inspire-indiana Chapter 247 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (147)
Chapter 247 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (147)
The An family had considered getting closer to the Crown Prince, but they couldn't do it on their own. Given their awkward status, if they took the initiative to approach him, they might offend the Emperor and suffer the consequences.
They were able to survive back then because their patriarch was still alive. The patriarch had made great military achievements throughout his life, and many military generals had once been his subordinates. If the emperor had dealt with the An family and prevented the patriarch from enjoying his old age in peace, these military generals might have been dissatisfied.
Furthermore, the Emperor was far too harsh on the Empress, almost to the point of unjustly deposing her. It was clear that the Empress's innocence had been proven, but the Emperor persisted in his own way, all for the sake of a concubine...
Throughout history, emperors have been able to be romantics and dote on one woman, but they could not do anything improper because of her, especially if it affected the stability and stability of the previous dynasty. That would be going too far.
For various reasons, the An family remained completely untouched. Moreover, because the Empress had requested to go to a mountain temple to pray for blessings, the Emperor was even less likely to make any moves against the An family.
After the old master and old lady passed away one after another, the younger generation in the family... were not very successful. Among them, let alone Zhang Zhanchang, they couldn't even endure the slightest hardship.
At that time, Master An was still hoping to use the connections of the old master's former subordinates to send his youngest son into the army. No matter what, he wanted to get a degree so that he could bring honor to the family in the future.
But Young Master An himself was unwilling. He was furious when he heard that he might have to go with the army to the border, a place he had never even considered, and that he would have to fight a war.
He cried and made a scene, refusing to go no matter how much Master An pleaded with him. He didn't care about fame or future prospects; he just wanted to live a good life under his parents' protection and didn't want to suffer at all.
When Chen saw him like this, she also wiped away her tears. She heard her son say that if he died on the battlefield, he would never be able to return to his mother's side in this lifetime.
She was constantly worried and in tears: "Fame and fortune, benefits and advantages... all you think about all day is these things. What if our son... really doesn't come back!"
“Even if the An family doesn’t rely on him, they can’t fall! Why should my son pay for the sins committed by your ill-tempered sister?” she shouted at Master An without thinking.
"Nonsense! Shut up!" Master An was furious at the commotion caused by the mother and son. He had already wasted a lot of time trying to find connections, and if he didn't use them this time, he might not have another chance.
Everyone understands the saying "when people leave, the tea cools." Now they can still rely on the old master's legacy, but who will even know who the An family is in the future? They are simply ungrateful and have wasted all his hard work.
"You...you are just spoiled children because of your doting mother!" Master An pointed at Madam Chen, whose face was covered in tears, but in the end he could only give up.
After that, there was indeed no other chance for Anjia to recover.
Until His Highness the Crown Prince grew up.
Everyone knows that His Highness the Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent and deeply favored by the Emperor. Despite his young age, he is proficient in both literary and military arts and is able to attend court and participate in government affairs.
An Jia's heart warmed up again. His Highness the Crown Prince had half of their blood in him!
But they dared not take the initiative to contact each other, still harboring a hope: although the sister did not like this son, they were still blood relatives after all.
Currently in the capital, only the An family can be considered the Crown Prince's maternal family. Which prince doesn't have a maternal family? And which prince wouldn't promote his maternal family?
Now that the Crown Prince is getting older, he will take the initiative to contact the An family.
They waited and waited... for several years, but the Crown Prince did not take any action.
In previous years, the Crown Prince's situation was not so good. Other princes of similar age all had their own mothers and maternal families who were helping them.
But the Crown Prince did not. He stood firm on his own. From the very beginning, when he attended court, the officials only felt that he was favored by the Emperor. When they saw him, they still thought of the Empress.
Now, the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince. When people see him, they see him as a person, not anything else.
Master An was even more upset. He had been waiting for the Crown Prince to take the initiative to get closer to them, but now it seemed that the Crown Prince had no intention of recognizing and getting close to his maternal family at all.
Then he began to regret why he hadn't taken the initiative to approach him back then... After all, offering help in times of need is always better than adding to someone's success. Even if he couldn't do much, being by the young prince's side during his difficult time might have brought him good fortune in the future.
It's better than being complete strangers, isn't it?
He began to regret it secretly again.
Back when the old man was still alive, he said that his son was indecisive and fickle, lacking courage and responsibility in everything he did, and always loved to be wise after the event.
Just being able to live a peaceful life in the capital is enough; don't even think about making a name for yourself!
The old man was decisive and ruthless throughout his life, and he never liked this son much, so he didn't train him to be a military general.
"The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. Every change, every moment of hesitation, is paid for with lives. With your temperament, even if you gain experience, it won't be of any use. So don't go to the army and cause trouble!" The old man spoke in a very blunt and unceremonious manner, without regard for Master An's feelings.
But after all, he was his own son. Before he passed away, the old man still told him, "Don't expect... expect anything else. It's better for you to live a peaceful life than anything else!"
It must be said that the old man saw things very clearly. Now, Master An is caught in a dilemma, feeling resentful after the fact.
Master An also sent a letter to the mountain temple, pretending to earnestly advise his sister that if the Crown Prince could successfully ascend the throne, wouldn't her life be better for the rest of her days?
When she returns to the palace in glory and sits on the throne of Empress Dowager, no one will dare to bully her anymore, right?
If they were to be replaced as crown prince, they would have no good days ahead...
He wrote these letters so that the Empress would persuade Ji Shumin to get closer to his mother's family. After all, the Crown Prince still visits her from time to time. He is so filial, so the Crown Prince would listen to what she says, right?
However, the Empress's reply left Master An quite puzzled. Her tone was icy, and she told them not to have too much contact with Ji Shumin.
But it didn't seem like they were afraid of implicating the Crown Prince; rather... it seemed more like they disliked the Crown Prince to the point of not wanting to mention him.
Later, Master An tried several times to get closer to the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince never gave him the chance. Master An became resentful and gave up.
Following his sister's wishes, he became almost estranged from Ji Shumin.
An Jia never expected that things would change so quickly. In just a few years, the Crown Prince was deposed, and his younger sister returned to the palace in such a glorious manner!
To this day, Master An still doesn't know what his sister did to earn such high regard from the Emperor.
Did she really achieve some extraordinary fortune while cultivating in the mountains? It actually managed to get the Emperor to allow her to return.
Before long, Master An realized that his sister wanted to help the eldest prince take the throne.
Lord An felt that there was another opportunity. After all, everyone praised the eldest prince for being gentle, polite, and kind. He had lived with his sister for so many years, so naturally he would listen to her, right?
Unexpectedly... he's just like the Third Prince.
Hey! Stubborn to the end, shows absolutely no affection whatsoever!
Although no one cared, the An family was truly furious this time. So many years of grievances and entanglements, the two princes, who were clearly the Empress's maternal family, had not benefited at all, but had instead suffered misfortune at the hands of their own sister's son!
This time, they were also instigated...
The person who advised him first asked if the eldest prince had said anything to them. Upon hearing that he had not, they showed a surprised and somewhat pitying expression, which made Lord An lose face.
Then she advised him to think more about his own family.
Seeing that Master An nodded in agreement, he slowly and methodically offered his own insights and solutions: that is, to let the An family join those aristocratic families in causing trouble.
"Think about it, what is the relationship between your An family and the Empress, and the two princes? You are, after all, the Empress's brother-in-law. How could the Empress be so indifferent to brotherly and sisterly affection?" the man said earnestly.
"With the An family involved, Her Majesty the Empress and the First Prince will surely understand your intentions. The Third Prince is the Empress's son and the First Prince's younger brother, so naturally he should follow filial piety and respect his elder brother, right?"
The man cleverly separated Ji Shumin from the Empress and Ji Shuqin, making it seem as if Ji Shumin had proposed the idea, and the Crown Prince had simply not stopped him.
"If you join them, wouldn't the other families have more confidence? Seeing that even you, the emperor's brother-in-law, are unwilling, His Highness the Crown Prince should give it more serious consideration..."
That man was incredibly eloquent; everything he said seemed to have a certain logic to it, and his flattery was always perfectly timed, hitting the nail on the head.
Master An was usually not taken seriously by others, but now that he was being praised and chatted about like this, he only heard the good things and did not realize that if he got involved, he would obviously diminish the dignity of the eldest prince and give others something to talk about.
If even his maternal family doesn't support the eldest prince, how can he save face if this continues?
Master An himself did not go, but told his younger brother about it. The two brothers had not been very close in recent years because they were not born of the same mother.
Now that the Empress has returned to the palace, the second wife's family is eager to get closer to the first wife's family. After hearing what Master An said, they felt there was nothing wrong with it, so they went along to make a scene.
It wasn't until after Ji Shumin finished his reprimand that the master belatedly broke out in a cold sweat, realizing something was wrong...
But it was too late.
He sought out the man who had tried to persuade him and asked him what he should do.
The man seemed somewhat flustered: "Who knew... that His Highness the Third Prince would be so ruthless? Why didn't he consider the reputation of the An family!" The man lamented, speaking out for the An family, seemingly on the same page as the Master.
The old man was completely flustered and could only give vague answers to his younger brother's anxious questions.
After returning from the Emperor's palace, the second master of the An family fell seriously ill. He was delirious, running a high fever, and talking incoherently.
When Master An went to visit him, he sensed something was wrong and hurriedly dismissed everyone. He stood by the bedside, becoming more and more alarmed as he listened.
After the incident in the side hall, none of the An family members were considered key figures in the court, so naturally no one invited them to come and see. They only vaguely heard some dubious rumors afterward.
But this time...
What kind of gods and ghosts, immortals and Taoist magic? Nobody knows what he heard or saw that made him so frightened when he came back, yet he still refuses to say anything.
Even now, when he is not fully conscious, he has spoken, and these few words are enough to send chills down one's spine.
After Master An regained consciousness, the two brothers began to discuss countermeasures.
They looked at each other blankly, feeling as if they had walked into a dead end. How could someone who had seen the Emperor like that possibly escape unscathed...?
"Brother, please go and beg Her Majesty the Empress again..." Master An looked haggard.
The Third Prince seemed unwilling to let them go; they had served him once, yet he wanted them to do it a second time.
"I...I really dare not go to the palace again! Elder brother, please go in my place. It was because of you that our second branch got involved in the first place!" Master An looked terrified.
"You—" Master An glared and puffed out his beard, but said nothing.
The most important thing right now is to protect myself!
He wanted to see the Empress, but men from outside the palace were not allowed to enter. Even the Empress's brother could not break the rules, so only Chen could enter the palace.
Although he was worried, the master had no choice but to let Chen go. Before she went to the palace, he gave her many instructions. Chen knew the importance of this matter and stammered that she agreed.
But when she saw the Empress, Chen felt a chill in her heart. The Empress was not wearing a magnificent robe, but rather a thin blue monk's robe with a hat on her head. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the Empress had shaved her head or not.
On such a cold day, she didn't even light a brazier, as if she wanted to torture herself. When she saw Chen, she had nothing to say.
Madam Chen forced herself to finish what the master had taught her, but in the end she received no response from the empress. The empress seemed indifferent to her mother's situation.
Hearing Chen's words, Master An felt utterly hopeless: "She's really gone mad, what's the point of all this? Back then... back then if it weren't for her..."
Just when An Jia was at her wit's end, someone came looking for her again.
This time, he didn't say anything to comfort him. Instead, he said something that made Master An even more terrified, but it also made him dizzy, his palms and backs sweaty, his expression panicked, and his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light.
"Are you telling the truth...?"
"Of course it's true. We've known each other for so long, and I feel guilty towards you... That's why I'm trying to come up with an idea for you!"
The man spoke sincerely, his face full of earnestness.
"Let me—let me think about it some more!" Master An lowered his voice.
Meanwhile, Lu Liruan, who was in the mansion, received another letter from Zhuang Yuxun.
As usual, she wrote about life on the border, about the lambs she raised herself that gave birth last month, and about He Pingyan's injury, but he recovered quickly and was stronger than a calf.
Her letters were always interesting.
Lu Liruan was pleased to read it, but she overlooked the fact that... normally, it would take the two of them more than two months to exchange letters, but now, for no apparent reason, it was ten days shorter.