Chapter 477 - 468: Escaped
Chu Lingxuan also mentioned that he had previously visited Shaanxi Province and Sichuan Province, meeting with the military and the local administrative officials there, representing the Ninth Prince and the Chus.
Two months ago, Queen Wang’s brother stated that their father was critically ill and might not live much longer. Upon hearing this, Queen Wang was devastated. Though the Emperor privately wished that the ruthless old man would pass away as soon as possible, he reluctantly sent many valuable medicinal materials and granted leave to the Wang brothers. The brothers then took their wives and children to Southern Province to visit their dying father, promising to return after the Lunar New Year if their father survived. However, if he were to pass away, they planned to remain home in mourning. This left only Queen Wang’s legitimate son and a few of her nephews in the Capital City.
However, the Ninth Prince and the Chus found the actions of the Second Prince and Queen Wang’s brother highly suspicious, and they began making covert arrangements.
Before Chu Lingxuan returned to Dingzhou from the Southern Region, he visited the Capital City. He met with Marquis Chu and Mr. Chu, and learned something that both shocked and delighted him.
According to Marquis Chu, in the middle of the twelfth lunar month, the Emperor secretly conveyed to the Ninth Prince, Marquis Chu, and a few trusted confidants that even if the timing wasn’t completely right, he intended to make the Ninth Prince his heir after the Lunar New Year.
The Emperor’s health was deteriorating, and he had started coughing up blood recently. Unaware of how much time he had left, he wished to hand over power to this son within his lifetime, and dislodge the powerful Wangs, the Zhaos (the maternal family of the Second Prince), and the Suns (the maternal family of the Third Prince). The Wangs, in particular, had extensive military connections that had to be eradicated. They had already gathered evidence against several such families and were waiting for the Wangs to return to take action.
Compassionate as the Emperor was, he couldn’t bear to be harsh with the Second Prince and Third Prince. He asked the Ninth Prince to treat the two kindly in the future. With their supporters gone, they would pose no threat, so he decided to spare them.
This matter was an absolute secret, known only to the Emperor, the Ninth Prince, Marquis Chu, Mr. Chu, and a few other absolutist trusted confidants of the Emperor’s.