Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 275: The Empress Dowager and the Emperor Were Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: The Empress Dowager and the Emperor Were Childhood Sweethearts

Murong Jiu was not making a baseless statement.

How selfish the Emperor was, not only they knew about it, even the citizens of the Capital City were aware.

After the Third Prince got injured, the Emperor no longer concealed his favoritism; all his actions were telling the court officials—The Third Prince is my most beloved son, watch closely which side you are on.

The major fire at Prince Rui’s Mansion even provoked the Emperor to great rage. He reinvested manpower and resources, demanding the officials to rebuild Prince Rui’s Mansion as quickly as possible, not ceasing the work even during heavy snowfall and New Year’s celebrations.

Chun Tao and Hong Yi mentioned casually during their chat that several workmen had frozen to death due to the construction during a heavy snow.

Saying that they died from the cold, it was very likely they fell to their deaths. With the severe cold numbing their hands and feet, yet still having to work up on the beams, accidents were prone to occur.

But even so, the construction at Prince Rui’s Mansion continued, the families of the deceased accepted the compensation and did not dare to cause any trouble under the Son of Heaven’s watch.

Everyone knew this was the Emperor’s arrangement, who would dare to make noise? Did they still wish to preserve their lives?

It was a case of silent indignation.

It’s unclear if this was to compensate the Third Prince or for some other reason, but not only did Prince Rui’s Mansion expand significantly, but the standards were also the finest. It was said that just the craftsmen for carving the pillars were no less than a hundred people, not to mention the others, and every day, a long line of carriages laden with building materials entered the city through the gates.

Such extravagant consumption of resources indicated that the Emperor was now probably fully focused on paving way for the Third Prince, maybe planning to eliminate every other prince.

And Jun Yuyan’s influence was on the rise; on the day of the first lunar month, during the court meeting, it was certain that some officials would request the Emperor to appoint Jun Yuyan as the Crown Prince.

So Murong Jiu felt that before this, the Emperor might take some action.

Jun Yuyan reassured her with a smile,

"Ah Jiu, there’s no need to worry. The day the army returned to the court, my father-in-law and I had already handed over the Military Token. Father does suspect me, but not critically, and those lucky omens happened to my children, not me. The children are still young, they pose no threat to him. No matter how loud the outside calls are, he sits high above and chooses to ignore them. Wait and see, by then he will surely release the Second Prince to contend against me."

Murong Jiu had not expected Jun Yuyan to guess so accurately.

Indeed, during the court assembly on the morning of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, several officials petitioned the Emperor to appoint a Crown Prince, with Jun Yuyan receiving the highest acclaim. The Emperor nodded, acknowledging his eldest son’s excellency and that both Imperial Grandsons were Great Yan’s blessings.

But he quickly changed his tone, admitting he had been too prejudiced against the Second Prince before, realizing it was just a misunderstanding. He first praised the Second Prince extensively, then enacted the ancestral rule of appointing the capable rather than the eldest. He stated the need for further observation to decide who was more suitable for the position of the Crown Prince.

When her father came back, he relayed the court’s developments to Murong Jiu, saying that as soon as the Emperor spoke, the Second Prince’s Faction instantly became elated, all displaying joy, immediately following with praises for the Second Prince’s loyalty, filial piety, righteousness, and courage.

The Emperor then took the opportunity to lift the Second Prince’s house arrest and on the spot, appointed him as Prince Xiu—the Xiu of flourishing spirit and grace, extolling the Second Prince as an outstanding person nurtured by the spirit of heaven and earth.

It very much had the air of setting a stage of competition against Prince Ling’s Mansion.

The Emperor’s intentions were transparent.

Just as Prince Ling’s Mansion had brought forth two stars of Great Yan, blessings from heaven, the Emperor now claiming the Second Prince as spirit-nurtured by earth and heaven seemed to be guiding both sons toward conflict.

Although Prince Ling’s Mansion and the Second Prince were already in opposition, the Emperor’s explicit desire to appoint a successor between the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince was to incite a fight to the death between them, deepening their discord.

"I never thought the world could harbor such a selfish father; they are his own flesh and blood, yet he seems to relish the thought of his sons mutually destroying each other."

Murong Jiu spoke with slight displeasure, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at Jun Yuyan.

Jun Yuyan brought over some warm water for her to soothe her throat, smiling as he said, "Ah Jiu, why are you looking at me like that? I stopped seeing him as my father a long time ago, so naturally, there is nothing to be sad about."

General Fu said, "The Imperial Family is heartless, but not all fathers are like that."

His tone became somewhat gloomy, perhaps recalling his own Xiao Jiu, who had faced an even more heartless false father in his early years. He could only imagine how cold-hearted it must have been at that time.

Murong Jiu quickly said, "Father, don’t think too much about it. I still have the Prince, and everything is quite good now. I was just reminded of the Emperor’s despicable actions and felt compelled to comment."

"Yes, with Ah Jiu and two well-behaved children, I have been content with my life. Now, my desire to ascend to the throne is not to let Great Yan’s generals be ruined by their hands, not to let Ah Jiu’s efforts go in vain, but also to create the prosperous era that Ah Jiu envisions; that is my goal for the future."

General Fu was extremely comforted and repeated several "good" affirmations.

"Your ambitions are grand; it’s fortunate for Great Yan. In earlier years, although the Emperor also sought pleasure, he was not so foolish. Alas, who knows what kind of bewitching potion Consort Jing has given him."

Murong Jiu and Jun Yuyan exchanged a glance, and seeing Jun Yuyan nod, she then said:

"Father, actually, it may not be that the Emperor has been bewitched by Consort Jing, but rather he has an obsession."

General Fu was curious, "What obsession?"

"Consort Jing resembles the Empress Dowager."

These words stunned General Fu completely; he seemed to be shocked by the deeply offensive nature of the statement.

After a long while, he murmured, "No wonder, no wonder!"

"Father, what do you mean by ’no wonder’? Do you perhaps know something?"

General Fu did not withhold from them, saying, "I suddenly recalled something from my youth. At that time, the Emperor had not ascended the throne, and Lady Zhang, now the Empress Dowager, was still in her chambers. The Emperor used to visit the Zhang family often. Soon after, the Former Emperor took Lady Zhang as his new consort, and then the Emperor was made the Crown Prince. Three years later, the healthy Former Emperor suddenly died, and only the Emperor was with him at the time."

"Are you suggesting that the Former Emperor’s death might have been related to the Emperor?"

General Fu shook his head, "I cannot be certain."

That meant it was very possible.

No wonder the Emperor was so cautious with his sons; perhaps he feared that his own sons might do as he had done and commit patricide.

"The Former Emperor was particularly fond of Lady Zhang at the time. I heard that the position of Crown Prince for the Emperor was secured through Lady Zhang’s efforts. Before she entered the palace, the Emperor and Lady Zhang had a good relationship, perhaps something akin to childhood sweethearts," General Fu said.

This revelation surprised both Jun Yuyan and Murong Jiu.

Seeing how indifferently the Empress Dowager and the Emperor interact now, meeting only a few times a year, one would never guess that they might have been childhood sweethearts or that the Emperor’s position as Crown Prince had been procured by the Empress Dowager!

But that would explain why the Emperor showed favoritism towards Consort Jing and the Third Prince.

Could he be imagining the Third Prince as a son he shared with the Empress Dowager?

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