put her two sons in danger.
“If you don’t want anyone to know, then don’t do it in the first place. To plot against the Crown Prince is too risky. I won’t do something foolish like you.” Madam Chen firmly refused her daughter.
Consort Li released her mother's hand in disappointment, tilted her head and sulked: "It's risky, but it's also the most likely way to succeed. Otherwise, what's the use of me carefully whispering in the Emperor's ear? Mother doesn't know, it's true that the Emperor is attracted to my beauty, but he treats me more like a plaything. It's fine if I act cute and throw a tantrum with him, but as soon as I try to provoke the Empress, he immediately turns cold, as if the Empress is a piece of his flesh that I can't even touch."
Over the years, she taught her three children to be very good at pleasing Emperor Xianping, but the four of them together never wavered in Emperor Xianping's heart towards Empress Xie and the Crown Prince.
Madam Chen understood her daughter's anxiety and patiently comforted her, saying, "Don't be anxious. Think about the former Crown Prince. He served as Crown Prince steadily for over thirty years, but he was still deposed. The Emperor is only in his early forties now, and he has a long life ahead of him. You can just continue to slowly whisper sweet nothings in his ear. Maybe one day the Empress and the Crown Prince will do something wrong, and you can seize the opportunity to sow discord, and things will be settled. Isn't that better than risking your life and future?"
Consort Li understood this principle, but she was anxious and wished she could become Empress right now, and that her second son could become Crown Prince.
Madam Chen touched her daughter's young and beautiful face and said with a smile, "You should learn from the Empress's strengths. Look at her, she doesn't feel jealous no matter which concubine the Emperor goes to. As the saying goes, a broad mind makes one plump, no wonder she doesn't look old even though she's almost forty."
The imperial palace and noble families were never short of beauties, but even Chen had to admit that Empress Xie's cold, moon-like charm was truly unique in the capital. Who wouldn't love the high and mighty moon? Men, on the other hand, are even more fickle; the more submissive a man is like a daughter, the less desirable he is. Empress Xie's unassuming and uncompetitive demeanor was what allowed her to hold Emperor Xianping's heart for longer.
Consort Li bit her lip. She had tried to emulate Empress Xie, but Emperor Xianping saw through her intentions at a glance and advised her not to imitate her.
.
On the day the emperor and his entourage went hunting, Empress Xie, the three consorts, and the accompanying imperial relatives and officials' wives also waited outside the hunting grounds. The grass was lush and green, and each table was set with fresh fruits, tea, and pastries. Eating and enjoying the scenery did not feel boring.
Hunting also has its auspicious times. Before the appointed time, Emperor Xianping and his ministers who were about to go hunting would sit at a table, drinking tea and chatting.
Luo Fu sat with Cheng Jie'er next to Princess Kangping, very close to Emperor Xianping and Empress Xie. Luo Fu did not dare to spy on the emperor too often, but she did admire the Crown Prince's handsome appearance. Today, the Crown Prince was wearing a suit of armor, which added a touch of heroism to his ethereal aura.
"Cheng-jie, come here!"
Suddenly, the little princess beside Princess Yi'an leaned over and sweetly called out to Cheng'er.
Chengjie looked up at her mother.
Luo Fu smiled and helped her daughter to her feet.
Emperor Xianping's gaze was drawn to his granddaughter's voice. Watching Xiao Yu and his wife's daughter walk towards her, Emperor Xianping couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yu, who was sitting among the civil officials. Looking at Xiao Yu, then at his own armor, Emperor Xianping subtly glanced at Empress Xie.
Empress Xie loved fine poems, lyrics, calligraphy, and paintings. Emperor Xianping considered himself to be quite talented, but as a prince, he could not participate in the imperial examinations. Therefore, Emperor Xianping's talent could not compare with that of Xiao Yu, Pei Xingshu, and other top scholars in each examination. Sometimes, when he heard Empress Xie praising the talent of a minister in the dynasty, Emperor Xianping felt a little jealous.
Today's hunt was excellent; all the talented civil officials had no opportunity to use their skills, but he could display his prowess before Empress Xie.
When the appointed time arrived, Emperor Xianping, who was forty-three years old but still tall and robust, set off in a grand procession with his crown prince and a group of military officers on horseback.
Empress Xie glanced at them a few times before turning her gaze away, listening with a smile to the innocent words of the little princess and Cheng'er.
The young princess asked, "Why didn't your father go hunting?"
Cheng-jie: "My father doesn't like riding horses."
Inside the paddock.
With limited prey, the military officers who entered the arena wisely reserved the best prey for Emperor Xianping, and would not make a move even if they encountered it.
Emperor Xianping was also accompanied by generals such as Li Wei. These generals were there to protect the emperor and would not take action themselves.
Regardless of what his ministers thought, Emperor Xianping enthusiastically displayed his archery skills. Noticing that the Crown Prince was always by his side, Emperor Xianping laughed and said, "You're so young, go hunt in your own direction. I don't need you to protect me."
The Crown Prince said, "Your subject prefers to admire Your Majesty's heroic figure."
In truth, he had no interest in the pleasure of competing with a group of people for prey in a hunting ground. Rather than running around and getting covered in dust, he preferred to stay by his father's side.
Emperor Xianping was unaware of his son's thoughts. It was rare to hear his taciturn eldest son say something nice, so Emperor Xianping was quite pleased. He then told the crown prince to stay close to him and occasionally gave his eldest son some pointers on riding and archery. In the eyes of the group of generals, this appeared to be a scene of fatherly love and filial piety, a picture of harmony and happiness.
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Author's Note: Here it is! 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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