Chapter 267: Beating (Part 2)
At first, Sun Wei was quite worried, fearing that Sima Jun would break the palace restrictions in a fit of impulse.
But after three days, Sun Wei realized that he was being too sentimental.
Not only was there no sign of Sima Jun, but even the imperial physician was turned away when he went to visit the Prince of Yuzhang at his mansion.
The Queen Mother asked Sun Wei about this matter, and Sun Wei said aggrievedly: "I am in the palace and have no news about the Crown Prince. Please forgive me, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother didn't want to look at her any longer and sent her away.
"Mother," the eldest princess complained, "Ah Jun has been spoiled by you to the point of being lawless. Is there anyone in this world who can control him?"
"When have I ever pampered him?" the Queen Mother asked. "We haven't even had a chance to talk properly, let alone pamper him."
The eldest princess brought the medicinal food and presented it to the empress dowager. "Ah Jun commands a large army, yet he always disobeys. Where in history has such a thing ever happened? And yet mother says she doesn't favor him?"
The Queen Mother glanced at her: "What do you mean?"
The eldest princess sat down beside the queen mother. "Wouldn't it be better to let Ajun just be your good grandson? Don't you remember how well-behaved and sensible Ajun was when he was little? But later he grew up and had power in his hands, and he didn't respect his elders. Now that his brother is gone, someone should educate him. If you love Ajun, wait until he grows up and knows how to sympathize with you, then return the military power to him, wouldn't that be better?"
The Queen Mother took a sip of the soup she brought and sneered, "Let me ask you, does Ah Jun hold any official position now?"
The princess argued, "Even if he doesn't, the position of Jiangzhou Governor has always been vacant. The entire Jiangzhou belongs to him, so he has nothing to fear. So, what difference does it make whether he has an official position or not?"
"That's easy to say, why don't you let Azhi try it?"
"Why does mother look down on Ah Zhi so much? Ah Zhi has made great contributions in Kuaiji this year. Why doesn't mother mention this?"
The Queen Mother shook her head. "I just don't go out. Don't think I'm blind or deaf. If Ah Jun hadn't suddenly gone south to Guangzhou, would Ah Zhi have gotten a share of the Kuaiji spoils? Didn't I not give him a chance? I already said that if he achieved more military merit than Ah Jun, the governorship of Jiangzhou would be his. But now, do you think their abilities can be compared?"
"But Azhi is more obedient than Ajun, so mother never has to worry about it. For example, when we were fighting in Jingzhou, Azhi went at the first command from mother. Why should mother worry and get angry?"
The Queen Mother sneered: "He went, but can he win?"
"Mother!" the princess said angrily, "Azhi is your grandson. With the extra word 'wai', does that mean he's an outsider?"
"We are all human beings, and no one is an outsider," the Queen Mother said earnestly. "You are the eldest princess, a much higher status than the Shangshu's wife. If you think long-term, you will be able to see the situation clearly. In today's court, who else can easily mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops on their own? Only Ajun. Even if you dislike him, you must understand that this court cannot do without Ajun."
"Even if he can raise an army, but cannot serve the Queen Mother, what good is that?"
This sentence hit the nail on the head for the Empress Dowager.
She put down the soup bowl and looked at her unhappily: "It hasn't reached that bloody stage yet."
"I don't understand," the eldest princess said, "Queen Mother only let him go for a few days, why did it become such a bloody storm?"
"Have you forgotten the Northern Palace?" the Queen Mother asked. "Xie Kun died in battle, and even his men are gone. But how can Bo Ya seize the Northern Palace just because he wants to?"
The princess panicked, "What did your mother say? The rebellion in the Northern Palace was a mutiny by the soldiers. How did Bo Ya ever seize the Northern Palace?"
The Queen Mother snorted coldly, "I'm not telling you, not because I don't know. Fortunately, it didn't work that time. If you had hurt the Crown Prince in the slightest, Azhi would have been buried with him."
The eldest princess felt a chill down her spine.
She knew that the Queen Mother was not joking.
"Mother, don't be angry. I have already told my husband that there won't be a next time." She said hurriedly.
The Queen Mother looked at her and sighed deeply.
"It's not just him. You're not allowed to mention what you said today again. In the future, be more polite to Ajun and don't push him too far." After saying this, she suddenly lowered her voice and said, "If Ajun and Boya turn against each other, do you know the consequences?"
The eldest princess's face turned grim.
"If that's the case, shouldn't mother take the initiative?" she said.
"Rebellion or not is just a matter of thought, and it applies to everyone. If you use him wisely, he will be a good general. If you force him, he will become a thief king." The Queen Mother said this, patting the Princess. "You should consider it carefully."
"What about now?" The eldest princess was still unwilling to give in. "If Ah Jun stays indoors, what can the Queen Mother do to him?"
The Queen Mother said slowly, "Be patient. Your Majesty will have to come down from the Xiuxian Terrace on New Year's Day."
The eldest princess' eyes lit up and she understood.
"That's what mother said," she said with a smile.
——
The emperor had been cultivating immortality for many years and usually did not care about state affairs. He only came down from the cultivation platform on New Year's Day and when the army returned victoriously to summon all officials.
After the grand court meeting, the emperor would entertain his ministers as usual, and at night, he would have a family dinner. At that time, the emperor would summon the young men of his family to show his anticipation.
"The princess said that the prince will show up tomorrow?" Aju asked Sun Wei on New Year's Eve.
"That's right." Sun Wei watched a spark burst from the charcoal basin. "Tomorrow, someone will incite His Majesty to summon the Crown Prince. If the Emperor issues an order to summon him, and the Crown Prince refuses to appear, he will be defying the Emperor's order. He cannot afford to bear this charge."
A'ru sighed softly, "I wonder if the Crown Prince has found a solution in all these days? If the Emperor issues an order tomorrow, ordering him to attack Huanding, what will he do?"
Sun Wei shook his head: "If the prince is unprepared, then there is no way."
Ah Ru heard the clue and said, "So, the prince actually has a way to deal with it?"
"Everything depends on human effort," Sun Wei said. "We'll know tomorrow."
A'ru said worriedly, "But the princess is locked up here, and we don't know what's going on outside."
Sun Wei was relieved.
"I have done nothing wrong. Why are you locking me up? Don't worry. The royal family values respectability above all else. I am in mourning and cannot be seated at the table, but the Queen Mother will eventually let me out to see the Emperor."
As expected.
The next morning, an imperial decree came from the palace, ordering Sun Wei and Sima Jun to go to see the emperor together.
She had already changed into the ceremonial dress sent by Cao Song and headed to Xianyang Palace.
Xianyang Hall was where the emperor held banquets. Before the banquet began, the emperor would summon everyone to the warm room next door.
When Sun Wei entered the palace to pay a visit, he saw that in addition to the royal family, all the Wang family members were present.
The emperor was exactly as Sun Wei had remembered him. Due to his constant use of elixirs, he was only in his fifties, but looked as old as seventy or eighty.
However, this was the first time he met Sun Wei, and he seemed very kind.
"Is this my second brother's concubine?" he said.
The Queen Mother replied, "That's right."
The emperor looked at Sun Wei with great interest: "I heard that the concubine is good at divination?"
"Your Majesty," the Queen Mother said hurriedly, "Today is a family dinner. We can discuss these trivial matters after the dinner. Your Majesty, don't you want to see Ah Jun?"
"Oh, that's right," the emperor looked around, "Why can't I see Ah Jun?"
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince cannot come today."
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