mtl008 Chapter 663: King Kang passes away
Chapter 663: King Kang passes away
Emperor Shenwu's expression was calm and collected: "What's going on?"
It turned out that Prince An, who had always lived a life of peace and prosperity, had to behave himself for a while after the death of Empress Zhaoyi. Empress Dowager Li was not in the palace, and there was no one to support him. He knew the situation and stayed in Prince An's mansion. However, the weather had been getting warmer recently, and Prince An had become accustomed to the pleasures of wine, women, and money. Thinking that Emperor Shenwu would no longer pay attention to him, he dressed in casual clothes and went to the Jade Pavilion to drink and have fun.
Little did he know that Prince Kang had visited the place thoroughly before. When he first learned that Prince An had actually visited such a vibrant and picturesque place during Empress Zhaoyi's national mourning period, he immediately jumped out of his bed and flew into a rage! He had been heartbroken for days, but now he couldn't care less. Prince An's disregard for Empress Zhaoyi's national mourning was so disregarded that Prince Kang charged over with his men.
As soon as he entered, Prince Kang turned the wine table in front of Prince An upside down. Prince An had been feeling very aggrieved for the past few days, and just when he relaxed for a moment, he was humiliated and his mood was ruined. He immediately became angry, and taking advantage of his drunkenness, he immediately grabbed Prince Kang's collar and punched him. Naturally, Prince Kang refused to show weakness, so he punched him back, and the two sides started fighting.
The two princes were fighting, and no one dared to intervene, nor could they persuade them. The attendants could only stand by anxiously, listening to Prince Kang berating Prince An non-stop: "Heartless wretch! You didn't even visit my mother when she fell ill at Xi'an Temple, or show any concern for her. Now, during the period of national mourning for Empress Zhaoyi, you actually dare to come here openly to drink and have fun. Are you a human being? Are you a bastard?"
Prince Kang kept cursing and finally angered Prince An. Taking advantage of the gap between the two of them pulling each other, Prince An whispered in Prince Kang's ear with a taunt: "I don't think I can see what you are thinking. You are using my mother as a cover. What? Your beloved, the unattainable one you have been thinking about, is dead, and you won't let others be happy? I say, why bother? No matter how sad you are, no matter how much you mourn for her, she will never be yours! She won't even look at you! You are a worthless piece of shit, so cheap and pathetic! You don't even have the right to mourn and cry for her!"
King Kang's face flushed visibly, his neck thickened, veins popping out, and he shouted angrily, "You!"
In a rage, Prince Kang fell straight down, Prince An was also stunned, and the entire Jade Pavilion was in chaos. Prince Kang was carried back to Prince Kang's Mansion by the guards. Prince An was startled and sobered up. He hurried back to his mansion, but was still worried, fearing that Emperor Shenwu would punish him again.
But what you fear will come true. When Prince Kang was carried back to his residence, he was immediately in danger. Prince Kang's housekeeper immediately reported to Emperor Shenwu in the palace and begged Emperor Shenwu to send another imperial physician to treat His Highness Prince Kang.
Emperor Shenwu was alarmed, so naturally, Prince An would not have a good ending. He was immediately taken to the Imperial Clan Prison by Emperor Shenwu. It was common for Prince An to suffer from hunger here. Emperor Shenwu was determined not to let him have an easy time. As soon as he entered, Prince An was beaten with a stick. After dozens of sticks, Prince An was completely disabled. Emperor Shenwu was too lazy to pay attention to Prince An. He was too lazy to even accuse him of a crime. He beat him up and threw him into the prison. When he was almost bleeding out, someone threw a bottle of external medicine in. Food was also sometimes available. Prince An had suffered enough!
However, King Kang was already seriously ill and could not be cured. The imperial physician diagnosed him with a ruptured blood vessel in his brain and bleeding. Once this disease occurs, it is rare for the patient to be saved. King Kang passed away very quickly, but he still waited for Emperor Shenwu to see him for the last time.
King Kang was actually in a deep coma at the end, but at the last moment he still struggled to half open his eyes. Perhaps it was the imperial physician's utmost acupuncture that helped King Kang regain consciousness.
Prince Kang looked at Emperor Shenwu who came to visit him with an unfocused gaze. He stretched out his hand to Emperor Shenwu tremblingly. Emperor Shenwu paused, but still held Prince Kang's hand. At this time, Prince Ding had already rushed to Prince Kang's mansion. His face looked very ugly. No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not have imagined that Prince Kang would leave in this way.
At this moment, King Kang was speechless. He opened his mouth with all his might. In fact, he wanted to say, look, I finally did something before you. This time, I finally reached the underworld first and saw her first!
Emperor Shenwu was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, Second Brother. I will let the Crown Prince of Kang inherit the title of King Kang, and the title will not be reduced for three generations. You can rest assured! Also, I owe you a thank you. Thank you for the disinfectant pills that year!"
The disinfectant pills given to Prince Kang weren't given by the Shenwu Emperor; they were life-saving pills bestowed upon each of his princes by the late Emperor. Regardless of Prince Kang's feelings towards Lan Qingwu, Lan Qingwu had indeed received Prince Kang's help that time.
King Kang was speechless. The light in his eyes lit up for a moment, then slowly faded away, and his hands finally fell down.
Prince Kang passed away. Prince An, who was in the clan prison, was counting the days until his release when he was informed by the jailer of the news. Prince An was so shocked that he could not speak. Then his head tilted and he fainted from fright.
Prince Kang had lived a life of folly, idleness, and inaction. Even if he had changed for the better, few would have taken him seriously. However, he was still Emperor Shenwu's brother, and his death automatically resolved any past grudges. Emperor Shenwu had the Ministry of Rites meticulously handle his funeral, and he directly promoted Prince Kang's son to the new Prince Kang. At this point, the powerful and influential in the imperial city emerged one after another, arriving at Prince Kang's residence, each one more grief-stricken and heartbroken than the last. At such a moment, who would dare to offend Emperor Shenwu?
King Kang was also buried in the imperial mausoleum. Another royal funeral ceremony plunged the imperial city, which had finally recovered some of its vitality, into a brief period of depression and mourning.
After the influence of the Kang Wang incident gradually faded, another two months passed. Under the guidance and urging of Emperor Shenwu, the prince finally turned some attention and energy to his harem.
Emperor Shenwu seemed to be in much better spirits, and even the heartache had not recurred. The prince finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He first went to the Crown Princess's palace to visit his son, but when he went to bed, he just closed his eyes to rest. The next day, the prince went to Concubine Jiang's palace, mainly to visit his daughter, but he did not stay overnight. On the third day, he went to Concubine Ma. Concubine Ma gritted her teeth but it was useless, because Jiang, who was also a concubine, had a daughter. Even if the prince was a little cold to the Crown Princess, her status and the little grandson of the emperor were there. This was the benefit brought by status and royal heirs.
Little did she know, the Crown Princess also resented the Prince, who only slept with her on the same bed and never touched her. Concubine Jiang knew the Prince was somewhat annoyed with her because, before the 100th day of Empress Zhaoyi's death, her daughter had worn a colorful necklace on her dress. The Crown Prince had caught him, and his expression had turned cold. He rebuked Concubine Jiang for not properly disciplining her daughter and not taking Empress Zhaoyi seriously. In a palace shrouded in mourning, that colorful necklace stung the Crown Prince's heart.