Chapter 65 - 65 About to Die
65 About to Die
After Chu Qi returned to the capital, he had planned to let his only son, Chu Yi, enter the court today. However, he was objected to by the aristocratic families led by the Yuan family on the grounds that he had lived in the State of Yue for a long time and had not completed his studies. The Yuan family even took the initiative to recommend a candidate to be the Grand Tutor.
Hence, the court started arguing over who could be the Eldest Prince’s Grand Tutor. Until now, there was still no result.
Ever since Chu You entered the palace three days ago to meet the Emperor and Chu Yi, Chu You had thought about it. Now, the only condition for the Emperor to step forward and fulfill this marriage was to relent on this matter.
Chu You knew that if he did this, it would upset the balance in the current imperial court and even harm the situation that his father had carefully planned for him when he was still alive.
He had been thinking about this for the past few days, but before he could think it through, he was caught off guard by what the British Monarchy had done today.
He could not wait any longer!
Chu You’s heart tightened and his gaze darkened. He repeated firmly, “I want Chu Yi to enter the court.”
“…” After a short moment of shock, Yuan Zhe calmed down and understood that Chu You’s actions were most likely for the Gu family’s lady.
Yuan Zhe pursed his lips and twirled the wine glass in his hand noncommittally, his expression already filled with obvious disapproval.
His expression was calm and composed.
The Yuan family was an aristocratic family that had existed for more than 300 years. It was only in the past 20 years that the situation changed.
When the late Emperor was still alive, Empress Dowager Yuan and Kang Wang were favored. The late Emperor supported the Yuan family greatly, causing the Yuan family to faintly suppress the other three aristocratic families.
Emperor Taizu had the intention to suppress the aristocratic families, so the aristocratic families, including the Yuan family, had been united all these years in placing high hopes on Kang Wang.
Half of Kang Wang’s bloodline was from an aristocratic family. In their opinion, he was the most noble. Only with Kang Wang’s succession could these aristocratic families revive their might and return to the glorious era of “holding the power of a dynasty”.
This time, Yuan Zhe had come all the way from Yuzhou to the capital on the orders of his father and ancestor to assist Kang Wang and help him advance.
Now that they had finally suppressed the Emperor, if Kang Wang took the initiative to back down at this critical moment for a woman and a little personal relationship, wouldn’t it ruin the current good situation!!
Even if Yuan Zhe did not say it, Chu You understood what he was thinking. He calmly said something shocking, “Chu Yi doesn’t have long to live.”
Yuan Zhe was shocked again and asked, “What happened?”
Chu You personally filled Yuan Zhe’s cup with wine before continuing, “Chu Yi was born a premature baby, so his body has been weak and sickly since he was young. From the news of the State of Yue, he hasn’t recovered in the past eight years. It’s equivalent to growing up in a medicine jar.”
“After he returned to the country last month, my brother has already summoned the imperial physician for him a few times. The bedroom is always filled with the fragrance of medicine.”
As they spoke, Chu You closed the window, blocking out the commotion in the lobby downstairs and making the private room much quieter.
As Yuan Zhe listened, he took a sip of wine. His eyes were calm as he cautiously questioned, “Your Highness, could the Eldest Prince be pretending to be sick?”
“No.” A confident smile appeared on Chu You’s lips. His eyes were sharp as he said in a low voice, “After Chu Yi returned to the capital, the imperial physician’s decree personally checked his pulse and prescribed him a prescription. However, a few days ago, his illness acted up, so five days ago, Imperial Physician Yan entered the palace to check Chu Yi’s pulse.”
“Imperial Physician Yan said that Chu Yi doesn’t have long to live. There’s a 80 to 90% chance that he won’t live past his prime… He’ll probably die even earlier than my brother.”
Chu You’s smile deepened as he said the last sentence.
Sometimes, he had to admit that he had underestimated his brother. His only son did not have long to live, but Chu Qi was still so calm and did not reveal any flaws.
Chu You’s slender fingers gently fiddled with the edge of the wine glass, and his eyes darkened.
Yuan Zhe had seen the Emperor three times since he entered the capital and thought of the same thing as Chu You. He thought for a while and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, this is no small matter. Can you confirm if it’s reliable?”
“Yes,” Chu You said with a slight nod, his narrow eagle eyes narrowing.
What he did not say was that he had something on the Yan family. This was equivalent to him holding the lives of the entire family in his hands, so Imperial Physician Yan did not dare to play tricks on him.
The private room fell silent.
Yuan Zhe drank his wine in silence. After drinking two cups in a row, he relaxed slightly. “If that’s the case, it’s not impossible…”
Chu You was overjoyed when he heard this.
On this matter, he had to obtain the support of the Yuan family and let them deal with it.
Chu You sorted out his thoughts and continued. “Cousin, now that the royal court has aristocratic families, nobles, and poor families, this balance has been maintained for decades. It seems stable, but it can be broken at any time.”
Just as Chu You had said, the power in the royal court was mainly divided into aristocratic families, nobles, and powerful ministers. Those nobles represented by the Fang family and the Li family were in charge of the military power. The ancestors of these people had basically followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the world back then and only submitted to Emperor Taizu. Emperor Taizu had personally chosen the current Emperor, so most of them were biased towards the Emperor and his son.
As for those ministers from the poor families, these people were all scholars who mostly came from ordinary backgrounds. Because Emperor Taizu strongly promoted the imperial examination system, these people were able to jump through the dragon gate and enter the royal court, so these scholars were extremely pedantic.
“The aristocratic families have always been at odds with the poor and noble families, but we can’t be at odds forever. Taking a step back is to let them know that I have tolerance.”
A few years ago, because of the previous Emperor’s intention, the status of the Yuan family and other aristocratic families kept rising. However, this change harmed the interests of the poor and noble families, causing the aristocratic families to stand opposite the poor and noble families.
“Cousin, Father is no longer around, and Chu Qi is sitting on the throne now. We can’t just stay stiff with the nobles and the poor. Now is the best time to let Chu Yi enter the court.” Chu You looked at Yuan Zhe, who was sitting across the table from him, without blinking.
The cousins’ gazes met in midair. One was domineering, the other gentle.
Chu You did not hide the exuberant ambition in his eyes. He was like an extremely aggressive wild leopard.
Yuan Zhe was expressionless at first, but as he quietly stared at Chu You, a little light gradually appeared in his eyes.
As a king, Kang Wang’s strength and ambition were necessary. If he kept being submissive, he would be a docile sheep. How could he compete with the Emperor for the world?
Moreover, as Kang Wang had just said, now was indeed an opportunity to break the stalemate between him, the nobles, and the humble class.
Chu Yi was a person who was about to die, so it did not hinder them much. He could even use this to please the Emperor and make Kang Wang happy.