sjar Chapter 628 Belated Fatherly Love
Chapter 628 Belated Fatherly Love
The Fifth Prince was right; the Emperor did indeed go to see the Second Prince.
Part of the reason was concern for his health, and another part was to reaffirm my judgment from yesterday.
There was no other way; for Chang'er's safety, he couldn't allow the imperial physician to examine him closely.
Currently, the imperial physicians are focused on detoxification and no one is chatting with the prince, so they have not yet noticed any changes in the second prince's mental state.
When the emperor arrived at the second prince's bedchamber, he saw that the second prince was still pale and was leaning against the headboard, with the empress personally feeding him water and medicine.
The empress was not wearing any makeup at this time, and her face looked tired but not haggard.
At this moment, the mother and son were feeding each other medicine, and the hall was very quiet, as if time had stood still.
The emperor hesitated for a moment and did not enter immediately.
It wasn't until the Second Prince Zhao Hongchang coughed a few times that he took the opportunity to enter the room and asked with concern, "Chang'er, how are you feeling?"
The second prince forced a smile: "Father, I am much better now. Please forgive me for not being able to stand up and pay my respects."
"Why worry about these things now? Your health is the most important thing!"
"Thank you, Father!"
The emperor nodded in satisfaction. After seeing him today, he was even more certain of his judgment.
It's possible that the poison Chang'er was given just happened to be rampaging through his body, accidentally opening up his blocked seven orifices.
What the imperial physicians once said was irreversible was reversed by this coincidence.
It is truly a blessing from heaven; may heaven protect the Great Zhou.
The Empress put down the medicine bowl and made room for the head of the bed.
This bowl of medicine was not prescribed by the imperial physician; it was just a general tonic for replenishing qi and blood.
However, the emperor wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters, as he was currently preoccupied with what he considered more important.
"Chang'er, you, you..."
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't know how to say them.
The emperor glanced at the empress beside him, and the empress understood.
"Chang'er, your father wants to ask you how you are feeling right now."
"Father, compared to yesterday, I am not as drowsy today, and I have some strength back."
"That's fine, that's fine."
"Your father also wants to ask you, do you feel any different now compared to before you were poisoned?"
The second prince lowered his head and thought silently: "It seems that my mind is clearer than before. I don't know why, but it feels like the memories of the past ten years are shrouded in a layer of fog."
Whenever I try to lift this fog and see things more clearly, I get a headache.
"Father, Mother, what's wrong with me? Have I lost my memory?"
Upon hearing the Second Prince's words, the Emperor understood even more and became even more certain of his guess.
"How could that be? Of course you haven't lost your memory, otherwise how could you recognize me and your mother?"
“Father is right. I remember not only Father and Mother, but also everyone in the palace, and my teacher, Lord Jiang, who has been teaching and guiding me all this time.”
“That’s right. Lord Jiang also wore out a fast horse yesterday to rush back to the capital to see Chang’er. We should remember that.”
When the Empress heard her son mention Lord Jiang, she followed suit and said something in return.
The emperor's eyes flashed when Jiang Xiaoqi was mentioned.
It was that Jiang Zhuangyuan whom I had high hopes for. Later, he entered the Hanlin Academy as a compiler, and then became the tutor of the second prince.
Last year, he also made a significant contribution, indirectly saving two hundred people from the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In the end, I think he bestowed a reward upon himself? I think it was a estate?
Sigh, if I had known that Jiang Mingfei and Chang'er were so close, I should have changed the reward and promoted him by one or two ranks. Wouldn't that have been more practical than some estate?
If Jiang Xiaoqi knew what the emperor was thinking at this moment, he would probably scoff at it.
What kind of hindsight comment is this?
The Jiang family was indeed not short of money, estates, or shops. Landlord Jiang had high expectations for his descendants who would become officials, especially for Jiang Xiaoqi.
He himself was very stubborn, and he was promoted one rank in three years. Jiang Xiaoqi is still only a sixth-rank official, and Landlord Jiang is also very anxious.
One step behind leads to another, and Liu Peng's family has already started making connections for him, so soon he will be on par with Jiang Xiaoqi in terms of rank.
Even if Landlord Jiang was anxious, he didn't have the ability and power of Prime Minister Liu, and he couldn't support his own grandson.
As for Jiang Changqing, he was a fourth-rank official when he first entered the capital, and he is still a fourth-rank official now.
In Beijing, it seems that getting a promotion and a raise isn't so easy.
Not only in the capital, but also in Linhai County, where the magistrate Dong Jin has remained stuck in the position of a seventh-rank magistrate for six years.
Therefore, merit, contribution, and performance evaluation are conditions for promotion, but not absolute conditions.
Connections, background, and influence can sometimes accelerate the process of promotion.
Even though the Zhou Dynasty was much more efficient in its administration than the previous dynasty, it still couldn't completely eliminate these unspoken rules.
It is easy for an emperor to forget someone, but it is very difficult for him to remember someone.
Unless there is an opportunity like today, where someone specifically mentions it, the emperor's closed memory gates are instantly opened.
The files related to this person were also retrieved, revealing that he was Jiang Zhuangyuan, who almost became the auspicious scholar who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations.
I've been in the Hanlin Academy for over three years now, and I've made some contributions and achieved some political success during these three years. Hmm, it's possible that I could be promoted.
This spring, the new top scholar also entered the Hanlin Academy. If the previous year's top scholar is still stuck in the same place, it would be quite unsightly.
"Is it Jiang Mingfei, Minister Jiang? He is indeed a learned man. With him as your tutor, you won't have to worry about your studies."
"Is he still a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy? It's time for a change; otherwise, this sixth-rank rank doesn't do justice to the title of tutor to the princes, does it?"
The second prince's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "Father, is what you say true?"
"Look at what you're saying. Your father is the emperor, and his words are law. How could you ask such a silly question?"
"Thank you, Father! Your son thanks you on behalf of General Jiang!"
The Second Prince's excitement at this moment was genuine; he truly hadn't expected his father to bring up this matter.
How can this not be considered a pleasant surprise? Hehe~ He wanted to give his husband a surprise!
"You're so happy? If I had known that promoting your teacher would make you this happy, I should have promoted him sooner."
"Of course, one cannot be promoted casually. Qualification and merit are both indispensable. Father Emperor, you do not need to open back doors for your son and ruin the atmosphere of the court."
"I am pleased that you think this way."
The emperor now sees his second son, the legitimate son, as perfect in every way; this is what is meant by belated fatherly love.
"Alright, you've just taken your medicine, rest for a while." The Empress looked at the two of them, a father and son, with a kind and filial demeanor, and felt a strange sense of absurdity.
"Yes, listen to your mother. Sleep for a while so you can recover."