Chapter 74: The Old Prince Next Door 27

The Noble Consort¹ thought this way, and she spoke this way to her sister-in-law from her maiden family.

The sister-in-law looked down at the pearls dangling from the tips of her shoes, thinking to herself: Even if you are a Noble Consort, you are still just a concubine. This is a period of national mourning. How undisciplined would the Imperial Family have to be to let a concubine come out to receive the female guests who came to offer their condolences?

In any family with a modicum of propriety, they would not let a concubine come out to make a spectacle of herself on such an occasion. The only reason you can mourn the Empress Dowager is because you gave birth to the Second Prince. The Imperial Family isn’t letting you out because they value you, but out of respect for the Second Prince.

Didn’t you see that the other consorts and concubines who haven’t given birth haven’t appeared at all?

This sister-in-law of hers really has a hole in her head.

The Noble Consort, whose brain was indeed lacking, didn’t just say these things to her sister-in-law. She said the same to the noblewomen standing behind the Second Prince. The gist of it was that she was very aggrieved, and that Princess Chen was particularly tactless for snatching her duties.

How did these noblewomen feel when they heard this?

If the men in their families continued to be tied to the Second Prince, they would likely be led straight into a ditch.

If the mother’s head doesn’t work right, how much better could the son’s brain be?

Everyone said the Crown Prince was too outstanding, so the other princes didn’t dare to show their heads. But if you want to stand out, shouldn’t you first see if you have the necessary caliber?

After witnessing the Noble Consort’s brainless behavior, the noblewomen made up their minds. Once they returned home, they would definitely ask their husbands what kind of man the Second Prince really was.

They couldn’t let him be a brainless fool like the Noble Consort, or wouldn’t he drag their families to death in the future?

When they returned, before the noblewomen could even speak, their husbands were already smashing things in their studies in a fit of rage.

What happened?

After dismissing the servants and listening to their husbands’ grumbling, the noblewomen thought to themselves that what they feared most had indeed come to pass.

“That Noble Consort is brainless. During the Empress Dowager’s national mourning, she actually pointed at Princess Chen and cursed her for standing there to receive the titled ladies, claiming she stole her job. The mother has a hole in her head, and the son actually wanted you all to jointly impeach Princess Chen. This mother and son are truly cut from the same cloth. The Second Prince doesn’t have a shred of royal dignity. My Lord, you must carefully consider whether you can continue to support such a prince.” They should avoid failing to gain the merit of supporting a new emperor and instead sending the lives of the whole family to the Underworld. That would be a joke.

Soon, the Emperor discovered that the court officials who had previously been secretly circling the Second Prince were now automatically distancing themselves from him.

What was the meaning of this?

Upon inquiry, he learned what the Noble Consort had said and what the Second Prince wanted his supporters to do.

The Emperor: …

When looking for a woman to bear children, one really cannot just look at whether her body is healthy; one must also look at whether her brain is good.

The Empress’s health wasn’t as good as the Noble Consort’s, but before she went mad, her mind was actually very sharp. So the Crown Prince is smart, isn’t he?

It was better to have less turmoil. The older the Emperor got, the more tired he felt. He used to handle all government affairs himself, but even now, with the Crown Prince helping him, he still felt exhausted.

His health was no longer good. The Emperor knew his own body better than anyone.

Therefore, what he feared most now was a struggle for the succession. The court could not fall into chaos because of this.

The Emperor planned to abdicate once the war in the Northwest subsided.

To abdicate and enjoy a few years of peace, how good would that be?

But this year was truly not a good one.

In the autumn, there was the great mourning for the Empress Dowager, and at the end of the year, the Empress passed away as well.

When the Empress was dying, she had a final moment of clarity. She looked at the Emperor and said, “I was actually not the legitimate daughter. I was only raised as one. I only found out about this when I was ten years old. Back then, my biological mother’s family was always looking for me and saying these things. I’ve lived in fear since I was a child. After entering the palace, I became even more afraid, living in constant anxiety. I was afraid of this and that. Everything weighed on my heart and I couldn’t let go. I am too tired.”

She had driven herself mad with exhaustion, and now she could finally rest.

With two mothers of the nation gone in succession, both the court and the Imperial City appeared very quiet and desolate.

Prince Chen spent his days sighing at home, occasionally seeking out Young Imperial Physician Wang for a chat.

Su Huandan didn’t even need to ask to know what Prince Chen was brooding over.

He was afraid he would be the next one to die.

“Mother, Mother, Father is whispering with Young Imperial Physician Wang again.” The chubby daughter climbed into Su Huandan’s arms in a few quick movements and spoke in a very loud voice, thinking she was sharing a secret.

The chubby daughter had run to her father’s study. As a man obsessed with his children, how could Prince Chen not notice?

He truly dropped everything and followed behind her, fearing the girl would trip while running wildly again.

Following her to the Main Courtyard, he heard his daughter reporting on him to his Princess Consort again.

As for his eldest son? That boy had a mind of his own, and as a father, he couldn’t control him even if he wanted to.

The little daughter, however, was too lively, jumping up and down like a monkey and acting impulsively. Prince Chen truly experienced the joy of raising a child through his little daughter.

But the way the little daughter was always reporting on him gave Prince Chen quite a headache.

Fine, there was no need to go in and disturb the mother and daughter. Prince Chen followed his daughter, saw her safely back, then turned and left.

Young Imperial Physician Wang had just finished a cup of tea when Prince Chen returned, showing that the little county princess had been delivered back.

“Where were we? Right, you said many medicines can be made into pills. This is a good thing. Once made into pills and sent to the army, it will be convenient for the soldiers to take. But you must also control the costs. If it’s too expensive, no one can afford the supply.” This time, Prince Chen’s visit to Young Imperial Physician Wang really wasn’t for his own health.

He was thinking of his eldest son.

What else could Young Imperial Physician Wang do?

Prince Chen was the kind of person who acted on every whim, but if the matter Prince Chen mentioned could be accomplished, it would truly be a good deed that accumulated hidden merit.

Prince Chen busied himself with medicine at home. Once he had perfected it, he spared no expense to produce it in large batches and sent it to the Northwest.

The disgusting result was that the medicine was pilfered and extorted along the way. By the time it reached the Northwest, not even one-tenth remained.

Prince Chen, still at home, knew nothing of this. He said happily to his Princess Consort, “When that brat Gousheng sees the medicine I’ve prepared for him, he’ll surely be incredibly moved.”

Su Huandan thought to herself: Even if you didn’t do these things, your son would still know your heart is full of nothing but him.

Prince Chen owned two heavy fur cloaks, one of red fox and one of white fox, and their colors were truly peerless.

The red fox cloak was a uniform golden-red without a single stray hair of another color. As for the white fox cloak, it wasn’t a standard snowy white, but a rare, shimmering silver-white.

Prince Chen cherished them deeply. He was only willing to wear them at home to show off for Su Huandan and their daughter, and he couldn’t bear to wear them whenever he went out.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t prepared similar ones for Su Huandan, the mother of his children. The quality was the same, but the colors were indeed not as beautiful or rare as the ones Prince Chen kept for himself.

The father and son shared a very close bond. They would write letters to each other, and both could be moved to tears by the exchange.

Well, Prince Chen was genuinely moved. As for his eldest son, most of the time he was simply humoring his father.

There was no helping it. Son, your mother chose a father for you who is just a bit too dramatic for his own good; this is simply your lot in life.

Translator’s Notes