The news of the deposed crown prince's death reached the Greenhouse Palace. The emperor was leaning on the imperial couch listening to the eunuch reading the memorial. He was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He opened his mouth and closed it again. It seemed that anything he said was superfluous.
After a long while, he picked up the silk handkerchief beside the pillow and wiped away the tears that had unconsciously flowed down his cheeks. He sighed and asked, "How is the queen?"
The eunuch who came to report said, "Your Majesty, the Empress came out of the Qingsi Palace and returned to the Buddhist temple."
The eunuch said, "Why don't I go and see the Empress?"
The emperor thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "You must be exhausted. Let's have a good rest."
He pondered for a moment and said, "Go to the Prince of Qi's mansion and check on the extent of his injuries. Tell him the news of Shuren Rong's death. If he can get out of bed and move around, ask him to come to the palace."
The eunuch received the order and immediately left the bedroom.
The Prince of Qi's Palace was not far from the Penglai Palace. The eunuch rode at full speed and arrived at the palace in more than half an hour.
When Huan Xuan heard that Huan Rong had committed suicide by drinking poison out of fear of punishment, he was silent for a long while before nodding: "I understand."
He naturally understood what the so-called "committing suicide out of fear of crime" meant. Huan Rong was imprisoned in the palace, guarded by palace maids and eunuchs all the time. It was impossible for him to commit suicide, not to mention where the poisoned wine came from.
He and Huan Rong had been at loggerheads for years, and would not stop until one of them died. If Huan Rong ascended the throne, he would definitely kill him, and so would he. He should have felt happy that his elder brother's great revenge had been avenged, but when he heard the news of his death, his heart still sank, and he felt a sense of loss and indescribable sadness.
The eunuch continued, "Your Majesty asked me to ask you how your injuries are. Can you get out of bed and walk?"
Huan Xuan understood what he meant and nodded, saying, "I have not visited you regularly for a long time. I will go to the palace to pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Zheng Fengyu examined his wound yesterday and said that he should not walk too much, but the matter of appointing a new crown prince is imminent, so he must go to the palace to meet the emperor as soon as possible.
The eunuch saw that his face was still pale and said with concern: "Your Highness, please be careful with your wound."
Huan Xuan said "no problem", and immediately asked the eunuch to help him get up, while he ordered someone to prepare the carriage.
Because the wound had not yet healed, the eunuchs prepared a calf cart, and it was almost noon when they arrived at Penglai Palace.
The emperor ordered people to set up the meal in the hall. The father and son sat opposite each other. They had no appetite and had some light porridge and soup. The emperor then asked people to clear the meal and serve tea, and then dismissed the palace servants.
The emperor's eyelids were red and slightly swollen, and he wiped the corners of his eyes with a towel from time to time, looking like an old man in his twilight years.
He sighed deeply and said, "Erlang did something stupid. I wanted to kill this rebellious son with my own hands, but now that he is gone, I feel empty inside..."
Huan Xuan looked at his father's frank expression and suddenly felt a chill.
He knew what he wanted to hear, which was nothing more than that Huan Rong was going against natural order and bringing about his own destruction, and he could not blame anyone.
But he couldn't say anything like that, he just lowered his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I mourn for you."
The emperor tucked his eyes again, looked at his son and said, "I will discuss with the court officials in a few days, and then order people to draft an edict to appoint a crown prince."
Huan Xuan bowed and said: "My son is neither good at literature nor martial arts, so he is not fit to take on this responsibility. Please think about it, father."
The emperor saw the prince's expression and knew that he was not pretending to refuse, but really did not want the throne.
His face darkened slightly: "I know very well whether you can take on the responsibility."
Huan Xuan said: "You have scars on your face. If you become the crown prince, it will damage the dignity of the royal family and the court."
The emperor's face became more gloomy: "I am still investigating how you got your injury, and you still dare to bring it up?"
Huan Xuan said solemnly: "You have destroyed your own dignity, have no respect for your king and father, and are extremely treasonous. Your Majesty, please choose another wise man."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a loud "bang" and the emperor slammed the tea bed, causing the tea in the celadon teacup to spill out.
He stared at the door, his face gloomy and water-like: "Huan Xuan, are you going to force me to take action against Xiao Ling?"
There was no trace of fear on Huan Xuan's face. In fact, he looked calm, as if Xiao Ling's life or death had nothing to do with him at all.
He said calmly: "Your Majesty is wise and will not attack lightly and put the people in danger."
The emperor just felt that his breath was stuck in his chest, which made his chest hurt, but he could not refute.
He would not take action against Xiao Ling, not because he did not want to, but because he could not. Otherwise, even if he knew about this matter, he would have taken Xiao Ling's life long ago.
The emperor sneered and said, "We, the Huan family, don't know what we owe Xiao Ling. Back then, you made your elder brother infatuated with you. In order to make you give up the throne, I don't know what kind of magic potion you have been given now."
Huan Xuan said: "It has nothing to do with others, it's just because you have no intention of ascending the throne as crown prince."
He bowed and said: "Your Majesty has no ability to govern the country, nor the will to save the country. You have no talent or virtue, and you act recklessly. I beg Your Majesty to appoint another virtuous person."
The emperor said coldly: "I will tell you bluntly, as long as your surname is Huan, as long as you are still the legitimate prince of Dayong, there is absolutely no possibility for you and Xiao Ling to be together."
Huan Xuan seemed to have expected this, and said calmly: "You know, there is no perfect solution to this matter."
No matter which prince is appointed as the crown prince, an adult legitimate prince who once held military power is a great threat.
The emperor asked, "Knowing this, what do you do?"
Huan Xuan restrained his expression and said, "You have left Chang'an and will never return to the capital in this lifetime. From now on, there will be no King Huan Xuan of Qi in the world."
It was impossible for him to follow Xiao Ling to Heshuo as Prince of Dayong, and he had to abandon his entire identity and choose to "die".
After hearing this, the emperor finally became angry: "Huan Xuan, do you know what you are talking about?"
The emperor's eyes went dark. He leaned on the tea bed, barely suppressed his anger, and tried his best to reason with the emperor: "When you fled to the northwest, you fought bravely on the battlefield, made great military achievements, and finally got the Tiger Talisman of the Divine Wing Army. You made me and the whole court look at you with new eyes. Now, for a mere woman, you are going to give up everything? Huan Xuan, you have greatly disappointed me."
If it were in the past, his father's words would certainly pierce his heart like a spike, because at that time he was eager to prove to his parents and everyone that he was not a waste, so he needed authority, the tiger talisman, and the admiration of the people. He never longed for power like Huan Rong, and the glory that Huan gave him was not indispensable to him.
But now he doesn't need it anymore, he already knows who he is and what he can and should do.
He just looked at his father firmly: "My son has made up his mind."
The emperor sneered and said, "Did Xiao Ling teach you this? I thought you were a smart man, but you thought..."
Huan Xuan said: "General Xiao was totally unaware of this, it was all your own decision."
The emperor snorted coldly, his eyes full of sneer: "When passion is intense, you naturally disregard everything. You'll regret giving up your throne and your country for a woman in a few years!"
Huan Xuan said without hesitation: "If you regret it in the future, it will be the cause you sowed today. You should bear the consequences yourself. I will never complain."
The emperor paused, and then said: "The country depends on the prince, you only care about your own selfish desires, have you ever thought about the country and people of Dayong?"
Huan Xuan said: "The state and people of Dayong will not rely on a crown prince who has no intention of taking the throne."
The emperor's chest rose and fell violently. After a long time, he slowly calmed down and said thoughtfully: "I ask you again and again, have you decided not to set foot in Chang'an in your lifetime?"
Huan Xuan pursed his lips and said, "Yes."
The emperor frowned and said, "Even if I agree, your mother will never agree."
When Huan Xuan heard what he said, he knew that his attitude had softened.
The emperor also had seven sons, and although they were a little young, it was not difficult to choose one with suitable talents and temperament to train as the crown prince. To him, legitimate sons and illegitimate sons were both his own children, and the difference was not that big, but to the queen it was a world of difference.
Although the queen doesn't like sons, there is only one son left now.
Huan Xuan understood his mother. She might not be greedy for power, but given her personality, letting a concubine's son succeed to the throne would be like asking for her life.
But if a person is determined to make things difficult for you, no one else can help him.
Huan Xuan said calmly: "Son, go and apologize to your mother."
The emperor closed his eyes and frowned. After a while, he opened them and pinched his brows and said, "Let me think about it."
He paused and said, "Your mother caught a cold yesterday and is now recuperating in the Zen temple. You won't bother her today. You can go and pay your respects to her in a few days."
Huan Xuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he bowed and said, "I will take my leave first."
The emperor waved his hand and said listlessly, "Go."
…
Huan Xuan's wound had not yet healed, and when he walked to the palace, the wound opened a little. When he returned to the mansion, he saw that blood had already seeped out of the cloth.
Gao Mai immediately invited Zheng Fengyu to come, and the medical officer applied medicine and bandaged his wound, and warned: "Your Highness must rest well for the next few days and must not walk around too much."
Huan Xuan originally wanted to go look for Sui Sui, but ended up lying there for another five or six days.
On the following day, the medical officer finally gave in. He was just about to order the eunuchs to prepare the calf cart when someone came to report: "Your Highness, the eunuch Wang who is beside the Queen has a message."
Huan Xuan's face darkened slightly. The Queen must have known that he did not want to be the Crown Prince, so she hurriedly summoned him to the palace for an audience.
Although the emperor's attitude had softened, he still hoped that his wife could persuade him. If he had been reluctant, he certainly would not want this once powerful man to follow Xiao Ling to Heshuo.
Huan Xuan also knew that it was impossible to convince the emperor to let him go to Heshuo just by talking. His elder brother also "persuaded" the emperor before, but failed in the end.
His mother ignored him for many years, but now he is left with only one child...
Huan Xuan's eyes turned slightly cold. He was sure that he would face a fierce battle when he entered the palace this time.