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More and More Intense
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Yu Lingxin thought along his unspoken implications, also frowning, “Is it some words from the inner palace getting passed onto the front court? Li Consort, or the empress?”
Xun Che irresolutely muttered to himself for moment before lowering his voice, “Originally, I was thinking, it’s best to force out Li Consort’s desire to raise a revolt in order to have the Zhu clan and the two princes’ path of retreat thoroughly severed. Looking at it now, afraid it’s not just Li Consort alone that has this idea.”
Yu Lingxin’s eyes couldn’t help but widen and speechlessly stared at Xun Che.
Xun Che slowly nodded, “For Wu Wang and Wei Wang’s matter to reach this step, the two princes naturally have shouted for their innocence. On his Majesty’s side, he most likely has believed most of it. Previously, he has always had that bit of doubt, feeling that even if these two brothers really have something between them, they still wouldn’t go as far as to insist on doing something during the mid-autumn palace banquet. However, the drug the third prince used truly is of high quality, so after getting examined by the imperial physicians, his Majesty’s heart also thoroughly turned to dust. After all, with the former incident of the third prince having an affair with the second prince’s liangyuan in Jingfu Temple as precedent, using a drug to set a trap, regardless of exactly who he originally wanted to scheme against, the final outcome was just being entangled with the second prince under the witness of that many imperial clansmen and noble madams. Aside from losing all face, his Majesty is also very dejected inside.”
Listening to here, Yu Lingxin couldn’t help but also have a bit of contempt, “To raise but not teach, the fault of the father. The various princes’ character and conduct, could it be that his Majesty doesn’t have any responsibility? For things to be like this now……….”
Xun Che, who recently became a father for the first time, helplessly laughed upon hearing, instinctively glancing in the direction of An’er’s room. Shortly after, he went to hold Yu Lingxin’s hand, “His Majesty’s personality, I truly understand too well. The late emperor and late empress were very loving, the imperial harem also clean and peaceful. His Majesty although has seen many conflicts and consorts fighting for favor since childhood, overall, his life has still been smooth sailing, his personality also benevolent and gentle. Between the many affairs of the country, he doesn’t have too much thought to put towards educating the princes. Probably, he had never thought that something like this could even happen. However, for things to reach this step now, his Majesty is also extremely uncomfortable inside. Feeling humiliated was one thing, and on the other hand, there’s also the shame and guilt as the father. If he was the type with a stone cold heart, then it actually would instead be more simple. After heavily punishing the second prince and third prince, he can still carefreely carry on. But, his Majesty isn’t the type that can easily put something down. In these last few days, his Majesty has already lost quite a bit of weight.”
Yu Lingxin couldn’t help but blink, actually somewhat confused, “So, because of this, the empress produced certain thoughts? Or his Majesty made some decision?”
Xun Che at this time has already sat down together with Yu Lingxin in his arms. Despite clearly knowing that currently there was just the two of them here, he still repeatedly deliberated inside before lowering his voice even more, “His Majesty didn’t say, but looking at the meaning of those decrees, and the arrangement of the dates, afraid his Majesty has the intention of retiring early.”
Yu Lingxin blanked, “His Majesty wants to abdicate?”
“Gossip is a fearful thing.” Xun Che once again nodded, “These words are actually similarly applicable towards the imperial family. His Majesty appears as if having wealth and honor, but the mouths of the people are ultimately hard to stuff. Just as you’d said just now, ‘to raise but not teach, the fault of the father’. His Majesty also understands this inside. At least, he understands now. Similarly, it’s not just us that have this thought. Even if everyone all don’t say, his Majesty still understands that everyone is all thinking it. To put it bluntly, his Majesty just wants to hide away in peace. The princes’ ugly scandals, the northwest’s state of affairs, the Chen province’s military affairs, and whatnot, all toss to the crown prince, not wanting to worry and fret over them anymore.”
“Then, what is the empress’s attitude?” Yu Lingxin also sensed the peculiarity of this matter.
A bit of mockery appeared on Xun Che’s thin lips, “For such a major matter to have occurred, her Highness’s phoenix body surprisingly recovered completely. Especially after Li Consort kneeled outside Ganxi Hall for two days and two nights, and got lifted back to Changchun Palace, her Highness the Empress even personally went over to check on Li Consort. Shortly after, she also went to Ganxi Hall, removing her hairpins and humbly apologizing, professing that as the di mother, she wasn’t able to properly administer the inner palace and educate the princes, asking his Majesty to punish. His Majesty naturally didn’t blame the empress, especially when he was particularly unwilling to see Li Consort. When one end shortens, the other end will appear longer, so his Majesty was rather willing to discuss and talk with the empress. Heard that last night, his Majesty had rested in Zhaoyang Hall. And today, in his Majesty’s words, the idea of retiring early has become even more distinct.”
“For the empress to urge his Majesty to retire early, there ultimately needs to be some benefit for her.” Yu Lingxin although already made out the meaning in Xun Che’s words, she still felt a bit uncertain. “If really like this, then won’t the fourth prince further not have any hope? The empress can’t really have thought things through, willing to just be an esteemed idle person, right?”
Xun Che stretched his body, also exercising his neck, the mockery on his lips also even more intense, “Whether or not she has really thought things through, we are unable to know at this time. But, in front of his Majesty, that magnanimous and indifferent towards wealth and honor attitude of the empress’s should be convincing enough. As for whether this is having become enlightened, or just retreating to advance, at the shortest, three to four days, and at the longest, five to six days, we will be able to make out some clues.”
Speaking to here, Xun Che’s gaze actually flickered again, quickly sweeping a glance towards the window before pursing his lips, not saying anything more.
Yu Lingxin’s heart however immediately jumped, and that worry that she hasn’t been able to put down also subsequently got asked out, “Could it be that there might be some unforeseen change that may occur on Qi Ke? Didn’t he already ask his Majesty for a decree, willingly asking to be stripped of his scholarly honors, returning to the countryside to study?”
“Hard to say.” Xun Che this time didn’t gaze in the direction of Xun Ying’s little library again, instead slightly lowering his eyes, seemingly very much hesitating for a moment before continuing, “This was also something that I’d just learned today. That day of the palace banquet, that little eunuch that originally should’ve led Wu Wang to go look for Wei Wang didn’t completely succeed in his task. The amount of the drug used at first wasn’t enough. Afterwards, Wu Wang ‘just happened’ to encounter Qi Ke who’d momentarily left his seat, even getting led the wrong way by Qi Ke, before finally reaching Luhua Hall. That’s why, if this matter were to have more disturbances, afraid……….”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
As Xun Che’s words came out line by line, Yu Lingxin’s heart also sunk along with inch by inch. In other words, in this ugly scandal that caused Wu Wang and Wei Wang to thoroughly be consigned to eternal damnation, the degree in which Qi Ke had participated in it was even deeper than what she’d originally thought.
It was fine if the imperial family, for the sake of covering up the scandal, no longer look into the matter, but if they really were to investigate again, even if Qi Ke can explain that he’d thought that Wu Wang was looking for Wei Wang thus took him, and so on, but for this serious of a matter, if there’s a discrepancy after comparing, then the wooden torture devices in the imperial prison naturally won’t land on Wu Wang’s body.
If it really reaches that step, afraid it will be very difficult to preserve Qi Ke’s life. Then, what will Xun Ying do in the future?
Xun Che reached out to hold Yu Lingxin, “First, don’t worry too much. It may not necessarily reach the most serious step. Even if reaching, I will also have a way.”
Yu Lingxin leaned into his arms along the force, sighing again, “I really can’t bear to see something happen to Qi Ke. Moreover, if Qi Ke really were to meet with mishap, should we tell Ying’er that Qi Ke did all of this for her?”
The usually knowledgable and resourceful Xun-shizi ultimately also has times like this where he’s conflict left and right, unable to respond. As the couple held one another, they practically instinctively turned their gaze towards the west window once again at the same time, both heartaching and also feeling helpless as they gazed in the direction of Xun Ying’s boudoir.
In the following several days, the liveliness and ruckus in the capital sure enough didn’t show any signs of settling down in the slightest. In the court discussions, although everyone all avoided this shocking scandal of the imperial family, with no one daring to mention the princes, but the northwest nevertheless has news getting passed back practically every other day. If not some report coming from the Chen province army, then it was just the officials left by the crown prince in the northwest submitting a memorandum. It appeared as if all some common trivial matters, but the situation revealed from it tensed up by the day, actually not the least bit inferior to the capital’s state of affairs.
This undoubtedly made the originally just very agitated Xuan Emperor even more irritated. But, the northwest’s military and defense have been a hard to resolve complicated problem for many years. The cabinet ministers all had different standpoints, and after the court officials began discussing, they further raised several different opinions.
There were naturally those that agreed with the crown prince, believing that they should continue purging and reorganizing, but there were also quite a few that felt that it wasn’t suitable to act with undue haste at this time, even having quite a few that were relatively neutral mixed in. However, officials that either leaned slightly right or slightly left also existed.
In this kind of big disagreement, to want to make a strategic decision for the northwest’s affairs, it was even more difficult. Even if Xuan Emperor has already selected the Wen’an Marquis, Xun Nanheng, to go sort out the northwest’s military affairs, regarding when to set out, as well as the arrangement of the accompanying personnels, through the decree and power given out from Central Secretariat, exactly to what degree should the northwest be purged and sorted out, and such details still got endlessly disputed over.
Meanwhile, outside of the imperial court, what was spreading all over was naturally still the news related to the inner palace, as well as the womenfolk in the princes’ manor, deriving from Wu Wang and Wei Wang’s affair.
Yu Lingxin can already be considered someone that doesn’t socialize too much, especially since An’er was currently still just two months old. She was completely focused on taking care of her son, so very rarely went out, yet she still constantly heard all kinds of news and rumors.
At the very front was naturally the ones from the palace. For Wu Wang and Wei Wang to have caused such a big scandal, when Xuan Emperor was selecting the fiefs for his two sons, although he didn’t give any explanation, just looking at how one was the most southeast of Great Sheng, and one was the most northwest of Great Sheng, all can tell just how much Xuan Emperor didn’t want to see these two sons again, and at the same time, also unwilling to let the two of them see one another again.
According to the usual practice throughout history, if not having any offense, under the circumstance where it was just the prince having come of age, thus getting bestowed a fief, leaving the palace and leaving the capital, then usually for the sake the prince’s dignity, their birth mother will all get promoted or receive bestowments. It can be considered a kind of consolation for separating the mother and child.
However, currently, on Li Consort, never mind additionally getting conferred, for her to have not gotten punished for not properly educating the children, it was already because of Xuan Emperor remembering old sentiments.
Compared to Li Consort’s side that was mostly within expectations, what was more exciting was naturally still Wu Wang and Wei Wang’s respective consorts and concubines.
One has to know, when the two princes, who were disorderly dressed, with flushed complexions, and marks all over, got lifted out of Luhua Hall, as the main consort, Qi Pei and Wen Ruoqiong were both present at the time.
That’s why, when this matter became the entire capital’s and even entire country’s laughing stock, compared to Li Consort in Changchun Palace, it was still Wu Wang Manor and Wei Wang Manor that were even more tearful and dejected.
The two main consorts pretty much fell ill that very night after coming out from the palace. Wen Ruoqiong truly was too weak. Seeing this kind of shocking matter like a bolt of lightning from the sky, she simply wasn’t able to withstand. And afterwards, when the Zongjing Bureau were investigating Wei Wang, during their search in Wei Wang Manor, shock, anger, embarrassment, and such all overlapped in one place. Wen Ruoqiong repeatedly coughed blood, actually somewhat appearing to not be able to get up again.
As for Qi Pei, the fetus had gotten disturbed. She originally was just four months pregnant. Although still considered stable, but this matter was too serious. No matter who, to suddenly witness one’s own husband like that, all won’t be able to withstand. As soon as she got on the carriage after coming out from the palace, she just saw blood. Although the imperial physician was urgently called for, temporarily preserving, she similarly needed to rest in bed all day, also washing her face with tears.
Yet, at this time, Xuan Emperor’s decree ordered the two princes to respectively take their family and head to their fief, not allowed to return to the capital. Thus, everyone practically all had that moment of misconception, just like as if time had reversed back to that time back then when the imperial selection had just finished. At the time, the challenging problem that all the young ladies had to face was whether or not to marry a prince, becoming one of the many concubines.
And now, the problem in front instead became, whether or not they should continue following their wangye, who may or may not genuinely like women, and get banished to the northwest or southeast, unable to return to the capital for life without a decree.
At this time, the two princes have already gotten sent back to their respective manors to recuperate, also preparing for their respective journey. The awkward tears and injuries on the two brothers, under the imperial physicians diligent treatment, have already more or less healed. Just, their relationship simply was unable to be restored. In fact, even if just asking the attendant by their side, how’s the situation in the other’s manor, even if the attendant reply deferentially, Wu Wang and Wei Wang can still feel enormous injustice, anger, and helplessness, practically hating that they can’t shout to the skies, “I don’t have any thoughts towards my brother!”
However, the attendants nevertheless were also inwardly thinking, “You might not, but the other party might not necessarily……..”
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