After my mother read my mind, my whole family rebelled

Chapter 222: Bad News from Kyoto

The emperor's chattering brought Eunuch Li back to the 25th year of Kaiyuan, when the emperor was already over 60 years old.

The establishment of a crown prince is imminent.

It was a day in September. The emperor summoned civil and military officials to the palace to discuss matters, the main topic of which was the appointment of a crown prince.

The emperor said: "It is unfortunate for the country that the crown prince died early. Ancient times said that a country with an old ruler can benefit the people. I want to establish Prince Ning. What do you think?"

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, there was a burst of noise in the hall.

The civil and military officials all had different expressions, whispering to each other and discussing.

For a moment, the court was like boiling water, gurgling and very lively.

After about an incense stick of time, the discussions in the hall gradually died down.

At this time, Hanlin scholar Liu Zhiwu was the first to step forward and say, "Your Majesty, I think the emperor's grandson is old and wealthy, and is a legitimate son. It is a common etiquette in ancient and modern times for a grandson to inherit the legitimate throne. Your Majesty, you must not overstep your authority!"

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers expressed their agreement with the Hanlin scholar's words, "Your Majesty should strictly abide by the etiquette and laws, the son inherits the father's throne, and there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children!"

Although the emperor had argued for Prince Ning, he was the only one with one mouth in the court and could not win over the many voices.

Seeing that all the ministers disagreed with making Prince Ning the crown prince, the emperor burst into tears on the spot.

At that moment, he truly regretted that he should not have acted on his own and turned Prince Ning into an "lonely king"!

......

"Your Majesty, there is no point in worrying too much. It is more important to take care of your health." Eunuch Li wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and handed a cup of tea to the emperor.

"Rongde, prepare your writing brush and ink." The emperor suddenly opened his eyes, "I...I want to draft two imperial edicts."

He turned his back and quietly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Slowly, the softness in his eyes disappeared, and was replaced by a forbearing and ruthless look.

The emperor sat up straight and took the pen handed to him by Eunuch Li, "Turn up the candlestick light a little brighter."

While fiddling with the candle wicks, Eunuch Li signaled the palace maids to light a few more palace lanterns, and the entire Fengxian Hall became bright.

......

Bang!

Early in the morning, the teacup in Shen Yuyao's hand inexplicably cracked and then shattered to the ground.

It's already quite chilly in Yanjing in September.

I don’t know if it was because of the pain or because of the sudden gust of wind outside the window.

Shen Yuyao couldn't help but shudder.

She looked down at her little finger which was oozing with blood, and she suddenly felt as if someone was holding her heart tightly.

It was beating very fast and there was a dull pain.

"Yuyao, why are you so careless?"

Xia Yu, who was sitting on the couch reading a book, turned around and looked at her. He couldn't help but scold her, "You are already a mother of nine children, but you are still so clumsy."

Although he said this, his body was still honest and he quickly stood up, quickly hugged Shen Yuyao, and picked up her scratched hand to take a closer look.

Xia Yu shouted to the outside of the door: "Zi Su, quickly get some gauze! The princess is injured."

"It's nothing, it's just a small scratch on my little finger, there's no need to use gauze. I'm not that delicate!" Shen Yuyao glanced at Xia Yu, "Your Highness, have you forgotten that I've been practicing martial arts since I was young?"

"Can people who practice martial arts bleed at will?"

Xia Yu looked at the wound carefully and found it was indeed very small, so he couldn't help but chuckle.

He shook his head and whispered, "It seems that I am also getting old."

Shen Yuyao asked curiously, "I just scratched my little finger, and the prince is only in his thirties. How could it cause you to be so emotional?"

"Yuyao, haven't you noticed that my heart is beginning to soften?" Xia Yu smiled faintly, "Isn't that just because I'm old?"

"..."

Zi Su, who hurried into the house with gauze in her hand, happened to hear the two people's sweet words.

Zi Su couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

These two children are almost becoming someone else's parents, yet they can still be so sweet.

Zi Su smiled secretly as she cut the gauze in her hand into extremely small and thin strips and wrapped it around Shen Yuyao twice.

Facing Xia Yu's doting eyes, Shen Yuyao had no choice but to let Zi Su bandage her little finger.

"Your Majesty, I just felt uneasy for some reason."

Shen Yuyao wiped her eyes gently with her sleeves, "Look, my right eyelid has been twitching violently. Could something big happen in our house?"

"My left eye twitches, my right eye twitches..." Xia Yu regretted it as soon as he said it.

"What else could be the big deal? Princess, you have managed Prince Ning's Mansion in perfect order. Even my concubines have been arranged clearly by you..." He turned his head and looked at Shen Yuyao with a bitter face.

Zi Su was laughing secretly beside him.

Ever since Shen Yuyao returned to Prince Ning's Mansion, she always arranged for the concubines bestowed by the palace to take turns sleeping with Xia Yu.

The person next to him kept changing, which always made him sleep uneasy.

In desperation, Xia Yu could only get himself a "Yangxin Palace" and stay there every day. Gradually, those concubines accepted their fate and no longer bothered him.

But he looks forward to the first and fifteenth day of every month.

During those two days, he could stay with her in her bedroom.

During those two days, he always slept very soundly!

"Your Majesty! There is an urgent secret report from Kyoto!"

He was lost in thought when he heard Danggui's hurried voice reporting from outside the door.

Xia Yu and Shen Yuyao were both startled and said in unison: "Come in quickly!"

Zi Su knew that the two of them had to deal with urgent matters, so she quickly lifted the curtain and left.

"Snapped!"

Xia Yu took out the secret letter, and after reading it, he stood there with his hands hanging in a daze.

The grief on his face was beyond words, and the small bamboo tube in his hand fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty..."

As soon as Shen Yuyao saw Xia Yu's expression, she knew that something big must have happened in Kyoto. Just as she was about to ask, she saw tears rolling down Xia Yu's eyes.

This scared Shen Yuyao a lot.

She had never seen him so depressed, let alone seen Xia Yu shed a tear.

"My Lord, what big thing happened in Kyoto?"

After hesitating for a while, Shen Yuyao asked softly.

"Eunuch Li, who is beside the emperor, sent a secret letter." Xia Yu said in a deep voice: "The emperor drank a bowl of chicken soup a few days ago, and then he began to feel uncomfortable, vomiting and having diarrhea."

"Now...now he is seriously ill and won't live long!"

"Eunuch Li's secret report was sent by carrier pigeon a day ago. Now..." Xia Yu's face turned pale.

"I'm afraid he has passed away by now..." Shen Yuyao controlled her strong emotions and took several deep breaths before finally asking him, "Eunuch Li was originally from my East Factory. Did he ever tell me who made this bowl of chicken soup for my father?"

Xia Yu nodded.

"It's in the secret report."

"Who is it?"