Chapter 286 - A Fierce Controversy at the Imperial Court

Hearing that, Beautiful Lady Nuan was surprised secretly. After pondering for a moment, she stated, “What can we do for the crown prince? Don’t forget that his biological mother was once a noble consort, and she is still a consort now. It’s said that he has Gu Shao, a famous official, as his assistant at the imperial court. Even in the Palace of Xuanming, Xu…Duke of Yan personally obtains information for him now.”

By comparison, she was only a beautiful lady. What power did she have?

“But all people know that Duke of Yan is a follower of His Highness.” Qinye didn’t think so and reminded, “Have you forgotten what we heard about? When Duke of Yan arrived, the empress happened to be sleeping. As soon as she got up and knew it, she found a reason and told him to go out. She would rather let her maid Fangyu keep an eye on His Majesty. It can be seen that although Her Majesty can’t say directly that Duke of Yan is not allowed to serve His Majesty because he is His Majesty’s nephew and grew up in the imperial palace, she is alert to the duke and prevents him from getting close to His Majesty. So just wait and see. Even if Duke of Yan insists on staying here all day, it may be useless. Perhaps he will be harmed by Her Majesty and Grand Princess Daiguo.”

She narrowed her eyes. “However, Beautiful Lady, you are different. Anyway, now all people still think that you are Her Majesty’s follower.”

“So what even if I am Her Majesty’s follower?” However, Beautiful Lady Nuan shook her head slightly and added calmly, “Don’t forget that since His Majesty sank into a coma, I have never served him. All people know that I am Her Majesty’s follower, but it doesn’t mean that she will trust me. Moreover, you have said that she must have evil intentions as she intentionally keeps me here. Under the situation, not to mention that we can’t have enough sincerity to win His Highness’ trust, even if we can obtain some important information, do you think we can send it to him?”

After all, the empress had lived in the Intermediate Palace for a long time. It was difficult to keep anything in the imperial harem system from her.

Even if Empress Su might not doubt that Beautiful Lady Nuan had other intentions, since Beautiful Lady Nuan was not permitted to leave the Palace of Xuanming, many people would keep an eye on her for the empress as long as she ordered.

So it would be fine if Beautiful Lady Nuan did nothing. If she did something improper, she might even have no qualification to be put under house arrest. To say something unpleasant to hear, she was a princess from another country which had been destroyed, so she was repelled by the people in Great Rui innately. If Empress Su wanted to deal with her in the past, she had to consider that even though Emperor Xianjia didn’t favor Beautiful Lady Nuan, he liked her to accompany him anyway. However, as all people paid attention to Emperor Xianjia’s illness and the fight for the title of heir to the throne, who would bother to care about a beautiful lady’s life or death?

If Beautiful Lady Nuan irritated the empress now, who knew what would happen to her?

Qinye thought that it was right. She felt disappointed and murmured, “We can do nothing but resign ourselves to our fate?”

“Otherwise, what can we do?” Beautiful Lady Nuan sighed yet didn’t look scared. She just turned to the north. “Compared with my parents and siblings, I have lived two years more. It is a pity that as an imperial concubine in Great Rui, I must not be able to be buried in Wuhuan after I die.”

When she was speaking, her face darkened obviously.

The autumn wind blew past the courtyard, and it was dreary and cold.

The same wind rushed into the hall of the imperial court, and it was killing and piercingly cold.

“His Majesty is in poor health all the time, but these years, the doctors in the Imperial Academy of Medicine take good care of him and he has recovered a little. When he was on Cuihua Mountain two or three months ago, he even wore casual clothes and visited the crown prince in person with only a few attendants. Since he returned to the imperial capital, there was no news that his health worsened. How is it possible that his illness gets more serious?”

He Wenqiong looked around with the notebook in his hand and bristled with anger. He roared like thunder, “What’s more suspicious is that on the day when His Majesty’s condition worsened, His Highness was poisoned in the Eastern Palace and still can’t get up now. He can’t even go to visit His Majesty in the Palace of Xuanming. Something bad happened to the emperor and the heir to the throne on the same day. How can it be so coincident? Why not investigate it thoroughly?”

As soon as He Wenqiong finished his words, Huo Dan sneered. “Minister He, you want to investigate it thoroughly. How do you plan to investigate it? Now all people know that His Majesty’s condition worsened, and almost all the doctors from the Imperial Academy of Medicine go to the Palace of Xuanming to treat him. The empress personally leads the imperial concubines, princes and princesses to serve His Majesty. Under the situation, Minister He, do you plan to search the Palace of Xuanming? Do you want to investigate it thoroughly or disturb His Majesty to add insult to injury?”

He continued meaningfully, “After all, His Highness is the heir to the throne.”

The hidden meaning was that He Wenqiong intended to disturb Emperor Xianjia so that his master, the crown prince could take the throne as soon as possible.

He Wenqiong got furious after hearing that. “The Palace of Xuanming is His Majesty’s residence and served as the place for the inner court. What kind of place is it? As officials, if we can enter the inner court to discuss with His Majesty, we will be lucky enough. How can you have the nerve to say the words ‘search it’? Minister Huo, anyway, you are one of the successful candidates after taking the imperial examination, and you are the head of the Ministry of Works, yet you said something so absurd unexpectedly. You are so unreasonable.”

“Minister He, since you don’t have the intention to cross the line, do you mean that you plan to start with the case that His Highness was poisoned?” Huo Dan didn’t get angry after hearing that but echoed, “I think this suggestion makes sense. His Majesty became seriously ill, which might have happened all of a sudden, while His Highness was poisoned in the Eastern Palace unexpectedly where he has lived for about ten years, and it’s said that he fainted in front of Duke of Yan after being poisoned. Because Duke of Yan knows some medical skills and saved him in time, the tragedy didn’t happen… We have never heard such news since ancient times. And it can’t be indulged. We must investigate it seriously and can’t forgive the murderer.”

He purposely stressed the words “lived for about ten years” and “have never heard”. Obviously, he doubted that the people in the Eastern Palace did that themselves but claimed to be victims. Although he guessed right, the crown prince’s followers naturally refused to show any traces. They rebuked one after another, “What? Minister Huo, do you plan to search the Eastern Palace?”

“Not to mention that the status of the heir to the throne is honorable, His Highness is also laid up now and needs to rest quietly. As an official, you want to disturb him. What’s your intention?”

“Minister He just demanded to investigate it thoroughly, yet Minister Huo said that we should search. Both His Majesty and His Highness are honorable. How can we subordinates disturb them in their residences?”

“Minister Huo, as you said that, do you know the rules that the officials are subject to the emperor and that there are social strata?”

“You are just treacherous.”

Huo Dan snorted and gave tit for tat. “Firstly, I have never said that we should search the Eastern Palace. Why did you accuse me of this crime forcefully, everybody? Secondly, you make a lot of complaints. Don’t you want to investigate who poisoned His Highness? Is it not good? After all, all of you are His Highness’ assistants. Now that he has suffered from injustice, how can you stand by and do nothing? Or is there inside information about His Highness’ being poisoned that can’t be revealed to outsiders?”

“Minister He just mentioned that His Majesty became seriously ill, while Minister Huo, you kept bothering about the Eastern Palace but just talked about His Majesty by the way. The people who don’t know may think that you are loyal to His Highness. In front of all the officials at the imperial court, you don’t even care about His Majesty?” Huo Dan seemed to expose his original intention in the end in his words, so the crown prince’s followers certainly wouldn’t surrender. Jin Suke stepped forward and expressed emotionlessly, “I don’t know if you plan to hide the situation in the Palace of Xuanming as you try every means to make us pay attention to the Eastern Palace. For example, His Highness can’t serve His Majesty as he was poisoned, which is understandable, yet his brother Prince of Liang is also kept out of the Palace of Xuanming by Her Majesty!”

Huo Dan didn’t fear He Wenqiong but seemed afraid of Jin Suke. As he looked at Jin Suke, Huo Dan’s face fell. “Her Majesty is His Majesty’s official wife. It’s said that a couple is united into a whole. How would she not consider for His Majesty wholeheartedly? Minister Jin, you just mentioned that Her Majesty didn’t allow Prince of Liang to enter the Palace of Xuanming. Why didn’t you say that the biological mother of His Highness and Prince of Liang, Consort Cui was ill on the day before His Majesty’s health worsened? Both the princes visited their mother next day. How would Prince of Liang not be infected?”

He sneered. “In this case, Her Majesty told Prince of Liang to return to serve Consort Cui in the Xifu Palace attentively in case that His Majesty was infected. Isn’t it natural?”

Then he added, “Moreover, His Highness’ brother can’t enter the Palace of Xuanming, yet his cousin Duke of Yan is taking care of His Majesty, right? Even though that’s not His Majesty’s son but nephew, Her Majesty still allows him to serve and show respect to an elder. It can be seen that Her Majesty is magnanimous, kind and considerate.”

In fact, it was also the reason that the crown princess asked Jian Xubai to serve Emperor Xianjia in the Palace of Xuanming as soon as she got the news that the emperor was critically ill, and she didn’t ask Prince of Liang. It was not that the crown princess couldn’t bear to see her brother-in-law being harmed, but Consort Cui fell ill at a wrong time. Prince of Liang had visited his mother that day, so it was impossible for him to get close to Emperor Xianjia.

“Since Her Majesty is so magnanimous, kind and considerate, shouldn’t she consider that the officials like us worry about His Majesty’s health and can’t fall asleep at night?” The crown princess knew that Consort Cui was ill, so Jin Suke certainly knew that, too. As they mentioned it, he would certainly continue with this subject. He took the opportunity to question, “Why does she still refuse our requests to visit His Majesty? Now all people at the imperial court and the commonalty know that both His Majesty and His Highness are laid up. The common people in the imperial capital are restless. At this time, Her Majesty is in charge of everything in the Palace and Xuanming but intends to be completely cut off from the outside world, so even the high officials at the imperial court don’t know anything about His Majesty’s illness. How would it not arouse suspicion? Then there are all kinds of conjectures related to the stability of the country.”

He stroked his long beard and looked at Qiu Shuxia even though he talked to Huo Dan. “Although Her Majesty is always virtuous and doesn’t get involved in politics, she is a daughter of the Su Family in Qingzhou, an influential family in the world, and she has stayed in the Intermediate Palace for twenty-one years. She should know such a simple reason, right?”

“Minister Jin, you are wrong.” Hearing that, Qiu Shuxia snorted and stepped forward, saying in a cold voice, “Her Majesty and His Majesty love each other deeply. Since she heard that His Majesty’s condition worsened, Her Majesty rushed to the Palace of Xuanming to serve him even before she put on the empress’ uniform. She does everything personally when she takes care of His Majesty and doesn’t order the servants to do it for her. She stayed beside His Majesty’s bed for one day and night. Later, she really couldn’t stand it, so she had a short break as all people around her tried hard to persuade her.”

He shouted angrily, “All people in the Palace of Xuanming have seen that. It’s said that when you care about somebody, you may make careless mistakes. Her Majesty neglects contacting us because she takes care of His Majesty wholeheartedly, and it is human nature. Minister Jin, you indicated that Her Majesty doesn’t deserve her title of the empress. Have you forgotten that she is not only the motherly model of the nation but also His Majesty’s official wife?”

Qiu Shuxia looked around the hall and stated proudly, “Our forefathers always said that you are paid by the emperor, so you should do everything for him. The emperor and empress are compatible, which is good omen. What’s more, the first emperor stipulated that the women in the imperial harem system can’t get involved in politics. The common people are restless, yet what does it have to do with Her Majesty? Isn’t it our obligation? Minister Jin, you put the blame on Her Majesty. This is too absurd. Is it the imperial harem system’s duty to console common people and steady the country? Or as the head of the six ministries, can’t you even cope with the gossips? If so, you should resign earlier. Don’t occupy a job position without doing a stroke of work just to harm the country and people!”

He cursed mercilessly, and even though Jin Suke was shrewd, he couldn’t help but show an angry expression on his face evidently.

Before Jin Suke found words to fight back, Gu Shao who put his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes in silence all the time suddenly opened his eyes and stated gently, “Minister Qiu, you said that because you consider for the empress, while you don’t respect the Empress Dowager. When the late emperor was dying that year, although the Empress Dowager was worried, she didn’t panic but maintained the demeanor as the mother of the nation. As you said, didn’t the Empress Dowager care about the late emperor enough?”

The noisy hall quieted down at once. Qiu Shuxia who always irritated others to death turned pale and red. His face was terrible-looking.

Even though the Empress Dowager was the late emperor’s official wife, when he was dying, she really didn’t care about his life or death. After all, she finally helped her only son gain the title of heir to the throne. How would she not be afraid that undue delay might bring trouble?

To say something unpleasant to hear, when the late emperor was dying, perhaps the Empress Dowager couldn’t be happier. Of course, it was impossible for her to forget to inform the imperial court because she was too worried. She almost fixed her eyes on the imperial court, for fear that Emperor Xianjia couldn’t take the throne successfully.

However, no matter how badly-behaved Qiu Shuxia was, how would he denounce his paternal aunt openly?