AWB Chapter 415 The Emperor's Son 11
Chapter 415 The Emperor's Son 11
Once the imperial edict was issued, everyone knew about it.
Pretending to be sick is probably not going to work.
The fourth prince, on his deathbed, was startled awake and spent several days and nights thinking about it.
Finally, the lessons learned from the experiences of the imperial brothers were summarized.
That is, "Stay away from women."
He felt that his father did this because he was afraid that they would become obsessed with women and neglect state affairs.
If he wants to remain secure in his position as crown prince, he must stay away from women.
Especially those women brought back from outside the palace, whose origins are unknown—
Yes, that must be the case.
The fourth prince immediately summoned his steward.
"Pass down the order: all maids in the mansion shall be transferred to the outer courtyard, and only servants shall remain in the inner courtyard."
The fourth prince looked solemn, tapping his fingertips on the rosewood table. "Especially those newly arrived women of unknown origin who are also beautiful, send them all out of the mansion."
"And all those concubines and maids who have never been favored, send them all away."
The steward's hand trembled as he held the ledger: "Your Highness, what about your favorite Miss Liu...?"
"Liu what Liu!"
The fourth prince suddenly grabbed the celadon teacup, but abruptly stopped his movement mid-air.
“Send them to a temple to practice Buddhism while keeping their hair, to become nuns, and say that they are praying for His Majesty’s well-being.”
"Hmph, my woman is not to be taken by anyone else."
The bottom of the teacup tapped on the table, causing the ink in the inkstone to ripple slightly.
After this series of actions, the Fourth Prince felt much more at ease.
Hehehe! As long as there are no women around him, his father won't be able to find fault with him.
As for the Crown Princess and her concubines, they shouldn't be a problem; they're all elderly.
We can't expect a prince like him to never touch a woman again, can we?
He also needs to produce heirs for the royal family.
The fourth prince stroked his chin, feeling confident that he had the upper hand.
That night, the fourth prince was writing furiously in his study, trying to write a policy essay to impress the emperor.
He closed the memorial, let out a long sigh, then abruptly threw down his pen and shouted, "Someone! Bring a pot of wine—"
The words stopped abruptly, and a servant boy entered with his head bowed, collapsing softly into his arms.
She smelled sweet and soft, and the Fourth Prince looked down at her.
That wasn't some servant boy at all; it was clearly his beloved Miss Liu—Liu Ruyan.
She was the top courtesan he redeemed from the brothel.
"Your Highness, forgive me!"
Liu Ruyan knelt down with a thud.
Her servant's hat fell off, and her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her skin look as white as snow and her eyes sparkle.
The fourth prince gasped, abruptly shoving the person in his arms away. He took two steps back, pointed at her, and roared:
"What are you doing here?! Weren't you supposed to go to the temple to practice Buddhism while still keeping your hair?!"
Liu Ruyan raised her tearful eyes, her voice soft and gentle: "Your Highness, I can't bear to part with you... Besides, can you really bear to let me spend the rest of my life in seclusion, with only a Buddhist lamp for company?"
The fourth prince's heart trembled, but when he thought of his father's cold and stern gaze, and the fates of his previous brothers who had been tempted by women, he knew that the emperor was not the only one who could help him.
He immediately hardened his heart: "Guards! Take her—"
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Ruyan suddenly rushed forward, hugged his leg tightly, and cried out with her face upturned, "If Your Highness insists on sending me away, I'd rather just kill myself right here!"
The fourth prince looked down at her, her face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with affection, and for a moment he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.
Especially since, at some point, Liu Ruyan's robes had become loose and baggy, revealing her bare shoulders and a glimpse of her springtime beauty.
With her waist-length hair and the servant's attire, she possessed an indescribable charm.
The fourth prince's throat bobbed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He abruptly closed his eyes and silently recited in his mind: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form..."
But Liu Ruyan seized the opportunity to climb onto his arm, her red lips parted slightly, and she breathed sweetly into his ear, "Your Highness, feel my heart... how fast it's beating..."
As the saying goes, "To die under a peony is to die a romantic death."
Never mind, today is today, and tomorrow is tomorrow.
It doesn't seem too late to cut off her hair and make her a nun tomorrow...
He bought it and hasn't even touched it yet, what a waste!
Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince immediately picked up Liu Ruyan and sat her down on the desk...
An hour later.
Liu Ruyan, with tears streaming down her face, was dragged away.
The fourth prince revealed a smug smile.
Hehehe…
"No one can disturb this prince's resolve!"
As he wished, Qingmo learned of this but did not intend to do anything to him.
She's not telling them all to stay single and be overly suspicious.
She is not an unreasonable person.
However, the Fourth Prince was still not completely relieved.
The next morning at court, Qingmo slammed a memorial onto his feet in front of all the officials.
"Fourth brother, do you know your crime?"
The fourth prince's heart skipped a beat, and he knelt on the ground, saying, "Your subject did not know..."
"I don't know?"
Qingmo sneered and pointed at the memorial, saying, "Last night, someone in your household saw a woman, disheveled, come out of your study and was dragged to the woodshed while crying."
"Is this how you cultivate your character?"
There was an uproar in the court.
Several of the emperor's brothers cast meaningful glances at him.
All I see is Fourth Brother, you're so disappointing!!!
The fourth prince was extremely flustered. His father's spies were truly everywhere in the court; how could they even know about such a small matter in his own residence?
He pressed his forehead to the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Father, please understand, your son only..."
"Just what?" Qingmo slammed her hand on the table.
"You just told me you needed to recuperate and asked the Fifth Prince to oversee the country for you, and then you couldn't resist summoning someone to your bedchamber? Do you think I'm a fool?!"
"I don't dare!"
"Issue an imperial decree!"
Qingmo shouted angrily.
"The Fourth Prince's words and deeds are inconsistent. He cannot resist the temptation of beautiful women and is unfit for great responsibilities. Effective immediately, he is hereby deposed as Crown Prince and imprisoned in his palace."
Oh dear! Another one ruined.
The fourth prince collapsed to the ground, never expecting that this could be a crime.
Only now did he realize—
He reasonably suspected that his father did not intend to appoint a crown prince at all.
Instead, he found a reason to get rid of all his sons.
The Fifth Prince looked at his fourth brother, who looked dejected, and felt his legs tremble and cold sweat pour down his back.
Very spicy! Very spicy!
It's his turn.
In the imperial court, all the civil and military officials were silent as if they were cicadas in winter, and even their breathing became slightly softer.
It wasn't that they didn't want to speak up, but the emperor was tyrannical and autocratic, and simply wouldn't listen to them.
If things go wrong, blood will be spilled. You'd better shut up!
This is a foolish ruler! A tyrant!
Thankfully, His Majesty is only cruel to the princes; he is still quite tolerant of the common people.
It's harmless, it's harmless!
The Fifth Prince, struggling to support his trembling legs, frantically calculated in his mind: Fourth Brother was deposed for merely favoring a concubine, so what about the mistress he secretly took in last month...?
Thinking of this, his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Qingmo sat high on the dragon throne, coldly sweeping her gaze over everyone in the hall.
Her gaze lingered on the Fifth Prince for a moment, and the corners of her mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Old fifth."
These two light words startled the Fifth Prince so much that he knelt down with a thud: "Your subject is here!"
"From this day forward, you are the Crown Prince. You must be careful with your words and actions, and never follow in the footsteps of your brothers."
The Fifth Prince suddenly looked up and met Qingmo's ambiguous smile.
That gaze seemed to penetrate his mind, seeing through all his shameful secrets.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I obey your decree..." the Fifth Prince stammered, only to see Qingmo already standing up to leave the court.
"By the way," Qingmo suddenly turned around and asked casually, "I heard you bought a house in the south of the city last month?"
The Fifth Prince turned ashen-faced, and the jade tablet in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
Hidden in that mansion were his newly acquired courtesans from Jiangnan...
The court officials looked at each other, all of them knowing perfectly well that this was not a selection of a crown prince.
His Majesty is clearly entrapping the law!