Chapter 280 The Crown Princess

April 16th, early morning sun.

But today's morning court did not start as scheduled. The ministers did not wait for the emperor to come out. Instead, they waited for the chief eunuch Deqing to announce that the emperor was ill and needed to rest for a few days, so this morning court was cancelled.

The emperor is ill, this is no small matter, the ministers are like flies without a master, He Taifu stepped forward and said: "Don't panic, everyone. I saw the emperor yesterday, I think the emperor is not seriously ill, everyone should return to their respective posts and do what they should do."

Xie Hui went to Deqing and asked him, "Did the emperor say he would not see anyone?"

"Your Majesty did say that, but you are not included in this. Your Majesty just has a cold, which is not serious. He had a headache when he woke up this morning, so the imperial physician told Your Majesty to rest well for a few days and try not to overwork himself."

Xie Hui felt relieved after hearing this. Both publicly and privately, he didn't want anything to go wrong with the emperor.

Xie Hui followed Deqing to the outside of Zhaoming Palace, where he happened to meet Concubine Mei coming out.

Meipin first bowed to Xie Hui, and Xie Hui turned aside.

"General Manager De, the emperor has taken medicine and may be resting."

"Thank you, Concubine Lao Mei. The Emperor has instructed that if Master Xie comes, just let him in."

When Concubine Mei heard what Deqing said, she said nothing more and left with the palace maids.

When Xie Hui came in, the emperor was sitting cross-legged on the couch with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes when he heard the movement and asked, "Have you come to see uncle yet?"

"Yes, are you feeling better?"

"It was nothing to begin with, but the imperial physician insisted on making a fuss out of it. But it's not bad this way. My illness is a good opportunity for me to see if anyone is restless."

Xie Hui actually felt that he shouldn't listen to such words...but if the emperor insisted, he couldn't stop him.

"After hearing this, the eldest, second, and third brothers will definitely want to come over, right?"

Deqing stepped forward and replied, "Yes, I have already ordered people to stop them as you said."

Xie Hui suddenly felt helpless. He wanted to see him but didn't want to see the three princes. Xie Hui stood up and said, "Uncle, if you have nothing to do, you can go back first. Jingzhao Prefecture is very busy."

"Well, let's go back."

After thanking him and leaving, the emperor asked Deqing, "Didn't the queen and the noble concubine say they wanted to come and see me?"

Deqing said cautiously: "I think it's because you specifically instructed that the concubines in the harem must not come to the Zhaoming Palace unless necessary..."

"Did I say that? Even if I did, why didn't the Queen come to see me when I was sick? Concubine Mei even brought me some soup."

"Well, I heard that the Queen Mother has summoned the imperial physician who examined you to consult."

Deqing was sweating profusely, but at this moment, news came from outside that the Empress had arrived. Deqing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the Emperor.

"Let the Queen come in."

"Your Majesty, how did you get sick? I was really shocked. Fortunately, the imperial physician said it was not serious."

"The Queen is thoughtful."

The Queen looked at the bowl of soup that Meipin had brought to her on the table. "Who brought this soup? Your Majesty, I have asked the Imperial Physician, and it is said that you just caught a cold at night, and you are not seriously ill. This soup looks like a bunch of tonics, and it would be bad for you if you drink it. I don't know what to eat, so I didn't bring it to you. Your Majesty should listen to the Imperial Physician."

"I understand. I'm not in any serious trouble. Your Majesty, please go back first."

"yes."

The queen returned to her palace and said to those around her, "This Meipin seems to be well-behaved on weekdays, could it be that she has some thoughts now?"

"Your Majesty, Concubine Mei's Sixth Prince was always said to look like the Emperor in his early years, but then no one mentioned it anymore for some reason. I can't be sure what Concubine Mei is thinking."

"Let's wait and see. The emperor's condition today doesn't look simple. How can he be so ill that he can't attend court?"

Lu Yi then said to the Queen, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Emperor only met with Master Xie from the Princess's family this morning."

"Yes." The Queen smiled and said, "The Emperor really loves Youqi. When I was young, I really doubted whether the Emperor's feelings towards Princess Kangle were..."

The queen shook her head before she finished speaking, "I thought too much. It's quite funny now that I think about it."

Lu Yi had been by the Empress's side for a long time, so naturally she had heard such rumors, but she did not dare to say anything about such matters.

The queen sighed, "If I were asked to start over, I would also like to live a life like Princess Kangle. So what if I were the queen? In this deep palace, women suffer the most."

…

"What is the emperor up to again? Who told him to have so many children? There is only one position of crown prince, so he should have snatched it up? At this age, he is still calculating his own children. It's really... he should just calculate himself, why drag you into it?" Princess Kangle stood up angrily and tapped her son's head, "You too, why are you getting involved? You are not allowed to get involved in such things."

"Mother, I don't want to interfere. My uncle really loves me. Isn't it my duty to go and see him? Besides, it's a good thing if the emperor is not seriously ill. Now that the crown prince has not been appointed, if the emperor is really seriously ill, Dazhao will really be in chaos."

"Mother didn't tell you not to worry. Why don't you just tell her to go check on him? Anyway, you should stay out of it. If something gets out, your father will cry in the middle of the night again."

Thank you: ...

This was the first time he knew about this. He knew about the nonsense outside, but he didn't know that his father had shed tears because of this.

"Why? Are you surprised? Your dad was so cute when he was young. When your mom gave birth to you, he started crying right after she gave birth to you. When your grandparents saw your dad crying, they thought something had happened to me when I gave birth to you. Your grandmother almost fainted on the spot."

Xie Hui used to think that his father liked to talk about the things he did with his mother when he was young, but now he suddenly feels that they both like to talk about it.

"Mom, don't worry, I will be careful in the future."

"Well, but I guess the crown prince will soon be revealed, and it may not be the crown prince."

After all, they had a friendship that began when they were children, and it had to be said that Princess Kangle knew the emperor quite well.

April 26th was the day for another court meeting.

After the emperor arrived, he said nothing and directly asked someone to read out the imperial edict, which appointed Princess Zhaoyang as the crown princess.

This event, which will definitely be recorded in the history of the Jokhang Empire, was not as thrilling as later generations thought when it happened.

At least there wasn't a scene where the historians lined up to bang their heads against the pillars to protest their crimes.

The first thing that came to most ministers’ minds upon hearing the imperial edict was—it was actually Princess Zhaoyang?!

The next thought was - it might not be impossible.