Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 102 Forced into the Palace
Several people came to the side hall where Feng Wuqiong was kneeling as punishment, and saw him lying on the ground, unconscious.

The eunuchs in the hall were running back and forth in a chaos, some taking medicine, some calling for people.

The emperor saw this and said angrily, "What a mess! Hurry up and help Prince Ping to bed!"

When the emperor got angry, everything became quiet.

Chao En raised his whisk and said, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up."

Everyone seemed to have found a backbone now, and they quickly carried Feng Wuqiong in and put him on the bed.

Concubine Sui had already rushed over and hugged Feng Wuqiong, crying and shouting.

The emperor saw Feng Wuqiong lying motionless on the bed and frowned, "Call the imperial physician."

He slowly walked to the bed, looked down at Feng Wuqiong's closed eyes, and called a eunuch: "What's going on? Why did Prince Ping suddenly faint?"

"I don't know either." The eunuch knelt down and kowtowed three times, saying, "His Highness Prince Ping has been kneeling in the palace as punishment. He fainted while kneeling. No matter how we called him, he would not wake up. So we had to send someone to report to His Majesty."

The emperor grabbed Feng Wuqiong's wrist, placed two fingers on his pulse, and pondered in silence.

Concubine Sui had already burst into tears: "Wuqiong hasn't eaten since entering the palace this afternoon. I'm afraid he fainted because he was too hungry."

The emperor felt Feng Wuqiong's pulse for a long while, then let go of his hand: "The pulse is still strong, there should be nothing serious."

Concubine Sui was stunned: "But why doesn't he wake up?"

"You'll have to ask the imperial physician." The emperor turned around and asked, "Where is the person who went to call the imperial physician? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

Before he finished speaking, he heard an echo in the hall and the door of the hall had been closed without him noticing.

Nearly a hundred candles were burning on the east and west candlesticks in the hall. The candlelight cast long shadows of everyone in the hall. The eunuchs stood on both sides like clay dolls. The only sound in the air was the occasional popping of candle flames.

The emperor frowned: "Who told you to close the door?"

"I."

A voice came from behind him.

The emperor's expression changed slightly and he turned away.

Feng Wuqiong sat up from the bed, no longer in his half-dead state, and looked at the emperor with pride.

He bent one leg and placed it on the edge of the bed, with the other leg hanging down from the bed. His right hand rested on his bent knee, and he casually wiped his face with his left hand.

He looked at his palms and said, "Bring the handkerchief."

The eunuch closest to the bed immediately took out a silk handkerchief and handed it to him.

Feng Wuqiong took a handkerchief and wiped his face. When he fainted, his face was ashen, but now the grayness had faded away. Under the candlelight, his face was rosy and his blood was full.

The emperor glanced at the handkerchief in his hand. The snow-white silk handkerchief turned gray, as if stained with a layer of lead dust.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, "You are pretending to be faint."

Feng Wuqiong laughed and said, "If I were not dizzy, why would my father come to see me?"

The emperor glanced at Concubine Sui who was standing beside the bed. Concubine Sui seemed stunned, staring at her son in a daze.

"Wuqiu, are you okay?" Concubine Sui seemed to realize something, stood up suddenly, and looked back at the people in the hall, "You, what are you doing?"

"Don't be afraid, mother," Feng Wuqiong said, "Your son is fine now, you should be happy."

His comfort seemed to have no effect. Concubine Sui didn't even bother to look at her son. She met the emperor's gaze and moved her lips a few times.

"Your Majesty, I know nothing."

"Tsk," Feng Wuqiong sighed and waved his hand, "Send Madam Defei to the next room to rest."

"I won't leave!" Concubine Sui grabbed her son's arm, "Wuqiong, what are you doing? Are you hysterical?" Feng Wuqiong held her hand, "Mother, be obedient. Your son has something to say to your father."

"No, I won't leave," said Concubine Sui in a trembling voice, "Wuqiong, tell me where you feel uncomfortable? Are you possessed by evil spirits? Yes, it must be, Your Majesty——"

She turned to look at the emperor: "Your Majesty, please call the imperial physician, quickly!"

Her voice was shrill, and it was the first time she shouted something close to an order to the emperor.

The emperor and Feng Wuqiong both frowned.

"That's enough." The emperor said, "Sixth Brother, whether your mother knows about it or not, get her out of here."

Feng Wuqiong was stunned for a moment, then he grinned.

"Is your Majesty ordering me?" He winked at the eunuch in front of the bed, signaling him to take Concubine Sui away. "Since it is your Majesty's order, I will obey."

Concubine Sui looked at the father and son in horror, screaming and struggling, but she was no match for the eunuchs' strength and was carried out.

The woman's cries and sobs were like the last cicada chirps in late summer and soon disappeared.

The emperor looked at the palace door that had closed again, his eyes dark, "You provoked the Crown Princess on purpose today."

Feng Wuqiong crossed his legs beside the bed and smiled wildly: "Yes, outsiders say I am reckless, but I am not stupid enough to speak nonsense in the palace."

"After the hour of Xu, the palace gates are closed. Unless I allow you to stay, no outsider is allowed to stay in the palace." The emperor said, "You are taking advantage of this opportunity to let me detain you."

Feng Wuqiong patted his knees and said, "Father is absolutely right. You have always had the final say in this imperial city. If I want to stay, I must obtain your permission."

The emperor turned to look at him and asked: "What decree do you want?"

Feng Wuqiong stretched out his right hand: "I want my father to make me the crown prince."

The emperor looked at him for a long moment and asked, "Just for this?"

Feng Wuqiong smiled, but his face suddenly turned cold: "Father's son, who wouldn't want this? Before, when Feng Yunxi was here, no one could surpass him. Now that Feng Yunxi is gone, who does Father want to leave the position of crown prince to? Feng Yunxi's posthumous child?"

The emperor did not answer.

Feng Wuqiong suddenly became furious, clenched his five fingers in the air, and said coldly: "According to the Dazhao custom, if there is a legitimate heir, the heir will be appointed as the heir, if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son will be appointed as the heir. Once Feng Yunxi dies, I will be your eldest son. I will ask my father for the position of crown prince. Isn't this too much?"

"Wuqiu," the emperor said, "You want the position of crown prince now, don't you think you are too impatient?"

"Impatient?" Feng Wuqiong laughed, "If I'm not impatient, do I have to wait for Feng Yunxi to take the throne before he can do the killing?"

"The prince is a brotherly man and will not harm your lives."

"Father believes this, but I don't." Feng Wuqiong's eyes were gloomy. "You all think I haven't read enough books, but in the books I have read, there is no such thing as the love of the royal family and the affection between brothers."

"Did Sui Yongdao teach you all this?" asked the emperor.

Feng Wuqiong shrugged: "Do I need my uncle to teach me this? Father sent him to Luozhou because he was afraid that he would be too close to the capital and pose a threat to you. I understand. If I were father, I would do the same."

"The prince disappeared in Fuyao Mountain. Was it you who did it?" The emperor looked at him.

Feng Wuqiong curled his lips and said, "Who told him to hire someone to kill me in the enclosure? Father, I am seeking justice for myself."

"Are you stupid?" the emperor asked, "If the prince wants to kill you, he has a hundred ways to do it. Why bother with all this?"

"In your eyes, I'm certainly not as smart as Feng Yunxi," Feng Wuqiong said, "To tell you the truth, I don't care whether he hires a killer or not. I just found that my father's preference for him is too much. After this incident, I am more certain that if Feng Yunxi doesn't die, I will definitely be the one to die in the end."

"You really deserve to die." The emperor said, "I, Da Zhao, have never obtained a crown prince by threatening the emperor."

"Then I will be the first one." Feng Wuqiong pointed at the palace door, "As long as the emperor agrees, this door will open immediately."

"What if I don't respond?" the emperor asked in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)