Frost for a Thousand Years

Chapter 299 The Crown Prince is Established!

"Your nephew was killed, did you know?"

Upon learning of the victory in the north, the Prince of Jin went directly to Hua Zheng's residence without stopping for a moment.

"Your Highness, please come in."

Hua Zheng then led him into the main hall, offered him a seat of honor, and stood before him, resting his head on his hand. After hesitating for a while, he looked at him and said, "Your Highness, to be honest, quite a few people have already arrived."

"The Hua family?" the Prince of Jin asked.

“Yes,” Hua Zheng said. “I’m already at my wit’s end.”

"What are you thinking?" the Prince of Jin asked.

“My lord, we were the ones who sent the message to Hua Qu, asking him to sow discord between Zhao Yi and us. Before he dies, who knows if he will expose us?” Hua Zheng said.

"How much guts does he have to expose us?" the Prince of Jin retorted.

“Before someone dies, they’re like a drowning duck; their survival instinct is terrifying. If you try to save them at that moment, they’re like a water ghost, pulling you back down.” Hua Zheng was trembling with panic. “Those Hua family members are counting on me to stand up for them. If they find out Hua Qu died because we caught a chill, they’ll tear me apart!”

"Calm down, cousin, please calm down." Prince Jin stood up, walked to Hua Zheng, and pressed his hand down, saying, "Wu Sheng isn't that complicated. If Hua Qu really dared to involve you and me, he wouldn't believe it easily. In fact, he would have to defend us."

Your Highness, spare me! It was Prince Jin and Hua Zheng who made me do this.

If he dared to say those words, Wei Wusheng would undoubtedly exclaim: How dare he! He actually dared to slander the Prince of Jin and the Nine Ministers of the Court!

It's not that I'm lacking in emotional intelligence and need to please them.

Even among important figures, no one dares to break off relations or start a direct conflict.

"What about Hua Qu?" Hua Zheng asked, somewhat distressed. "Let's just say he's one of my cousins."

Among all the nobles in the land today, the most prestigious are undoubtedly those two dukes.

Duke of Li, Duke of Zhangping.

If Zhao Xiang hadn't lost, given his reputation among the new generation of nobles, it might have been him.

But he lost, so naturally the Hua family, the current empress's maternal family, is the most respected.

The one with the most real power among the Hua family members is undoubtedly Hua Zheng, who holds the position of one of the Nine Ministers and is in charge of the nation's military horses.

Of course, he was merely the most powerful member of the Hua family. It did not mean that the entire Hua family was under his leadership.

The Hua family had only one sky: the Empress.

"Don't worry about it, whatever you do, don't worry about it," said Prince Jin. "No matter what the Empress says to you, you must not complain at this time."

“But Your Highness…” Hua Zheng subtly reminded him, “The Empress has quite a temper.”

The most crucial issue is actually this:

The empress had a bad temper, but was in good health.

She was able to live for ten years even after the emperor died.

At that time, she became the Empress Dowager.

As a son, are you sure you don't want to try to please an empress dowager with a bad temper?
You and the King of Wu are both her own sons, so it makes no difference to her who becomes emperor.

But wouldn't the Empress Dowager prefer a filial son?

These words struck a chord with the Prince of Jin.

The Queen did not have a ticket.

However, filial piety is a shackle.

If the fourth child is too shrewd...

"Let's not panic. Just pretend you know nothing. Don't complain about Hua Qu's death, and don't echo his sentiments."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Seeing the Prince of Jin deep in thought, Hua Zheng knew...

The struggle for the crown prince position has reached a fever pitch.

All sorts of underhanded tactics will appear!
.........

In the Yining Palace, the Empress leaned back in her chair, looking somewhat exhausted.

"The inner palace is not allowed to interfere in politics." Empress Hua casually asked Eunuch Cao beside her, "Is this interference in politics?"

"..." Eunuch Cao hurriedly said cautiously, "Family ties are something everyone has. Her Majesty the Empress is benevolent and approachable, and is therefore respected and relied upon by many. People are willing to confide in Her Majesty, which further demonstrates your harmonious relationship with the harem and your exemplary conduct as the mother of the nation."

Hearing these flattering words, the Empress felt as if she were bathed in a spring breeze, and a smile appeared on her face: "As expected of Chen Bao's eldest disciple, he is truly a comforting person."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I am truly flattered."

The Empress did not actively interfere in politics, but her constant praise of Chen Bao, both openly and subtly, was a form of expression.

How long has Eunuch Xi been in office? Why is he praising Chen Bao like this? Isn't he just criticizing someone else?
Even the emperor and empress find it difficult to be of one mind.

After all, they were a real husband and wife, not a concubine, so she couldn't be treated purely as a woman.

In fact, before the Song Dynasty, the empress's status was always quite high.

As a result, multiple 'female leads' appeared.

After the Ming and Qing dynasties, it became even more of a tool, a cultural symbol.

As for Empress Ma, who has been praised to an excessive degree.

In reality, they have no power.

However, her relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang differed from that of a typical emperor and empress. As his wife who had shared his hardships, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to listen to her words.

As for the concubines of the Ming Dynasty other than the empress, their status was not much higher than that of slaves, and a large number of them were required to be buried alive with the emperor.

"When the Hua family sent more people, they disappeared, all of them vanished." Empress Hua waved her hand, simply avoiding the conversation.

"Yes."

Just then, the Prince of Jin came to pay his respects.

"Ziyu is here?" The Empress's eyes lit up immediately. "Let him in," she said.

"Yes."

Eunuch Cao then brought Prince Jin in. After Prince Jin knelt and paid his respects, Eunuch Cao set up a seat for him and poured him tea. Then, quite naturally, he and some palace maids withdrew from the hall. "You come to see me more often," Empress Hua said jokingly.

“Mother, Zisheng is busy with military affairs and it is not convenient for him to attend to matters recently,” the Prince of Jin explained.

"Weren't you busy when you were taking your major exams? You still came here often, didn't you?"

"Your subject is foolish and dull, and has left all matters of the imperial examinations to you, my esteemed scholars. The only thing I have to do is relay messages from top to bottom," the Prince of Jin said modestly.

"Stupid? I have no stupid son," Empress Hua laughed. "What brings you here?"

“On one hand, it’s to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, and on the other hand…” the Prince of Jin said sincerely, “it’s about the Hua Qu matter.”

"You don't want me to get involved either, do you?" Empress Hua asked, glancing at him.

"Your son wouldn't dare," said the Prince of Jin. "Your son only feels that since it has already happened, you can only ask Your Majesty to grieve in moderation and not to harm your health too much."

Hearing him say this, Empress Hua immediately lowered her guard and confided, "I'm mainly heartbroken for my old brother. He only had one grandson, and he was beheaded for committing such a trivial offense... Do you think it was really necessary?"

"This matter may be big or small, but his heart..." Prince Jin paused here. Then he said to the Empress, "Mother, if you have time, you should still talk to the Hua family and tell them not to step forward at this time."

"Of course, Hua Qu was just courting death." Empress Hua could tolerate her son's advice, but she couldn't accept pure advice without any emotional value. So she softened her tone, "I understand the importance of making an example of someone, but will things always be like this? Can a nobleman be killed so easily?"

To this, the Prince of Jin said seriously, "Mother, you really are not like before."

"What kind of utopian world is this? It's all Song Shi'an's idea, isn't it?" Empress Hua asked.

“Mother, it’s not just about Song Shi’an,” Prince Jin said patiently. “The affairs of this world are very complicated. But things really need to change. The nobles are already wealthy enough. So they must guard against their arrogance.”

"Will we be able to protect them by curbing their arrogance?" Empress Hua asked seriously.

The King of Jin remained silent.

Silence is tacit agreement.

“Wusheng is also our brother.” The Prince of Jin also changed the subject and said, “He is still young and it is his first time leading troops. Killing Hua Qu was a last resort, so Mother should not be too angry with him.”

"Why would I be angry with him? He's a meritorious official." The Empress said sarcastically.

To this, the Prince of Jin smiled and continued to coax the old woman, "When he returns, I will talk to him. Then I will have him come and pay his respects to the Empress Dowager and explain. I bet he's terrified right now, worried that this will upset you."

"Hmph." Although Empress Hua made this rather arrogant sound, her mood had improved considerably.

“Mother, I have some matters to attend to at my residence and cannot leave. I will come to pay my respects another day.” With that, Prince Jin stood up. “You must take care of yourself and not be too sad.”

"Alright, Mother will listen to you."

"Then I shall take my leave."

Before leaving, the Prince of Jin bowed once more.

Looking at his retreating figure, Empress Hua felt a pang of regret.

If only Ziyu were the crown prince...

If he were the crown prince, wouldn't he treat his brothers well?

.........

"Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence here now."

Not long after Prince Jin left Yining Palace, Eunuch Xi came to invite him to Xuanyu Palace.

"it is good."

The Prince of Jin walked over with considerable trepidation.

Upon entering the hall, he saw the emperor, whose body was already quite old and hunched over, standing with his back to him.

Before he could even speak and prepare to pay his respects, the emperor murmured, "Kneel down."

"..."

The King of Jin was taken aback and knelt down on the ground.

At this moment, Grandpa Xi also slipped away.

He's just not as good as Chen Bao, not an idiot.

Slowly, the emperor turned around.

Looking at the Prince of Jin kneeling on the ground in a daze, he asked coldly, "Who told you that curbing arrogance would protect them?"

These words terrified the King of Jin, who immediately lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground.

"Are you the emperor? Who gave permission to make such a promise!" the emperor roared in fury.

"Your subject knows his crime!" After kowtowing, Prince Jin quickly looked at the emperor and explained, "Father, please allow me to explain. I only wanted to comfort the Empress Dowager and dared not make any presumptuous promises. When the Empress Dowager asked me that question, I did not answer..."

What does "no answer" mean?

The Prince of Jin swallowed hard and dared not speak.

No response implies acquiescence.

This means that the Prince of Jin said that as long as he does not become arrogant, the court will not weaken the meritorious nobles.

This also means that the nobles could even use the Prince of Jin as an endorsement: as long as we don't complain and behave ourselves, the land reform won't reach Qinzhou.

These are things you really can't make promises about lightly.

"Your subject is foolish! Your subject dares not presume to discuss state affairs! Your subject... will now go and retract those words to Your Majesty!"

"You're dull-witted? You're very clever." The emperor laughed. "Zisheng just rejected his mother, and you came to appease her."

"..." The Prince of Jin dared not speak.

"You know you can no longer be the crown prince in my eyes," the emperor exposed. "So, you're trying to influence your mother. You want to use the empress and her relatives to compete for the crown prince position."

"Father..."

The Prince of Jin choked up as he tried to explain.

"It's too late!"

Instantly, the emperor pointed his finger at Prince Jin and roared, "Zisheng is my crown prince!"

(End of this chapter)