Chapter 456 – Madness

Long Xuan was unaware of the worsening condition of Luo Wei in Yi Jin Garden. After returning from the war, he was firmly confined to Changming Palace by state affairs.

Spring passed, and summer arrived. The grand funerals for Empress Dowager Duanmu, Empress Dowager Liu, and Prince Yu Long Xiang had been completed one after another, befitting their respective statuses.

Long Xuan had intended to inquire about the funeral matters, but just the task of dispatching officials and deploying troops to the Southern Zhao region, as well as appeasing the local gentry and people there, left him without a moment to spare. He could only entrust the three funerals entirely to Prince Xin.

After a shower of rain, the intense summer heat had finally somewhat subsided.

Long Xuan had just managed to take a bowl of chilled plum juice during a rare break when Prince Xin Long Yi came to find him again.

“Why has His Highness come?” Long Xuan looked at Prince Xin entering from outside, his ceremonial robe stained with sweat marks, and holding a stack of letters. He hurriedly asked, “Has someone been gossiping about the funerals?”

Prince Xin replied, “There have been no objections in court regarding the funerals. This time, I have come regarding the matter of Your Majesty choosing an empress.”

“Choosing an empress?” Long Xuan felt displeased in his heart but his face did not show it. He asked Prince Xin, “Why did you suddenly bring up this matter?”

“These are the letters received from various nations in recent days,” Prince Xin raised the stack of letters in his hand and said to Long Xuan, “All of them express a desire to send their noble daughters to Zhou. Please take a look, Your Majesty.”

Long Xuan nodded slightly to Fu Dao.

Fu Dao hurried to Prince Xin’s side, took the stack of official letters, and placed them on Long Xuan’s imperial desk.

“I’ll take a look when I have time,” Long Xuan didn’t bother to look at the letters. He said to Prince Xin, “It’s hot. You should go back quickly, Your Highness.”

“Your Majesty,” Prince Xin said, “The imperial harem cannot remain without an Empress for too long. Great Zhou also needs an Empress to set as an example for the world. You should make a decision as soon as possible.”

“Alright,” Long Xuan promised Prince Xin, “I will consider it. Even if these ladies cannot become the Empress, I can still take them into the palace as consorts. In any case, I will not let the rulers of other nations feel awkward. Your Highness can rest assured.”

Prince Xin could hear the meaning behind Long Xuan’s words. It was fine to take concubines, but not to appoint an empress.

“Your Highness, please retire,” Long Xuan said again.

“I shall take my leave,” Prince Xin had no choice but to leave the hall.

Long Xuan glanced at the stack of letters in front of him. Great Zhou was now lacking an Empress, and all these people wanted to establish a relationship with him through marriage. “How has Consort Chang been lately?” Thinking of the empress, Long Xuan remembered Consort Chang and asked Fu Dao, “Has she caused any trouble at Dongfo Hall?”

Fu Dao quickly replied, “Consort Chang is now devoted to Buddhism. The servants have only heard that she wishes to see the Crown Prince.”

After the bloody massacre at Yannian Hall, Consort Chang’s child, who was already full-term in her womb, was lost. Long Xuan actually felt somewhat regretful about this incident. He only had three sons and no daughters, which was rather few for an emperor. “What about the Crown Prince? What has he been busy with recently?”

Fu Dao replied, “The Crown Prince spends most of his time in the Study Room and occasionally returns to the Wenyi Hall. He often goes to Yi Jin Garden to see Prince Jin.”

“The Prince sees him?” Long Xuan asked.

“I’ve heard that Prince Jin treats the Crown Prince very well. Every time the Crown Prince visits, he instructs him on his studies. Your Majesty,” Fu Dao intentionally told Long Xuan, “The officials who attend the study hall now say that the Crown Prince’s calligraphy is becoming more and more like Prince Jin’s.”

That Luo Wei would be kind to Long Xiao was something Long Xuan couldn’t understand. After all, Luo Wei, who had hated Consort Chang of Lingnan so much he had wiped out her entire clan, surely knew that Long Xiao had half of her blood in him? “I will go to Dongfo Hall tonight,” Long Xuan decided after some thought.

“Yes, I will go and inform them right away,” Fu Dao hurriedly responded.

“No need,” Long Xuan said, “I am just going to take a look. No need to inform them beforehand.”

Although he did not understand why Long Xuan suddenly wanted to go to Dongfo Hall, Fu Dao always complied with Long Xuan’s orders.

“Summon the ministers waiting outside to present their memorials,” Long Xuan pushed the letters from other nations aside and instructed Fu Dao.

Long Xuan spent the entire day dealing with tedious state affairs. It wasn’t until dusk that the last minister finished reporting and left.

Fu Dao hurriedly prepared to serve Long Xuan’s meal.

“No need,” Long Xuan stood up, stretched his limbs, and said, “Prepare the carriage for Dongfo Hall.”

Even though Dongfo Hall had been inhabited by the living again, it still lacked the warmth and liveliness of the mortal world. A place that was too quiet would seem lifeless and gloomy, and Dongfo Hall was just like that. Staying there for a while made people unwilling to linger any longer.

Consort Chang was sitting in front of a Guanyin statue. This white jade Guanyin had once listened to Empress Dowager Duanmu’s Buddhist chanting for many years and was now listening to Consort Chang’s.

After Long Xuan walked into the Buddhist hall, he cleared his throat lightly.

Consort Chang shuddered, turned around to see Long Xuan, and looked even more flustered and at a loss.

Long Xuan examined this Consort Chang. He didn’t expect a woman to age so rapidly that he could hardly recognize her as his former empress.

Consort Chang thought she would spend her whole life in Dongfo Hall like Empress Dowager Duanmu, never to see Long Xuan again.

Long Xuan sat down on a nearby empty chair. Seeing that she did not stand up or salute him, he could not be bothered to reproach her. “For whom are you chanting Buddhist scriptures here?” Long Xuan asked Consort Chang.

Consort Chang remained seated on the cushion and replied, “The Buddha is compassionate. The Buddha’s teachings say, ‘Good begets good, and evil begets evil.’ This servant is merely waiting to see.”

Long Xuan’s face darkened. “What are you waiting to see?”

Consort Chang didn’t answer Long Xuan’s question but asked him instead, “Your Majesty, may I see Xiao’er?”

Long Xuan said, “Why would you want to see him? You are a disgraced consort. Are you not afraid of implicating him?”

“What about Ling’er?” Consort Chang asked immediately.

Long Xuan said, “Ling’er? Who is Ling’er?”

A smile appeared on Consort Chang’s face as she said, “Ling’er is the Fourth Prince. He is my second son. Your Majesty, have you forgotten Ling’er? Ah, yes, Your Majesty has just returned from Northern Yan and has not seen Ling’er yet.”

“You—” Long Xuan realized something was wrong with Consort Chang and asked, “When did you give birth to a second son?”

Consort Chang said, “Your Majesty, please do not joke with this servant.”

“Have you gone mad? Xiao’er is your only son. I only have three sons now. Who is Ling’er?” Long Xuan asked.

Seeing that Long Xuan did not seem to be joking, the smile disappeared from her face. “Your Majesty hasn’t seen Ling’er?”

“I see you have truly gone mad!!” Long Xuan stood up. It seemed he should not have come here today.

“It must be Luo Wei!” Consort Chang cried out as she saw Long Xuan stand up. She threw herself at his feet, shouting loudly, “It’s Luo Wei, Your Majesty! Luo Wei!”

“What about Luo Wei?” Long Xuan asked.

“It must be Luo Wei who has hidden Ling’er! Your Majesty,” Consort Chang grabbed Long Xuan’s clothes tightly with both hands, “he wants to harm my son. Your Majesty, you have to save me, save Ling’er!”