Enthroning a virtuous king
After the first month of the lunar year, the morning court session resumed. Facing the rising sun, the court officials walked slowly to the main hall to attend the court session.
Emperor Hong first delivered a New Year's greeting, then a few New Year's blessings. He insincerely praised the spirits of his ministers, pretending to ignore the sight of several elderly officials falling asleep while standing or nearly falling over due to a trembling sensation. Assuming that the officials had no important matters to report today, he quickly ordered Eunuch He to say, "If you have any matters, report them. If not, dismiss the court."
As expected, no one submitted a report.
Emperor Hong took a heavy step, suppressed a yawn, and prepared to go back to the soft couch in Qianyuan Hall to take another nap.
Just as he was about to go down the stairs, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Shangguan Yichen's unmoved face. The incident that he had just forgotten because he was too tired to wake up early suddenly came back to his mind, and he was furious.
Thanks to my brother, I had to depend on the Queen Mother's mood throughout the Spring Festival and was always turned away by her.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Miss Shen came to the palace with gifts and a smile on her face to pay New Year's greetings to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's mouth was stretched to her ears, and her smile was deliberately cast on her face, almost frozen like a painting. She hoped that Miss Chen would bring up the matter herself, so that she could continue the conversation depending on her attitude, either scolding Yi Chen for being ignorant or comforting her. But she was also afraid that she would bring up the matter... No matter what, it would be because I had offended her, and she would have to lose face and apologize anyway. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Therefore, from New Year's Eve to the third day of the New Year, the Empress Dowager was irritable and could not even sleep well. She specially summoned the imperial physician for treatment, and the doctor prescribed Shugan Heqi Pills for her. Only then did she have a good sleep last night.
The Queen Mother was in a bad mood, so naturally she criticized Emperor Hong and the Queen. Emperor Hong was like a man wearing armor, and he insisted on speaking well of Shangguan Yichen, even bringing up King Yao. When the Queen Mother heard about King Yao, she felt sorry for her nephew for a moment, then thought of Shen Qingci and started to criticize Emperor Hong again.
Emperor Hong spoke for Shangguan Yichen, and the Queen sided with him. The Queen Mother saw that no one was on her side, so she was so angry that she closed the door and refused to see her son and daughter-in-law.
The Empress Dowager held her breath and had lunch with Miss Shen. They were so full that they put down their chopsticks, but Shen Qingci still didn't bring up the topic. The Empress Dowager was very depressed during the meal. She thought to herself, after Shen Qingci left, she would ask the imperial physician to increase the dosage of my medicine.
After the meal and tea, Shen Qingci still maintained her noble demeanor, dignified and polite, with a sweet smile. The Queen Mother's face finally collapsed with fatigue, and she spoke first: "I was not thoughtful enough about you and Yichen. Don't worry, I will find you an excellent marriage, a thousand times better than that child Yichen. I will let you marry in glory and make those young ladies from aristocratic families envious! I will take care of your marriage."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci immediately became mournful and sad, with tears in her eyes. She covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed softly, "The Queen Mother did not mention it, and I dare not mention it again, for fear of upsetting her. Your Highness is young and brave, with a handsome appearance, and is the dream lover of many girls from noble families. I only blame myself for being weak and incompetent, with little talent and knowledge, and not worthy of the prince." After she finished speaking, she shed a tear in a very appropriate and atmospheric way, then picked up the handkerchief and passed away softly, and sobbed a few times again, with a very good rhythm.
The empress dowager felt even more guilty when she saw this scene. She tried to comfort and apologize again, and her old face was completely thrown to the wind.
Then Shen Qingci continued, "Your Majesty's kindness is well understood, but after this incident, I dare not trouble you again."
This is still my fault.
"I dare not lie to the Queen Mother. I have been in love with Your Highness for a long time. I met Your Highness once several years ago and fell deeply in love with you at the first sight. After I came of age, many princes and nobles came to me, but I remained unmoved. Now Your Highness is unwilling to marry me, and I only wish to remain alone and have no more improper thoughts." She turned her head away, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and shed tears secretly.
I will not marry anyone but Yi Chen, and he will never let me go.
After Shen Qingci left, the empress dowager immediately summoned Emperor Hong and complained to him again, scolding Yi Chen more than ten times. After dinner, he took a larger dose of medicine than yesterday before going to bed.
Emperor Hong came out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom and returned to Qianyuan Hall in a sullen mood. The next day, he summoned Shangguan Yichen to the palace to discuss family affairs.
A servant from Prince Yao's mansion saw Eunuch He's carriage from afar on the street, and ran back to Prince Yao's mansion to inform Shangguan Yichen of the news.
When Eunuch He's carriage arrived in front of Prince Yao's mansion, the gatekeeper heard that it was a message to the young prince, so he asked the steward to lead Eunuch He through the corridor and the pavilion to Shangguan Yichen's room.
Eunuch He stood beside Shangguan Yichen's bed, holding a dustpan on his arm and the imperial edict in his arms. Shangguan Yichen was covered with two large thick quilts and a square towel on his forehead. His face was pale and bloodless, and his lips were opening and closing, almost cracked.
Eunuch He was shocked, "What happened to the prince?"
The steward bowed and said, "In reply to your question, eunuch, the prince returned from the palace on New Year's Eve, drunk and disoriented. I helped him to bed, and he didn't leave his room until noon the next day. The prince is always self-disciplined and never slouches in bed. At first, I thought he might be drunk and unwell, but when I knocked on the door and heard no response, I felt something was wrong. When I and the servants pushed the door open and entered, we found the prince already like this, unconscious."
Eunuch He was stunned. "Have you consulted the imperial physician?"
"The imperial physician was summoned immediately. He said that the excessive fatigue during the New Year's Eve banquet had damaged the heart meridians. The excessive drinking at the New Year's Eve banquet had caused the heart meridians to be blocked, which was the cause of this. The imperial physician also said that even if he woke up, he must not leave his bed until the end of the first month. He must stay in bed and recuperate until he is fully recovered. Otherwise, the root of the disease will be left, and there will be endless troubles later."
Eunuch He asked again, "Why didn't you report it to His Majesty in time?"
The butler bowed his head respectfully and said, "One night, the prince suddenly opened his eyes, as if in a dream. I was right beside him. The prince looked at me with an unfocused look, muttered something like, 'Don't reveal anything,' and then tilted his head and continued to faint. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I just assumed it was the prince's intention. I didn't want to worry His Majesty, so I didn't report it to anyone."
Eunuch He's imperial edict could not be delivered, and he encountered such an incident. He hurriedly warned the steward to "take good care of the prince." He immediately returned to the palace to report.
Eunuch He hurried back to the palace, reported everything, and then quietly looked up at Emperor Hong. He saw that Emperor Hong's iron-blue face became even gloomier. He stood upright with his hands in his sleeves, frowning, and said nothing for a long time.
Eunuch He thought to himself that the emperor and the prince were indeed deeply in love with each other. The prince was seriously ill, and the emperor must be very worried at this moment.
The emperor's second decree was not even written in the form of an imperial edict, but was directly delivered by eunuch He through oral instructions.
When Eunuch He stepped into the gate of Prince Yao's mansion again and walked into Shangguan Yichen's room, under the watchful eyes of the steward and the servants, he walked to Shangguan Yichen's bed, raised his head, and said in a sharp voice: "Propagate the emperor's oral order."
Then, imitating the tone of the Hong Emperor, he continued, "If my brother is seriously ill, follow the doctor's orders and stay in bed in the mansion. Don't leave the house, lest others see the evil wind blowing away, which will worsen the condition and make me even more worried. If my brother can get up, I order you to immediately compose a poem while feeling the breeze. The form of the poem is up to you! Once you are finished, bring the poem to me immediately so that I can report to the Queen Mother. I hereby order you to do so."
After reading it, Eunuch He bowed respectfully towards Shangguan Yichen's bed and said, "Your Highness, take good care of yourself. I will take my leave first." Then he went back to the palace to report with peace of mind.
From then on, Shangguan Yichen did not leave Prince Yao's Mansion for the entire first month of the year.
Emperor Hong naturally did not wait for Shangguan Yichen's report.
After the court session, Zhong Yujing walked in front and heard Censor Song say to Shangguan Yichen from behind, "I heard that the prince was seriously ill during the Spring Festival. Is he better now?"
Shangguan Yichen said in a weak voice, "It's okay, it's already..." He coughed twice and said, "It's fine... Thank you, Censor Song, for your concern."
Then he heard the anxious voice of Censor Song saying, "Your Highness's face is pale and sallow, his lips are as white as paper, and his breathing is heavy. This indicates that his internal illness has not yet healed. He should rest more and not rush back to court."
"This prince knows his own health. Serving the court is the official's duty. I dare not slack off for a moment. This prince can get up and walk to this palace."
Song Yushi sincerely admired him, "Your Highness is truly a role model for our generation. We should follow your example, sleep late and rise early, and devote ourselves to our work!"
Finally, he said, "Take care, Your Highness. I will go first." Then he bowed and left.
Zhong Yujing was listening with a smile in the front when she suddenly heard Shangguan Yichen's voice, "Why didn't Prime Minister Jing ask about my health?"
Seeing that he had caught up with her in two steps, Zhong Yujing walked with him.
"I just met the prince on the fifth day of the first lunar month. His radiant and graceful appearance is still fresh in my mind. How could he be so ill in just a month?" Zhong Yujing looked at the road ahead without looking away.
"My illness has spread throughout the court and the country, how could Prime Minister Jing not know about it?" Shangguan Yichen walked side by side with her with his hands in his sleeves, keeping the same pace and looking straight ahead.
"Your Highness is like the wind in the valley. The slightest movement will make the trees in the forest sway and tremble. How could I not know this? I also know that Your Highness's stunning portrait has broken the highest price in the Linjun painting market in recent years. It is now being admired and enjoyed by a young lady from an unknown family in her room. I wonder what Your Highness feels about this?" Zhong Yujing glanced at Shangguan Yichen and said.
"Oh? Is this true? I have never had much interest in calligraphy and painting. How dare Prime Minister Jing assert that the person in the painting is me?" Shangguan Yichen was just confused and didn't care at all.
"The painting depicts the drunken state of the prince at a banquet in the palace. The painter specially named it, The Drunken Immortal~" Zhong Yujing deliberately made every word graceful and melodious.
Shangguan Yichen frowned and curled his lips, saying, "Sour and pedantic behavior is really not what this king likes!"
Zhong Yujing tilted her head and smiled at him, asking, "Does Your Majesty like the nickname 'Prince Drunken Immortal'?"
"Of all the titles I've ever been given in my life, the only one I like the most is 'Little Wise King'," Shangguan Yichen said calmly.
Zhong Yujing decided not to play along anymore. She looked around and whispered carefully, "Keeping up is not a long-term solution. Your Majesty, I understand that Miss Shen is not a kind person. I'm afraid there will be more trouble in the future. Your Majesty should take a long-term view and come up with a foolproof plan."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Shangguan Yichen relaxed his brows and said in a deep voice.
Seven days later, Emperor Hong announced his decree in the court, appointing Shangguan Yichen, the son of King Yao, as a prince and bestowing him the title of Xian.
The Little Xian King officially became the Xian King, and the Yao Palace was renamed the Xian King Palace. An auspicious day was chosen to hold the ceremony of crowning the king.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
