The crisis had not been averted.
As long as the Liu Family remained the maternal family of the Fifth Prince, the princes would grow up day by day and become entangled in the battle for the throne. It would be hard for Emperor Xiao Yunzhou to say how he would view the Liu Family, his in-laws.
Since ancient times, as emperors gradually grew old and weary, upon seeing the young and vigorous crown prince or princes desiring to inherit the throne, essentially waiting for him to die, they would become increasingly suspicious.
Even if a crown prince had been appointed, there were many instances in history of him being demoted or imprisoned.
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger!
Master Liu, who had just felt a tinge of pride, and Concubine Liu, who had let out a sigh of relief, suddenly felt their hearts gripped tight once more.
[The Emperor Father greatly disliked officials forcing him to appoint a crown prince.]
[Whoever brought it up would be on his blacklist!]
[Grandfather, you almost got demoted and demoted again because of this matter.]
The corner of Master Liu's mouth twitched.
Concubine Liu looked at him with concern.
Xiao Chuchu muttered in her heart, [But there is actually a good solution that the Emperor Father came up with next year.]
[He told the officials that he agreed to appoint a crown prince, but would not announce who it was. He would write the name on a plaque and hang it behind the council chamber of the Qianqing Palace.]
[Only after his demise could the officials go and see the imperial edict behind the plaque.]
Master Liu's beard trembled slightly.
This was indeed an excellent solution that satisfied both sides!
It not only resolved the dilemma of having no successor in the event of the emperor's sudden death, but also kept the princes and officials from knowing who the heir was.
This way, the princes could continue to diligently study day and night.
The officials would also not dare to slack off or form cliques carelessly.
The emperor was truly quite clever!
Master Liu was secretly shocked, and then broke out in a sweat.
Although the emperor appeared to be pressured by the cabinet and remonstrators, his intelligence was by no means inferior to the officials'. The emperor might not necessarily be oblivious to their covert maneuverings!
"Your Ladyship, it's time for the young princess to drink her milk," the wet nurse Zhang Jia gently reminded.
This startled Concubine Liu out of her thoughts.
Xiao Chuchu, cradled in Master Liu's arms, suddenly felt ravenously hungry, her little head growing a bit dizzy.
Master Liu looked down and saw his granddaughter's rosy little mouth smacking, and reluctantly handed her over to Zhang Jia.
Master Liu watched her being carried to the side chamber, his mind still pondering the emperor's affairs.
"Your Ladyship Concubine Liu, it's getting late. This official should take his leave from the palace," Master Liu rose to bid farewell to his daughter.
He dared not ponder the Fifth Prince's chances in the battle for the throne.
But... what if?
No, he couldn't continue down that line of thought!
Master Liu's gaze flickered, and he forced himself to recite Buddhist scriptures.
But even so, he couldn't help but recall the warning that his late wife had conveyed to him about Xiao Chuchu's premonition during a quiet night after returning from Qiu Mountain.
—After the new emperor ascends the throne, the Fifth Prince will be the first to be regarded with suspicion and die in battle.
Master Liu felt a pang in his heart at the thought. If the emperor were to pass away in three years, wouldn't this happen within the next ten years at most?
How old would the young Fifth Prince be then?
He knew that Qi General's younger son had grown up in the military camp from a young age and died in battle at the mere age of eleven, before reaching adulthood, alongside Qi General when they were surrounded by enemy forces.
Just thinking about it pained Master Liu immensely.
[Ah! Today is the seventh day of the month. I just remembered that Grandfather will trip over the doorstep and break his right arm, rendering him unable to attend court for a month!]
Xiao Chuchu, already carried to the side chamber by Zhang Jia, made this remark from the other side of the wall, just three steps away from the doorstep that Master Liu was standing by.
Master Liu's mind went blank!
He was going to fall again?
Master Liu had been deeply preoccupied with thoughts of the Fifth Prince earlier.
At this moment, although he heard the words, his body failed to react.
Unlike the previous occasion when his wife had called for a servant to support him before setting off for the sacrificial rites at Qiu Mountain, there was no one by his side today.
Having spent over a decade sitting in the study of the administrative office, Master Liu's physical agility was far from exceptional.
His mind knew to be careful, but his feet slipped on a puddle, and in an instant, his body lost balance!
No matter how much he heard Xiao Chuchu's warning, he could not control his fall, tumbling face-first towards the doorstep leading to the Donghua Palace.
"Wei Zheng! Support Master Liu!"
As soon as the words were said, it was already too late. Emperor Xiao Yunzhou, having finished half of his paperwork and about to take an afternoon rest before finding his little princess, had just stepped into the Donghua Palace.
In an instant, the emperor heard Xiao Chuchu's premonition.
[Grandfather will... fall on the doorstep today...]
His little princess had prophesied like a celestial being once again.
Immediately after, he saw Master Liu not only fail to pay attention, but also take a spectacular tumble in front of everyone.
"Aiya!" Wei Zheng, one of the emperor's attendants, rushed over to serve as a human cushion for Master Liu, letting out a sickening crunch as his left arm seemed to break.
Master Liu's forehead struck the ground, cutting open a gash that bled profusely.
But he was not seriously injured.
Concubine Liu, hearing the commotion, hurried out in great alarm. "Father! Your Majesty—"
"No need for formalities. Summon the imperial physician!"
Xiao Yunzhou helped her up, then personally assisted Master Liu to his feet, his gentle gaze checking for any injuries to his limbs.
His eyes were a whirlwind of emotions... He felt sympathy and concern for Master Liu's fall, but also a sense of relief once again!
Master Liu could not hear Xiao Chuchu's inner voice.
This was a true verification!
Xiao Yunzhou waited for the physician to tend to Wei Zheng's broken arm, and after confirming that Master Liu had only suffered minor abrasions, he generously rewarded the quick-witted Wei Zheng.
Seeing Wei Zheng grimacing in pain, Xiao Yunzhou squinted his eyes.
Earlier, Master Liu's fall was no act - had it not been for Wei Zheng's timely action to cushion the fall with his own body, it would have been Master Liu's arm that broke instead.
Such a situation could not have been faked.
The emperor had just arrived, and had not instructed the eunuchs to announce his presence, so Master Liu inside was unaware of his arrival.
Furthermore, to reach Concubine Liu's side chamber, one had to pass through a partition wall.
So Master Liu could not have seen him earlier, and had no reason to feign a fall.
Xiao Yunzhou was truly convinced this time.
Originally, after the morning court earlier, he had been shaken by the depravity of Zhou Wuchen's actions, and suspected that only Master Liu had uncovered Zhou Wuchen's misdeeds. After descending from court and calming down, he grew skeptical again.
Master Liu's unique insight, unbeknownst to others, was similar to the emperor hearing Xiao Chuchu's premonitions.
Xiao Yunzhou had grown somewhat doubtful earlier.
But now, all doubts were dispelled!
Xiao Yunzhou looked at the wounded Master Liu and saw him apologizing profusely to the injured Wei Zheng, a sense of guilt arising within.
Alas, the emperor had been overly suspicious!
He should not have been like this - Xiao Chuchu was the reincarnation of a celestial being, bestowed with divine warnings for the Son of Heaven. How could everyone hear her?
Xiao Yunzhou felt regretful, he should not have treated his loyal minister in such a manner!
After rewarding the devoted Wei Zheng for protecting his sovereign, Xiao Yunzhou asked Master Liu, who was about to take his leave, to stay.
"It is I who lacked attentiveness," said the emperor.
"Last night, Master Liu accompanied me in exposing the corrupt practices of Zhou Wuchen. It must have been extremely tiring, and you have not rested," said Xiao Yunzhou.
"That is why you were fatigued earlier and took that fall. Alas, it is all my fault. I should have let you return home to rest."
Master Liu was greatly alarmed.
Even Concubine Liu could not help but raise her eyebrows.
The emperor's attitude was so gracious, even acknowledging his mistake?
But according to Xiao Chuchu's words, even without last night's incident, her grandfather would still have tripped over the doorstep at home...
Yet Xiao Yunzhou insisted warmly, "You may rest in my Chonghua Palace study."
Master Liu and Concubine Liu were utterly astonished.
"There is a long couch in my study where you can take a nap. I will have the physician come again to examine your injuries before the evening meal."
Wait, how did a simple stumble turn him into the emperor's favorite minister? Even allowing him to rest in the emperor's own study?
Master Liu was dumbfounded.
The emperor worked while he slept?
Besides, the wound on his forehead was hardly serious - it would heal in no time if he remained for a while longer!
Master Liu was overwhelmed by the emperor's favor, but could not refuse his good intentions.
After three rounds of polite refusals, he finally acquiesced, giving his daughter a reassuring glance before leaving.
But unexpectedly, as soon as the emperor stepped into the Chonghua Palace study and sat down at the desk to review documents, he pondered for a moment before posing a question as the eunuch prepared a bed for Master Liu.
"Ah. Master Liu, do you think I should appoint a crown prince?"
Master Liu: "!!!"
Oh my...
How unfortunate!
He knew the answer to this question in advance!
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