Chapter 242 The Last Will
"The Emperor has passed away."
Even the smallest things in the palace can't be kept secret, let alone earth-shattering events. Once the news of the death was spread, everyone inside and outside the palace knew about this big news.
The Empress felt a pang of heartache as she looked at her motionless son. She went over and gently pressed down on his shoulders, whispering in his ear, "My child, I know you're in pain, but right now you're the one who should be most determined to uphold the legacy your father left you and prevent chaos in the palace."
Thirteen also stood up and took two steps forward to get closer to him. After what happened last time, he knew how stubborn this nephew was. Fearing that he would insist on taking a risk again like last time, he quickly followed his sister-in-law and began to persuade him.
"Yes, the important thing now is to stabilize the situation. Uncle Thirteen and Uncle Fourteen will help you. Let's settle the Emperor first."
Hongzhao then stirred slightly. He didn't turn around, but he knew what they were worried about. He wouldn't gamble again this time; he didn't have the resources. And his father wouldn't have the miracle of opening his eyes again.
He slowly, little by little, loosened his grip, as if afraid of disturbing the person sleeping peacefully on the bed, and pulled his hand out of his father's loosely clenched palm.
He moved his legs, which were sore and numb that he could barely feel them, and stood up unsteadily. "Su Peisheng, give the prepared clothes to Father Emperor to change into."
"Yes, sir," Su Peisheng replied respectfully, his eyes also red.
Hongzhao patted his mother's hand as a gesture of comfort, then turned to face the crowd. His expression was sorrowful, but his gaze was firm. Although his voice was hoarse, what he spoke was an even stronger sense of authority that could not be questioned.
"The palace gates are now locked. Please rest here for a while. I have prepared accommodations. The morning court will proceed as usual tomorrow. Please do not be late."
Without the slightest hesitation, everyone replied in unison, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."
The fact that the Crown Prince only refers to himself as "I" indicates that before ascending the throne, he is still just the Crown Prince. Everyone present... and those kneeling here are all intelligent people, and they all know exactly what to say at tomorrow's morning court.
"Hmm." Hongzhao didn't say anything more. He didn't have the strength or the mind to do so at the moment. He just waved his hand toward the door and said, "You may leave."
Although he has not yet ascended to the throne, his influence is already evident in his every move.
"Thirteenth Uncle and Fourteenth Uncle, you should also go back. There's still some time before the morning court session. Your sleeping quarters will remain in their original locations. Rest for a while so you'll be more energetic tomorrow morning."
"But you..." Fourteen was about to speak when Thirteen, Yunxiang, who was half a step ahead, reached out and stopped him. He could see Hongzhao's mood at this moment. What he needed now was not advice, but rather to stay by himself to feel a little more comfortable.
"In that case, we'll head back now. If anything happens, be sure to send someone to inform us promptly; it's not advisable to try to handle things on your own."
Seeing that Hongzhao agreed seriously, the Thirteenth Prince then pulled the Fourteenth Prince, who looked worried, and walked out.
Now only the Empress remained standing beside him in the room, watching several palace servants bustling about changing the Emperor's burial clothes. Lü Jiaying sighed softly. She knew that Hongzhao's mind was in turmoil, so she didn't insist that he stay. "Where do you want your father's coffin to be placed? In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, or perhaps in the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"
Hongzhao lowered his head and thought for a moment—"The Hall of Supreme Harmony, then."
"Alright, then your mother will go over there and keep an eye on things for you. You... take a good look at yourself again." Lü Jiaying made a move to leave, but Hongzhao quickly stopped her—"Mother, please wait."
“Mother, Yingjun is three months pregnant now. I’m afraid I won’t be able to take good care of her when things get busy. Please take good care of her.” Hongzhao frowned as he looked at his mother.
Lü Jiaying nodded knowingly, "Don't worry, I will take good care of Yingjun. I will also ask Hongjin to keep an eye on her. You can go do your thing with peace of mind. Your mother will take good care of this harem for you."
"Thank you, Mother. It's dark and the road is slippery, please drive carefully."
Seeing that everyone had left, Hongzhao returned to the palace. A group of people were busy around his father's bedside. He couldn't get close, so he could only watch from afar, watching the man who had been patting his head and scolding him just yesterday. Now, he lay there, oblivious and unaware, never to rise again.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Su Peisheng cautiously approaching from the side.
"Your Highness, please follow me."
Upon hearing the sound, Hongzhao turned around abruptly, looked at Su Peisheng's figure waiting two steps away, then looked back at his father before following him.
Following him to the Emperor's desk, Su Peisheng reached into a wide-mouthed, tall porcelain vase filled with many famous paintings and rummaged around for a while before handing a bright yellow imperial edict to Hongzhao with both hands.
"Your Highness, this is what the Emperor instructed us to leave for you, saying that no one else should know about it yet."
Hongzhao took it and slowly opened it. He considered many possibilities in his mind about what was written here. But unexpectedly, the silk cloth was completely unfolded, and it was a blank imperial edict.
It wasn't completely blank; there was only the emperor's jade seal on it.
Su Peisheng said, "The Emperor said that the Crown Prince is young, and no one can truly predict what will happen in the next few decades. If something really happens that you can't tolerate but can't do, then use this. Your handwriting was taught by the Emperor himself, so just consider it as the late Emperor's will, and it can be considered that he helped you again at that time."
As Hongzhao listened to Su Peisheng's words, the hand holding the imperial edict trembled involuntarily, and the trembling became more and more violent. Finally, he could not suppress his sobs and lowered his head.
The imperial edict was handed to him. Whatever was written on it in the future would be the will of the late emperor. He was holding a sharp knife engraved in history to himself and handing the other side of the knife to Hongzhao.
Those who could warrant an imperial edict from the emperor to guard against must not be ordinary ministers or their relatives; if you count them on your fingers, it would only be Hongzhao's brothers, uncles, and a few others.
If this imperial edict were ever used, the historians would certainly not show him any bias, and his reputation in history would be even more that of a cruel, heartless, and callous person who harmed his own siblings.
The Emperor couldn't possibly be unaware of this; in fact, it was something he cared about most before. Yet, he still left this way; he knew Hongzhao too well. If he hadn't been forced into this situation, he would never have harmed his own brother.
"My child has been raised so well, he shouldn't have such a reputation. So I will be the villain."
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