The Emperor Jingyou lay on his couch, his eyes closed. When he opened them again, they were clear.
He stared directly at Lu Qingwan, "Prince Ning was also poisoned with the sterility drug before. Do you have a way to cure him?"
Lu Qingwan was startled. Did the Emperor Jingyou have the same idea as them?
Thinking of this, she nodded excitedly, "Of course, I am absolutely confident in this matter, but the prerequisite is that I can see Prince Ning frequently."
"I order you to cure Prince Ning at all costs and to regulate his body.
I will choose a suitable time to bestow a marriage upon Prince Ning. Once they have offspring, I will have them well protected and educated. The future of Great Qian will depend on this child.
As for Prince Chen..."
The Emperor Jingyou wanted Feng Qingheng to be unable to have heirs, but he was already troubled by the lack of successors. He truly could not bear for the next generation to continue to suffer from this.
Feng Xiwu offered him advice, "Prime Minister Wen is old and will retire for his health in a few years.
If Your Majesty is truly worried that Prince Chen and Prince Ning will corrupt the child, why not ask Prime Minister Wen to tutor the princes?
Under the pretext of Prime Minister Wen's advanced age and frail health, let the children study at the Prime Minister's residence. Prince Chen, as long as he is not foolish, should not object."
"Good, good, let's do it this way."
Emperor Jingyou greatly approved of this method, "Go, summon Prime Minister Wen, Grand Scholar Chi, and Prince Nan. I have something to instruct them."
Lu Qingwan silently retreated to the side, standing like a transparent person, awaiting the arrival of the three old officials.
As Emperor Jingyou himself had said before, there was nothing about the state affairs of Great Qian that Prime Minister Wen did not know.
Prime Minister Wen himself, as well as Prince Nan and Grand Scholar Chi, who were also pillars of the court, were well aware of this.
Therefore, when Prime Minister Wen was summoned to Weiyang Palace but was not allowed to enter the inner chamber, the three old officials had already anticipated that Emperor Jingyou and Feng Xiwu would entrust them with a major matter today.
However, even though the three old officials had anticipated it, they were still greatly shocked when they truly heard Emperor Jingyou's words.
As soon as the three old officials entered the sleeping quarters, Emperor Jingyou dropped a bombshell, "Great Qian currently has only Prince Chen as an heir, and he is destined to inherit the throne.
I have summoned the three of you here today to bear witness.
If Prince Chen commits any act that defies heavenly principles and goes against righteousness in the future, the Regent may depose Prince Chen with my dying decree and support another wise ruler."
"This..."
Prime Minister Wen could not believe it, "The new emperor has not yet ascended the throne, yet a decree of deposition has already been issued. Looking back at the history of all nations over thousands of years, there has never been such a precedent.
May I ask what wrongdoing Prince Chen has committed for Your Majesty to punish him so severely?"
Grand Scholar Chi and Prince Nan, both men of considerable composure, could not help but show surprise on their faces upon hearing Emperor Jingyou's words.
Emperor Jingyou weakly waved his hand, "Xiwu, show these three lords that document."
As the matter was of great importance, even Tang Xiao and his personal attendant Fu An were dismissed. Only Feng Xiwu could be utilized.
The latter took the silk cloth containing Feng Qingheng's confession and said, "Please examine it, my lords."
Prime Minister Wen took it with suspicion. The three old officials could hardly imagine what unforgivable crime Feng Qingheng had committed to incur such wrath from Emperor Jingyou.
He even intended to leave a decree of deposition before officially naming Feng Qingheng as crown prince.
However, once the three old officials clearly saw the contents written on the silk cloth, they could fully understand Emperor Jingyou's anger.
"The Eldest Prince and the Seventh Prince were both murdered by Prince Chen?"
Prime Minister Wen exclaimed in shock, "Prince Ning rebelled, Prince Jing repeatedly made mistakes and was caught, and it was all instigated by him from the shadows.
He even colluded with martial arts forces to hunt down the Regent, plotted against Marquis Lu, and conspired with people from the Tianxuan Sect to assassinate Your Majesty..."
Prime Minister Wen enumerated Feng Qingheng's crimes one by one and, in the end, could not continue speaking.
Changing the subject, he asked, "Where did this confession come from? Can its authenticity be guaranteed?"
Feng Xiwu nodded calmly, "Last night, my wife and I personally interrogated Prince Chen and used a drug. He could not lie even if he wanted to.
Every word written here was spoken by Prince Chen himself. I have also sent people to verify it, and there is no mistake."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Wen's expression became complicated, "Such actions make him truly unworthy of the heavy responsibility of being a ruler.
This old minister is willing to witness Your Majesty's decree of deposition. If necessary, when the future Regent supports another wise ruler, this old minister is also willing to contribute."
Prince Nan and Grand Scholar Chi bowed in unison, "We are the same."
Emperor Jingyou's body was sustained entirely by tonics. Upon hearing this, he sighed, "Bring me ink and paper, I must personally draft the decree."
The small bed desk that Lu Qingwan had people make at the time now served its purpose. The few people watched as Emperor Jingyou personally wrote the decree of deposition, each stroke seeming to exhaust all his strength.
He then had someone bring a brocade box to store the dying decree, and sighed, "This dying decree will be kept by Xiwu.
If this thing is ever needed, do not spare that unfilial son's life. Kill him decisively, and I will never resent you."
Perhaps the atmosphere was too heavy, and the three old officials did not say much after Feng Xiwu received the dying decree.
Emperor Jingyou lay back on the imperial couch and sighed, "You may all withdraw. I am tired and wish to rest."
The group quietly withdrew. Outside Weiyang Palace, their steps returned to normal.
Prime Minister Wen sighed, "May I be so bold as to ask, observing Your Majesty's condition just now, how many days does the Consort believe His Majesty has left?"
The gazes of the people around him fell upon her, and Lu Qingwan felt immense pressure.
"His Majesty's vital energy has been depleted to the extreme. It looks like it's only about a month away."
Lu Qingwan looked back at Weiyang Palace, "His Majesty likely knows his own condition and did not even ask.
If any of you lords have important matters that require His Majesty's decision, it would be best to do so as soon as possible."
Prime Minister Wen and Grand Scholar Chi merely sighed and remained silent. Prime Minister Wen smiled bitterly, "Where do we need to find His Majesty? His Majesty has already handled everything for us."
As he finished speaking, they saw the carriage from the Regent's mansion. Li Jin dismounted, paid his respects to the three old officials, and then explained to Feng Xiwu and Lu Qingwan.
"It has started snowing again. His Majesty ordered Tang Xiao to call for me to pick up the Prince and Princess, so that you would not be exposed to the cold."
The three old officials were already accustomed to Emperor Jingyou's preferential treatment of Feng Xiwu. After bidding farewell to the couple, they walked out of the palace.
Lu Qingwan nimbly hopped into the carriage and asked curiously, "What did Prince Nan mean just now? Has His Majesty done anything else that I don't know about?"
Thanks to Feng Qingheng, Feng Xiwu discovered that Lu Qingwan had long been entangled in court politics and could not remain aloof simply because she was a woman of the inner court. He decisively chose to tell Lu Qingwan everything that happened in court.
Especially since Lu Qingwan had participated in the events of the past few days, she was even clearer.
Therefore, Prince Nan's pointed remark was quite abrupt.