When Gu Jiu walked out of the bedroom, he felt two pounds lighter.
When she saw Chen Dachang, she said, "Your Majesty, please ask the eunuch to come in and serve."
"Madam Zhao, are you going to leave the palace? I will arrange for someone to escort Madam Zhao out of the palace right away."
Chen Dachang was very polite.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Chen."
She followed the eunuch out of Xingqing Palace and saw Concubine Li De and the little prince asking for an audience.
When Concubine Li De saw Gu Jiu walking out of Xingqing Palace, there was an undisguised look of surprise on her face.
"Madam Zhao?"
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort."
Concubine Li De frowned, "Why are you here?"
"His Majesty summoned you to inquire about the resettlement of refugees. Does Empress Defei want to come in?" Gu Jiu looked at the other party with a smile.
Concubine Li De was shocked and confused.
It's already this late, and Your Majesty still cares about the refugees outside the city.
Shouldn’t we consider appointing a crown prince?
"Your Majesty only asked you about the resettlement of refugees?"
"Your Majesty, do you think there are other issues besides the resettlement of refugees? You are overthinking it."
Gu Jiu looked at the other person with a smile.
Concubine Li De smiled and said, "Madam, you have done a great service by settling the refugees."
"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness. If you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
Gu Jiu nodded slightly and left quickly.
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Concubine Li De's mind. She only came to her senses when the eunuch informed her that she could bring the little prince in to meet His Majesty.
She took the little prince's hand and walked into the bedroom.
"Call Father!"
The little prince was very cute. He was so small that he couldn't speak clearly. "Greetings to the Emperor, Father."
The little prince was dressed in thick clothes, like a bun. He bent over to carry his luggage and rolled directly to the ground.
Concubine Li De was extremely nervous, but the emperor was delighted. He waved his hand and had the little prince brought to him.
The little prince looked at the emperor curiously, his eyes wide open with distinct black and white, innocent and pure.
The emperor's heart, which had been through many vicissitudes of life, was comforted.
Children are the most innocent and beautiful things in the world.
It’s a pity that he no longer has the chance to watch the little prince grow up.
However, the little prince will definitely not be as cute as he is now when he grows up.
The emperor stretched out his left hand and touched the little prince's cheek.
The old man's hands don't make people feel comfortable.
The little prince was a little resistant.
Concubine Li De was so worried that she almost scolded the little prince.
Fortunately, the little prince did not suffer or dodge.
The emperor tried hard to put on a smile, but it frightened the little prince.
The little prince shrank his body and tried to hide.
Concubine Li De was anxious. "The child is too young and ignorant. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's alright. He can't even speak clearly, so why would I bother with him?"
Concubine Li De breathed a sigh of relief.
"By next year, the child should be able to start elementary education."
Concubine Li De hurriedly said, "Your Majesty will have to take the trouble to personally select two teachers for the child."
The emperor nodded and said, "If I could live to see that day, I would choose a teacher for him."
"Your Majesty, may you live a long life and will surely recover."
The emperor looked at Concubine Li De and said, "Don't bring him out in the future. Just behave yourself."
Concubine Li De's face turned pale in an instant, and her heart sank.
"I obey your order!" Concubine Li De suppressed all her thoughts and bowed in agreement. However, her trembling voice still revealed her reluctance.
The emperor didn't care about Concubine Li De's attitude. He just gave her a meaningful look and said, "As a prince, you will have a life of wealth and glory. Just don't do anything beyond your duty."
Concubine Li De lowered her head timidly, not daring to meet the emperor's gaze. "Your Majesty is right. I will definitely teach the little prince well and make him behave himself."
The emperor said "hmm", teased the child for a while, and then sent the mother and child away.
"Back off."
"I obey your command!"
Concubine Li De held the little prince's hand and hesitated for a moment, "Will the little prince still be able to come and pay his respects to His Majesty in the future?"
The emperor looked at the soft and adorable little prince, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "When I miss him, I will send someone to bring him here."
Concubine Li De became cheerful again, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Brother Hao, quickly thank your father."
The cute little prince was very obedient. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, I thank you, Father."
As a result, because he was wearing too many clothes, he accidentally rolled to the ground, which caused a lot of people to laugh in a good-natured way.
Even the emperor smiled.
Concubine Li De smiled and pleaded for the little prince. After receiving the emperor's forgiveness, she picked up the little prince and left the bedroom.
Outside the bedroom.
"Let's give the Queen a ride."
Minister Shen volunteered.
Concubine Li De declined for a while before agreeing to let Changshi Shen send her out.
The two walked one in front and one behind until they reached the gate of Xingqing Palace.
"Go slowly, Madam!"
"Eunuch Shen, please go back."
Concubine Li De's eyes and eyebrows were full of charm, and in a blink of an eye she turned into the dignified Concubine De.
"His Majesty likes the little prince very much, Your Majesty should relax." Changshi Shen said casually.
Concubine Li De nodded and touched the little prince's head. "This child is a blessing. I firmly believe this."
Shen Changshi smiled and said, "The weather is cold, Your Majesty, please go back early."
"Thank you, Eunuch Shen."
"You're welcome, my lady."
The two of them exchanged some riddles and then left.
When Chen Dachang was resting, a eunuch came to his side and said, "Sir, Eunuch Shen took the initiative to escort Concubine De out, and the two of them even exchanged a few words at the palace gate."
"What did you say?"
The eunuch repeated the conversation between Minister Shen and Concubine Li De.
After hearing this, Chen Dachang smiled coldly, "Don't worry about them. It's not our turn to worry about their affairs for the time being."
It wasn't the first day that Concubine Li De and Minister Shen had been flirting with each other.
Now that the emperor has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed on one side, these two are even more eager to cause trouble.
Let’s make trouble, Chen Dachang is not worried at all.
Because the ones who really need to worry about these two people causing trouble are not him, but the princes and grandchildren of the emperor.
Concubine Li De wanted to support the little prince to ascend to the throne. Aren’t his biggest competitors the princes who are rushing to the capital?
As long as all the princes died, the throne would naturally fall on the youngest prince.
Chen Dachang laughed sarcastically, thinking that Concubine Li De was too bold.
There are more than ten adult princes, and you still want to catch them all in one fell swoop. Do you really think that the royal palaces and princes' palaces are vegetarians?
Even if the princes were really dead and the throne really fell on the little prince, Concubine Li De would still be dead.
The emperor would kill this vicious woman with his last breath to prevent the little prince from being controlled by her and the Liu family's empire from becoming the Li family's empire.
As for Changshi Shen, he was trying to get the skin of a tiger. When the critical moment came, he would be the first to die.
Chen Dachang instructed the eunuchs to keep an eye on Concubine Li De and Shen Changshi and report any developments promptly. Besides that, they were not allowed to do anything extra.
The princes haven't returned to the capital yet, so it's too early to do anything now.
However, he could do a favor and sell the information to the various royal palaces and princes' palaces.
…
Gu Jiu walked out of the palace and breathed a long sigh of relief.
The palace is really not a place for people to stay.
Beside the carriage stood a familiar person.
When Gu Jiu saw him, he immediately smiled brightly.
She walked over, looked up and asked, "Why are you here?"
Liu Zhao smiled and said, "I'll take you home."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "If I remember correctly, this is the first time you came to the palace gate to pick me up."
"I'll come every time from now on."
"That's not necessary. I was just talking casually."
The two got into the carriage together.
The carriage moved forward slowly, not in a hurry.
Gu Jiu looked at him, "Aren't you going to ask me?"
"There's no rush." Liu Zhao held her hand, seemingly not caring about the emperor's summons.
Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow and observed his expression carefully, "You are pretending so well, I thought you really didn't care."
Liu Zhao smiled and said, "You should believe me. I care about you more. As long as you are safe, that is more important than anything else."
Gu Jiu lowered her head and smiled. She liked hearing this.
It turns out that everyone likes to hear sweet words.
She smiled and took the initiative to bring up the matter of meeting the emperor, "Your Majesty is very concerned about the refugees outside the city, and he knows that I am the only one who sincerely wants to resettle them.
If it were anyone else, you can guess how miserable the fate of those refugees would be.
In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Nanchengmenwai project and to ensure that I can firmly control the Nanchengmenwai project no matter what happens, His Majesty intends to establish a county outside Nanchengmenwai in advance. I took the opportunity to recommend Gu Yu, the fourth brother.
"Did the Royal Grandfather agree to your request?"
"As long as Fourth Brother Gu is truly capable, this matter is almost settled."
Although he was just a county magistrate, the emperor was still able to make decisions on his own.
"Now you can rest assured. No one will come to hinder the project outside the South City Gate."
Gu Jiu smiled and nodded.
After a moment's hesitation, she said, "His Majesty is considering appointing a crown prince, but it's clear he hasn't made up his mind yet."
"Oh? What did the royal grandfather say?"
Liu Zhao couldn't help but think of what Lin Shuping said about watching the emperor's grandson.
Is it because the emperor’s grandfather couldn’t make up his mind that he wanted to test his grandson?
But isn't it a little late?
Elderly people with hemiplegia have a limited lifespan.
Maybe one day he will be gone.
If the crown prince is not chosen early, the capital will be in chaos.
Gu Jiu shook his head, some things still could not be said.
Because Liu Zhao was in the middle of the situation, he couldn't see the situation clearly.
She couldn't mislead Liu Zhao.
She said, "I can tell from your tone and attitude that you haven't made up your mind yet and are very conflicted."
Liu Zhao nodded.
My great-grandfather always thought that he had another ten or twenty years to live, so he naturally never seriously thought about appointing a crown prince.
Now that the time has come to appoint a crown prince, it is naturally difficult to make a decision.
Father must come back soon and make arrangements soon.
The couple returned to the palace, and Liu Zhao accompanied Gu Jiu in playing with the children, looking completely focused.
He doesn't care about the turmoil outside.
Gu Jiu was almost fooled by him.
After dinner, Liu Zhao made an excuse to leave the upper room and returned to the Wenshuyuan.
Guard Zhao San bowed and stood by, "Please give your instructions, sir."
Liu Zhao's eyes were deep and his expression was serious. "Send out Teams A1, A2, and A3. Team A1 will be responsible for protecting the prince. Teams A2 and A3 will be responsible for sniping and delaying. We must ensure that the prince is the first to return to the capital, and we must not let anyone else get there first."
Zhao San bowed and accepted the order. Before leaving, he asked, "What if you encounter any obstacles?"
Liu Zhao remained calm and restrained, "Kill without mercy!"
"Then if Your Highnesses..."
"Just make sure you don't die. It doesn't matter if you get injured or disabled." Liu Zhao decisively interrupted Zhao San.
It has come to the final moment. All the tenderness and warmth are fake. Only interests and the chair in the palace are real.
As a prince, you should be prepared to be killed.
Moreover, he did not intend to kill the uncles, but only to injure or cripple them.
He has been very kind.
Upon receiving the order, Zhao San quickly retreated and personally led his men out of the capital.
Qian Fu quietly approached Liu Zhao and said, "Sir, the other royal palaces have begun to move. According to my investigation, no less than ten waves of people have left the capital today alone."
"Prince Zhao's Mansion or Prince Yan's Mansion?"
"There's the Zhao Wang Mansion, the Yan Wang Mansion, and the other princes' mansions. Also, someone in the palace has sent a message, urging you to be careful of Concubine Li De. Some people suspect that Concubine Li De might have assassins outside."
Liu Zhao sneered, "A mere Concubine Li De has only been in power for a few years. With her financial resources and influence, even if she raises assassins, she won't be able to achieve anything."
"Young Master, you better be careful. As the old saying goes, a swarm of ants can kill an elephant."
Liu Zhao nodded. "You're right to remind me. I can't be careless. It's time to take action against the spies in the palace."
Qian Fu bowed and accepted the order, "I will arrange it right away."
…
In the following days, the capital was unusually quiet.
Even the palace was too quiet.
But beneath the calm surface of the lake, huge waves had already begun to surge.
Because the emperor was paralyzed on his right side, he was unable to review memorials personally and could only ask someone to dictate them for him.
The imperial physician repeatedly emphasized that if the emperor wanted to relieve his stroke, he must rest.
The emperor compromised and only reviewed a small number of memorials and handled some military and national affairs every day. Other matters were left to the court officials to handle, and the results would be reviewed by him after they were completed.
The court officials were very satisfied with the current situation.
The emperor no longer acted arbitrarily and seemed to have become easier to talk to. The court officials felt like they were in charge.
I just hope this situation can continue.
Because the court officials rarely liked the emperor, they did not cause him any trouble.
Even the matter of appointing a crown prince was not urged so strongly.
At worst, we can wait until the princes return to the capital and then discuss the matter of appointing a crown prince.
Of course, the real reason why the court officials relaxed was that the emperor seemed to be able to live for another year or two.
With a year or two, a crown prince will be appointed.
After having a crown prince, the emperor can also meet his ancestors and vacate the throne.
The Son of Heaven was emperor for thirty-seven years, which was really too long.
It is time to appoint a new emperor and bring a new look to the world.
The emperor knew exactly what his court officials were thinking.
Most people hoped he would die, but he didn't.
Only a few people hoped that he would live a long life, such as the eunuchs around him and the Jinwu Guards.
The Jinwu Guards have completely replaced the Imperial Guards and are stationed at the Xingqing Palace.
I guarantee that without their permission, not even an ant can crawl into Xingqing Palace.
…
Jiang Shuyi took a deep breath, suppressed the irritability, disgust and fear in her heart, straightened her back and walked into Ganlu Palace.
"Oh my, who was it? Isn't this Empress Shuyi? Why is Empress Shuyi here again?"
The palace maids in Ganlu Palace were laughing and cursing, not taking Jiang Shuyi seriously at all.
Jiang Shuyi looked weak and said with her head lowered, "The Imperial Concubine summoned me."
"Since the Queen has called you here, why don't you hurry over."
"You dare to make the Queen wait? You are really not afraid of death."
"I'm used to being a queen, how can I be used to being a slave?"
"That's right, she doesn't even behave like a servant. I think I should tell the queen and ask the nanny to discipline her properly."
Jiang Shuyi turned a deaf ear to the insults from the crowd.
Nowadays, nothing is more important than saving your life.
She has no children, and her family still depends on her. It's good enough that she doesn't hold them back.
Your Majesty has suffered a stroke and is now suffering from hemiplegia. I'm afraid he won't live long.
If something happens in the palace, will she still be able to survive?
Relying on Concubine Xue, even if it is unbearable, is better than death.
As long as you keep your life, there will always be a chance to make a comeback.
Even if I can't make a comeback, it would be good to be able to leave the palace and live a life of wealth and honor in anonymity.
Jiang Shuyi already has clear plans for the future.
Before the emperor passed away, she would obediently follow Concubine Xue's orders.
"Your servant greets the Empress!"
As if returning to the days when she was a palace maid, Jiang Shuyi knelt on the ground with a humble attitude.
“Here it comes!”
Concubine Xue smiled, as if she were examining a piece of merchandise. "How are you doing lately?"
"Thanks to the Majesty, I am doing well recently."
Concubine Xue smiled and asked, "Then shouldn't you report something to me?"
Here it comes, here it comes!
Jiang Shuyi's heart trembled, "Please give your orders, Madam."
Concubine Xue clapped her hands, and immediately a palace maid brought out a box of incense.
Concubine Xue smiled and said, "This is the latest incense I have acquired. Please take it to Concubine Xiao Shu, Concubine Li De, and all the other concubines."
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