Chapter 284 - You Are Strong Because You Are a Mother

When Song Yixiao was shocked because of the secret revealed by her husband in private, in the side hall of the Palace of Xuanming, Empress Su showed her discontentment to Grand Princess Daiguo because Jian Xubai offered to serve Emperor Xianjia. “His Majesty is in imminent danger now, and even the royal doctors have said that it is uncertain if he can sustain life these days. We are busy taking care of His Majesty. Why did you let Xubai get involved in it at the critical time? Isn’t it to bring up unnecessary ramifications for no reason?”

The empress’ tone was exhausted and her voice was hoarse. She seemed to be ten years older, and she was not as graceful and charming as before.

Emperor Xianjia had been critically ill for only two or three days, but since the empress got the news, she had stayed beside his bed all the time and didn’t ask anybody else to serve him. Till she took care of him and couldn’t sustain herself physically and mentally, she took a short break as people around her tried hard to persuade her.

After she slept for a little while, she got up and went to check on Emperor Xianjia at once, yet she saw that Jian Xubai was taking care of the emperor in advance unexpectedly.

In the beginning, she was surprised. After all, before she fell asleep, she told them that except several people she permitted, anybody was not allowed to get close to Emperor Xianjia even if they came, especially the followers of the crown prince.

Even though Jian Xubai was a son of Emperor Xianjia’s sister, when it came to the fight for the title of heir to the throne, it was not rare to kill the family members. The empress told the people concerned repeatedly that he was not allowed to enter the bedroom.

As a result, after she asked, she knew that Grand Princess Daiguo had permitted him.

After hearing that, the empress was anxious and angry. She found an excuse randomly and told her trusted maid Fangyu to replace Jian Xubai. Then she hurriedly came to question Grand Princess Daiguo.

“Your Majesty, don’t worry. I was worried that the crown princess meddled and trapped the crown prince with the excuse that he was poisoned by accident.” By comparison, although Grand Princess Daiguo also looked haggard, her eyes were shining, and she appeared to be in a good mood. Her lips curled up, and she continued briskly, “Now she thinks herself clever and has sent Xubai here. Won’t it be all right?”

“Are you planning to?” The empress turned pale after hearing that. “Don’t act recklessly.”

Grand Princess Daiguo didn’t think so and glanced at the empress. “Your Majesty, what are you talking about? What time is it now? Don’t tell me that you still consider the kinship as Xubai calls you aunt.”

“Although Xubai calls me aunt, he is not related to me by blood.” Empress Su pinched her brows and expressed tiredly, “Speaking of that, he is your sister’s son. Since you can bear to abandon him, I naturally won’t feel sad for him. I told you not to act recklessly…”

She paused for a moment and then added, “I mean His Majesty.”

Grand Princess Daiguo stared at Empress Su for a long while, as if seeing something rare. Till Empress Su’s face darkened, she chuckled. “Your Majesty, don’t get angry. I never expected that you would say that, so I was astonished.”

She ignored Empress Su’s ghastly pale face and laughed. “After all, you and your parents’ family try every means to support Prince of Zhao in taking the throne since several years ago. And there is a great chance now, but you feel sad for His Majesty. You are really… Nobody else is here. No matter how sincere you are, only I can hear your words.”

“I do hope that Prince of Zhao will take the throne.” Empress Su glared at her coldly and snorted. “After all, he is the legitimate son in the Intermediate Palace. He is superior to Cui’s son in literary talent and will, yet he was born twelve years later, and there was a crown prince then.”

The empress’ eyes were dark and she looked cold. “If Prince of Zhao were not the legitimate son in the Intermediate Palace but just talented, he could be a good prince and assist the crown prince and his son in the future as he is much younger than the crown prince. Or if Prince of Zhao were mediocre even though he is the legitimate son, I would admit destiny as he can’t threaten the crown prince, and I would just lead him to study literature and enjoy romance. It will be wonderful if he enjoys wealth and beauties depending on his identity as a prince in the future.”

Nevertheless, Prince of Zhao was the legitimate son in the Intermediate Palace, and he was of great talent.

“And he is the Su Family’s legitimate grandson.” Empress Su had mixed feelings. “In my parents’ family, there is a gifted scholar Shaoge who is famous in the world even though he is only less than ten years older than my son. So all people said that the Su Family has qualified successors. How can I not worry about him?”

Even though the crown prince was always nice to Prince of Zhao in the past, the empress knew that it was because Emperor Xianjia was partial to the crown prince all the time. Under the emperor’s protection, the crown prince never felt the threat from his younger brothers, so he wouldn’t be hostile to his brothers. And another reason was that Prince of Zhao was still young, and his natural endowments hadn’t fully developed and shown the splendor.

Once Emperor Xianjia passed away and the crown prince took the throne, without his father’s considerate care, the crown prince would soon inherit the characters of the emperors since ancient times, for example, being suspicious.

Even if Prince of Zhao showed his loyalty to him from the bottom of his heart, the crown prince would be alert then.

After all, most of the time, the major factor of being a threat was not ambition but actual strength.

Prince of Zhao had enough strength to threaten the crown prince, so no matter if he was ambitious to fight for the title of heir to the throne, he would become a thorn in the crown prince’s flesh, sooner or later.

It could be imagined that as for the ending of Prince of Zhao, there would be only two possibilities then. He might die for no reason or learn from Dedicated Prince of Yi and be a qualified “Quail” prince.

The problem was that Dedicated Prince of Yi was sensible. No matter how incapable he was, he was the late emperor’s biological son, an official prince, yet he locked himself up in the mansion for twenty years and became a laughingstock on the street, and he was called “Quail”, such a humiliating and sarcastic title. However, in the end, he still died for no reason.

As long as Empress Su thought that her biological son was the most honorable son of Emperor Xianjia but had to live a life in a blue funk in front of the crown prince and might not be able to stay alive in the end, she felt it was unbearable.

Was there a mother who wanted her son to live a life like Dedicated Prince of Yi did in the future?

The empress raised her head and glanced at Grand Princess Daiguo seriously. “So I do hope to select another heir to the throne and let Prince of Zhao become the crown prince, but the love between me and His Majesty is not false as we have been a couple for decades. I have never thought about killing him. If you want to frame the crown prince, I will cooperate with you, yet I will never agree to harm His Majesty.”

Grand Princess Daiguo’s face darkened in an instant. She gazed at the empress for a long while and then sneered. “In the past, I thought that you won your parents’ family over by any means to join the fight for the title of heir to the throne just because of your ambition, but now I finally know that you are strong because you are a mother. However, no matter why you did that, I think that you must approve of two points. First, His Majesty is really partial to the crown prince. As for this matter, both you, his official wife, and me, his only younger sister, can hardly change it.

“Second, because of what we have done to the crown prince before, once he turns the table, you and I will have no chance to stay alive, which is certain. As for Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao, your parents’ family, the Su Family and my husband’s family, the Ji Family…and even the people who work for us these years won’t end well.”

The grand princess laughed coldly. “It’s said that an arrow fitted to the bowstring can’t avoid being discharged, which is our current situation. So you don’t show that you love your husband deeply. After all, if you really think that His Majesty is more important than Prince of Zhao, you shouldn’t have joined the fight for the title of heir to the throne, in case that His Majesty is worried. You have done it, but you say something like this now. Isn’t it pointless?”

Seeing Empress Su’s pale face, she continued with disdain, “Moreover, I didn’t say that I would take actions against His Majesty. As you said just now, even the royal doctors don’t think that His Majesty can go through this. Who knows if we can make use of this opportunity to achieve our goal? However, you think of His Majesty immediately, so I am not sure who really harbors evil intentions.”

“Your Highness, it’s great if you promise not to harm His Majesty.” Empress Su didn’t argue with her. After hearing that, she nodded slightly and got up. “I am going to take care of His Majesty now. If you figure out how to make use of Xubai and frame the crown prince, just send somebody to see me.”

The empress and Grand Princess Daiguo walked out of the side hall one after the other. They tidied up their clothes on the winding corridor and prepared to visit Emperor Xianjia in the bedroom, while they suddenly heard a girl’s sweet and begging voice from the courtyard below them. “Xubai, I know I was wrong. Just let me see Father, okay?”

“It’s not that I don’t allow you to see His Majesty now, but I can’t enter the bedroom, either,” Jian Xubai stated gently. “Or you can ask Virtuous Consort Jiang to help you and get the empress’ permission.”

They fixed their eyes upon the source of voices, to see that Princess Yushan was pestering Jian Xubai. There were not many sons in the royal family, and there were fewer daughters, so the princesses were more precious. Therefore, even though Princess Yushan had irritated the emperor to faint because of Su Shaoge, after she was grounded for several days, she was released and didn’t suffer much.

However, since then, even Virtuous Consort Jiang didn’t allow her to see Emperor Xianjia.

This time, probably Princess Yushan got the message and knew that her father was seriously ill, so she wanted to visit him, yet when Emperor Xianjia was in danger, a daughter with a “criminal record” didn’t have a chance to get close to him.

At the moment, she grabbed Jian Xubai’s sleeve and looked as if she was playing the woman, but her eyes were red and she almost cried in anxiety.

Even though Jian Xubai was willing to help, he was unable to do so, so he had to comfort her in a soft voice patiently.

“Yushan is still so ignorant.” The palace was not like the ordinary structures, and the Palace of Xuanming where Emperor Xianjia lived was served as the place for the inner court, so it was towering and magnificent. The empress and Grand Princess Daiguo stood on the winding corridor, which was several meters higher than the courtyard. They looked down from a height and saw clearly, while Jian Xubai and Princess Yushan didn’t find them and still pulled and pushed each other.

Grand Princess Daiguo watched them for a moment and then stated with a frown, “She knows that His Majesty is ill, yet she is still so rash. Doesn’t Virtuous Consort Jiang discipline her?”

She said that, and it was not just because she thought that Princess Yushan made a scene but because she prepared to plan the big issue of usurping the throne. An ignorant princess suddenly came, and who knew if there would be a new twist?

So she said so and implied that the empress should remind Virtuous Consort Jiang to restrain Princess Yushan and tell her not to go anywhere and disturb others.

However, before the empress responded, Grand Princess Daiguo’s eyes blinked and she suddenly looked at something behind the shadow of the trees. She checked it carefully and then laughed meaningfully. She reached out her hand and pulled Empress Su’s sleeve. “Your Majesty, have a look. Who is over there?”