Chapter 161: Can't afford any loss
Perhaps it was because of Wen Ling's enhanced sleeping talisman that forced the emperor to sleep, the emperor now went to bed on time at twelve o'clock every night and got up on time at six o'clock in the morning.
Six hours of high-quality sleep is more than enough for an old emperor who doesn't get much sleep.
In addition, after witnessing Wen Ling's abilities with his own eyes and with Wen Ling's various predictions about natural disasters, the emperor had the confidence to prepare for future events and felt a lot more relaxed.
The emperor slept well and was mentally relaxed. He looked in very good condition during this year's New Year. He felt several years younger and much better than during the royal hunting trip.
The princes looked at their father who was in high spirits, and even felt that his father's health was better than theirs, as if he could outlast them.
Especially the eldest prince, he was not born of a legitimate wife, but he was the emperor's first son, born to the emperor and his concubine when the emperor was sixteen years old.
He is only sixteen years younger than the emperor and is in his early forties this year. I don't know if it's because of his bad living habits or because he indulges too much in dark dogs and horses, but he looks very old.
Being with the emperor, I feel more like a brother than like his son.
Maybe it was because he got up early today, he had big bags under his eyes and his eyes were dull. He looked particularly listless. When the emperor was talking to him, he answered questions irrelevantly several times.
Originally, the eldest prince had fighting spirit, but he was never valued by the emperor, so he gave up.
When the emperor was in poor health last year, he also became restless and fought with the second and third princes in private, making constant small moves.
But he was far from being a match for the Second Prince and the Third Prince. Every time Concubine Hua's people made a move, he was thwarted several times.
At the end of the year, he heard someone say that worshiping a statue of a deity was particularly effective, and as long as one was sincere, any wish could be fulfilled.
He had just started to think about it, but the news about the Second Prince being entangled with Wen Yao and Lin Qingxuan's affairs came out one after another.
The eldest prince is a prince after all, he knows the inside story. It was all caused by that wooden statue.
In addition, the emperor promulgated laws to strictly investigate and punish all those who worshipped and spread the statues of gods. The person who recommended his statues was arrested, which frightened him so much that he dared not even have this idea.
Now seeing that his father is even more energetic than he is, he really feels that his father can outlast him.
So when the emperor scolded him, "You princes are all young men, how come none of you are as energetic as me, an old man over fifty years old?", the eldest prince had a wooden face and no expression, and he was too lazy to refute a word.
Let alone the Second Prince. Ever since the Wen Yao incident, Concubine Hua saw through his true nature and gave up on encouraging him.
He is now an idle prince, spending his days doing handicrafts, drinking tea, listening to books and having fun.
At this moment, in the imperial study, after wishing the emperor a happy new year, he has been showing Wen Ling the talismans he drew himself and asking Wen Ling for some advice. He is not thinking about the fight for the throne at all.
Not to mention Gu Chenran, he was still sitting in a wheelchair. After greeting the emperor and empress on the new year, his heart and eyes were full of Wen Ling, as if he was content with having the princess.
As for the five princes behind, the sixth prince is lame, the seventh prince is born with intellectual disabilities, and the eighth and ninth princes are still four or five years old and can only learn to speak and cannot even recognize people. They are even less competitive.
Oh, there is another prince, that is Concubine Xian’s vegetative son, the Fifth Prince. He is still lying in bed and has not woken up. The entire palace has almost forgotten that there is such a prince.
So among all the princes, only the third prince has fighting ability. He also looks the most energetic and motivated here. He is so motivated that he can't wait for the emperor to announce him as the crown prince tomorrow.
The third prince looked at the emperor with burning eyes the whole time, waiting for the emperor to say the first words to him.
However, the emperor took the initiative to speak to almost all the princes. Even the intellectually disabled Seventh Prince, the emperor asked him if he felt comfortable in the palace and if he was neglected by the palace servants.
But when he was wishing a happy new year, the emperor just responded indifferently without saying a word of concern.
This made the third prince feel disappointed and even anxious.
Now it seems that he is obviously the most suitable candidate to be the crown prince. What opinions and dissatisfaction does the emperor have with him? Why not tell him straight out?
Especially when he saw the Emperor taking the initiative to talk to Gu Chenran for the Nth time, asking him indirectly about Wen Ling.
He finally couldn't help it. Why should the emperor focus all his attention on that half-paralyzed waste Gu Chenran just because of Wen Ling?
That Wen Ling is just a woman. Could she be as powerful as the Heavenly Master in Baiyun Temple and the Abbot in Huguo Temple?
The third prince, Gu Lei Ting, spoke in a sarcastic tone: "I have heard a lot of rumors about Princess Chen recently, and I am also very curious about her abilities.
I just heard the second prince calling Princess Chen "Master Ling". If Master Ling is so capable, why is he helpless with the fourth prince's leg?
Have you never thought about treating it, or is it impossible to treat it? If you need any rare medicinal herbs, Princess Chen may as well ask for them. My mother's family is in the Greater Khingan Range, and many rare medicinal herbs have been passed down from generation to generation. “
This was almost like pointing at Wen Ling's nose and saying, since you are so capable, why don't you cure Gu Chenran's leg? I think you are just in name only, with only a little ability, and you are just trying to build up momentum for yourself in the capital.
His mother is from an aristocratic family that has been passed down in the Greater Khingan Range for hundreds of years, and he is the one with real heritage.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him.
The entire imperial study was silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Especially the emperor, the way he looked at the third prince... was as if he was looking at a fool, as if he had asked a particularly stupid question.
The third prince felt ashamed and annoyed by such a look, and at the same time he was very angry. He was angry that the emperor was so old, but still was deceived by such a person.
The emperor was too lazy to say anything to his third son. The third son had every appearance, ability and family background that made him a perfect candidate to be a crown prince, but unfortunately he was just arrogant, self-willed, impulsive and irritable.
He possessed all the qualities that a monarch should not have.
He deliberately ignored and snubbed him, just wanting to temper his temper.
Unexpectedly, he not only did not know how to reflect on himself, but even took the initiative to jump out and be a conspicuous person.
Even if the emperor doesn't say anything, Gu Chenran won't indulge him.
He gave the third prince a cold look, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Everyone who is familiar with Gu Chenran knows that when Gu Chenran shows this smile, someone is bound to be in trouble.
Gu Chenran's tone was very pleasantly surprised: "Really? How did Third Brother know that my princess needed rare herbs to treat my leg?
You really hit the nail on the head. My princess has been saying for a while that my legs have been damaged for many years and I need a thousand-year-old ginseng to activate them.
We have been looking for thousand-year-old ginseng for a long time, but there is no market for it. I heard that the third prince's mother's family is in the Greater Khingan Range, where ginseng is abundant. There is a thousand-year-old ginseng in their collection.
Normally, I would be too embarrassed to ask for it, but I didn't expect that Third Brother would say so today. He is really too generous. I really used to judge others by my own standards.
If Third Brother is willing to give me the thousand-year-old ginseng, I will come to thank you in person after my leg recovers, and then spread the word of Third Brother’s magnanimity to the entire capital!
My royal brother, I will definitely remember to be grateful! “
"puff--"
The King of Qi, who was drinking tea from the cup, couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea.
He lowered his head and tried to suppress his laughter. It turned out that this fourth brother was still as sinister as ever. He would not tolerate any loss at all.
What is the concept of a thousand-year-old ginseng? Half a piece of it can save a dying person's life for a month. It is an heirloom passed down from generation to generation in noble families.
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