With Emperor Chongwen's assurance, Su Qingyue felt much more at ease.
The imperial guards' search for the "assassin" continued with great fanfare. Although they didn't find Su Qingyue, they did uncover issues in the homes of some ministers.
These were ministers who had previously been at odds with Duke Chengen.
The Empress Dowager, due to the assassination attempt, was unable to attend court. All state affairs were handled in her sleeping quarters. It was said she had thrown a great tantrum, smashing many things.
Consequently, those ministers were ordered to reflect on their mistakes at home.
Emperor Chongwen's fury was immense. The supposed mistakes of the ministers were, in fact, the Empress Lu's and Duke Chengen's methods of eliminating their rivals.
"If you don't make a decision soon, your ministers will be wiped out," Gu Sinian said.
Li An controlled some ministers with蛊虫 (gu worms), while Empress Lu and Duke Chengen had secured another group of ministers. The remaining ones were either staunch supporters of the Lu family, backing Empress Lu and the Second Prince, or supporters of the First Prince. Those who remained neutral and loyal only to Emperor Chongwen were almost non-existent.
Emperor Chongwen touched his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Looking at it this way, his reign as emperor was truly a failure.
"How are things in the palace?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
"Eunuch Jixiang has been confined by the fake emperor under a pretext. It's clear that the fake emperor is now siding with Empress Lu and the Lu family. Your choice of a substitute was truly poor; you misjudged!" Gu Sinian said unsparingly. "Therefore, your initial plan is no longer feasible."
Originally, Emperor Chongwen was supposed to return to the palace and switch places with the fake emperor without anyone noticing.
Now, returning to the palace presented difficulties.
"Allow me to think carefully," Emperor Chongwen said.
Before Emperor Chongwen could finish thinking, an imperial decree was issued from the palace, summoning Consort An back.
"She can't wait any longer and intends to act against A'le?" Emperor Chongwen asked, both surprised and enraged.
"Whether she will act or not, this humble subject does not know. What I do know is that this must be Empress Lu's intention," Gu Sinian said.
"Then I shall return with her to protect A'le," Emperor Chongwen said.
"Your Majesty, since Empress Lu knows you are at the Duke's mansion, how would she easily allow you back into the palace? Are you certain you can return together? What if you fall directly into the Empress's hands? Then, you would be silently eliminated, the fake emperor would feign serious illness, issue a decree of abdication, and the Second Prince would ascend the throne legitimately. In that scenario, would the First Prince benefit? Li An is ambitious and covets the throne; do you think the Second Prince's position would be secure? Empress Lu has harbored resentment towards my aunt for a long time; would she let my aunt go? If my aunt were to meet misfortune, with the First Prince's capabilities, would he not be able to uncover the reason for her misfortune? That would lead to internal strife," Gu Sinian said unhurriedly.
"What can be done then? If your aunt does not return, the entire Duke's mansion will be implicated for defying an imperial decree," Emperor Chongwen said.
"That is why this humble subject did not agree with you taking this step in the first place," Gu Sinian said.
Emperor Chongwen glared at him. "What use is it to say that now?"
"Therefore, the best course of action now is to send you back to the palace, and before Empress Lu is aware, you can switch identities with the fake emperor," Gu Sinian said.
"Is that possible?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
In this situation, it had to be possible, even if it wasn't.
Otherwise, great chaos would ensue.
"Since my aunt is returning to the palace now, I will send two men to accompany her. They will protect my aunt at the crucial moment. Furthermore, if Empress Lu truly intends to harm my aunt, she will need a pretext. A justifiable charge will not be easily pinned on my aunt," Gu Sinian said.