Chapter 104 Farewell
"Oh?" Sun Wei pretended not to know. "Who is his granddaughter?"
"She was the late Crown Princess," Xie Fu said. "She passed away last year due to illness."
"So, it's an unusual illness?"
"That's right," Xie Fu said. "Two days ago, the Duke of Nanjun came to the capital, and His Majesty came down from the Xiuxian Terrace to personally summon him. I heard that after the Duke of Nanjun said a few auspicious words, he brought up the death of the late Crown Princess. I heard that he had already investigated the cause and that the late Crown Princess was murdered."
Sun Wei looked surprised: "Who killed him? How could he be so bold?"
Xie Fu said, "I want to know, too. But when it came to the critical moment, His Majesty expelled all the outsiders, leaving only the Crown Prince and Wang Pushe, leaving no one to confide in. However, I heard that after everyone left, the Duke of Nanjun and Wang Pushe came out at the same time. Both of them looked unhappy, and then one went east, the other west, and they parted on bad terms."
Sun Wei was not surprised.
Wang Han had already failed once in selecting the Crown Princess, and he couldn't afford to do so again. After all, the Crown Princess would be the future Empress. For years, the Wang family had relied on their control of the harem to secure their position, and the position of Crown Princess was a position they couldn't afford to lose. Wang Han had lost to Huan Yi during the Crown Prince's first marriage, and he wouldn't lose again.
But Huan Yi was no pushover. He brought up this matter now, over a year later, so he must have made all the necessary preparations.
"This Wang Han is truly persistent." After sending Xie Fu away, A'ru couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, why did he allow the Crown Princess to marry Huan Yi's granddaughter? And why did the Queen Mother agree to it?"
"The Empress Dowager couldn't refuse. This marriage was arranged by the late Emperor," Sun Wei said. "Duke Nanjun had requested this favor from the late Emperor for his service in saving the Emperor. Later, the late Emperor passed away. Although His Majesty devoted himself to cultivating immortality, he also ruled the country with benevolence and filial piety. Of course, the late Emperor's will could not be disobeyed."
Aju understood.
Sun Wei didn't talk much, but asked, "Have you completed what I asked you to do just now?"
"The princess has asked the attendant to send someone to the palace to request an audience, and they have already done so. Will the princess see the queen mother today?"
Sun Wei nodded. "I promised Princess Wanshou that I would ask the Queen Mother to go to Xunyang Palace. Now that the Queen Mother's birthday banquet is over, this matter can't be delayed any longer."
The Empress Dowager was always difficult to talk to, so Sun Wei thought that the imperial edict from the palace would not come until at least the next day. However, only an hour later, an edict came from the palace, saying that the Empress Dowager had summoned the concubine and asked her to enter the palace immediately.
Sun Wei asked Aju to inform Sima Jun, but got the news that Sima Jun was not in the mansion.
"Just let Cao Song pass on the message." Sun Wei said.
A'ru hesitated and pulled her: "It won't be dangerous, right? Let's wait until the prince comes back."
Sun smiled and said, "Do you think you're always bothering me when you're the Queen Mother? Don't worry, there will be no trouble this time."
After she said this, she changed her clothes, got on the carriage and went to the palace.
The Queen Mother's birthday had passed, and there were no outside guests in the palace. But unexpectedly, Sun Wei met the Crown Prince.
He was sitting at the bottom, talking to the Queen Mother. Judging from their expressions, they both seemed unhappy.
The prince seemed quite surprised to see Sun Wei coming.
Sun Wei hurriedly lowered his head and saluted the Queen Mother and the Crown Prince.
"The Concubine is here." The Queen Mother's voice was neither hurried nor slow, neither expressing her emotions nor her mood. "Sit down."
Sun Wei thanked her but did not sit down. She said respectfully, "I am seeking an audience to ask for the Queen Mother's favor."
The Queen Mother took a sip of tea.
"Oh? What grace?"
"I am now a widow, and because I miss the late king, I worship Buddha every day and pray for his well-being. Although the royal palace provides for my well-being, the hustle and bustle of the capital is not a place of peace and tranquility. I have heard that the Yuzhang Palace in Xunyang, Jiangzhou, has a Buddhist temple built by the late king, a quiet place for self-cultivation. I have come to ask the Queen Mother for permission to move to the Xunyang Palace."
These were agreed upon earlier with Princess Wanshou, and the Empress Dowager had no objection.
She looked at the prince and a smile appeared on her lips.
"It's very kind of you, Concubine. I'm very pleased." She put down her teacup and said, "I approve of this matter. I hope you will abide by the etiquette and palace rules and do not waste my efforts."
Sun Wei bowed again: "As you command."
She thought that was the end of it, but just as she was about to say goodbye, the Queen Mother asked her to sit next to her.
"When do you plan to leave?" asked the Queen Mother.
Sun Wei replied, "The day after tomorrow is a good time. I will prepare to leave the day after tomorrow."
The prince looked at her opposite without saying a word.
"Hmm." The Queen Mother pondered for a moment. Suddenly, she said, "I heard from Princess Wanshou that your family is best at divination?"
Sun Wei said: "I know a little bit."
"Then tell me your fortune," said the Queen Mother. "If it works, there will be a reward."
Sun Wei probably guessed what she wanted to ask and said, "I wonder what the Queen Mother wants to ask?"
"The Crown Prince will marry a concubine next year. Whose family will this concubine come from?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Crown Prince suddenly said, "Grandmother, please understand. Even if you want to take a concubine next year, it's still too early to say."
"The late Crown Princess has been dead for over a year. Who says it's too early?" The Queen Mother said to Sun Wei, "The Crown Prince and I are currently undecided. Why don't you tell us a fortune and help us resolve this dilemma?"
Sun Wei naturally didn't think that the Queen Mother would value her opinion.
The Queen Mother knew that the Crown Prince had complete faith in Sun Wei's abilities, so she asked him to tell the fortune in front of the Crown Prince. This move was intended not only to warn the Crown Prince, but also to warn Sun Wei.
"Your Majesty, your wisdom is clear," Sun Wei said. "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent and the future Emperor. My upbringing is not as good as yours, so I cannot predict the Emperor's future. I beg your pardon, Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother sneered.
"Then let me ask this another way. Can Huan Lingxian, the granddaughter of the Duke of Nanjun, become the Crown Prince's successor consort?"
Sun Wei knew that in his previous life, the prince married Wang Yao, Wang Han's niece, and Huan Lingxian's husband was someone else.
She said, "I just don't know when this lady's birthday is?"
The Queen Mother asked the eunuch to bring a piece of paper. Sun Wei looked at it and saw Huan Lingxian's name and birthday on it.
She took the paper in her hand, pretended to calculate for a while, and then raised her head.
"Replying to the Queen Mother, this young lady from the Huan family is not destined to become the Crown Princess."
"Oh?" A hint of joy flashed across the Queen Mother's brows as she looked at the Crown Prince, "Did you hear it?"
The prince frowned and said hurriedly: "Grandmother, this..."
"Are you suspecting Concubine Lu's calculations were wrong?" the Queen Mother interrupted, smiling. "Princess Wanshou once said that Concubine Lu was incredibly foresighted, and that her family's skills had greatly helped her. Now it seems it was just a fluke. I must summon Princess Wanshou and have a discussion with her."
The prince had a blank expression on his face.
"My grandson was not thoughtful enough." After a while, he bowed and said, "Please allow me to think about the selection of the next consort, Grandmother."
The Queen Mother looked at him with a relieved smile.
"It's best if you can figure it out on your own. Huan Yi actually went before His Majesty to question him. He's truly immoral and unworthy of being a minister. You're the Crown Prince, how could you submit to his tyranny? Wang Pushe is the backbone of the court. With him around, he'll definitely not let him succeed. Do you understand?"
"I understand." The prince said respectfully, "Grandmother is right."
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