Chapter 229 Restoration
Once people have set their minds on something, they will involuntarily think about it again and again even if they know it is the wrong choice.
Just like the current emperor, he actually knew in his heart that reinstating the crown prince was not a good thing. The crown prince had been deposed for only a year, and that was because all the civil and military officials in the court and the people of the world could not tolerate him, and he had committed the serious crime of plundering the palace, so he was deposed.
If he wanted to reinstate the crown prince, even if it was his eldest son, there probably wouldn't be many people who would support him. After all, Grand Tutor Zhang was in poor health after suffering a stroke, and Grand Tutor Chu was also implicated in the dethronement of the crown prince.
What was even more terrifying was that when the emperor looked back, he found that there was no one from Empress Yuan's family in the court. He suddenly remembered that he felt that Empress Yuan's family was too vicious and that the words they left behind would be detrimental to the prince, so he slowly squeezed them out.
At that time, the prince was at the peak of his career, and he was assisted by people like Zhang Taishi. Naturally, he did not care about the royal family. But now, the emperor realized that the prince had been walking on a tightrope all these years, and this situation was created by him.
Thinking of this, the emperor felt a little more guilty towards the deposed prince, and secretly thought that the deposed prince had become so absurd, and he, his father, was also responsible for it.
The more aggressive the Fourth Prince became, the more powerful and numerous Minister Xu's faction became, and the more the Emperor began to see the good in the deposed Crown Prince.
Although he was not picky about women, he was still filial to his father. She was just a concubine who had been banished to the cold palace long ago. Apart from losing face, the emperor really didn't care that much.
Feeling guilty, the emperor couldn't help but go to the East Palace.
The deposed crown prince is still imprisoned in the Eastern Palace. He is probably the only one in history who was deposed but could still live in the Eastern Palace. Not only the deposed crown prince is in the Eastern Palace, but the deposed crown princess and their children also live in this small world.
Since it is the Eastern Palace, the life of the deposed prince depends entirely on the words of the queen. What kind of person is the queen? After she ascended the throne, she was able to endure for so many years, and now she is not in a hurry to beat the downdog.
As the deposed crown prince, life in the Eastern Palace was actually not that difficult. They could still get what they wanted and use what they wanted. Except for freedom, the queen gave them everything they should, and they were taken care of according to the share of the prince.
When the emperor saw this, he felt more at ease about the queen.
But when he saw the deposed crown prince, the emperor was shocked: "Xun'er, you, why are you so haggard? Is it because the palace servants have neglected you?"
The deposed crown prince sank to his knees. Having been father and son for so many years, he had practically been raised by the emperor himself, so he naturally knew his preferences. He simply kowtowed and admitted his fault, "Father, the palace maids have not been negligent. It's just that these days, when I think of the wrong things I've done, I feel guilty and can't sleep at night."
The emperor was filled with fatherly love and helped him up with his own hands: "You silly child, how could you treat your body so badly? Your father no longer blames you."
The deposed prince just cried, "Father doesn't blame me, but I, your son, cannot forgive myself."
"I don't know what has bewitched me all these years. Now that I've calmed down and look back, I realize I've been making mistakes all along. Not only have I ended up in this situation, but I've also let you down, Father."
The emperor supported him and said, "It's not your fault. It's because of those villains around you who are causing trouble and sowing discord between us father and son, which is why we have come to this point today."
The deposed crown prince threw himself into the emperor's arms, crying, "Father, I deeply regret listening to those slanderous words. I may be foolish, but I have never had any intention of disobeying anyone. Father, I ask nothing else but that you not be saddened by my mistakes."
The emperor sighed. The more the crown prince was deposed, the more he felt that the dethronement was too hasty. He once again thought of the Fourth Prince forcing his way outside, and the Queen and Concubine Yu making a fuss in the palace.
He had originally been somewhat unwilling to depose the crown prince back then, and now, seeing the deposed crown prince's emaciated and sallow complexion, he felt even more distressed. He softly comforted him, "Xun'er, father really doesn't blame you anymore. Now you have to take good care of your health. If anything happens to you, it would be like having me send you off!"
The deposed prince cried again, "Father, with your words in mind, I am willing to die."
The father and son wanted to hug each other and cry bitterly, as if they had completely forgotten the disagreement of the past. The emperor seemed to have never been dissatisfied with the deposed prince, and the deposed prince had no intention of being disloyal.
When he came out of the East Palace, the emperor's eyes were still red, but his original depression had dissipated a little.
Returning to his bedroom, the emperor couldn't help but ask Eunuch Li beside him, "Do you think it was too hasty to depose the crown prince?"
Eunuch Li thought to himself that he was forced into a desperate situation. The prince was hated by the people at that time, so His Majesty agreed to depose the prince in order to maintain stability. However, he brought up the issue again a year later.
But Eunuch Li knew the emperor's thoughts well and simply said, "I dare not say much about important matters of the court, but today it seems that the prince is truly repentant."
The emperor sighed and said, "Xun'er is a child I personally raised. He was just confused at the time. At least he knows his limits better than the fourth child and has a filial heart."
When the emperor doted on the Fourth Prince, he thought he was good in every way. But now, he seems to have become a thorn in his side, and he can find fault with everything.
Eunuch Li didn't dare to say anything more, but just lowered his head and obeyed.
The emperor added, "Do you think the Crown Prince had a fleeting thought back then? Could it be that someone was using witchcraft to cause him to lose his composure and commit such a rebellious act?"
Eunuch Li's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head, not daring to meet the emperor's gaze. "Your Majesty, I dare not speculate."
The emperor pondered for a moment before speaking, "I have my suspicions. Otherwise, how could this child's temperament suddenly change? When he was young, he was extremely cautious, obedient, and sensible."
"Pass on my secret order and have Yunqian investigate carefully to see if anyone was behind this!"
Eunuch Li obeyed the order in a hurry, but he couldn't help but start to reflect in his heart whether he had offended the deposed prince. Who would have thought that the prince could rise again after being deposed?
Everyone knows that Yun Qian is His Majesty's confidant and can always provide His Majesty with the most satisfactory investigation results. I am afraid that even if there is no witchcraft this time, the prince will rely on the witchcraft incident to make a comeback.
Before Eunuch Li even entered the Yun family's gate, the news from the palace had already spread. The emperor probably would not have expected that the palace had already changed during the time since he fell ill.
After Prince Cheng knew about this, he just nodded. All this was in their plan, but they didn't expect it to happen faster than they imagined. Perhaps the Fourth Prince was pushing too hard, so His Majesty was also annoyed.
The Fourth Prince also got the news quickly. Compared to Prince Cheng, he could be described as furious.
That night, the Fourth Prince summoned his confidants and angrily scolded, "What is Father planning to do? Isn't it obvious that he wants Yun Qian to fabricate evidence to exonerate the deposed Crown Prince?"
Minister Xu also found the situation very difficult. He frowned and said, "Yun Qian is Your Majesty's confidant. I believe he will come up with a satisfactory result in a few days. Now that a year has passed, it will be difficult to encourage scholars to sit down and impeach him."
The Fourth Prince was also somewhat angry at Yun Qian, cursing, "This Yun Qian is really a stubborn person, he won't give in to any tricks, and has been willingly serving as a dog for my father all these years."
Minister Xu frowned slightly and reminded, "Your Highness, it's best not to provoke him now."
The Fourth Prince sneered, "These are all my confidants. How can they possibly spread the word?"
Minister Xu glanced at the people present, sighed, and said, "Even if Lord Yun can produce evidence, it will be easy for the Crown Prince to be exonerated, but difficult to reinstate him. Even if Your Majesty is willing to support him, there won't be many people who will."
The Fourth Prince sneered, "Our Majesty has rarely acted recklessly. If he insists on having his own way, the Crown Prince's position can be restored at any time."
That's true. If the emperor directly issued an imperial edict, what could the court officials do even if they were dissatisfied?
Minister Xu's eyes flickered as he asked, "Is there no movement from Prince Cheng's side?"
The Fourth Prince sneered, "To her, what difference does it make who holds the crown prince's position?"
Minister Xu stroked his beard and said, "For Prince Cheng, it's naturally no different, but for Su Fengzhang, it's a huge difference. Everyone knows that he has a grudge against the Crown Prince, and he even gave him a hard time last time."
When the Fourth Prince heard this, his expression changed. "That's right. Prince Cheng likes Su Fengzhang so much. Even for him, he certainly wouldn't want to see the Crown Prince reinstated."
"The Empress and Consort Yu in the palace certainly don't want to see that day," Minister Xu reminded.
The Fourth Prince calmed down, remembering that he still had these three natural allies. He felt relieved and said with a smile, "That's right, Concubine Yu should be the most anxious."
Minister Xu saw that he had figured it out, so he continued, "The Jade Concubine is deeply favored. Why not ask Concubine Xu to come over and explain the pros and cons to her? With her support, His Majesty will not reinstate the Crown Prince."
The Fourth Prince thought about it carefully and felt that the possibility of the Crown Prince being reinstated was still extremely low. The main reason was that this Crown Prince had offended too many people when he was still the Crown Prince. Most people, whether in the harem or the previous dynasty, would not want the deposed Crown Prince to become the Crown Prince again.
The Fourth Prince felt a little relieved, but his deep resentment towards the Emperor grew even stronger. He couldn't help but say, "Father is really partial. He only cares about the Crown Prince."
Minister Xu sighed and said soothingly, "Your Highness, why bother with this? Even if His Majesty favors the deposed Crown Prince, there's not much he can do now. Otherwise, not only you, but everyone else will disagree."
The Fourth Prince finally sighed, but he was thinking in his heart whether he should go and talk to the Fifth Prince. After all, if the deposed Crown Prince rose again, he would not be the only one who would be in trouble.
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