jdhmnovel Chapter 467 Testing the Waters During the Banquet, Staying at the Taiji Palace
Chapter 467 Testing the Waters During the Banquet, Staying at the Taiji Palace
"Xiao Liu, this..."
The Prince of Xuannan paused in the hall, not continuing forward.
“Uncle, you are the elder and should take the seat of honor.”
Despite the age difference of more than ten years, Prince Xuannan was reluctantly pulled into the main seat, which was second only to the central one, making him a secondary leader.
Even at banquets in the past, the empress's seat would not be so close to the head of the table.
The two seats are only half a palm's width apart, and if you don't look at them from the side, they are almost parallel.
Prince Xuannan sat in the secondary seat, feeling a vague unease in his heart.
He didn't know whether the emperor's seating arrangement today was His Majesty's own idea or someone else's.
The Prince of Xuannan sat rather stiffly, and the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat stagnant for a moment.
"Uncle, how are the border battles going these days?"
Prince Xuannan rose and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the soldiers on the frontier are brave, and the situation is currently relatively stable."
The emperor nodded slightly, but his gaze fell on the Prince of Xuan Nan, and he said meaningfully, "My uncle has made great contributions to our dynasty, and I will always remember it."
The Prince of Xuan Nan hurriedly replied, "This is my duty. For Your Majesty and for the sake of the country, I would gladly die ten thousand times over."
They were uncle and nephew, and also ruler and subject.
The emperor's switch to his new role was extremely smooth, and the Prince of Xuannan responded appropriately.
The Empress watched the confrontation between the two men at the head of the table with a blank expression. Alas, it is true that there is genuine affection in the royal family, but it is also true that they will still test each other.
Living in royalty must be exhausting.
Thinking of her only son, the Empress turned her gaze directly to the seats reserved for the princes and princesses.
The second prince sat obediently at the front of the group of princes and princesses, displaying the demeanor of an elder brother.
Her son should have been the most distinguished and dazzling one, but unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on him.
The Empress withdrew her gaze and drank the fruit wine in the golden jade cup in one gulp.
The liquor went down my throat without being spicy at all, but after the sweetness, a faint bitterness lingered in my throat.
I wonder if it was just her imagination, but why did the fruit wine, which should have been sweet and sour, turn bitter?
The atmosphere in the hall was lively, with everyone clinking glasses and exchanging toasts. The dancers in the hall had changed formations, and their graceful dance moves were captivating.
Although it wasn't a formal banquet, the arrangements inside and out showed the emperor's thoughtfulness.
Whether it was a deliberate act to create a false impression of peace or not, the Prince of Xuan Nan remained expressionless, seemingly very grateful for the Emperor's nephew's arrangement.
As the dance ended and the dancers stepped down, the musicians began to play soothing melodies that were extremely relaxing.
The banquet was not overly elaborate, and the food itself showed the care and attention the imperial kitchen had put into it.
The banquet ended in less than an hour.
Just as Emperor Zhao Yong said, let his imperial uncle rest well to recover from his journey.
The chief eunuch personally arranged for the two to stay at the Taiji Palace, which was adjacent to the emperor's residence, so that they could catch up.
"Your Majesty, this Taiji Palace is the former residence of the Emperor Emeritus. How can I, as the Emperor's younger brother, reside here? Let's find another place."
The King of Xuan Nan pleaded that he could not overstep his bounds in this way.
"Uncle, please rest assured. The Emperor Emeritus and you are both my closest elders. This Taiji Palace is only nominally the residence of the Emperor Emeritus."
Actually, my father never truly lived there; he always resided in a temporary palace outside the main palace. Therefore, this Taiji Palace is just an ordinary palace; Uncle, you needn't worry about it.”
When the Prince of Xuannan tried to refuse again, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Household had already arranged for people to move the Prince of Xuannan's belongings into the Taiji Palace.
Seeing that he could not stop it, the Prince of Xuan Nan had no choice but to temporarily stay in the Taiji Palace.
But he was even more uneasy. This was because both the seating arrangements at the banquet and the accommodations exceeded the standards for a prince. What was His Majesty the Emperor thinking?
Not only Prince Xuan Nan himself, but his confidants were also bewildered by the Emperor's actions.
"My lord, what... what exactly does His Majesty mean?"
"I do not know. If Your Majesty wishes to do so, I can only passively accept it and cannot refuse repeatedly."
"Won't the officials in the court have a lot of opinions about this?"
"Perhaps this is His Majesty's true intention. The seating arrangement at the banquet was like this, and now it is the same in the Taiji Palace, which represents imperial power."
His confidant was startled. He had thought that His Majesty truly treated his prince like a father, but he never expected that His Majesty had other intentions.
Indeed, being born into royalty requires one to be extra careful.
Just as Prince Xuan Nan had settled in and was about to rest, a eunuch came to deliver a message that His Majesty the Emperor wished to meet with him alone in the Imperial Study.
The Prince of Xuannan had no choice but to put on his clothes again, tidy his appearance, and hurried off.
Inside the imperial study, the emperor dismissed his attendants and looked at Prince Xuan Nan with a solemn expression: "Uncle, I have recently heard that some people in the court are forming cliques for personal gain and have ulterior motives."
The Prince of Xuannan was startled and hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, who is so audacious?"
The emperor's gaze was deep as he slowly said, "Alas, it is my incompetence. You also know that I have demoted my eldest son to a commoner, don't you?"
"I heard about it. This child is foolish. You are father and son. Why can't you say things to each other's faces? You can't even think of such a desperate measure. It's heartless of you."
I remember when I left Beijing, the child had just turned one month old. Now, sigh...
"Yes, I am a failed father. My own son actually wants to kill me on my wedding day."
Emperor Zhao Yong's brows were furrowed with unyielding sorrow, like that of a deeply wounded old father.
Prince Xuannan pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, has this matter been thoroughly investigated from beginning to end? Could there be any other hidden circumstances? This matter concerns life and death as well as the bond between father and son, so we must investigate carefully."
The Emperor nodded slightly: "What you say is absolutely right, Uncle. What I mean is that I want you to secretly help me investigate this matter."
Prince Xuannan cupped his hands and said, "Your subject will certainly do his utmost. However, isn't this case already being investigated by the responsible officials?"
"Indeed, someone is investigating, but progress is slow. I also know that the boss doesn't have that much guts; he's probably just taking the blame for the person behind the scenes."
However, as a prince, it was infuriating that his own wedding day was arranged in such a disorganized manner that his princely residence was like a leaky sieve.
Moreover, he wasn't entirely innocent. He had arranged for the eighteen sons of high-ranking officials to be imprisoned in the cellar, and he couldn't deny it.
His purpose was too obvious, wasn't it? Therefore, I didn't kill him, but only demoted him to commoner status. He still lives in his princely residence and lacks nothing in terms of food and clothing.
"Your Majesty has mercy!"
The emperor shook his head. "Uncle, you are getting old now. Why don't you settle down in the capital? You can help your nephew in your spare time."
The emperor once again proposed that the Prince of Xuannan stay in the capital for an extended period, but the Prince of Xuannan refused again for the same reason.
“Your Majesty, the southern border is not stable. If I stay in the capital, I cannot guarantee that the southern barbarians will not cause trouble.”
The emperor gave his uncle a deep look, then smiled and could only nod helplessly.
"Yes, it has always been difficult to balance family and country. I want my uncle to live out his old age in peace, but this barbarian from the south is ignorant and refuses to grant us the wish!"
One day, whether they are northern barbarians or southern barbarians, we will defeat them, crush them, and render them unable to rise again or cause any trouble!
"Yes, under Your Majesty's leadership, our Great Zhou will one day be able to wipe out these wolves that surround us and restore peace to the people of Great Zhou."
Emerging from the imperial study, Prince Xuan Nan understood that he had no choice but to wade into this murky water.
This trip to the capital will not be as simple as I imagined; my princess was right after all.
After all, the water in the capital has always been murky.