amaotonovel Chapter 268 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (168)
Chapter 268 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (168)
After he finished speaking, he turned his head slightly, waiting for the Empress Dowager's reply. Because he couldn't see, he seemed particularly anxious.
"Mother—" he said sadly, "You won't even listen to my last wish?"
The emperor didn't know how many days he had been in a daze. Occasionally he would have a moment of clarity, but his body would remain motionless as if he were being paralyzed by a ghost, until he fell into a daze again. Today was the only time that he was able to speak after regaining his senses.
He knew in his heart that this was not a good thing.
But at this moment, he had no time to think about anything else and hurriedly ordered someone to summon the Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, what is it you wish to say? If I could do it..." The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to look at him, sighed softly, and answered in a low voice.
"Mother Consort can certainly do it; only Mother Consort can do this." A hint of reminiscence seemed to flash across his expression.
"Back then, my mother chose me from among so many brothers and supported me to ascend the throne... I'm sure my mother knows that I can be a good, good emperor." He looked at the Empress Dowager with empty, lifeless eyes, as if begging for her approval.
"Your Majesty..." The Empress Dowager gave a bitter smile.
Only when a person passes away can future generations fully review their life's achievements.
Although the emperor still had a breath left, his life as an emperor was indeed coming to an end.
While he may not be considered a wise and benevolent ruler throughout history, he was not entirely without major flaws. He was capable in selecting competent ministers, appointing military generals, pacifying the western barbarians, and employing loyal and virtuous officials; he accomplished almost everything.
But the ambition and passion of youth are gradually worn away, leaving behind a suspicious, sensitive emperor who is indifferent to his children. Perhaps being a lonely ruler is the final fate of every emperor.
On his deathbed, he did something absurd. Although Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin had calmed things down and suppressed the matter, they would not leave him with the stigma of believing in witchcraft and exchanging blood for life. But the Dowager knew this in her heart, so when she saw his expectant face, she could only sigh.
She never expected this...
If she had imagined things would turn out this way back then, would she still have been so devoted to supporting him? The Dowager asked herself, but she had no answer, for the situation was turbulent back then.
The two of them depended on each other for survival. If they didn't fight, they would only die. The Empress Dowager did it not only for him, but also for herself.
But back then... the Empress Dowager did have expectations of the Emperor, but now, looking back, it was all her own naivety and recklessness. She made her own choices, and has no one to blame but herself.
Standing in the dim light, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt that she had lived long enough.
It lasted so long that two emperors came and went, and then they had to watch a new emperor ascend the throne and take the same position again.
"Yes... Back then, I trusted the Emperor completely," the Empress Dowager said with a sigh.
The Emperor slumped back onto the pillow, as if all his strength had been drained. At this moment, it seemed that he only cared about the Dowager Consort's opinion and wanted to gain the approval of his most respected mother.
“Then, this matter can only be handled by Mother Consort.”
He raised his withered, twig-like fingers and pointed to his bed: "Mother, please help me take these things out. I have no strength left."
Following his pointing finger, the Dowager reached under the bed and felt around. On the bed board, her fingertips touched a protrusion. With a gentle push, a movable wooden board opened, revealing a soft cloth bag inside.
The Empress Dowager took out the heavy, bright yellow cloth bag, unfastened the top clasp, and revealed inside—the Imperial Seal!
"Did Mother receive it?" the Emperor asked, judging from the voice.
"Hmm, but this..."
"Mother, please take it. I'm afraid I'll fall into chaos again soon. I don't want to bother anymore. I want to wait... wait for the immortals to take me away." The Emperor's voice was weak.
"I don't know who should succeed me as emperor. Perhaps I don't favor any of them, just like my father did back then," he said quietly.
It was precisely because the late emperor did not choose a successor that such a great dispute arose, causing turmoil in the palace and the court. Even after the emperor ascended the throne, it took several years to finally quell the unrest.
Unexpectedly, the same thing is happening again.
The emperor didn't say much. He didn't want anyone to succeed him. He wanted to be the emperor of the mortal world for a long time, but it seemed that this wish could not be fulfilled!
"I am not capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility." The Empress Dowager wanted to refuse. Since her relationship with the Emperor had faded, she had no longer been involved in any political affairs, remaining silent and quiet in her palace.
For some reason, the Emperor would entrust such an important matter to her at this time... The Empress Dowager was puzzled.
"I believe only the Empress Dowager is capable of this." The Emperor took a breath: "Back then, the Empress Dowager... back then, she chose me, and surely, she can also choose the most suitable new emperor for my country."
He seemed to be using the question from before to test the Empress Dowager, and only after hearing what he wanted to hear did he finally reveal his final entrustment.
"I trust my mother, but I don't trust my children. They are probably... looking for my imperial seal right now, aren't they? Let's leave it with my mother. Before she chooses someone she deems suitable, let's not let anyone find it." The Emperor sighed softly.
Even in this state, when he is lucid, he remains sharp and clear-headed, able to guess the current situation without even looking.
"I do not know which child is truly to His Majesty's liking." The Empress Dowager truly did not know. She knew all too well the coldness in the Emperor's heart. If he were not on his deathbed, he would never have revealed his true feelings to her, because he was too suspicious.
"Mother, there's no need to please me..." the Emperor said leisurely, "I don't want to care anymore."
His face grew increasingly pale, as if he were about to fall into chaos again.
He seemed to sense something himself: "Mother, this time... perhaps this is the last time you and I, mother and son, will meet in the mortal world. When you, Mother, ascend to immortality, I will come to fetch you, and we will continue our bond as mother and son..."
He said this with a sense of relief in his expression.
In the end, he never mentioned anyone else.
The Empress Dowager finally accepted the imperial seal and brought it back to her palace.
No matter how many times Ji Shuling sent people to search afterward, they could not find any trace of him until Liu Tiao was captured.
The Empress Dowager sat in the palace, seemingly asking herself as well as the old nanny beside her: "Tell me, who is so impatient? The Emperor has really left me with a mess."
On the night of the 30th, the Empress Dowager was restless in her palace. The palace was unusually quiet that day, as if no one wanted to move around, let alone feel any festive atmosphere.
The Empress Dowager had already given instructions that there was no need for anyone to come and pay their respects today; they should all stay in their own palaces.
But people still came to the Empress Dowager's palace.
Consort Rong's attire was much simpler than usual, with only a red hairpin in her hair. She respectfully greeted the Dowager Consort. If it weren't for the Dowager Consort's kind heart and her refusal to tolerate those who took advantage of her misfortune in the palace, she and the Seventh Prince might not have made it through the year.
When she arrived, the Empress Dowager did not send her away.
She was allowed to have lunch in the palace.
Consort Rong was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before. She looked much older and was quiet, with a hint of sorrow in her expression.
"How is Lie'er?" the Empress Dowager asked her.
"He's much better now. Ever since he caused such a fuss last time, he's started to care about me and said he'll be more obedient in his treatment from now on." Consort Rong's expression softened when she mentioned her son.
She truly has no other thoughts now.
She only hopes that her child can recover slowly and no longer be bedridden.
She's now open-minded; she sees no need for royal power, wealth, or absolute authority.
She was trapped in the palace for life, and all she could hope for was that her child could have a more carefree and comfortable life. Occasionally, she would think of her mother and ask that she not blame her for using her ambition for power on him, which led to his tragic end.
"That's good." The Empress Dowager didn't say anything more.
The Dowager Consort did not claim all the credit. She had previously told Consort Rong that most of the matters concerning the Seventh Prince were arranged by the First Prince and the Third Prince, but they did not publicize it.
"I thought they were mortal enemies." At that time, Consort Rong murmured self-deprecatingly, "It's all my fault. I had delusions and thought that no one in the entire palace was as noble as me. I was the one who was like a blazing fire and a brocade flower in the palace, and in the Emperor's heart... too."
Her face was filled with sorrow. Having been favored by the Emperor for so many years, how could she not feel that she held a place in the Emperor's heart? In the end... the Empress of that time was herself today. She should have known long ago.
When she first entered the palace, she envied the Empress's luxurious life. But after she climbed to a high position, she gradually lost sight of everything.
In the end, she realized that most of her life had been a pipe dream, leaving her with nothing but the bitterness of waking up. At that time, Consort Rong had never felt that the palace was so desolate and bitter, that the years were so unbearable.
After her confinement was lifted, with the permission of the Empress Dowager, she never went to serve the Emperor when he was ill, and never saw the Emperor's face again.
"Did Her Majesty the Empress come today?" Consort Rong put down her chopsticks and pressed her handkerchief to her lips. She had always known that the Dowager Consort was a kind person, but she never thought that she would eventually feel close to the Dowager Consort. Just sitting in her palace made her feel a little more at ease.
"The Empress is currently resting."
"I have noticed that the Empress seems to be staying away from the palace quite often these days, and she has also stopped allowing the First Prince and the Third Prince to come and pay their respects."
Although Consort Rong no longer wished to get involved in the trouble, she still kept an eye on the Empress's movements.
She had a long-standing grudge against the Empress. After the Empress returned to the palace, she caused her son to become disabled. Although Consort Rong was unwilling to fight with her again, she was worried that Consort Rong could manipulate the eldest prince and the third prince, making her and her son unhappy in the palace in the future.
The Dowager Consort saw through her thoughts but did not point them out, nor did she wish to interfere in such matters.
In the afternoon, Consort Rong returned home, glancing towards the direction of the Emperor's palace on her way back.
"Your Majesty... are you going to the Emperor's palace to pay your respects? Many other consorts have already gone there today."
Consort Rong hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "No need." After returning to her palace, she always felt uneasy when she went to bed at night.
Until midnight, a curfew was suddenly imposed in the palace, and no one was allowed to leave their own palace.
Consort Rong rose and leaned back in her chair, tears slowly welling in her eyes. She knew what had happened.
The Emperor has passed away.
She entered the palace when she was young. At that time, the emperor was in his prime, the most powerful man in the world, and also had a handsome appearance. He was very tender towards her. What young woman in love would not be moved?
She truly loved the emperor.
The Empress must have felt the same way.
As a woman herself, how could she not see the affection for the Emperor in the Empress's eyes? But the Empress wanted to be a good Empress, unlike herself, who only sought the Emperor's favor.
When the empress met such an end, he knew the reason behind it, but he still felt fortunate that there was no longer an empress in the palace.
But to this day, she has never heard the Emperor mention making her Empress, not even when he showed her much favor...
Looking back now, I realize how ridiculous I was back then. How could I have dared to hope for the emperor's true affection? It wasn't until my child grew up that I slowly came to my senses. But by then, she was trying to fight for me, only to find that she had nothing, that everything was just a mirage, utterly vulnerable, leading to her current predicament.
Compared to the empress of that time, it's hard to say who suffered more.
Now that the emperor has passed away, this desolate palace seems even more unbearable.
Finally, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and silently shed them. She ordered the palace servants to remove all the brightly colored items from the room and change all her clothes into plain ones.
"Your Highness, please... let this servant help you with your washing and dressing." The palace maid who had served her for a long time wanted to comfort her, but didn't know what to say. She helped Consort Rong to her feet, and the two of them kowtowed three times towards the direction of the Emperor's palace.
Then the palace fell silent again.
until today.
Lu Liruan and Zhuang Yuxun stayed in the mansion for more than a day without any news of Ji Shumin. Officials from the Dali Temple walked along the streets, banging gongs, and told the people to stay at home. The atmosphere was very tense, as if the cold air had become heavy and oppressive.
"Don't worry, Lord He of the Dali Temple did this on purpose." Zhuang Yuxun received a message from his subordinate outside.
"When can we get out?" Lu Liruan knew that there was an ambush set up by the Second Prince Ji Shuling outside the mansion.
"After nightfall, pull out the rest of the nails." Zhuang Yuxun winked at Lu Liruan: "It's only been two days, and you already miss it this much?"
Lu Liruan knew that she was deliberately teasing her to make her less nervous, but... how could she not be nervous!
Lu Liruan thought to herself that this was the first time she had experienced a change of power, and in such a thrilling scene at that.
By evening, Lu Liruan couldn't hold on any longer. She drank two glasses of wine and fell asleep in a daze. She didn't know what time it was when she was woken up.
"...Hmm! What's wrong? Did something happen?" In the darkness, Lu Liruan looked into Zhuang Yuxun's eyes and felt that her eyes were shining like a feline's. She subconsciously sat up abruptly.
"No! Just wanted to tell you that all the nails outside the mansion have been pulled out. Do you want to go take a look?"
Lu Liruan: ...
"No need." It's the middle of the night, there's not a ray of light. Why would I go and check on those who've been arrested?
General Zhuang was clearly enjoying himself, so he ran off, leaving Lu Liruan alone. She lay down again in a daze, and when she woke up the next day, she still felt like she had just had a dream.