Chapter 392 The Emperor is Destined to Have No Son
Four concubines in the palace suffered miscarriages.
This story spread among the people, and from who knows where, some people said that Zhao Xuan was destined to be childless.
If an emperor is destined to have no sons, his lineage will end. Who will inherit the throne in the future?
With the emperor and the royal family in enemy hands, it was impossible to adopt them from the imperial clan.
No, there's also Prince Rui. Prince Rui has returned, and I heard he even had a son.
Everyone thought it was possible to adopt a son from Prince Rui, and the officials were no exception.
This morning at court, several ministers suggested that Prince Rui should be summoned to the palace for an audience.
Half of the court officials seconded the motion.
Zhao Xuan had no sons, but his most feared rival had a son. Fearing that the rival would seize his throne, he temporarily suppressed the matter and adjourned the court.
The Hall of Diligent Governance.
Zhao Xuan talked with his ministers all morning, and then got angry again, his temper flaring.
He wanted to have a cup of tea to cool down.
The tea was freshly brewed and a little hot, burning his tongue and making him hiss in pain.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, he picked up the teacup and slammed it to the ground with a loud "crack!"
He drew his sword from the shelf and swung it at the vase and the candlestick on the table. "Clang!"
The screen and shelves were overturned, "Bang! Bang!..."
"You scoundrel! I am still young, how could I be childless? Anyone who dares to spread rumors that I am childless, I will exterminate their entire family..."
He overturned and smashed everything in the hall, leaving the room in a complete mess.
The palace servants knelt down in unison, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down..."
After venting his anger, Zhao Xuan glanced at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, slumped into a chair, and dropped the sword with a clang!
"Someone, go and fetch the Imperial Concubine."
When Yun Jiaoyue arrived, the palace servants had already cleaned up the mess on the ground. "Your Majesty, I greet you."
Zhao Xuan waved his hand, "You may all step back."
The palace servants withdrew, and the gate was closed.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and stop getting angry. Getting angry is bad for your health and will make you lose your composure, giving those people an opportunity to take advantage of you."
"They're spreading rumors that I'm destined to be childless. I'm not even twenty-five yet, I'm in my prime, not fifty-two. What a bunch of bastards."
On her way here, Yun Jiaoyue had asked her father-in-law why he was angry. Knowing that he was upset, she gently comforted him, went around behind him, and gently massaged his temples with two fingers.
"I know that anyone would be angry if they heard that."
“Your Majesty, it’s time for us to get rid of Prince Rui. Once he’s dead, who will be able to threaten your throne? I suspect that those rumors were spread by him.”
"Then tell me how to get rid of him? This morning at court, a few old fogies actually spoke up for him. Do you know how angry I am? When I saw their scheming faces, I wanted to have them dragged out and beheaded, and then exile their whole families."
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Your health is of utmost importance. I have a plan."
"Princess Zhenrou returned under the orders of Da Jing and killed four imperial heirs. Prince Rui was also under the orders of the other party, and even sent someone to give the princess a wild cat. The two of them colluded to kill several imperial heirs."
"As long as the case is closed quickly, the rumors are silenced, and the emperor's biggest worry is removed, who would dare let a spy sent back from an enemy country ascend the throne?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuan, who had been feeling listless, suddenly brightened up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his arms.
Yun Jiaoyue was suddenly pulled close by him and fell into his arms, letting out a startled cry, "Ouch..."
"Moon, your idea is good. We will do as you say. If this plan succeeds, it will remove a major worry from my mind."
"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Empress. You were rightfully my Empress; I have truly wronged you. I will have the Phoenix Seal retrieved and given to you shortly."
The harem was poorly guarded, allowing a stray cat to sneak in.
The Imperial Guards were demoted and had their salaries reduced; it was time for Liu Yiyi to be demoted as well.
"Your Majesty, I don't blame you. My family is not prominent and I have no children. If anyone is to blame, it's me for being useless." Yun Jiaoyue lowered her eyes to look at her abdomen.
"Oh, right, I suddenly remembered something. Has the Crown Prince Xiao found out why he didn't follow your orders and let Prince Rui return to Lin'an? Also, my elder sister personally brought Princess Zhenrou into the palace..."
She didn't say what came next, but that was enough to make Zhao Xuan suspicious of the Xiao family.
The Xiao family controls military power, and Yun Zhaoxue indirectly harms the prince.
Although they might not be colluding with Da Jing, what if they harbor rebellious intentions?
Do you want the throne?
Most importantly, Yun Zhaoxue's identity is special. Her mother, the eldest princess, was the legitimate eldest princess of the late emperor, while the late emperor was only an adopted member of a collateral branch of the imperial family.
Zhao Xuan hadn't expected this, and after her reminder, he also began to become suspicious.
"We sent people to investigate, but there's still no news."
Yun Jiaoyue pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, you must be wary of the Xiao family. One time might be a coincidence, but two coincidences might be a conspiracy."
"Didn't you say that the Xiao family was useful and loyal to me, and that you framed him for treason in my previous life before executing him? This shows that he did not actually commit treason."
That's why he completely trusted Xiao Xuance.
“Your Majesty, this life is not the same as the last. In the previous life, Prince Rui and Princess Zhenrou were captured by the enemy and died far from home. They never set foot in the Great Zhou again. Now they have returned. Also, the two children of the Xiao family in the previous life did not grow up in the Xiao family. Xiao Xuance does not know that he has offspring. He may not rebel, but with offspring, he may have other ideas.”
Zhao Xuan tightened his grip on the armrest, his eyes narrowed, and the flickering candlelight reflected in his pupils, cold and devoid of any warmth.
Yes, Xiao Xuance had almost completely controlled the military power in the north, with hundreds of thousands of troops. If he were to rebel, would he still be able to hold onto his throne?
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the palace, Hua Murong tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. There was something she couldn't figure out, so she went to find Yun Zhaoxue.
I saw her fiddling with some colorful things. The two children were sitting on a blanket playing with building blocks, building several pavilions, walls, furniture, carriages and horses and other things.
The two children were engrossed in their play, so he didn't go over to disturb them.
He walked over to Yun Zhaoxue and asked:
"What are you doing, girl? What kind of poison are you researching now?"
Yun Zhaoxue used flower petals to make lipsticks in several colors. "Uncle Hua, please look carefully. Poisons are colorless and odorless. Such bright colors can only be found in women's rouge."
Hua Murong asked in confusion, "Isn't rouge for women usually in individual pieces? How can it be in strips?"
"The strip shape is convenient to carry and can be used repeatedly. After applying one coat, you can cover it up like this and store it away. When you go out for a spring outing, it's easy to touch up your makeup if it gets smudged." Yun Zhaoxue made the lipstick into a solid strip shape similar to the one in her previous life. The base can be rotated so that the strip can be unscrewed out, and there is a cap on top.
"Is that so? I've learned something new. But cinnabar is poisonous. Adults can touch it, but you must keep it safe and don't let Da Bao and Er Bao touch it."
“I knew it was poisonous, so I didn’t add cinnabar.” Yun Zhaoxue put down her work, invited him to sit down, and had tea served. “Uncle Hua, is there something you need?”
“Yesterday, I was invited into the palace by that Consort Yun. I happened to find that four concubines in the harem had been disturbed by a cat and all of them had miscarried. I found that they were weak. If they hadn’t been disturbed by the stray cat, they might not have been able to give birth. It seemed like they had been poisoned, but I couldn’t figure out what kind of poison they had been poisoned with.”
If he were an ordinary patient, he would definitely express his doubts and then try to find the cause of the illness to prevent similar situations from happening again.
But that's the palace; without evidence, he might be kept there.
He felt very uncomfortable in the palace, but he didn't want to stay there, so he didn't say anything.
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