Prince Ling and Princess Ling Consort also paid their respects to Emperor Jin Xuan.
Princess Ling Consort, Zhao Mingting—recently married into the imperial family as a princess from the Kingdom of Chu—was respectfully serving tea to the emperor.
Emperor Jin Xuan appeared quite distracted, but since the woman before him was his daughter-in-law sent from Chu for a political marriage, he had to at least put on a show of courtesy.
So, Emperor Jin Xuan asked a few questions about Prince Ling and Princess Ling Consort’s current situation, exchanging a few polite words.
“Father, you don’t look well. Is something troubling you? Is there anything your son can do to ease your worries?” Prince Ling asked.
Emperor Jin Xuan looked up at Prince Ling, remembering that he still had command of three thousand Red Tassel Army soldiers.
The Red Tassel Army was a personal guard unit bestowed upon Prince Ling by Emperor Jin Xuan, unlike the other princes’ household troops—his Red Tassel Army was an elite force.
Emperor Jin Xuan intended to make Prince Ling the Crown Prince, and this personal guard was a sign of special favor.
Now, Emperor Jin Xuan realized that his own thirty thousand imperial guards were far too few, but Prince Ling’s three thousand elite troops might just come in handy.
Although the plan sounded foolproof and Gregory Gu Jr., Imperial Grand Tutor, had arranged everything perfectly, Emperor Jin Xuan believed that every plan carried risks—so he was determined to minimize any danger.