Li Changsheng continued, "Your majesty, this does not call for a debate. His Highness's absence clearly proves it"
With that, murmurs were heard in every corner. The ministers were debating with each other on whose side to stand.
He Yan stepped out, "Father, Marquis of Shanxi's Heir only just transferred the Wu army to Imperial granduncle. If we were to rashly try and help out, I'm afraid the people would think that we are coveting his power"
"Ridiculous!" He Jingcheng was furious on hearing those words.
He was the emperor and everything under the land belonged to him and him alone.
He Yan stepped back in position.
"Your majesty, quell your anger", Li Changsheng bowed, "but what His Highness just said makes sense"
Gu Zi stepped forward, "Your majesty, as far as quelling the people's doubts, I think the second prince is most suitable for the task"
"Minister Gu, what do you mean?" Li Changsheng turned to face Gu Zi but he ignored him.
"Your majesty, second prince has since gained favor from the people after quelling the unrest in Wei City. I believe the people would trust him more if he were to handle this matter", he made his point.
"Your majesty, I do not agree. Second prince is tied with affairs in the ministry of justice and is not suitable to carry out military tasks", Li Changsheng objected.
"Minister Li, if you want to say something, it's better to speak directly", He Rui who had been quiet all through the meeting spoke.
"And what does His Highness mean by that?" Li Changsheng asked.
He Rui turned to him, "I mean instead of beating round the bush, you should directly say you think First Prince is more suitable for the task. Stop wasting the court's time", He Rui said looking directly into Li Changsheng's eyes.
"I was only stating the facts", Li Changsheng responded but He Rui ignored him, "Father, as you can see, not many are in my support. I won't make things difficult for you. I am not interested in this case"
Murmurs erupted again. Gu Zi was definitely not pleased with He Rui's words but could do nothing since he had already removed himself from the case.
"Are you sure about this?" He Jingcheng asked.
"First brother has been quite idle recently. I should give him a chance to show his talents", he said the last sentence while looking at He Yan but his expression did not falter.
[Chiyun Hall]
The tension in the courtroom was no different from that in Chiyun Hall.
"Grand Consort, you do not feel reluctant kneeling before me, do you?" Shen Ruihua asked, looking pleased with herself.
"Not everyone gets the chance to offer their respects to Your Highness. I am fortunate," Lingxi responded.
She had been kneeling for a long time now. Beads of sweat hung on her neck, and her knees and arms were about to give out, but Lingxi maintained her posture.
"How was your night? Seeing you so energetic, you must have slept pretty well," Shen Ruihua probed.
"Thank you for your concern. His Highness treated me with great consideration."
"Is that so?"
Lingxi remained silent in acknowledgment.
"The Grand Prince arrives!"
That announcement felt like a rush of cool water washing over Lingxi's spine.
He Yu walked in calmly and stood next to Lingxi. He gave a perfunctory bow to Shen Ruihua.
"Grand Prince, you rarely visit Chiyun Hall. What brings you here today?"
"I was feeling unwell and unable to attend court so I thought of accompanying my consort but it turns out she left early", He Yu answered.
Shen Ruihua's gaze fell on Lingxi, "Grand Consort is truly patient".
Only then did He Yu notice her slow but heavy breathing and her front hair which had already moistened from the sweat.
He stretched his hand towards her. Lingxi did not hesitate one bit. She placed her hand directly, almost too quickly for He Yu to understand she had been kneeling for a long time.
He helped her up. Lingxi staggered a little but quickly regained her position.
She looked up at He Yu, "Your Highness", she said with her voice carrying a hint of blame.
'Is she blaming me?' He Yu thought as he looked into her eyes with the same smile of his.
"Your Highness is quite attentive today", Shen Ruihua interrupted his thoughts.
"I simply dislike unnecessary kneeling", he responded still looking at Lingxi before turning to her.
Their eyes met and Shen Ruihua did not miss the cold glint in his eyes behind the smile on his face.
"Your Highness must have important things to attend to. We won't bother you anymore", He Yu said and gave a slight bow before leaving with Lingxi.
Outside, Qin Yan who had been waiting for her saw them emerge.
"Your highnesses", he greeted both of them but He Yu noticed that his attention was fixated on Lingxi.
He walked ahead of her giving them space to talk.
"How was it?" Qin Yan asked.
"Tiring. Fortunately, I don't have to see her often", she answered then lowered her voice, "find out what is happening in court"
She was curious as to why someone who claimed to be unable to go to court was able to visit Chiyun Hall.
Was it for her or was it something different?
[The Palace]
"He Yan", He Jingcheng called.
"Father", He Yan responded with a bow.
"Are you willing to carry out this responsibility?" He Jingcheng asked.
"I am willing to share Father's burdens", he answered.
"Good. Then I guess we have come to a conclusion", He Jingcheng said with a tone of finality.
"Your majesty, I would like to say something", someone said. It was Liu Feng.
"What would you like to say?"
"Concerning this matter, I don't think it can be decided in His Highness' absence", he pointed out.
Officials immediately began discussing among themselves.
"Are you saying that I, the emperor, am not capable of making these decisions? He Jingcheng said hitting the table hard.
"Your majesty, no matter how everyone here is to put it, the heir to the Marquis of Shanxi did transfer the Wu army in front of everyone and the news if it has spread far and wide in the capital. Directly passing its responsibility to the first prince without the grand prince's approval would be seen as forceful transfer of power by the people"
He Jingcheng looked like he was about to devour him but Liu Feng remained composed without a hint of fear.
"How audacious! Minister Liu, how dare you speak so brazenly before his majesty", Eunuch Go reprimanded.
"Minister Liu only stated the facts. How is that audacious? Moreover, Father is a compassionate ruler who expects everyone to speak the truth rather than sugarcoat it", He Rui said.
He Jingcheng's expression did not improve.
He Yan turned to Liu Feng, "Minister Liu is truly honorable", he complimented him before turning to He Jingcheng, "Father, what minister Liu said is right. Moreover Imperial granduncle is the most senior member in the royal family. It is indeed improper to make this decision without consulting him first"
He Jingcheng's grip tightened.
"But what if Imperial granduncle refuses", He Rui asked.
"The grand prince has the right to assign the task to whoever he trusts", Minister Liu said.
He Rui nodded at him stealthily and only stopped when he saw He Yan as if to say, 'you are going to have a difficult time'.
He Yan's outward expression remained unaltered but his inside was not the same.
'He Yu, you did this on purpose, didn't you?' he thought