in2ebook Chapter 401 The Prince Supervises the Country
Chapter 401 The Prince Supervises the Country
The young woman's heart was pounding; she wished she could just kill the man in front of her.
What was the point of her hard work to enter the palace and gain favor? For her own power and for the Si family to remain in power. Now, her younger brother is still young, and she hasn't even received the rights she deserves. And this man wants to live a life of leisure?
Who wants to live a carefree life with her?
The younger sister regretted not listening to Mother Tian's advice; perhaps she really should have taken the initiative to get closer to the Crown Prince.
That Crown Prince...
When the younger sister recalled what Zhao Ning had said, she felt that something was off.
Seeing his younger sister lost in thought, the Emperor asked, "Wan'er, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking... if I just kidnap you like this, will I become a sinner of the Great Zhou?"
"Silly Wan'er, what nonsense are you talking about?" The Emperor couldn't help but laugh, and his spirits seemed to improve considerably.
The younger sister said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is quite capable, but he is still young and lacks experience. Without the Emperor's guidance, we don't know how he will fare... Your Majesty, it just so happens that you are currently unwell. Why don't you take a few months to rest and recuperate, and entrust the entire country to the Crown Prince, while you stay in the palace and oversee things? How would that be?"
The Emperor patted his little sister's head. He said he wanted to abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince, but it was just a casual remark. He never expected that this girl would actually take it seriously.
It is clear that Wan'er was truly devoted to him.
However, he was an emperor after all, how could he really abandon the country and its people?
However, I'll spoil her a bit and spend these few months recuperating, which will also be a way of keeping her company.
"Okay, I promise you."
The younger sister's eyes flickered slightly. If what Zhao Ning said was true, then the Crown Prince was indeed a man of deep thoughts, but unfortunately, he was too eager for quick success. If he made a mistake in the next few months, the Emperor would definitely be disappointed in him.
child……
Thinking of the prescription Miss Hu had given her, the younger sister asked Aunt Tian to have someone check it out.
On the day the seal was to be opened, the emperor did not attend court, and publicly stated that he was too ill to rise, leaving the crown prince to continue overseeing the country.
However, he summoned all the ministers into the Zichen Palace, showed them his weakened state, and rambled on and on, saying that he wanted to hand over the reins of government to the court officials.
It looked exactly like someone was entrusting their child to another.
This aroused the ambitions of many ministers, especially those who had previously sided with the Crown Prince.
The Emperor coughed heavily, dismissing them, but then said, "Ziheng, Tiansong, you... stay."
Feng Ziheng and Kuang Tiansong exchanged a glance, both seeing the understanding in each other's eyes.
They were the emperor's closest courtiers, and the fact that the emperor kept them behind did not surprise the others, who assumed they were being entrusted with the care of the young emperor.
The emperor beckoned slightly, and two men stepped forward to help him up.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health."
The Emperor said, "I should take care of my health, but I still can't rest easy about the affairs of the previous dynasty. Ziheng, starting tomorrow, you will be promoted to Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and will no longer need to serve at the Court of Judicial Review."
Feng Ziheng lowered his eyes: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly assist the Crown Prince in overseeing the country and will not cause Your Majesty any worry."
The Emperor smiled enigmatically: "To assist the Crown Prince?"
Feng Ziheng's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm and said, "The Crown Prince has grown up, and I think it's time to let him gain some experience. Of course, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and any movements in the court should be based on your will."
The Emperor then waved his hand, saying, "Knowing that there are no major issues in the court, I am at ease."
The two close advisors walked out together, and Kuang Tiansong smiled and said in a low voice, "His Majesty is in his prime, what does the Crown Prince think?"
Feng Ziheng remained unsmiling: "His Majesty is seriously ill. It's best not to disturb him with many things. Listen to His Highness the Crown Prince."
The two knew the truth and parted ways.
In the warm spring of March, Feng Ziheng's eyes grew increasingly solemn.
After the Crown Prince took over the reins of government, his Buddhist heart grew even stronger. Wuxiang Temple has now become a royal patronage site, and the eminent monks of Wuxiang Temple can enter and leave the Crown Prince's residence as if it were their own.
Officials began to frequently associate with eminent monks in temples, and it seemed that those who did not like to worship Buddha would find it difficult to gain a foothold in the court.
Even Feng Ziheng was questioned several times by the Crown Prince because he had not paid homage to a high-ranking monk.
Those high-ranking monks coming and going from house to house, how could they be considered to be worshipping Buddha? They were clearly gathering intelligence, or even monitoring officials.
Wuxiang Temple also holds various Dharma assemblies, and each time the same group of people attend.
Furthermore, the Crown Princess actually solicited donations from wealthy merchants and officials under the guise of "cultivating the Buddha's body and casting a golden statue."
Prince Ning raised an objection, to which the Crown Prince casually replied, "Buddha saves those with affinity. Since we began casting the golden statue of Buddha, Father's illness has improved. Prince Ning, don't you think this is inappropriate?"
Since it concerned the Emperor's health, Prince Ning naturally could not speak casually and could only remain silent.
Even Prince Ning stopped saying anything, and the other officials were even less so.
Feng Ziheng came to visit the Emperor and told him all about these things.
The Emperor frowned: "Is all this mobilization really just for my health?"
“Your Majesty, I do not know,” Feng Ziheng replied.
Kuang Tiansong came over and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has been spending a lot of time with Wuxiang Temple lately."
The emperor's face turned pale, and he asked, "Is it only available at Wuxiang Temple?"
"I don't know."
The Emperor slammed his teacup down: "You two know nothing, what use are you? Go and investigate for me!"
After the two left, the emperor's eyes darkened, and he said in a cold voice, "I thought he was a good man, and I even considered passing the throne to him ahead of time. I never expected him to be so impatient."
The younger sister, who had been sitting beside him, hurriedly tried to appease the Emperor: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince may just be playing around. Even if what the two officials said is true, it doesn't mean that His Highness really intends to do anything. Your Majesty shouldn't worry unnecessarily, nor should you doubt your own son."
The Emperor rubbed his temples and put his arm around his younger sister's shoulder: "You can make excuses for him then. He was a good-for-nothing when he was young. I thought he would grow up and become sensible."
The memorials on the table appeared to be harmless and concerned the emperor's health, but in reality, they were intelligence reports sent to the emperor by Feng Ziheng and Kuang Tiansong.
However, the emperor was not in good health.
The younger sister then waved for the servants to leave, and told the emperor to lie on her lap while she read the contents of the memorials to him one by one.
"...The Crown Prince is a future Buddha, dedicated to vanquishing demons and upholding justice. Those who defy him will be struck by lightning and never be reincarnated..." Upon reading this, the younger sister angrily threw the memorial away. "These officials are simply outrageous!"
The Emperor was initially angry, but seeing his younger sister like this, he was no longer angry and laughed, "Wan'er, why are you so angry? Let them say what they want."
The younger sister said seriously, "Your Majesty, what if I don't believe in gods and Buddhas? Will I also be struck by lightning?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
The younger sister shook her head: "When I was young, my parents said that there are gods three feet above our heads, and they taught me to treat them with reverence. But they also said that gods and Buddhas are things that exist if you believe in them and don't if you don't. Your Majesty, the belief in gods and Buddhas has existed for countless years, with some believing and some not. If gods and Buddhas are really so petty, wouldn't all those who don't believe in them have died without a burial place?"