N-A-A Chapter 1837 Staying to Serve the Ill
Chapter 1837 Staying to Serve the Ill
The Empress Dowager was injured, and the Emperor fell into a coma.
At the Buddhist temple, the empress also collapsed.
The nanny found the Crown Prince and said that the Empress was experiencing alternating bouts of fever and coldness, and was also talking nonsense from time to time, which made him extremely anxious.
The Crown Prince is at a critical juncture.
When Prime Minister Shen learned that the Emperor would not wake up for a while, he went to join forces with some ministers. Their idea was to temporarily appoint a capable person to take over the administration of the country in place of the Emperor.
Why can't the crown prince be put in charge directly?
The idea of Prime Minister Shen and his colleagues was that the Emperor was only temporarily ill, and the Crown Prince was still inexperienced, having never been in charge of any major events before. Although his position was suitable, he was probably still too young and inexperienced.
Moreover, what Prime Minister Shen and his group meant was that the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne posed a threat to the Emperor.
After all, this kind of thing had happened before in previous dynasties; the crown prince would act as emperor for a while and then not want to return power to the emperor.
This was also for the sake of the emperor's safety.
They also tried their best to win over the royalists.
"Lord Duke, think about it. If we choose someone now, this person will only be a temporary regent. However, he will be watched by the Crown Prince. With the Crown Prince backing him up, this person won't be able to cause trouble."
"Because this person is temporarily acting as regent, the crown prince cannot do anything to the comatose emperor. This person must also protect the emperor and ensure that the imperial physicians do their best to treat him."
"In this way, they can be considered to have a relationship of mutual restraint. Moreover, we can choose this person carefully, and it is not easy to choose someone from a certain faction. This way, we can maximize the neutrality of this person, which is good for everyone."
"Otherwise, given the Emperor's sudden death, if all parties want to push their chosen one to the throne, who will win? Who will be willing to lose? I'm afraid things will get out of hand."
"At this time, the Great Zhou cannot afford any disturbances. There have also been some unusual developments on the border of the Qian Kingdom recently, so we must prioritize stability. By promoting someone that everyone can accept, we can give everyone some time to calm down. Once the Emperor has come to his senses and the matter has been thoroughly investigated, the Emperor will be able to decide what to do."
It must be said that even the royalist party, led by the old Duke, was persuaded by Prime Minister Shen and his group.
Prime Minister Shen and his entourage suddenly became arrogant.
Lin Rong is also under pressure. People he used to imprison, such as Luo Qiu and Yu Tiesheng, are being pressured to release them.
Especially Luo Qiu, even the Empress Dowager is making a fuss, demanding that Lin Rong release her.
Meanwhile, Consort Shu and the Second Prince were also causing a ruckus, never finding a moment of peace.
The second prince was originally favored by the emperor. Although he has recently fallen out of favor, some ministers believe that compared to the crown prince and the young prince, if something were to happen to the emperor, the second prince would be more likely to inherit the throne.
Therefore, under these circumstances, some of those who were sophisticatedly self-serving were won over by Consort Shu and the Second Prince.
On the contrary, the Crown Prince's supporters are clear-headed, upright people who truly put the people of the Great Zhou first, such as Lin Rong and Imperial Censor Lin.
Unfortunately, in this world, truly clear-headed and upright people are in the minority.
Therefore, the Crown Prince is currently in a very bad situation.
What the Crown Prince needs to do now is to try his best to win more people over to his side, and to find out exactly who Prime Minister Shen and his allies want to put forward, so as to know himself and his enemy. When the person about to be put forward is about to be chosen, he must immediately find their weaknesses and thwart their plans.
Moreover, after arresting Zhou Ruan, he also wanted to investigate Zhou Ruan.
The Empress fell ill at this critical moment, but the Crown Prince still managed to find time to rush to the Buddhist temple.
In the past, when he came, he would just stay outside the gate or in the courtyard, and he never went into the room where the Empress lived.
It's funny, really. This is the first time he's come in in over a decade.
It was also the first time he saw the Empress lying in bed without looking at him with that complicated or disappointed gaze.
"Your Highness, why have you brought outsiders in? What's this all about?"
The nanny beside the Empress looked at Rong Jingjing suspiciously.
That's right, the Crown Prince sent someone to invite Rong Jingjing to come with him this time.
His aunt had once told him that the Empress seemed emotionally unstable and had some health issues. She suggested that if he had the chance, he should thoroughly inspect the Buddhist temple.
Previously, the Empress would never allow the Crown Prince to enter the palace.
The Crown Prince had once thought that after Lu Zhaoling married into the Prince's mansion and the wedding period was over, he would invite her in for a visit.
However, ever since the Empress caused a scene at the Prince's residence on the day of the wedding, the Crown Prince had already abandoned the plan.
He was too ashamed to ask Lu Zhaoling to come to the palace to inspect the Buddhist temple for the Empress.
But when the Empress fell ill, the Crown Prince remembered Lu Zhaoling's words and had Rong Jingjing brought to the palace.
Rong Jingjing's familiarity and adaptability upon entering the palace surprised even the Crown Prince.
Upon hearing the mention of the Buddhist temple, Rong Jingjing seemed to know the way perfectly.
The Crown Prince brought Qingmu Qingyu and Rong Jingjing with him this time.
Aoki Seiyu waited outside the hall, as he was not a man and it was inappropriate for him to come in.
Rong Jingjing followed the Crown Prince in.
However, the nanny beside the Empress was also familiar with the Crown Prince and knew who was in the Eastern Palace, but she had never seen Rong Jingjing by the Crown Prince's side.
Strangely enough, she felt that Rong Jingjing looked somewhat familiar.
“This is Miss Rong,” the Crown Prince said calmly. “She knows some medicine, so I brought her to see the Empress Dowager.”
"Imperial Physician Tan also came."
The old woman quickly said, "However, Physician Tan only said that Her Highness caught a cold and is also troubled by emotional distress, causing her to be unable to sleep at night. I'm afraid that a heart ailment requires a heart remedy..."
The Crown Prince paused for a moment, then said, "So, Granny, you should often advise Mother to be more open-minded about things. She's already stopped caring about anything before, so why not just relax and enjoy herself?"
"Your Highness, Her Majesty is very concerned about you. Could Your Highness stay at the Buddhist temple for the next few days? If you can show your filial piety and take good care of Her Majesty, she will surely be very moved!"
The old woman hurriedly advised the Crown Prince, "Besides, people are most soft-hearted when they are sick. If the Empress sees Your Highness's filial piety, won't the relationship between you and your son improve? This is precisely Your Highness's opportunity."
Hearing this from the side, Rong Jingjing almost rolled her eyes to the heavens.
Do you even know what situation His Highness the Crown Prince is in right now?!
If he loses this confrontation, he might lose his life!
So many wolves are eyeing the Crown Prince covetously, and now they actually want him to stay in the Buddhist temple to care for the ailing prince?
This truly shows that like master, like servant!
Rong Jingjing looked at the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, I will stay here today to guard the Empress."