"Father..." The seventh prince murmured, then shook his head. "Father's concern is the stability of his realm. Precisely because my elder brother, the Crown Prince, is the only son he can rely on, he trusts him all the more. He could never become my brother's opponent. He would only be his strongest support."
Song Lifu nodded slowly as well. "Your Highness is quite right! An emperor's first consideration is always his realm. The Crown Prince has governed as regent for three years. Though there has been considerable resentment among the people, the borders remain stable, and imperial authority is firmly entrenched. His Majesty would never risk replacing him."
Lin Xiaosu gently set down his teacup. "Your Highness, Lord Song, there is something you need to understand."
"Go ahead!"
"You need to establish whether the Crown Prince became regent because of his outstanding abilities, or whether His Majesty had to cultivate a regent because he was unable to govern."
"Father's health began failing ten years ago. His days and nights were reversed, and he truly could not govern. That was why he appointed the Crown Prince as regent."
"What if His Majesty recovered? What if he could govern again? Would he still need to tolerate the Crown Prince monopolizing power?"
"Young Master Li... do you have a way to restore Father's health?" The seventh prince's eyes blazed.
"If Your Highness is willing to take me to His Majesty, I am confident I can restore his health quickly!"
The seventh prince and Song Lifu exchanged glances.
From the seventh prince's perspective,
this was news with a hundred benefits and not a single drawback.
First, the emperor was his father, after all. Children naturally cared when their father was unwell.
Second, his father could not govern normally at present, so all affairs of