frightfiction Chapter 248 Extra (6) Looking Back on the Road Ahead 05
Chapter 248 Extra (6) Looking Back on the Road Ahead 05
But in this world, there is always something more outrageous, never the most outrageous.
After Emperor Kangyuan's health deteriorated, Lin Jingbiao had already prepared for a series of actions, including deposing the empress and purging her family. However, he waited for nearly two months, and even after the twins' 100-day celebration was held, Emperor Kangyuan still showed no signs of pregnancy.
Lin Jingbiao was at home, completely baffled.
Until a sudden flash of inspiration, combined with Emperor Kangyuan's usual style and temperament, an absurd possibility gradually appeared in Lin Jingbiao's mind, and soon it spread like wildfire and became uncontrollable.
Is Emperor Kangyuan planning to let this go so easily?
*
That's how it happened.
Emperor Kangyuan hesitated and struggled for a long time at this crucial moment, and finally chose to back down.
He didn't want the world to know that he could no longer have children, fearing it would shake the foundation of his throne. This is understandable; after all, an emperor with only one disabled son and no other children is indeed not convincing and could easily cause trouble.
However, Emperor Kangyuan not only didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but even decided to cover it up for the Empress, pretending nothing had happened and embellishing the situation. Lin Jingbiao was astonished and puzzled.
Lin Jingbiao asked directly, "Your Majesty, even if it's not brought to the forefront, dying of illness is acceptable."
In feudal dynasties, it was not an exaggeration to kill nine generations of one's family for plotting against the emperor.
Emperor Kangyuan paced back and forth, hesitating for a long time before answering with a wandering gaze: "In such a short time, the eldest son was injured, the Consort was put to death, and the Empress was gone. This is not conducive to the stability of the court!"
The fact that he was destined to have no other children would already be a source of gossip and a stain on his reputation. If any other unexpected events occurred, wouldn't that only make matters worse? In Emperor Kangyuan's mind, his reputation was now more important than anything else. Anything that might damage his reputation would make him feel extremely threatened.
Lin Jingbiao: "..."
Lin Jingbiao: "As long as Your Majesty is happy."
It's not like I'm the one suffering, so do as you please.
And so, life went on like this.
In an effort to salvage his reputation for favoring his concubine over his wife, Emperor Kangyuan insisted on spending five days a month at Fengyi Palace. He also showered her with gifts and companionship.
Lin Wanghui was filled with emotion.
This person is truly patient! With such determination to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, what can't they accomplish?
*
It was thought that the matter was finally over, but a few years later, the Empress still passed away due to illness. The difficult childbirth had taken a heavy toll on her body, coupled with the guilt she felt towards her son's disability and the constant frustration she felt towards the Emperor Kangyuan, whom she disliked. Under these multiple factors, this originally lively, carefree, and healthy young woman ultimately succumbed to her illness.
Emperor Kangyuan held a grand funeral for her, and her posthumous honors were almost among the top three in the dynasty.
Lin Wanghui offered a significant assessment: "Pretentious."
The pretentious Emperor Kangyuan was determined to prioritize his reputation above all else.
Despite all the precautions and Emperor Kangyuan's efforts to enhance his reputation, he could not prevent the aftermath of this incident from stirring up a huge wave more than a decade later.
Emperor Kangyuan is seriously ill; it is time to establish an heir.
In the past, when he was still in good health, the court officials could remain calm and did not urge him to establish an heir, even though his only son was disabled. But now that a new son has not been born and the father is about to pass away, the ministers, who had relaxed for many years, are all getting anxious and urging Emperor Kangyuan to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible.
Thus, at this critical juncture, Emperor Kangyuan's weak nature once again proved to be a reality.
He did not want to make his only son, who had a defect, the crown prince, but he was also conflicted about not being willing to hand over the throne to someone else.
Lin Jingbiao earnestly advised him, "The Crown Prince's legs are only slightly uneven, but his walking and sitting are not affected. Moreover, the Crown Prince's knowledge and strategy are both excellent. As His Majesty's only prince, it is not inappropriate to make him the Crown Prince."
Emperor Kangyuan frowned, looking troubled.
Lin Jingbiao sighed, “Then how about this: Your Majesty appoints the eldest princess as the crown prince, and when the eldest prince has a child, the throne can be passed on to the grandson. Don’t worry, with the Lin family here, as long as you leave the edict, the Lin family will definitely guarantee that the succession to the throne will be peaceful and return to His Majesty’s rightful rule.”
"No! Absolutely not!"
Emperor Kangyuan, who was usually indecisive, suddenly became possessed and almost jumped up to express his thoughts.
"How can a woman be made emperor? Wouldn't the people of the world condemn me for being improper and for making a complete fool of myself?"
Well, it's still an old relic.
Lin Jingbiao cursed him to death in his heart.
You're always worrying about this and that, unable to make a decision and insisting I give you advice. Then, when I do give you advice, it's no good either. What do you want? How did the Lu family produce such a spineless emperor like you?
This has truly disgraced the Lu family's reputation built up over three hundred years.
If it weren't for the fact that you're quite diligent and reasonable in your political affairs, I would have resigned long ago and gone home to serve you!
annoying!
Lin Jingbiao grew impatient. "So, what does His Majesty mean?"
Emperor Kangyuan struggled with the decision for a long time, but in the end he chose to preserve his reputation and gave the position of crown prince to his younger brother's son.
This new crown prince is none other than the current Emperor Pingwu.
*
Emperor Pingwu was the eldest son of Emperor Kangyuan's half-brother.
In order to obtain the position of crown prince from his uncle, Emperor Pingwu began to collude with court officials and members of the imperial clan even before he became the heir apparent. Taking advantage of Emperor Kangyuan's weakness in cherishing his reputation, he repeatedly belittled and attacked the eldest prince in court, stirred up trouble in the court, and spread rumors among the people.
At the same time, he found various pretexts to find "auspicious omens" for Emperor Kangyuan, and made sweet promises that he would definitely make the eldest prince's son the crown prince in the future, which made Emperor Kangyuan completely bewildered.
Through a combination of coercion and enticement, the despicable and incompetent Emperor Pingwu successfully obtained his spoils of war. After Emperor Kangyuan's death, he ascended the throne smoothly and quickly appointed his eldest son, Lu Xingzhou, as crown prince.
Lin Jingbiao naturally could not accept such a despicable person who broke promises and betrayed trust. However, Emperor Kangyuan, in order to demonstrate his "magnanimity," not only trusted others easily but also failed to leave behind a will.
Therefore, the court officials had no choice but to accept the new crown prince, even though this was accompanied by persistent contempt and disdain both inside and outside the court.
However, this matter is not over yet.
If Emperor Kangyuan was weak, capable but lacking ambition, then Emperor Pingwu was the complete opposite, with ambition far exceeding his mediocre abilities, and he cared nothing for his reputation.
When intentions and capabilities don't match, some messy factional infighting inevitably ensues.
Emperor Pingwu, whose reputation was already ruined, gave up and, after appointing a crown prince, committed many more treacherous and disgusting acts.
Until he felt he had absolute power and deep-rooted influence, he set his sights on the powerful Lin family.
The king, a self-taught ruler, failed to learn anything he should have, possessing only a bellyful of schemes and tricks. He paid no heed to the curses about the Lin and Lu families that Emperor Kangyuan told him before his death, and recklessly attacked Lin Jingbiao.
While suppressing a rebellion on the border, Lin Jingbiao was caught off guard and was betrayed, suffering a serious injury. Furthermore, using Lin Jingbiao's injury as an excuse, Emperor Pingwu also wanted to seize military power from the Tingyun Army.
There was nothing Lin Jingbiao could do; no matter how smart he was, he couldn't have imagined that such a fool would dare to go against the curse and attack a Lin family that was destined never to betray him.
I'm afraid a fool might suddenly realize something.