tallest building

Chapter 273 Two Games

Ying Bai was mostly in a daze, and when he was occasionally awake, he would cry and make a scene.

He was only thirteen years old. How could he bear losing an eye at such a young age?
Princess Chu was also extremely haggard. The higher her expectations for Ying Bai had been, the more disheartened she became.

"Your Highness, the Prince has sent word that you should return to your residence to rest," a palace maid serving Ying Bai said to Princess Chu.

She just shook her head blankly: "I'm not tired, I can't leave him."

Princess Duanmin watched from the side and advised, "You've been in the palace for three days now, you should go home and visit. Don't worry, I'm here! Besides, you and the prince haven't seen each other these past few days, there are some things you should talk about in person."

Princess Duanmin's words stirred the heart of the Princess of Chu. Yes, she should also talk to her husband.

Princess Chu returned to her residence, and in just three or four days, she had lost a lot of weight and looked particularly haggard.

Upon seeing the King of Chu, they couldn't help but weep together.

The King of Chu inquired about Ying Bai's recent situation, as he naturally loved his son. However, there were more important matters at hand, so he advised the Queen, "Stop crying. This is not the time for tears. I have something important to tell you."

So he told the princess about his conversation with Master Zhuge when he came to the mansion.

Princess Chu hesitated after hearing this: "This...is this alright? Shan'er is only five years old and is usually very pampered."

"You don't need to worry about that. Children are bound to be a little willful. It's nothing to worry about," said the King of Chu.

"Let alone whether this matter can be accomplished, even if he is sent to the palace, wouldn't he still be by the Empress's side? Because of this matter, she will definitely have a lot of resentment towards us, so how can we treat him well?" Princess Chu disagreed in her heart. "Bai'er is already like that, I really can't let Shan'er take any more risks. I only have these two sons."

As she spoke, she covered her face and began to cry again.

"You're so soft-hearted! Haven't you considered that if we can't get Shan'er into the palace, we'll be completely useless?" King Chu said anxiously. "Even if we gain a slight advantage this time, they will definitely retaliate against us in the future. At that time, both Bai'er and Shan'er will be implicated."

This time, we must bring Ying Tong down no matter what. He has ruined Bai'er's future, and he can forget about becoming the crown prince!
"Shan'er is young, so the Empress will definitely be more affectionate towards him. In short, she has no son of her own, so she will naturally dote on the adopted one."

Princess Chu understood the reasoning behind this, so she did not press the matter further, but simply said, "Let's not talk about anything else for now, let's just see how to deal with Prince Zhao and the others!"

King Zhao was naturally in a state of utter chaos, as Ying Tong's actions had indeed taken him by surprise.

Although he was determined to get rid of Ying Bai, he never expected that it would be his own son who did it, and in full view of everyone.

No matter how much they deny or try to justify it, they will eventually have to pay the price.

Right now, he was only thinking about how to minimize the trouble, and he couldn't help but think of his father-in-law: "Why hasn't the Grand Tutor arrived in the capital yet? If he were still here, things wouldn't be so complicated."

He wasn't the only one eagerly awaiting the Grand Tutor's return to the capital; the Empress was also looking forward to it day and night, and even sent people out of the capital to meet him.

In the afternoon, a eunuch from the Emperor's side came to deliver a message, saying that the Emperor wanted to have dinner at the Empress's palace.

Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately ordered preparations to be made. Before nightfall, the Emperor arrived at the Empress's palace. These past few days, the Emperor had been preoccupied with the affairs of Prince Zhao and Prince Chu, and his face inevitably showed signs of fatigue.

The Empress quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you've worked hard. Please lie down on this couch for a while. I'll have someone come and massage you."

The Emperor raised his hand to rub his temples and said, "No need, just have them make some tea first!"

"I heard from them that His Majesty has not been sleeping well these past few days. I have already ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a calming and nourishing soup. I wonder how His Majesty is enjoying it?" the Empress said cautiously.

Since it was her family members who caused the trouble, she inevitably felt guilty.

"The King of Chu and the King of Zhao are at loggerheads. No matter how much calming tonic soup he takes, he still can't avoid worrying and getting headaches." The Emperor was genuinely troubled.

"No matter how troublesome things are, Your Majesty must take care of your health. Your cough recurs every winter, and the imperial physicians have said that you should focus on recuperation." The Empress said, crying. "I never imagined that Tong'er would cause such a disaster. I don't know if those things from the previous dynasty are true or false. Has Prince Zhao become so audacious?"

The Emperor, of course, would not let her continue crying, and said, "This is not your fault; it wasn't you who ordered them to do this evil. However, I must also tell you that today, the students of the Imperial Academy in the capital jointly submitted a petition and even went to the government office to petition, demanding that this matter be dealt with severely and that Prince Zhao be punished."

"Why are these imperial students making a fuss instead of studying properly?" The Empress frowned upon hearing this. Of course, she knew that the imperial students were the most stubborn, loud, and unforgiving.

"That's not quite right. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Public resentment should never be ignored. These imperial students are well-versed in poetry and classics; they are not ordinary people!"

"Yes, it was my rashness that caused this." The Empress quickly took back her words. "I was also very anxious and didn't know what to do."

"There's something I need to discuss with you," the Emperor said, taking a sip of tea. "Whether it's to appease public anger or to appease the Chu family, Ying Tong can no longer stay in the palace."

I heard he's been ill these past few days, so I might as well let him go back to the Prince of Zhao's residence to recuperate.

The Empress was naturally unwilling; she had always wanted to adopt this nephew as her son and then let him inherit the throne.

She tentatively asked, "Does His Majesty mean that he should temporarily leave the palace and return after he recovers?"

"Your Majesty, he can no longer enter the palace. He has caused such a huge disaster, it's like he has a stain on his record. How can he still stay in the palace?" The Emperor's expression was more serious than ever before.

He has always treated the Empress with utmost respect, and the same applies to the Dong family.

“But Your Majesty, Ying Tong has left the palace, and Ying Bai can’t either… that person…” the Empress couldn’t help but ask.

"I've thought it over. If we want to prevent things from escalating further, we have no choice but to bring the Prince of Chu's youngest son into the palace. That way, the Prince of Chu won't hold on any longer, and we can avoid a lose-lose situation." The Emperor sighed deeply. "Otherwise, if the two of them get into a fight, who knows how many ministers will be dragged into it. With the Prince of Fenye here, am I supposed to let him make a fool of himself?"

The Empress silently lowered her head and stopped arguing. Although she was unwilling, she knew that the Emperor was right. No matter how powerful her family was, they could not completely disregard the laws and regulations of the court.

It's all Ying Tong's fault for being so reckless, causing such a huge disaster.

If this matter is not handled properly, public resentment will boil over, and the emperor will become even more alienated from you.