The late empress was the emperor's childhood sweetheart. It was precisely with her unwavering support that he had been able to secure his hold on the imperial throne. Toward her, he held feelings of love, respect, and deep guilt; thus, he had pinned all the affection he never had the chance to repay her upon the Crown Prince.
Unless it was an absolute last resort, he had no desire to depose the Crown Prince. Not only because of the reasons mentioned above, but also because he had been ill for so many years, and the Crown Prince, due to his own health issues, frequently shut himself away from state affairs. With Da'an now infiltrated by the Kingdom of Luo to who knew what extent—to the point where even his second son was an impostor—who else could he trust besides the Crown Prince?
Therefore, he had gone so far as to insist on bestowing Jiang Huan upon the Crown Prince. When all medical treatments proved useless, he inevitably turned to prayer and seeking the gods. The reputation of Jiang Huan as a star of fortune was the emperor's final hope.
Chapter 108