Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 395 Supervising the Country
On the seventh day of the first lunar month, the emperor did not appear at the morning court. Instead, the chief eunuch came to announce, "Your Majesty is not feeling well. The Prince of Zuo will temporarily govern the country. During the period when the Prince of Zuo governs the country, all officials must perform their duties conscientiously and ensure that no mistakes are made in government affairs."

The corners of Prince Zuo's lips slightly raised, with a hint of pride and anticipation, "Your son obeys your order."

It was good that someone in the harem spoke up for him, and it was worth his humble behavior in front of Marquis Yongchang.

He walked slowly to the throne and said, "My father is not in good health. As a subject, I should put state affairs first. From now on, I will supervise the country on behalf of my father until he recovers."

The courtiers who supported him bowed and said, "Prince Zuo is wise and brave, and will definitely be able to handle state affairs on behalf of Your Majesty."

Although the court officials who opposed him were dissatisfied, they could not object because it was the emperor's oral order.

"I know that you have some concerns about my role as regent." Prince Zuo looked around with a sharp gaze, "But what I want to say is that my role as regent is not for personal power, but for the country and the people. Now that my father is unwell and state affairs are heavy, I have the responsibility and ability to take on this important task."

As soon as he finished speaking, the court officials who had originally supported him echoed in unison, "The prince is wise, we will definitely fully support him in regulating the country and jointly safeguard the peace of the country."

Prince Zuo nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the officials who had not yet submitted to him. His voice was gentle but full of unquestionable majesty, "I know that you may have doubts in your hearts, but I can guarantee that I will be fair and selfless and do my best during my time as regent. If there is anything inappropriate, you can speak frankly, and I will humbly accept it and correct the mistakes."

His humble attitude won the favor of several old officials. One of them stepped forward and said:
"Prince, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"Please speak, Lord An. I am all ears." Prince Zuo said modestly.

"My Lord, I believe that the position of regent is a heavy responsibility and only a man of virtue and talent can be competent. Although you are young, you have acted with sophistication and steadiness since you entered the court and have also made military achievements in the frontier. Your ability is beyond doubt."

"However, state affairs concern the welfare of the people and should not be taken lightly. I hope that the prince will truly put the country and the people first during his time as regent, be fair and selfless, and work diligently to ensure that he lives up to the trust of His Majesty and the expectations of the people."

After hearing this, Prince Zuo bowed deeply and said, "Lord An is absolutely right. I will definitely keep it in mind and live up to everyone's expectations."

Lord An stroked his beard and nodded, obviously satisfied with Prince Zuo's response.

"Your Majesty, I also have something I would like to ask you." The minister spoke again.

"Please speak, Lord Lu." Prince Zuo's attitude remained respectful.

"Prince, His Majesty is seriously ill, and people in the court are in unrest. Various forces are competing secretly. I am worried that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos and endanger the stability of the country. I wonder what countermeasures the prince has?" asked Lord Lu.

Several ministers stared at him unkindly.

Prince Zuo pondered for a moment and said, "Lord Lu is right. I think we should first stabilize the government and reassure the officials. Secondly, we should strengthen the border defense to prevent foreign enemies from taking advantage of the situation. Furthermore, I will send people to investigate secretly. If there are any lawbreakers, they will not be forgiven easily."

After hearing this, Lord Lu's eyes flashed with admiration: "Your Highness is thoughtful, and I admire you. However, the power in the court is complicated, so Your Highness needs to act with caution and not be used by villains."

"Hmph." Someone snorted with disdain, obviously dissatisfied with what he said.

"Thank you Lord Lu for the reminder. I will be careful." Prince Zuo expressed his gratitude.

Prince Zuo returned to the Prince's Mansion with great pride. A sober aide reminded him, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's decision to let you govern the country is both a trust and a test for you."

Prince Zuo nodded, he knew the interests involved.

During the emperor's illness, the position of the prince who served as regent was quite dangerous. Not only did he have to handle political and military affairs properly, but he also had to follow the emperor's orders.

If you perform too outstandingly, the emperor will be wary of you.

If the performance is too mediocre, the emperor will be disappointed.

He needs to find a balance between the two, showing off his talent without being too ostentatious. "I'll pay attention." Prince Zuo said in a deep voice.

He temporarily took over the emperor's responsibilities, held court every day, listened to important state affairs, and resolved state disputes.

After the court session, he hurried to the Yangxin Palace to pay his respects to the emperor, report to him the affairs of the morning court, and serve him medicine, acting like a filial son.

Zhao Wangshu was a little worried about his regent status. She didn't want Zhao Jiahua to act arrogantly in front of her, so she asked Yun Hao, "What position can Prince Zuo take?"

"Your Majesty will not die for the time being." Yun Hao threw the cloth ball that his son pushed away back to him.

Zhao Wangshu frowned and asked, "Your Majesty entrusted him with an important task. Isn't it because you want to make him the crown prince?"

"That may not be the case." Yun Hao stretched out his hand and dragged his son who was crawling towards Zhao Wangshu over.

"Ahhh!" Little Yunyu was so angry that he kicked his legs hard, trying to crawl over to his mother's side. However, his father's grip was too strong and he couldn't break free.

Little Yunyu's cheeks puffed up with anger, making him look like a little pufferfish, which was both cute and funny.

"Don't bully my son." Zhao Wangshu carried little Yunyu over. "You may not be right. This means that His Majesty wants to establish the eleventh prince."

"If possible, Your Majesty would rather be the emperor forever." Yun Hao sneered.

Zhao Wangshu raised his eyebrows, "That's impossible. Even if a person lives for a hundred years, there will be an end. Even if he is greedy for power, he must appoint a prince early to reassure the people."

"There are many wise emperors in history who, in their old age, became incompetent in order to live forever. Not only did they not appoint a crown prince, but they also eliminated dissidents and suppressed meritorious officials, just to make their throne more secure."

Zhao Wangshu's expression changed slightly, "If your Majesty becomes like this, then you are in danger."

Yun Hao smiled and gently pinched her face, "Don't worry, Your Majesty may be the king, but I am not powerless to fight back."

He is not his father. He would not trust the emperor so much and would not put his life in the hands of others to be decided by them.

"Ahhh." Little Yunyu was unhappy that his mother only talked to his father and ignored him. He waved his little hands and kicked his legs, trying to get Zhao Wangshu's attention.

Zhao Wangshu looked down at Xiao Yunyu, her eyes full of doting. She kissed Xiao Yunyu's cheek and said with a smile: "Yu'er, dear, are you hungry? Can mother feed you eggs?"

Little Yunyu really likes egg custard. He understood what he said and immediately smacked his lips.

"Who's outside?" Zhao Wangshu asked loudly.

"I'm here." Lan Fen came in. "What do you want, Madam?"

"Young master is hungry. Is the egg custard ready? Bring it in." Zhao Wangshu said.

"Yes, young madam." Lan Fen stepped out.

After a while, she brought in a small bowl of egg custard.

The egg custard that Xiao Yunyu ate had no egg whites, it was steamed with egg yolks, and it was a small bowl.

"You feed our son." Zhao Wangshu took the small bib and put it on his son.

"Okay." It was not the first time that Yun Hao fed his son. He picked up the spoon, scooped up a small spoonful of egg custard, turned it in the air a few times to let it cool down a little before feeding it to little Yunyu.