mtl008 Chapter 377 Princess Rouan 27
Chapter 377 Princess Rouan 27
After offering incense, Lingyi and the other princes and princesses stood guard before the spirit tablet.
She just didn't know why everyone else looked at her with resentment.
That very night, she finally received the emperor's edict from the crown prince.
Feng Lingyi was granted the title of Princess of the State, enjoying the same fiefdom as a prince, participating in court affairs, and assisting the monarch.
Each and every one of these represents the burden and expectations that her deceased father placed on her.
Ling Yi placed the imperial edict on the table, looked up at her brother who had only been emperor for a year, and seeing his current weak appearance, asked, "You... how did you become like this?"
The crown prince shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Didn't you already know how my health is?"
"I'll just live one day at a time."
As he spoke, his expression was desolate, clearly indicating that the emperor's sudden death had dealt him a great blow.
The emperor, who was overjoyed the day before because his eldest grandson had a child, suddenly died the next day. How could this not be considered sudden?
Will he die like that one day?
Even if he doesn't die, what can his body do?
Having suffered a heart attack while handling his father's funeral arrangements, the crown prince was now acutely aware of his physical weakness, and it seemed he was no longer able to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the emperor.
Fortunately, he still has Cong-ge'er. As long as he and Rou-an work together to raise him, this child...
"Oh no! The imperial grandson has fainted!"
Loud noises are strictly forbidden in the palace, so this piercing sound was truly earth-shattering.
Yet no one blamed the little palace maid who was shouting.
The imperial physician who treated the late emperor was kneeling on the ground, administering acupuncture to the grandson of the emperor, his head dripping with sweat.
The later the royal family members develop this heart disease, the longer they can live. The emperor developed the disease at the age of thirty-five and lived to the age of fifty-five.
The crown prince fell ill at the age of twenty-six and is still alive today.
But the imperial grandson is the same age as Ling Yi, and is not yet of legal age!
He couldn't even imagine how much longer he could live!
If the imperial physician could imagine this in an instant, how could the crown prince not have imagined it?
The last glimmer of hope that had just arisen within him vanished in an instant, and he murmured, "Heaven is going to destroy me!"
His son Cong won't live much longer either!
The royal family's heart ailment is like a curse, completely clinging to his lineage, and even his unborn grandchildren may not escape this calamity.
"Rou'an, your brother is a little tired."
The crown prince leaned against the desk, his thin body hunched over like never before.
Ling Yi looked at Cong Ge'er, who had just opened his eyes in a daze, and was speechless for a moment.
One wave of disease after another made her realize once again just how fragile humanity truly is.
Is this the kind of person she wants to be?
She began to hesitate.
[Ding! System 688, who seems to have been slacking off, is at your service!] The usually quiet 688 suddenly appears, reminding Ling Yi: [Dear host, hesitation is an inherent human emotion. Congratulations on taking another step on your path to becoming human.]
Ling Yi's throat bobbed, but she didn't answer for a long time.
She was truly grateful for this elusive system!
688: [I took the money, so I deserve it.]
Okay, you can go back to slacking off now. I don't have time for you.
And in the time that followed, Ling Yi really didn't have any time.
Whether it was the emperor's funeral, the crown prince's ascension to the throne, or the power struggle between the Du and Wang families, she was always extremely busy.
At the same time, the prince's health deteriorated further.
According to historical records, he reigned as emperor for one year.
In fact, the former Princess Rouan, who lived in the royal family's inner quarters, was unaware that her elder brother spent 300 days a year in bed.
He has difficulty even getting up, let alone handling state affairs.
The crown prince he had originally chosen was even weaker and also lacked the ability to handle state affairs.
But besides Cong-ge'er, who else can the Crown Prince appoint?
To ensure his status as the eldest son, apart from Congge'er, his eldest child was only nine years old. Due to his poor health, he was not very healthy and might not even live to adulthood.
In the past, he had no one to rely on except Cong-ge'er.
But now...
Ling Yi went off to work again, while His Highness the Crown Prince, whose enthronement ceremony was to be held the next day, sat by his son's sickbed, looking at the emaciated Cong-ge'er, and said, "I will not make you the Crown Prince."
After drinking his medicine, Congge'er gave a bitter smile: "Father, why are you saying these things at a time like this?"
He joked, "I might not even live to see next year's Spring Festival. That's too far away for me."
Although he had been in poor health in the past, he had never suffered from heart disease.
It was only after he received the news that he learned how much suffering his grandfather had endured in the past.
Even with his robust physique, he passed away after several such experiences. How many more times could my frail body withstand it?
He has already had two episodes of illness in just over a month.
A hint of heartache flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes as he slowly said, "Your brothers are all in poor health, and I don't know which one of them will live past adulthood."
"Therefore, I intend to appoint Rouan as..."
"Father plans to adopt a son..."
Both of them stopped speaking at the same time. Congge'er looked at the Crown Prince in disbelief and stammered, "Little Aunt..."
Is she the little aunt he remembers who grew up with him, who cried all the time and liked to steal his pastries?
Although Ling Yi has been involved in court politics and has done some things recently, Cong Ge'er is not very aware of these things.
He was not yet old enough to participate in politics, but he would occasionally learn from conversations between his father and grandfather that his aunt was different from before.
Now, hearing his father's plan, he finally had a concrete idea of what this difference meant.
The fact that her father could defy public opinion and choose a woman as his heir is astonishing.
Can……
Is this really going to work?
Looking at his son's bewildered expression, the Crown Prince said slowly, "Once the heir ascends the throne, you will all become thorns in his side."
Although he had to treat the late emperor's children with respect on the surface, things in this world are never just about appearances. There are too many ways to kill children in secret, and he didn't want to gamble with the conscience of the next emperor.
"Furthermore, your aunt has been appointed as the Princess of the State by your grandfather, and she will undoubtedly have even deeper influence over politics in the future."
"How could an adopted son allow her to do this?"
The struggle between imperial power and the power of the regents would inevitably lead to another bloody conflict.
Rou'an's actions were too extreme. He could imagine how many powerful families and court officials would fuel the flames and push this princess, who was determined to weaken the power of the branches and strengthen the power of the trunk, into the abyss.
The Crown Prince's sickly eyes flashed with coldness: "Why would I entrust my offspring, my sister's fate, and the fate of the Ling family's rule to an adopted son, all for the sake of a so-called 'never'?"
How could his own sister, born of the same mother, not be allowed to be emperor?
He is the emperor, his words are law, and if he says it can be done, it can be done!