On the morning of the second day after his return, Emperor Yongping announced his decree to the world, crowning the Eldest Son, Prince Duan, as the Crown Prince, and choosing another auspicious day to hold the canonization ceremony.
Hearing the decree, Prince Duan thanked him, and the four princes and the civil and military ministers knelt down together, first worshiped the Emperor, then the Crown Prince, and wished for them to have long lives.
While kowtowing, Wei Yan secretly looked at the Third Brother beside him.
Seeing that Wei Luo still had that cold face without any expression, Wei Yan withdrew his gaze, hiding his unwillingness.
Not long after the early court had ended, news of Emperor Yongping’s appointment of Prince Duan as the Crown Prince spread both inside and outside the palace.
The first to learn of this development were naturally the concubines and the grandchildren within the palace.
In Xianfu Hall, upon hearing the news, a little eunuch hurried to report to Concubine Shun.
Concubine Shun’s breath was deeply relieved, and a smile graced her face.
As a concubine of Emperor Yongping, Concubine Shun had always held great respect for Empress Xu. She also believed that her eldest son, Wei Yang, was the most suitable candidate for the Crown Prince. Had it not been for her son’s disclosure of various speculations regarding the Crown Prince’s position, Concubine Shun would have never imagined that her family would become entangled in such a significant event.
With no ambitions of her own, Concubine Shun simply desired the safety and well-being of her family. She deemed the Prince’s position honorable enough and saw no need to risk contention for the throne.
The uncertainty surrounding the Crown Prince had also cast suspicions upon her son. Now that the position of the Crown Prince was finally settled, her son was safe.
At least, this was how Concubine Shun perceived it, hence her good mood.
In the Changchun Hall, where Concubine Shu Cui resided, lay in close proximity to Xianfu Hall, and the two concubines shared a close relationship. Upon learning of Wei Yang’s appointment as the Crown Prince, Concubine Shu arrived at Xianfu Hall with a smile, inviting Concubine Shun to join her in congratulating Empress Xu.
Having just changed her attire, Concubine Shun accepted the invitation, and the two departed together.
While walking, they talked about Wei Yang’s remarkable achievements from childhood to adulthood.
Upon their arrival at Kunning Hall, they saw Concubine Li and Concubine Guo were already engaged in lively conversation with Empress Xu.
Joining in, Concubine Shun and Concubine Shu extended their congratulations to Empress Xu, making it a joyous moment shared by all four concubines.
Empress Xu was familiar with the dispositions of the four concubines. Both Concubine Shun and Concubine Shu exhibited a strong sense of duty. While Concubine Guo hailed from a military background, her hearty temperament occasionally veered towards casualness, which might be mistaken for arrogance, though she harbored no ambitions. Conversely, Concubine Li held herself in high regard and occasionally engaged in provocations, but Empress Xu remained indifferent to the shortcomings of Concubine Li, Prince Chu, or even Prince Chu’s children. Empress Xu has never cared about this family.
Above all, Empress Xu held firm belief in Emperor Yongping’s wisdom. She trusted that he would not openly violate the ancestral customs by favoring a concubine’s son over the Eldest Son who was well known to the people.
Since it was already anticipated that her son would ascend to the throne, Empress Xu did not jow overjoy when hearing the edict. She conducted herself with composure, neither arrogant nor impetuous.
Concubine Li maintained a surface smile, but her heart brimmed with bitterness. She harbored long-standing dissatisfaction towards Empress Xu. One was an esteemed upstart who followed the late Emperor, while the other hailed from a prestigious family in Jinling and became her cousin’s wife.
She bowed her head to Empress Xu, and now her son also bowed to Empress Xu’s son.
If her cousin had made Wei Yang the Crown Prince as soon as he ascended the throne, Concubine Li would have accepted it, but her cousin insisted on delaying the appointment for two years. Concubine Li saw a glimmer of hope, believing that her cousin might choose her son as the Crown Prince, thereby avoiding the fate of “Li Xian”.
(Id1nim note: In historical context, Li Xian’s rebellion against Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ultimately led to his defeat and subsequent execution.)
Wei Yang had distinguished himself in defending the city, and her son Wei Yan had followed suit. He tirelessly patrolled the city day and night during the danger times in Pingcheng.
Both Wei Yang and her son took care of supervising the rivers. While one supervised the Yellow River, the other patrolled the Yangtze River. Concubine Li pondered whether the Yangtze River was shorter than the Yellow River.
Concubine Li hadn’t measured it, but it was about the same.
Besides managing the family, Wei Yang lavished attention on Concubine Meng, who had a background as a singer. Despite his romantic nature, he always maintained respect for Ji Xianxian as his lawful wife and refrained from favoring his concubine over his wife. Wei Yang and Empress Xu were adept at concealing Wei Yang’s affection for Concubine Meng, instead putting efforts to promote Wei Yang’s virtuous reputation.
In the study hall, the Emperor’s grandchildren also became aware of the news, but with tight morning schedules, the eight cousins refrained from discussing it until they gathered for lunch.
“Congratulations to your father for being appointed as the Crown Prince,” Xiao Heng was the first to congratulate Da Lang, San Lang, and Liu Lang.
San Lang grinned, while Liu Lang displayed a hint of pride.
Fifteen-year-old Da Lang, seated at the head of the table, maintained a polite demeanor as his elder brother.
Er Lang silently mouthed the word ‘sycophant’ to Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng only noticed Er Lang’s greasy mouth after eating and quickly averted his gaze.
Da Lang, too, caught Er Lang’s subtle gesture and said with a smile, saying, “Let’s eat.”
During the break, the eight brothers lounged on the same bunk.
Da Lang, San Lang, and Liu Lang occupied the leftmost positions, followed by Er Lang, Si Lang, Xiao Heng, Xiao Xun, and Ba Lang
Ba Lang breathed evenly from the right. Xiao Xun quietly opened his eyes and glanced to the left.
Xiao Heng lay on his side, facing his younger brother. Almost instantly, as his brother looked his way, his eyes fluttered open.
The two brothers silently locked eyes, and Xiao Heng motioned for his younger brother to sleep, and with that, Xiao Xun obediently drifted off.
As Xiao Heng observed his brother’s long eyelashes, he felt a pang of discomfort in his heart.