Proud Feather

Chapter 127 Moving Palace
In the end, Chu Ling did not accept the invitation to the banquet because the young prince was ill.

Upon hearing this news, Chu Ling's heart skipped a beat. In her previous life, Jin'er fell ill even earlier, leading her to believe she had escaped this life. Could it be that she had still given them an opportunity?
She rushed to the East Palace.

Lu Chan came out to see her: "A-Ling."

"How is Jin'er?" Chu Ling asked in a string of questions. "Has she seen the imperial physician? Who diagnosed her? Did they see several doctors?"

Lu Chan looked at her in surprise and replied, "I've seen him. He said it was caused by catching a cold due to the cold weather. He said he should take the medicine and rest for two days. Dr. Zhuang came to examine me personally. What's wrong?"

Is it really just a common cold?

This is a very difficult question to answer. Lü Chan cautiously inquired, "A-Ling, what are you worried about?"

Chu Ling calmed down a bit and told herself that this life was different from her previous one. Although she hadn't yet brought down her second brother, the Crown Prince was clearly more valued than in her previous life, and her sister-in-law had also purged everyone around her. With her eldest brother's cause of death just covered up, her second brother probably wouldn't dare to harm Jin'er at this time.

She said, "Maybe I was too nervous."

Lü Chan understood her and said softly, "After your older brother left, I didn't dare to sleep for a while. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt like someone wanted to harm Jin'er. But it's all over now, A-Ling. The case is closed and the murderer has been brought to justice. You can relax."

Chu Ling wanted to ask her sister-in-law if she really thought the murderer had been brought to justice. But when she met Lü Chan's eyes, she immediately understood.

What she thinks is unimportant; what matters is that the case was closed by imperial decree.

"I understand, sister-in-law."

Chu Ling let out a breath and looked up to distract herself, only to find that the surroundings were different from usual. She asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, why does it seem like a lot of things are missing? Where are the original decorations?"

Lü Chan smiled and said, "I've put them away so we won't be in a rush when we move them."

“Move…” Chu Ling remembered.

By the way, my elder brother's matter is settled, and it's time for my sister-in-law and Jin'er to move to the new palace. The Eastern Palace belongs to the Crown Prince, and without the Crown Prince, the Eastern Palace must be vacated.

……

The palace was moved.

The emperor threw down the memorial, his face contorted with rage: "How dare a foreign subject interfere in matters of the imperial family!"

The minister who submitted the memorial showed no fear and reported: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country. This is not your family matter, but a matter of state. The Crown Prince has passed away, and it is not proper for the Crown Princess and the young grandson to continue living in the Eastern Palace. They should be moved to another palace."

While some supported moving the palace, others naturally opposed it.

Immediately, another minister stepped forward and retorted, "Lord Yan, you only know reason, but have you considered the feelings? The Crown Prince has only been dead for a short time, and his coffin is still in the palace and has not yet been taken away for burial. It would be insensitive to ask the Crown Princess and the young prince to move to another palace at this time! We cannot treat his wife and children so poorly just because the Crown Prince has passed away."

Lord Yan refused to back down: "Lord Cao, what you're saying isn't right, is it? Even if the Crown Prince has passed away, the Crown Princess and the young prince still retain their titles. They should naturally be provided with a residence that meets the regulations. How can that be considered mistreatment? Besides, it's been almost three months since the Crown Prince passed away, and the hundredth day is just around the corner. Everything that needed to be done has been done. How can we talk about not being able to move the palace?"

"Lord Yan, is three months a long time? The New Year hasn't even passed yet!" Another minister joined the debate, questioning, "It's December now, the New Year is just around the corner, must we move the palace now and force people out? The Crown Prince has been the Crown Prince for so many years, conscientious and without a single mistake, and now we can't even let him spend the New Year in the Eastern Palace, isn't that going too far?" Of course, Lord Yan wasn't the only minister who supported moving the palace; others chimed in, "Lord Wu, isn't what you're saying too extreme? We're only discussing it now, it's not like we're moving immediately. We can move it after the New Year!"

"Excellent." Lord Yan looked refreshed. "Let's discuss it now and move after the New Year. That way, it won't be inconsiderate of human relationships, will it?"

"Why do we need to discuss this?" the former official, Lord Cao, said coldly. "Has the date for the Crown Prince's funeral been agreed upon? If not, why rush to move the palace? The eldest grandson is still young. What if he is frightened by a sudden palace move? The Crown Prince only left behind this one child, and His Majesty only has this one grandson. How can we not be careful?"

The argument had escalated to this point, and Lord Yan lost his temper, shouting, "The imperial heir needs to be careful, but not this kind of carefulness! Does the Crown Prince intend to stay in the Eastern Palace until the little grandson grows up? Cao Ying, I see that while you openly oppose the relocation of the palace, you have ulterior motives!"

Lord Cao was also furious: "What ulterior motives could I possibly have? Let's discuss business, why are you slandering me?"

"Do I really have to spell out your intentions?" Lord Yan scoffed. "Everyone knows that you, Lord Cao, served the Crown Prince when you were a tutor. It's self-evident what your intentions are in letting the young grandson occupy the Eastern Palace!"

Lord Cao, enraged, retorted, "And what are you thinking, Lord Yan? Is your nephew working at the Prince Xin's residence, so you're in a hurry to vacate the Eastern Palace?"

What does it mean to speak without restraint? The moment these two sentences were uttered, the expressions of all the court officials changed.

Yes, all this talk of moving the palace boils down to a power struggle over the crown prince.

With the crown prince gone, a new one is needed. Some want the second prince to ascend the throne, while others support the youngest grandson.

But can you say that so bluntly?
Prime Minister Zhang Dingyuan immediately stopped them: "You two, watch your words! Discuss matters properly, don't attack each other!"

Cao and Yan naturally knew they had already said something, so they took the opportunity to back down, exchanged a cold snort, and returned to their ranks.

But before the matter was finished, Vice Chancellor Li Zongding stepped forward: "Your Majesty, although the two of them were inappropriate, they did point out the hidden dangers of this matter. The Eastern Palace is the residence of the Crown Prince. If the Crown Princess and the young prince do not move to the Eastern Palace, it will inevitably arouse a lot of speculation. I think it is better to make a decision as soon as possible."

Li Zongding was a veteran minister, and the emperor gave him some face, sighing, "You all have a lot of reasons to give, but have you ever considered how I, as a father, should face this matter? In the second year of my reign, I made Yi'er the crown prince, watching him grow from a child into a refined gentleman. I always thought that after my death I would hand over the country to him, but I never imagined that before I even grew old, the crown prince would..."

The emperor looked sorrowful and said resolutely, "It hasn't even been a hundred days since the crown prince left. I really don't want to wipe away all the traces he left behind so soon. We'll discuss this matter later!"

The emperor forcefully suppressed the first proposal to move the palace.

But with the position of crown prince vacant, how could it not cause turmoil? There will always be opportunists in this world who are willing to take risks and gamble for wealth and power.

Before long, there were second and third proposals to move the palace, and the idea even spread to the common people, with scholars and ordinary citizens participating.

Some supported the youngest grandson, arguing that the eldest son's bloodline should not be easily altered, as this conformed to the proper etiquette. Others supported the second prince, believing that since the Han and Tang dynasties, the throne had been passed down to sons rather than grandsons, making this a more pragmatic choice.

One side argues that the youngest prince is too young to be considered fully grown, and it's difficult to discern his potential. The other side says that while the second prince has grown up, there's been no indication of any virtuous conduct on his part.

Each side has its own reasoning, and the matter cannot be resolved.

After struggling with it all day, I finally finished writing it.