Chapter 1550

Chen Guanlou met Chen Guanfu.

The two brothers stood under the corridor, whispering to each other.

"I accompanied Medical Official Mu into the palace, why did you come into the palace?"

Chen Guanfu looked at the horizon and said casually, "The Emperor is dying and is worried about the Hou Fu. He called me into the palace to confirm the loyalty of the Hou Fu. Do you know who the Emperor has chosen to inherit the throne?"

Chen Guanlou guessed casually, "Prince Duan!"

"You guessed very accurately."

"The Emperor let you into the palace, it must be because of Prince Duan. If Prince Ning were to be crowned, it wouldn't be your turn."

Chen Guanfu gave a light laugh, "Correct! However, the Chen family never intended to support Prince Duan in inheriting the throne from the very beginning."

Chen Guanlou was first puzzled, then suddenly realized.

"I said this to the Emperor, and he almost died of anger on the spot." Chen Guanfu appeared very malicious, with the suspicion of deliberately provoking the Emperor.

Chen Guanlou raised his eyebrows slightly, "What will you do in the future?"

"Continue to be a loyal subject of the Great Gan. The Emperor called you, hurry in. If the Emperor dies, wouldn't that be a pity."

Chen Guanlou noticed that Chen Guanfu's state was not quite normal, with a sense of 'let everyone die' madness.

So he carefully reminded him, "At least try to be normal."

"I am very normal right now!" Chen Guanfu emphasized, "On the contrary, it's you who are abnormally calm."

Chen Guanlou did not follow the other party's words, but said, "If you mess around, I will be the first to deal with you."

Chen Guanfu sneered and did not refute.

Chen Guanlou gave two more instructions before heading to the sleeping quarters to see the Emperor.

Emperor Jian Shi's breath was as thin as a thread; Chen Guanlou immediately gave a click of his tongue, fearing the other party would kick the bucket in the next second, and injected a burst of Qi into the other party's body to preserve that last bit of vitality first.

"Your Majesty summoned me, is there something to instruct?"

Emperor Jian Shi leaned in Wang De's arms; he had no strength to support his body. He could sit up only because Wang De was supporting him from behind.

He beckoned, signaling for the other party to come closer.

"As expected of brothers from the same clan, you look so much alike."

Chen Guanlou knew the Emperor was talking about Chen Guanfu, "I look better than him, and I am younger than him."

Emperor Jian Shi laughed upon hearing this, but he laughed very tiredly.

Chen Guanlou had no filter, throwing all the things Sun Daoning had warned him about to the back of his mind, and said bluntly, "Your Majesty, you are about to die, stop laughing. Your vitality is about to be severed; any emotional fluctuation will accelerate your death."

"You can see my body clearly; it seems your cultivation is very high. Alas..."

"Is Your Majesty wondering why other martial artists failed to see that your vitality is accelerating away?"

"Can you clear up my confusion?" Emperor Jian Shi urgently wanted an answer.

Chen Guanlou told him the truth, "The martial artists serving by your side, whether they are Eighth or Ninth Rank, their cultivation is too low, so they cannot see through it. There is another reason: the techniques they practice only allow them to vaguely perceive the Qi of others, and they cannot judge a person's vitality. Also, they are too far away from you and have no chance to serve you closely.

Of course, the biggest reason is that even if someone noticed there was a problem with your body, they wouldn't dare to speak it out easily for fear of death! Finally, Wei Wubing did not fulfill his responsibilities. If he had taken a look at Your Majesty, he would have seen where the problem lay. Even if he didn't understand medicine, he could at least remind the imperial physicians which part of Your Majesty's body had a problem and needed treatment."

Emperor Jian Shi, upon hearing this, did not even have the strength to be angry.

He panted, "You mean, if it had been discovered earlier, I could have been saved."

"Not necessarily saved, but it could have been delayed for a period of time." Chen Guanlou told him bluntly.

"You certainly have commendable courage, daring to say anything. Are you not afraid of someone targeting you? Are you not afraid of me punishing you?"

Chen Guanlou smiled, looking indifferent, "Your Majesty, you are about to die, there is no need to haggle with me."

Wang De really couldn't listen anymore, "Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, I hope you can weigh your words before speaking. Death this, death that, you are clearly cursing Your Majesty."

"If I say Your Majesty will live for a hundred years, can Your Majesty survive? I am not a god!"

Chen Guanlou retorted, not giving an inch.

"You..."

Wang De was furious. The Emperor wasn't dead yet, and someone was already not taking him seriously; this was too bullying!

"Alright, both of you say less. I am dying, this is a fact. I also want to hear some truth, not empty or false words, and I don't want to be deceived anymore. Chen Guanlou, I will promote you, do you want it?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head repeatedly, "I don't want an official position. If Your Majesty wants me to do something, just say it. Give me a sum of money, and if it's within my capabilities, I will agree. If it's outside my capabilities, I will refuse. Rest assured, with me, I take money to do things, and I don't cheat children or the elderly. Don't worry about me going back on my word or taking money and not doing the work. You are the Emperor, but I treat everyone equally; I won't rip you off."

"Good! Very good!"

Emperor Jian Shi's mood suddenly became relaxed and happy, and he was rarely a bit pleased.

"You like being a Jiang Jiang Yucheng, right? How about I issue an edict: from now on, the Heavenly Prison will have only one Jiang Jiang Yucheng, and only you, Chen Guanlou, can be the Jiang Jiang Yucheng. If you are occasionally away, others will only be acting on your behalf. How about that?"

"Sure!" Chen Guanlou said with a half-smile, an indifferent attitude, "I quite like being a Jiang Jiang Yucheng."

"I will give you another sum of money, do you want it?"

"What do you want me to do?" Chen Guanlou didn't say whether he wanted it or not, asking about the task first.

Emperor Jian Shi's eyes were red, his complexion gray, and the feeling of impending death became stronger.

He wanted to grab Chen Guanlou's sleeve, but was dodged by the other party.

He changed to grabbing the quilt, "Protect Concubine Jing and her son, and ensure Prince Rui can grow up safely. I have given Prince Rui a fief; it is not considered wealthy and won't catch anyone's eye. After he comes of age, you must ensure he leaves the capital smoothly and goes to his fief to take up his post."

"Do other Princes have fiefs?" Chen Guanlou asked bluntly.

Emperor Jian Shi shook his head.

Reducing the power of the Princes has always been the policy of the imperial court; it wasn't put on the table, but successive emperors have been practicing this strategy.

The late Emperor was like this, and he is the same.

He does not give his sons fiefs, only titles and stipends, and title-land.

Only Prince Rui, because he was worried that his young son would be bullied by his elder brothers, he clearly bestowed a fief in the edict to Concubine Jing and her son, a territory about a little more than a county. It is not considered wealthy, just medium.

It shouldn't catch anyone's eye.

Everything, everything, is just to let his young son grow up safely, marry and have children, and live to old age in peace.

Chen Guanlou frowned tightly, "Your Majesty should understand the principle of 'not worrying about scarcity, but worrying about inequality.' Either give no fiefs to anyone, or give them to everyone. Giving a fief only to Prince Rui but not to other Princes, are you loving Prince Rui, or are you inviting hatred for Prince Rui?"

Emperor Jian Shi was dissatisfied, "It's just an ordinary medium-sized county, this also invites hatred."

Chen Guanlou said solemnly, "It's not about the size, it's not about the wealth; the problem is that Prince Rui has one, and other Princes don't. This is naked favoritism. Your Majesty, you are inviting disaster for your young son."

"But if I don't favor him, he will surely be bullied by his elder brothers, and I fear he won't live to adulthood."