Chapter Twenty-Six
The next day, the old patriarch of the Feng residence personally sent a memorial to the palace requesting an audience with His Majesty.
To make way for his son, Feng Yishan had retired from official duties long ago. As a member of the imperial in-laws, Feng Yishan was quite level-headed. As long as his daughter committed no major mistakes, as long as his grandson could smoothly ascend the throne in the future, the family's glory could endure for generations. Therefore, Feng Yishan had never meddled in court affairs, nor would he allow even his own son to seek power or accumulate influence. He only instructed his son to dutifully perform his official duties and never be greedy for power. The Feng residence had always kept a low profile—even when something happened at another family, Feng Yishan would claim illness and ignore it. It had been a long time since he had come to the palace.
"Your Grace, the Duke." Chief eunuch Fu Hailu of Qianqing Palace stepped forward to pay his respects to Feng Yishan, smiling as he said, "His Majesty saw Your Grace's memorial this morning and was quite surprised. It's been quite some time since Your Grace last entered the palace."
Feng Yishan forced a bitter smile. "My family acted foolishly, failing to choose a good servant for the Second Prince, which led to all this trouble. It's my fault for not managing the household properly. I couldn't sit at ease at home, so I wanted to come and ask for the Emperor's forgiveness. Whatever wrongs were done, I take full responsibility."
Fu Hailu hastily waved his hand. "Oh, Your Grace, please don't say such things. You may not know this, but His Majesty was quite moved when he read Your Grace's memorial. He said it was touching that at Your Grace's advanced age, you still have to worry about such matters. He immediately ordered me to cancel this morning's appointments to make time for Your Grace. You see... the ministers from the council meeting are about to emerge. Your Grace will soon have your audience."
Feng Yishan nodded. As long as the Emperor was still willing to see him, that was good.
When the Emperor had ascended the throne smoothly all those years ago, the Feng family had contributed greatly. Moreover, over the years, the Feng residence had been tactful, rarely causing trouble for the Emperor. Therefore, the Emperor still held considerable affection for his old father-in-law. Although the Emperor had developed the intention to support other princes, this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. And besides, Qi Xiao still sat firmly on the Crown Prince's throne. Before eliminating this external threat—Qi Xiao—the Emperor would not first deal with internal troubles.
These past few days, the Emperor had also come to understand this. The princes were growing up. Instead of一心 cultivating the useless Qi Hua, suppressing the other sons of concubines and daring them to rise, it would be better to value them all, letting them compete amongst themselves for Qi Xiao's position. In the future, who would succeed would depend on each individual's abilities. The Emperor didn't particularly care which prince brought Qi Xiao down, as long as they possessed both means and wisdom—even a prince born of a concubine would suffice.
But that was all for later. Before a suitable heir appeared, the Emperor had no desire to sever ties with the Feng residence, although... these recent incidents had made the Emperor strongly inclined to give the Empress a piece of his mind.
But regardless of his dissatisfaction with Empress Feng, the Emperor had not taken his frustrations out on Feng Yishan. Feng Yishan had been law-abiding and cautious over the years, and the Emperor had always been satisfied with him. Therefore, in the Qianqing Palace, the ruler and his minister maintained a superficially harmonious demeanor.
Feng Yishan's main purpose in entering the palace this time was to personally confirm the Emperor's attitude. Before the coachman's death, Feng Yishan could be certain the Emperor had not suspected Qi Hua. But now, damn it all, after Empress Feng's people had gone to the Court of Judicial Review, the coachman had died from the poison! It wasn't just the Emperor—even Feng Yishan couldn't help but suspect that perhaps the previous incidents really were foolish things Qi Hua had done in a moment of impulsiveness.
Feng Yishan had混迹 in the court for many years and possessed considerable depth of character. He first engaged in idle家常 with the Emperor, then gradually steered the conversation toward the Court of Judicial Review, doing his utmost to dispel the Emperor's suspicions. Feng Yishan had come prepared, and seeing that the Emperor was treating him no differently than usual, he thought it would be no problem to make a few excuses for Empress Feng and Qi Hua. Unexpectedly, the moment he mentioned yesterday's matter, the Emperor raised his teacup and said calmly, "Father-in-law, you worry too much. The Empress manages the inner palace daily, where would she find time to meddle in affairs out front? This matter, I know she had nothing to do with it, and I have never suspected her. Speaking of which..."
The Emperor sipped his tea and smiled. "The Empress has worked hard all these years. Her health has never been good, and now that Qi Hua is not making progress, always provoking her and making her angry, sometimes I think... the Empress should rest."
Feng Yishan's heart sank. He stabilized his composure with great effort, slowly set down his teacup, and bowed his head. "The Emperor shows such consideration for the Empress's health. My entire household... is deeply grateful for the Emperor's benevolence."
The Emperor had given a warning and then offered a carrot. Yet Feng Yishan remained terrified. He had previously discerned the Emperor's intention to support other princes, but he never imagined the Emperor would intend to elevate both son and mother together. Feng Yishan had already prepared for the worst scenario—that the Emperor would completely abandon Qi Hua. After dealing with Qi Xiao, he would replace him with a prince born of a concubine. Feng Yishan had even instructed his son: if the Emperor truly went that far, do not act rashly. Simply secretly eliminate the new Crown Prince's mother. In the future, Empress Feng would still be the only Empress Dowager. As long as Empress Feng stood firm, the Feng residence's glory would never decline.
Feng Yishan never anticipated that the Emperor had already conceived the idea of establishing a new Empress.
The Emperor valued face above all else, so naturally he would not do something as crude as deposing an Empress. But if he truly wanted to give his future Crown Prince a legitimate legitimate status, he simply needed to have the Empress quietly pass away from illness, then establish a new Empress.
Feng Yishan broke out in a cold sweat. He silently recited a few calming words, forcing himself to compose his features. "With the Emperor showing such consideration, the Empress will naturally not shrink from any hardship."
The Emperor had made his point and stopped there, returning to casual conversation. At lunch, he even rewarded Feng Yishan with an imperial banquet. Feng Yishan sat on pins and needles, finding the meal tasteless. After leaving the palace and returning home, he immediately summoned Feng Guozhong to his private quarters. After closing the door, father and son spoke for a long time. After analyzing the pros and cons, Feng Yishan sighed. "Tomorrow is the fifteenth. Have your wife enter the palace."
Feng Guozhong instantly understood his father's meaning and nodded. "Father, rest assured. I will instruct Lady Fang clearly and have her give the Empress good counsel. I will certainly... certainly not allow the Empress to commit any more foolish mistakes."
Feng Yishan let out a long sigh. "The wheel of fortune turns."
Seeing his old father sigh so, Feng Guozhong felt equally distressed. When he thought of what had happened before, it felt like he had swallowed a fly. That Lingnan Prince's son was perfectly fine resting in the side hall, but his princely nephew just had to go provoke him, wanting to teach him a lesson. And what happened? He failed to show off, scratched the guy, got twenty lashes himself. Then the incident at Cat Alley happened. Feng Guozhong knew it wasn't Empress Feng and Qi Hua's doing—it wasn't their fault. But then what? Everything was fine, yet they just had to send a eunuch to make a round at the Court of Judicial Review. And wouldn't you know it, the moment that eunuch returned, the coachman died from the poison!
Feng Guozhong was not as composed as Feng Yishan. He spat. "If it were an outsider causing trouble, fine—but this... what kind of mess is this!"
Feng Yishan shook his head. "The Empress was anxious... that's only human."
"Anxious about what? Those princes aren't going to rise that easily! My sister is just too prone to impatience." Feng Guozhong took a hard gulp of tea. "That Prince's son too—there's nothing to be afraid of. If something happens, handle it. Why do they have to resort to useless tricks, giving people ammunition for gossip..."
Feng Yishan forced a bitter smile. "You're worried about that? Your father has other concerns."
Feng Guozhong looked at Feng Yishan, puzzled. "What else does Father worry about?"
Feng Yishan slowly turned the jade thumb ring on his finger, thinking for a long while before speaking. "The Emperor having other intentions naturally worries me, but what worries me even more now... is the Crown Prince."
Feng Guozhong raised an eyebrow. "The Crown Prince? He didn't have anything to do with this... Oh, right, before that, the incident in the side hall ruined the Crown Prince's marriage to the Lingnan County Princess. That's not a big deal either. Even if the Crown Prince is unhappy, he can't do anything about it..."
"Fool!" A murderous glint flashed in Feng Yishan's dimming eyes. "Don't you think all these incidents have been too convenient?! Every matter had nothing to do with the Crown Prince, yet the final result always benefited the Crown Prince! Going by this pattern, the Emperor and Empress grow estranged, the princes each harbor their own schemes, scheming against each other—who ends up benefiting from all this?!"
Feng Guozhong froze, at a loss for words. "Father's meaning is... all these affairs were arranged by the Crown Prince? How... how could that be possible..."
Feng Yishan shook his head. "I'm not certain, and I have not a shred of evidence. But connect these events together, think deeper about them, and you can't help but think of the Crown Prince. If all this was arranged by the Crown Prince, if he could accomplish these things under the Emperor's very nose... Zhong'er, before this, your father underestimated him."
Feng Yishan whispered with a sigh. "He truly is Emperor Wu's offspring after all..."
"Then the Emperor..."
"I today already subtly reminded the Emperor, both overtly and covertly, to be vigilant. It was also to serve as a warning for the Emperor." Feng Yishan rubbed his bleary eyes and lowered his voice. "If the Emperor cannot resolve the Crown Prince soon, then there's no need to worry about which prince to establish as heir at all. If I'm right about the previous matters... Crown Prince Qi Xiao has never regarded any of these princes as worthy of his attention. He never considered them opponents. Even this Crown Prince position, he probably never cared about."
Feng Guozhong laughed in disbelief. "Then... what does he want?"
Feng Yishan closed his eyes wearily and whispered a sigh. "The Dragon Throne."