Empress Dowager Mo returned to Cining Palace in a fury and immediately issued two orders. The first was to have Eunuch Ning bring all necessary living supplies to the Heavenly Prison to furnish Ah Jiu’s cell, especially warm clothing and bedding, lest he freeze in this cold weather.
The second order was to send someone to inform Wufu at Prince Jin’s Mansion, so she doesn’t act rashly and forcefully break into the Heavenly Prison, making the situation even harder to manage.
After giving these instructions, Empress Dowager Mo refused the tea and food offered by the palace maids. As she put it, with her son suffering in prison, how could a mother like her find peace? She would neither eat nor drink until Prince Jin was released and only then would she consider eating and drinking again.
Oh dear, Empress Dowager Mo is going on a hunger strike!
The news reached Yangxin Hall, and Emperor Yan was so angry that his face turned black. Besides feeling furious, he was also disheartened.
Empress Dowager Mo was determined to oppose him, the emperor, forcibly pushing her son to corner him, to tell the entire court and the world that he was unfilial, to the point of forcing her to go on a hunger strike.
For the sake of Ah Jiu, she was forcing him to bow his head.
Did she truly believe he would concede defeat? Or was she bluffing fearlessly?
Emperor Yan sat all alone in Yangxin Hall, and in Eunuch Lu’s eyes, he appeared incredibly lonely and desolate.
...
At Prince Jin’s Mansion, Wufu received the command from the Empress Dowager, her expression turning unpleasant.
Emperor Yan wouldn’t even give face to Empress Dowager Mo?
"Let Mother rest assured, I understand," Wufu said to the little eunuch who came to deliver the message. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Tomorrow, I will go to the Heavenly Prison openly and visit the Prince."
She picked up her tea, while Hongyu smiled and escorted the little eunuch out, slipping him a prepared red envelope.
"Princess Consort, should someone go and smooth things over for the Prince?" Purple Jade asked with a frown.
"No need. Not to mention Mother will arrange things, but those guarding the Heavenly Prison wouldn’t be so lacking in judgment to mistreat him." On this point, Wufu was quite confident.
Although Ah Jiu had angered the Emperor and was thus sent to the Heavenly Prison, his status as a Prince and moreover as the Empress Dowager’s legitimate son meant he would be treated differently, even in prison. After all, the Emperor hadn’t charged him with any crime.
Good grief, locked in the Heavenly Prison with nothing going on?
Ah, since ancient times many have entered the Heavenly Prison; even the loyal Imperial Censors have been there, yet many came out unscathed. Who knows if Prince Jin will be the same, perhaps released in just a few shichen.
The guards at the Heavenly Prison aren’t without discernment. Why would they offend someone for no reason? Not to mention, he is the Empress Dowager’s only son!
Wufu wasn’t wrong. Although Ah Jiu was locked in the Heavenly Prison, the environment was cold and damp, but due to his status, he was held in a solitary cell far from the serious criminals.
And that cell, well, it was furnished with additional comforts: a small bed covered with clean bedding, even tiger skin blankets. The clothes he wore were made of tiger fur, and several braziers with bright fires were placed around.
As for food and drink, well, to say the least, there was a table set with exquisite teapots and teacups, along with a variety of fine pastries and fruits, ensuring he wouldn’t go hungry.
There was also a desk with the Four Treasures of the Study and two books, along with a gilded little Incense Burner with incense burning inside.
The setup was such that the guards at the Heavenly Prison couldn’t help but twitch their mouths, thinking, seeing all this, how could it be considered mistreatment? They wouldn’t mind staying in the Heavenly Prison themselves!
But no one said a word. People can’t be compared; that’s a man of distinction, a current Prince. Here, to put it bluntly, he’s just experiencing a slice of life!
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