zChapter 1005 - Old Friends From the Past Are Now Enemies (2/2)
When Zhang Yuan heard that the Emperor was throwing him to the department of guilty servants, he even thought to himself that it would be best if he died while being beaten. That would save him the trouble of being sent to the department of guilty servants.
Unfortunately, how could things go as he wished? Since the Emperor had said that he would be sent to the department of guilty servants to suffer, the servants responsible for delivering the strikes did not dare to beat him to death. The people inside the bedchamber heard the cries coming from outside. They started out loud and gradually grew weaker. One after another, they caused everyone’s hearts to tremble.
Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu continued to lay in bed while holding the Emperor’s hand. She looked very pitiful on the surface; however, her heart blossomed with joy. She thought to herself that Zhang Yuan had finally also suffered this sort of day. Just wait and see! Gradually, one by one, everyone that had made her suffer, she would tidy them all up. She would definitely settle things in the Imperial Palace to her liking. It would be the foundation for when her Mo’er took over Da Shun.
Without Zhang Yuan obstructing them, Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu and the Emperor became even more affectionate. When the Emperor saw Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu, a feeling of comfort welled up inside him. Because Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu had suffered an injury from trying to hang herself, he simply stayed over in Cun Shan Palace. He no longer troubled Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu with going to Zhao He Hall. The feelings of love between the two aroused feelings of envy from others. There were even some who began to look forward to whether or not Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu would provide the Emperor with another prince in his waning years. This brought a round of headaches for the imperial physicians, as they fear that the Emperor would really have such a thought. That would really make the quite busy.
Zhang Yuan was could not walk after being struck 30 times. Although he was still alive, he had lost half of his lifespan in that beating.
The next day, the Emperor attended morning court, and the eunuch accompanying him had changed. It was the one who had helped Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. His name was Wu Ying.
Although it was just a change in eunuchs, the people in court were able to understand that the situation had developed even further. Those close to the eighth prince rejoiced at this, while those of the ninth prince’s faction furrowed their brows.
Court sessions were no longer the same as they had been before. Now, the people in the eighth prince’s faction were very lively. On the flip side, the ninth prince’s side was downhearted. It was not that they wanted to be down, but the Emperor completely ignored them. Regardless of what their side said, the Emperor had never looked upon them favorably. There were even times when he would simply refuse to allow them to speak. It was such that there would be times when both the left and right prime ministers, standard first rank officials, would be left unable to speak by the Emperor. This made the two feel very awkward and very frustrated.
After court was dismissed, the left prime minister, Lu Song, could no longer endure and chased after the right prime minister, Fung Qing. He quietly asked: “Continuing like this is no way to do things!”
Fung Qing was no longer as quick to reject Lu Song as before. After all, Lu Song’s behavior for the past year was very good. The two had worked together to cause quite a bit of frustration for those in the eighth prince’s faction. Because of this, their relationship was closer than it had been in the past. Hearing Lu Song say this, Fung Qing also sighed but did not reply directly. His gaze went in the direction of Xuan Tianming; however, he saw Xuan Tianming slightly shake his head, thus he knew that there was nothing that could be done. Only then did he say: “Let’s take it one step at a time! He is the ruler, and we are his subjects. If the ruler does not let the subjects speak, what is there that a subject can do?”
Lu Song helplessly said: “That’s right! Not even the imperial censor is able to speak, so what is there that we can do? I am just worried that if things continue like this, the country… will no longer work as a country!” He let out this sort of a sigh then quickly left, no longer staying to speak with others.
For Lu Song to even say something like the country will no longer work as a country, how could Right Prime Minister Fung Qing not know about it? It was just that the Emperor’s change was too hard to figure out. For the time being, he really did not have any strategies to deal with it.
After court, Xuan Tianming went directly home, bringing along Xuan Tianhua back to the Yu Palace. Today, Xuan Tianhua was not the only guest in the Yu Palace. When they returned, they saw that Yao Xian was also present, and he was currently chatting with Feng Yuheng.
The two were very respectful toward Yao Xian. Upon seeing him, they took the initiative to salute, and Yao Xian returned the courtesy. He did not continue with the courtesies and directly said: “A little while earlier, I went to Xiao Zhou and only just returned. A-Heng told me about the situation with the Emperor. I was thinking of finding a reason to go into the palace to take a look. In the past, the Emperor gave me an identification plate to enter the Imperial Palace; however, I don’t know if it can still be used. If it can’t be used, I wonder if Your Highnesses could make arrangements for me?”