hotmtlnovel Chapter 75: 75 The Emperor Prepares to Establish the Crown Prince
Chapter 75: 75 The Emperor Prepares to Establish the Crown Prince
Chapter 75: Chapter 75 The Emperor Prepares to Establish the Crown Prince
Noble Lady Hui breathed her last.
She did not betray the mastermind behind the scenes, and in the end, she even stopped implicating Noble Consort Qi, allowing herself to be beaten to death by the guards under the furious Emperor’s orders.
No sooner had Noble Lady Hui ceased breathing than her body began emitting a thick, foul stench.
This was a side effect of the Western Regions Enchanted Incense. Although it produced a fragrant aroma while the person was alive, after death, the incense caused the body to rapidly decompose, emitting a foul odor from the internal organs that would continue even after the body turned into a white skeleton.
This was what was meant by “an eternal stench.”
But as they say, “Death is like a snuffed-out lamp.” Perhaps, in a sense, death was a release for Noble Lady Hui.
...
Yet, the Emperor felt no relief from her death. Not only had he lost his last offspring, but his body had also suffered greatly.
The Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Office had all been summoned and reached the conclusion that the wine, lust, and enchanted fragrance had drained the Emperor’s vitality, and it was unlikely he would be able to impregnate anyone in the future.
Ever since that bout of vomiting, the Emperor had distinctly felt that his vigor was nothing like before; he even felt as if he had aged more than five years.
This was the main reason for his raging order to beat Noble Lady Hui to death.
He was extremely wary of his own mortality, having survived several assassination attempts in his earlier years. One time, he nearly had his throat slashed if it weren’t for Noble Consort Qi reaching out to shield him, leaving her with a deep and long scar that remained on her hand to this day.
Day had broken, yet the Emperor felt no trace of sleepiness, sitting quietly in the Imperial Study Room.
Since no orders were given, everyone stood outside, afraid to leave.
In addition to Noble Lady Hui, the Emperor also had numerous servants from the households of both Noble Lady Hui and Consort Yun executed, leaving everyone trembling with fear.
“His Highness Prince Ling, Second Prince, His Majesty commands the two of you to enter,”
Eunuch Wang came out to relay the message.
The Second Prince felt his heart skip with anxiety.
This chaotic night must have greatly annoyed the Emperor. Suddenly summoning him and Jun Yuyan, he feared the Emperor might suspect them.
“Your Majesty,”
He listened as the Emperor continued, “My health is failing, and I fear I won’t live many more years. I intend to rigorously test all four of you and decide on the position of the Crown Prince sooner.”
...
On the way back to the palace, Murong Jiu, struggling to stay awake, curiously asked Jun Yuyan, “So, does the Emperor suspect that the Empress is behind all this?”
“Within the Imperial Family, without decisive evidence, no one dares to draw conclusions, and that includes the Emperor. The palace is rife with framing and deception, scheming and trickery, and with the Empress’s complex backing, to touch one is to affect the whole. Even if the Emperor suspects, he will not truly punish the Empress.”
“So, does the Emperor really intend to choose the Crown Prince from among you four Princes? With Prince Ling’s injury, and the Second Prince’s advantages seem quite significant.”
Jun Yuyan shook his head, patiently saying to her, “The Emperor cares only for himself. He is uncertain whether the Empress is behind the schemes, so he has thrown out the Third and Fourth Princes as bait, because he wants to catch the real mastermind, to avoid similar harm in the future.”
Listening to this, Murong Jiu’s heart jolted.
If she had not misunderstood, what Jun Yuyan meant was that the Emperor did not really intend to decide on the Crown Prince.
He gave the Third and Fourth Princes the opportunity to vie for the throne, firstly to shift the target and prevent further assassination attempts on himself, and secondly to reveal the true villain behind the attempts on their lives.
“If the Emperor wanted to appoint the Crown Prince, he would have done so long ago. Throughout history, the sooner a Crown Prince is appointed, the sooner the Emperor meets his demise.”
Such words were enormously disrespectful. Murong Jiu’s eyes widened, and she swiftly covered his mouth, “Prince, be careful, walls have ears!”
She had not realized that Jun Yuyan himself harbored such disrespect for the Emperor.
Jun Yuyan let out a soft chuckle, pleasure apparent in his eyes.
His breath warmed her palm, and it felt as if her heart was tickled. She quickly withdrew her hand, “In my haste just now, I offended you, my Prince.”
“I know Ah Jiu means well for me, but everyone around us is my person, and what we’ve said won’t be overheard by outsiders.”
Murong Jiu’s face burned with embarrassment. She quickly changed the subject, “Didn’t the Emperor once wish to make you the Crown Prince?”
A flicker of mockery flashed in Jun Yuyan’s eyes as he looked at his injured leg and said,
“Ah Jiu, in the Imperial Family, there is no true father-son relationship, only ruler and subject. Back then, when my achievements overshadowed the ruler and my fame spread far and wide, the Emperor was in his prime — how could one mountain accommodate two tigers?”
Murong Jiu was incredulous, not believing that Jun Yuyan’s injury and disfigurement were simply due to the Second Prince alone, but that the Emperor himself had a hand in it!
The father-son relationship within the Imperial Family, could it really be so heartless?