Chongwen Emperor fell silent. Though he didn't want to admit it, A'le was speaking the truth. In the face of imperial power, those things and people they held dear could all be sacrificed.
Back then, it was for the throne that he had wronged A'le.
Now, Lu Linlang made such a decision to help the second prince ascend to that position, and more importantly, to ensure the Lu family's enduring prosperity.
Sitting in his position, the successor naturally should be someone more capable, someone who could better manage the Zhao family's empire. The second prince was kind-hearted, a good person. But managing an empire required more than just kindness. Furthermore, the second prince was easily swayed, his decisions often wavering. The Lu family, ambitious and restless for a long time.
If the throne were given to the second prince, Chongwen Emperor could foresee that in a few years, the empire would become the Lu family's.
The eldest prince was different. A'le did not rely on the Gu family for everything, and he had watched A'nian grow up. He knew his character well.
"For now, you must protect Su Qingyue well, ensuring no one can find her," Chongwen Emperor said with difficulty.
Gu Sinian nodded.
"You may go about your business now. I need to rest for a while," Chongwen Emperor said, his face etched with fatigue.
Gu Sinian bowed and withdrew.
Chongwen Emperor leaned back on the Luohan bed, his brow furrowed.
After a moment, he spoke, "A'le, tell me, what do you think if I were to meet the second prince?"
"At this critical juncture, Your Majesty wishes to meet the second prince? How confident are you that he will not inform the Empress of your whereabouts? For the ruler of a nation to secretly leave the palace, if this matter were to leak, do you know what Your Majesty would face?" Consort An said with a grave expression. "Does Your Majesty truly believe the second prince cares more about you than the Empress?"
Indeed, the second prince had always listened to his mother.
Seeing Chongwen Emperor remain silent, Consort An continued, "A'nian has promised to protect Su Qingyue, and he will surely do so. Your Majesty need not worry excessively. It is not too late to act once everything is clear."
There was no other way.
Chongwen Emperor nodded.
The second prince was solely focused on finding Su Qingyue, not even returning to the palace, which infuriated Empress Lu, causing her to smash several sets of tea ware.
"Still no sign of her?" Empress Lu's face was clouded with gloom.
"We cannot search too openly, and besides, we don't know if she is still in the capital."
"Was there no witness when she left? Without money, and being such a delicate person, how could she have left the capital? Have you had her uncle's residence watched? Has anything seemed amiss?" Empress Lu inquired.
"We infiltrated the second prince consort's uncle's residence immediately to investigate, but found nothing out of the ordinary," the female official replied.
"This is strange. A living person, how can there be no trace?" Empress Lu's brow furrowed tightly.
The female official did not reply. It was certainly difficult to find her, especially when operating in secret and without alerting outsiders. If the second prince consort found a hiding place and did not venture out, she would naturally not be found. Unless the entire capital was turned upside down!
"Find her first, and then I will think of another plan," Empress Lu said.
The second prince searched all the places Su Qingyue used to frequent, but found not even a shred of evidence. His men also informed him that the Empress had dispatched people to search as well. The second prince was terrified, afraid that Su Qingyue would be found by his mother's people, and then...
The second prince knew that Chongwen Emperor had accompanied Consort An back to the Duke's mansion. He also knew that the one in the palace was a substitute. He was aware of everything his mother and maternal grandfather were plotting, but he did not particularly desire to ascend the throne.