Chapter 511 — Reward
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
The Emperor's return to the palace was the foremost matter of the hour; who knew whether His Majesty might summon the ministers afterward to deliberate? Who would dare cry hunger now?
Everyone had no choice but to tighten their belts and wait outside the study in the Qianqing Palace. As for the Empress and the Prince of Liao, the former was "escorted" by Cui Yijun to the Kunning Palace, while the latter, surrounded by men of the Jinwu Guard, was resting in the Hongde Hall.
The Emperor leaned listlessly against the large heated couch by the window, looking as though he had aged ten years, his face utterly spent.
Wang Yuan did not dare make a sound; with a thick cloth wrapped around his neck, he tiptoed forward to offer the Emperor tea.
The Emperor waved his hand. "Withdraw and rest."
Wang Yuan's eyes could not help brimming over.
His Majesty still meant to keep him in service after all!
It had been worth standing with Song Yantang.
He withdrew, eyes full of tears.
The room fell silent. Only the Crown Prince stood before the Emperor, hands lowered, his bearing respectful.
The Emperor gave a self-mocking laugh. "I reckoned he wouldn't dare kill me. What I never expected was that you would think up such a scheme to save me! Still—confining the Prince of Liao within the Liao residence, aren't you afraid of rearing a tiger to bring disaster?"
He fixed the Crown Prince with a gaze of profound scrutiny.
A thin sweat broke out at once on the Crown Prince's back.
He thought for a moment, then answered earnestly, "My only thought was to rescue Your Majesty; this matter never crossed my mind. Now that Your Majesty raises it—I reflect that Fifth Brother, when he held every advantage of heaven and earth in Liaodong, still failed in his palace coup. Now, stripped of his allies and shut up in the Liao residence, if he could stir up trouble again, then it would be my own lack of virtue and ability, and I could blame no one else."
The Emperor was quite taken aback.
His feelings toward the Crown Prince had always been tangled. He feared the boy might grow headstrong and disobedient like the Prince of Liao, yet he also feared he was too soft and yielding to bear heavy burdens. But the Crown Prince before him now—neither arrogant nor boastful, nor cringing and fawning—seemed utterly plain and steady. The Emperor could not help but regard him with new eyes, as though a great stone had been lifted from his heart.
Perhaps there were some things he ought to try letting go of.
The Emperor closed his eyes. "Have Wang Yuan come in to attend me. I am tired—you may withdraw."
He had not slept for two days and a night.
The Crown Prince did not dare disturb him. He answered softly and left the study. Standing in the wind, he only then felt the dampness soaking his back.
He let out a long breath, and lifting his head, saw the side corridor packed densely with princes and ministers, all eyes wide upon him, as though waiting for him to make the decision.
The Crown Prince groaned inwardly.
The Prince of Liao's affair had caused too great a stir; it was impossible to gloss over it and pretend nothing had happened. Yet if the Crown Prince's crimes were proclaimed to the world, his uncles and cousins would learn that the Prince of Liao, for all his treason, had merely been confined—and one day they might find themselves unable to resist stirring. Was he to stand guard against thieves a thousand days? This time he had discovered the Prince of Liao's plot only through Ji Yong, and survived only thanks to Song Yan's unwavering loyalty. Would he be so lucky next time?
.
He simply called Ji Yong and Song Yan aside to talk.
Ji Yong said, "What difficulty is there in this? Merely say His Majesty has fallen ill and secretly summoned the Prince of Liao back to the palace to nurse him. As for whether the common folk believe it—give it time, and everyone will forget. Your Highness need not trouble yourself over it at all."
Is that so?