Chapter 19 Cold Evening (Part 1) "The Crown Prince is already the Crown Prince..."
A cold wind blew across the double-eaved hip roof of the Qianqing Palace, startling a dark shadow on the yellow glazed tiles at the eaves. A crow flapped its wings and flew away, circling low around the golden pillars of the connecting corridor before flying towards the east-facing warm pavilion, disappearing from sight in a moment.
The East Warm Pavilion was as warm as springtime. Ji Weixian quietly lifted the curtain and went inside. He walked around the screen and saw the emperor playing chess with the Grand Secretary Yang Ren in front of the window.
Just then, the emperor reached out and picked up a piece. He focused on the chessboard, his brow furrowing slightly with displeasure: "Si Cun just mentioned a ko threat. If I were to mention it again, this game would probably end in a draw."
With that, he reluctantly placed his piece. Yang Ren squinted at it, his eyes flashed, and he lightly flicked the piece between his fingers before placing it down again, making the board suddenly clear.
The emperor sighed and shook his head slightly: "It's not like I can't see it. You've made such an obvious concession..."
Yang Ren paused for a moment, then reached out and collected the chess pieces one by one, asking, "Would Your Majesty like to play another game?"
"No, let's stop here for today. Playing chess with Si Cun was truly enjoyable, but it was too mentally taxing." The emperor rubbed his temples, and when he saw a eunuch coming to collect the chessboard, he looked up and noticed that Ji Weixian was already standing beside him.
When Ji Weixian heard the emperor call his name, he quickly responded with a "Yes." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the emperor turn to look at him and casually ask, "Have all the things been sent to Wan'an Palace?"
The Wan'an Palace was occupied by the most favored Consort Li. With the end of the year approaching, all the concubines in the harem were in good order and harmony under Consort Li's management, which naturally made her status appear even more precious.
Ji Weixian had choked on the wind in the corridor before entering, and had just recovered. His throat was still a little uncomfortable, and fearing that speaking would be impolite, he could only lower his voice slightly to reply, "Yes. Her Majesty is grateful for His Majesty's grace and said she would come to express her gratitude later..."
The emperor waved his hand and casually said, "She has an eye ailment, so she doesn't need to come. I'll go see her tonight."
Ji Weixian bowed and said yes.
The emperor frowned almost imperceptibly, as if he sensed something was off about his voice. He glanced at him again before looking away, but asked nothing.
There weren't many eunuchs who could serve the emperor with ease, and Ji Weixian was one of the more trusted ones. However, he had previously favored Lan Huaien more and was used to his voice, so he felt a little uncomfortable with the change in personnel these days.
He sometimes wondered to himself, how was Lan Huaien different from the other eunuchs? Apart from his pleasant voice, Lan Huaien seemed to have much less of the effeminate air that was unique to eunuchs, and instead had more of the heroic spirit of a normal man.
The emperor's memories were inexplicably stirred up. He recalled that face that was still somewhat pleasing to the eye, and his gaze deepened. He reached for the teacup on the table and asked, seemingly casually, "It's been about a month since Lan Huai'en left, hasn't it?"
Ji Weixian was puzzled as to why he suddenly brought up Lan Huaien. Her heart sank, but she suppressed her momentary unease and replied respectfully, "Yes. According to His Majesty's decree, Eunuch Lan is studying and reflecting on his mistakes in the Inner Study. I have met him a few times, and he has indeed sincerely repented."
Even if they were furious, they still had to say a few nice words. The emperor couldn't stand the servants around him fighting amongst themselves, so they all had to pretend to be harmonious and tolerant of each other.
Furthermore, Lan Huaien is a petty and wicked eunuch in the eyes of outsiders, and Ji Weixian cannot be like that.
But then he suddenly changed the subject, saying rather tactfully, "These days I haven't been able to attend to the new house of the Imperial Censor. I only heard from Mr. Cilin of the Inner Study that Huai'en has made great progress and no longer needs to study. So a few days ago, someone sent him out to temper his character."
The emperor took a small sip, paused slightly as he put down his cup, and looked up at him with interest: "How exactly will you train me?"
Ji Weixian said in a low voice, "I originally intended for him to do some sweeping and cleaning work, but perhaps because there is a shortage of palace servants in the palaces, I later heard that he entered the East Palace."
Before the words were even finished, the emperor had already placed his teacup on the table, the sound neither too loud nor too soft.
The emperor remained silent, and Yang Ren, standing to the side, simply observed in silence. Ji Weixian, unsure of His Majesty's attitude, bowed slightly, his heart pounding, and even his breathing became shallow.
"I don't believe that the Eastern Palace is missing a eunuch."
The emperor still held the cup in one hand, his gaze fixed on him indifferently. His stare caused Ji Weixian to kneel in terror, but before he could even finish uttering the word "servant," the emperor interrupted him again: "Since you've made a mistake, you should behave yourself. Sweeping is fine, but what's the point of him going to the Eastern Palace?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This was indeed my oversight." He gritted his teeth inwardly. He had intended to use this matter to sow discord between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, but the Grand Secretary was still in the palace. If he were too obvious, he would inevitably ruin his master's important affairs. Therefore, he had to swallow all his dissatisfaction for the time being.
"Summon them back." The emperor turned his head, his tone still relaxed, as if he didn't care.
Ji Weixian did not respond. After hesitating for a moment, he gave a brief account of how Lan Huaien had broken into the Crown Prince's bedchamber and been punished.
The emperor found it rather strange: "What is he doing barging into the imperial bedchamber?"
Ji Weixian lowered her head: "This servant does not know either."
"Take them back first, we'll talk about it after the New Year." The emperor repeated the same words, frowning as he waved him away.
After a moment of silence in the hall, Yang Ren broke the silence first: "How long does Your Majesty intend to confine the Eastern Palace?"
This is a straightforward question, and there are quite a few people in the court who are paying attention to this matter.
Yang Ren remained unmoved. His fingers, lightly clenched beneath his clothes, flicked slightly. His gaze swept across the dark patterns embroidered on his cuffs, a faint glimmer of light appearing before he calmly looked at the emperor again, never directly meeting his eyes, but secretly trying to discern the emperor's intentions.
The emperor glanced at him, his face showing no anger, and said softly, "At first, I only wanted him to bow his head and admit his mistake, but who knew he would be so stubborn. Now it's just a matter of copying books to calm his mind. He can come out whenever he has figured things out, and I won't stop him."
"It is said that no one knows a son better than his father. How could His Majesty not understand His Highness's temperament? Your anger is only because of his disobedient words. His Highness will sincerely reflect on himself, but if a similar incident occurs again, he will still speak frankly."
The emperor snorted coldly: "Speak frankly? He has always resented my favoritism towards Prince Xin, and that day his words were so vehement that he wanted Prince Xin to leave the capital, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever. Do you know how he acted that day..."
“Your Majesty, I know,” Yang Ren said, unusually daring to interrupt him. He took out a memorial from his robes, stood up, and presented it to Your Majesty. “Please take a look, Your Majesty.”
He secretly glanced at the emperor, and seeing that the emperor's expression had changed after taking a few glances, he quickly interjected, "Your Highness suppressed it at the time, but there are quite a few people in the court who are talking about Prince Xin."
The emperor's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes almost glaring with fury: "These people are truly..."
He suddenly fell silent on the second half of his sentence. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The Crown Prince had already advised him, and he naturally understood the reasons behind it, but he had to admit that he had indeed acted somewhat impulsively at the time.
He slammed the memorial shut and pressed it onto the table, his knuckles turning white. The words had truly stirred his heart, and he immediately wanted to issue an order for the Imperial Guards to arrest the man, but he ultimately held back his anger.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Yang Ren's voice was neither sharp and impetuous nor soft and timid; it was somewhat similar to Meng Huai's, and listening to it only made people feel inexplicably at ease.
"I know."
Now that the matter of Prince Xin is over, if he were to stir it up again, the outcome might not be any better than it is now. Therefore, he had no choice but to swallow his anger towards Xu Zhen.
He suddenly understood the profound meaning of the Crown Prince's words that day, "not to hurt the sincere feelings of the ministers." After a long while, he could only sigh. Even though he was angry, he was truly grateful for the Crown Prince's thoughtfulness and caution.
"The Grand Secretary is here today to act as an advocate for the Crown Prince."
Yang Ren bowed deeply and said, "I am not acting as a persuader; I am only thinking of Your Majesty's best interests."
The emperor turned his head and smiled slightly: "That's what you all tell me, but in the end, it's still me who's in a difficult position."
He paused, his tone slightly somber: "Regarding the matter of Prince Xin, I was indeed somewhat confused. But the only mistake the Crown Prince made that day was his breach of etiquette before the Emperor; I listened to his advice on the rest."
That unmistakable stubbornness vanished into the silence as his words fell. Yang Ren finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Is His Majesty's outburst truly solely due to His Highness the Crown Prince's misconduct?"
As soon as he spoke, he sensed the atmosphere had become somewhat cold. He lowered his head, opened his mouth, and spoke softly, "Your subject has spoken too much."
The emperor remained silent for a long while, then suddenly asked, "Do you think I've made a mistake by favoring Prince Xin?"
Yang Ren said, "Love is not wrong, but it violates ancestral laws..."
The emperor disagreed: "The crown prince is already the crown prince. What I can give Prince Xin is more than the crown prince. Let Prince Xin stay in the capital for a few more years before going to his fief. I will keep an eye on him, and nothing will happen."
"Does the Grand Secretary still remember when the late Emperor was alive? Hua'er was only seven years old at the time, and the late Emperor had already made him the Crown Prince. Since then, I have always felt uneasy sitting in the Eastern Palace, as if everyone around me was hoping for my death. Even the late Emperor would not give me a second glance. Later, Hua'er was so outstanding, but he died young. I feel indebted to him, but I no longer have the chance to make up for it."
"You know that I intended to make Ping'er the heir after the death of Crown Prince Zhaohuai. I even drafted the edict for his succession. But in those few days, he couldn't wait and dared to collude with the eunuchs to not only take the throne but also my life!"
“You say I’m cold to the Crown Prince, but I’ve been so kind to Yan Ping, yet he still turned his sword on me, the father who placed so much hope in him. I was terrified when Yan Ping died, so how could I dare to show any kindness to the Crown Prince? I do love Prince Xin, but I’m still clear about etiquette and hierarchy. I won’t let him run wild, and I certainly won’t depose the Crown Prince easily.”
The emperor's tone was somewhat somber as he silently gazed out the window. One hand rested on the table, the unfinished cup of tea beside him now cold, its lingering aroma dissipating without a trace.
He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and picked up the remaining tea. He felt a chill creep into his heart.
Yang Ren stood aside, secretly thinking to himself, "In the end, the emperor's trust was only given to Prince Xin."
But he remained silent. He had never been a particularly eloquent person. When he passed the imperial examination at a young age, he had not received the late emperor's approval when he presented his memorial in the Golden Palace. His career advancement was mostly based on his policy essays.
Emperor Xuanning was aware of this, and therefore always tolerated his words.
"Your Majesty." After a long while, he suddenly managed to utter two words.
The emperor turned his head: "You speak."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has been ill for several days. After all, he is your legitimate son. If you have the time... I still hope you can go and see him."
He felt that these words should never have been spoken by him, but even though he felt it was inappropriate, he still spoke them anyway.
The emperor sighed softly: "You still acted as the Crown Prince's persuader."
Yang Ren was speechless, and this time he didn't offer any explanation. He never took sides, which was why the emperor valued him.
"He is the Crown Prince after all, and I can't do anything to him. Since he is ill, he should take good care of himself. I have already sent someone to instruct him to temporarily stop copying books. It would be even better if he could recover by the New Year, as it would not look good if he missed the feast."
He paused, then added, "I will go and see when I have time."
Yang Ren responded and took a step back, about to take his leave, when he heard the emperor shout loudly, "Ji Weixian!"
Ji Weixian hurriedly entered the hall and bowed to receive the imperial decree.
The emperor instructed, "Lan Huai'en's caning punishment has likely not yet healed, so there's no need to subject him to further treatment for now. Let him stay in the Eastern Palace for the time being."
Ji Weixian, unaware of why the emperor had suddenly changed his mind, simply replied, "Yes." He secretly wondered what Yang Ren had said that had caused such a rapid shift in the emperor's attitude. However, he had no right to interfere and could only think about how to deal with the situation from the future.
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