Fan Xian walked out of the Eastern Palace and turned around to personally close the two heavy Palace doors. He glanced at the densely packed crowd surrounding the Eastern Palace. His expression was calm, but an unknown emotion rolled through his heart. After he calmed down slightly, he waved his hand toward Eunuch Yao at the very front of the crowd.
Eunuch Yao had accompanied the Emperor through the difficult times on Dong Mountain. After Eunuch Hong sacrificed himself for the country, he had become the foremost figure in the Qing court. However, Fan Xian continued to casually wave his hand as usual.
Eunuch Yao bowed and respectfully went forward to listen to the order. From this behavior, no one had any doubt that Fan Xian would have unparalleled power in the future.
Fan Xian quietly said something by Eunuch Yao's ear. Eunuch Yao's expression was slightly suspicious. He didn't dare to question Fan Xian's orders. At this moment, he was unable to ask the Emperor in the Eastern Palace. After some thought, he led the group of people outside the Eastern Palace to the outskirts, maintaining a long distance from the Eastern Palace.
Fan Xian followed them to the side of the little forest in the Palace. Looking at the quiet Eastern Palace from a distance, he guessed what the Emperor and Crown Prince were talking about. Having the people in the Palace retreat further was actually for safety's sake. He didn't know if the Emperor would say something he would never want others to know once he became angry.
This was also for his own consideration. Only a few people in the world knew the true reason the Emperor wanted to depose the Crown Prince. This matter had been single-handedly woven by him. The Emperor knew of his cultivation. If he stood guard outside the Eastern Palace and heard the dark secrets in the Palace, no one would be happy.
Fan Xian pressed his dry lips together and looked at the Eastern Palace with eyes full of worry. He thought that Chengqian was soft on the outside but hard on the inside. He was probably going to walk the same path as the Second Prince. Thinking about it carefully, he was actually a rather complicated person. The person who had forced the Crown Prince into a dead end was him. However, who would have thought that the situation would develop like this? The things he and Chen Pingping had done in secret seemed to be driving wolves to scare tigers. Unexpectedly, in the end, they had shaken out a true dragon.
During these years, everyone by the Emperor's side had either passively or actively stood against the Emperor. Chen Pingping and Fan Xian finally succeeded in turning the Emperor into a loner. Although he was loner and widowed, he was still at the top of the world. Furthermore, once his aura was released, it was as if he could swallow the sun and moon. Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
…
…
The situation in the Eastern Palace was not what Fan Xian had guessed. The Emperor and the Crown Prince did not sink into some hysterical family drama quarrel because of the first few words. In the real royal family, there would never be someone as excited as Ma Jingtao. There was only coldness, gloominess, calmness, and cruelty.
The Emperor sat casually on the stone steps with his legs wide apart. Looking at the door of the Eastern Palace, he thought of many years ago when he waited outside the palace doors for the good news of the empress giving birth. That day, there was a joyous atmosphere in the Imperial Palace. The Empress Dowager was exceptionally happy, but her own mood was also somewhat solemn.
Only when the woman outside the palace, who was also pregnant, sent a letter did he become happy. He knew that the other party was indeed not an ordinary woman. She did not care about the dragon throne at all, nor did she think about seeking the seemingly alluring throne for the child in her belly.
It was this attitude that made the Emperor a little unhappy. After 20 years, this kind of unhappiness had long become a fading emotion. Occasionally, when he was in the little building in the rear palace and looked at the yellow-clothed woman in the painting, he couldn't resist grumbling. An Zhi is your child, but is he not my child?
It had been 20 years. The child who was destined to become the successor to the throne of the Qing Kingdom had grown up and was sitting by his side. His long hair fell softly behind his back. There was only calm and resignation between his brows.
The child in the womb of the woman outside the Eastern Palace was now outside the Eastern Palace, standing in some corner and watching the movements in the Eastern Palace.
The Emperor unconsciously took the teacup the Crown Prince had drunk from from from the clean table in front of the steps and brought it to his lips to take a sip. He didn't know whether it was hot or cold.
"In the end, the Qing Kingdom has not been founded for long." For some reason, the Emperor chose to speak from here. Slowly, he said, "Although Northern Qi is only the second generation, it inherited the throne of the Wei Kingdom. Its internal structure is much more stable. A dozen years ago, the Northern Qi Emperor suddenly died. The empress was young, and the prince was young. If it had been in the Qing Kingdom, I'm afraid that the attempt to force the abdication would have succeeded. Even if Ku He came out, it would not have succeeded."
Li Chengqian's gaze landed on his father's hand holding the teacup.
"The reason it is like this is because the Qing Kingdom has always been a country fought from the battlefield. The military is powerful, and we are used to using knives and swords to reason. Things like etiquette and the might of an Emperor are not very convincing." The Emperor's gaze was somewhat indifferent. "Thus, to be the ruler of the Qing Kingdom, one cannot be blindly benevolent. One must have iron methods and a tenacious nature."
He turned his head to look at his son and said, "You grew up in the Palace. When you were only eight, you already had the name of benevolence …" Speaking of this, a glimmer of mockery appeared at the corners of the Emperor's lips. "You just helped wrap the feet of a few injured rabbits, and those servants blindly tried to win mother's favor, saying that you would certainly be a benevolent ruler in the future."
"Blindly benevolent is cowardice. The Qing Kingdom will unify the world. For 50 years, there will be endless strife. The old royal families everywhere will not be satisfied. I am only half a century old, but I have to lay down a foundation that will last for tens of thousands of years. I only had time to conquer this country. Guarding it requires you. "The Emperor pulled back his gaze and said," A benevolent ruler and a cowardly ruler, how can you guard this vast land? "
Li Chengqian glanced at his father. A self-mocking smile appeared at the corners of his lips. Only now did he understand that his father had been thinking about things decades later over a decade ago. He had the confidence to unify the world, but he had to think about how the country would continue after a hundred years.
"That is why I brought Chengze out to fight with you." The Emperor closed his eyes and slowly said, "Now that I think about it, at that time, you two were still young. I seem to have been a bit too hasty."
Li Chengqian still did not open his mouth to reply.
"I had wanted to see if Chengze, that child, would have any future prospects. However, in less than a year, I saw that his thoughts were too fake. As an Emperor, he should have an awe-inspiring aura, but he did not." The Emperor's eyes remained closed as if he was narrating a distant story. "Thus, I was determined to pass the country to you. However, in those years, your behavior truly disappointed me. You lingered around the flower houses and indulged in sensual pleasures every night, turning your body into something unrecognizable."
Li Chengqian smiled self-mockingly and finally slowly opened his mouth. "Father, at that time, I was only 14 or 15. I was just beginning to understand the ways of the world. I wholeheartedly thought that you were going to depose me. I was terrified every night, so I could only find some feeling in a pile of cosmetics."
Strangely, the Emperor did not get angry after hearing these words. On the contrary, he smiled slightly and said, "Chengze was too restless, but he was clever. He finally saw clearly what I was thinking in my heart. However, he had already come out, so he could only continue walking. From this aspect, your second brother can be said to understand my heart deeply."
"Perhaps a knife can be ground until it breaks, but if it is not ground, it will never be sharp." The Emperor opened his eyes and gazed calmly at his son. "The Second Prince didn't sharpen you. On the contrary, he ground you dull. Coincidentally, An Zhi entered Jingdou …"
Li Chengqian smiled and thought of the first time he saw Fan Xian outside the courtyard. At that time, as the Crown Prince, he had never thought much of this assistant minister's son. Who would have thought that this assistant minister's son would, in the end, become his brother and become the hardest whetstone in his training for the inheritance of imperial power?
"You've improved a lot these two years." The Emperor sighed and slowly said, "I don't know if it's because you've matured at your age or if Yunrui has taught you many things, but everyone in court has acknowledged your identity as the Crown Prince. Your performance has also satisfied me."
Hearing the words "Yunrui," the corner of Li Chengqian's mouth twitched involuntarily. Immediately after, he let go of his heart and smiled slightly with great courage. "You had me follow my aunt to learn political affairs. Naturally, there was some effect."
The Emperor did not get angry. He only lightly said, "It is enough for the so-called political affairs to be taught to you by the scholars Shu and Hu. In reality, you also know that what I had you follow Yunrui to learn is the art of scheming. Looking around the world, you won't be able to find many better teachers than Yunrui."
"How good it would be to continue like this," the Emperor said quietly. The Emperor said quietly, "There are still many things that cannot be learned. When I am old, you should have seen many things. In the end, the heart of an emperor should also be refined. Only then will I be at ease to pass this kingdom to you."
Li Chengqian's mood was a bit strange. Although he had been the Crown Prince since he was young, his father had always been too strict with him and lacked warmth. Thus, he had developed his timid personality. Although his personality had changed a lot these two years, it seemed to be the first time he had sat with his father like this and talked to each other.
"An Zhi has told me everything about the situation in Jingdou," the Emperor said warmly. "Your performance was not bad. You behaved appropriately during the rebellion. However, there are a few problems."
For the last time, Li Chengqian, as the Crown Prince, knelt by the Emperor's side and bowed to ask for advice.
"There is no need for any warmth or fear in the struggle for power in the world. He Zongwei led the Imperial Censor to defy orders in court, so you should have been beaten to death."
The Emperor's gaze was incomparably cold. "An Zhi convinced the civil officials in court to challenge you during the ascension ceremony. You should have killed him."
He looked at his son as if teaching him for the last time. "As long as someone is in the way, just kill them. On this point, you are not as good as An Zhi."
The Emperor continued, "You didn't kill the two scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs and those civil officials and only locked them up. What use was that? This is the biggest mistake you made in the Jingdou matter. If Yunrui had personally handled this matter and not you and mother discussing it, perhaps Jingdou would have long been stabilized and the court would have been cleansed of blood. Fan Xian would not have had the time to act. "
Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and let out a long sigh. Gazing at his father, he quietly said, "Father, do you know why I couldn't bear to kill those officials?"
Without waiting for the Emperor to speak, Li Chengqian faintly said, "Perhaps you have forgotten, at the beginning of your intention to depose the heir, it was these old officials who bravely stood out to oppose your edict and stand behind me to support me. Perhaps I am not a very powerful person, but I am someone who knows how to repay favors. Although the scholars Hu and Shu supported me for the sake of the country, I truly could not bear to act against them."
The Emperor was silent. No one knew what he was thinking. A moment later, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, "When I decided to depose you, there were still people who helped you redeem it."
Li Chengqian was startled. Immediately, an image rose in his mind. On the road to Nanzhao, the green banner that had been following the diplomatic group faintly rose. He asked in surprise, "Fan Xian?"
He knew Thirteenth Wang was Fan Xian's person, but he didn't know why Fan Xian had done this. It was not until the Emperor pointed it out now that he couldn't help but feel complicated emotions surge through his heart. He didn't know that the private matter between him and the Eldest Princess had been single-handedly destroyed by Fan Xian. He mulled it over in his heart and then thought of how Fan Xian had prepared to have him escape the Royal Palace at the beginning of the defeat. For a moment, he couldn't help being startled.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "An Zhi is a real person. Just like you, he occasionally has his true nature."
"I am not as good as him." After a moment of silence, the Crown Prince let out a long sigh. He then stood and kowtowed very seriously to the Emperor. Solemnly, he said, "Father, I have always harbored resentment toward you. To be able to hear father's instructions today, my heart feels much better. However, before I leave, I have something to say. Enough people in my family have died. Please, father, be more lenient toward those who are still alive."
Lenient meant that the Emperor's methods in the past had been too harsh. The Emperor's expression immediately became grave and stern. Hearing the words "before leaving," for some reason, the Emperor did not get angry. On the contrary, he looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated gaze. Slowly, he said, "I promise you."
A gust of early autumn night wind poured in from the north of the Royal Palace and whistled along the corridors and gardens inside the Palace. It added a sense of melancholy.
"Live on. I can pretend some things have never happened." The Emperor opened his mouth and said something that surprised Li Chengqian.
A wretched smile rose to Li Chengqian's face. He knew what kind of person his father was. The Emperor valued the heart. Since he had rebelled once, he would never be able to obtain the Emperor's trust again. Furthermore, the matter between him and his aunt had already touched the Emperor's sore spot. Although, no one knew why this was a sore spot.
Li Chengqian would not accept a lifetime of house arrest. As a man of the Li family, he always had the courage to kill himself. His gaze became calm. Looking at the Emperor, he quietly said, "What is the point in saying such things now?"
"I asked earlier how exactly will this be recorded in the history books?"
"Presently, we are rebellious officials and unfilial sons. Everyone has the right to punish us. We colluded with foreign enemies and brought chaos to the Palace. You are a dazzling ruler. You have done nothing wrong. Everything wrong is someone else's."
The Emperor's expression had already recovered its calm. Quietly, he listened to Li Chengqian's indifferent tone and bone-piercing words.
"You seem to have forgotten something. No matter how the history books erase it, you have to remember how many people died in Jingdou in the early autumn of the seventh year of the Qing calendar. The Li family lost a grandmother, an empress, an Eldest Princess, a Crown Prince, and a prince."
Li Chengqian sighed. For the first time, he used an equal and even superior gaze to look at his undefeatable father. "You will be an Emperor in the history books. Yet, by your side, it is so clean, so clean that there is not a single person. Will you not be lonely?"
The Emperor looked at him coldly and didn't say anything. There was a slight smile at the corners of his lips. It was as if to say that as a god above the nine heavens, how could he care about the loneliness at the top of the clouds or the liveliness of the mortal world?
Then, he stood up and walked out of the Eastern Palace. When he reached the Palace doors, his heart jumped. He took out a letter from his sleeve. This was the Second Prince's will. Earlier, Gong Dian had given it to him.
The Emperor took out the thin piece of paper to see just what his second son wanted to tell him before he died.
There were two lines of incomparably messy words on the paper. The brush strokes were dried up. It was clear that it had been written in a hurry. However, the turns were powerful. Like a knife or sword piercing the back of the paper, it was filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
The Third Prince, Li Chengze, the first whetstone the Qing Emperor had thrown to the court, shouted something similar to the Crown Prince's in his last will to his lofty father. However, the words he used were more bone-piercing and cutting, particularly the last four words.
"Widowed! Widowed! Lonely! Lonely! "
Old and without a wife was widowed. Ruling over the world without anyone close to him was widowed. Losing one's mother was lonely. Old and without a son was lonely.
In the battle that stretched from Dong Mountain to Jingdou, the Qing Emperor had defeated two Great Grandmasters in a row. He had lured out and purged the restless elements in the royal family and military, and picked out the sinister traitors in court. In one move, he had established the great achievement of unifying the world. This grand situation that had been constructed for decades had become reality. Without question, it was the most glorious time of the Qing Emperor's life.
However, the empress was dead. The woman from back then had long died. The empress dowager had died. The Eldest Princess, who had accompanied the Emperor for 20 years and sacrificed her youth for him, had also died. The Crown Prince had died. The Second Prince had died. Everyone had died.
Only the Emperor was left, a lonely and desolate man.
The Qing Emperor looked coldly at the letter. His fingers trembled slightly. With a rustling sound, the letter turned into a pile of white powder and slid down between his fingers. Blown by the autumn wind outside the Eastern Palace, it scattered in all directions like a bleak snowfall.
A glimmer of pain flashed through his eyes. His brows were furrowed tightly. The words his two sons said before they died pierced deeply into this ruler's heart. The white hair on the middle-aged man's temples grew darker. His gaze gradually dimmed. There seemed to be wetness at the corners of his eyes. However, his body remained straight and strong, unmoving.
…
…
The doors of the Eastern Palace once again closed tightly. No one knew what had happened inside. Everyone knew that the dethroned Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, would certainly spend his last moments in this cold and cheerless Palace. However, at some point, the Royal Palace's bell rang out again. Perhaps it was disdainful. It only coldly and emotionlessly watched his death.
The Emperor sent away all of the servants, leaving only Fan Xian to accompany him. Silently, he walked deep into the rear palace. Along the way, he passed the Chen Corridor, the Cold Palace, and the overgrown weeds. Once again, he came to the little building that no one had come to for a long time.
The father and son did not go up the building or look at the portrait in it. The Emperor only glanced silently at the little building a few times. He then resolutely turned and left, following the path of autumn grass toward a place where no one was around.
Fan Xian silently followed three steps behind him. There was a heaviness in the depths of his heart. There was no need to disguise it. It was truly heavy. Faintly, he could guess the Emperor's current feelings. So many of his family members had died one after another. Although these family members were enemies he had to eliminate, no one could escape the ties of flesh and blood.
The Emperor was like a god, but he was still a mortal person. The Grand Supreme could forget emotions, but if he truly was the Grand Supreme, why struggle and struggle in this secular world?
The successive deaths made even Fan Xian's emotions suppressed, much less the Emperor. No matter what was said, this tired-looking middle-aged man was, in the end, a father, an elder brother, a husband, and a son.
The two of them stood in the weeds up to their knees and maintained a tacit silence, looking at the quiet Royal Palace in the night. The Emperor did not speak. Fan Xian was even more afraid to speak. He only carefully watched the expression on his profile.
The Emperor was silent for a long time and still did not speak. He had many things he wanted to say to someone, but Fan Xian was only his son.
"Let's return to the Palace."
"Yes," Fan Xian replied.
His expression was heavy. The Emperor turned his head and happened to see this expression. His heart darkened slightly. His feelings toward his son grew increasingly better. Additionally, the Crown Prince's words earlier involuntarily made the Emperor sink into deep thought again.
After thinking for a moment, the Emperor waved his hand weakly and said, "If you are still not feeling well, come into the Palace and ask me."
Fan Xian's heart jumped. He knew what these words meant. Just as he was about to say something, he found that the Emperor had already turned and left.
…
…
Returning to the royal study and eating some supper, the Emperor felt a bit tired. Fan Xian wanted to leave the Palace but was stopped by the Emperor. It seemed that he desperately needed someone to accompany him.
After a while, Eunuch Yao came in and quietly said something. The Emperor nodded and had Fan Xian return to his manor to rest. He would enter the Palace to discuss matters the next day. Fan Xian accepted the order and left. In the long corridor outside the royal study, he heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a wheelchair rolling on the ground.
He knew the Emperor was watching him from behind. In the dim light of the royal study, his expression was warm. He bowed deeply to the old man in the wheelchair and said, "You're here."
Chen Pingping had finally returned to Jingdou, to the Royal Palace, and to the Emperor's side. Just when the Emperor was at his loneliest and most needed, the royal study was silent.
There was silence in the royal study. The Emperor looked at his most loyal official, his closest friend, and his most reliable comrade. He closed his eyes and said, "I have forced these sons too hard."
…
…
Writing these chapters is mentally and emotionally tiring. In the end, I did not make the Emperor shed tears. Crocodile tears cannot move people. Sometimes, it is just a kind of self-pity and self-comfort. However, I truly admire people like the Qing Emperor. From a certain point of view, he is the same as Ye Qingmei. They are both idealists. However, idealists do not necessarily bring about ideal results for the world.
I am a profiteer, so I can only keep a respectful distance from these kinds of people. Thus, I am very serious about getting monthly votes and fighting to be in the top three because of the 6,000 yuan bonus.
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