GBP Chapter 664: Life-Prolonging Medicine
Chapter 664: Life-Prolonging Medicine
Because of this incident, Concubine Jiang was neglected by the Crown Prince for a long time. Every time she saw the Crown Prince, Concubine Jiang would apologize, but even she felt wronged. She had no idea where her daughter's colorful necklace came from. Concubine Jiang suspected that another woman had framed her and her daughter, but she had no evidence and could only apologize to the Crown Prince again and again.
This time, the Crown Prince returned to the harem, but he didn't stay overnight with Concubine Jiang. Concubine Jiang knew that His Royal Highness had taken his daughter to heart, and she cried for half the night. The next time the Crown Prince came to visit his daughter, Concubine Jiang handed a thick stack of Buddhist scriptures to the Crown Prince, who was sitting on the throne. She bowed to the ground and said word by word, "Your Highness, this is the Buddhist scriptures I copied for Empress Zhaoyi these days. I didn't take good care of my child, and I was disrespectful to Empress Zhaoyi. I have been feeling uneasy ever since. Since that day, I have been copying Buddhist scriptures for Empress Zhaoyi to pray for her blessings. Please review it, Your Highness."
The prince reached out and took a few of them in his hand: "Did you write all of this? It's been quite a while since that day, you must have been thoughtful!"
Concubine Jiang raised her head with red eyes and said, "This is all my fault. I didn't take good care of the child. I don't know where she got the colorful necklace from. But Yun'er is still young. I can only teach her a few words not to accept other people's things carelessly. I am willing to bear all the punishment myself! I only ask Your Highness... don't treat Yun'er coldly because of this!"
The prince looked at the carefully written Buddhist scriptures, and his face looked much better. He reached out and helped Concubine Jiang up: "How could it be? My daughter loves you so much, so don't mention this matter again. Tomorrow, bring the Buddhist scriptures to Huangjue Temple and let the monks chant and pray for blessings. I will sleep here with you tonight!"
Concubine Jiang leaned into the prince's arms with tears in her eyes, "Yes!"
She looked at the Crown Prince's stern profile, the corners of her lips curled slightly, and then her eyes turned slightly cold. She had already found out very clearly that it was the Crown Princess who used her daughter to suppress and frame her! This incident caused Concubine Jiang to be neglected by the Crown Prince for a period of time, and she hated the Crown Princess even more. From the time they were both pregnant with the royal heir, until the Crown Princess gave birth prematurely due to Crazy Horse, they were destined to be rivals, and the conflict could no longer be resolved. Concubine Jiang thought bitterly, Crown Princess, just wait, you are the one who harmed me this time, and when I have the chance, I will definitely not let you off easily!
The prince resumed his favor in the harem, but he still favored his principal wife and two concubines more.
Emperor Shenwu had been very emotionally stable recently. One day, he was alone in a secret room under the bedroom in the main hall of Qianzheng Palace, painting Lan Qingwu stroke by stroke. From her youth to the present, all the changes in her identity and appearance were presented one by one under the brush in Emperor Shenwu's hand. His eyes could only see black and white, and various pigments were specially marked with their colors.
Apart from some necessary political affairs, Emperor Shenwu could only let Lan Qingwu bloom bit by bit under his brush, so that the pain in his heart could be slightly alleviated. Halfway through the painting, he suddenly stopped writing, threw away the wolf-hair brush, and suddenly walked towards the bed. When he turned around again, he had a Huanghuali wood carved box in his hand. Emperor Shenwu stared at the box in a daze, his phoenix eyes flashed, and he fell into deep thought.
A moment later, the Shenwu Emperor gently opened the secret button of the box, and inside was the "Worry-Free Dream"! This was the long-lost secret recipe pill he used to keep Lan Qingwu, and now, he had truly lost her!
From then on, Emperor Shenwu often used this "worry-free dream". He had a strong willpower and would not let others control his dreams. Therefore, Emperor Shenwu, who was willing to indulge in the "worry-free dream" he had woven, could only be his own dream interpreter.
Time and again, he indulged in the "carefree dream" of not losing Lan Qingwu's happiness, and again and again, he woke up painfully with strong willpower!
During the day, the Emperor Shenwu could see Lan Qingwu guarding him. She looked at the white hair growing out of the Emperor Shenwu in surprise, and stretched out her bare hands to touch the white hair of the Emperor Shenwu with heartache: "What's going on? Why are there so many white hairs? Is Brother Heng very tired recently?"
The Shenwu Emperor was ecstatic and couldn't wait to hold Lan Qingwu in his arms: "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter! As long as Ruo Ruo can stay with me, what does gray hair matter?"
Emperor Shenwu used his bony fingers to carefully trace Lan Qingwu's eyebrows and eyes. The joy in his eyes was so obvious. He held Lan Qingwu and sat her on his lap, gently and cherishingly kissing her forehead, lips, and cheeks...
When Emperor Shenwu was having meals, Lan Qingwu would watch over him and remind him to eat well. When he was handling state affairs, she would remind him to drink some ginseng soup or a cup of tea to rest. When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Emperor Shenwu would hug Lan Qingwu and fall asleep contentedly, and his heart would calm down.
The Emperor Shenwu's unusual behavior, his frequent interweaving of dreams and reality, was first noticed by the chief eunuch, Li Xiang. When Li Xiang first noticed something and began to suspect something, his pupils suddenly constricted. After a moment, Li Xiang regained consciousness, but he didn't dare disturb the Emperor. He trudged out of the Qianzheng Hall and silently paced in circles at the entrance, unsure of what to do! Who should he turn to, who should he seek help? Li Xiang clearly remembered that frequent use of this "worry-free dream" would permanently immerse one in the woven dream, preventing them from waking up in reality. The Emperor Shenwu himself was the controller of his own dreams, alternately in dream and reality. This constant shifting and interweaving would only drive the Emperor insane. It wouldn't be long before something serious happened to the Emperor.
It seemed there was no one else but the Crown Prince! Only the Crown Prince! Concubine Jiang probably couldn't persuade the Emperor, who seemed to be at his wit's end. Prince Ding? General Qian? None of them could persuade the Shenwu Emperor! But to approach the Crown Prince would be tantamount to betraying the Shenwu Emperor. The Shenwu Emperor didn't want anyone to know about this, so how could Li Xiang go against the Emperor's wishes and inform on him? Although the Crown Prince was His Majesty's biological son, the Shenwu Emperor certainly didn't want him to know the weaknesses and flaws of being an emperor and a father!
By the time the prince realized that something was wrong with his father, some time had passed. He was discussing state affairs with Emperor Shenwu and some ministers. Halfway through the discussion, the prince noticed that his father was staring intently at his side for a long time. There was a blank space there, but it attracted all the emperor's attention and gaze. Emperor Shenwu stared at the blank space at his side motionlessly, and the prince, who had come to his senses, took over the discussions of the ministers one by one. After two quarters of an hour, the prince asked the ministers to leave.
"Your Majesty, please leave!"
The ministers' words of leaving did not make Emperor Shenwu look sideways. He was still attracted by the non-existent Lan Qingwu. This magical "Worry-Free Dream" had become a panacea for Emperor Shenwu's life. He became more and more dependent on the "Worry-Free Dream", used it more and more frequently, and was less and less likely to stop using it. Even now, Emperor Shenwu used it once during the day and once at night to light it, so that Lan Qingwu could accompany him day and night.
The prince stayed alone with Emperor Shenwu for a while. Looking at the Emperor who was unaware and hadn't woken up at all, his heart grew heavier.
The prince stood up and walked out. He did not rashly disturb Emperor Shenwu. The prince would only think more thoroughly about what Li Xiang understood.
Arriving at the main hall entrance, the Crown Prince took a deep breath, his expression solemn. "Did Eunuch Li discover this a long time ago? Why didn't you tell me earlier? These past few days, you've been hesitant to speak, and you've been dragging me to stay in Qianzheng Hall for a long time. Are you trying to let me discover it myself?"
Li Xiang bowed and replied, "I don't know what to do! I can neither tell you nor advise Your Majesty. I am useless! Your Highness, this 'worry-free dream' is having an increasing impact on Your Majesty. Today, we were discussing government affairs in the Qianzheng Hall, but Your Majesty was completely oblivious! What can I do?"
The prince gently rubbed his brows, opened his eyes and said, "Well, I will guard Father tonight, and you can just pretend nothing happened and serve Father well!"
Li Xiang nodded in agreement. That night, Emperor Shenwu sat beside his bed, instructing Li Xiang to light some calming incense and place a "Worry-Free Dream" pill inside. Li Xiang had just placed the pill when the Crown Prince arrived to pay his respects.
Emperor Shenwu looked at the sky and let the prince in. The prince came with a low couch. After he paid his respects, he asked the palace servants to put the low couch in place and pack up the sleeping items. He turned around and reported to Emperor Shenwu: "My son will sleep with me tonight!"