Nanny Li froze for a moment, then immediately understood.
“Commandery Princess, do you mean that someone deliberately dropped it there, intending to frame you?”
Duoduo nodded thoughtfully. “If Great-Grandmother wanted to give me something, why wouldn’t she just give it to me directly?”
Nanny Li lowered her head and pondered for a while.
“What the Commandery Princess says isn’t impossible,” she admitted. “However, this is such a large bag of golden beans. In this servant’s opinion, that possibility is rather small.”
Nanny Li explained, “Gifts bestowed by the imperial palace are all given according to certain limits. An entire purse of golden beans like this might not even be something an ordinary consort could produce.”
“That is also why this servant dares to guess that they were left for the Commandery Princess by the Empress Dowager.”
Duoduo tilted her head to the side, feeling that Nanny Li’s explanation made sense.
“Then I’ll keep them for now. Tomorrow, when Great-Grandmother comes, I’ll ask her about them.”
To be cautious, Duoduo decided it would be best to ask.
She carefully tucked the purse containing the golden beans into her sleeve.
That night, Duoduo slept more soundly than she had in a long time.
The unpleasant moldy smell was gone, replaced by a sweet fragrance and soft bedding.
Duoduo felt as though she had returned to the prince’s residence.
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the lamps burned brightly.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, flipping through the memorials on his desk.
His brows drew tighter and tighter, and a chilling aura radiated from his entire body.
Standing behind the emperor, Eunuch Li remained perfectly still, doing his best to conceal himself in the darkness.
“How outrageous!”
With a furious shout, the emperor flung the memorial in his hand to the floor.
Eunuch Li flinched in fright and did not dare step forward to retrieve it.
His back seemed to hunch even more, and he looked as though he wished he could shrink into a tiny ball.
The emperor opened another memorial and read through it quickly.
Before long, it met the same fate and was hurled to the floor.
The emperor seemed to have lost all patience. He barely read the remaining memorials before throwing them aside.
In the end, he simply stopped reading. He rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth.
“Your Majesty, you must take care of your health!”
Seeing the emperor in such a rage, Eunuch Li steeled himself and urged him to calm down.
The emperor stopped and drew two deep breaths.
“Xiao Lizi, bring me one of my pills.”
There was a faint tremor in his voice.
Eunuch Li did not dare delay. He hurried to the bedside, took out a pill, and handed it to the emperor.
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t take too many of these,” Eunuch Li advised hesitantly.
The emperor snatched the pill from him and put it into his mouth.
“You’re too talkative.”
Eunuch Li bent over and said nothing more.
“Men!”
After swallowing the pill, the emperor felt his breathing ease considerably.
A hidden guard immediately appeared in the center of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
“Go! Find out what rumors are circulating among the common people.”
The emperor’s expression was grim.
“Yes.”
With a flash, the hidden guard vanished.
The emperor returned to the dragon throne and sat down.
Eunuch Li cautiously stepped forward to pick up the memorials from the floor.
One of them happened to be open.
When Eunuch Li saw its contents, his eyes widened.
It contained a request to crown Prince Ling as the Crown Prince.
Eunuch Li saw that several other memorials contained the exact same request.
He did not dare continue reading. He gathered all the memorials, picked them up, and placed them neatly back on the imperial desk.
Then he bowed and retreated into the darkness.
“Xiao Lizi, tell me… am I old?”
After a long silence, the emperor’s voice echoed through the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
His voice was calm, making it impossible to discern his mood.
Eunuch Li’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, you are in the prime of your life, at the very best age. How could you possibly be old?”
The emperor seemed to let out a cold laugh.
“Hmph! Not old?”
“If I’m not old, then why is everyone urging me to appoint a Crown Prince?”
As for matters of court, Eunuch Li did not dare offer his own opinion.
He had served the emperor for many years and could naturally guess a little of what was going on.
At that moment, the emperor was extremely displeased.
“Your Majesty, perhaps they are worried about your health and wish for Prince Ling to help shoulder some of your burdens.”
Eunuch Li did not dare fail to answer. He could only do his best to soothe the emperor.
“Hmph!”
The emperor snorted.
“I was merely testing them. Yet the moment I did, every one of them seemed eager for me to abdicate and hand the throne to Prince Ling!”
Eunuch Li immediately fell silent.
He lowered his head and hunched his shoulders, pretending to be both deaf and mute.
The hidden guard who had gone out to investigate soon returned to the palace.
“Your Majesty, the people are saying that the Commandery Princess Funing is a goddess of fortune descended to the mortal world, capable of protecting all living beings.”
“The common people even built temples of merit and virtue for the Commandery Princess Funing and Prince Ling, where they burn incense and offer prayers.”
“They are also saying that Prince Ling is the Son of Heaven’s Mandate…”
The hidden guard had barely finished speaking when he felt the air freeze around him. He did not dare continue.
“Smash!”
An inkstone struck the floor.
Everyone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony dropped to their knees in terror.
“Good! Very good! Truly wonderful!”
The emperor began to laugh.
“The Son of Heaven’s Mandate? Good! Good! Good!”
He repeated the word three times, his tone filled with excitement.
No one could tell whether he was delighted or furious.
The following day, the emperor, who had been ill for several days, finally attended court.
During the morning assembly, the emperor issued an edict appointing Prince Ling as Crown Prince and ordering him to assist the emperor in handling state affairs.
The moment the edict was announced, Prince Ling was overwhelmed with joy.
He reacted swiftly, dropping to his knees and bowing to offer his thanks. The court officials also knelt and paid their respects to the newly appointed Crown Prince.
The emperor had Eunuch Li bring over a chair and place it beside the dragon throne, allowing Prince Ling to sit there.
Prince Ling presided over the morning assembly.
The emperor claimed that he was unwell and merely listened from the side.
It looked as though he intended to hand the empire over to Prince Ling.
Prince Ling did not dare let his guard down. He remained fully focused throughout the entire session.
Fortunately, because the emperor was seriously ill, there were no particularly important matters to handle that day.
At last, the morning assembly ended, and Prince Ling secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.
After the emperor left, the other court officials gathered around to congratulate Prince Ling.
Some even suggested holding a banquet to celebrate the Crown Prince’s appointment.
Prince Ling’s expression turned stern.
“Father’s health is poor. How could I hold a grand banquet at a time like this?”
“What I should be doing now is helping Father shoulder his burdens and handling state affairs. You should also contribute your strength to the empire.”
The official who had proposed the celebration immediately flushed and admitted his mistake.
The other officials voiced their loyalty one after another before departing.
After all the officials had left, Prince Ling clasped his hands behind his back and walked back up the steps.
Seeing that no one was around, he approached the dragon throne and sat down.
Prince Ling looked down upon the court below, imagining the day when he would be able to accept the officials’ prostrations.
“Hahaha!”
He could not help laughing aloud.
Prince Ling’s guard asked in a low voice, “Your Highness, are you returning to the prince’s residence now?”
