“This is quite good.”
Gao Lingjun tossed the book in his hand aside. “With such a loyal minister, His Majesty will certainly feel at ease.”
“Father,” Young Master Gao said anxiously, “Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is no longer attending court discussions, and that old scoundrel Chen Shao actually went to kneel at the palace gates. This is meant to leave the Empress Dowager with no way out.”
“Even resorting to such actions shows that Chen Shao is truly desperate,” remarked Gao Lingjun.
“So, what should we do now?” pressed Young Master Gao urgently.
That damned Chen Shao, with just a single reference to Yang Jian’s words, had practically backed their Gao family into a corner.
Gao Lingjun smiled.
“Well, that’s easy to handle,” he said, pulling out a memorial and tossing it to Young Master Gao. “Present this to His Majesty on behalf of me.”
What?
Puzzled, Young Master Gao opened the memorial and was immediately struck with astonishment.
“Resignation!”
Upon reading the memorial that was presented to her, the Empress Dowager was greatly alarmed.
“What is the meaning of this? Is it because of that brat Chen Shao’s words that you now intend to abandon us, a widow and an orphan?”
As she spoke, her anger flared again.
“This throne belongs to our Fang family, and it is ours to govern. We will not allow this treacherous minister to dictate terms! He accuses me of manipulating power and endangering the state. If he wants to prove his loyalty, I shall grant him his wish – by having his head cut off!”
“Your Majesty.”
Gao Lingjun bowed with a faint smile.
“What Your Majesty should fulfill is not his loyalty, but the stability of His Majesty’s reign.”
“Chen Shao is right. If Prince Qing ascends the throne, the people will surely ridicule it, and the court will fall into turmoil. To calm the public and steady the court, this action is necessary.”
“Your Majesty, for your sake and for Prince Qing’s, you must take this step. You are not doing this because Chen Shao forced you into it, but for the sake of the Fang dynasty’s legacy.”
The Empress Dowager stared at Gao Lingjun, her eyes welling with murky tears.
“But if you leave, what will become of us? He dares to bully me like this now, and he won’t even allow me to participate in governance,” she said.
“Your Majesty, to take something, one must first give,” replied Gao Lingjun, lifting his head with a slight smile. “Since he demands it, let us grant it to him. As for whether he can hold onto it afterward – that is no longer our concern.”
…
Chen Shao did not kneel for long. One day later, the morning assembly at the Hall of Diligent Governance was convened once again.
After the eunuch finished reading the last line of Gao Lingjun’s resignation letter, the hall fell into complete silence.
“Now, will this suffice?”
The Empress Dowager’s voice sounded from behind the curtain.
“Your Majesty is wise,” Chen Shao replied, utterly unfazed by her resentful tone. He bowed deeply and said, “I, Chen Shao, petition for the establishment of Prince Qing as the Crown Prince.”
Immediately, someone else stepped forward and knelt as well.
“I, your subject, petition Your Majesty the Empress Dowager to enthrone Prince Qing as the Crown Prince.”
More officials came forward one after another.
Listening to the waves of petitions, the Empress Dowager let out a heavy sigh.
“Granted,” she said, finally uttering the word.
As soon as the word left her lips, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall, and a eunuch swiftly entered.
“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”
The Empress?
Everyone in the hall wore expressions of surprise, while the Empress Dowager behind the curtain furrowed her brow.
“How can the Empress enter the hall during court deliberations!” a censor stepped forward and protested.
“When the Emperor is seriously ill, the Empress has not been barred from attending court to deliberate on state affairs,” someone else countered.
Since there was indeed precedent, the censor’s words trailed off in hesitation.
In that moment of uncertainty, the Empress entered. The guards stationed outside the hall had not dared to stop her. Adorned in full ceremonial attire, the Empress ranked third in authority within the palace – or rather, second now, as the one who once held the highest position lay incapacitated, unable to govern.
“Why has the Empress entered the hall without an imperial decree?” the Empress Dowager asked.
The Empress walked directly to the throne. First, she bowed respectfully toward the Empress Dowager, then turned to face the court officials.
“I have heard that you are deliberating on the succession of the Crown Prince. Have you reached a conclusion?” she inquired.
As these words left the Empress’s lips, the expressions of the court officials shifted noticeably.
This question was not merely a request for information on the outcome. If she only wished to know whether a decision had been made, there would be no need for her to enter the hall – she could have simply waited outside for news.
“Empress!” the Empress Dowager rebuked sharply. “The matter of succession has already been decided. You may return to the inner palace to await the imperial edict.”
The Empress remained poised and composed.
“May I ask who has been chosen?” she inquired.
“Naturally, it is Prince Qing,” the Empress Dowager replied, her voice barely concealing her anger.
This woman – before even settling accounts with her, she dares to come out and stir trouble!
“Prince Qing lacks the bearing of a ruler. I do not agree,” the Empress stated.
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court erupted in shock.
As expected, as expected.
The officials present all thought to themselves, momentarily disregarding propriety as they shifted their gazes between the two women in the hall. The Empress Dowager had already pushed aside the curtain and stepped out. On the high platform, the two women, both dressed in full ceremonial attire, faced each other in tense confrontation.
“Empress, what are you saying?” the Empress Dowager shouted angrily.
The Empress remained calm and composed.
“Prince Qing lacks the dignity of a ruler. His mind is incomplete, and he is not a whole person. He cannot become the Crown Prince,” she stated.
The court officials looked surprised, yet at the same time, a sense of understanding dawned on them.
It seemed the rift between the Empress and the Empress Dowager was deep – so deep that the Empress was willing to risk being labeled disloyal and unfilial by opposing Prince Qing’s appointment as Crown Prince.
“Then, what does the Empress have in mind?”
Just as the two women faced off and none of the court officials dared to speak, a voice suddenly rang out.
All eyes immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
It was clear that asking such a question at this moment was no less significant than Chen Shao’s earlier plea to establish the Crown Prince in front of the Empress Dowager.
Who was it?
As their gazes swept across the hall, everyone averted their eyes, except for one tall, imposing man.
Zhang Chun!
It was actually Zhang Chun!
The Empress’s hands, held calmly before her, trembled ever so slightly.
This girl indeed possessed remarkable skill! How had she managed to persuade Zhang Chun? When had she persuaded him? How had she convinced him? Zhang Chun was a great Confucian scholar, a man who held lineage and hierarchy in the highest regard! Yet he had actively agreed to the idea of adoption.
Under the gaze of the entire court, Zhang Chun remained composed, holding his ceremonial tablet as he bowed once more.
“May we ask what the Empress has in mind?” he inquired again.
This question jolted the Empress, who had nearly lost her composure, back to her senses.
“Select an heir from the imperial clan for adoption,” she stated firmly, regaining her poise.
Select an heir from the imperial clan for adoption!
As these words were spoken by the Empress in the court, they exploded like thunder, instantly sparking debates across the capital.
“The Empress said Prince Qing lacks the bearing of a ruler.”
“What does ‘the bearing of a ruler’ mean?”
“It means Prince Qing is ugly.”
“Can someone ugly not become emperor?”
“How foolish! Why is Prince Qing ugly? Because he’s a fool! The Empress is saying a fool cannot be emperor.”
“A fool obviously can’t be emperor! The Empress is right.”
“But he is the Emperor’s own flesh and blood. How can one abandon a biological son and choose an adopted one?”
For a time, public opinion was sharply divided, with arguments flying from all sides.
“What is the situation in the court?”
Old Master Chen inquired.
“The court is in chaos,” the old servant replied.
Old Master Chen frowned.
“Chaos? That is truly unexpected,” he remarked, turning the teacup in his hand thoughtfully. “So, there are actually people who want to appoint an heir from the imperial clan?”
“Yes, who would have thought that Zhang Jiangzhou would agree to the Empress’s proposal?” the old servant said. “Once he stepped forward, others began to hesitate as well.”
Indeed, the key to anything lies in having someone lead the way. As long as one person dares to speak up first, others will inevitably weigh the pros and cons and seize the opportunity. Hadn’t Chen Shao done the same when he stepped forward?
Old Master Chen remained silent in thought.
“What happened next?” he asked.
The old servant gave a bitter smile.
“The Empress Dowager pointed at the Empress and berated her, throwing the court into chaos. The censor had no choice but to suspend the assembly,” he explained.
Matters of the court are not to be taken lightly, nor are they akin to household squabbles. How can it be that, at every turn, curtains are flung aside and insults are hurled?
With an Empress Dowager so prone to unpredictable moods and lacking self-control, and an emperor who may be incapable of governing, one can only imagine what the court will become in the future.
“With the Empress Dowager acting this way, doesn’t it make even more people hesitate?” Old Master Chen shook his head. “The Empress Dowager has lost another point.”
He then asked about Chen Shao.
“Master has not yet returned. Now that the court is in chaos, I’m sure they are all deliberating,” the old servant replied.
Indeed, the court was in disarray. Originally, opinions were split only over who should act as regent behind the curtain. But now, another issue had arisen – whether to appoint the biological son or adopt an heir. This…
“This is bound to stir up endless disputes,” Old Master Chen murmured to himself, frowning in contemplation. “Why would the Empress suddenly raise this matter?”
Logically speaking, since the Emperor has a biological son – even if he is mentally impaired – he is still the Emperor’s flesh and blood. As the Empress, why would she propose adoption?
Where did the Empress find such courage?
The Empress… courage… Zhang Chun…
Lady Cheng… Lady Cheng!
Old Master Chen suddenly straightened in his seat.
Could it be? This concerns the imperial succession, the very throne itself!
How dare she? How could she possibly dare!
…
“Young Master!”
Seeing Qin Hu rush out in a hurry, the maids were startled and called out to him.
But Qin Hu was already far away.
Only she had contact with the Empress. After her departure, the Empress went to court and proposed adopting an heir from the imperial clan.
Although she and Zhang Chun had never interacted, they knew each other. Their families had exchanged maids as a sign of recognition.
Zhang Chun had spoken up for her at critical moments not just once, but repeatedly, stepping forward at the most pivotal moments, turning the tide with a single word.
Influencing the imperial succession, shaping the fate of the throne itself!
How could she!
Qin Hu quickened his pace and dashed out of his home.
Who among the imperial clan was more suitable? The candidate chosen by the Empress, raised in the palace since childhood, rivaling the status of a prince – who could it be?
She was going to marry him!
The imperial successor! The throne itself!
The unresolved enmity with the Empress Dowager…
Why should she, who had committed no fault, be forced to retreat and yield?
She wouldn’t retreat. She wouldn’t yield. And if she didn’t yield, what else could she do?
If she wouldn’t retreat, then she would face it head-on, overcome it…
It was her… This was her…
No!
Qin Hu suddenly stopped in his tracks. It couldn’t be her. How could he suspect her again? How could he think of her in such a way?
He wanted to think things through and sort them out in his mind. Qin Hu reached out and gently stroked the low table in front of him.
Everything had been going smoothly. Chen Shao had proposed appointing Prince Qing as Crown Prince while simultaneously urging the expulsion of the Gao family and opposing the Empress Dowager’s regency.
The position of Crown Prince was secured, the imperial lineage preserved, and a balance of power maintained in the court, preventing any single faction from monopolizing authority.
For the Great Zhou dynasty, which had suddenly faced the tragedy of Prince Ping’s death and the Emperor’s serious illness, this was a fortunate, albeit imperfect, arrangement.
But now, with the Empress suddenly proposing adoption, everything was thrown into disarray.
Adoption, adoption – how bold of the Empress to even consider it!
A sharp slap on the table startled the stall owner, who was pouring tea for other customers. He glanced over nervously, then quickly gestured for everyone to look away and mind their own business.
Qin Hu let out a heavy sigh, his hand resting on the crude, worn table, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
The Emperor had a biological son, yet they insisted on adopting an heir. Why would she do such a thing? What was she afraid of? Wasn’t it simply fear of the Empress Dowager?
For the sake of strife within the inner palace, she would dare disrupt the imperial succession!
Adoption from the imperial clan.
Qin Hu let out a cold laugh.
This adopted heir from the imperial clan – could it be the one raised in the palace like a prince, who had grown into a shrewd and capable man, Duke Jin’an?
Compared to Prince Qing, this Duke Jin’an, standing at over seven feet tall, with a dignified appearance and noble bearing, was surely the one who truly possessed “the bearing of a ruler,” wasn’t he?
Duke Jin’an… So, his persistent presence in the capital, lingering near the palace all this time, was all for this day.
