Chapter 2014
The Prodigal Son 8
Lu Zhiyuan pondered the words of the Duchess of Cheng for a long time.
In the past, if the Duchess of Chengguo had said anything bad about Wen Xinyi, he would have definitely refuted it.
But Liu Yu'er's matter shocked him so much that he began to think about what the Duchess of Cheng had said.
What exactly is it about Wen Xinyi that attracts him?
After thinking for a long time, he realized that Wen Xinyi's so-called advantages were not unique to her; many noble ladies possessed them.
So what exactly do I like about her?
Lu Zhiyuan couldn't understand it, but his feelings for Wen Xinyi gradually diminished as his rationality returned.
But this did not make Lu Zhiyuan and Liu Yuer a loving couple.
Lu Zhiyuan wanted to develop a relationship with his wife, but Liu Yuer had no expectations of him.
Liu Yuer lived a comfortable married life with Lu Zhiyuan, but her heart would never open to him.
She is a good wife, but she doesn't love her husband.
Liu Tong originally planned to stay in the capital for half a year before going to sea, but an unexpected accident forced him to stay in the capital.
Just like when they were young, Liu Tong and Liu Yu'er went to Su Yu Lou to eat Liu Yu'er's favorite pastries.
The two sat in the private room, looking out the window at the people coming and going on the street below, both feeling a sense of loss and regret.
The restaurant has excellent soundproofing; even with the windows open, you can't hear any noise from next door.
But that was only for ordinary people; Liu Dong, with her keen senses, could hear the sounds from next door clearly.
Liu Tong: I can hear about a rebellion just by going out for a meal. My luck is just unbelievable.
Liu Tong didn't have much affection for her brother-in-law, the emperor, but she didn't dislike him either.
The current emperor is a qualified emperor. He is diligent in his duties and humbly accepts advice. He is a good emperor in the eyes of his ministers.
Someone was plotting to rebel against the emperor, so Liu Dong naturally sided with him.
Following the people in the next private room, Liu Dong found the person behind the scenes.
The person behind the scenes was a member of the royal family, the Prince of Liyang.
The Prince of Liyang was the emperor's cousin, and his blood relation to the emperor was closer than that of other relatives.
If the emperor had no biological son and had to adopt a member of the imperial clan to inherit the throne, the Prince of Liyang would have a very high chance of succession.
The Prince of Liyang was a very cautious person and never revealed to the outside world that he had any ambition for the throne.
Above him, there are two others whose hopes are even greater.
The two were fighting so fiercely that many people around them were implicated.
The Prince of Liyang kept a low profile, trying not to attract their attention. He hid in the shadows, planning to deliver a fatal blow when the two were both severely injured in their battle.
As a result, the emperor had a biological son.
The two men were unwilling to accept this and tried to harm the crown prince, but the emperor found out and demoted them to commoners.
The Prince of Liyang was unwilling, but he did not show it.
Because he always kept a low profile, the emperor did not take action against him, and he continued to live as the Prince of Liyang.
However, once ambition is ignited, it is difficult to suppress.
The Prince of Liyang secretly contacted court officials and raised a private army, waiting for an opportunity to force the prince to abdicate.
Among the court officials, there were many who wanted to curry favor with the emperor and thus provided the Prince of Liyang with numerous favors.
Now, the Prince of Liyang not only has people in the court, but also people in the harem.
Liu Dong discovered that Li Jieyu, the emperor's most favored concubine, was actually a member of the Liyang Prince's faction.
Consort Li was beautiful and talented, but there were many women like her in the palace. For example, Empress Liu had studied music, chess, calligraphy and painting since childhood, and was especially skilled in poetry and playing the zither.
Moreover, Empress Liu was even more beautiful than Consort Li.
But why was Consort Li so favored by the emperor?
That was naturally her skill in bed. Li Jieyu was bought from a brothel by the Prince of Liyang. She was trained there and was not only proficient in the ways brothel women use to seduce men, but also knew a lot of aphrodisiacs.
The emperor had never encountered such a "passionate" woman before, so of course he doted on her immensely.
Consort Li conveyed a lot of information to the Prince of Liyang, and they had already agreed on a time for the coup.
At that time, Consort Li will stay by the emperor's side and, if necessary, take the emperor hostage.
Liu Dong gave the information she found to her eldest sister.
Empress Liu naturally couldn't openly give these materials to the emperor.
The Liu family is already prominent enough; we can't let the emperor think that the Liu family is powerful enough to threaten the imperial power.
Empress Liu arranged for a newly arrived palace maid to pretend to recognize Consort Li and inform the emperor's chief eunuch.
The young palace maid said, "I am not mistaken about Consort Li. My brother sold all the family's land to make her the most beautiful courtesan. My family sold me into the palace so that we could survive."
The chief eunuch was greatly surprised and hurriedly reported the matter to the emperor.
The emperor immediately sent people to investigate.
Although the Prince of Liyang had erased the traces, the Emperor's people could still find out if they wanted to investigate, especially since the Empress's people were secretly "helping" him.
Upon seeing the investigation report, the emperor was so enraged that he vomited blood, alarming the chief eunuch who immediately summoned the imperial physician, which also alerted the empress.
The Empress brought her younger sister and brother to visit the Emperor—actually, they came to see what was going on.
The imperial physician diagnosed the emperor with not only qi and blood attacking his heart, but also, most importantly, severe loss of vital essence.
In other words, doing that kind of thing too much caused the emperor to suffer from kidney deficiency and his health to deteriorate.
Liu Dong originally gave the emperor a health-enhancing pill, which would allow him to live for another twenty years until the crown prince grew up and the imperial power was successfully transferred.
But now, the emperor's health is severely deteriorated, and he may only have two or three more years to live at most.
The Empress frowned.
Two or three years later, their own children will be less than ten years old, and even if they inherit the throne, they will not be able to rule in their own right.
What will she and her son do if the ruler is weak and the ministers are strong?
And members of the royal family are watching with predatory eyes.
The empress looked to her younger sister for help.
Liu Yu'er stepped forward, took the emperor's pulse, discussed the matter with the imperial physician, and prescribed a remedy.
According to that prescription, the emperor's lifespan could be extended by another ten years.
The Empress breathed a sigh of relief, while the imperial physician studied the prescription with great interest.
When they first learned that Liu Yu'er, a woman, had developed a method to prevent smallpox using cowpox, they simply thought it was because she was lucky.
But now, the imperial physicians realized that it wasn't just good luck that these people were lucky, but rather that their medical skills were far superior to theirs.
Imperial Physician Yun: "Madam Lu, I would like to discuss medical techniques with you. Is that alright?"
Looking at Physician Yun's young and pleasing face, Liu Yu'er readily agreed.
Liu Dong chuckled. His younger sister is actually a sucker for good looks.
When the emperor awoke, his first act was to order the arrest of Consort Li, but the empress stopped him.
The Empress said, "Li Jieyu's identity is not honorable; this matter must not be blown out of proportion."
The emperor regained his senses and remembered the connection between Consort Li and the Prince of Liyang.
The emperor ordered his men to conduct a thorough investigation into the Prince of Liyang.
The subordinates were very efficient, and before long, the emperor learned of the Prince of Liyang's schemes, including their plan to force the emperor to abdicate.
Emperor: "Hehe!"
The emperor decided to turn the tables on him. (End of Chapter)