Chapter 980 The Tide Rises
The sixth day of the first lunar month in the sixteenth year of Guangde.
By this time of year in previous years, the streets should have regained some of their liveliness, but now not only are all businesses in recession, the whole city is filled with a chilling coldness.
After a hasty breakfast, Sun Shaozong walked from the back house to the front yard. He glanced through the door at the imperial guards patrolling back and forth on the street. His brows, which had not been relaxed to begin with, became even more entangled.
It has been nine days since the prince's sudden death, and he has been confined in his own courtyard for a full eight days. But even when he thinks back on it now, he still can't help but sigh at the impermanence of life.
When he came out of the prison that day, he rushed to the Prince's Mansion, went through many twists and turns to get to the garden, and waited for a long time before he saw the Crown Princess arriving late.
However, unlike last time, this time the Crown Princess was unusually cold and indifferent. She looked as if she was keeping everyone at a distance as she sat across the bed in the middle.
Weren’t you quite enthusiastic last time?
At that time, Sun Erlang was still secretly complaining that she was probably used to performing in small theaters and could not handle the "grand theater".
Who would have thought that as soon as the prince next door shouted, the princess put her tongue on her gums and wanted to commit suicide on the spot!
Thanks to Sun Shaozong's quick reaction, he stepped forward and pinched the Crown Princess' cheeks, thus preventing her from dying.
I thought this was surprising enough.
Who knew that just when Sun Shaozong was racking his brains over how to continue this terrible play, there was a sudden uproar next door, and not long after, news came out that the prince had died due to his qi and blood flowing backwards due to 'accidental' elixirs!
Fortunately, Sun Erlang had seen this before and in a panic he tried his best to hide the identity of the Crown Princess and helped her climb over the wall and return to the backyard.
Otherwise, if the affair was discovered on the spot, she would be wrongly accused as the first suspect in the murder of the prince.
Of course, it may not be all injustice.
Because he was under suspicion, Sun Shaozong was ordered to stay at home - mainly because there were too many important officials present, otherwise he would not be under house arrest but imprisoned - and did not participate in the subsequent investigation.
But after thinking about it carefully these past few days , a face became clearer and clearer in his mind, and at the same time, that solemn promise also emerged:
"Erlang may look down on me, but if Erlang needs me in the future, I will sacrifice my life for him!"
How unpredictable this world is!
When they met by chance in Yangzhou seven years ago, who could have imagined that the playboy with only a good appearance would have the courage to assassinate the king seven years later?
Thinking about it again, he did this probably because he didn't want to be humiliated in front of others...
Sun Shaozong was touched, but he couldn't bear it.
Shaking his head to clear his mind of confusion, he looked over the courtyard wall towards the direction of the imperial palace.
Nine days have passed, and no one knows what decision the emperor will make. The sudden death of the prince is certainly a big deal, but for the bedridden Emperor Guangde, confirming a new heir is probably the most urgent task.
…
Imperial city.
The Qianqing Palace, which was always heavily guarded, was now surrounded by a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps, making it completely impenetrable.
In the bedroom located in the center and slightly to the east, Emperor Guangde's hoarse and low cough continued to echo in the hall.
After finally stopping his cough, he tried his best to hold up his huge eye bags and stared at the blood-red color on the silk handkerchief that was hastily covered up by the palace maid. He did not close his eyes until the handkerchief was placed on a tray by the palace maid and carried out of the hall by the young eunuch.
"Royal brother, royal brother!"
At this moment, a burst of surprised and happy calls, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps, rushed to the bedside, wanting to hold Emperor Guangde's hand, but seemed afraid of hurting him, and finally just called out emotionally: "Royal brother, you are finally awake!"
Emperor Guangde slowly opened his eyes again, and looked at Prince Zhongshun carefully for a long while before he said in a hoarse voice, "It turns out to be you, my fourth brother."
"It is my brother!"
Prince Zhongshun was a little scared by his stare, and retreated half a step without leaving a trace. He smiled and said, "My royal brother, after hearing the bad news about the crown prince, you have been unconscious for nine days. I was very worried."
"Is that so?"
Emperor Guangde tried to smile, but suddenly asked inexplicably: "Who else?"
"Who else?"
Prince Zhongshun was slightly startled, and subconsciously looked outside the door, and said suspiciously: "Except for my brother, there is no one else."
"Your fear is not enough."
Emperor Guangde looked out the window, as if he could see through all the obstacles, and said quietly, "There should still be those two old immortals, right?"
Prince Zhongshun was stunned for a moment, but the suspicion on his face gradually disappeared. His originally humble body unconsciously straightened up and he faced Emperor Guangde condescendingly.
After a long while, he raised his hand and waved gently, and all the eunuchs and palace maids in the room retreated silently.
"Royal brother."
Prince Zhongshun smiled and asked, "When did you find out?"
"If you woke up, and the people serving you were strangers, you would also realize something was wrong." Emperor Guangde said, and sighed faintly: "Plus, you are the first one to rush over, what else can I not understand?"
"only……"
Emperor Guangde's half-open eyes flashed with a murky cold light: "You have never participated in government affairs or military affairs. Even if you have the help of that old man, you can temporarily isolate the inside and the outside, but once the news leaks out, aren't you afraid that you and I, who am about to die, will perish together?"
After a pause, he added: "Don't forget that the chief and deputy generals of the three battalions and one guard were either convicted during the reign of the Supreme Emperor or were involved in the case of the Duke of Zhenguo [the Empress Dowager's family]. There is no way they would accept that old man's comeback!"
"If someone raises an army to defend the emperor, do you think the small army around the emperor will be able to resist it?"
"Hahaha……"
Prince Zhongshun suddenly laughed loudly, shaking his head in great pride: "I have to thank my royal brother for this. If you were not so anxious to kill Prince Teng, I am afraid I would not have a way to break the impasse!"
"Wang Ziteng?"
Emperor Guangde frowned and muttered, "Wang Ziteng, Wang Ziteng, related to Wang Ziteng?"
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he blurted out, "Bohai Navy?!"
"As expected, nothing can be hidden from my brother's discerning eyes! Three days ago, 25,000 Bohai Navy troops had already marched south from Liaodong, and will soon arrive in Beijing via Tianjin. By then, they will have the Emperor's appointment and the army's support. In addition, the Crown Prince has died suddenly, and the identity of the Crown Prince is in doubt. Who else can stop me from succeeding my brother and obeying the will of Heaven?!"
Faced with the high-spirited Prince Zhongshun, Emperor Guangde showed indifference for the first time.
After a long while, he sighed and said, "You and I are brothers from the same mother. We have been king and subject for decades without any grudges. Why is it like this?"
"Ha ha……"
Prince Zhongshun laughed again, but his expression was more ferocious than before: "Why is it so? I originally thought that I would never compete with you for the throne in this life, but he is a eunuch, a junior, and only has the title of crown prince, yet he dares to humiliate me in every way..."
"He is your nephew after all. Besides...besides, he is already dead."
"So what?!"
Prince Zhongshun swept his robe sleeves violently, almost hitting Emperor Guangde in the face: "After he dies, won't it be the turn of that little bastard who was found from nowhere to be the crown prince?! Do you still want me to kneel down at the feet of a four-year-old little bastard like a slave and act ugly and obedient?!"
He took a few deep breaths, and only after he gradually calmed down did he casually bow to Emperor Guangde and said, "Brother, you can spend a few days here in peace. I have important matters to attend to, so I will not accompany you for long."
Having said that, he turned and walked out.
"Old Four!"
Emperor Guangde tried his best to turn sideways and said through gritted teeth: "Are you really so heartless?!"
"Heartless?"
Prince Zhongshun turned around and saw Emperor Guangde with blood on his lips and a look of sorrow and pleading. He did not feel any sympathy in his heart, but instead suddenly felt a little pleased. He could not help but joked, "How could I be a heartless person? I have resettled those concubines in Jingren Palace. After my brother passes away, I will remember him with them from time to time. Maybe I can even help you fulfill your long-cherished wish of having many children and grandchildren!"
“You…you…”
Emperor Guangde almost couldn't catch his breath. He gritted his teeth for a long time and suddenly asked, "Is Concubine Xian De also among them?"
"nature!"
Prince Zhongshun said as a matter of course: "She is the most fertile one. How can I bear to leave her alone in the cold palace?"
He bowed again: "Brother Emperor, I will take my leave."
Having said that, he turned around and walked away, but this time he still couldn't walk out of the palace gate smoothly. He was stopped by a panicked eunuch:
"My Lord, My Lord! Something big has happened!"
The young eunuch shouted twice and then whispered in Prince Zhongshun's ear.
After hearing only two sentences, Prince Zhongshun's face changed drastically and he blurted out, "How is this possible? There are clearly heavy troops guarding the place, and it's impossible to escape even with wings!"
The young eunuch whispered again with a bitter look on his face. Before he could finish a few words, Prince Zhongshun pushed him away and ran out, shouting, "Someone, come quickly!"
Inside the palace.
Emperor Guangde pricked up his ears and listened to the chaotic noise outside.
Soon after, a smile gradually broke out on his face. As the smile grew stronger, he could no longer hide his hoarse laughter. Blood foam splattered between his mouth and nose as he laughed, and he refused to stop for even a moment.
