marquis of jingan

Chapter 1432 Establishing a Crown Prince

Chapter 1432 Establishing a Crown Prince

Upon hearing what Empress Dowager Sun said, Emperor Hongde and Shen Yi frowned almost at the same time.

At this moment, the two of them had the same thoughts in their minds.

That is, Empress Dowager Sun suddenly fell ill, what on earth...

Is it true or false?

His Majesty the Emperor looked back at Shen Yi standing behind him, then looked at the chief eunuch Xiao Huai, and said softly: "Let the imperial physician come in to see me."

There are two possibilities for this matter. One is that the Empress Dowager used the excuse of her illness to force the Emperor to appoint a crown prince.

The second possibility is that the Queen Mother is really going to die, and wants to see the country settle down and the Sun family's status as in-laws continue before she dies.

But no matter what, she had only one goal, which was to let the emperor appoint the third son Li Rong as the crown prince of the Eastern Palace.

Several imperial doctors came in tremblingly, knelt down in front of the emperor, and kowtowed, "Your Majesty."

The emperor did not speak, but took them to the outer room, frowned and asked: "How is the Queen Mother's health now?"

The imperial hospital's attendant bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, we have taken your pulse several times and it is extremely weak... I am afraid you will die within a day or two."

His Majesty the Emperor took a deep breath and said, "You are the ones who said this."

He glanced at the imperial doctors and said in a cold voice: "If anyone dares to deceive me, beware of your whole family!"

After saying this, the emperor once again walked into the Empress Dowager's bedroom. He sat silently beside the bed, looking at the Empress Dowager, whose face was pale but whose eyes were filled with hope. He was silent for a long time before he held his mother's hand, tears streaming down his face.

"Mother..."

The emperor burst into tears and said, "Your health is like this now. Let's talk about everything after you recover. When you recover, your son will obey you in everything."

Empress Dowager Sun closed her eyes and shed tears: "Emperor, I know you can't make up your mind. I don't ask you to establish a legitimate son..."

"But...but at least you have to appoint a crown prince. When I reach the underworld, I will see your father..."

"I can give him an explanation, too."

"Anyway..."

Empress Dowager Sun said in a weak voice: "At least, the imperial lineage of Dachen has continued..."

His Majesty the Emperor was shocked when he saw his mother's appearance. The Emperor, who had always been wise and mighty, was at a loss for a moment.

Queen Mother Sun looked at Shen Yi standing behind her and waved to him: "Qilang... come forward..."

Hearing such an intimate address, Mr. Shen felt uncomfortable all over. After all, he and the Empress Dowager did not have much friendship, and there were conflicts between them in their early years.

But at this point, Shen Yi could only step forward, squat beside the Queen Mother's bed, and bowed his head and said, "My Queen, you should rest and recuperate. You are still young and can recover."

"Don't overthink it."

"Life span is limited, and I have seen the end of my life."

She seemed to be more energetic, and looked at Shen Yi and said, "Qilang is the great benefactor of my Li family. This matter involves the foundation of the country. Others cannot speak, but Qilang can."

"At this time, Qilang you..."

"You should talk."

Master Shen turned his head to look at the emperor and said, "I will follow your Majesty's orders."

Empress Dowager Sun then looked at her son. She held Emperor Hongde's hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Emperor, you can make up your mind to fight the Northern Expedition. Is it so difficult to establish a crown prince..."

Emperor Hong De could no longer bear it, and held his mother's hand, crying.

"Mother, I can make up my mind, I am willing..."

"I am willing to establish a crown prince."

Having said this, the emperor turned around and glanced at Empress Sun who was also serving beside him. His eyes, filled with tears, seemed to be filled with a hint of anger.

"Appoint the third son Li Rong as the crown prince..."

Empress Sun was frightened by the emperor's look. She knelt down in front of her aunt's bed and cried, "Mother, please take care of yourself. I don't think we should be too hasty in appointing a crown prince..."

Empress Dowager Sun reached out, touched Empress Sun's head, and a smile appeared on her face.

Then she seemed to have no more worries. She lay calmly on the bed, looking at the curtains, and slowly closed her eyes.

His Majesty the Emperor was extremely anxious and shouted, "Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician!"

Several imperial doctors rushed forward to give the Empress Dowager acupuncture and forced her to breathe again.

However, at this time, medicine is useless and one can only rely on acupuncture to prolong his life.

In this way, from morning till late night, the Empress Dowager finally closed her eyes and never opened them again.

That night, the Empress Dowager passed away in Kunde Palace at the age of fifty-seven.

His Majesty the Emperor knelt beside his mother and cried bitterly.

The bells rang in the palace, and the eunuchs and palace maids knelt in the palace, crying.

Civil and military officials gathered in the palace, everyone dressed in plain clothes, to mourn for the Empress Dowager.

At the gate of Kunde Palace, all the officials knelt on the ground in an orderly manner, even Lord Shen knelt at the gate of the palace.

Although he no longer had to kneel before the Emperor, the boss's wife had passed away, which was almost like the death of an elder, so he had to kneel anyway.

When Mr. Shen was closing his eyes, he felt someone touching his sleeve. He opened his eyes, looked back, and saw that the Minister of Revenue Zhang Jian had come to his left at some point.

Minister Zhang, who had always been upright and generous, seemed a little sneaky at this moment. He looked around, then lowered his voice and asked, "Ziheng, I heard that His Majesty has decided to appoint a crown prince..."

Shen Yi was silent for a while, then he looked up at Kunde Palace and said, "It's said, but it's still unknown whether it counts or not."

Zhang Shangshu took a deep breath and whispered, "Who is it?"

Shen Yi shook his head: "If I don't tell you, you can probably guess it. If His Majesty doesn't tell you at this time, I can't tell you."

"I heard some rumors."

Zhang Shangshu said slowly: "It's the third prince..."

"Don't be impatient, brother."

Mr. Shen said slowly: "Your Majesty is still young, the crown prince has been decided..."

“It’s just been decided now.”

Shen Yi was present at the scene where Emperor Hongde was forced by his mother to appoint a crown prince. When the emperor turned around and looked at Empress Sun, Shen Yi clearly felt the emperor's anger.

He was not only angry that the Sun family forced him to appoint a crown prince.

I'm afraid... he was already doubting in his heart whether his mother died of natural causes.

Even if Empress Dowager Sun was willing, her son would never be able to accept it.

Therefore, even if the crown prince has been decided, there may still be some right and wrong in the future.

…………

After spending almost a day and a night in the palace, Shen Yi was finally able to return to his home the next morning.

It was also on this day that the Emperor announced a ten-day suspension of court to keep vigil for the Empress Dowager.

There was a national mourning in the court, and Shen Heng, as the Minister of Rites and in charge of rituals, naturally had no time to rest. For several days, Shen Heng hardly went home, running between the court and the palace to deal with the national mourning of the Empress Dowager.

It was also because of this sudden incident that the plan to move the capital that was being discussed in the court that day was temporarily shelved.

On the third day after the death of the Empress Dowager, Mr. Shen, who was resting at home, was summoned to the palace again. Still in the Ganlu Palace, he met the Emperor who looked tired.

After just a few days of not seeing him, Emperor Hongde seemed to have aged several years, and the number of white hairs on his head seemed to have increased.

Shen Yi stepped forward silently, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I mourn for you."

The emperor put down the brush in his hand, looked up at Shen Yi, and after being stunned for a moment, he sighed silently: "Sit down."

Master Shen sat down as he was told and looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, you look too tired. You should pay more attention to rest and take care of your health."

"I'm fine."

"I came to you to ask about the prince."

"Your Majesty is right. No other minister in the court can speak on this matter, but you, Shen Qing, can."

Shen Yi was mentally prepared.

He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is yours to decide, and I cannot say anything. But since Your Majesty has agreed to the Queen Mother's request, then..."

"You have no joke."

Emperor Hong De was not surprised by Shen Yi's answer. He fell silent again and sighed.

"I originally wanted them to do something for the court in the next two years."

"I'll take a closer look."

(End of this chapter)