SGEIRS -Chapter 468 The Crown Prince Passes Away

On the other side, the Second Prince asked about his wife’s experience at the banquet.

The Second Prince’s consort replied, “Nothing particularly noteworthy happened, though I did encounter Lady Changxing and interacted with her.”

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince straightened in his seat and asked, “How was she?”

The Second Prince’s consort shook her head slightly and replied truthfully, “Madam Gu seems approachable and easygoing, but in reality, she is not. She remains polite and distant, yet you can’t find any fault with her. She is intelligent and cautious, highly skilled in subtle tactics. She’s completely different from what I imagined.”

Hearing this, the Second Prince frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure appearing on his handsome face. He then chuckled softly, “Lord Changxing is the same. Their personalities are indeed similar.”

The Second Prince’s consort sighed gently, expressing regret: “Lord Changxing is a minister highly valued by the Emperor, but I fear we won’t be able to win over the Changxing household.”

The Second Prince frowned even more and said in a deep voice, “It doesn’t matter if we can win them over or not. As long as they aren’t swayed by my brothers, that’s enough.”

The Second Prince’s consort nodded slightly in agreement.

The Second Prince toyed with the jade pendant at his waist, squinting his eyes, and spoke in a low, solemn tone: “The imperial physician said that my elder brother probably won’t make it to the New Year’s Eve.”

The Second Prince’s consort glanced at her husband and said, “The Sixth Prince is also a legitimate son, greatly favored by the Emperor. If your elder brother passes, the Emperor will surely make the Sixth Prince the Crown Prince.”

Hearing this, the Second Prince’s expression stiffened. According to Zhao’s national rules, a legitimate son can only be succeeded by another legitimate son; a concubine-born son can only ascend if the legitimate heir is incompetent or unworthy. Throughout history, few Crown Princes have ascended smoothly. Even his great-grandfather wasn’t originally a Crown Prince but became the ruler of the realm.

The Second Prince’s consort knew her husband’s ambitions. It wasn’t just him—other princes also coveted that position. Unless one was like the Third Prince, of ordinary talent and with an unremarkable maternal family, or like the Fourth Prince, sickly and weak, who could accept not striving for it?

The next day.

Meng Jinyao instructed Chunliu to take charge of distributing porridge. Chunliu was steady and clever; Meng Jinyao trusted her with the task. She also sent Ningdong to assist, following Chunliu’s direction carefully, learning from her in the process.

Besides them, some of the household maids, senior servants, and guards were also selected to participate.

Madam Zhang and Madam Chen, upon learning that she intended to distribute porridge in the city, each approached Meng Jinyao, expressing their desire to help, and Meng Jinyao readily agreed.

Each of them sent a capable maid to assist and contributed money according to their means. By helping others, they also earned a good reputation.

Several ladies of the Changxing household distributed porridge in the city, helping beggars and poor families struggling with hunger. News spread quickly. Other households also arranged porridge distribution under their ladies’ orders. Wealthy merchants in the city joined in, earning a reputation for philanthropy. For them, the silver spent on charity was not significant.

Thanks to their aid, the city’s beggars saw hope for survival. In the bitter cold of winter, begging for food was difficult, and without food, they could die from starvation or cold. With food to fill their stomachs, they could find ways to keep warm and survive the winter until spring came.

Time flew to the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, only half a month from the New Year.

At night, the white jade moon hung high in the sky. But the weather was bitterly cold, and few came to admire the moon. Most people went to bed early.

Meng Jinyao and Gu Jingxi were no exception. At the second quarter of the hour of Xu (around 7–9 PM), they undressed and went to bed.

The first half of the night was calm. But in the second half, during the third watch (around midnight), a heavy, somber bell tolled from the direction of the imperial palace, startling everyone from sleep.

Gu Jingxi, a light sleeper, woke instantly.

Meng Jinyao also groggily opened her eyes, somewhat bewildered.

Soon, the second toll sounded. Meng Jinyao was completely awake, shocked: “Husband… is… is that the mourning bell?”

Gu Jingxi softly responded, “Mm,” and sat up. Listening to the slow, desolate tolling, his brows furrowed and his expression grew even more grave. As the bell stopped, he immediately got out of bed to dress.

It was the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had passed away.

Meng Jinyao’s expression also darkened. Last month, the Crown Prince had been attacked and fell into a coma. Though he later awoke, the poison had invaded his lungs, leaving him in constant danger. These past days, he had survived only thanks to medicine. Yet, he still didn’t make it through the year.

Gu Jingxi dressed, washed up, and went out.

Meng Jinyao couldn’t return to sleep, feeling sorrow over the Crown Prince’s passing. The Crown Prince had been a capable heir, highly respected in court, yet he was gone just like that.

At dawn, Meng Jinyao rose and deliberately wore plain clothing. It wasn’t just her; no one in the household dared to dress extravagantly at a time like this. Any misstep could draw criticism on the Changxing household.

Madam Zhang, quietly chatting with her two sisters-in-law, said, “Someone had already rumored that the Crown Prince might not survive the year. At the time, I thought it was just gossip. I never imagined it would be true.”

Madam Chen sighed, “The Crown Prince was the most outstanding among the princes. I heard he also resembled the Emperor the most, in both appearance and manner.”

Madam Zhang exhaled lightly, “With the Crown Prince gone, the Crown Princess will be in an awkward position when a new heir is chosen.”

Madam Chen replied, “Awkward? It’s more than that—pitiful, really. She hasn’t even reached twenty and is already widowed. As Crown Princess, she can’t remarry and must remain loyal to the Crown Prince for life.”

With that, both Madam Zhang and Madam Chen sighed together.

Meng Jinyao said nothing, worrying about her own husband. The Crown Prince had been attacked, and the Emperor had ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate to investigate, but they found nothing. While he was alive, it was one thing. Now that the Crown Prince had died, who knew whether the Emperor might take out his anger on her husband.

Madam Zhang noticed Meng Jinyao’s furrowed brows and worried expression and found it strange. The Crown Princess had lost her husband, not Meng Jinyao, so why the solemn look?

Still, Madam Zhang figured it was just the moodiness that comes with pregnancy. When she had been pregnant, she too sometimes felt melancholic. She comforted her, “Third sister-in-law, this is the royal family’s business, not ours. The Emperor has more than one son; a new heir will be chosen soon. Though the Crown Princess is pitiful, she has a son, so her life still holds hope.”

Meng Jinyao shook her head slightly, softly saying, “The Crown Prince was attacked, and the truth hasn’t been uncovered. My husband is one of the officials responsible for the investigation.”

At these words, Madam Zhang and Madam Chen’s faces changed, and they became tense. Even though it was the Third Brother’s affair, they understood that his success brought them benefits. If he lost the Emperor’s favor and suffered the Emperor’s wrath, both the First and Second Branches of the family would be affected.

In a family, at home, one might quarrel or tease each other, but in times of major events, they share honor and disgrace together and must unite as one.