Chapter 123: I Am The Emperor, The Nine-five Supreme, A Lonely Man Without Kin
By the time several old imperial physicians arrived panting with their medicine boxes on their backs, the Old Emperor was already lying flat on the Emperor’s Bed.
“Your humble subject pays respects to the Emperor, to the Crown Prince, to the Imperial Consort…” The Head of the Medical Department at the Imperial Medical Academy, who was leading them, hadn’t finished greeting everyone individually when he was stopped by the Crown Prince. “Director Huang, no need for formalities. Please first examine Father Emperor!”
“Yes.” Director Huang took several deep breaths before leading the other imperial physicians to the bedside. Before he even began taking the pulse, just seeing the Emperor’s complexion made his heart sink. The Emperor this time was afraid… he wouldn’t make it!
Anxious in his heart, he reached out to start taking the pulse. The more he felt, the more uneasy he became. The Emperor’s pulse clearly showed the signs of being exhausted!
“How is it?” Seeing him withdraw his hand, the Crown Prince hurriedly asked.
“This…” The old Head looked at the Emperor’s tightly closed eyes, then exchanged a glance with the other imperial physicians who had just finished taking the Old Emperor’s pulse, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Please, Your Highness, let us speak aside.”
The Crown Prince immediately understood what was likely to happen. After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded and followed the old Head to the side.
“No need. I know my own body well. Say whatever it is right here!” The Old Emperor still did not open his eyes and spoke weakly.
“This…” The old Head looked at the Crown Prince but did not dare to speak.
“Tell it as it is!” The Crown Prince closed his eyes and said hoarsely.
“…Yes.” The old Head and the group of imperial physicians trembled as they knelt on the ground. After weighing his words, he spoke: “In this old subject’s view, Your Majesty’s body has reached the point of being exhausted, with at most three to five days left…”
The entire hall fell silent instantly after these words were spoken.
Whether it was performance or genuine emotion, in any case, everyone’s eyes reddened. Imperial Consort Feng even began shedding tears profusely. Strangely, the calmest one was the Emperor himself.
“I know. Now I want to be alone for a while. All of you, leave!”
“Your Majesty, let this concubine stay with You!” Imperial Consort Feng, with a tear-streaked face, threw herself at the bedside and said pitifully with a sobbing voice.
“No need! You’ve accompanied me for half a lifetime. For this last bit of time, I want to be alone for a while. All of you, go!”
“But Your Majesty…” Imperial Consort Feng naturally did not want to leave at this moment, but her son and that bitch Consort Zhao were still waiting in the side hall. She needed to deal with them before the Crown Prince did, so she could only go along with it and leave.
The several old imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy followed closely behind in leaving.
When the Crown Prince tucked in the Old Emperor’s quilt corner and was also about to leave, the Old Emperor called him back. “Qing Ye, stay and keep me company for a chat!”
“Yes!” It had been a long time since he was called by this name, and the Crown Prince didn’t react for a moment, but he quickly covered it up and obediently sat down on the stool beside the Emperor’s Bed.
“What happened outside just now? What did the Third Prince do again? I only heard a snippet and didn’t catch it all.” The Old Emperor did not beat around the bush and asked directly.
“This morning, the Imperial Consort brought a group of imperial clan members and guards to Lu Quan Palace. She seemed very confident as she claimed that Your son was involved in an improper relationship with someone. Just then, noise came from the side hall. Under the Imperial Consort’s instructions, the guards entered and found the Third Prince and Consort Zhao engaged in filthy acts inside.” The Crown Prince summarized the earlier events in a few words.
Originally, he thought the Old Emperor would be greatly shocked as before. He had even prepared to have Eunuch An call the imperial physicians back again. But no matter what, he never expected the Old Emperor to remain completely calm, without even a change in his complexion.
“Father Emperor…”
“That Third Prince! No great ambitions yet thinks highly of himself. Just like his mother, both believe others are fools. But in the end!” The Old Emperor sneered, a glint flashing in his turbid old eyes. He turned his head and looked at the Crown Prince with a half-smile. “Did you turn his scheme against him, or did you scheme against him?”
The Crown Prince faltered and answered honestly: “He tried to scheme against Your son for defiling the palace, but Your son learned of it in advance and turned the scheme against him.”
“If I handed this matter to you to handle, what would you do?”
“Your son… Your son would grant death to Consort Zhao, demote the Third Prince to commoner status and confine him in his residence for life… never to leave.” The Crown Prince hesitated but still voiced his true thoughts.
“Heh, hahaha…” The Old Emperor suddenly laughed. “Not bad. Your answer is much better than I imagined. Do you know, if you and the Third Prince switched places, what he would do to you?”
“Probably… announce it to the world and execute immediately?” The Crown Prince’s uncertain tone made the Old Emperor burst into laughter again. “Exactly. He would definitely ruin your reputation before killing you!”
Crown Prince: “…”
“I heard you sent your son out of the Capital City?” Perhaps finding his son’s change of expression amusing, the Old Emperor suddenly raised another question.
This leap in thought nearly left the Crown Prince unable to keep up. He was stunned for a moment before answering: “Nothing can be hidden from Father Emperor.”
The Old Emperor seemed not to expect the Crown Prince to tell him the truth so straightforwardly and was also stunned for a moment. Then he burst into laughter again, even more intensely this time, triggering violent coughing. The Crown Prince hurriedly stood up to pat his chest and back, finally easing the cough.
“Father Emperor, let Your son call the imperial physicians back to examine You again!” The Crown Prince said, standing at the bedside with downcast eyes.
The Old Emperor waved his hand. “No need! With so little time left, I doesn’t want to hear their messy medical principles anymore, nor drink any bitter medicine. Just let me have some peace!”
“But Father Emperor…”
“No buts. I asks you, all these years, have you hated Father Emperor greatly, and also felt great disappointment in him, thinking he is unworthy to be this country’s sovereign?”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately knelt down on both knees and touched his forehead to the ground. “Your son dares not!”
The Old Emperor did not tell him to rise, but murmured: “Dares not, rather than does not.”
The Crown Prince hurriedly changed his words: “Your son dares not, and does not.”
“Alright! No need for explanation. I understands everything. Among you brothers, I relies on you the most, but you are too swayed by feelings. The Crown Princess is virtuous and kind, but her character is too soft. If she were to take the central palace position, she might not be able to suppress the later consorts, so…”
“So Father Emperor removed her for Your son.” The Crown Prince interjected.
“Correct. When I ascended the throne, the Former Emperor once told me that as an emperor, one possesses supreme rights, but it also means boundless solitude. One cannot be dominated by any feelings and must be a true loner. I has achieved that.”
“Then, Father Emperor, were you in pain while achieving all this? Were you in pain when Mother Empress passed away? These years, favoring treacherous ministers and letting the Grand Tutor’s faction control court affairs—were you in pain?” The Crown Prince couldn’t help but ask with reddened eyes.
“Control court affairs? You think too highly of Feng Xing. As for pain, how could there not be pain? People naturally have seven emotions and six desires. Forcibly erasing them is naturally painful. But I is the Emperor, the Nine-five Supreme, a loner. I cannot afford to feel pain.”
“So Father Emperor began seeking immortals and the dao?”
The Emperor did not answer. He rolled over from side-lying to flat on his back and slowly closed his eyes. “I is tired. You may go.”
“…Yes!”
“By the way, handle the Third Prince’s matter!” The Crown Prince had reached the door when the Old Emperor’s voice came from behind again.
