The Imperial Court fell ill.
Normally, this kind of news would not spread out, but the Dou Family had an aunt who was a noble consort in the palace. Madam Dou would visit her every now and then and get tidbits of news.
She also intentionally brought some secret servant girls who were spies for other prominent families planted in the Dou Family. They successfully leaked the news out.
This way, even if there was an investigation later, the Dou Family could get off cleanly without being implicated.
In an instant, storm clouds gathered over Fengjing.
First the students made a fuss, clamoring for the Fang family to return the civil service exam fraudulently and demanding Fang Yuan surrender his top scholar status.
Then the news came of the Imperial Court's illness. According to the rumors, it was just some heart palpitations, but who would believe that?
Without a definitive answer, no one could rest easy.
So next, all the princes, as well as the consorts, began thinking of ways to find out more.
Chang Yan had already prepared to incite and build momentum, ready for the whispers to spread and transform simple heart palpitations into heart disease, accelerating the struggle for imperial power.
But before he could make a move, definite news came from Qianqing Palace - the Imperial Court would cease holding court for three days.
The common folk all knew that when a healthy person who had gone years without illness suddenly fell ill, they were hard to cure.
The Imperial Court was already forty years old, constantly working hard and worrying. His hair had long ago turned white. His sudden collapse seemed reasonable as well.
Even Chang Yan was uncertain, "Could it be he really is ill? He still seemed quite hale last I saw him..."
The others didn't need to be said.
The Eldest Prince's trips into the palace could be called frequent. Each time he brought large amounts of medicine and health tonics, displaying filial piety to the utmost.
The Second Prince was taciturn, but still did everything he could to find ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms in the common folk, just to show his filial heart.
The Fourth Prince even more so - he postponed moving out to his own estate, going in and out of the Imperial Physicians Department every day, pleading for them to do their utmost to cure the Emperor.
Judging only by their actions, it was truly hard to discern who was hiding in the shadows.
Then they could only start from the Fang family.
The deep planted moles observed closely, carefully paying attention to every unfamiliar face that returned to the estates of each prince, or close to the manors of prominent families.
The results did conclusively find that there were people from the Second Prince's estate, as well as the Fourth Prince's maternal grandfather's home. Truly convoluted and indistinct.
Could it be the Fang family was riding three horses at once, using any means necessary for their contributions?
This possibility was rejected by Chang Yan with a shake of his head. "Ju Noble Consort lives deep in the palace. The Eldest Prince does not have the brains to let the Fang family play tricks. The prince hiding in the shadows would never tolerate the Fang family being duplicitous. The Fang family would not be so foolish either."
Even when prominent families intermarried, they had to hang gourds on a single vine. They never dared to have divided attentions.
An unstable position that seemed to hedge both bets was in actuality equivalent to losing the trust of both sides.
In the end they would gain no benefits at all.
So the person hiding in the shadows could only be the taciturn Second Prince, or the lame Fourth Prince.
According to investigations by the imperial guards, the Second Prince's mother was an unknown palace maid. After giving birth to the child she fell ill in bed, passing away in just a few years. From then on the Second Prince grew up stumbling.
A child without his father's doting or mother's protection, the difficulties of his life could be imagined. It was said back then even the little eunuchs in the palace dared to kick him. And the Eldest Prince was always ordering him around.
This situation only improved after he left the palace to establish his own estate, because he was diligent, simple and capable, the Second Prince finally gained his father's appreciation and was given some administrative authority. He also pleaded for his wet nurse to be brought over to live out her remaining years, and his life finally got on track.
Speaking of motives for seizing power, the Second Prince seemed to have plenty - all the past misery and misfortune came from the loss of power.
He thirsted for power, thirsted to become stronger, and also thirsted to get justice for his mother.
Looking at the Fourth Prince, his birth mother held the rank of consort, and his maternal grandfather was a prominent family in Fengjing. But they got caught up in the struggles of the rear palace and were maliciously harmed. The originally healthy child was forcefully made difficult to birth, injuring his ankle in the womb, making him lame since. Even his birth mother lost the chance to ever be a mother again.
Yet the culprit, Ju Noble Consort, still lived in splendor. Even the Eldest Prince was a front runner to be Crown Prince. Not only did the Fourth Prince and his mother have no chance for revenge over past grudges, they might even have to beg for their lives under Ju Noble Consort and her son one day - the Fourth Prince also had ample motives for seizing power.
To be precise, there was no such thing as a healthy, happy life in the deep palace.
If there really was one, it could only be the Eldest Prince, Zhang Hong.
Heaven was cruel, making the Second Prince's mother waste away in sickness and die, making the Fourth Prince's mother lose her ability to bear children. Yet the Eldest Prince's mother was favored as always for twenty years, still controlling the rear palace.
Yet heaven was also merciful. Whichever of the Second Prince and Fourth Prince was hiding in the shadows was still unknown, but the Eldest Prince was certainly useless scrap that could not be propped up.
Only past bitterness could make one grow calmly. Only sufficient misery could make one composed and tranquil.
Sometimes it was hard to know whether to be thankful for the miserable past, or if it would be better to soak in honey pots and be a pure, ignorant fool.
But if Chang Yan had to choose, he would still prefer the present.
Using sufficient intellect to calculate everything, using an appraising gaze to look at everyone, guessing what others could not, controlling what others could not.
The feeling of everything being within his grasp did indeed feel pretty good.
The youth stretched out his right hand, pinching lightly as if grasping everything.
"Aiya, My Prince!" The guard anxiously went wide-eyed. "Stop being so profound. Things have already reached this point, and we still haven't found the person behind it. How are we supposed to leak it to Ju Noble Consort and watch the tigers fight?"
The mood of all the students in Fengjing had already reached a peak. If they didn't utilize it soon, morale would inevitably drain away.
The Imperial Court would only cease court for three days. After showing his face after three days, the rumors of illness would collapse on their own.
By then all their efforts would have been wasted.
"Don't panic." Chang Yan's tone was deep. "Don't you feel the illness in Qianqing Palace is too well-timed? Rather than say it was caused by Fourth Brother massaging and affecting his pulse, it's more like Father Emperor is going along with the rumors."
Emperors throughout history were suspicious. Does the current Emperor not have any suspicion either?
Wouldn't he want to find out if his sons had any thoughts about his throne?
"But, My Prince clearly also suspected the Imperial Court really did fall ill." The guard gawked in confusion.
"In this world, how many things are real when even the pulse can be altered?" Chang Yan looked out the window. "Rather than endless guesses, it's better to test it out."
He believed more in his own judgement.
"How does My Prince plan to test?" The guard asked softly.
Just make a proposal.
The Emperor suddenly fell ill, yet his sons were all still single, without proper or concubine wives, much less grandsons who could call the Emperor grandfather.
Humans valued proliferation the most. An emperor could also be a doting elder.
The next day, instigated by the Fifth Prince, someone in court proposed that wives should be selected for the princes, to continue their lineage and sweep away the Emperor's illness at the same time.
Also known as, making joy to dispel disease.
