Chapter 98 Year...
With the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard escorting them, there were no further obstacles on their way back to the palace.
Someone stepped forward to question them, and the guard clearly replied that he was acting on the orders of the Crown Prince and asked everyone to wait here temporarily.
He Shu stood outside the crowd, not attracting any attention. He frowned upon hearing this. Putting aside the issue of how to resolve the matter of the Crown Prince's identity, just considering it from Yan Chao's perspective, he felt that this move was far too hasty and completely unlike her usual cautious style.
In full view of everyone, isn't this just giving people ammunition to gossip?
His gaze deepened, and he turned to beckon two inconspicuous minor officials, whispering a few instructions. The two bowed, quietly withdrew, and headed east.
.
As they drew closer to the Qianqing Palace, Yan Chao dismissed his attendants and prepared to enter the hall alone with Lan Huai'en. Just as he stepped onto the stairs, a sharp shout rang out from behind: "Halt!"
Yan Chao's eyes flickered slightly, he stopped and turned his head away.
Over the years, only Princess Yongjia has been able to act so recklessly and arrogantly in the palace. Even Lady Li, who was once the most favored by the emperor, maintained a respectable facade.
This personality was gradually cultivated by the emperor's pampering, transforming him from innocent and carefree to straightforward and arrogant. He truly never suffered any major injustices from childhood to adulthood.
If Princess Yongjia had any grievances, they would probably stem from the fact that the crown prince had "usurped her place."
Seeing the arrogant and angry look on Princess Yongjia's face, she was unwilling to say anything more to her, and simply refused to call her "elder sister." She only ordered in a low voice, "The princess is pregnant and should not get angry, as this will harm her health. Send a few people to escort her back to the princess's residence."
Having said that, he ignored her and turned to walk up the steps.
Princess Yongjia seemed surprised by Yan Chao's decisiveness and straightforwardness. Her anger erupted, and just as she was about to speak, several eunuchs quickly surrounded her, making it seem as if they wanted her to return to her residence.
Seeing that she remained unmoved, one of them stepped forward and whispered, "Princess, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance..."
Princess Yongjia remained defiant, but the eunuch stepped in to stop her, his tone slightly harsher: "Please also consider the Xue family's situation, Your Highness. You and your husband are deeply in love. If something happens to you, His Majesty will take his anger out on you, and your husband will inevitably be blamed for failing to serve his master. The Xingji Earl's Mansion cannot remain uninvolved either."
"Even so, Princess Yongjia, what can you do? There's nothing you can do."
She interrupted her coldly, then climbed another step without turning her head, continuing with her last sentence: "As long as this world still belongs to the Yan family, Princess Yongjia will always be the most honorable eldest princess."
Princess Yongjia stood frozen in place. Perhaps it was the biting cold wind, but her anger instantly dissipated. The fire in her heart had ignited and then extinguished for no reason, ultimately proving to be a futile effort.
.
Yan Chao and Lan Huaien entered the East Warm Pavilion, where the underfloor heating was burning brightly, radiating a warm and cozy feeling. The interior was as warm as spring, while outside it was freezing cold—a stark contrast.
Lan Huaien stepped inside first, informed the emperor, and then stepped back out, bowing to Yan Chao: "His Majesty summons you in."
The heavy curtains were lifted, and she slowly walked forward. A few lamps shone in the inner chamber, bright yet deathly silent. The emperor's shallow breathing was barely audible; his life hung by a thread, as if he might die at any moment.
Yan Chao stopped, straightened his robes, lowered his eyes and bowed down: "Your subject respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health."
After a long silence from the emperor, she hesitated for a moment, then looked up and saw the emperor leaning against the couch, looking at her. Their eyes met briefly, and Yan Chao felt a strange sensation in her heart.
Tormented by illness, the emperor's fierce aura dissipated, though his face still retained the unique majesty of an emperor; however, his spirit and energy were far less than before.
Within a month, the emperor's health deteriorated rapidly. His eye sockets became deeply sunken, his cheekbones protruded, the skin and flesh on his face withered, and he became emaciated.
Yan Chao was somewhat moved and stood there stunned, his throat tightening, but he couldn't utter a single word. However, his emotions only wavered for a moment before he quickly regained his composure.
"Does Father really not understand?"
Yan Chao chuckled lightly, calmly gazing at the Emperor: "If I dared not, I would have been strangled at birth twenty years ago. Since you have already ordered the interrogation of Consort Ning and Liang Lu, you must know the whole story."
During those seven years in the Cui family, from the moment she clearly knew she had to survive, there was no turning back; or perhaps from the moment she survived the clutches of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor as the legitimate son of the Empress, it was destined that she could not back down.
Years as a fallen prince, years as the Crown Prince, surrounded by thorns and dangers, her path fraught with peril. She has climbed her way to where she is today, the title of Crown Prince etched into her very bones. When she finds herself in this world, she has long since transcended the distinction between men and women.
Having taken this position, I will not allow anyone else to touch it, much less give it up easily.
A hint of defiance flashed in her eyes, but she raised her eyebrows and continued, "Your subject went to the border to fight the enemy with the army. Now the border troubles have been eliminated and we have returned in great victory. Your subject even personally killed the Tatar Huntaiji. So the Imperial Observatory's claim is self-defeating."
"In other words, whether I am male or female, it will not affect the stability of the nation." With that last sentence, a sense of triumph washed over her.
After delivering such a long speech, coupled with his intense anger, the emperor's face turned red, he was breathing heavily, and sweating profusely.
Yan Chao had gotten up at some point and stood in front of the bed, glancing down at the emperor.
In what seemed like an instant, a thought flashed through his mind, and then he realized something, his heart sinking. He stared at her intently, his eyes wide: "...Fei'er! You did something to Fei'er?"
Yan Chao was slightly taken aback, but then she understood what the emperor meant. She frowned slightly, but her gaze remained calm: "Your subject would not stoop to harming a child."
The Emperor coughed heavily twice, then pointed a trembling finger at her: "You refuse to admit it, but I know it's all your fault! Fei'er died young, and I wanted to posthumously honor him as the Crown Prince, but the court officials obstructed me in every way; later, unfounded rumors spread that Fei'er's ill fate was due to Crown Prince Zhaohuai. You've always been resentful of the Imperial Observatory's claims and have always viewed Zhaoyang Palace as a thorn in your side. Do you dare say you didn't know about this? It's clear that Fei'er's cold was also related to you!"
Perhaps because it was too hot inside the palace, Yan Chao's right arm suddenly began to ache, and his fingertips in his sleeve felt numb.
Coming to her senses, she saw the emperor had just finished speaking. She looked up and casually asked, "Since Father Emperor knows that Fei'er's rumors are completely unfounded, why doesn't he ever think that the Imperial Observatory's recent prediction is an attempt by someone to use the events of twenty years ago to put me to death?"
"As expected, the rumors were something you deliberately orchestrated." The emperor maintained his aggressive demeanor, dodging her questions and drawing a conclusion that seemed perfectly reasonable.
Yan Chao was momentarily taken aback.
She could naturally guess who did it. The emperor valued Yan Fei so much; if he wanted to investigate, he would have done so long ago. He probably wouldn't find anything, or the results would be "unsatisfactory," so he simply vented his anger on her.
The feeling of powerlessness to refute immediately turned into indifference. She glanced at the emperor, neither explaining nor arguing: "Then just consider it as something I did."
The windows of the sleeping quarters were tightly closed to block out the wind, preventing any sunlight from entering and making the room somewhat stuffy. The candle wick occasionally crackled softly, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.
The emperor's hateful gaze was fixed on her, his expression suggesting he wanted to devour her alive, yet he showed no sign of shock or anger. His chest heaved violently, and his lips turned white.
After a long while, two streams of clear tears flowed from those eyes, which were wide open in a state of shock. The tears looked particularly incongruous against their scarlet sockets. The light, thin lines of water slid down that usually dignified face.
This was the first time Yan Chao had ever seen the emperor shed tears. Knowing it was for Yan Fei, he couldn't help but think of that innocent and carefree child, so fragile that he couldn't even withstand a cold, and was ultimately moved.
The emperor before him fell silent. When a splash of crimson blood caught his eye, Yan Chao realized something was wrong. A chill ran through him, and he turned and called out, "Lan Huai'en, summon the imperial physician!"
A hurried reply came from outside the curtain.
She turned her head and saw that the emperor's head was hanging down unnaturally, and he was not moving at all. He had probably fainted. Without thinking, she took a few steps forward, but when she reached out, she suddenly hesitated. After a moment's hesitation, she first used her left hand to help the emperor lean against the soft pillow, and then took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips.
As he withdrew his hand, the emperor suddenly spoke weakly, "Why don't you ask me why I didn't depose you?"
Yan Chao seemed surprised that he was still awake. He paused for a moment, then shook his head and said softly, "Your subject doesn't know, and doesn't want to know anymore. You can't depose me now, and you won't be able to depose me in the future."
The emperor felt a lump in his throat, his vision blurred, and he completely fainted.
Most of the Imperial Medical Academy personnel arrived, and upon hearing of the emperor's illness, they skillfully diagnosed his pulse, administered acupuncture, and prescribed medicine. The palace servants also served him methodically according to their instructions. This suggests that similar situations had occurred multiple times before.
Taking advantage of a break, Lan Huaien whispered to Yan Chao, "The medicines we have now are almost the same as the ones before."
Two imperial physicians were attending to the emperor, while the rest of the crowd gathered outside. When they had a moment of free time, they would glance at Yan Chao intentionally or unintentionally, but they dared not discuss it easily. They could only look at each other in bewilderment: the emperor was clearly nearing his end. What should they do next?
Yan Chao stood upright, occasionally asking the imperial physician a question, his face still showing the same expression as always, truly indifferent yet impeccable.
When the emperor regained consciousness, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor's breathing became steady. He opened his eyes, looked around the hall, then closed them again and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Yan Chao."
He called out names directly.
Yan Chao raised an eyebrow, bowed his head, and said, "Yes."
"Fifty strokes of the cane, you know your crime well," the emperor said wearily, turning over and adding, "Lan Huai'en will carry out the execution himself."
Upon hearing this, Feng Jingmo, who was kneeling behind, suddenly straightened up, wanting to plead for Yan Chao. The emperor was unaware of her injuries, but he knew them perfectly well.
Before he could speak, he was suddenly grabbed by a royal physician beside him. Without thinking twice, the physician forcefully pressed his head down and shot him a sharp glare, ordering him to shut up.
News from the emperor always spreads faster. When the gloating decree of execution reached the ears of the court officials, they were still gathered outside the palace and had not yet left.
This naturally sparked much discussion: putting aside other matters, the deep-seated hatred between the Eastern Depot and the Crown Prince's Palace is likely something that will never be resolved. Isn't Lan Huai'en afraid of retaliation if the Crown Prince truly ascends the throne?
However, immediately afterward, a eunuch from the Crown Prince's side came out and delivered an imperial edict from the Eastern Palace: Tomorrow, the Crown Prince will attend to affairs in the Wenhua Hall, and all departments should submit their reports for implementation if they have any matters to attend to.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. The Crown Prince had already met with the Emperor, and his status remained unchanged. Moreover, the official who had spoken out of turn had been taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his whereabouts were still unknown.
Author's Note: The courtiers (watching the drama unfold): The Eastern Palace and the Eastern Depot are irreconcilable enemies; they're bound to fight to the death.
Chaolan (poking her head out from under the covers): Ah, right, right, right
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