East Palace —
The deposed crown prince's villa.
The once luxurious palace is now covered in cobwebs.
The saying "when people leave, the tea cools" is perfectly exemplified here.
The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Bodyguards guarded the Eastern Palace in layers, making it completely impassable!
Within the confines of the inner palace, in this small space, lies the former pinnacle of Tianyao's power.
Now, the clanging of chains echoes incessantly, and the man's voice, which sounds like mockery and laughter, wanders through the empty palace, sounding particularly eerie.
"Sister Rou'er, I... I don't dare go in to deliver food to that master, could you...?"
The lowly palace maid, dressed in green, trembled and dared not move an inch.
Just by looking at his face, you could tell he was terrified.
Seeing this, the palace maid in red sighed, then took the food box and gestured for the young maid to stand guard while she went in to deliver the food.
The young palace maid in green was overjoyed and kept thanking her.
A palace maid in red, carrying a food box and holding a waist token, showed it to the palace guards before being allowed to pass...
"Squeak~"
Upon entering the hall, the palace maid in red tensed up. After carefully surveying her surroundings and confirming there were no hidden surveillance eyes, she quickly stepped forward, placed the food box down, and whispered:
"I am late, Your Highness, please forgive me."
"Hongluan? What are you still doing here? How are Xian'er and her daughter? Did they leave Jinling safely?"
Baili Youqin had long hair draped over her shoulders and was extremely thin.
Upon seeing the person who arrived, their eyes lit up.
Trapped here for months, he was living a life worse than death, yet he still clung to life because of his lover and daughter.
"Your Highness, the Consort and the young princess have been sent to a small town in the northern desert by your trusted confidants. They are safe for the time being, so you need not worry."
Hongluan opened the food box and laid out the food inside.
Although he replied verbally, he was actually very dissatisfied with that concubine!
When His Highness was in trouble, this concubine used sweet words to seduce His Highness's trusted bodyguards and escaped.
It's been so long, and the new emperor has ascended the throne, yet he hasn't issued an edict to execute the prince. Instead, he's merely imprisoned the prince, providing him with good food and drink...
Even if things go wrong, Your Highness could be stripped of your status and reduced to a commoner, at least you would still have your life.
If the concubine truly has feelings for His Highness, then she should return and reunite with him...
Instead of being completely out of touch like we are now!
"That's good. They are safe, mother and daughter. I..."
Baili Youqin gave a self-deprecating laugh. He was now a prisoner and a deposed crown prince. How could he still call himself "I"?
"Your Highness, His Majesty has not yet issued an edict to execute you and Prince Zhao, which means there is still a glimmer of hope. Please take good care of yourself, and when the time is right, your subordinate will find a way to rescue you from the palace!"
Hongluan whispered some instructions, then bowed gracefully and left without delay.
As a child, she wandered the streets. It was His Highness who took her in, taught her martial arts and political maneuvering, and sent her to the palace to infiltrate the Imperial Household Department...
She had thought that once His Highness successfully ascended the throne, she could serve him openly and legitimately, but unexpectedly...
To this day, she still can't understand why the late emperor would leave a will to establish another emperor!
Baili Youqin watched the red dress disappear, a hint of loneliness flashing in her eyes.
It is precisely in times of desperation that one can truly see a person's true nature.
Xian'er, she...
Well, in the end, he was the one who wronged her first.
That year's lantern festival, perhaps, was a mistake from the very beginning...
With spies everywhere in the Eastern Palace, this conversation quickly reached the ears of the new emperor.
The young emperor arrived at Cining Palace, dismissed the palace maids, and personally massaged his mother's shoulders.
"My son, is something on your mind?"
The Empress Dowager is still very young, and she feels that her eyesight is not impaired.
Since the prince ascended the throne, whenever he encountered difficulties, confusion, or indecision, he would come to her and chat with her about everyday matters.
This time, it will probably be the same.
"Mother, my brother Crown Prince, reason tells me that I must eliminate him completely, but emotion tells me that I want to spare his life."
Ultimately, they are still young, and in many ways, such as their mindset, they are not mature enough.
No one knows a son better than his mother. The Empress Dowager grasped her son's hand, pulled him to sit opposite her, and asked softly:
"Has Your Highness consulted the Junior Tutor?"
"I asked."
The young emperor nodded. He asked, "Does the Junior Tutor mean to nip it in the bud?"
"The Junior Tutor is the disciple of the Grand Tutor and a minister valued by the late Emperor. His opinions are the most beneficial to the Emperor and the country at present."
The Empress Dowager knew what Wu Shaofu's opinion was just from seeing her son's expression.
In order for her son to secure his throne and ensure that Tianyao remains stable, she would also choose to eliminate the former crown prince!
After all, a prince who is raised from childhood to be the heir apparent and crown prince is bound to be cunning and shrewd. If left unchecked, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!
If this child is not killed today, he will surely cause endless trouble in the future!
"Your subject knows he was wrong."
The young emperor suddenly realized his mistake. He had initially harbored resentment towards the tutor's words and no longer wanted to kill his own brother.
But after hearing his mother's words, he suddenly realized his mistake!
"You should discuss things with Young Master Wu more often in the future. Although he is only a few years older than you, he is indeed a pillar of society."
The Empress Dowager sighed, realizing that she had neglected to discipline her son in the past.
The power struggles within the imperial harem, the scheming and machinations of the court, the complex calculations connecting the nation and its people...
"Your subject Jin will heed Your Majesty's teachings."
The young emperor was very obedient, especially to his mother.
His mother told him to listen to what the Junior Tutor said, and he remembered it.
The Empress Dowager smiled, picked up a pastry from the plate, and handed it to the prince.
My son, my son, we are all alone and helpless. We have only managed to obtain our current status by chance, and we must walk on thin ice.
Her elder brother had told her that relatives of the empress were not allowed to interfere in politics, and the same applied to the imperial harem.
As his elder brother and uncle, the only thing he could do was to protect his son and help him grow into a qualified monarch!
Let her enjoy her later years in peace, undisturbed by anything else.
The others refer to the Liu family, those insatiably greedy people...
Liu Mansion —
After Liu Shisheng returned from court, the steward of the mansion reported that the Liu family, the head of the household, had ordered the master to return to the clan as soon as possible to worship the ancestors, open the ancestral hall, and take charge of the overall situation.
Heh~
Now you're admitting he's a descendant of the Liu family?
Do you think you can just wipe the slate clean of what you did more than a decade ago?
"From now on, I will reject all posts of this type."
Even after removing his court robes, he was still not satisfied and continued to give instructions:
"By the way, if the master's people come again, they should all be sent back. If they refuse to leave, they should all be driven away and dragged out."
"This old servant obeys!"
Butler Liu was old and frail, but his voice was loud and powerful.
Although he is old, he is not senile.
The head of the family has now surpassed the achievements of any other member of the family.
Now, the master family is trying every means to curry favor with the head of the household, instead of anyone being able to order the head of the household around!
......
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