On the other side.
The emperor's left hand pressed down on the wooden board, the pen handle was slippery from sweat, and ink dripped from the tip of the pen all the way to the edge of the paper, turning the two characters into a black blob.
Gao Fu knelt before the bed, holding the paper in his hands, not daring to even lift his head.
The bright yellow silk quilt still had traces of medicine, and the emperor's lips were also stained with bitter medicine powder. His right arm hung limply over the edge of the bed, and he couldn't even move his fingers.
He stared at the paper in Gao Fu's hand, and squeezed out a series of muffled sounds.
"Ah... ah!"
Gao Fu's shoulders trembled, and he quickly moved forward.
"Your Majesty, this servant is here, this servant is here."
The emperor raised his left hand, pointed sharply towards the palace gate, then pointed at the piece of paper, his fingertip pressing down on the wooden board with a thud.
Gao Fu had followed him for decades; how could he not understand the meaning of those two words?
Prince An.
His Majesty wishes to Prince An back to the capital.
The Crown Prince murdered his brother, the Eastern Palace was sealed off, the Fifth Prince was dead, and the Empress and Consort Xian were both imprisoned in the palace. Now, the only adult princes in the imperial clan who can be brought to the forefront are Prince An of Anyang Gu Mochen, and Prince Yi Gu Moran, who are far away in Yi Prefecture.
Prince An was older, and his wife was pregnant.
If we consider seniority, Prince An is indeed the most suitable.
Gao Fu's lips were dry, and he didn't know what to do when he heard hurried footsteps outside the hall.
"The Prime Minister has arrived!"
When Su Wenyuan stepped into the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, the soles of his boots were still wet with snow. Behind him followed the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Minister of Ministry of Personnel. The group walked all the way to the bedside without even having time to take off their outer robes.
The floor heating in the hall had mostly gone out, and the smell of medicine made people feel suffocated.
Elder Shen stood guard in the corner, holding a silver needle in his hand. Several eunuchs huddled behind a pillar, not daring to even raise their hands to hold the medicine.
Gao Fu held up the paper with the ink still wet and took two steps forward on his knees.
" Chancellor Su, His Majesty just managed to write something under his own strength. This servant dares not make a judgment. Please take a look."
Su Wenyuan took the paper.
The two characters on the paper were severely crooked; the first stroke had already spread out, and the following strokes had become a blot of ink. If one insisted on calling it " Prince An," it would be plausible.
The Ministry of War leaned closer and took a few glances.
"This is... Prince An?"
The Minister of Ministry of Revenue remained silent, stroking his beard as his gaze shifted between the couch and the paper.
Upon hearing the words " Prince An," the emperor raised his left hand even higher, clapping it three times with his palm facing down, his forehead beaded with sweat from excitement.
Gao Fu's eyes reddened as he read it.
"My lords, His Majesty is sweating profusely with anxiety. You must be wrong?"
"Eunuch Gao."
Su Wenyuan suddenly spoke, his voice low, cutting off Gao Fu's second half of his sentence.
Gao Fu raised his head.
Su Wenyuan, turned around, and bowed deeply towards the dragon bed.
"Your Majesty is wise."
The Ministry of Revenue's eyelid twitched.
The Ministry of War also looked at Su Wenyuan, and was about to ask a question when Su Wenyuan handed him the paper.
"If you take a closer look, your Majesty clearly wrote the word 'Annong'."
The Ministry of War's hand froze in mid-air.
"Annong?"
"The people in the capital are currently in turmoil. The case of the Crown Prince is still unresolved, grain prices in Anyang have soared, and the Tubo are eyeing the border in Yi Prefecture. Even in his illness, His Majesty is still concerned about the people of the realm. He specially wrote the words 'Peace and Agriculture,' ordering the court to prioritize spring planting, appease the displaced people, and stabilize grain prices in various regions."
Su Wenyuan finished speaking, he bowed again towards the dragon bed.
"We were so preoccupied with the chaos in the capital that we forgot about the imminent spring planting; we are truly ashamed."
The emperor's eyes were wide open, his left hand stretched forward, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
He wrote about Prince An!
It's Prince An!
That's not farming!
You damned prime minister!
The emperor let out rapid sobs, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth down his chin and onto his collar. He frantically pounded on the bed, the wooden couch creaking loudly.
The Grand Commandant stood there, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He understood.
The emperor wanted to Prince An back to the capital.
But if Prince An is recalled now, the military power, supply lines, and local officials in Anyang will all be mobilized. If Gu Mochen enters the capital, there will immediately be a large number of people in the court who want to place their bets on him.
Although the crown prince was under guard, he had not yet been deposed.
Prince Yi holds the power of discretionary control over Jiannan Circuit, while Noble Consort Chen and Gu Moli reside in the capital.
If Prince An is brought back now, bloodshed will likely break out outside Black Tortoise Gate sooner or later.
The Grand Commandant looked at the Emperor's left hand as he patted the couch, and slowly took the paper.
" Chancellor Su is right."
He raised the paper higher and said to everyone in the hall, "The word "" is written very heavily. It is to warn the vassals everywhere to guard their fiefdoms and not to take advantage of the chaos in the capital to use troops. The word "Nong" is dragged out for an extremely long time. It is to urge the Ministry of Revenue to adjust grains as soon as possible, stabilize prices, and prepare for spring plowing."
The Ministry of War remained silent for a moment, then also cupped his hands in greeting.
"I second that opinion."
Gao Fu glanced at Su Wenyuan, then at the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, and finally turned to the emperor on the couch.
The emperor was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He grabbed the quilt with his left hand and pulled it down with all his might, leaving a large fold of wrinkle in the bright yellow brocade quilt.
Lin Zhenshan, you bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?
Gao Fu saw everything.
If he were to argue for the title of " Prince An " on behalf of the emperor at this moment, Su Wenyuan and others might reconsider the matter.
What happens after the discussion?
When Prince An returned to the capital, the emperor was speechless. Everyone in the Imperial Guard was watching to see how things would turn out. Who could guarantee that Gu Mochen would kneel obediently outside the palace awaiting imperial decrees after his return? Who could guarantee that he wouldn't harm Gu Moran?
He can't come back.
Gao Fu knelt on the spot, his throat tight with emotion.
After figuring it out, he raised his sleeve to cover his face and choked out a cry.
"His Majesty is so excited because he is pleased that you gentlemen have understood His Majesty's will!"
The Minister of Ministry of Revenue immediately replied, "Your Majesty is concerned about the country and its people; we, your subjects, will do our utmost to fulfill our duties and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."
The emperor glared at Gao Fu, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
Good, good, are all my trusted confidants fools too?
Gao Fu didn't dare look at him.
Su Wenyuan raised his hand to summon a cabinet secretary.
"Drafting the imperial edict."
The attendant waited with his pen in hand.
"Firstly, the six ministries will begin preparations for spring planting today, Ministry of Revenue will inspect grain granaries across the country. Local officials must strictly investigate and punish any instances of hoarding grain and raising prices."
"Secondly, for the refugees in the capital region and various prefectures, local governments may open official granaries to provide relief, but the destination of the relief grain, the number of people affected, and the expenses incurred must be reported every ten days. No one may use the guise of disaster relief to enrich themselves."
"Thirdly, the regional princes must strictly guard their fiefdoms and are not allowed to leave their jurisdictions or gather troops to harass the people under the pretext of events in the capital. Those who violate this rule will be punished by the court."
The emperor opened his mouth, wanting to curse and roar, but only intermittent whimpers came out of his throat.
Gao Fu lowered his head, pressing his forehead against the emperor's hand.
Your Majesty, please take care of your health.
The emperor slowly loosened his grip.
Su Wenyuan turned and walked out of the hall, followed closely by the Minister of Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War.
When the palace door opened, a gust of cold wind rushed in, dispersing some of the medicinal smell from beside the bed.
The emperor's chest rose higher and higher, his left hand clenched twice in the air, and finally fell heavily back onto the bed.
When Elder Shen saw his eyelids roll upwards, he rushed over to him.
"Quick! Support His Majesty!"
[Thanks to: 4024 for the completion 666, Yunjiumeng for the wonderful post and milk tea x2, Shuiliu for the update reminder x2, Lin Qi, the book friends for the update reminder, Jilou, Oh Oh for the inspiration capsule, Lin Tao for the razor blade, Qingjiu for the milk tea, Xiao Ma for the likes, Chichi, Chen Qing for the flowers, and all the lovely readers for their love and support!]
[Back to writing now, got my thoughts organized for a flurry of updates!]