activa-t Chapter 437: How about letting the Prince of Chen take over the government temporarily?
Chapter 437: How about letting the Prince of Chen take over the government temporarily?
Queen Mother Mu took over the government for two days, but she finally couldn't take it anymore.
Go to the Yangxin Palace to persuade Emperor Fu.
"Emperor, you are the ruler of a country, and your health is the most important thing. I know you care about the Second Prince. If you had known this would happen, you would not have done it in the first place. Now that it has happened, it cannot be undone. You should think more positively." Empress Dowager Mu persuaded gently.
"I have read scriptures for Yu'er these days. The ancestor will bless him to recover soon."
"Mother, you are the only one who understands me. I feel so heartbroken when I think of Yu'er." Emperor Fu sighed.
"Prince Chen is too cruel. He shouldn't treat Yu'er like this." Emperor Fu said, "Mother, you'd better take back all the private soldiers, otherwise who knows what he will do."
Queen Mother Mu frowned, "Emperor, are you saying that Prince Chen brought assassins to lurk in the hunting grounds to murder Yu'er?"
"..." Emperor Fu's face changed, and his tone slowed down. "Yu'er was deceived by the treacherous people around him. Prince Chen's brother in Yong Dynasty is a wanted criminal. He approached Yu'er under an assumed name to instigate Yu'er to kill his brother. This man deserves death!"
"So it was Yu'er who wanted to kill Prince Chen and the Crown Prince in the hunting ground, but ended up getting backstabbed." Queen Mother Mu grasped the key point.
Emperor Fu: "Yu'er has realized his mistake."
"It's good that you can correct your mistakes. Your Majesty, the Prince of Chen had a hard time in Yong Dynasty before. The Duke's Mansion didn't treat him as a young master at all. This Lu Heng must be jealous of the Prince of Chen's current status, so he tried to sow discord between Yu'er and him."
"Yu'er is also a man who doesn't know how to judge people. A man of unknown origin asked him to kill his brother, so he had assassins ambush in the hunting ground. What if the person injured is the emperor?"
"I heard that there were wild beasts in the hunting grounds. If the queen hadn't saved you, how could you have returned safely?"
"Emperor, I have seen that the Queen is the one who treats you best. If she had second thoughts about you, how could she save you at the risk of her life?"
Emperor Fu found that he had no chance of convincing the Queen Mother. No matter how he explained, the Queen Mother had already determined that it was Yu'er's fault.
"Mother, Prince Chen must have noticed it a long time ago, otherwise how could he..." Nothing happened at all, the ones who were hurt were all Yu'er's people.
"I have asked the Prince of Chen. He is on guard against He Zhiyuan, and he wants to protect the Crown Prince and the Queen. He has never thought about Yu'er's involvement. You don't know the Prince of Chen well enough. He is a good boy."
"How can a child who is so filial to me be unfilial to his own father?"
Emperor Fu took a deep breath and said, "I have asked the Dali Temple to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Empress Dowager Mu said, "The case of the hunting ground was jointly investigated by the Dali Temple and the Zhenfu Division. They have reached a conclusion today. If this matter is investigated further, it will damage Yu'er's reputation. Your Majesty, let's do this. Put all the blame on the wanted criminal of the Yong Dynasty and clear Yu'er completely."
Since the Queen Mother said so, the Dali Temple must have found evidence that is bad for Yu'er.
No matter how much Emperor Fu wanted to be partial, he could not cover up for Fu Yuxuan.
"Then let's do as mother says." Emperor Fu sighed softly.
Queen Mother Mu nodded with a smile, "That's right. I know you don't trust the Queen, but the Prince of Chen and the Crown Prince are both your sons, and they are related to you by blood. You can't not trust them either."
"You are worried that the Crown Prince is too weak to handle official duties, but we still have Prince Chen. I think it would be better to let Prince Chen take charge of the government affairs temporarily. Your Majesty, what do you think?" She is old, and it is too hard for her to get up so early every day to attend government affairs.
Since her grandson is smart and capable, let him do more.
Emperor Fu took a breath.
Mother, do you want to listen to what you are saying?
He is afraid of Queen Ruan, but isn't he afraid of Prince Chen?
Prince Chen is the Queen’s biological son!
"Your Majesty, do you have any secrets?" Empress Dowager Mu asked doubtfully.
Emperor Fu's heart sank. "Mother, Prince Chen never grew up in front of you. Why do you trust him so much?"
"It's easy to tell a person's character. Prince Chen certainly didn't grow up in my presence, but you can see that even after he became famous, he never abandoned his first wife. He also protected and loved the Crown Prince, and he was patient and respectful to me."
"I know what you want to say. My three grandsons are all respectful to me, but I can still tell whether they are sincere or not."
How come Emperor Fu didn't realize that Prince Chen was as good as the Queen Mother said?
"But the Crown Prince is already the heir apparent, and Prince Chen is the eldest son. Aren't you afraid that he will develop ambitions?"
“Your Majesty, you are still in your prime. Why bother thinking about such long-term things? Besides, you can always let Prince Chen be the regent in the future and let him assist the crown prince.” said Queen Mother Mu.
Emperor Fu covered his chest with his hands. He couldn't take it anymore. If he continued talking, he would really have a stroke.
"Mother, let me think carefully about temporarily taking over the government affairs. I think I can go to court now, so maybe I won't have to trouble you."
Queen Mother Mu said worriedly, "Don't be stubborn, Prince Chen handled it very well anyway."
Emperor Fu suddenly raised his head and looked at the Queen Mother, fearing that the Queen Mother had assigned a lot of things to Prince Chen to do in the past two days.
No, no, he has to attend the morning court by himself tomorrow.
The next day, Emperor Fu went to court in person despite his illness.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"I would like to report that Prime Minister Ruan colluded with the Empress to sell official positions and titles in the areas south and north of the Yangtze River and embezzled a large amount of money. The Prince of Chen used the convenience of the Pacification Office to cover up for them... This is the evidence of their corruption." Hong Shilin of the Censorate handed over a list with both hands.
Ruan Xinglin and Fu Jinyuan looked at each other.
"Your Majesty, this is slander. Censor Hong, how can you conclude that I sold official positions based on just a booklet? I have a clear conscience and have never sold official positions with anyone."
"Hmph, Prime Minister Ruan, you are so handsome and self-righteous, but even a passing goose leaves traces. Do you really think that others don't know what your Ruan family has done behind the scenes?"
Censor Hong was well-known for his integrity and he did not support any party and was loyal only to Emperor Fu.
Although Emperor Fu didn't like his bad temper like a rock, he found him particularly pleasing to the eye today.
"Show me the booklet." Emperor Fu said expressionlessly.
Ruan Xinglin's face turned pale, "Your Majesty, Censor Hong has slandered and wronged me. Please, Your Majesty, help me and restore justice to my name."
Emperor Fu looked at him deeply and said, "Prime Minister Ruan, don't be nervous. If anyone dares to wrongly accuse you, I will not let them off easily."
"But..." Emperor Fu was flipping through the booklet, and suddenly raised his hand and threw the booklet in front of Ruan Xinglin.
"Prime Minister Ruan, please explain to me what is going on here. Aren't these officials promoted by you?"
Ruan Xinglin said in a deep voice, "I have been the prime minister for many years, and I have recommended many officials to various places. However, they are all talented and knowledgeable, and have been approved by the cabinet, and have never been partial to anyone."
"Really?" Emperor Fu snorted coldly, "Whether it is or not, we will know after a thorough investigation."