Chapter 274: Chapter 275 - The Close Rapport between the Father and Son

Expectancy could hardly be concealed in the tone of the crown prince’s biological mother. Without looking back, he knew that it was scorching in Consort Cui’s eyes, but he seemed to have fallen into an icehouse.

“Mother, do you know…” The crown prince felt that his voice had never been so intricate and obscure. “Do you know what you are talking about?”

“Of course I know what I am talking about.” Consort Cui took a deep breath and sneered. “This year, it’s the twenty-first year after Emperor Xianjia took the throne, and I have borne with the bitch Daiguo for nearly twenty years. All people in the country think that I am an honorable noble consort and the crown prince’s biological mother. Even though I was degraded, I am a consort anyway, while in the eyes of the Empress Dowager and Daiguo and even your father, I am only one of his concubines.”

She grasped the crown prince’s shoulder with more strength on her fingers subconsciously and almost pinched her son’s flesh with the long nails she had carefully nourished. She looked at something not far away, yet her pupils were distracted, and she murmured with her trembling lips, “If I didn’t give birth to you, perhaps Daiguo wouldn’t let me stay alive till now. Both the Empress Dowager and your father are clear about the ins and outs, but which one of them has disciplined Daiguo? Who cares about my grievance and awkward position?

“I can understand the Empress Dowager. Since ancient times, it’s common that a mother helps her daughter rebuke her daughter-in-law. Moreover, I am not her official daughter-in-law.

“But your father, my husband, I have served him for a great portion of my life.

“He is a wise emperor praised by all people at the imperial court and the commonalty and rules such a large country well, making everywhere peaceful while he is in poor health. His methods and capability are more powerful than the late emperor’s.

“Even though Daiguo is overbearing, if he is determined to protect me, would he have no way?

“Although I am not his official wife, I married him only half a year later than the empress. He feels sorry for the empress as she experienced trials and hardships with him, but was I safe and resting easy during the difficult time?

“These years, the Su Family has gained a lot of profits because of the empress. Everybody of a high position at the imperial court and harem system is clear about what happened in Wuhuan. Duke of Ji, no, the Su Family was ambitious, but what did His Majesty do? He personally tried to keep the whole thing a secret.”

Consort Cui said in a sobbing voice gradually, “He didn’t allow anybody to talk about it.

“It was a capital offence, treason, yet His Majesty merely suggested Su Nianyi resign, and he didn’t even depose his title of Duke of Ji.

“As for the empress who got involved in this thing, he didn’t even rebuke her.

“Even if His Majesty planned to take the life of Duke of Ji in the future, at least till now all people in the Su Family are still wealthy and honorable, right?

“However, look at your grandparents’ family. The Cui Family is even inferior to the Jiang Family at the imperial court.

“Hexiao, haven’t you seen it? In His Majesty’s heart, all the concubines in the imperial harem are not as important as the empress.

“If the Jiang Family or Cui Family did what the Su Family has done, how would they get away with it so easily?

“I told you all these not to express my grievance.

“But I want to remind you that your father attaches importance to his legitimate children in nature. Otherwise, why does he only remember the empress’ good while all of us stay with him since the late emperor was alive?”

Consort Cui raised her sleeve to wipe her tears and gritted her teeth. “I tell you the truth. If the empress had a son that year, not even your father’s eldest son, you might not have the chance to live in the Eastern Palace. Now your father is partial to you every time just because he has brought you up in person. Once the kinship fades away…and Prince of Zhao grows up, what do you think would happen as a result?”

From her palm which still pinched the crown prince’s shoulder, she instantly noticed that he trembled. Then she sobbed and continued, “Moreover, even if you consider your kinship with your father, are you alone now? I am old. Although I hate Daiguo, if I really can’t stay alive, it’s fine for me to die, but what about Hehao and Zhongling? What should they do?”

She cried out sadly, “Zhongling, my first grandson, is only eight years old. The kid is sensible and clever all the time and respects the elders. However, if he is in Daiguo’s hands, how would that bitch torture him? Every time I think of this these days, I feel anxious.

“It’s fine if you can bear to see that I am unable to avenge the insult, but can you bear to see that Zhongling would fall into the same situation as me those years in the future? No. Although I endured the humiliation, I stay alive anyway. However, if you lose the title of heir to the throne, how would Daiguo allow your descendants to stay alive?”

Nobody knew since when the crown prince’s face was drowned in tears. He turned his head slowly and looked at Consort Cui. He was quivering and stated in a trembling voice, “Mother, that’s my father. You know that I have been brought up by him in person.”

He staggered and fell from the couch. Then he knelt down in front of Consort Cui under the support of the couch. “Mother, I owe a great debt of gratitude to Father. I only hate myself as I am incapable at the age of more than twenty, but I can’t share his worry. Instead, I tire Father to overcome the obstacles for me repeatedly when he has a rest to recuperate.”

The crown prince’s tears were all over his face and fell on Consort Cui’s dress hem. “So, Mother, please forgive me as I…can’t do as you say.”

He bent over and kowtowed with strength. Then his forehead was black and blue, yet he didn’t feel it. He just raised his head and met Consort Cui’s shocked and angry eyes. “Mother, if you are determined to do so, I have no choice but to die first and lead the way for Father in the netherworld.”

“You…” Consort Cui had never expected that the crown prince loved Emperor Xianjia so deeply. Even though he knew that he might be deposed, he would rather die than kill the emperor. It was fine if he considered that he might fail as it was difficult to kill the emperor, but he was just unwilling to do that.

He was unwilling to, and in order to stop Consort Cui, he even said that he would die before Emperor Xianjia.

For a moment, Consort Cui had different kinds of thoughts. She bit her lower lip hard and forced herself to calm down. Then she expressed with a sad smile, “It’s said that there is no kinship between the father and son in the royal family. In the early years, your father and the Empress Dowager did something like that, and I thought that we would do that just to return like for like, but you…unexpectedly you…”

She couldn’t continue to speak because the crown prince kowtowed repeatedly while saying, “After I die, you still have my brother Hehao. I hope that you and Hehao can take care of Zhongling and his mother in the future.”

“…Go away.” Consort Cui was in a daze and looked at the blood falling from the crown prince’s forehead. Tears fell from her eyes, yet her son didn’t get soft-hearted or surrender. In the end, she leaned backward feebly and stated in a hoarse voice, “Just think that I said nothing, okay?”

The crown prince kowtowed once more and then staggered to get up. Later, he bowed and whispered, “Yes, Mother.”

He glanced at the darkness outside the hall and then added, “It’s late now. I won’t disturb you as you need to go to bed. I am off now.”

After he left, Consort Cui raised her sleeve to cover her face and cried silently for a long time before putting down her sleeve. She looked tired, while her eyes were cold. She stared in the direction of the Palace of Xuanming for a moment. Then she closed her eyes to conceal the killing intent in them while summoning the maids coldly to serve her.

At the same time, the crown prince returned to the Eastern Palace and told somebody to secretly call for an imperial doctor that he was familiar with to deal with the wounds on his forehead. He wasn’t in the mood to go to the crown princess’ or any concubine’s bedroom. He just summoned Commandery Prince Zhongling and checked what his son had learnt. Later, he encouraged his son and then went to sleep in his study alone.

He didn’t sleep well this night. Consort Cui’s cry and Emperor Xianjia’s patient instructions appeared in his ears alternately. After midnight, he managed with effort to fall asleep, but he dreamed that Emperor Xianjia died in front of him, bleeding from all the seven openings of his head, which awakened the crown prince.

“Help!” The crown prince wiped his sweat and sat up. Under the dim light for him to get up at night, he saw what time it was from outside the curtain, about one hour before his usual get-up time, yet he couldn’t fall asleep, or he didn’t dare to sleep.

So he summoned the eunuchs. “Bring a basin of cold water and help me wash up.”

The water at night in autumn was cold and penetrated his bone. When it was poured over his face, his body hair stood up, yet it made him feel fresh.

He didn’t want to think of the rebellious words in the Xifu Palace last night, so he forced himself to concentrate on considering the upcoming morning audience. How would the followers of Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao rake up his past and attack him today?

“Jianling County is only 50 km away from the imperial capital and it is almost the same as the capital.” Beyond the crown prince’s expectation, four hours later, Prince of Zhao who spoke first didn’t impeach him or suspect him but defended him at the imperial court with a lot of people.

The young prince’s clear and loud voice resounded in the spacious hall, and there was vigor in his resolute brows. “No matter who the real murderer behind the scenes is, how would he dare to reveal any trace after he chose to kill many people in this place? So the criminals hid in the crown prince’s manor, which proves that it has nothing to do with him. It is probably a plan to frame him.”

“Your Highness, you are wrong.” When the crown prince’s followers were doubtful as Prince of Zhao behaved unusually, the minister of the Ministry of Works, Huo Dan stepped forward to speak, which made them sneer secretly. “Do you know if those people intentionally ran to the crown prince’s manor because they wanted to meet trick with trick? Moreover, although the three criminals locked up in the prison of the Ministry of Punishments didn’t say anything till now, a witness has been found in the imperial capital who proves that they often contact the steward in Prime Minister Gu’s mansion. What does Prime Minister Gu or the steward in his mansion have to do with Zhao Wu and his son and the people who escorted them? Whom would they protect after they did that? Everybody present is clear about that.”

Huo Dan was Ji Mingfei’s uncle and related to Grand Princess Daiguo. He was one of the first officials who were dragged down to support Prince of Wei.

After Huo Dan said that, the crown prince’s followers knew that Prince of Zhao seemed to speak for the crown prince, yet in fact, he said that just to lead to Huo Dan’s questions and meanwhile gain a good reputation as he loved his brother.

However, after most of people had this thought, unexpectedly, Prince of Zhao didn’t plan to return to the line but argued with Huo Dan. “Prime Minister Gu is well-known to the world since the beginning of the dynasty. It’s said that a person enjoying a good fame must have real abilities. I ask you, everyone. If the murder case in Jianling was really planned by Prime Minister Gu, with his method, would he let the county magistrate in Jianling and his assistant find the witness and evidence in an instant?”

This question rendered Huo Dan speechless. No matter if they liked Gu Shao, his position and experience were obvious, and nobody could deny them.

Prince of Zhao didn’t have any evidence, but it was enough for him to make the imperial court fall into silence only after he mentioned Gu Shao.

All people frowned and pondered while looking at one another speechlessly. “Your Highness, are you out of mind?

“You speak for the crown prince all the time. Will you fight for the title of heir to the throne with him?”