Chapter 105: The Attack
Fu Chen seemed to be completely unfazed by what people said. He just came and went in a hurry with an even colder expression.
The Feng Department and the Huang Department often have official business that require joint collaboration. Tang Ying sometimes couldn't help but wonder what Fu Chen felt when he heard those rumors and accusations behind his back.
However, the Imperial Cavalry Division is now notorious, and her reputation is not much better than Fu Chen's. Some people even call her a minion of the Eastern Palace behind her back. Before the crown prince's body was even cold, she actually attacked the crown prince's concubines.
After the beginning of spring, it rained for several days in a row in Kyoto. Every day was gloomy and rainy, freezing cold. The prison cells of the Cavalry Department were filled with a rotten, damp and musty smell that lingered for a long time.
After the Crown Prince's funeral, court officials submitted petitions to recommend the successor Crown Prince to the Southern Qi Emperor, who would choose one of the several adult princes of the Southern Qi Emperor. The second prince was the most popular, and the other adult princes were also recommended. Even the fourth prince, who was now working in the Ministry of Justice, had several officials submit petitions, which made the Southern Qi Emperor furious. He ordered several officials who spoke enthusiastically to be dragged out of the court and beaten with sticks. The sound of the stick hitting the human body stimulated many officials in the morning court hall, and they began to secretly guess the Southern Qi Emperor's thoughts.
Ever since the death of the crown prince, the Emperor of Southern Qi seemed to have gone insane. He would kill a group of officials from time to time, and beating them with sticks in court was commonplace. The timid officials who valued their lives began to tremble in fear, hoping only to get through the day safely.
The matter of succession to the crown prince had been taken up several times in a row, and none of the officials who spoke up had been well received. In addition, Yuan Yi was often brought by the Emperor of Southern Qi recently, so the ministers could not help but wonder: Does Your Majesty want to bypass the other princes and make the emperor's grandson the successor to the throne?
Within half a month, the Emperor of Southern Qi announced in the court that Yuan Yi would be the Crown Prince and successor to the throne.
For a moment, the ministers were in an uproar, and some were fearless and risked their lives to make remonstrances, emphasizing the uncertainty of the crown prince's succession to the throne. Even the envoys from the princes who were still staying in the capital were brought out: "...The ruler is young, the country is in doubt, the ministers are not attached, and the people do not trust him. How can you command your majesty's power? Why don't you think twice before you act?" Abandoning the adult princes and insisting on making a young boy the crown prince, doesn't this give the princes and vassal states an opportunity to take advantage of the situation?
But the Emperor of Southern Qi refused to listen to any of this. He overcame all difficulties and insisted on appointing Yuan Yi as the crown prince. He also summoned the heads of the Forbidden Cavalry Sifeng and Huang divisions to come.
Fu Chen and Tang Ying arrived at the imperial study one after another. After greeting him, they saluted to Yuan Yi and said, "Greetings to the Crown Prince!"
Yuan Yishi was just crowned. Compared to his adult uncles, he was still a young boy, but the death of the crown prince left a mark on his face. His face was mature and calm, which was inconsistent with his age. "Mr. Fu and Mr. Tang, please stand up."
The Southern Qi Emperor got straight to the point: "I summoned you two here to give you something." He paused for two seconds before slowly saying, "Since the Crown Prince's health has been deteriorating, I am afraid that he will have to overcome many difficulties after he succeeds to the throne, so I plan to abolish the Imperial Cavalry Department. But now it is not easy to go according to the previous plan. The Crown Prince is still young, and I think the two of you have heard a lot of rebellious words about the Crown Prince's succession to the throne these days."
Fu Chen said: "I will only follow your majesty's orders and will not listen to any other nonsense."
The Southern Qi Emperor looked at Tang Ying and said, "Tang Qing, what do you think?"
Tang Ying thought, Master Fu has already expressed his loyalty, if I express my loyalty again, I will be suspected of flattery and perfunctory. She simply said, "I have always lived among the common people, and I only know that the common old men entrust their family business to their eldest son and grandson. If the common old men are like this, how can Your Majesty do the same?"
Is Your Majesty not as good as the old man who is in charge of the people?
Her words greatly pleased the Southern Qi Emperor, causing him to smile a little: "As expected, Mr. Tang is loyal to the emperor and patriotic!" He stroked his beard and said: "Since both of you think there is no problem with the Crown Prince succeeding the throne, are you willing to be loyal to the Crown Prince from now on?"
Tang Ying dared to guarantee that the Emperor of Southern Qi was forcefully asking her and Fu Chen for a guarantee to be loyal to the Crown Prince, instead of asking in a democratic manner, "Hey, my two relatives, my grandson is smart and capable. Are you willing to assist him to succeed to the throne?" If she refused, she would probably be doomed to death.
Fu Chen was the first to kneel down in the direction of Yuan Yi, and Tang Ying followed closely and also quickly knelt down in front of Yuan Yi, fearing that expressing her position too late would arouse the suspicion of the Emperor of Southern Qi.
The Emperor of Southern Qi quietly watched the two men from the Imperial Cavalry Division pledge their allegiance to Yuan Yi. His face, which had been eroded by time like old tree bark, rarely smiled, revealing a bit of joy.
He was old, with most of his hair on his temples white. Lately, he was not as energetic as before. Sometimes he felt sleepy while reviewing memorials, and there were red ink marks on the memorials left after he fell asleep. After they were sent out, the court officials were terrified, secretly guessing the emperor's intentions, and reflecting on their recent actions, fearing that they would receive an order to confiscate their property.
"Since you are willing to serve the Crown Prince as you serve me, follow him out. I need to take a rest."
The three of them took their leave.
Yuan Yi was in front, Fu Chen and Tang Ying were behind. They exchanged glances quickly and followed the Crown Prince closely.
Compared to the Southern Qi emperor who had been on the throne for decades, the Crown Prince was far less majestic. As soon as he left the imperial study, he invited the two of them: "If you two adults have time, why don't you go to the East Palace for a short visit?"
The two did not object.
What the Emperor of Southern Qi meant was to give them a new master and hand over the Imperial Cavalry Division to the Crown Prince. As new superiors and old employees, they still needed to get to know each other to avoid unnecessary friction when doing their work.
When Yuan Qi was alive, Fu Chen had come to the Eastern Palace many times, but now he felt that there seemed to be fewer palace servants serving him, which implied a desolate feeling.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Master Fu, do you think the East Palace is a lot quieter?"
Fu Chen: "Grandson, you are wise."
The Crown Prince said, "Since Grandfather beat many palace servants to death last time, and the Imperial Cavalry Department detained some of the officials and their families of the Eastern Officials, it has become a little quieter."
Tang Ying didn't understand Yuan Yi, so she didn't respond and just listened quietly to Fu Chen and the Crown Prince chatting.
Fu Chen: "If the Crown Prince feels that there are not enough people, why not ask the palace for more people?"
The Crown Prince smiled bitterly, "The East Palace is now at the center of controversy. It's better to have less trouble than more. Let's forget about it." He took the two of them into the front hall and sat down. A palace servant served tea. He showed a distressed look, "Master Fu, do you know how the uncles are doing recently? Ever since Grandfather insisted on making me the crown prince, I feel that the second uncle is not very happy when I see him. The third uncle doesn't pay much attention to me. But the fourth uncle has comforted me a few times."
What he said was actually quite tactful. The Second Prince had a good reputation and was the most popular person in the court, so it was inevitable that he felt disappointed for not getting the position of crown prince. He was such a good pretender, but he actually showed his unhappiness on his face, which showed how frustrated he was.
