Consort Shu was so angry her chest ached. Looking at Prince Jing sitting on the ground, her disgust reached its peak. "It's already like this, I might as well be dead! Why is he still alive and blocking people's way!"
"Prince Jing, the Emperor has only fainted, not fallen seriously ill. Are you trying to make sure the Emperor is alright? Besides, you are a prince; you should consider the dignity of the imperial family. Such behavior is truly unseemly!"
Although Prince Jing had drunk quite a bit, he had sobered up considerably after walking through the cold wind. Hearing Consort Shu speak of him like that, he sneered repeatedly.
"Who do you think you are, to speak ill of me!"
Consort Shu immediately lost her composure. She was now the head of the harem, so what was wrong with him saying a word to her?
King Jing humiliated her in front of the entire harem. How could she possibly command respect in the harem after that?
Seeing that his mother's face was extremely pale, the fifth prince went forward and tugged at her arm.
"Mother, Father is not well. Right now, Father is the most important person to take care of."
Consort Shu nodded; she could swallow this insult.
"His Highness Prince Jing reeks of alcohol first thing in the morning and shows no respect for his elders. Are you servants all just sitting around doing nothing?! Quickly take Prince Jing away to sober up!"
King Jing was about to curse again, but he was dragged away by two quick-thinking eunuchs.
Seeing him being dragged along like this, Consort Shu felt much better.
After examining Yuwen Wuji in the palace, the imperial physician came to a somber conclusion.
"Your Majesty, he...he's had a stroke!"
Inside the hall were only Prince Xuan, Yuwen Xian, his two siblings, and Li Wei serving them. They were all stunned by the result and did not understand why this had happened.
But this seems reasonable, since everyone knows Yuwen Wuji's current physical condition; it's just that no one is willing to remind him.
Prince Xuan walked outside the palace leaning on his cane. In reality, he had only strained his leg and had not broken any bones. He had pretended to have broken a bone in order to avoid the current situation. The emperor was seriously ill and the princes were unfit to be emperor. Naturally, he and Prince Yan would be promoted to the throne, but he did not want to do so, so he pretended to be lame, since a lame person could not be emperor.
He sat outside the hall sighing, and Yuwen Xian came out and sat down beside him.
"Third Brother, why are you sighing?" Yuwen Xian knew that among the siblings, Prince Xuan and Yuwen Wuji were brothers, and their relationship was naturally closer. However, Prince Xuan's feelings towards this elder brother were complicated, containing both familial affection and wariness.
And the wariness outweighs the brotherly affection between them. After all, feelings can fade over time, and the wariness stems from the deepening estrangement between them as time goes by.
"I just feel like things are so much easier now." King Xuan rested his hands on his knees, his fingers supporting his forehead as he smiled bitterly. "Ah, I envy you so much, you don't have to think about so many things."
Yuwen Xian paused for a moment, then asked, "Why does Third Brother think I don't need to think about these things?"
King Xuan replied matter-of-factly, "Because you are a woman!"
Yuwen Xian remained silent for a while, then said, "Does Third Brother want Prince Yan to be the emperor with ministers?"
King Xuan immediately shook his head. The Prince of Yan was indeed capable of leading troops into battle, but he was truly incompetent in governing the country. If he were to become emperor, wouldn't the Great Chen Dynasty descend into chaos?
"Third Brother himself doesn't want this position, and he thinks that Prince Yan is not up to the task. Does that mean he thinks Fifth Brother is capable?"
King Xuan looked at his younger sister, wondering why he had brought up such important matters of state with her. She was a stranger to him, yet he felt that sharing his burdens with her would ease his mind.
"Xiao Wu is still a bit lacking. Just look at his mother; she's not someone who can amount to anything."
"Consort Shu?"
This was the first time Yuwen Xian had heard the Prince of Xuan talk about his views on the women in Yuwen Wuji's harem, so he took it seriously.
"His mother is a cunning and suspicious person." Prince Xuan disliked her greatly and told Yuwen Xian about how she had betrayed Empress Jingxian years ago. "My sister-in-law was so good to her, even asking me to keep an eye out for talented young men in the court, wanting to take her in as a sworn sister to support her and help her marry better. But she actually did it!"
King Xuan didn't say anything more, but Yuwen Xian could sense his dislike for the woman in his words. No one likes someone who betrays their friend.
"There's one more thing I've always wondered about," King Xuan murmured. "Why weren't you at Fengwu Palace when the fire broke out?"
Yuwen Xian blinked. She was too young to remember anything from that time, and she didn't understand it herself.
The fire at Fengwu Palace was arson, and the culprit, Gao Ping, has been executed. However, many questions remain.
"Third Brother, do you think that Consort Shu was also involved in that fire?"
King Xuan remained silent, only glancing towards the inner palace. He sighed, then looked away and said in a deep voice, "The past is the past; we must look forward. Your second brother's illness is likely to cause turmoil in the court and among the people."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xian stood up and said, "In that case, let's make it even more turbulent."
King Xuan looked up at her and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm not doing anything. Third Brother will stay here and watch over Second Brother. I'm going out for some fresh air."
King Xuan waved her off, telling her to go. He was exhausted; he felt he had endured so much and done so many things, but it all seemed to be for nothing.
Yuwen Xian left the Qiankun Palace, where many ministers and concubines were guarding the entrance. She gave Chengcheng a look, and Chengcheng immediately understood and ordered the imperial guards to disperse them.
Yuwen Wuji's current condition has not been revealed yet, and these people are guarding this place because they want to know Yuwen Wuji's situation as soon as possible.
Yuwen Xian didn't have anyone follow her. She walked along the palace path, her heart filled with a firm resolve for the first time.
She went to Fengwu Palace, and the palace nanny was overjoyed to see her.
"Your Highness, what brings you here!"
"I'm just here for a bit, I'll be leaving soon."
She entered the inner hall of Fengwu Palace. On the wall of the main hall, there hung a large black lacquered bow with no elaborate carvings, understated and dignified.
She used a stool to take the bow down from the wall.
The bow weighed twenty pounds, and when she carried it on her back, it made her look even smaller.
Yuwen Xian carried the bow and ascended the Star-Picking Tower in the palace. This tower had been built for Empress Jingxian, but it had been locked since her sister-in-law's death. But she had the key.
The stairwell is regularly cleaned and maintained, and this Star-Picking Building doesn't look too old. Stepping on the wooden planks, they creaked, as if trying to dissuade her from going back.
The Star-Picking Tower is the tallest building in the entire palace, offering a panoramic view of the entire palace complex. She found an angle from which she could see the Qingxu Palace.
This Qingxu Palace is the palace where the Qingxu Immortal resided.
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