On the carriage ride back, Lu Nian Fu, leaning lazily against Si Tu Yan, touched her stomach and tried to make conversation. "Does your father, the Emperor, assign you a lot of homework? Will you have to burn the midnight oil when you get back?"
"Burning the oil for three days wouldn't finish it. It's fine, I'll just take my time reading."
"What kind of homework can you take your time reading?"
"Just looking over the papers of the new imperial examination scholars."
Lu Nian Fu's eyes immediately widened. "Looking over papers? Are there problems with this year's imperial examinations again?"
Si Tu Yan pulled her back into his embrace. "Nothing like that. Father said that the people selected are second to none in talent, and he wants me to study their writings carefully."
"This homework is so strange!"
Si Tu Yan was also baffled, but he said, "My father always has his reasons for doing things."
Lu Nian Fu found it peculiar. "You're being so good. Didn't you used to get a headache at the sight of a book? Why are you suddenly patient enough to read the scholars' papers?" One examination had three policy essays, selecting one hundred and three Jinshi and two hundred and six Tong Jinshi.
Combined, that's over nine hundred articles. Even if every one was a masterpiece, it would be overwhelming.
Si Tu Yan sighed. "My father's health hasn't been good lately, and I wouldn't dare upset him further. If he wants me to read, I'll read. I'll just take it slow."
"Have the imperial physicians not diagnosed what's wrong?"
"My father is getting old. He lost a son and worries too much; it's not easy to recover. The imperial physicians have all told him to move to a quiet place and recuperate, with the Crown Prince overseeing state affairs, but he hasn't agreed." Si Tu Yan's mood darkened slightly when speaking of Emperor Chang Wu's health.
Lu Nian Fu gently patted his back. "Don't worry, your father is blessed by heaven. He'll surely get better slowly."
In her past life, Emperor Chang Wu was still alive when she died. It was just that his health was indeed not good, and he was bedridden for years. Otherwise, the Crown Prince and Si Tu Jue wouldn't have dared to act so arrogantly, nor would Si Tu Yan, the crippled prince, have had to step forward to manage the situation.
As the end of the year approached, officials from various regions prepared to return to the capital for their annual reports.
Many of these were Si Tu Jue's men. Now that Si Tu Jue was dead, the Ning King's faction was leaderless, and even the Qi Ying Marquis Manor received far fewer visitors than in previous years.
Jian Huai Ming seemed to have aged several years, and even Jian Shi Zhao, who considered himself a master strategist, was at a loss.
All their schemes were based on Si Tu Jue being alive. Even if they wanted to hold the emperor hostage and command the lords, it would be after Si Tu Jue ascended the throne.
Now that Si Tu Jue was dead and everything was settled, where could they find a prince to contend for the throne? Even if Ai Sha and Zeng Wei Yang had sons, the Emperor would never bypass so many sons to pass the throne to a grandson.
Unless Consort Jian, the old hen, laid another egg.
But after Si Tu Jue's death, Consort Jian's spirit seemed to have faded with him. Jian Huai Ming visited Chen Fang Palace once, and his sister no longer possessed her former elegance and grace. She appeared no different from an ordinary old woman.
Let alone the Emperor's current poor health, even if he were in his prime, he would no longer favor Consort Jian.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Even though the Qi Ying Marquis Manor still stood, the officials who had previously sided with them chose to pledge their allegiance elsewhere. The Crown Prince, hoping to pick up the pieces, had been very active lately, but his efforts yielded far less than he expected.
It was understandable. After years of opposing the Crown Prince with the Ning King, who knew if the Crown Prince held grudges? Moreover, the Crown Prince's faction was already well-established. Aligning with him now would be like adding flowers to an already brocade robe, and they would unlikely be given important positions. It was better to find someone with a weaker foundation; then, even if they couldn't achieve great merit by supporting a new emperor, they wouldn't be considered useless.
Thus, the gates of several other princes' manors became lively, with the Rui King's Manor being the busiest.
Si Tu Yan had spent the past few years traveling during the year-end and New Year periods, and he truly didn't know how many invitation cards a prince could receive. Not good at socializing, his head ached terribly, so he dragged Meng Chang Dong over.
Meng Chang Dong was sharp. Within a day, he saw through the situation. He didn't return for the night and, after dinner, pulled Si Tu Yan into the study for a candlelit talk. "Your Highness, they are coming to pledge their allegiance to you."
"Pledge allegiance for what? Reject all bribes."
"It's not bribery; it's taking sides. They want to test if you have any intention of vying for that position."
Meng Chang Dong's voice was low, but Si Tu Yan heard every word clearly. However, when these words were strung together, he didn't quite understand.
He was stunned for a long time, unable to recover. "Chang Dong, you've misunderstood, haven't you?"