dense forest
"Why did Young Master submit a letter impeaching Wei Liang, Xu Shu, and the others? He also openly accused them of veiledly disobeying Your Majesty's new policies and secretly colluding with the King of Donghai. Do you understand that this will put you in danger?"
"Your Highness, do you also not agree with His Majesty's new policies?"
"This law is too radical. Those who own fiefdoms and salt mines are all related to the Liu family. Otherwise, they are ministers of state and are vital to the country. This has been the case for hundreds of years. But now Your Majesty wants to change it and take back everyone's power. The Zongzheng Office is overwhelmed by this and people are indifferent."
Zhang Yannian smiled. "No family can maintain wealth and prosperity for a hundred years. We are all concerned with the present. Besides, although this action is against ancestral rules, it is indeed beneficial to Your Majesty. What is beneficial to Your Majesty is also beneficial to Your Highness. As for whether it is dangerous or not, Your Majesty and I are not much different. We are both at this age, and there is nothing to fear. As long as I can clear obstacles and pave the way for Your Highness, I will die without regrets."
Although Liu Ju was moved when he heard this, he didn't say anything. Instead, he stared at the chessboard for a long time with the chess piece in his hand, and then it landed on one of the pieces.
Zhang Yannian observed silently. Ever since the emperor had ignored his pleas for mercy and executed Concubine Rong, then kicked him in the back, causing him to spit blood, he had become much less talkative. Even the smiles he wore were superficial. Only when he was with him did he relax slightly, revealing this tired expression. He could sense that a seed of something strange had been planted deep within the young man's heart, and this was exactly what he wanted.
"Although His Majesty has been handling state affairs recently and appears to be in high spirits, he has been recuperating in Ganquan Palace for some time and has not returned to the palace. This clearly indicates that he is unwell and is afraid of the outside world's stirrings, so he dares not disclose the news."
"My father has always been in good health. The only reason he hasn't returned to the palace is because of his newfound beauty."
Liu Ju's words carried a hint of mockery. "Master, what you said about paving the way for me may not actually come true. Father has one beautiful woman after another, and each one is his exclusive favorite. There's no guarantee that they won't give birth to a younger brother. It's hard to say whether I can maintain my position as the crown prince."
"Your Highness has no children. If a grandson is born, perhaps this worry will be lessened. Your Highness, I do not want to interfere in the affairs of the inner chambers. You and the Crown Princess can treat each other with respect, but you should also find other women you like."
"Young Master, are you going to say the same thing about me? The other women I like..." He sneered, "What else do I like or dislike? Does anyone really care about my preferences? My mother and father both interfere with my preferences, turning their preferences into mine and mine into theirs. What's the difference between me and a puppet they control?"
"The Eastern Palace may appear glorious and grand, but in reality, it is surrounded by enemies, trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. It has been like this since ancient times. Your Majesty was once a crown prince, and you have endured hardships that ordinary people cannot endure. Your Highness, rest assured. When you become the monarch in the future, these troubles will naturally be nothing."
"Becoming a monarch..." Liu Ju chuckled and took a sip of his wine. "Can I still become a monarch?"
Judging from the way the emperor treated him, he must be extremely disgusted. If another prince was born in the future, it would be unknown whether he could continue to sit on this throne.
"Looking across the world, who else besides Your Highness is qualified to succeed the throne? What you should do is cheer up, take good care of your health, and wait for this day to come..."
Liu Ju lowered his eyes, looking at the person's eyes reflected in the cup, tired but with a strong desire. Yes, this day will come. Apart from him, no one can take your place...
…
After Liu Che fell asleep, A Jiao opened her eyes. The moonlight shone through the curtains, and her dark pupils reflected a silvery light. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Liu Che quietly.
Nightmares still woke her up from time to time, the violent throbbing of her heart indicating something was wrong with her body. She had never experienced this before, but later she would dream of the fire. Her skin, her hair... first burned, the poison eroding her stomach bit by bit. She rolled on the ground in agony, but the more she rolled, the more intense the flames grew.
Every time she was about to forget and thought she could just obediently and peacefully live her life, this nightmare would remind her of the horror of the burning fire.
She thought about killing Liu Che. But there was no need. After his death, Liu Ju would ascend to the throne, and Wei Zifu would become the empress dowager. She could be too lazy to seek revenge on that woman, but she was not generous enough to personally send her to the throne she dreamed of.
The person next to him suddenly started coughing. After coughing a few times, he woke up, sat up and looked for water to drink.
A pot of cold tea was poured down. Just as Gillian was about to stop him, he waved his hand and said, "It's okay. The weather is too hot. Drinking some cold tea is just right."
She saw that he didn't look well and was still breathing heavily after drinking the tea, so she frowned.
"It's autumn now, and the nights are cold. Just wait a little longer and ask someone to bring some hot tea."
"Are you concerned about me?" He shook her hand. "Why are you still awake so late? What are you thinking about?"
"If I don't care about you, who should I care about?"
Liu Che smiled and said, "I thought you were hoping for my death so you could leave the palace."
"Rather than you dying, I hope you can figure it out. I don't want that woman to take the position of Queen Mother for nothing."
She made no secret of her dislike for Wei Yun, but he seemed to be somewhat relieved, or more accurately, at ease.
"Don't worry, even if I die, she will never become the Queen Mother."
She glanced at him and said, "Indeed, she is no longer valuable. If you don't abandon her now, when will you? Your Majesty, have you thought of a good reason? After all, she is the Queen."
After saying this, she smiled sarcastically and said, "Oh, I forgot, what does the Queen mean to His Majesty? The matter of deposing and enthroning is still determined by His Majesty's likes and dislikes."
Thinking of the past, Liu Che felt a little guilty and changed the subject.
"I have already drafted the edict for the coronation of the queen. When do you want the ceremony to take place?"
"My dress is layered with layers of fabric, and the weight on my head is heavy. I'm drenched in sweat after a long day. Let's wait until autumn, when the crisp, clear weather bodes well."
Seeing that she didn't object, Liu Che suddenly felt that the depression in his heart had dissipated a lot, and he laughed out loud.
"Okay, then let's wait a little longer. I'll ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate an auspicious date."
Liu Che had clearly sensed a change in A Jiao's attitude over the past few days, and he felt it was because she was about to overthrow Wei Zifu and gain victory. She had moved many things into Ganquan Palace and was directing the palace servants to decorate the courtyard, seemingly deciding to start a good life.
Liu Che sat by the window, and the cool breeze made the documents under the paperweight rustle.
He frowned as if he was lost in thought, and hesitated to write. Suddenly, he started coughing. Gillian patted his back and brought him a cup of tea.
"What's going on? I've been coughing for several days."
"The weather has changed, and there might be a bit of a cold wind."
Liu Che didn't take it seriously. Ah Jiao said, "I'll ask the imperial physician to come and take a look."
"Your Majesty has caught a cold. You've been so busy with government affairs. You should rest well. Otherwise, a minor illness could develop into a major one."
The imperial physician prescribed medicine, and A Jiao collected all of Liu Che's official documents and forced him to wash up and rest early.
He rested his head on her knees, feeling her gentle caress. Gradually, his frown relaxed and he fell asleep unknowingly.
Gillian put his head on the pillow, slowly stood up and walked out the door.
"My lady, what are you going to do?"
"Go to the Imperial Garden and bring me the horse."
The servants followed behind Gillian and watched her mount her horse. She ran faster and faster, and suddenly ran into the depths of the dense forest. They reined in the horses in time.
It was impossible to catch up with her, and she had entered the deep woods to the west - the place where giant beasts lived and no one dared to set foot.
Looking at the thick twilight in the distance, they looked at each other, turning around and hesitating.
"What now?"
"What else can we do? Go report to Eunuch Jiang."
The emperor was in a good mood, and he felt much more relaxed about his duties. At this moment, Jiang Chong was sleeping soundly in the room when he was suddenly awakened. Then came a bolt from the blue.
"The queen ran away?"
"He didn't run away. He...he accidentally wandered into the northwest woods."
"Didn't the Queen and His Majesty go to bed early? How did they accidentally come in?"
"The Queen Mother said that His Majesty is not in good health. The Imperial Physician said that freshly dissected deer gallbladders can be used as medicine to treat asthma. The Queen Mother insisted on going to get it herself. We were following her at first, but then the horse suddenly sped up like crazy and soon left us behind and ran into the woods."
There was a fierce tiger in the Western Forest. In the past, the late emperor wanted to raise a tiger as his mount, so he captured this little beast. Not long after, the late emperor passed away. The little tiger was left unattended and forgotten in the Western Forest. Over a decade later, it grew into a full-grown tiger, roaring frequently. However, because it was a royal captive, no one dared to shoot it.
But this little ancestor had barged in. It was no wonder he was suspicious. She had a long criminal record. Others might think she had bravely ventured into the dense forest for the emperor, but he had a vague sense of foreboding. She wanted to escape. The dense forest to the west was not well guarded and was usually poorly managed. She could go down the mountain and leave the palace from there.
She was even willing to risk her life to leave. He was also aware of His Majesty's recent movements. The decree deposing the Empress was locked away in a cabinet, ready to be announced. No one understood the Princess's significance to His Majesty better than he did...
"Eunuch Jiang, an incense stick has already passed. What should we do?"
If it was someone else, it would be fine. We could just pretend to go for a walk in the jungle and look for them. If they could come out, that would be the best. But if they couldn't, no one would risk their lives to look for them. But this wasn't someone else!
Jiang Chong thought about it again and again, and decided that he couldn't take on this responsibility.
Between being scolded for waking up the emperor and leading people to look for him and being killed by a tiger, Jiang Chong chose the former.
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