Chapter 79: The Great Succession Struggle in the Capital (Sanming)...
The jade-colored bottle, with its small mouth and large belly, contains the famous "Bai Du Chun Lao" from the capital, with a rich and fragrant aroma and a pure and delicious taste.
A well-maintained, beautiful, and fair hand picked up the jade bottle, poured a full cup of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. The beautiful figure sitting in the palace, pouring herself a drink, was none other than the Empress who had dismissed all the palace servants.
Sick people should not drink alcohol.
So... of course she wasn't sick.
The Empress raised her eyelids, revealing a pair of cold eyes burning with a fierce ambition. If His Majesty were to see this side of her, he would be utterly astonished, bewildered, and shocked by how different she was from her usual self.
But the Queen herself didn't feel any different... or rather, she felt great.
Yesterday, the Empress Dowager's loving yet earnest words echoed in my ears: "I can't manage everything, but we can't let things get so ugly, can we? You all need to recover quickly and go and discipline those unruly children!"
"Yes," the Empress replied sincerely.
But when she turned to leave, all that remained was a barely concealed gritted teeth, which was only revealed by a slight twitch of her cheek: "..."
She did want to control her wayward son, but her "illness" was just an act to prevent him from running wild. If she were to recover, that stupid boy would be even more disobedient!
Her sixth son was young and the legitimate heir, a perfect hand. If she could just hold her ground, wouldn't she gradually secure the throne? That fool, however, was impetuous. Last autumn, she feigned illness to temper his temper for a while, but by winter, he couldn't hold back and jumped out again—now he's been tricked and suffered a terrible setback, and is being relentlessly targeted by the First Prince and the Third Prince, right?
The feud between two princes who were already married has dragged in a young prince who is still studying!
The Empress immediately feigned illness, forcing her son to return and attend to her, thus passively avoiding the most intense period of her illness. But after repeated attempts, the Empress grew somewhat desperate and couldn't help but harbor doubts: she always felt the child was still too young, too young. But he was already ten years old, yet he lacked even the slightest ability to handle intrigue and cultivate patience. With such a temperament, how could he possibly deal with his pack of wolves and tigers?
Yesterday, she gritted her teeth and left the Empress Dowager's palace, followed by the divine physician who was supposedly temporarily assigned to her to recuperate, and returned to the palace.
The empress had not paid any attention to this country doctor.
Even the best doctors, when examining the Empress's pulse, would pause for a moment before saying she was weak and shouldn't overwork or overthink, and advised her to keep warm in winter, and then prescribe some remedies before having nothing else to do. She insisted she felt deeply tired and unable to get up to handle affairs of state; could the doctors possibly say she wasn't ill?
But when they arrived at the palace, and the Empress had only a few trusted confidants by her side, the sprightly old physician whispered to her, "Your Majesty, I have a way to help His Highness avoid this mess, but I don't know if Your Majesty is willing to do so."
The Empress looked at him with suspicion, then recalled for a moment: "...You, you traveled all the way back from Lingnan a few months ago?"
The young master of the Li family went to great lengths to bring this renowned doctor back. This old doctor had connections with the Empress Dowager's family and had been loyal to her from the beginning. Why was he suddenly showing her such kindness?
The Empress calmly pondered.
"I don't want to see Your Majesty so troubled, as it's not good for her condition," Doctor Bian said, adopting the righteous and convincing demeanor he usually displayed when speaking to patients' families, his voice filled with worry. "Besides—this is just a suggestion, and how Your Majesty adopts it is none of my concern. However, if Your Majesty finds my words reasonable, I hope you will do me a favor in the future."
The Empress's father was the Governor-General of the Outer Waterways, a position of considerable power. This physician, who loved to travel, had many opportunities to rely on his family's influence.
Empress: "..."
Hearing this made her feel much more relaxed.
It's easier if you have a request.
Moreover… she recalled the Empress Dowager's usual demeanor. Although the Empress Dowager disliked crowds and interacting with them, she did indeed show more favor to her sixth son, whom she had given birth to, among the princes. She usually didn't concern herself with anything and trusted her, the Empress, implicitly.
This time, the princes have gone too far. If the Empress Dowager is already troubled by this, it wouldn't be surprising if she leaned towards her favorite Empress and the sixth prince, sending her people to offer some guidance—or if the Empress Dowager's people saw this and offered to help.
As the Empress recalled the Empress Dowager's expression when she recommended the old doctor to her, she began to understand.
She took a small breath: "Go ahead and say it."
...
Having made up her mind, the Queen happily finished the whole pot of wine today.
When the Sixth Prince rushed in upon hearing that something was wrong, even the child's voice panicked: "Mother! You're still sick, how can you drink alcohol?"
The boy, who was only half a child, already looked like a teenager. He was usually a bit impatient, but his current panic and worry were genuine. He lunged forward to snatch the wine glass, only to find that the bottle was already empty.
The Empress's face was flushed, a sign of slight intoxication. The Sixth Prince, however, hadn't seen his mother look so radiant in a long time, and he panicked even more: "...I'll go find that miracle doctor!"
"Don't go, my son." The Empress's tone was like ice colliding, both cold and decisive. She smiled and stated her meaning directly, "Being seriously ill is my plan."
"Mother... Empress?"
“I have always taught you not to rush. Now is not the time for you to rush. Who sits on that throne depends on your father, not on who jumps the highest. You never listen... cough cough.” The Empress coughed a few times in a serious manner. “This time you have fallen so badly. If this continues, as the eldest son, you will not be able to save your life.”
"..." The Sixth Prince lowered his head, unable to refute, and clenched his fists helplessly.
He admitted that he had been too hasty in the past, giving his third brother the opportunity to shine, which led his eldest brother to believe that he had secretly plotted against him. Now he had no way to explain himself. He could only stay dejectedly in his mother's palace, attending to her illness and avoiding her suffering... How hateful! Waiting until his mother recovered...
"I know what you're thinking." The Empress saw right through her foolish son's thoughts, and now she was so angry that she had become calm. Doctor Bian was right; she had to leave this child a way out, and forcing him wouldn't work.
The Empress coughed heavily—nothing more, she just needed to lean against the window and drink some wine while enjoying the cool breeze, and she would cough naturally: "Cough cough cough... As long as you don't get rid of your impatience, your mother's illness will never get better, do you understand?"
"Mother!" Now it was the sixth prince's turn to panic.
Isn't the Empress Dowager's meaning that as long as he doesn't change his ways, she will keep exhausting herself? Because when a prince is seriously ill, he can ask for leave to study on his own and not go out. Only when the illness is milder can the prince return to school, but the requirements for studying and daily life are stricter than usual—for example, if he doesn't laugh, make noise, or play, or if he doesn't dress or walk with a solemn and worried expression, he will be suspected of being unfilial. He has to be on high alert at all times.
This is a good way to cool down.
Wasn't Consort Xian like that before? She was sick on and off for three or four years, and now she's afraid she'll faint just from taking a breath. If his own mother were to harden her heart and fall ill for that long... her body would be ruined beyond repair! He didn't want his mother to become like Consort Xian!
The sixth prince shuddered.
He rushed over and pleaded like a child, "Mother—I've learned my lesson this time, and I won't be so competitive anymore. Don't hurt yourself like this, I'm afraid it will get worse if it goes on..."
The Empress responded to him gently, and the mother and son resumed their warm and harmonious relationship. However, the Empress looked over her son's shoulder at the treetops on the distant palace wall: "..."
The New Year is approaching.
As the Empress, it's uncertain whether she can fulfill her duties. Is Consort Rong so eager to get better?
Then, when it came time to go and pay respects to our ancestors... she still drafted the list of names.
The Empress lowered her eyes, already making plans in her mind.
Yes—using her own serious illness to control the prince was merely a superficial tactic. The method Doctor Bian had suggested was to send the sixth prince to the ancestral mausoleum of the Qi family during the New Year's ancestral worship ceremony. This was the place where the old dynasty rose to power, a symbolic act of suppressing the dragon's aura for generations. This would allow him to carefully observe the fates of the previous dynasty's crown princes, and then find an excuse to keep the sixth prince there—perhaps due to illness or for prayers—while also pleading with the Empress Dowager.
Fortunately, there is a renowned academy in the clan's territory, where the Sixth Prince can be immersed in learning and will not neglect his studies.
"…!" The Empress immediately understood.
Just before winter, she had heard the Empress Dowager say that she had been feeling unwell for the past two years and wanted to travel again while she was still feeling better, but unexpectedly, she fell ill in winter. Now... the Empress Dowager is also on the list of those to be worshipped at the ancestral temple this year, and it hasn't been removed yet. She finally understood why.
This is the lifeline for Xiao Liu!
...
Doctor Bian let out a sigh of relief and slumped wearily in the room assigned to him in the palace. It was right next to the Imperial Hospital, and people passing by always spoke to him in a rambling and unfounded way, their thoughts a jumble of emotions. This was why he hated going to the palace.
He's such an old man, he's really suffering a lot...
Thankfully, we're almost at the end of the tunnel.
Dr. Bian vigorously pounded his legs and calculated the time.
Around the New Year, with his help, the Empress would gradually "recover" and prepare for the ancestral worship ceremony, allowing him to gracefully retire from the capital. What followed would be none of his concern…
Although Doctor Bian has been pondering this for so long, he still can't figure it out—how could His Highness the Second Prince, who is so far away, be so sure that the Empress Dowager would be willing to get involved in this matter? Why could the Sixth Prince, who was thrown into the ancestral land, go and beg the Empress Dowager? Aren't they completely unrelated?
The idea was just Dr. Bian parroting what he'd heard; how come he couldn't understand it?
But after hearing this, the Empress suddenly realized something, and her eyes shone with a more affectionate light as she looked at him, as if she knew some inside information.
Completely bewildered, Doctor Bian: "..."
I have no idea!
Even the Second Prince's entire decision—to first ally with the Empress, stabilize the Sixth Prince, and then deal with the struggles ahead—made Doctor Bian feel that his political acumen was lacking. However, he trusted the Second Prince's decision; the Prince's request for him to do so must be beneficial to the future situation.
This young man was the future monarch they had chosen, and all he could do was... believe.
...
"Old Ma! Send this painting out for framing!" Wang Chuandao slammed his hand on the table. On the paper in front of him were colorful blocks of paint, with outlines of flowers, plants, insects, and fish drawn with fine brushes.
The manager entered as expected, carefully carrying the newly painted artwork out.
The master of the house has recently become obsessed with painting. He often sends his paintings to a framing shop to be finished, then carefully preserves them for his own enjoyment. The ladies, who come from scholarly families, shake their heads at the sight of his work, losing all interest in his aesthetic sense.
The steward couldn't tell whether a painting was good or bad, so he just thought... it was good that his master had a new hobby and was happy all day long.
He stopped thinking about it and soon delivered the painting to the destination.
In the paper-mounting shop, the painting was passed to the back room, where it passed through the hands and eyes of several people. Finally, one person examined the patterns in the painting and traced and pieced together a line of words: "Plan...?"
He seemed to be deep in thought, then instructed, "Spread the message."
Once those who were supposed to see the news knew the situation, he couldn't control what others did, but he himself... already knew how to help the new emperor's plan.
Someone from the Imperial Observatory was pondering to himself.
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Author's Note: This wave, this wave, will belong to the ultra-long-range, tacit cooperation between ruler and subject hhhhh
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