Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder's Record of Counterattacks

Chapter 3609: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (28)

As Ao Tianze thought of that unborn child—that lost mass of flesh and blood—his heart began to ache with an intensity that only grew.

Ao Tianze clutched his chest, finally unable to stop himself from spitting up a mouthful of blood.

“Your Majesty, what is wrong?” The onlookers saw his face turn a deep, bruised red, looking as if it might drip blood. Because the noisy crowd was giving him a splitting headache, Ao Tianze had swallowed two elixirs at once.

His head throbbed, and his chest burned.

The sight of the emperor vomiting blood terrified everyone. They wondered if such a sudden hemorrhage meant he had been poisoned or if his health had taken a turn for the worse. After all, the emperor was still so young.

Their alarm only made them more determined to secure a formal status for the only prince in the inner palace.

“I am fine.” After spitting up the blood, Ao Tianze actually felt a bit of relief. “We shall not discuss this matter again.”

“Your Majesty!” The crowd knelt while wailing and lamenting, insisting that he bestow a name and record the child in the imperial genealogy. Now that he was vomiting blood, what would happen if he suddenly passed away?

To preserve the Ao family’s empire, they had to ensure he had a successor, and that successor had to be legitimate.

Ao Tianze panted for breath. His sharp gaze swept over the people kneeling on the floor. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he grabbed a brush and dipped it into the vermilion cinnabar ink used for imperial petitions. In a fit of irritation, he wrote down the character Yong, from the word ‘yongcai,’ which meant ‘mediocre talent.’

“This shall be his name,” Ao Tianze said coldly. So many members of the clan had come today that if he didn’t give them some kind of answer, they would never let the matter rest.

Damn it all. He couldn’t exactly tell them the child wasn’t his. Being the emperor was truly stifling.

Even if the character meant ‘mediocre,’ it was at least a name. The boy’s name would be Ao Yong.

“I have one more secret decree.” Ao Tianze took up the brush and wrote out a decree, then stamped it with the imperial seal. “Ao Yong shall never inherit the throne.”

The clan members looked at one another, but they accepted the decree regardless.

Ao Tianze rubbed his temples. Once the clan members had departed, he swallowed another elixir.

Now, whenever he felt the slightest discomfort, he took a pill. He was taking them even more frequently than before, which left the clan elders deeply concerned. Those who took such elixirs usually died young.

Thus, the two children were officially recorded in the imperial genealogy. The eldest prince was named Ao Yong, and the eldest princess was named Ao Xiaolei. They were now officially members of the imperial family.

When Consort Xuan saw the character Yong, she was stunned. She immediately covered her mouth and began to sob. “How could the emperor give the child such a name?”

To an ordinary person, the character first brought to mind words that meant ‘vulgar,’ ‘faint-headed,’ or ‘incompetent.’ Consort Xuan was heartbroken

Ning Shu knew that getting the child onto the registry was already the greatest possible victory. “The character Yong can mean ‘mediocre,’ but it can also refer to the Zhongyong—’Doctrine of the Mean.’ In that context, it means ‘useful’ or ‘constant.’ Zhong means without bias, and Yong means unchanging.

The Zhongyong could also be interpreted as the way of a ruler.

Consort Xuan looked up at Ning Shu. “Is that true?”

“That is the logic of it. Although the name looks common or even derogatory on the surface, it isn’t so simple when you think about it. There is no need for sorrow. Perhaps our emperor has high expectations for the child.”

Of course, Ning Shu was talking utter nonsense. Ao Tianze had chosen the name purely to ridicule and belittle the boy.

Since he had given in so easily, Ning Shu wondered if he had some other scheme in play. She personally questioned the clan members, but they said nothing.

She then questioned an attendant eunuch who served near Ao Tianze. Although he wasn’t part of the emperor’s inner circle, a small bribe loosened his tongue. He mentioned that there seemed to be some sort of secret decree.

A secret decree!

Right now, that decree was surely in the hands of the Ao clan members. She couldn’t exactly rob them in broad daylight. She didn’t know what was written in it, but it likely concerned Ao Yong.

Ning Shu returned to Jiaofang Palace and made a list of everyone who had been in the imperial study. The document could only be in the hands of one of those imperial princes. If the decree barred Ao Yong from the throne, there were plenty of other princes in the clan. The emperor could simply adopt one of them, and Ao Yong would be out of the picture.

That secret decree was a major problem.

Ning Shu rested her chin in her hand while watching the two healthy infants in their crib. She wondered if they would be able to withstand the coming storm.

In the dead of night, Ning Shu dressed in black stealth gear and slipped out of the palace. she searched the residences of the imperial princes for the decree, and didn’t spare even the old patriarch’s home. Finally, she found it in the residence of Prince Li.

Once she realized Prince Li had it, the situation became clear. Damn it. To ensure Ao Yong never had a chance at the throne, Ao Tianze had actually given the decree to Prince Li.

Prince Li had three sons. His eldest was a man of both literary and martial talent, with a handsome and upright appearance. If Ao Tianze died without an heir, that son was the most likely candidate to inherit the throne.

Ning Shu felt that Ao Tianze had sensed something coming. He was planning ahead, calculating his moves.

Ning Shu scanned Prince Li’s residence with her spiritual energy, inch by inch. Finally, she found the secret decree hidden behind a plaque in the main hall.

Ning Shu inspected the decree to ensure it was authentic, though few people would dare to forge an imperial command. The handwriting was Ao Tianze’s, and it bore the imperial seal. She recognized his writing, because she had seen another decree, the one that had named her empress.

After securing the document, Ning Shu evaded the night patrols of the residence. With the help of her spiritual energy, she made her way back to the palace. She took a winding path, using her senses to avoid the many shadow guards hidden throughout the inner palace.

With so many people watching, she began to wonder if someone was even monitoring her when she used the bathroom.

Back in Jiaofang Palace, Ning Shu took one last look at the decree, then opened the lid of the incense burner and tossed it inside. The silk began to smoke and turn black.

Ning Shu sat by the burner, sipping tea. She opened the windows to let the smoke drift out so it wouldn’t choke the babies.

“Your Highness.” The maid who had been sleeping at the table saw Ning Shu sitting beside her and scrambled to her feet. She wondered how she could have fallen asleep. She glanced at the crib and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the children were fine.

Ning Shu gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement.

With the decree gone, Ning Shu felt much more relaxed. It would be best if the boy could inherit the throne through legitimate means. All the things she had done were merely to ensure Ao Tianze met a ‘suitable’ end. If a young emperor suddenly dropped dead, it would cause an uproar. But what if he died from his elixirs? What if he simply wasted away his own body?

It provided a ‘fig leaf’ for his death—a rational explanation for people to accept.

Besides, the imperial physician had warned him more than once to stop taking those pills, but Ao Tianze simply refused to listen. When the scandal of the emperor imprisoning young girls for their menstrual blood eventually broke, it would add a certain dark color to the narrative of his death.

Good heavens, she really was worrying about everything.

Ning Shu had even considered declaring herself ruler, but the Ao clan and the princes would surely tear her apart. Even if there were no direct heir, there were plenty of other clan members. They would never allow an empress to ascend the throne.