Chapter 378 The Emperor Entrusts His Son to His Throne, and the Battle of Wits Begins
During the palace coup, Prince Yong withstood the test, and Emperor Wusu trusted him even more.
No one else would have been as prudent as Prince Yong in this matter.
Zhao Minghong felt a sudden pang of panic. What exactly was this feeling of entrusting his son to someone?!
He said, "Your Majesty, I still need your protection. I cannot protect others."
Emperor Wusu sneered, "If you can't protect it, I'll be the first to cut off your head!"
Zhao Minghong felt a chill on his neck, but still said, "Your Majesty, I have my own child to protect. You should take care of him yourself."
Having taken on this task, he spent all his time tending to the young prince, leaving him no time to visit Tao Wanyin at the clinic.
Emperor Wusu glanced at him and said, "Your child is not by your side, and you can't even see him. I heard that Lady Tao wants to divorce you."
Zhao Minghong's expression changed, but he stubbornly insisted, "What divorce? There's no such thing."
"There is no best option. After Tao's child is born, I will bestow upon him the title of Prince. You can decide the title."
This precisely pinpointed the fatal flaw of Prince Yong.
Zhao Minghong immediately smiled obsequiously and said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly take good care of the little prince, ensuring he is healthy and chubby, and I will record everything he eats, drinks, does, and sleeps..."
Emperor Wusu said in a deep voice, "You should return the Imperial Dragon Sword to me. This task is not something you have to do."
Which palace maid could do a better job than him?
Zhao Minghong clutched the precious sword tightly; it represented his and Wanyin's child's title.
"Your Majesty, I understand your meaning. I will not allow anyone to have the opportunity to harm the young prince."
As Zhao Minghong spoke, he retreated towards the door, and once he reached the door, he ran away with his sword in his arms.
Seeing Prince Yong running away quickly, Li Yuzong shook his head and tiptoed in.
"Your Majesty, do you really want to..."
Emperor Wusu coldly replied, "So you're here to advise me too?"
Li Yuzong had served the emperor for many years and knew his temperament well. Once the emperor made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise.
That wasn't what he was worried about. He said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please don't blame this old servant for being talkative. Shouldn't we inform you in advance this time?"
Whom does the emperor need to consult when making decisions?
Emperor Wusu glanced at him sideways, annoyed by his chatter: "Do you need to remind me of that?"
Li Yuzong didn't ask this question for fear of a repeat of the situation after the assassination attempt last time.
Although they didn't lose any soldiers, they did lose their wives, which nearly killed the emperor.
Emperor Wusu finished processing several memorials at his desk, then looked up and saw that the sky outside the palace was gray and gloomy.
He asked, "Where is Ji Changlin?"
Li Yuzong went out to find out the news and returned to report: "Your Majesty, the guards at the city gate said that Lord Ji has arrived at the city gate and is queuing to enter the city."
Emperor Wusu put down his pen and asked thoughtfully, "With his female guard?"
Li Yuzong said, "Yes, Lanling was outside the carriage; she came back with us."
Emperor Wusu said, "I am also tired, so I'll go for a walk."
*
The colorful clouds on the horizon covered the sky.
Qiao stood at the entrance of the Ji residence, gazing at the end of the street. Ji Qingwu stood beside her, his arm linked with hers.
Both of them couldn't help but recall the scene of Ji Qingwu's return, and the mother and daughter smiled at each other.
"Back then, Mom mistook Qiuqiu for you and thought she was dreaming. She and you were practically identical when you were little."
Ji Qingwu smiled, pursing her lips.
Qiao said, "If Qiuqiu were a little older, I might not have mistaken her for someone else." The memories in Qiao's mind were all of her looking like she was four or five years younger; she had never seen her any older.
Seeing Qiao's sad expression, Ji Qingwu said softly, "Qiujiu looks like me. Mother has watched Qiujiu grow up, so she can know what I look like at different ages."
Mr. Qiao patted her hand.
The second wife's family arrived late, almost at nightfall. Ji Qingyuan was carrying a silk fan and dressed like a peacock, beautiful and haughty.
Qiu Shi jogged over and whispered something in Qiao Shi's ear.
Qiao frowned and said, "I understand."
Ji Qingwu asked, "What's wrong?"
Mrs. Qiao said, "Your grandmother is ill."
Ji Bolian was also going to come, but Old Madam Ji suddenly fell ill and fainted. He is currently accompanying the doctor at Shou'an Hall.
The timing of her illness was too coincidental; Ji Qingwu couldn't figure out whether the old lady was truly ill or faking it.
But when she fell ill, Gibran would no longer be harsh with her, and might even feel guilty for being too strict with his elderly mother.
Qiao said, "I have to go and take a look too. Xiao Wu, you wait here for Chang Lin."
Ji Qingwu nodded: "Mother, you go ahead, I'll be at the door."
After Madam Qiao left with Chunhua, Ji Qingyuan walked over, fanning herself, and said, "Fifth Sister, I haven't seen you at home for a long time. I've missed you quite a bit."
Ji Qingwu said, "I miss you too."
Ji Qingyuan had only said it casually, but she didn't expect to get a response. She asked in surprise, "What do you want from me?"
"Of course, I want you to stay away from me."
The strong incense emanating from her made Ji Qingwu's nose itch. She suppressed the urge to sneeze and asked, "Grandmother is sick. Aren't you going to see her?"
Ji Qingyuan didn't hide anything from her and said frankly, "I won't go. There's no point in going now. The old lady is fighting with my uncle. I'll just watch."
Ji Qingwu respected her fourth sister. Whether she was being sarcastic or playing tricks, she always acted openly and honestly.
This time, in front of her again, she badmouthed Ji's father. Ji Qingyuan never does bad things behind people's backs, so this can be considered a kind of uprightness.
Thinking of this, Ji Qingwu smiled slightly.
Ji Qingyuan looked down at her clothes suspiciously and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Ji Qingwu said, "I'm laughing. Do you really think Grandmother likes you?"
"My fourth sister has stayed at home all these years. Isn't she also a victim of others' power struggles?"
Ji Qingyuan tightened her grip on the fan ribs and said, "What do you know? My aunt is the Empress Dowager. If the Ji family could produce another Empress..."
Ji Qingwu never expected that she would still be having this kind of dream.
"The Empress Dowager in the palace is no longer useful. How long can the old lady take care of you? It's time for Fourth Sister to think about herself."
Ji Qingyuan's eyes flickered several times before she asked, "What do you mean by telling me all this?"
Ji Qingwu shrugged and tilted his head, saying, "Of course it's because I hate you and don't want you to have an easy time."
A carriage was approaching at the end of the road, attracting Ji Qingwu's attention.
The person riding on horseback in front of the carriage was Lanling.
Ji Qingwu waved to the distance, not caring whether they could see it or not; her smile was brighter than the sunset glow.
Ji Qingyuan glanced at her, then looked away.
Lanling had excellent eyesight and had already spotted the several figures standing at the entrance of the Ji residence. One of them, dressed in light blue, was cheerfully greeting her.
Lanling rode his horse to the carriage window, knocked, and said, "My lord."
Ji Changlin lifted the car curtain, revealing blood bruises on his full fingernails, which looked like they had been pinched by something.
His tone was also less gentle than usual, and he said impatiently, "What do you want?"
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