Chapter 129: The Crown Prince Returns to Court (2)

Chapter 129: The Crown Prince Returns to Court (2)

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor commands…" The imperial attendant who had accompanied them was Huang Cai. He had eaten his fill earlier and now read the imperial decree in a strong voice.

His booming voice startled the birds, which flapped their wings and flew away in a flurry.

Everyone in the Wei Lin Prefecture government hall fell to their knees.

The prefect of Wei Lin felt that his subordinates were quite useful and knew that the newly titled zhuangyuan, Fu Jiaze, certainly had a bright future, but he had never imagined that this zhuangyuan’s future would be so vastly different from what he had anticipated.

This zhuangyuan’s future was to become the Crown Prince. It was entirely possible that when the current Emperor passed away, this zhuangyuan would rule the world!

Good heavens, he had actually served as a superior to the Crown Prince for some time!

He lay prostrate on the ground, kneeling in reverence, his heart inevitably filled with excitement.

During Fu Jiaze's, or rather Zhao Jiaze's, tenure as an official, they had enjoyed harmonious relations. The ladies of both families had also been close, and even during the Crown Princess's pregnancy, his wife had provided considerable advice.

If the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would surely be heavily relied upon, wouldn’t he?

The prefect harbored a somewhat disrespectful thought: it would be wonderful if the Crown Prince could ascend the throne sooner.

The thought made his back drench in sweat, and his palms grew moist, feeling dizzy from excitement.

The prefect of Wei Lin felt this way, and the other officials were similarly stirred.

"Your humble servant, Jian He, greets the Crown Prince." After Zhao Jiaze received the imperial decree, Jian He bowed to him.

Led by Jian He, everyone in Wei Lin Prefecture acclaimed Zhao Jiaze as the Crown Prince.

"May the Crown Prince live long and enjoy a thousand years of peace."

Amidst the well-wishes, Jian He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please do not fault me for not mentioning this earlier. This matter is of utmost importance and required reporting to the Emperor and Empress first."

Zhao Jiaze helped the humble official to his feet: "Your actions were most appropriate." After a pause, he added, "We are already related by family. May I call you Uncle, and you may call me Jinyuan."

Even with his status as Crown Prince, Zhao Jiaze still felt that this new identity was somewhat hollow and lacked substance. Calling Jian He "Uncle" felt like he was eagerly trying to cling to the other man.

"Very well," Jian He said, noticing that Zhao Jiaze's ears were slightly red. He smiled and said, "You should indeed call me Uncle. Before coming to Wei Lin Prefecture, I went to bring my parents. They wish to return to the capital with you..."

Jian He led the Crown Prince, now officially renamed Zhao Jiaze, out of Weilin. Once they left, the remaining people gathered before the Prefect.

"Your Excellency, that was really the Crown Prince?"

"Your Excellency, did you know about this beforehand? Good heavens, we only knew the Crown Prince was an excellent official, but never imagined... It feels almost unreal."

"Our Emperor has never even met this Crown Prince. He must have been impressed by his scholarship and governance, which is why he directly appointed him as the Crown Prince, right?"

The Prefect glanced at his subordinates, "With the imperial edict issued, how can it be fake?"

"Not that, but..." The man scratched his head, and someone nearby laughed and explained for him, "It's just hard to believe. Who would have thought that even without this title, the Crown Prince could still excel in scholarship and governance!"

"Yes, and shouldn't he have gone back to the capital first to meet the Emperor before the edict was issued?"

The Prefect understood their concern. This was a prince who had been missing for over a decade, and the current Emperor and Empress had not even seen him once before directly appointing him as the Crown Prince. No ordinary family would act this way.

The Prefect smiled and said, "According to our ancestors' rites, the Crown Prince should come from the Empress's lineage. Whether or not they meet is not important. Perhaps His Majesty is eagerly anticipating having this legitimate son! After all, our Crown Prince is the top scholar, a sign of Great Qi's prosperity and a blessing for us officials!"

Officials in the court naturally knew that the decision to establish the heir was pushed by the Empress, while those far from the center of power harbored some hope for Emperor Chengde.

They believed that it was Emperor Chengde who eagerly decided to appoint Zhao Jiaze as Crown Prince. As a virtuous and enlightened emperor, he was greatly pleased to see that his legitimate son had grown into such a fine young man, and in his joy, he decided to appoint him as the heir.

·

Zhao Jiaze soon met the two elderly members of the Jian family and bowed respectfully.

The two had met Zhao Jiaze before and praised him as a fine young man. Now, knowing there was a familial connection, their eyes welled up with tears, and they felt grateful to heaven for allowing them to see this blessing.

They were already very old, and their deepest regret in life was their daughter, Jian Yunyao. What grieved her most was the death of her legitimate son. Now, seeing that Zhao Jiaze was alive and well, married, with children, and appointed as Crown Prince, they believed that even if they were to pass away immediately, they would do so with contentment.

At home, the two elderly people would talk non-stop, their mouths moving quickly, but upon actually meeting Zhao Jiaze, they fell unusually quiet, each speaking sparingly and hesitantly.

Noticing their discomfort, Jian He took the initiative to suggest visiting the child.

Zhao Jiaze had recently become a father to a precious child, and the conversation about the child gradually eased the tension, focusing on the baby.

By late autumn in Weilin, the room had a fire lit so the child could wear lighter clothes.

The child, just over a month old, couldn’t yet turn over but lay on the bed, kicking and waving his limbs, his big, round eyes gazing at the new faces in the room.

Old Lady Liu felt her heart melting: "I wanted to come over earlier, but I didn’t come for fear of passing my illness to the child, so I stayed away." After finishing her sentence, she looked at Lin Yingxue and quickly added, "Rest assured, my cough has completely gone away and has not returned for half a month now. It definitely won't infect the child."

Lin Yingxue remembered having met Old Lady Liu before. The old lady loved using incense, but this time, obviously for the sake of the child, she hadn't burned any incense at all.

She softly said, "I understand."

She carefully handed the child to Old Lady Liu, while Old Master Jian quickly leaned over to look at the baby. Even Jian He stood by, watching the tiny, limp newborn.

At first, the child's eyes weren't fully open, but after half a month, they grew larger each day. Now, they were round and bright as they looked at the two elderly people.

The child's hands were chubby, and he placed them near his soft, pink lips, revealing pink gums as he smiled at everyone.

What a wonderful child.

Elderly Lady Liu's eyes became teary as she looked at the baby. When Zhao Jiaze was young, she had never held this child. She had only received letters from her daughter, who wrote about giving birth to a son who was very well-behaved and would smile at everyone. Who could have known what would happen next? She had never dared to mention that child, and now, here she was, holding Zhao Jiaze's child.

Elderly Lady Liu turned her head and discreetly glanced at Zhao Jiaze, holding back the tears in her eyes.

Old Master Jian, with his long beard, twirled the tip of his beard and teased the baby.

The baby's eyes followed the tip of the beard, and his round, beady eyes rolled around. No one noticed when the baby’s plump little hand suddenly grabbed Old Master Jian’s beard.

"Ow!" Old Master Jian was surprised by the sudden pull.

Just as someone was about to free the beard, Old Master Jian instead laughed heartily, "This child is clever! He was watching carefully and seized the opportunity to grab the beard. Well done!"

Seeing this, Jian He's eyelid twitched slightly. It was no wonder people say that the elderly revert to childhood. Looking at his father's behavior, Jian He finally understood this saying.

Jian He, who had previously been unwilling to start a family, felt a sudden softening in his heart as he watched his parents doting on the baby. For the first time, he felt that having a wife and child would be nice.

In the end, it was attentive Mrs. Liu who gently rescued her husband’s beard from the baby’s grasp.

"You're just causing trouble. Your beard might hurt the baby’s hand," she said.

Elderly Lady Liu wasn't worried about her husband's beard being pulled out. Instead, she was concerned that the tender hand of the baby might get injured.

Old Master Jian, on the other hand, wrapped a small section of his beard around his hand.

"When I was younger, my beard was hard, but now it’s soft and fluffy. It won't hurt him. Look, he likes it."

No one here had a beard, so the child kept staring at Old Master Jian's beard.

Every now and then, Old Master Jian let out hearty laughter, which echoed clearly through the layers of surrounding walls.

·

The group rested at the Wei Lin residence for half a day and would leave early the next morning.

Zhao Jiaze had been putting on a smile all day, and when they were alone, he swept his wife into his arms.

Lin Yingxue knew there were guards stationed outside the room, so she dared not cry out, but simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nestled into his embrace.

Her hand was held, feeling the fiery warmth of her husband's palm.

"I am overjoyed that the position of Crown Prince has fallen to me," Zhao Jiaze said. Outwardly, he expressed fear, but inwardly, he felt true elation.

He had wanted to become an official from an early age. During the times when he repeatedly failed the civil service examinations, he had considered starting as a petty official. When he finally became a county magistrate and gained experience as an official, he was glad that he hadn’t wasted his time in the prestigious Imperial Academy.

He had lofty ambitions, and now with the backing of Qingfeng, he was lifted to the clouds. After the initial shock, his heart was filled with joy. His birth mother had demonstrated through action that the throne of the Great Qi belonged to him, and she would not allow anyone else to take his place.

With this confidence, what he needed to do was outlast Emperor Chengde and prevent others from scheming against him, so he could sit firmly on this position.

Nestling his head in his wife's chest, Lin Yingxue did not push her husband away but instead held onto him. "I am a bit panicked," she said.

In the Lin residence, she had been a lowly concubine’s daughter for a long time, living cautiously for years. Holding onto Zhao Jiaze was purely for self-preservation.

She didn’t want to be a concubine. Being the wife of a minor official and bearing a legitimate son was already a great joy to her.

However, with her husband now the Crown Prince, she felt uneasy.

Although she had talked with her mother-in-law and was mentally prepared for the possibility that her husband might become Crown Prince, when the imperial decree finally arrived, she felt an unreal, insubstantial sensation, as if everything was a mirage, and if not careful, she would fall from grace.

Zhao Jiaze laughed, holding Lin Yingxue's hand, and said gently, "I will have only one Crown Princess. I will also sit firmly in this position, and our child will have the position he is due. Rest assured, when we return to the capital, I will protect you in every way."