Chapter 794 - 380: Ascension to the Throne (Grand Finale)_2
Time swiftly transitioned into winter, the weather turning exceptionally cold, with a massive snow disaster striking the Northland. The frontier armies were on high alert to prevent invasion by other countries. Because Emperor Qianwu was unwell, Zhu Sujin had to assist the Emperor with state affairs, so Prince Ji (the original sixth prince) was dispatched to manage the disaster relief.
In this disaster, the Crown Prince again led the fundraising efforts. The Fu family, Liang Family, Qian Family, Pan family, and the Eldest Taifeng Princess Mansion took the lead in responding, collecting a total of 200,000 taels of silver to bring warmth to the disaster victims and the frontier army.
Since midwinter, Emperor Qianwu had not attended the early morning court sessions. He only met with senior officials in the Taiji Hall to discuss important matters, leaving all other affairs to the Crown Prince.
The Emperor’s illness was peculiar; there were no other symptoms except for restless sleep, or more precisely, a fear of sleeping. Almost as soon as he fell asleep, he would start to have nightmares. He dreamed of the Great Qian Kingdom suffering from snow disasters, followed by floods, pestilences, and finally chaos and war that wrought untold suffering upon the people...
Each time, he was startled awake before the dream could finish. Could it really be that "all under heaven shall find peace, yet Great Qian shall fall"? The thought of the scenes from his dreams and that rumor left Emperor Qianwu in constant trepidation.
At first, he woke up frightened on his own, but later directed someone to wake him up after he had slept for a short period. The first few moments of his dreams were always about snow disasters, and he feared what would come next—floods, plagues, uprisings...
After waking, he would sleep for another brief interval before being awakened again. The cycle continued, almost driving him to the point of collapse.
He had taken many calming medications to no avail. Later, he even invited Master Hongzhi from Baoguo Temple and the abbots from several renowned temples nearby Capital City. The abbots came to the Palace to recite sutras for a few days, but it made no difference.
Zhu Sujin, seeing his father grow thinner from the torment, was deeply pained, yet powerless to help. He did possess a life-saving Red Demon Fruit, but the Emperor’s ailment was mental. Even if it saved him once, the continuing nightmares would still leave him unwell.
Zhu Sujin then thought of Old Fairy, who was not only profound in Buddhism but also skilled in medicine. However, Old Fairy had taken Hongji back to Daci Temple the previous autumn.