The next day, after hastily burying Li Ben, Zhou Baihe brought Li Yi.
Upon seeing Fan Zehao, without a word, they kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your help yesterday. Otherwise, our family would have been devoured!"
Li Yi also knelt on the ground, appearing very pious, and solemnly said, "From now on, the Li manor will be the backyard of Your Highness's manor. I, Li Yi, am now Your Highness's man. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west. If you tell me to die, I won't live. From now on, Li Yi will obey Your Highness's every command!"
This was a voluntary allegiance to the Prince's manor. Although Fan Zehao didn't agree with Li Yi's words, he was very happy that Li Yi had pledged his loyalty.
"With me here, as long as your Li manor abides by the rules and does business in this area, no one will dare to harm a single hair on your head. My brother, Fan Zehao, must protect him!"
As Fan Zehao spoke, he helped Li Yi up and patted his shoulder with a large palm. The force of these few pats nearly sent him to the ground.
Seeing this, Fan Zehao shook his head, "This won't do. A grown man is as weak as a chick. This is unacceptable. After dealing with your family matters, come to the army camp with me to build up your body."
Li Yi wanted to say that he wasn't weak at all, but the Prince, who had been wielding that forty-pound long halberd for years, had immense strength in his single arm. Anyone on whom he patted their shoulder couldn't withstand it.
However, seeing the Prince happy, Li Yi had no choice but to agree. Once he agreed, he trained for over a month.
For the New Year, the Prince's manor didn't have a grand celebration, just a reunion dinner with the whole family.
Pinting was in low spirits, and everyone knew it, but no one understood why.
Fan Biao thought his son had bullied her, but it didn't seem like it. He went to ask his nephew's wife, Zhao Jiaqi, "Do you know what's going on with my second daughter-in-law?"
Even if she knew, she couldn't say anything. She shook her head slightly, "Uncle, they are all grown up and can distinguish between right and wrong. Since they haven't told you, it's probably not a big deal. Let it be!"
Fan Biao thought about it and agreed, so he didn't bother with the matter anymore.
Just after the New Year, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, the Prince's manor received an urgent imperial decree delivered by an eight-hundred-li express courier.
"The Emperor has passed away. Your Highness, return to the capital!"
These eight simple words conveyed everything that needed to be said. Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi looked at the imperial decree with heavy hearts.
"What do you plan to do?"
Fan Zehao weakly shook his head, "This time, I plan to return to the capital alone. You and the children will stay on this territory!"
"The elderly and children stay, and I will go back with you. If anything happens, I might be able to help!" Zhao Jiaqi couldn't bear to be separated from her husband and let him go to such a dangerous place alone.
However, if the children accompanied them back to the capital, she worried that they might be implicated. Between the two, she could only choose one.
She undoubtedly chose Fan Zehao. If the children were fatherless, the family wouldn't be complete. It was better for the children to lack a father than for the parents to be separated.
"Can you bear to leave the children behind?"
Not to mention that she couldn't bear it, even he himself couldn't bear to leave the children.
"Forget it. Either we all live, or we all die together. Nothing can separate us."
Fan Zehao made this decision in less than a few seconds. His meaning was simple: even as ghosts, they would still be a family.
The next day, when he explained the situation to his parents, his mother slapped Fan Zehao across the face. The sound was so loud that Zhao Jiaqi was stunned.
In all their years of marriage, this was the first time she had seen her mother-in-law so angry that she would hit her son.
"You scoundrel, if you want to die, no one will stop you, but you won't take my granddaughter and grandson away."
"Yes, if the children are here, at least the lineage will remain. It's not right to take the children away with you. Let Jiaqi go to help you, and your mother and elder brother's wife will help you raise the children."
Fan He, who usually spoke very little, also spoke up. His opinion was the same as Zhang Cuihua's. Even Fan Guangping and Wang Zhaodi nodded repeatedly.
It was clear that everyone wanted to leave the children behind, which would be a continuation of the Fan family.
Even if the adults encountered any accidents, they wouldn't starve with the income from Trade City.
Compared to the dilemma faced by Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi, Pinting directly handed her child, Fan Tian Tian, to her father-in-law. She knew that no one could take better care of the child than her own grandfather.
Her decisive action truly surprised Zhao Jiaqi. "Sister-in-law, it's a battle of desperation, why hesitate?"
"The children are still young, and they haven't seen the world yet. Leaving them here is the best choice!" At least when they grow up, they will be a continuation of me, and it will not have been in vain to be a mother in this life.
Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao were indeed not as decisive as Pinting in this regard, but what they said was also correct.
"Then we entrust the children to Father and Mother. As for the matters of Trade City, with Uncle Wang Lifeng there, there won't be any mistakes."
Before they left, Bai Lu, upon hearing the news, rushed over, wanting to return to the capital with them. "This servant is willing to return with Your Highness. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, this servant will try!"
She was still thinking of trying to overturn the case, but the Emperor was already gone?
Even if the truth were found, who could overturn it for you?
The Crown Prince? He couldn't even protect himself now!
"As you wish. As for the matters of the shops, they will be handed over to Brother Sheng. With these people here, I believe Trade City will continue to operate smoothly!"
It took them two days to settle their family affairs. Fan Zehao even had Xiao Ce and General Fang lead ten thousand elite soldiers, traveling in separate official ships behind them to the capital, and stationed outside the city, ready to raise an army.
On the third day, they set off in official ships, well-stocked with provisions, and headed straight for the capital without stopping.
It took ten days, and they almost split their bottoms in two. Finally, the gates of the capital appeared before them. The journey had been too arduous.
They entered the capital before dark. Pinting didn't rest and went directly to the palace. As for Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi, they were officials and could not enter the palace without being summoned, so they had to wait for news at their residence.
The next day, as dawn broke, an imperial decree from the Imperial Noble Consort arrived, summoning them to the palace to offer condolences.
Wearing white mourning clothes, Zhao Jiaqi's complexion had not yet regained its color. When she wore them, she looked like a delicate beauty suffering from illness.
Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, Zhao Jiaqi sighed softly.
Indeed, the saying "if you want to look pretty, wear white mourning clothes" was not untrue.
Outside the grand hall, a crowd of ministers and noble ladies were kneeling. Huangfu Xu and Huangfu Xian knelt behind the Crown Prince. The entire palace was silent.
After the condolences, the Prince of Zhen and his consort were summoned by the Imperial Noble Consort. The moment they met, Yao Jingyun burst into tears.
"Prince of Zhen, you are back. When the Emperor was leaving, he was calling your name, woo woo..."
Fan Zehao took a small step back and bowed, "Imperial Noble Consort, please accept my condolences. The Emperor has passed away, why hasn't the Crown Prince ascended the throne?"
His words struck a sensitive chord, "It's not that I don't want the Crown Prince to ascend the throne, but his good brother! He said the Crown Prince's private life was decadent and he lacked virtue. He even accused him of great unfilial piety. Even half of the civil and military officials have come forward to speak for Prince Xian, saying that someone who is morally corrupt and unfilial should not be Emperor."
"Nonsense! Who are these people to negate the heir designated by the Emperor?" Fan Zehao, enraged, let loose a torrent of words.
"Tomorrow morning, I will lead the Crown Prince to ascend the throne. Let's see who dares to utter such rubbish. Anyone who dares to speak will be considered a traitor, and will be killed without mercy!"
Fan Zehao, having killed before, became even more ferocious when angered, his bloodthirsty eyes becoming increasingly sharp.
"Summon the commander of the Imperial Guards. I have something to say!"