Chapter 8 Pine Tree Embracing Snow (Part 8) "Why does Your Highness protect Lan Huai..."
Yan Chao nodded, and then heard Chen Xiu whisper those two words in her ear.
As she stepped inside, she silently thought to herself: "Loyalty and integrity in receiving courtesies are called 'culture,' and purity and chastity are called 'chastity.' Mr. Meng is truly deserving of these qualities." The emperor, usually adept at maintaining appearances, had surprisingly yielded this time.
When I heard the emperor mention Cao Ying, I knew that it was Lan Huaien's doing behind the scenes. I just didn't expect him to be so quick, finding Cao Ying's son who was still in Jiangnan and silencing Cao Ying.
The matter ended in such a peaceful and hasty manner that only the emperor was the winner.
After Yan Chao performed the salutation, the emperor dismissed Ji Weixian and then gestured for the crown prince to step forward. His piercing gaze fell upon her, but she remained as calm and gentle as ever.
"This morning, when Jinghui was attending to the sick, she suddenly brought up Empress Wenhui to me."
Yan Chao was slightly taken aback. The whole world was full of praise for the deep love between the emperor and his first wife, Empress Wenshu Cao. Very few people mentioned Empress Wenhui Cui, who was made empress after he ascended the throne, even though Empress Cui spent a lot of time with the emperor.
Jinghui was Princess Yongjia's maiden name. These days, she frequently visited the palace to attend to the ailing emperor, and then simply stayed overnight there. Yan Chao was not particularly close to this elder sister. She was the emperor's first child and had inherited Empress Wenshu's appearance and temperament, holding a high position in the emperor's heart.
In my memory, Princess Yongjia and Empress Cui often quarreled. Between the proud and unruly princess and the gentle and obedient wife, the emperor always protected his eldest daughter.
Princess Yongjia is currently quite kind to all her younger siblings, but she ignores Yan Chao, the Crown Prince. Yan Chao himself doesn't seem to care much; royal kinship can't be forced.
The emperor looked at the silent crown prince, paused, and continued, "She said that your temperament is quite different from your mother's, and that you are more cold-hearted. I also said at the time that both your birth mother and adoptive mother are gentle and kind people. Although you are the crown prince, you are definitely not as heartless as Yan Ping."
Yan Chao had no time to analyze how much sarcasm and rebuke the emperor was carrying, nor did she have time to think about what she had done wrong recently. As soon as the name of the second prince, Yan Ping, was mentioned, she immediately gasped for breath and knelt down.
The emperor frowned, but his tone remained gentle: "Why are you so apprehensive? I didn't say anything wrong with you. Although Crown Prince Zhaohuai is kind, he is too weak, so you are better in comparison. You have a bit of fierceness and resilience in you. You may not seem ostentatious in front of me, but it is actually ingrained in your bones."
Yan Chao replied respectfully, "Your subject dares not fail your father's expectations. I will diligently cultivate myself and fulfill my duties as a subject to the emperor."
Anyone can say high-sounding words. She couldn't hear a trace of affection in the emperor's words; perhaps she had become numb over time.
The emperor paused for a moment, then changed the subject: "You must have seen the cabinet's memorials. Now that Meng Huai has been exonerated, the Crown Prince will naturally not be implicated."
"Thank you for your wise judgment, Father Emperor."
"The matter of Meng Huai is now closed," the emperor said, shifting his gaze from her. "The Crown Prince must already have a plan. Let me hear it."
.
Ji Weixian waited anxiously outside the palace, glancing inside every now and then, but daring not to disturb it. The palace doors were tightly shut. He knew in his heart that the outcome was already decided, but he was afraid that something the Crown Prince might say would cause a change in the situation.
A familiar figure approached from afar. Ji Weixian turned around, his expression suddenly changing slightly. His gaze swept over the person; the bright red python robe stung his eyes, but he still went to greet him, saying as usual with great courtesy, "The Grand Eunuch has arrived. His Highness the Crown Prince is inside the palace..."
Lan Huaien and Ji Weixian had always had a somewhat delicate relationship. On the surface, they were cooperative and amicable, but in reality, neither was willing to give in to the other. However, since they were dealing with matters before the emperor, they both knew their place and never let their little tricks slip in front of the emperor.
Lan Huaien stopped and glanced at him sideways: "Ji Weixian, I won't hold your little tricks against you, like stealing a sachet, but if you dare to collude with court officials to plot against the emperor, you won't even know how you died."
Ji Weixian's smile froze, his heart skipped a beat, his gaze darkened, and he bowed, chuckling softly, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Excellency. I would never dare to commit such a capital offense. I have always been cautious in my actions, and I would never dare to do anything that would frame a loyal and virtuous person out of thin air."
Lan Huaien sneered, ignoring his sarcasm, and turned to walk towards the palace gate.
Fang Li steadied himself and saw that the Crown Prince had already come out. He hurriedly went to greet him, but the Crown Prince did not stop walking and only said to him, "The Director is fortunate. He can take a good rest before the end of the year."
Lan Huaien probably understood what he meant, but he kept his emotions to himself and saw her off as usual.
.
Winter nights are long, and by the time the sky began to lighten, it was already quite late. Yan Chao got up earlier than usual today. After washing and dressing, he opened the window and stared at the first sliver of white in the east, which gradually brightened all the darkness.
Looking at the sky, Liang Lu extinguished another lamp before stepping forward and saying, "Your Highness has been busy with state affairs for the past few days. You went to bed late last night and got up early this morning. You are about to leave the palace, and I'm afraid your health won't be able to handle it..."
“When did you become as talkative as Yingniang?” Yan Chao turned to look at him, then remained standing still. “It’s a day off today, a rare opportunity to leave the palace.”
Looking into the distance, she saw that the palace lights were gradually dimming, trying to blend into the daylight. The voices of the palace servants nearby sounded even more noisy than usual.
After a long silence, she let out a long sigh. Today was Meng Huai's funeral. She had requested to leave the palace, and the emperor had granted her request.
Yan Chao hadn't slept well all night, tossing and turning, her mind restless. She felt alright when she woke up in the morning, though she did have faint bruises under her eyes. The cold wind that blew when she went outside dispelled the lingering fatigue.
As she got into the sedan chair, she glanced casually at the inner palace and muttered to herself, "At this hour, Lan Huaien is probably already in the inner study with those junior officials reciting scriptures."
Liang Lu responded with a "yes" and said softly, "His Majesty wanted him to cultivate his character and simply relieved him of all his duties, sending him to the back. Although he is still under the supervision of the Directorate of Ceremonial, it is quite different from before."
Everyone in the palace knows how to flatter the powerful and fawn over the weak, not to mention that Lan Huaien has now lost the Emperor's favor and his status. Anyone with a high-ranking official title can suppress him.
The emperor never said when he would return. Perhaps he would summon him back after the New Year if the emperor was in a good mood, or perhaps he would never want to see him again.
As long as he remains lowly, he will suffer humiliation.
There were precedents of older eunuchs entering the inner academy, not to attend classes, but to be ridiculed and humiliated. Lan Huaien had offended many people in the past, and although his life was not in danger this time, he was probably not having an easy time either.
Yan Chaoyuan had pondered right and wrong in his heart, but then realized that the ending was already a mess, so how could he distinguish it so clearly?
After leaving the palace gates, the sedan chair turned and headed straight for the Meng residence. The residence was packed with guests today; aside from Meng family members, most were colleagues from the court. Now that the emperor had made his stance clear, no one dared to speak ill of him privately.
Meng Huai had many disciples during his lifetime, many of whom traveled from all directions to attend. Inside and outside the house, white mourning clothes covered the area like snow, and mournful elegiac songs filled the air.
Yan Chao originally did not want to disturb the tranquility of Meng Huai's mourning hall, but the emperor intended for her to go and comfort the Meng family. Therefore, although she did not bring the imperial regalia of the Crown Prince, she still had to observe proper etiquette after entering the residence.
She accepted the greetings from everyone, and then went to the mourning hall alone to pay her respects to Meng Wenzhen as a student. She had a heartfelt message to say, but in front of so many people, she didn't know how to begin.
They did not linger there long afterward.
Seeing this, Chen Xiu broke away from his colleagues and followed her, but stopped her only after they left the Meng residence: "Your Highness!"
Yan Chao turned around, somewhat surprised, and had to stop. He instructed Liang Lu to wait where he was, and then turned back.
Chen Xiu bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, please allow me a moment to speak." Yan Chao nodded.
The two found a corner, and Chen Xiu spoke, but then hesitated: "...I would like to ask, was the decision regarding the handling of Lan Huaien and Lu Xun made by Your Highness?"
“Yes,” Yan Chao nodded, then looked at his somber face and said softly, “Sir, you may speak frankly.”
Upon hearing her address, Chen Xiu immediately replied, "Your Highness is too kind. I am unworthy of being addressed as 'sir' by Your Highness."
"Sir is a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall. Although he was not my mentor, he still taught me and enlightened me." Her voice was very soft, but her words were clear and distinct.
Chen Xiu then stopped refusing, saying only "Thank you for your kind offer, Your Highness," before continuing to ask, "I just don't understand why you are protecting Lan Huai'en?"
"Protecting"?
For a moment she froze, the two words hovering between her lips, then dissipated like a breeze, leaving only a chill. Perhaps due to the cold weather, her face felt slightly numb.
"Yes. I believe that Lan Huaien's death is not a pity." His words were somewhat stiff, but it was still clear that he had restrained himself.
“Even if Lan Huaien is executed, it cannot cover up the fact that the murderer of Mr. Meng is someone else. Moreover, if Lan Huaien is really dead, there is only Ji Weixian, the chief scribe who is currently favored by the emperor, in the imperial court. Are you at ease? Lan Huaien is just abusing his power because of the emperor's favor. Ji Weixian's ambition and backing are far greater than his.”
"They are birds of a feather. I am indeed deeply saddened by Zichuan's death, and Lan Huaien is indeed a treacherous villain."
"Your Majesty is surrounded by all sorts of people, and there is never a shortage of arrogant and conceited villains. Today, Lan Huai'en is gone, but who knows if Ji Weixian will cause chaos tomorrow? I will definitely avenge Mr. Meng, but not now."
Chen Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "I was somewhat surprised by Lu Xun's demotion."
"In any case, Mr. Meng was arrested in the imperial prison. Even if Lu Xun is innocent, he is still responsible for dereliction of duty. This is His Majesty's decree. Moreover, Lu Xun himself is not entirely innocent either."
Lu Xun witnessed Meng Huai's suicide. Whatever the reason, it's likely he couldn't escape the knot in his heart.
Chen Xiu remained silent.
Looking at the young crown prince before him, he sighed after a long while: "Sometimes I just hope that Your Highness doesn't always have to see things from the perspective of the crown prince."
Her youthful vigor and fiery spirit are gradually eroding. She needs to learn to consider the bigger picture, to solidify her position, to endure hardship, and to weigh the pros and cons... instead of remaining a purely stubborn and hot-blooded Yan Chao.
He couldn't determine whether she was right or wrong, so he felt a vague sense of disappointment.
Zichuan, shouldn't you be pleased in heaven?
A biting wind swept past him, and Yan Chao's fingertips trembled slightly within his sleeve. Suddenly, he said firmly, "Sir, I haven't forgotten. I will never forget."
What are you forgetting?
She didn't say it, and perhaps Chen Xiu understood, but she couldn't find a single word of comfort to offer.
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