"As for Young Master Su, you knew earlier that Xiao Yunli brought the rebel army into the city, why didn't you report it!"
Su Cheng knelt on the ground, feigning innocence, and said, "Your Highness, I was speaking nonsense. Mu Qian and I hadn't left the city, so how could we go hunting? And how could we have met them so coincidentally!"
The Crown Prince was taken aback, but the Ninth Prince's intense itching was also real. What was going on?
Su Cheng quickly explained, "I had a doctor prepare this a few days ago for my dog, who had some persistent rashes. The doctor suggested using poison to fight poison, so I had this medicine made. Since he came in just now, his entire focus was on confronting others. I quietly got close and sprinkled a little on the edge of his sleeve."
"And the people outside?"
"I don't know about that."
Everyone looked at Xiao Muqian. He was the only one who had entered from outside, and he might know.
Xiao Muqian pondered for a moment before saying, "Rashes? Perhaps it was the distance, and everyone misheard. That was the sound of the guards disarming."
At this point, everyone realized it was a huge misunderstanding.
However, the Crown Prince was deeply impressed by Su Cheng's composure under pressure and his ability to come up with clever ideas.
Moreover, his background was not bad; he was the son of the esteemed General Su, though his reputation had been poor from years of misbehavior.
Thus, he conceived the idea of recruiting Su Cheng as an ally. This was, of course, a foregone conclusion.
For now, dealing with the corpses was more important.
The reason they were hung at the entrance of the market was twofold: to warn the populace and to prevent them from faking their deaths again.
Otherwise, the Crown Prince would have to spend his days monitoring these individuals who might return for revenge.
With a rope around their necks, hanging from a pole, even if they weren't stabbed or beaten to death, they would be strangled, starved, or sun-dried.
For a long time, many people were afraid to pass by the market entrance, fearing they would see the gruesome scene and be terrified for days, unable to sleep.
The next day, at the morning court, the Crown Prince gave a general account of the previous day's events, while the rest was narrated by the brothers Feng Jinxu and Feng Jinlin.
One had been resurrected, dragging a broken leg to court, and had produced considerable evidence.
The other was a newly appointed Jinshi, a third-rank official personally appointed by His Majesty, who had achieved great merit at a young age.
This aroused much envy, and no one dared to refute or question their accounts.
In fact, at this point, even a three-year-old child speaking such words would not be questioned, unless they wished to die.
The Crown Prince's ascension to the throne was legitimate. With two former rivals now dead, his power was immense. He was not a fool, so why would anyone choose this moment to question the Feng family or the Crown Prince?
Therefore, everyone felt that the Feng family was truly blessed, and another prominent figure was about to emerge.
As expected, the Crown Prince was granted the power to oversee state affairs. With Emperor Qi gravely ill, he naturally had the authority to appoint and dismiss officials.
Feng Jinxu was promoted to the Censorate as the Left Censor-in-Chief for reporting the illicit salt fields in Qingzhou and for his meritorious service alongside the Sixth Prince and Consort Liu, especially since he had been injured in the process.
This was a prestigious third-rank position in the capital, half a rank higher than Feng Jinlin's external third-rank post.
The Feng family was indeed honored. Despite having no daughters married into the harem, they enjoyed such favor, and their rise to power was astonishing.
However, this was all due to good fortune.
One case involved the long-standing corruption in the Grand Canal administration in Jinling City, while the other implicated the Sixth Prince in occupying illicit salt fields and colluding with foreign enemies in an act of treason.
It would not have been easy for anyone involved in either of these cases to emerge unscathed, let alone for both brothers to participate and gain the Crown Prince's favor. It could indeed be considered fortunate.
Su Cheng and Xiao Muqian also received promotions.
Su Cheng leaped to become the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, the foremost subordinate of Lin Wang.
Xiao Muqian took over Lin Wang's former position, becoming the Commander of the Capital Garrison, bringing considerable honor to Prince Kang's mansion and the Bai family!
Xiao Muqian had just gotten married, and his wife was the eldest granddaughter of the Bai family. It was naturally difficult for outsiders to interfere.
However, Su Cheng became a sought-after commodity. Families that had previously avoided him now eagerly sought his hand.
This delighted Madam Su. She meticulously considered the potential matches within the inner chambers, her lips curved in a smile, declaring that her son had finally brought honor to the Su family.
Of course, this was a story for later.
Now that the situation was settled, in Changle Palace, the Empress, who was attending to Emperor Qi, grew increasingly worried.
Initially, they had considered secretly harming Emperor Qi. However, with two princes dead in succession, public suspicion towards the Crown Prince had increased.
If Emperor Qi were to pass away at this time, rumors would surely fly.
Therefore, they decided to preserve his life for as long as possible, preferably until after the New Year, when the public outcry had subsided.
However, Emperor Qi's condition was not optimistic. The imperial physicians had tried every method but predicted he would not survive the winter.
The Empress's hair had turned white with worry. If she had known that so many events would unfold, she would never have given Emperor Qi the Qingyan flower in the first place.
Now, she had truly lifted a rock only to drop it on her own feet, finding herself in a dilemma.
Emperor Qi was in the main hall of Changle Palace. He was supposed to be moved back to Chengtian Palace, but the imperial physicians explicitly forbade it, fearing that if evil spirits entered his body, all hope would be lost.
Consequently, the concubines would visit Changle Palace daily to attend to the Emperor and, incidentally, to comfort the "grieving" Empress.
Among them, Consort Shu was the most diligent.
The Crown Prince had recently ordered the Dingwang Army in the southwest to conduct military exercises, suggesting that further turmoil was imminent.
She hailed from the Qingli Kingdom and was originally a foreigner. Her current standing in the harem was entirely due to Emperor Qi's favor and her reliance on the Empress.
If Emperor Qi were to die, her good days would likely come to an end.
Qingli Kingdom had sent her with no intention of bringing her back. Therefore, she would either die in the palace or be buried with Emperor Qi as a concubine.
Thus, she could only try to appease and flatter the Empress to secure her future stability.
With this thought, the comfort she offered seemed somewhat genuine.
"Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself. The harem still awaits your leadership. If you fall ill from caring for His Majesty, what will become of us?"
Indeed, the Empress was currently in charge of the palace.
Those with children had nothing to fear, but those without children were not afraid of working hard.
They hoped to leave a good impression on the Empress, so that if His Majesty were to pass away, they would still have a way to survive.
After Consort Shu spoke, several other concubines echoed her sentiments.
The Empress, feeling troubled, found some solace in their gentle praise, which somewhat eased her distress.
"Alas, as long as His Majesty is not well, my heart cannot be at peace. With the New Year only two months away, I fear His Majesty..."