stjorthotic Chapter 452 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne
Chapter 452 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne
Fortunately, there was no real danger. Li Yuanke was prepared. He had more people on his side, and more importantly, he had a weapon on his arm that made it impossible for ordinary people to get close. Cen Yin protected him as they entered through Xuanwu Gate.
Upon entering Qian Yuan Palace, after Li Yuanke completed his rites, Emperor Zhenyou did not rouse him but instead asked, "What happened to you? What happened on your way here?"
Li Yuanke said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I encountered a few petty thieves on the road, but I dealt with them. Your Majesty need not worry."
Emperor Zhenyou nodded. "You have always been a broad-minded child. If Prince Jin does something wrong, don't hold it against him."
Li Yuanke smiled and said, "Father, even teeth and tongue sometimes fight, so it's normal for brothers to bicker and fight. When I was in the army, I often heard my comrades talk about fighting with their brothers. At the time, I was so angry that my teeth itched, but afterwards, who didn't hold a grudge?"
Emperor Zhenyou was genuinely delighted and laughed, "With you like this, I am relieved!"
He completely forgot how he killed his own brothers with a single arrow or mercilessly beheaded them when he was vying for the throne.
Emperor Zhenyou said, "You are not young anymore, and you are already a father. Your household cannot be without a principal wife. Do you have a girl you like? If so, tell me, and I will bestow a marriage upon you."
Even if there were any, it couldn't be said. Besides, the person Li Yuanke was thinking of wasn't suitable at the moment.
"Father, please don't tease me. Where can I possibly meet any girls?"
Emperor Zhenyou was merely asking; he would ultimately decide on his sons' marriages. "The Shen family and the Pei family each have a daughter, both around your age. Which one do you think would be more suitable as your principal wife?"
Li Yuanke was shocked. The little peach blossom spirit was always right. He said, "I think none of them are suitable. Besides, I don't want to marry a legitimate wife right now."
Why is that?
Li Yuanke truly did not want to get married. "The Shen family has been kind to me, and Pei is my mother's niece. It would be inappropriate for me to marry either of them."
This demonstrated the art of balance required of an emperor, and Emperor Zhenyou was very satisfied.
Emperor Zhenyou issued an imperial edict establishing a crown prince. After that, another imperial edict was issued, and Shen Shiyan was granted the title of Liangdi, while Pei was granted the title of Liangyuan.
After the imperial edict was proclaimed, Shen Shiyan was overjoyed.
She knew that neither her grandfather nor her father had ever approached the Prince of Wu on her behalf, and that the Emperor's decision to bestow her upon him meant that the Prince of Wu was also interested in her, and that he must have requested permission from the Emperor.
He's so good to his sister, maybe it's because of her.
He always escorted his younger sister back to her courtyard, probably because he wanted to see her one more time.
Shen Shiyan became more and more excited as she thought about it, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case. She tossed and turned in bed at night, fantasizing about how Prince Wu would pamper her after marriage, and she even had dreams about it.
The fact that the Prince of Jin did not become the Crown Prince meant that Princess Pei would never have the chance to become Empress. She was furious and went back to her parents' home to cry to her mother, feeling utterly heartbroken.
Pei Gaoshi didn't know what went wrong. The emperor didn't appoint the son born to his sister-in-law as the crown prince, but instead appointed the son born to a princess from the previous dynasty. Had the emperor gone mad?
"Mother, will our Pei family still have a future?"
"Fortunately, your sister has now entered the Eastern Palace."
"That idiot of hers, does she have the ability to win a man's heart, or the ability to keep the inner palace in check? I heard that even after she entered the Eastern Palace, Li Yuanke didn't consummate the marriage with her."
"She's still young, so for now we can only try to get her into the position of empress."
In the Shen family, Shen Shixi was also telling her grandfather, "Although my eldest sister has entered the Eastern Palace, her personality is not up to the task. Although the Emperor is willing to reduce the power of the Pei family, he probably can't do it now."
"If Li Yuanke wants to stabilize the situation after he ascends the throne, he must first appease the Pei family. Therefore, it is even more unsuitable for my elder sister to be made empress. Rather than putting Li Yuanke in a difficult position, we should take the initiative to back down, making him feel guilty towards the Shen family, which will also benefit my elder sister."
Grand Tutor Shen agreed wholeheartedly, for not competing is also a form of competition.
Grand Tutor Shen told him about this matter, "If nothing unexpected happens, His Majesty will surely allow His Highness the Crown Prince to make Lady Pei his Empress in the future. At this critical juncture, His Highness the Crown Prince must prioritize the overall situation, obey the imperial decree, and not cause any trouble over this matter."
Li Yuanke asked, "Is this also Xi'er's wish?"
Grand Tutor Shen, still puzzled, told the truth, "It is Xi'er's idea that the day His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne will be the day the struggle with the Pei family begins, and stabilizing the Pei family is the priority."
Li Yuanke remained silent for a long time before nodding.
The emperor was indeed failing. After establishing a crown prince, all political affairs were handed over to him. Although Li Yuanke was not exactly adept at managing state affairs, he was quite methodical.
Whenever faced with a thorny issue, Shen Shixi would pass him a note, which was incisive and to the point. Compared to Grand Tutor Shen's methods, she took an unconventional approach, catching the other party off guard and taking the opportunity to consolidate Li Yuanke's power and improve the system.
After several attempts, the Pei family realized that Li Yuanke was actually a very formidable opponent.
Prime Minister Pei also realized that the Emperor was probably wary of him.
After establishing the crown prince, the emperor did consider paving the way for Li Yuanke, and the Pei family should indeed be weakened. However, his health was poor, and if the situation became unstable, it would cause great chaos.
Li Yuanke's actions gradually made the emperor realize that the successor he had chosen was not the benevolent and virtuous man he thought he was, but rather cold-blooded and ruthless.
Not surprisingly, the imperial family has no blood relatives, and Li Yuanke was a prince who had been on the battlefield and led troops into battle.
Shen Shixi noticed that someone was following her every time she went out, so she knew that the other party was going to deal with her. She had someone lie in ambush outside the city and lured the other party out of the city, leaving Pei Jingli, the sixth master of the Pei family, and his entourage outside the city and burying them on the north slope in the suburbs.
Shen Shixi didn't tell anyone about being ambushed. After all, if she did, she would have to explain how she managed to fight back, since it involved fighting and killing.
She was even more reluctant to reveal her true strength.
However, the Pei family's large-scale search for Shen Shixi still alarmed Li Yuanke, who then learned that Shen Shixi had been intercepted and killed, and that he had not seen Shen Shixi for a long time.
Shen Shixi didn't want to see him; things were different now, and he had become her brother-in-law.
Just then, Grand Tutor Shen also resigned, so he could no longer openly compete with Prime Minister Pei. The grandfather and grandson decided to go for a stroll. The old man went ahead first, and Shen Shixi would catch up with him after settling some matters.
She never imagined that she would leave the capital in such a disgraceful manner, and for a moment, she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
She thought she would grow up in the castle Li Yuanke had built for her, and then be taken into the palace by him, where she would spend her life within the deep palace walls.
Now that she can travel the world, she is very grateful to her elder sister. If it weren't for Shen Shiyan's actions, and if she hadn't entered the Eastern Palace, Shen Shixi probably wouldn't have had this opportunity.
At the very least, she couldn't possibly allow the two sisters to share one husband, and fortunately, Li Yuanke wasn't that shameless.
She didn't know that Li Yuanke was standing on the city wall, watching her gradually walk away. At that moment, he was the crown prince, and in the future, he would be the emperor. For him, there was neither joy nor expectation.
He was just a pitiful creature swept along by fate, never able to control his own destiny, never having any other choice.
The death of the deposed crown prince and the tragic fall from his horse during a hunt by Li Yuantai dealt Emperor Zhenyou two blows, plunging him into a coma and leaving him on the brink of death.
When Emperor Zhenyou woke up, the first person he saw was not the Crown Prince, but Prime Minister Pei. It is unknown what the emperor and his minister talked about, but when Emperor Zhenyou saw the Crown Prince again, he quietly looked at him for a long time.
Li Yuanke allowed Emperor Zhenyou to investigate. At this time, Emperor Zhenyou was in a state of near-death experience, and members of the imperial family, nobles, and ministers were all waiting for his instructions.
"After my death, the throne will pass to you, but you must swear to me that when you inherit the throne, you will not harm the Prince of Jin, nor will you take away his title, and you will protect his wealth and safety."
Li Yuanke took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and raised his hand. "As long as Prince Jin does not rebel, I will ensure Prince Jin's lifelong wealth and honor."
Emperor Zhenyou said, "The Pei family is the maternal clan of Empress Wenzhen. A country cannot be without an empress. Now that you have ascended the throne, you shall make the Pei family empress!"
This is to protect the Pei family's wealth and status.
Li Yuanke lowered his eyes, "Your subject obeys the decree!"
Emperor Zhenyou then ordered someone to bring out the imperial edict of succession.
Even if one becomes the crown prince, without an edict of succession, one's position is illegitimate and one will be criticized.
That night, Emperor Zhenyou died.
When Shen Taifu and Shen Shixi heard the forty-five chimes, they knew that the emperor had passed away. Shen Shixi did not return, but Shen Taifu returned and met Cen Yin, who had come to pick him up, at the city gate. They immediately went to the palace.
After Li Yuanke ascended the throne, he showed no intention of establishing an empress after the 27-day mourning period ended. Grand Tutor Shen was very worried and urged him to do so.
"Now that the decision has been made, it's better to act sooner rather than later. If we are forced by the Pei family, we will be at a disadvantage."
Li Yuanke pursed his lips, and after a long pause, he finally asked, "Is it absolutely necessary to make Lady Pei empress?"
Grand Tutor Shen said, "Your Majesty, please consider the well-being of the nation and its people!"
That night, Li Yuanke sat on the imperial steps for the entire night.
That night, Shen Shixi stayed at a temple in the mountains. The evening drum sounded, like a great bell from a distant time and space, its sound heavy and far-reaching, striking people's hearts with each beat, making them feel suffocated and restless.
In the sky, countless stars twinkled, illuminating two sleepless people.
(End of the Succession Struggle Chapter)