Tan Ping seemed not to have heard the officials' discussion. He walked out without greeting anyone, strode to his carriage, lifted the curtain, and climbed inside. "Set off!"
With a shout from the driver, the ox cart began to move. The weather was fine today. Most of the residents in this ward were nobles; whitewashed walls and green tiles lay half-hidden among bamboo and trees, while awninged stalls and shops stretched in an unbroken line not far away. It was quite prosperous, and Shuntian Prefecture deserved some credit for that. Yet Tan Ping had no heart to admire it, his brow tightly furrowed.
"The Emperor's heart truly is unfathomable." This official, who was always moving through the circles of powerful nobles, drew his gaze back from a silk shop, sighed, and leaned against the cushion.
Though the Crown Prince had supposedly taken his own life, he had in truth been driven to death by the Emperor. No matter what, that grievance—even that hatred—could never be mended.
Thus, although Prince Dai was the Crown Prince's son and of the legitimate line, scarcely any officials had truly rallied around him.
Even if no candidate had yet been decided upon, the choice would at least be between Princes Qi and Shu. Prince Dai was certainly not the heir favored by the Emperor.
Who could have imagined that, in the blink of an eye, the Emperor's intentions, which had seemed settled, would suddenly change again?
Even Tan Ping, who had considered himself capable of reading an emperor's heart, was utterly lost at this moment.
Faint voices drifted in from beyond the carriage window.
He lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside. Several officials were passing by a few meters away, speaking in low voices. Only two phrases were carried over on the