With a heavy heart, he asked, "How much longer can Father Emperor hold on?"
“I can administer acupuncture to the Emperor and then have him take medicine to maintain his condition for a month.”
"Okay, one month then."
His wedding day was in a month, but he didn't want to marry Jiang Hailing, nor did he want to disappoint his father. So, he had to obtain evidence of the Jiang family's treason within this month and deal with them before his father died, so that his father could die in peace. This was what he had to do.
Shen Ruoxuan inserted the golden needles, and after a short while, the emperor woke up, looking much better. Shen Ruoxuan gave the emperor a pill to take, and then stepped aside.
The Emperor glanced at the people in the palace and ordered them to leave. He had something to say to the Crown Prince. The people in the palace quietly withdrew.
Emperor Feng Chang held Feng Zixiao's hand: "Xiao'er, do not act rashly. The Jiang family is not so easy to eliminate."
If they were easy to get rid of, he would have already found a charge and issued an order to eliminate them.
He knew that what Xiao'er wanted most right now was to get rid of the Jiang family and make him happy, but that wasn't going to be easy.
The Jiang family controls a large portion of the Great Zhou Dynasty's military strength. If anything happens to the Jiang family, those soldiers and generals will inevitably rebel, causing chaos in the world. The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty will hate the royal family for being heartless and ungrateful, disregarding the common people, and will attack them en masse, leaving them with no place to stand.
Jiang Batian has always maintained a good image. In the hearts of the people of Da Zhou, he is the embodiment of justice. If they rashly accuse him, it will cause unrest.
This was a long-term plan, which is why he arranged for his son to marry Jiang Hailing. Firstly, it was to show his favor to the Jiang family, and secondly, it was to give Jiang Batian a warning that the royal family was the master of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and that they had the final say in everything, not the Jiang family.
Furthermore, Jiang Hailing is not favored by Jiang Batian, so he naturally won't consider his daughter when doing things. This would give them leverage. If they find evidence against the Jiang family later, the situation will be completely different. They can first arrange a marriage, making the Jiang family's daughter the Crown Princess and future Empress. If the Jiang family is still not satisfied and actually rebels, then everyone in the world will point the finger at the Jiang family, making it much easier for them to take action.
Feng Zixiao listened to Feng Chang's words, her eyes deep and unfathomable, and did not immediately agree.
The image of the plump Jiang Hailing flashed through his mind, and he felt a surge of disgust. He wished he could divorce that woman immediately. She was such a disgrace to him, actually daring to send him gifts. He was a man, the dignified Crown Prince, and if anyone was going to give a gift, it should be him giving it to a woman.
The emperor spoke again: "Xiao'er, your father wants you to swear that you will not act rashly."
He knew his son didn't want to marry the plump daughter of the Jiang family. As the crown prince, he was surrounded by countless beauties, so naturally he would dislike the Jiang family's daughter. However, if he made a careless move, he would plunge the royal family into disaster.
Because the Emperor was anxious, he coughed as soon as he finished speaking. When Feng Zixiao saw that her father was in such a hurry, how could she dare to refuse? She quickly replied, "Okay, Father, I promise you."
Feng Chang coughed a few more times, took a few deep breaths, and nodded in satisfaction.
"I'm sorry to have wronged you. Once the Jiang family is truly eliminated, you can establish a new empress."
After Feng Chang finished speaking, he closed his eyes again, exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep. Feng Zixiao reached out to tuck the blanket around his father and stood up.
Outside the palace gates, a eunuch's loud voice rang out: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
Following the shout, footsteps sounded, and a person emerged from behind the screen. She was dressed in simple, elegant clothes, with only a silver hairpin in her hair and no other ornaments. However, her features were exquisite, and she still retained her graceful figure. This person was none other than Empress Sima Lan of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the mother of the Crown Prince and Princess Chang Le.
Sima Lan looked somewhat haggard, but fortunately she had a son and a daughter. Compared to the concubines in the palace who had no children, she was much luckier. Moreover, her son was the crown prince and the future emperor, and her daughter was the eldest legitimate daughter of the royal family.
Feng Zixiao bowed to Sima Lan and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Get up. I heard you've invited the renowned physician Shen. Is your father's illness..."
Despite being married for so many years, Sima Lan couldn't help but choke up, and eventually couldn't continue speaking.
Feng Zixiao's eyes were deep and cold with sorrow. He shook his head slightly, and Sima Lan finally couldn't help but shed tears.
Feng Zixiao stepped forward and helped her to sit down to the side, comforting her: "Mother, don't worry, Father will be fine in the short term."
"That's good."
Sima Lan was, after all, the Empress. Although she was heartbroken, she did not lose her composure. She calmed down after crying for a while.
"Go back now. There are matters to attend to in court tomorrow. Let your mother stay here."
"Yes, Mother."
Feng Zixiao responded and turned to leave. He had only taken a few steps when he heard the Empress call out, "Xiao'er, wait a moment."
"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"
Feng Zixiao stopped and looked back at the Empress. Seeing that she was frowning as if she had something to say, he quickly took a few steps and stood in front of the Empress.
Sima Lan thought for a moment and said, "I heard from Chang Le that although the third young lady of the Jiang family is a bit chubby, she is actually a good person. You must not mistreat her."
"Mother, don't listen to Chang Le's nonsense. The Jiang family is our royal family's sworn enemy. If I find evidence of Jiang Batian's crimes, I will have their entire family executed, including Jiang Hailing."
Feng Zixiao's eyes flashed with a cold and ruthless light. He clenched his hands tightly and spoke fiercely.
The Empress paused for a moment, then said nothing more. She didn't want to think about anything right now, and waved her hand, saying, "You can go back now."
"Yes, Mother."
Feng Zixiao walked out, inwardly scoffing. That damned girl Chang Le, how did she become so fond of that fat woman, and even went to say such things to the Empress Dowager.
Outside the palace gate, the Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng and others did not leave.
Feng Zixiao walked out with a grim expression. No one spoke, except for his order: "Let's go to the Crown Prince's residence for a meeting."
Although he had promised his father, Feng Zixiao had not given up on this matter. He was determined to obtain evidence of Jiang Batian's crimes as soon as possible so that he could eliminate the Jiang family and avoid marrying Jiang Hailing, that fat woman who didn't know her place.
The group quickly left the palace and headed to the Crown Prince's residence for a meeting.
In the Crown Prince's study, the Crown Prince instructed someone to take Shen Ruoxuan away to rest, and then ordered his guards to summon Wei Lin and other of his confidants to the Crown Prince's residence for a meeting that very night.
Like the Emperor, the Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng disagreed with Feng Zixiao's hasty pursuit of evidence against Jiang Batian. Although they had searched for some evidence, it was not enough to be fatal and was negligible compared to his past achievements. Therefore, this matter should not be rushed.
However, Feng Zixiao, being a son, felt sorry for his father and completely ignored Xi Lingfeng's objections. He insisted that Wei Lin and the others start planning to find out all the evidence against Jiang Batian and then convict him.
The study was cold and quiet. Since Feng Zixiao did not accept Xi Lingfeng's opinion, Xi Lingfeng said nothing more and listened to Feng Zixiao's explanation.