SFS Chapter 164: Borrowing a Knife to Kill a Son
Chapter 164: Borrowing a Knife to Kill a Son
The fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
Early in the morning, everyone in the Dali Temple ended their vacation early and went back to clean up the rats in the prison.
During the cleanup, they discovered a secret passage in the Dali Temple Prison. Lord Wu was so frightened that he immediately reported it and the secret passage was completely blocked in time.
The emperor was so angry that he announced to the public that he was ill.
Under the guidance of the imperial concubine, the third prince always tries to please and please the emperor.
Now that Concubine Yu has decided to actively compete for that position, she naturally pays more attention to the performance of the third prince in front of the emperor.
As soon as the imperial physician who went to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine came out of the Yangxin Palace, Concubine Yu's people sent someone out of the palace to inform the third prince.
Therefore, the third prince was the first among many princes to visit the emperor.
He took the medicine bowl from the imperial physician and said, "Father, I will serve you the medicine."
After finishing a bowl of medicine, the emperor patted his hands and said, "Among all my sons, you are the most thoughtful."
The Third Prince was delighted and respectful, "Serving my father is a son's duty."
"You are not young anymore. I have asked your mother to start choosing a princess for you. Do you have someone you like?"
"But it's up to my father and mother to decide."
The emperor seemed to think for a moment, "You must find someone from a prosperous family who can take on the responsibility, so that he can assist you in ruling the country in the future."
The Third Prince suddenly looked up, his face filled with uncontrollable joy, "What does Father mean?"
Are you going to hand over the country to him?
The emperor nodded. "First, start a family, then build a career. After you get married, you will help me handle government affairs and share my worries. Are you ready?"
The Third Prince knelt down hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, I will obey your orders and do my utmost to assist you."
The emperor looked at the person kneeling on the ground in silence.
This man was also his son, and he had truly loved him.
Even after he began to doubt the identity of the former crown prince, he felt guilty towards the third prince, feeling guilty that he had given all the rare fatherly love of an emperor to the former crown prince, but ignored his own true bloodline.
But it turned out that everything was a scam by Yu Yan.
If the former crown prince was Yi Qing's child, why would Yi Qing allow Yu Yan to instigate and let the former crown prince die?
The emperor's eyes fell on his own hands. It was these hands that killed his eldest son.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, he knew very well that if the former prince had not died, Dayou would not have been torn apart.
Even if the queen was taken away by Yi Qing, she would still think of ways for the prince to escape back.
It’s all that bitch Yu Yan’s fault.
His son should bear the consequences of the evil she had done.
The Third Prince didn't hear the Emperor's voice for a long time, so he raised his head and saw the Emperor staring at his hands in a daze. He couldn't help but shout, "Father, are you feeling unwell?"
The emperor came back to his senses and looked at him again, "Your mother is a woman after all. There are some things you don't need to tell her."
The Third Prince remembered Concubine Yu's usual cautious nature and nodded, "Your Highness, I will obey you, Father."
This will save my mother from having to worry about this and that. It won’t be too late to give her a surprise after my father issues the edict to appoint the prince.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "A few rooms in the East Palace have been burned. When you have time, go and take a look and see how to repair them."
"Yes, son, go right away."
Seeing his happy expression, the emperor waved his hand and signaled him to leave.
The third prince is far inferior to the previous prince.
It's not a pity to die!
The third prince was extremely happy. The Eastern Palace was the crown prince's residence, and he was asked to oversee its renovation as he would live there in the future.
Having confirmed that the emperor intended to make him the crown prince, he was so excited that he didn't even notice the hint of disgust in the emperor's eyes.
He didn't even notice the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince standing in the middle.
The two men also understood what the emperor meant, and their hearts sank to the bottom, and neither of them was convinced.
When Eunuch Wu saw the two men, he quickly passed on the message, and the emperor allowed them to enter.
He asked directly, "How long have you been here?"
The two of them were seen by the palace servants when they came over, and they didn't dare to hide it at all. They knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Please punish me, Father."
"Just listen to it. Father is old, and the country needs an heir. The eldest son should be the heir."
The emperor sighed, "But your second brother's health is not enough to allow him to sit in that position. According to the order of seniority, it should be the third brother's turn."
Both of them clenched their fists.
If the eldest son cannot be appointed as the heir, a more capable person can be appointed as the heir. They claim that they are no less capable than the third son.
The third brother is just good at currying favor with the emperor.
The emperor took in the expressions of the two men and said, "You are both not young anymore. I will ask the imperial concubine to find a princess for each of you.
After you get married, I will grant you fiefs, and you can each go to your respective fiefs from now on."
"Father, I cannot bear to leave you."
The Fifth Prince couldn't help himself and knelt down, saying, "I am not yet twenty years old, so there is no rush for marriage. Please, father, let me stay by your side and serve you for a few more years."
There will be no chance at all if I return to my fiefdom.
What's more, Concubine Yu was afraid that he would become more popular than the Third Prince and would not be able to find a good wife for him.
He didn't want his life to be ruined, so he knelt down and begged.
The fourth prince also knelt and begged.
The emperor sighed deeply but said nothing.
After a long silence, he sighed, "If only your eldest brother were still alive, it would be great. I don't really blame him, but he foolishly burned himself to death.
Now I regret that I made such a commotion on New Year's Eve, and that you often appear in my dreams..."
He ended with a sigh, as if he didn't want to say anything more, waved his hand, and let the two people leave.
Eunuch Wu escorted the two princes out of the door, his legs trembling a little. The princes were confused by the position of the crown prince, but he was an outsider, but he could see it clearly.
Your Majesty, this is like killing someone with a borrowed knife, and the person being killed is your own son.
For a moment, Eunuch Wu thought the emperor had gone crazy.
The emperor seemed to see through his thoughts and glanced at him, "Watch your mouth."
Eunuch Wu was so frightened that he trembled and knelt on the ground, not daring to say a word.
Su Heting entered the palace on the second day after the emperor fell ill.
Under the leadership of Red Fox, the Xinjiang Northern Army found Mrs. Qiao's real coffin.
Mrs. Qiao's remains showed that she had indeed died of poisoning. The Dali Temple got the news and began to try Wang Yuan, while he helped Qiao Xi deal with Mrs. Qiao's affairs.
"I was busy until evening yesterday when I learned that Father was ill. The palace gates were locked at that time, so I was unable to visit Father in time. Please don't blame me, Father.
Xi'er has fallen ill from excessive grief, so to avoid passing her illness on to you, I've asked her not to come."
Qiao Xi was naturally not really sick. Su Heting kept her in the mansion because he was worried that the emperor would take action against her.
The emperor knew what was going on, but he acted as if he didn't mind. He asked with concern, "Do you want the imperial physician to go with you?"
The tone used was one of inquiry, not of command.
Su Heting was confused and replied, "Okay, then I will thank you, Father, on her behalf."
After all, it is true that Qiao Xi is extremely sad, so it would be okay to let the imperial physician take a look.
The father and son talked for a while, and then the emperor sent Su Heting out of the palace.
He didn't mention Wang Yuan and Qiao Xi at all, as if he had never doubted Qiao Xi at all.
After returning home, Su Heting told Qiao Xi about the strange behavior of the emperor today.
"It's impossible for him to be so calm after learning that you betrayed him."
Qiao Xi also felt it was unusual after hearing this, but couldn't figure out what the emperor was trying to do, so she said, "Let's wait and see."
Unexpectedly, something big happened in the palace that night.
The third prince went to the East Palace for some unknown reason and knocked over the candlestick.
The Eastern Palace had few guards to begin with, and after the incident on New Year's Eve, the palace servants were afraid of ghosts and would avoid getting close if possible.
It was night again, and when everyone saw the thick smoke and rushed over, the fire in the house had spread and the third prince was beyond saving.
"Why would the Third Prince go to the Eastern Palace for no reason?"
Qiao Xi was suspicious.
Su Heting pondered, "Could it be the emperor who did it?"
The emperor was suspicious of Yu Yan, and when he learned that he had been deceived by Yu Yan, he could not just do nothing.
What's more, he was instigated by Yu Yan to burn the former crown prince to death.
And the third prince was burned to death by such a coincidence, and he was burned to death in the East Palace.
"The Emperor's revenge on Yu Yan?"
Qiao Xi's heart sank, "Then he will probably deal with me next."
Sure enough, someone from the palace came to summon Su Heting to enter the palace...