Chapter 412 Fainting
The Empress gave birth to twins; the eldest son died young, but the second daughter survived, and both mother and daughter are safe.
The Emperor was overcome with grief and ordered the Ministry of Rites to observe the funeral rites for a prince, and to suspend court for three days. The eldest prince was posthumously granted the title of Prince Huaijin.
Because the prince died young, he was not included in the order of seniority. The princess born to the Empress was granted the title of Princess Le'an.
On the day Wen Zhiming ascended the throne, in order to prevent the officials from urging him to select concubines, he mentioned in front of the officials that the child in the Empress's womb would be the future crown prince. Now that the prince has died, the officials, while lamenting and sighing, are beginning to stir up their desire to encourage the emperor to have more children and restore the imperial harem.
After the resumption of morning court sessions, ministers mentioned the selection of concubines almost every day. Wen Zhiming reprimanded and punished them, but the matter persisted.
The officials secretly colluded, each pleading for leniency. Knowing that Wen Zhiming would not punish them all for this matter, they used every trick in the book, their silver tongues flowing, determined to achieve their goal.
After Meng Lingge was officially enthroned, the officials, citing the vacancy of the crown prince and the emperor's lack of a harem, petitioned the empress to conceive an heir as soon as her health recovered, in order to ensure the stability of the country.
Wen Zhiming couldn't bear to see Meng Lingge suffer from pregnancy again so soon, and the imperial physicians advised the Empress that this childbirth had greatly depleted her vitality and that it would take two years to recover. Therefore, he was furious when he saw these memorials and rejected all of them with an imperial edict.
During the morning court session, it was strictly forbidden to mention this matter again.
The ministers were extremely worried about this. They were not allowed to mention it during the morning court session, so they would sneak into the palace in groups to see the emperor and block the entrance to the Hall of Diligent Governance, refusing to leave.
Wen Zhiming was extremely annoyed. The relationship between the emperor and his ministers began to be one of open and covert struggles over the matter of selecting concubines, and they gradually drifted apart.
Later, during two consecutive debates among the ministers over the selection of concubines, Wen Zhiming suddenly fainted. The imperial physician said that this was due to anger attacking his heart, and that if this continued, his life might be in danger.
Moreover, the emperor suffered from mental illness in his childhood, and excessive stimulation could trigger a relapse of his old ailment.
The ministers were worried that the emperor would be driven to death or madness before the crisis of the crown prince was resolved, so they stopped their efforts and the pressure gradually eased.
The guards followed Wen Zhiming's orders and carried him to Fengyi Palace. Meng Lingge dismissed her subordinates and found some ointment to apply to the abrasions on Wen Zhiming's hands.
As soon as they got close, Wen Zhiming sat up and pulled the person into his arms.
"I finally managed to get rid of those old ministers. They kept pestering me every day, making me noisy all day long. They didn't do any important work and kept urging me to take concubines and have children. I'm not a stud horse."
Meng Lingge couldn't help but chuckle as she continued to gently apply the ointment to Wen Zhiming's wound.
"Emperors throughout history have had three palaces and six courtyards. It is indeed not easy to change their minds. These old ministers are loyal and upright, not treacherous people. We cannot use severe punishment just because they advise us. We can only avoid and delay for the time being. Perhaps they will give up in the face of difficulties."
She was well aware of the importance of the Crown Prince, but the imperial physicians had already advised against it. She couldn't risk her life. She and Wen Zhiming were both so young; waiting two more years to have a child was not too late.
But these ministers were old-fashioned and extremely anxious, as if they could not be at ease until the country had a crown prince.
“It is precisely because I consider them to be loyal ministers and generals that I have tolerated them until now. Otherwise, the crime of making me break my oath would be enough to arrest and imprison them all.”
Wen Zhiming looked tired, but when he looked at Meng Lingge, he was tender and affectionate.
"However, my new method should be enough to deal with them for some time. You don't know, when I collapsed, several old ministers who like to nag knelt around me, crying loudly as if they were mourning a funeral. Their tears and saliva fell on my face, and I almost couldn't hold back and almost gave myself away."
When he collapsed on a whim last time, the ministers, though worried due to their lack of experience, suspected that he was faking his coma to escape, since he was usually in good health and could hunt tigers alone during royal hunts.
He had practiced beforehand, and when he got to the exciting part of his speech, he immediately clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground. To make it more realistic, he even injured his arm when he fell.
Furthermore, the words he had instructed beforehand to be relayed by the imperial physician had quite a scare among the ministers.
Meng Lingge looked at the wound on his hand with heartache.
“Your method is harmful to your health. If you keep falling like this, what if you hit the back of your head? You're just injuring yourself for no reason, and it's not a long-term solution.”
"I know what I'm doing." Wen Zhiming held Meng Lingge in his arms, feeling a sense of joy.
"After this ordeal, they should be quiet for a while. Once our son is born and crown prince is established in two years, we'll shut them up. However, if you haven't fully recovered by then, or if you're even slightly unwilling, I'll find another way."
“Of course I’m willing,” Meng Lingge said with some worry, “but back at the Prince of Anshun’s residence, the more I wanted to get pregnant, the less I could conceive. I’m a little worried that…”
"Don't worry." Wen Zhiming gently covered her lips with his palm and said affectionately, "There's always a way out. I'll take care of everything. I don't want to be a stud, and I don't want you to worry about having children. Let nature take its course. I'll be happy whether our child comes sooner or later."
“But the ministers will not agree,” Meng Lingge said. “I have only recently given birth to Woyu, and they are already making such a fuss. If we wait a few more years, they will surely go even further. If the emperor and his ministers argue about the crown prince all day long, they will certainly not be able to devote themselves to governing the country and benefiting the people. If this continues, there will be endless troubles in the future.”
Seeing Meng Lingge's brows furrow slightly, Wen Zhiming couldn't help but reach out and smooth them out.
“I know all of this, but I’m not that selfless. In my heart, you and the children will always be my top priority. If they force me into a corner, I’ll just quit being the emperor and run away with you and the children.”
His eyes were filled with longing.
"My martial arts skills are rarely matched. As long as we are properly prepared, no matter where we go, we can make it easy for you and the children to live comfortably. At that time, there will be no endless memorials to review or endless advice to listen to, and we will have more time to spend with you and the children."
Since Meng Lingge's two near-death experiences, Wen Zhiming's desire to abdicate the throne has become increasingly frequent. He is not afraid of hardship or doubt, but he cannot tolerate anyone harming his wife and children.
This is his bottom line, and also his Achilles' heel.
He knew that a qualified ruler should prioritize the country over the family and the public over private interests, but he couldn't do it. In his heart, nothing and no one could surpass the status of his wife and children.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that no matter how hard he tried, he could never become a qualified emperor.
He did indeed once aspire to be a king that would make his wife proud, but he longed even more to be the best husband and father in the world. If he could not have both, he would choose the latter without hesitation.
Therefore, the best course of action would be to take over a chaotic situation, improve it to the best of one's ability, and then find someone who is more satisfactory to the people and officials and is more suitable to be a ruler.
It just takes time to find the right person.
He needs time to arrange matters within the palace and plan for his future after leaving the palace.
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