Chapter 210: Establishing a Crown Prince
The noise in the dining hall was also heard, and soon all the princes and concubines gathered there.
Wu Yi’s eagle eyes kept scanning the group of people in front of him to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to commit murder.
This is what it’s like to be an emperor. You have to be cautious at everything, always sober and alert, because you never know if the person standing in front of you is plotting to kill you.
After a while, the imperial physician and the abbot of Bailu Temple arrived one after another.
Both of them are top doctors, and they can see that Emperor Jingwen is in bad condition.
While taking Emperor Jingwen’s pulse, Wu Yi once again drove everyone out and forbade them to approach.
After all, she and Emperor Jingwen had been married for many years, so Concubine Rong was naturally worried when she saw this, but she couldn’t show it. Now that the queen was imprisoned, Concubine Rong was the highest-ranking among all the people present. If even she panicked, the palace people below would probably be in chaos.
So no matter how nervous the imperial concubine was inside, she always looked calm.As his cheap father fell, Ye Shuo’s head began to throb with pain.
In his heart, although his stepfather could not be compared with his father at all, twenty years had passed and one should have developed feelings for a cat or a dog, let alone a grown-up person.
There are so many truths and lies between him and his stepfather, and it is hard to tell what is going on.
Because of his stepfather’s identity as the emperor, Ye Shuo believed that although he would never be able to be defenseless and treat him wholeheartedly, ultimately, Ye Shuo did not want him to die.
It would be great if everyone could survive, but it’s a pity that no matter who it is, they will end up in this situation sooner or later.
The cruelty of God lies in the fact that those who experience birth, ageing, sickness and death can only watch helplessly.
While waiting, the matter of the Fourth Prince also needs to be dealt with.
When the Sixth Prince first entered the Six Ministries, he was personally guided by the Fourth Prince. Whether it was deliberate attempts to win him over or for other reasons, the Fourth Prince’s body has not yet been buried, and the Sixth Prince cannot turn a blind eye.
Even though the Fourth Prince had the same goal as him, and the two of them eventually turned from brothers into enemies, since both were dead, the Sixth Prince naturally wouldn’t care so much.
When a person dies, it is like a lamp going out, and all the past will eventually disappear.
But the Sixth Prince still has a son to take care of, and Ye Jin is weak, so the Sixth Prince dare not ask anyone else to do it. The situation is chaotic right now, so he is naturally worried about his only son.
But if I take him with me… Ye Jin is still young after all, and I’m afraid that coming into contact with the dead will scare him.
The Sixth Prince was hesitating, but when he turned around, he saw that his son had fallen into Xiaojiu’s hands again.
Xiaojiu’s method of stealing children has become more and more sophisticated.
Seeing that Xiao Jiu was holding him, his son felt that the atmosphere around him was not right, so he didn’t dare to make a fuss. His little face turned red, and he kept whispering in resistance: “Uncle Jiu, put me down!”
Oh my god, who would hug someone so casually like him!
However, Ye Jin’s rejection was like tickling, and soon, under Ye Shuo’s suppression, the child could not move.
As if noticing his gaze, Ye Shuo said casually: “Go if you want to, I’m here.”
Although Xiaojiu liked to make trouble, he didn’t have any bad intentions. The Sixth Prince paused, then clasped his fists, and quickly helped Concubine Xian to deal with the Fourth Prince’s affairs.
Fortunately, it is winter now and the mountains are cold, so there is no need to ask people to transport ice up.
Concubine Xian was so grief-stricken that she could not control herself, but because of the matter concerning Emperor Jingwen, she could not cry out loud. Now that the Sixth Prince had arrived, Concubine Xian felt a little relieved.
Perhaps it was because the Fourth Prince looked too scary with his eyes open. The palace servants around him were all trembling with fear, and their hearts were filled with terror.
The Sixth Prince took a deep breath, stretched out his hand, and slowly closed the Fourth Prince’s eyelids.
At this point, the life of the Fourth Prince finally came to an end.
The other side.
Inside the room, the imperial physician and the abbot tried their best to give Emperor Jingwen medicine and acupuncture. During this time, Wang Ziquan and others came and went, bringing in seven or eight bowls of medicine alone. The whole Bailu Temple was filled with a strong smell of medicine.
However, even so, it took three full hours, and it was almost dawn before Emperor Jingwen was rescued.
“How is my health?”
Just when the imperial physician and the abbot were struggling with how to tell the princes and concubines outside, they heard a hoarse voice coming from behind them.
It turned out that Emperor Jingwen, who in their eyes would be in a coma for at least three days, woke up early.
Normally, if one encounters such a serious situation, it would take at least two or three days before one can gradually regain consciousness. But now, Emperor Jingwen opened his eyes in less than half a day, which shows how strong his heart is.
The imperial physician knelt down and saluted without hesitation. As for the abbot standing beside him, he clasped his hands together and chanted “Amitabha”.
The imperial physician couldn’t help but look at the other person.
The abbot is a highly accomplished monk who is not involved in worldly affairs. Emperor Jingwen granted him special permission that he does not need to kneel when meeting the emperor, and his status is transcendent. But it is different for the imperial physician. Whenever something goes wrong with the emperor, the imperial physician will certainly not be in good shape, and his family may even be implicated.
In this situation, how could the imperial physician have the courage to speak?
Although the abbot was not a secular person, he was not completely ignorant of the secular world. He sighed in his heart and then said, “Amitabha, in reply to the emperor’s words, the emperor was stabbed last time and his heart meridian was injured. If he hadn’t met a master to treat him, I’m afraid his life would be in danger.”
Fortunately, Emperor Jingwen received timely treatment as soon as he was injured, otherwise he would not have survived until now.
“Although His Majesty has recovered from his injuries, he still has roots. He should avoid extreme joy, sorrow, or anger. If he does this too often, his life may be in danger. His Majesty’s health is no longer what it used to be, and he has suffered a series of setbacks recently, so…”
If he had been taken good care of and had continued to take medicine, there wouldn’t have been any serious problems. However, too many things have happened recently, and even Emperor Jingwen, as the emperor, cannot avoid them.
It may be that it is precisely because he is the emperor that things will be even worse.
The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Eldest Prince, the Thirteenth Prince… one after another, even the strongest person could not bear it, not to mention that Emperor Jingwen already had a hidden illness, and now I’m afraid that no medicine would be able to work. At most, it would just delay time.
Monks do not tell lies, the abbot said it clearly.
Thinking that once the emperor died, it would surely cause fighting among all parties, and the people would suffer, the abbot could not help but feel compassion and subconsciously chanted the Buddha’s name: “Amitabha.”
Even Emperor Jingwen fell silent after hearing this.
As an emperor, who wouldn’t want to live forever? Even ordinary people have a fear of death and a desire to survive.
So Emperor Jingwen asked, “Is there any way to save?” As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Emperor Jingwen would do everything he could, no matter what.
The abbot paused and shook his head.
“It has nothing to do with medicine. No matter how good the medicine is, it can’t heal a broken heart.”
The imperial physician standing by broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing this.
For a moment, Emperor Jingwen wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, blaming God for being blind and hating fate for being unfair. He had clearly already sat in the supreme position, so why didn’t he give himself an endless life?
As a monarch, you are the ruler of all people. Why can’t you control your own destiny?
So hateful!
He hated it so much!
“Cough cough cough…”
Emperor Jingwen was so excited that he started coughing uncontrollably. The imperial physician and the abbot immediately became nervous when they saw this. The abbot in particular hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten what I just said? Don’t be sad or angry, otherwise it will only speed up the process, Your Majesty!”
Seeing that things were hopeless, Emperor Jingwen finally calmed down and had to compromise with God.
“In this case, how long do I have left in this world?”
It was not until this time that Emperor Jingwen realised that he still had so many things to do.
Now that the crown prince is gone, such a huge Zhou Dynasty must choose a new heir. Otherwise, once he is gone, the Zhou Dynasty will inevitably be in chaos.
However, the abbot was not sure: “Maybe it will take a year or two, or maybe… in the next moment.”
Everything depends on when the main vein connecting to Emperor Jingwen’s heart will be completely severed.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwen’s first reaction was to summon Wang Ziquan to his side.
“Your Majesty!” Wang Ziquan had served him for many years. Seeing this scene, he knelt down with a plop, and couldn’t help but feel sad.
“Why are you crying? I’m not dead yet.”
Emperor Jingwen took a deep breath and issued the first imperial decree.
“Pass on my order, summon all the generals to appear before me, and all other officials are on standby. From now on, attack Beiting at all costs.”
Now, everything that happened was caused by Beiting. Beiting was really going too far!
No matter what, Emperor Jingwen could not tolerate it any longer.
Then, Emperor Jingwen said, “Come here, get some paper and pen.”
Since he might die at any time, in order to ensure that the Great Zhou would not fall into chaos after his death, Emperor Jingwen could only find a successor quickly.
However, the matter of appointing a crown prince was a state secret, and even Wang Ziquan could not be present.
Upon seeing this, the imperial physician and the abbot immediately stepped back before Emperor Jingwen could pick up the brush. The three of them lowered their heads, not daring to look any further.
Emperor Jingwen pondered for a long time before finally putting pen to paper.
Now there are only a few princes left who are of the right age. The eldest prince is rebellious, the second prince was demoted to a commoner, the crown prince… the crown prince died early, the fourth prince was assassinated, and the fifth prince… Thinking of the fifth prince, Emperor Jingwen shook his head.
Although this boy is not as vicious as his brother, he is not broad-minded. He is impulsive and irritable. He has a quick wit but a hot temper. He is not a suitable candidate for the crown prince.
The Seventh Prince is a man of deep thoughts, but he has no one to support him. Even if he succeeds in ascending to the throne, he will be pulled down immediately.
As for the Eighth Prince, he had been extremely intelligent since childhood and did his job well. It was a pity that the incident with the First Prince had just happened. He and the First Prince were born of the same mother. This alone was enough to make Emperor Jingwen hesitate.
Xiaojiu’s words… As soon as Emperor Jingwen thought of his son, he immediately crossed his name off the list without hesitation.
If Xiaojiu takes the throne, the Great Zhou will be hopeless. And most of the important officials who taught him will probably retire and return home.
The princes after that were too young to be included in the reference.
During the month when he was missing, in addition to the eldest prince, another son performed extremely well. From all perspectives, he was the most suitable candidate at the moment.
After considering for a while, Emperor Jingwen finally wrote the word “six” on the imperial edict.
Although the Sixth Prince was not registered under the name of the Imperial Concubine, he had lived in Qiuwu Palace for ten years after all. When he was in the palace, the Sixth Prince’s wife often visited the Imperial Concubine.
The Sixth Prince must have some feelings for the Imperial Concubine and the others. If he ascends the throne in the future, it will be a good thing for them.
However, this alone was not enough. Imperial Concubine Guifei and Xiaojiu had only titles but no power. They seemed to be enjoying a prosperous life on the surface, but after he left, the situation would soon be completely different.
The power in the palace changes over time, and after all, a new emperor appoints new ministers.
Without his protection, how could the three of them, mother and children, survive?
Through the gap in the window, he saw his youngest son, whose face had turned blue from the cold and who was holding a child in a daze. To be on the safe side, Emperor Jingwen finally wrote a third imperial edict.