Chapter 204: Toss and Turn
In addition to the position of a prince, no matter who inherits the throne in the future, as long as the ninth prince does not make a big mistake, no one will touch him because of Emperor Jingwen’s reputation.
Although there were the Liangzhou and rescue incidents before, and Xiaojiu was the son of the imperial concubine and the grandson of the Duke of Zhen, based on his background and his age now, he should indeed be given a higher title, but for some reason, the princes always felt that something was wrong.
After thinking about it carefully, I realised that my father has been in a bad mood since the death of the crown prince. Everyone is afraid of being implicated by saying something wrong or doing something wrong, so they have been behaving themselves to the exclusion of others.
Even the court, which had been filled with endless arguments, became unusually quiet.
Let’s look at the fate of the second prince. After it was discovered that he had attacked the crown prince, his entire family suffered misfortune. As a result, in such a situation, Xiaojiu was not only not implicated, but instead went against the tide and was granted the title of prince, which really shocked everyone.
The only thing that the eldest prince and the others care about is whether their father is compensating or lying.
If it is because he feels that he does not have that much affection for Xiaojiu and needs to appease the Imperial Concubine and the Duke of Zhen, this makes sense.
But it would be the same if my father said three points but actually didn’t think so at all in his heart.The eldest prince and the others wanted to find some clues from Emperor Jingwen’s expression and eyes, but unfortunately, how could they guess what Emperor Jingwen was thinking?
The emperor’s thoughts were a mixture of true and false, false and true, as if covered by a layer of mist, making it difficult to see clearly.
After a while, everyone gave up trying to figure out Emperor Jingwen’s thoughts.
Anyway, no matter what the situation is, the emperor has no intention of letting him take power. Although the emperor is old now, he is not confused. Even if he dotes on him, he will not confuse state affairs with his love for him.
As long as their father doesn’t delegate power to Xiaojiu, they won’t have to worry about having another competitor.
Now that everyone has their own team and due to his father’s health, even if Xiaojiu wants to develop his own power now, it is too late.
So just pamper him.
There was just one thing that felt like a thorn in the throat of the eldest prince and the others.
The word “Rui” was obviously carefully chosen. Although all of them were conferred the title of prince one after another when they reached a certain age, none of their titles were particularly outstanding. It was obvious that they were drafted by others rather than chosen by the emperor himself.
Also, kind-hearted? Upright? Was he really talking about Xiaojiu? That arrogant, domineering, playboy-like younger brother?
If the Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Princes had not personally visited Liangzhou, they would have really believed what the imperial edict said.
Since when did opening a casino, a black shop, and colluding with the local governor count as building Liangzhou…
The rescue of the emperor did exist. After all, Xiaojiu did sell himself because of his face, and now the creditors are still in the Ninth Prince’s mansion.
The beautification in this imperial edict is a bit too serious.
The court officials wanted to object at first. After all, it was against the rules to directly confer the title of prince without going through the process of appointing a duke. But they had no choice but to do so as the matter of saving the emperor was still there.
Everyone has only heard of being crowned a prince based on ability or political achievements, but this is the first time they have heard of someone being crowned a prince based on money or face.
But what others didn’t know was that Emperor Jingwen had both the idea of compensation and the idea of lying in his mind.
As soon as the word “three points” came out of his mouth, Emperor Jingwen felt a little regretful, but he couldn’t bring up the topic again after it was revealed. Now he named him a prince in the hope that his youngest son would understand that he didn’t really think that way in his heart at that time.
Compared to being subtle, Emperor Jingwen was extremely tactful.
Even if he had such thoughts, he would never say them out loud.
A 20-year-old prince! Even the eldest prince had to guard the border for ten years before he could get the title of prince!
If we only compare the titles without comparing the actual power, the difference is obvious.
In addition to the imperial edict conferring the title of king, Emperor Jingwen also specially bestowed some things on Ye Shuo. After the morning court session, the imperial edict and rewards flowed into Ye Shuo’s palace like water.
As expected, we can’t just look at the surface of what my cheap dad said, we have to combine many aspects to make it work…
“Thank you, Father. May you live long and long.”
Ye Shuo knelt down to express his gratitude, and after a while, Wang Ziquan personally helped him stand up.
Sometimes Wang Ziquan’s attitude is enough to reflect Emperor Jingwen’s attitude.
Looking at the Ninth Prince who had grown up in front of him, Wang Ziquan couldn’t help but smile: “Congratulations, Prince Rui. Congratulations, Prince Rui.”
Ye Shuo also smiled.
After Wang Ziquan left, Ye Xun beside him couldn’t help but say, “Congratulations, Ninth Uncle.”
After such an incident, Ye Xun has changed a lot. How could the boy call him Ninth Uncle so politely in the past?
Ye Xun’s eyes, which were bright and had flickering flames, are gone.
Ye Xun is now polite, cautious and quiet. Ye Xun was already precocious, and now that the crown prince is dead, the only childishness on his face has been taken off.
Ye Shuo knew that it would take time to recover, so he was not in a hurry. He would just change little by little. So he just said, “Since the family is so happy, I will ask the cook to make two more vegetarian dishes today.”
Since Ye Xun was in mourning, he was not allowed to eat meat according to the rules of the Great Zhou. Ye Shuo, who basically ate the same food with him, naturally seldom ate meat.
Ye Xun naturally knew that although the Ninth Uncle did not say it, he was taking care of him in every way. He loved listening to music so much that he had kept the mansion for three years. He even sent away the musicians who he was reluctant to move when he left. As for his hobbies of listening to books and drinking tea in restaurants, he had given them up.
Ye Xun was not allowed to leave the house during the mourning period, and Ye Shuo also seldom went out to avoid him being lonely in the house.
The crown prince was just his elder brother, so he shouldn’t be that strict. But Ye Shuo was afraid that Ye Xun would feel uncomfortable, so he took the initiative to change out of his brightly coloured clothes and put on plain clothes. He also asked the housekeeper to replace all the festive red lanterns in the mansion.
When the Eastern Palace was sealed, Ye Xun had no place to place his father’s spirit tablet, so Ye Shuo had someone clean up a room for worship. He burned three incense sticks a day without interruption. Even if Ye Shuo got up late, he would go to check before breakfast. Occasionally, he would chat with Ye Xun in front of the prince’s spirit tablet.
Even though Ye Shuo is only four years younger than Ye Xun in this life, he has gradually taken over his father’s role, so that, Ye Xun has a support even when his parents are not around, and he doesn’t collapse all of a sudden.
After accompanying Ye Xun to finish lunch, and waiting until his nephew, who was exhausted by the continuous news and had nightmares at night, fell asleep, Ye Shuo yawned and walked out of his yard.
As he paid close attention, he soon ran into Yao Zhi who was also in the mansion.
“It just so happens that the emperor has rewarded us with new tea today. How about we go to the pavilion to drink tea together?” Ye Shuo took the initiative to invite.
Today was the big day when he was conferred the title of prince, so Yao Zhi naturally couldn’t bear to spoil his fun.
The young man’s life had been hard enough recently, so Yao Zhi subconsciously wanted to go along with him. As they spent more time together, Yao Zhi felt that he was a very gentle person, and gentle people were the easiest to get hurt.
Love and pity, for women, love and pity are always inseparable.
Love breeds pity, pity breeds love, and gradually she will want to help him share his burdens. It is precisely because Yao Zhi has been through some things with him during this period that she can see clearly that behind his glory of being crowned as a king, there are also pains that others cannot know.
After two cups of hot tea, just when Yao Zhi was about to add more tea to him, she looked up inadvertently and found that he had fallen asleep on the rattan chair without knowing when.
Although early winter is not as cold as midwinter, it is still very easy to catch a cold. Fortunately, the six corners of the pavilion are wrapped tightly to keep it out, and there is a stove burning next to it, so it is not too bad.
Occasionally, a cold wind blew, and the servants passing by could vaguely see two figures in the pavilion.
A few more days passed like this. Three months had passed since he fell into the water, and the Fourth Prince’s leg was finally almost healed. Today was the first day he tried to get out of bed. When Ye Shuo heard Yao Zhi talk about this, he went over to see him, or rather, to visit him.
Rehabilitation is not necessarily easier than healing an injury, and the patient’s will is particularly important in this matter.
The Fourth Prince is now like a toddler. He has to start all over again. The pain he feels can be imagined.
But Ye Shuo’s brothers lacked everything except the spirit of hard work and progress. Each one was more patient than the other. Ye Shuo felt pain just watching them, but the Fourth Prince didn’t say a word during the whole process.
After the Fourth Prince finished today’s work, sweating profusely, he saw his brother grimacing, as if he was the one who was hurt.
Ye Shuo couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up: “Awesome.”
The fourth prince: “…”
His brother was too emotional. He was one of the few who would burst into tears just because of a scratch. The fourth prince couldn’t help but feel helpless.
After observation, Yao Zhi quickly came up with two solutions. One was a quick fix, but it would be very painful and usually required acupuncture and medication. The other was a slow recuperation, but it would take a little longer, about half a year to a year, before normal use could be fully restored.
Ye Shuo could almost guess which one the Fourth Prince would choose with his eyes closed, and the fact was exactly as he expected. Before Yao Zhi could finish explaining the latter method, the Fourth Prince had already made his choice decisively.
They are a group of people who can accomplish great things. Ye Shuo always admires them for their willpower.
Another month passed, and Ye Shuo watched the Fourth Prince change from staggering at the beginning to walking briskly now. It was so fast that even though Ye Shuo was not a professional medical student, he knew that being so impatient for success was not a good thing, so he secretly asked Yao Zhi if there would be any sequel.
Yao Zhi paused at that moment. Her lack of an answer was the best answer. How could such a high-intensity activity not leave sequelae?
According to Yao Zhi’s estimation, the disadvantages of not taking good care of oneself would gradually become apparent in at most ten years, even before one’s old age.
But the reality is, it’s not that the Fourth Prince doesn’t take his right leg seriously, but the current situation does not allow him to wait any longer.
The sudden injury of Emperor Jingwen disrupted the Fourth Prince’s plan, forcing him to take action.
The method of not fighting is only applicable when his father is in good health. The Fourth Prince can naturally wait if he has time. But now, if he does not want to be completely left behind by the First Prince, the Sixth Prince and others, the Fourth Prince can only fight back.
Sometimes, man’s plans are not as good as God’s plans. It really is a matter of time and fate.
Fortunately, the Fourth Prince entered the Six Ministries earlier than the Sixth Prince, and with the help of Concubine Xian behind the scenes, the Fourth Prince also has a strong foundation. When he really starts to take action, he should not be underestimated either.
After the aftereffects of the crown prince’s death faded, the situation in the court soon began to change again.
Peace is only temporary, fighting is the norm.
While Ye Shuo was living quietly with Yao Zhi and Ye Xun in his mansion, Emperor Jingwen was still unable to sleep at night. He often thought of the crown prince’s appearance when he was alive and could not calm down.
Then, news came that Emperor Jingwen wanted to go to the royal temple, Zilu Peak.