Chapter 42: The Crown Prince
Fu'an was quick-witted and quick-handed. He grabbed the emperor's arm tightly and signaled with his eyes and a slight shake of his head - No!
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just woken up, he is extremely weak and knows nothing about his life!
The wife of Marquis Weiyuan is still alive. If you rashly recognize her at this moment, it will not only scare His Highness, but may also lead to unpredictable consequences!
Especially His Highness's dependence on the Marquis's wife is so obvious!
Liu Jin's feverish mind instantly cooled as Fu'an pulled him in. He watched as Xiao Zhou hugged Cui Xiao tightly, while Cui Xiao also leaned weakly against his adoptive mother's arms. The scene was heartwarming yet felt like a thorn in his heart.
He stopped abruptly, his clenched fists turning white from the force, his nails digging deep into his palms, and he barely managed to suppress the surging excitement and desire.
He could only stand aside, greedily watching his son wake up, tears glistening in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth slightly raised with great joy.
"It's good that you woke up... It's good that you woke up..." He murmured to himself, his voice choked with sobs after surviving a disaster.
The news of Cui Xiao's awakening spread quickly throughout the palace and outside the palace as if it had wings.
The Second Prince Liu Cong got the news almost immediately. His ecstasy instantly overwhelmed all rationality!
He didn't care about anything else and rushed towards the Palace of Heavenly Purity! All the rules and etiquette, and the prohibitions of his father, were thrown out of the window at this moment!
He just wanted to confirm with his own eyes that his Ah Xiao was really alive!
However, at the gate of the Qianqing Palace, he was stopped again by the imperial guards.
"Get out of the way!" Liu Cong's eyes were red, his breath was unstable, and he gave an unquestionable order.
"Your Highness, please forgive me! His Majesty has decreed that no one is allowed to enter and disturb the Crown Prince... Cui Bandu should rest and recuperate!" The commander of the guards tried to stop him and almost let the cat out of the bag.
When Liu Cong heard the word "Crown Prince", his heart sank suddenly, but at this moment he didn't care to investigate further, he just wanted to see Cui Xiao!
"I'm only going in to take a look! I won't disturb anyone!"
At the moment of stalemate, Fu An came out after hearing the voice. He glanced at the extremely anxious Liu Cong, and thinking of the Second Prince's sincerity towards Cui Xiao and the Emperor's mood at the moment, he whispered
"Your Highness, please be at ease. Allow me to go in and report to His Majesty."
After a while, Fuan came out and bowed.
"Your Majesty, mindful of the Second Prince's deep concern, has granted you permission to visit for a moment. But please remain still, Your Majesty. Cui Bandu has just woken up and is extremely weak."
"Thank you, eunuch!" Liu Cong almost rushed into the warm room.
In the warm room, Xiao Zhou was carefully feeding Cui Xiao ginseng soup.
Cui Xiao half leaned on the soft pillow, his face still pale, but his eyes had some spirit, but with the fatigue and confusion of having just recovered from a serious illness.
When Liu Cong appeared at the door, Cui Xiao looked over subconsciously.
The moment their eyes met, Liu Cong felt as if his heart was hit hard!
He rushed to the bed in a few steps, ignoring Xiao Zhou and the emperor beside him, his eyes fixed on Cui Xiao's face. The fear and worry that had been suppressed for several days burst out like a flood!
Liu Cong's voice trembled uncontrollably. He reached out and grabbed Cui Xiao's hand, which was exposed outside the quilt. The hand was still cold, but no longer lifeless.
Cui Xiao felt the scorching heat and slight trembling from Liu Cong's palm. Looking at his bloodshot eyes and undisguised worry, a warm and sour feeling surged in his heart.
He pulled the corners of his mouth weakly, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
Liu Cong held his hand tightly, as if to confirm his existence. Thousands of words were stuck in his throat, and finally turned into a hoarse whisper.
"Just being alive... is good..."
All the worries, fears, and the surging but unexpressible love that grows when one is on the brink of life and death are contained in these three simple words.
He saw the dependence and gratitude in Cui Xiao's eyes, and also saw his brows slightly furrowed in pain. He didn't care about Cui Xiao's identity anymore!
He understood his staff's analysis. If Xiao was really his father's biological son and his cousin... this unacceptable feeling must be buried deep in his heart and never see the light of day.
He will feel pain and loss, but... he will never hurt Xiao in the slightest!
He would even do everything to protect him! Because he is Ah Xiao, the person Liu Cong is willing to protect with his life! The change of identity cannot erase this friendship.
Liu Cong looked at Cui Xiao deeply, as if he wanted to carve his appearance into the depths of his soul, and then slowly let go of his hand.
He bowed deeply to the emperor and Xiao Zhou, his voice low but firm.
"Meet the Emperor, meet the Marquis's wife."
"Your Majesty, I'm relieved that Cui Bantu is fine. Now I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave." After saying this, he turned around and left resolutely, his back carrying an indescribable loneliness and determination to protect.
Cui Xiao received the most careful care in the Qianqing Palace and recovered quickly.
After a week, although I still had some difficulty in moving, I felt much better.
The emperor would come to visit every day, asking about Cui Xiao's well-being and showing great concern. His extraordinary closeness and kindness not only made Cui Xiao feel flattered, but also made the entire palace smell something unusual.
Finally, on an ordinary morning, Emperor Liu Jin dropped a bombshell that was enough to shock the entire court and even the world!
He sat upright on the dragon throne, his face solemn, his eyes like lightning sweeping over the ministers below who were silent as a cicada in fear.
Fu'an unfolded a scroll of bright yellow imperial edict and read aloud in his unique and penetrating voice:
"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: I have inherited the Mandate of Heaven and have reigned for seventeen years, rising day and night without slacking. However, this is a matter of great importance to the nation, and concerns the people and the people for generations to come.
"The Emperor's eldest son, Liu Xuan, was violent and immoral, unfit for the responsibility, and has been demoted to a commoner. My only remaining son, my bloodline, wandered among the common people for fifteen years, and fortunately, he has been found!"
"Cui Xiao, the study companion of Weiyuan Marquis, is actually my biological son! His biological mother is an old friend of mine from my time in the palace, but for some reason she was unable to enter the palace.
Fifteen years ago, during the funeral of Queen Mother Zhou, an evil person caused trouble within the palace, causing my son to be swapped with the eldest son of Marquis Weiyuan!
Cui Xiao was brought up in the Weiyuan Marquis' mansion, being raised as a crown prince. This is fate, but it also demonstrates the merits of the Weiyuan Marquis and his wife in raising him!"
"Now the truth is revealed, may God bless my son! Cui Xiao, intelligent, benevolent, filial, both civil and military, a perfect match for me! Immediately appoint him Crown Prince! He will rule the Eastern Palace! To strengthen the foundation of the nation and bring peace to the world!"
“I hereby order—!”
After the imperial edict was read, the entire Fengtian Hall fell into a deathly silence! You could hear a pin drop!
Then, there was an uproar like thunder!
"Wha...what?! Cui Xiao is His Majesty's biological son?!"
"Fifteen years ago... the Queen Mother's funeral... a switch?! Oh my God!"
"The wife of Marquis Weiyuan... His Majesty's distant niece... This... This..." Someone immediately thought of the color on Marquis Weiyuan's head and looked strange.
"No! The imperial edict said that he was swapped with the Prince of Weiyuan! Doesn't that mean that the real Prince of Weiyuan is living abroad? And Cui Xiao is the prince?!"
"I see! No wonder His Majesty is so protective of Cui Xiao! No wonder the eldest prince... Alas!"
"Crown Prince! He was directly appointed as the Crown Prince! Your Majesty, this is... this..."
The ministers were shocked beyond words, and the noise of discussion swept through the hall like a tsunami.
Some people suddenly realized, some were in disbelief, and some looked with sparkling eyes at Cui Yan, Marquis of Weiyuan, who was standing in the queue of nobles and was also stunned and pale.
Cui Yan felt dizzy and his ears buzzed. Although he had suspected this long ago, when the emperor announced this shocking truth to the public in such a decisive manner, and even directly appointed him as the crown prince, the huge shock still made him almost unable to stand!
His son… no, the child he had raised for fifteen years was actually the emperor's only biological son, the future crown prince?! This… this was like a dream!
The news seemed to have wings and flew back to Weiyuan Marquis Mansion in an instant.
In Yanshou Hall, Madam Zhou, who had just recovered slightly from her "acute illness" and was drinking ginseng soup, heard the news brought by her trusted maid.
"Puff!" A mouthful of boiling hot ginseng soup suddenly spurted out!
"You...what did you say?! That little bastard...became...the crown prince?!"
Old Madam Zhou's cloudy old eyes were almost cracked, her skinny fingers were tightly gripping the edge of the kang, and a terrible "ho ho" sound like a broken bellows came from her throat.
The huge shock, jealousy, fear, and despair of the complete failure of the plan were like countless poisonous insects gnawing at her heart!
She planned it all out and risked her life to beat the drum to report the crime, just to overthrow the eldest wife and let her son inherit the title!
What was the result? He didn't get the title, his own son was scared as a quail, and Cui Xiao, the "little bastard" she hated so much and had called him for over a decade, suddenly became the emperor's only son and the current crown prince?!
This huge contrast and irony was like a heavy hammer, hitting Mrs. Zhou's heart, which was already weak due to her "acute illness"!
"No... Impossible... It's fake... It's all fake... Little bastard... Bastard..."
She screamed incoherently, her chest heaving violently, and her face quickly turned from gray to a horrible purple!
“Uh…uh…”
She suddenly covered her heart, her body twitched violently, her eyes bulged out, filled with resentment and resentment!
He couldn't catch his breath, and a short and strange "click" sound came from his throat. His body suddenly stiffened, and then he fell straight backwards. His withered hands hung down weakly, and there was no sound anymore!
"Madam! Madam!" The confidant was so frightened that she rushed over to check, but she was already dead!
Old Madam Zhou, this old, calculating, mean-spirited woman who had spent her entire life viewing the first wife as a thorn in her side, was actually so angered by this shocking news - or rather, she was so heartbroken by this huge, unbearable blow that she died!
When Emperor Liu Jin heard the news that Madam Zhou had died suddenly due to an acute illness, he just smiled coldly and rebuked her with undisguised disgust.
"You vicious woman! You are narrow-minded and mean-spirited. You have repeatedly framed the Crown Prince and deserve death! Her funeral should be hastily concluded according to commoner rites. Don't pollute the peace of the capital!"
This decree undoubtedly nailed a pillar of shame to Madam Zhou's life, and made her the biggest laughing stock in the capital after her death.
As for the real cause of her death? The emperor knew it very well.
If he was not afraid that this matter would spread and affect the reputation of Cui Xiao, who had just been appointed as the crown prince and whose foundation was not yet stable, why would he just let this old hag "die of an acute illness"?
Poisoning her to death was already a special favor for the sake of Cui Yan and Cui Xiao!
The secret envoy from the factory who was responsible for "escorting" Madam Zhou had already left quietly.
When the second master Cui Jun heard the double news of his mother's "sudden death" and Cui Xiao being appointed as the crown prince, he was so scared that he collapsed to the ground, his crotch wet and hot!
He crawled and rolled to find Cui Yan, and swore with tears in his eyes that he would never have any improper thoughts again. He only asked his elder brother to spare his life for the sake of their same clan!
Cui Yan looked at his useless brother with endless fatigue and annoyance in his heart. He waved his hand and told him to get out.
After the initial shock, Cui Baiyu was completely consumed by overwhelming jealousy and unwillingness!
She clutched the handkerchief tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh! Why?!
Why did the "little bastard" she had always looked down upon, thinking he had taken over the position of the Marquis's heir, have such a good life?!
First he became the prince's study companion, and now he has risen to the top in one step and become the crown prince?!
And she, the daughter of a prominent marquis, was to have her reputation tarnished and her future jeopardized because of that old woman's stupidity?! The huge psychological gap made her face contort, and her eyes were filled with resentment.
An imperial edict to appoint a crown prince was like a thunderclap that shook the court and completely changed the fate of countless people.
Cui Xiao, or rather, Liu Xiao, went from being the prince of a marquisate whose true identity was unclear to the only crown prince of the empire, the future emperor.
Weiyuan Marquis Mansion turned a disaster into a blessing, but also lost the "son" they had raised for fifteen years.
The eldest prince Liu Jue, upon hearing the news while in confinement in the imperial farm, went completely insane and was pinned down by the guards, becoming a complete cripple.
The second prince Liu Cong, after the initial pain of loss, buried his passionate love deep in his heart, transformed it into a vow of protection, and silently watched in the direction of the East Palace.
Emperor Liu Jin finally found his long-lost flesh and blood, made him the crown prince, and put his mind at ease. However, the undercurrents in the court, the consolidation of the prince's foundation, and the thorough investigation of the truth of the substitution have just begun.
At the center of the storm, the newly awakened Crown Prince, still recovering from his injuries in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, remains bewildered by the shocking reversal of his status and the ensuing turmoil. His life is about to open a completely unforeseen new chapter.
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