The Emperor, unusually attending the morning court session, issued an edict to richly reward Tian Yu. He also praised the recent performances of Prince Wu and the Crown Prince. After court, Tian Yu received the imperial edict. The courtyard was filled with valuable gifts bestowed by the Emperor, almost overflowing. Tian Yu requested an audience with the Emperor, who still looked unwell. Tian Yu knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I do not need any reward. This is what I should do."
"The imperial edict has already been issued, are you asking me to take it back?"
"No, I wouldn't dare. Could I exchange the items for money instead?"
Why?
"The lives of the farmers on the border are miserable. I want to exchange the gifts bestowed by the emperor for silver so that I can buy more seeds and cultivate more rice varieties next year, so that the people of Wu Kingdom can have enough to eat."
"Very well! It is a blessing for our Wu Kingdom that the Crown Princess has such a heart for the people. I grant her permission."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"When will you start calling me Father?"
Tian Yu remained silent. The Emperor beckoned to Tian Yu and said, "I didn't want to hurt the feelings of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but the prophecy of Wenliang is there. The rice you cultivated has saved so many lives. I can't help but believe it!"
“Even without Wenliang’s divination, even if I weren’t the Crown Princess, I would still do the same thing!” Tian Yu said. It’s laughable that she had harmed herself. But even if she could do it all over again, she would still do the same thing. Back then, Xiao Tian fled to Lao Zhao Village during a famine. Even if she hadn’t experienced that hunger in that desperate situation, she would never forget it. In an era when people couldn’t even get enough to eat, if she had the ability to change all of this, what did it matter if she sacrificed herself?
"Don't worry! I won't treat you unfairly. Although the Crown Prince has an eccentric personality, I trust him! And I trust you too!"
Tian Yu didn't say anything. At this point, what was there to say...?
Five days later, in the middle of the night, the Emperor suddenly fell seriously ill. Everyone waited outside the door. One by one, the imperial physicians went in and came out shaking their heads. Tian Yu looked at Li Xingyun, who came out with her. After comforting the princess, Li Xingyun shook his head at Tian Yu. Tian Yu understood that the Emperor was beyond saving. If the Emperor died, the Crown Prince would succeed to the throne. Knowing the Crown Prince's temperament, Tian Yu touched her abdomen in fear.
The Emperor summoned Crown Prince Tianyu and Prince Wu and said, "Tian'er, don't forget what you promised me. You must assist your elder brother well."
“Father, I understand,” said Prince Wu.
"Tian Yu, although the Crown Prince has a temper, he will never treat you unfairly. You must keep your promise to me."
"Your Majesty, I will."
"Your Highness, I have wronged you in the past and caused you a lot of suffering. From now on, you must treat Tian Yu well and not act as you please. You must treat the people around you kindly."
“Father, I will not do it again. I will always remember your teachings,” the Crown Prince said.
After Tian Yu left, only Prince Wu and the Crown Prince remained in the room. The Emperor spoke with them alone for a long time until the Crown Prince called out "Father Emperor," at which point everyone understood that the Emperor had passed away.
In the following days, the entire capital was immersed in grief over the Emperor's passing. The continuous rainy weather made Tian Yu feel that winter had arrived early. Since the Emperor's departure, Tian Yu had not been able to sleep well for several days. The nightmare of Zhao Moyan's murder kept haunting her. In addition, there had been no news of Zhao Moyan recently, and Tian Yu felt more anxious than ever before.
The late emperor decreed that the crown prince would succeed to the throne, and Tian Yu would be made empress. However, the crown prince insisted on not making her empress yet, waiting until the situation was stable before discussing it further. This was a good thing for Tian Yu. The palace guards were also completely replaced. Wherever Tian Yu went, she was always followed by a large group of palace maids and guards, ostensibly to protect her, but in reality, they were there to monitor her. Leaving the palace became even more impossible.
As she expected, Consort Li successfully became a Dowager Consort and continued to stay in the palace. It seemed natural, and even Li Weiwei felt that it was because of her, because of her Li family, that her aunt had the opportunity to continue staying in the palace.
The Crown Prince's first act upon assuming power was to attack the Che Kingdom. Prince Wu was the first to oppose this, and was subsequently stripped of his power and placed under house arrest. Tian Yu had always found it strange that Prince Wu, who shouldn't be like this, was now so wary of the Crown Prince. Thinking back, he had been slowly changing since she entered the palace. Tian Yu had always thought he would become emperor, but now he seemed to have no desire for it at all. Since he had promised the emperor to wholeheartedly assist the Crown Prince, Tian Yu was immediately disappointed. The Crown Prince's first move after ascending the throne was to target Prince Wu, constantly suppressing him. Would she be next?
Sure enough, the Crown Prince came to Tianyu Palace that night. Since he had not yet been made Empress, he was still staying in the former Crown Princess's palace.
"What? Are you so unhappy to see me?"
"No, Your Majesty, is there something you need?" Tian Yu asked cautiously.
"Can't you come to see my beloved concubine if there's nothing else going on?"
"His Majesty has just ascended the throne and there are many things to attend to. I am afraid that I may be taking up too much of His Majesty's time."
"You're wasting my time? I think you just don't want to see me."
"I wouldn't dare, Your Majesty is overthinking it."
The Crown Prince stepped forward and grabbed Tian Yu by the neck, angrily saying, "My father is gone, and no one can protect you anymore. As for the child in your belly, he will be born soon, and I will definitely treat him well." As he spoke, he reached out and touched Tian Yu's abdomen.
Tian Yu asked nervously, "What do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do? What do you think? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough." After saying that, the Crown Prince shook off Tian Yu and left with a loud laugh.
Tian Yu collapsed to the ground, at a loss for what to do. She touched her belly and calculated the days; the baby should be due soon. What should she do?
The next day, Tian Yu said she felt unwell and asked Li Xingyun to come and take a look. Tian Yu and Li Xingyun proposed a plan to escape. Li Xingyun thought for a moment and agreed to help her, but asked him to give him a few days to arrange everything first.
Tian Yu knew that the princess and Xiao Qi were still in the capital and that Li Xingyun would not leave, so she did not force him. However, the next day, the crown prince placed the princess and the seventh prince under house arrest in the palace, saying it was for their safety. The entire capital was in a tense atmosphere. The crown prince had killed several ministers who had opposed him before, and the princes and princesses were under surveillance. Emperor Wu Yaohui was also unpredictable. After discussing it, the group decided that it would be best to escape together.
Li Xingyun made contact with the informant sent by Prince Wu, and they planned to meet up with Prince Wu after they escaped. However, they were at a loss as to how to escape the palace, as it was heavily guarded and they were all Prince Wu's men, making it difficult to leave. Tian Yu thought for a moment, then took out the explosives she had prepared and said, "This is explosives. I don't know how powerful they are yet, but they should be enough to blow up a wall."
"Explosives?! You mean you're going to blow up the palace?!" the princess exclaimed in surprise.
"That's not necessary. We can just find the weakest point in the palace wall and blow a hole to get out."
"The idea is good, but wouldn't it make too much noise? We might get caught before we even have a chance to escape," the princess asked doubtfully.
"We need to find a way to distract the guards before we can escape," Li Xingyun said.
"I thought about it and decided we could blow up some other things first to attract their attention, and then we could escape."
“Okay, I’ll make the arrangements. You’re all under house arrest right now, so it’s inconvenient for you to do anything,” Li Xingyun said.
The three agreed to set the time for the night three days later. As for where to bomb, the princess knew better than anyone, so there was no need to bother checking. After choosing the location and time, they all stayed obediently in their respective palaces to wait. During the day, the princess could come and keep Tian Yu company, but the palace maids and eunuchs stayed by her side at all times.
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