Chapter 140 Main Text Completed

Chapter 140 Main Text Completed

Emperor Chengde was escorted to the bed in the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Crown Prince assumed control of the situation.

Officials of the second rank and higher were invited into the Hall of Central Harmony, and several princes were also called over. Additionally, the Crown Prince sent someone to request the presence of the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

The Empress would certainly arrive quickly, but the Empress Dowager resided in the outskirts of the capital and would probably not arrive until around midday at the earliest.

The Hall of Central Harmony was crowded with many people standing at a distance, able to see Emperor Chengde's flushed face from afar. Everyone speculated about the emperor’s condition and looked towards the Crown Prince.

With the Crown Prince in charge, nothing would go wrong in the court.

Kneeling half-way by the bedside was Zhao Jiaze, who watched the Imperial Physician examine the emperor, his concern evident.

The Imperial Physician frowned as he took the emperor's pulse, occasionally parting the emperor's lips to check his tongue coating and then examining his swollen temples.

Finally, the Imperial Physician placed his hand on the emperor’s wrist, his index and middle fingers twitching slightly, he closed his eyes.

Based on the pulse, there were two methods to treat the emperor’s blood stasis. One method was a more aggressive approach to disperse the stasis, which had a higher chance of success but also posed a risk to the emperor. The other method was a slower approach to dissipate the stasis, which would preserve the emperor’s life but likely leave him paralyzed or speechless.

The Imperial Physician opened one eye and glanced at the kneeling Crown Prince. Zhao Jiaze’s reputation was so prominent that the path he would choose was nearly clear.

However, given the gravity of imperial succession, he decided to deliberate further.

The Empress soon arrived with the Crown Princess. Lin Yingxue did not enter the main hall but waited in a side hall.

Lin Yingxue’s palms were slightly cold. She usually liked to hold Hong'er's small hand, but now, although she wanted to touch something to ease her tension, she was reluctant to use her cold, damp hand to touch the child’s hand.

Lin Yingxue wore a string of 108 beads on her wrist, a gift from the Empress Dowager. She turned the beads one by one, thinking about Emperor Chengde in the next room.

Emperor Chengde's body was like wood eaten away by insects, hollow and frail, waiting to wither away. What she hadn't expected was that the incident of the Crown Prince attending court would have such a significant impact on Emperor Chengde.

Like an earthquake, the collapse was sudden and complete.

The reason for Emperor Chengde's fall was ultimately due to the Crown Prince attending court. Would this have any impact on Zhao Jiaze?

Lin Yingxue's heart was uneasy, harboring a deeply disrespectful thought: it would be for the best if the emperor never woke up again.

·

Empress Jian Yunyao entered the main hall and walked to the bedside.

She was the one who had been eagerly pushing for the fall of the hollow wood, though she wasn't in a hurry to bring Emperor Chengde down just yet. She was somewhat surprised when she heard about the court incident today.

Now, seeing the emperor's flushed face and his unconscious state, she thought it wasn't a bad situation.

Jian Yunyao watched as Zhao Jiaze knelt, not wanting her child to kneel before Emperor Chengde.

She patted his shoulder and had the Crown Prince stand aside, then she sat on the low stool next to the bed.

At that moment, the Imperial Physician finished his examination, and the Empress asked, "What is wrong with the emperor?"

"In response to Your Majesty's question, His Majesty's..."

To put it plainly, the Imperial Physician explained that the emperor's body had not been in good shape recently. There were two reasons for his current fainting spell. First, the emperor had been indulging in sensual pleasures and consuming too many tonic foods, causing some blood stasis.

Second, the sudden drop in temperature and the earlier start to today's grand court assembly had accelerated the blood flow, leading to a blockage in the emperor's head.

Everyone listened to the Imperial Physician's words, but no one spoke.

If Concubine Chen were present, she would surely be in tears, simultaneously accusing the Crown Prince clearly, claiming that the Emperor had been angered into fainting by the Crown Prince.

But Concubine Chen was not present, and she knew nothing of what had happened in the court. She didn’t know that the Crown Prince had appeared in the court wearing a blue official robe, nor that her greatest support in the palace had collapsed, nor that her external supporters were now fawning over the Crown Prince.

Not only was Concubine Chen absent, but even Chen Zhong and several of his trusted eunuchs and maids had all been detained.

These people had their mouths stuffed and were bound with ropes. They only knew that the Emperor had collapsed in the court but were unable to pass the message to Concubine Chen. They also didn’t know the Emperor's current condition.

Even the Third Prince, who most wanted to overthrow the Crown Prince, was silent now.

The fact that Zhao Jiaze could appear in the court and none of the civil or military officials had proactively mentioned the Crown Prince to the Emperor showed where the hearts of the court officials lay.

Even if he were to cause a scene now, it would be futile. Zhao Jiaze had played his cards masterfully, and with his swift moves, once he gained the upper hand, his opponent’s decline became evident, with no ability to counter.

Empress Jian Yunyao sighed softly and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and tears fell instantly.

With a slightly nasal voice, she said, "Imperial Physician, do you have any methods to ensure His Majesty wakes up safely?"

"Your humble servant believes that His Majesty's noble body is precious, and it is best to proceed cautiously, first drinking some medicinal decoction to disperse the blood stasis, and applying acupuncture daily to regulate the blood flow."

"You stand by for now," said the Empress. "The Emperor's noble body is the priority. Have the rest of the Imperial Medical Office come and examine the pulse. Let’s combine our expertise to formulate a prescription, and we must not harm His Majesty's sacred body."

The Empress was employing delay tactics. The issue of cerebral blood stasis was serious. The earlier the intervention and treatment, the easier the recovery. But now, each additional minute of delay made it harder for Emperor Chengde to wake up.

The other physicians from the Imperial Medical Office arrived and examined the pulse. They understood the choice made by the Imperial Physician.

A cautious approach was better. A cautious approach would ensure both the Emperor’s and their own safety.

Since that was the case, there was no urgency to finalize the prescription. Since they had already delayed for a while, as long as the medication kept the Emperor alive, they could take their time adjusting the ingredients, adding a bit here and subtracting a bit there to fine-tune the medicine.

Emperor Chengde had already opened his eyes at some point. His gaze was blank and unfocused, and blood was coming out of his ears.

His heartbeat was thunderous, and in the warm room, his blood flow had not slowed down yet. The stagnant blood continued to assault his brain.

A hazy red cloud obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to see or hear anything, with a prolonged buzzing echoing in his ears.

Empress Jian Yunyao first wiped the blood from Emperor Chengde’s ear with a handkerchief and then held his hand. "Your Majesty, the doctors from the Imperial Medical Office are working on the prescription, and the Empress Dowager should be back in about half an hour."

Her voice trembled, as if she were crying, yet at the same time, she seemed to be genuinely smiling as she softly said, "After taking the medicine, you will feel better. I, your mother, will then be at ease."

A fast horse was sent out of the city from the palace. The Empress Dowager, who had been leisurely enjoying a performance, received the news and hurried back.

Before lunch, the Empress Dowager returned to the palace. The prescription from the Imperial Medical Office had just been formulated, and the Empress was feeding medicine to Emperor Chengde.

"Mother."

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."

The court officials remained, and the Empress Dowager walked through the crowd.

As the Empress Dowager looked at her son on the bed, her heart trembled. Has the Emperor aged so much?

On her way back, the Empress Dowager had already considered that the Emperor might not recover this time. She hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and inquired of Jian Yunyao, "Empress, what is the Emperor’s condition?"

Jian Yunyao quickly repeated the Imperial Physician's words, while the Empress Dowager’s gaze then fell on the Crown Prince.

This bright green fifth-rank civil official's robe was indeed eye-catching, and it instantly made the Empress Dowager understand that the Emperor must have been overcome by a surge of qi and blood after seeing the Crown Prince presiding over the court.

"I understand." The Empress Dowager said slowly after the Empress finished speaking, "When I arrived just now, weren't the officials still waiting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with the triennial evaluation not yet complete? Is the Crown Prince also participating in the evaluation today?"

As Zhao Jiaze was mentioned, he stepped forward and bowed his head, saying, "In response to my royal grandmother, your grandson is attending today's court meeting as the Assistant Magistrate of Weilin."

"My Crown Prince." The Empress Dowager smiled, "You are already the Crown Prince, so why do you need to participate in this evaluation?"

The entire Hall of Central Harmony was filled with an eerie silence, where many could only hear their own heartbeats.

What does the Empress Dowager mean? Is she going to reprimand the Crown Prince for his filial impiety? Or perhaps...

In this silence, the Empress Dowager's voice was exceptionally clear.

"In my view, since he is already the Crown Prince, there is no need to evaluate his past three years of service. Instead, he should sit in the upper seat to oversee the evaluations of officials from various regions. The Emperor's health is poor, and even if he recovers, he will need some time to recuperate. Therefore, the Crown Prince should be appointed to supervise the state affairs. The court officials have not left yet, so let's not keep everyone waiting here. The Crown Prince should start supervising the state affairs from today, from this moment."

Fetch my imperial seal.

The Empress Dowager's decree was issued within a quarter of an hour, stamped with the golden seal, and handed to the eunuch.

The Empress Dowager's eunuch arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony and read the decree, and the court officials kneeled and accepted it without any objection.

The Magistrate of Weilin watched the Crown Prince in the gold-red ceremonial robe and couldn't help but feel his heart tremble.

Just moments ago, he was evaluating his subordinate, and now that subordinate had transformed into someone who would sit on the imperial throne. It was clear to everyone that Emperor Chengde's condition was grave. Once the Crown Prince supervised the state affairs, it would inevitably lead to his ascension to the throne.

"Long live the Crown Prince! May he reign for a thousand years, and for thousands of years more!" The court officials, who had initially bowed to the Empress Dowager's decree, were now bowing to the Crown Prince who was supervising the state affairs.

Zhao Jiaze's steps were steady as he ascended the yellow imperial throne amidst the calls of the crowd.