In his heart, Minister Zheng was actually his strongest support, the only force he could rely on in the turbulent court.
Seeing the Crown Prince's worried face, Zheng Yu didn't know how to comfort him. After all, Zheng Yu was just a famous talented man in the capital. He had not yet achieved the position of general or prime minister as his father had arranged.
"Your Highness, I will take you to see my father." Zheng Tu said solemnly. These things must be known to his father. Secondly, his father is now critically ill. If he knows that the Crown Prince's heart is with him, his father may recover without medicine.
Since that was the case, Crown Prince Heng followed behind Zheng Yu.
The two walked out of the study and soon arrived at the bedroom. Luckily, before Zheng Yu could go inside, they heard a noise coming from the inner room, followed by a coughing and wheezing sound. The sound was so intense that it made one's heart ache.
Zheng Yu and Crown Prince Heng were both startled. Zheng Yu immediately said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment!" Zheng Yu did not dare to delay and quickly ran back to the inner room. Minister Zheng on the bed slowly opened his eyes. Although his eyes were still cloudy due to illness, he was no longer in a completely comatose state.
Zheng Yu was both surprised and delighted, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice trembled as she said, "Father! You're awake?" She quickly helped her father up. "How are you feeling? Would you like some water?" Minister Zheng was still very weak, and she waved her hand hesitantly.
But his gaze passed over justice and went to the door: "The Crown Prince... has arrived?" Zheng Yu was taken aback. He hadn't expected his father to be so powerful and prescient. Zheng Yu didn't want to keep him in suspense and quickly nodded: "Yes, His Highness heard that you were unwell and came to visit you. He is waiting outside."
"Help me up, cough cough cough... get out."
Minister Zheng struggled to get out of bed. Seeing his father's eagerness to leave, Zheng Yu stood up and offered half of his body as a support for his father, while anxiously reminding him.
"Father, your health is still weak."
Minister Zheng abruptly interrupted him, "It's alright."
His eyes were sharp. "The Crown Prince must have encountered a difficult illness. If I don't see him, he will naturally be extremely anxious." Seeing his father's resolute attitude, Zheng Yu had no choice but to carefully help him out step by step.
Inside the room, Crown Prince Heng turned around and saw that Minister Zheng had been helped in by Zheng Yu. His face was so sallow and haggard. He quickly stepped forward and reached out his hand: "Minister Zheng, why did you get up? Please lie down!"
Minister Zheng sat down in the main seat and began to wheeze violently: "Your Highness need not worry, this old minister will not die anytime soon." After catching his breath, he looked at Li Heng and said, "Your Highness has come to my humble abode in the dead of night. You must be careful and not be followed by anyone. What brings you here?"
Seeing that Minister Zheng was so straightforward, Li Heng no longer concealed anything and recounted the matter of the censor's impeachment.
Finally, she looked at him anxiously: "My lord, what should I do? Should I submit a memorial to defend myself immediately?"
Minister Zheng closed his eyes to rest for a moment, actually thinking about a problem. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and in that instant, his gaze was piercing, and he no longer looked like a patient.
"Defend yourself? Does Your Highness think it's wise to defend yourself now?" Li Heng was stunned upon hearing this: "Then... then what should I do? Should I just let them slander me?"
"It's better to remain still than to act rashly," Minister Zheng said slowly. "The more Your Highness panics and tries to defend yourself, the more guilty you appear. You should continue to follow the established procedures, attend court as usual, serve the Emperor as usual, and do everything as normal. Your father knows what to do with those impeachment memorials."
Minister Zheng hesitated for a moment before looking at Li Heng's slightly shocked expression: "Your Highness knows that you are worried about something happening to me and that you might lose your support. But I must tell Your Highness that as long as I have a breath left, I will never allow those clowns to run rampant. Protecting Your Highness is protecting my entire Zheng family and ensuring the stability of the court."
[The Minister is so capable! He's still so clear-headed even at a time like this!]
"Better to remain still than to act"—brilliant! That's the tactic of an old fox!
[Your Highness, you should learn from this! Stop being so flustered all the time!]
Li Heng's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Minister Zheng... I will never forget your great kindness!" Minister Zheng looked outside before waving his hand and saying, "It's getting late. Your Highness should go back soon to avoid arousing suspicion."
Having said that, Minister Zheng looked at the brocade box on the table again, his face ashen—"I appreciate the medicinal herbs, but in my current state, I'm afraid I'm not fit to enjoy them."
Li Heng sighed, stood up, and gave a few more words of advice to get some rest before leaving through the side door, escorted by Zheng Yu.
After seeing the Crown Prince off, Zheng Yu returned to Minister Zheng's side.
I saw my father resting in his chair with his eyes closed, his face looking even paler than before.
"Father, you're tired, go back to your room and rest." Minister Zheng didn't move, but slowly opened his eyes and looked at his son. At that moment, his eyes were extremely complicated: "Yu'er, did you listen carefully just now?"
"yes."
Zheng Yu lowered his eyes.
"What do you think of the Crown Prince?" Zheng Yu hadn't expected his father to ask him this. Minister Zheng's voice was soft, but his eyes seemed to burn with fire.
Zheng Yu paused for a moment before raising his eyes to meet his father's earnest and expectant gaze.
He spoke calmly and slowly, saying, "His Highness the Crown Prince is probably not as pedantic and cowardly as he appears on the surface."
A look of surprise flashed in Minister Zheng's eyes, followed by a look of great admiration. "Oh? How do you know?"
“Father! If His Highness were truly incompetent, he would have died long ago in the vortex of court intrigue. Today’s events may seem chaotic, but they may not be. His secret visit late at night shows that he trusts you, Father, and is also testing your attitude. He knows you are seriously ill, yet he still comes to seek your support, which shows that his character is not as bad as he appears. His so-called ‘cowardice’ may just be a protective shield.”
[!! As expected of the male lead, Zheng Yu is amazing! He saw right through the Crown Prince at a glance!]
[So the Crown Prince was just pretending to be weak to deceive others? I take back what I said before!]
[Both father and son are so smart! This conversation gave me goosebumps!]
Minister Zheng stared at his son's profile for a long time, then suddenly smiled gently with satisfaction. The smile was so happy: "Very good, what a perfect 'camouflage'. Yu'er, you have indeed not disappointed your father."
Immediately, Minister Zheng's tone became heavy again: "Father knows that you have lofty aspirations, great talent, and great ambitions. However, the court is now turbulent and unpredictable, and a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin."
Minister Zheng struggled to sit up straight.
He held Zheng Yu's hand tightly. "Yu'er, let me ask you, if one day I am gone, what will you choose?"
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