After Li Seung-kyung entered the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Emperor did not ask about what had happened outside, and Li Seung-kyung did not mention it either.
The father and son were well aware that the Second Prince had just left, but neither of them mentioned it. Instead, they both avoided the topic.
The Emperor propped up his forehead with one hand. Li Seung-kyung saw this and asked, "Your Majesty, is your head ailment acting up again?"
The Emperor sighed and said, "It's better if I don't use my mind, but when I use my brain, I get a headache."
Li Seung-kyung frowned when he heard this. "Your Majesty, I will summon an imperial physician for you."
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "No need. It's an old problem. Even if the imperial physician comes, it'll be useless.
This is the memorial for Jiangnan's patrol division. Take a look. "
As the Emperor spoke, he picked up a memorial and handed it to Li Seung-kyung.
The eunuch next to him received it on a plate and presented it to Li Seung-kyung with both hands.
Li Seung-kyung picked it up, flipped it open, and skimmed through it. Most of it was full of praise, and it was directed at him.
Li Seung-kyung's eyes moved slightly. When he put down the memorial, everything returned to normal without a trace.
Li Seung-kyung returned the memorial to the Emperor and cupped his hands, saying, "I don't deserve the praise of the patrol division.
I was only borrowing His Majesty's light to receive the high regard of all the officials. If it weren't for His Majesty's face, how could I's trip to Jiangnan go so smoothly? Even more so, I wouldn't have been praised by all the officials. "
The Emperor casually threw the memorial back into the pile he had already read and said calmly, "You don't need to be modest. You have a great reputation. So many officials praise you, and even the people of Jiangnan worship your Longevity Stele. Naturally, you've done a good job.
What do you think of this memorial? "
The Emperor threw another letter over. Li Seung-kyung took it and read it. He found that it was an imperial censor impeaching the Empress.
This official wrote a long and voluminous speech, from Shang Zhou's involvement to the death of Crown Prince Huai Lian of the Ren Zong Dynasty, everything was accusing the Emperor of condoning the imperial harem's interference in politics, the Yang Family causing chaos in the imperial court, and the murder of the former Empress.
Now that the Yang Family had been punished, Yang Fucheng's daughter was no longer qualified to be the head of the harem. She was the deposed Empress.
Li Seung-kyung read it carefully this time. He actually finished reading it very quickly, but he still pretended to finish reading it word by word. He calculated the time and put down the memorial, "This person is an imperial censor of the Censorate. He can't tolerate sand in his eyes. Almost none of the civil and military officials have not been criticized by him for their immoral conduct.
Now that the Yang Family's matter is at the heart of the storm, he targeted the Empress. Although it is rude, it is pardonable. "
"Oh?"
The Emperor responded without knowing whether to be happy or angry. He asked, "Then what do you think?"
Li Seung-kyung lowered his eyes and restrained the expression in his eyes. He said flatly, "When it comes to the Empress, I don't dare to speak irresponsibly.
As a government official, one should not stick to the same pattern in using people. When it comes to rewards, one should also be treated equally.
When dealing with disputes, one should deal with the matter and not the person. Whether it is right or wrong, one should deal with it according to the law. "
Deal with it according to the law. The Emperor pressed his hand on the memorial and said in a deep voice, "You are still young, hot-blooded, and eager to forge ahead.
But things in the world are not black and white. As a monarch, one should not look at right and wrong.
You have to know that outside of the law, there are also human feelings. "
"I naturally know that in life, there are relationships. Human feelings cannot be avoided.
But one should do one's best and leave it to fate. I can't do anything about human feelings. But since the law has been set, then the law should be fulfilled. "
The Emperor was a little angry, but his expression did not show it. He asked in a deep voice, "Then, you agree to deal with the Empress and remove her from the position of Empress?"
Li Seung-kyung lowered his eyes and did not speak. But his silence was already his position.
The Emperor waited for a long time, but did not see Li Seung-kyung speak. He could not help but become more angry, "I thought you were cautious and steady. I did not expect you to be so radical.
As a crown prince, you should be benevolent. As a monarch, you should look at the overall situation and tolerate sand in your eyes. "
Li Seung-kyung heard the Emperor's comments and did not move for a long time.
He knew that his words would make the Emperor unhappy, but he did not expect the Emperor's evaluation of him to be like this.
He was silent for a long time, then raised his head to look at the Emperor, "Your Majesty thinks I am not benevolent enough?"
The Emperor also felt a little apologetic when he said this about his eldest son.
He contributed the most to the Yang Family's matter.
But the Emperor's guilt was like a wave that disappeared after being swept away by the great waves.
The Emperor's face was still solemn as he said, "Your father has seen your efforts over the years, but you take things for granted too much.
What is right?
What is wrong?
The law is human feelings. What conforms to the interests of the majority is right. What makes the majority dissatisfied is wrong.
The Empress has been in the palace for almost twenty years. She gave birth to my children and presided over the harem. She is also your second brother's birth mother.
In terms of etiquette, you should also call her mother.
You're a family. You should talk about your family matters behind closed doors. It's not sensible to bring up the law. "
A family?
Li Seung-kyung's face was calm. He looked deeply at the Emperor, "But Your Majesty, not long ago, you ordered the Yang Family to be executed. The Yang Family's property was confiscated and Yang Fucheng and Yang Shilong were never to be used again.
Even the Yang Family's niece, Dou Shi, was stripped of her title and demoted to a commoner by your decree.
You are so heartless to the Yang Family's niece. Why do you care about family feelings when facing Empress Yang? "
The Emperor was angry at the question. He frowned and said, "Impudent.
How can you confuse the Yang Family and the Empress?
The Yang Family controlled the court and caused chaos in the court. Of course, they should be eliminated.
However, the Empress married into the Imperial Family and served me for many years. How can you ignore the Empress' many years of hard work just because of the Yang Family's matter? How can you shake the Empress' position as the First Wife? "
Li Seung-kyung listened quietly. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, blue veins popping out.
After all, they had been husband and wife for almost twenty years. Even if the Emperor didn't like Empress Yang very much, she was still his woman. The Emperor couldn't bear to let her be too embarrassed.
What about him? What was he?
Li Seung-kyung couldn't help but mock in his heart.
How ridiculous. Because the Emperor had not abolished his position as the Crown Prince for many years, Li Seung-kyung was moved and full of pressure. He restrained himself with the Crown Prince's standards and didn't slack off for a single day.
However, when he was about to fulfill the promise he made to his mother, his father, his monarch, denied all his efforts with one sentence.
The Emperor said he was heartless.
Heartless, this was a fundamental denial of a Crown Prince.
It had nothing to do with ability. There was no need to work hard. As a Crown Prince, if he was heartless, what was the need to work hard?
Li Seung-kyung's feelings for the Emperor over the years were tangled and complicated.
He had a natural desire for his father. Moreover, the Emperor insisted on making him the Crown Prince despite the pressure from outside. Li Seung-kyung was very grateful and dared not slack off.
However, from the perspective of a son, he had a grudge against the Emperor.
If it weren't for the Emperor's inaction, he wouldn't have wandered outside, Empress Zhong wouldn't have died innocently, and the Zhong Family wouldn't have been ruined.
For many years, he was grateful and resentful, longing and restraining.
He refused to call the Emperor "Father" for this reason.
Because he cared, it was awkward.
Just like Cheng Yujin, she didn't care at all. Whether it was the Cheng Family or the Emperor, she called them all kinds of names.
Now, Li Seung-kyung felt a piece of his heart slowly turn cold. It turned out that the fatherly love he had longed for many years but didn't dare to approach was just a shadow of his imagination.
In the Emperor's heart, whether it was him or Empress Yang, they were just symbols.
As the Emperor's son, he had to work hard for the Emperor. The Emperor asked him to stop, so he had to stop the hatred between him and his mother.
The Emperor eradicated Empress Yang's family. In the end, he asked Empress Yang to be a proper wife. She couldn't have resentment because of her family, and she couldn't be lazy in managing the harem because she had no hope.
He, the Yang Family, and Empress Yang, what was there to compare? They were just the Emperor's tools.
Everything they did had to satisfy the Emperor's image of the family and the court. If someone overstepped, they would be eliminated.
In the Emperor's heart, he was the center of everything.
Everyone should have no emotions and be used by him. They should accompany him to play the role of the Emperor as his subjects and the filial father and son.
He actually hoped that the Emperor had feelings for him and felt guilty for Empress Zhong.
It was really naive and funny.
Li Seung-kyung's heart turned cold, and his tone slowly became cold. "Your Majesty cares about the relationship between husband and wife, but what about my mother?
She was also Your Majesty's wife. Did she die in vain? "
"Presumptuous!"
The Emperor shouted and slammed the table.
The eunuchs serving inside and outside knelt down one after another, not daring to breathe loudly.
For a moment, the Palace of Heavenly Purity was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The Emperor stared at Li Seung-kyung angrily. Li Seung-kyung also stood straight.
In the end, Li Seung-kyung didn't admit his mistake. Instead, he raised his hand and bowed. "I will take my leave.
I hope Your Majesty will take care of your body. "
Li Seung-kyung turned and walked out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Behind him, he could faintly hear the sound of slamming the table and the flattering voice of the eunuchs.
He didn't stop and walked out of the door without looking back.
After walking out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the sunlight spread down, dazzling people.
In the end, he and the Emperor had come to this point. Ruler and minister, father and son, mutual suspicion and jealousy.
In the first month after Empress Dowager Yang's death, the Emperor slowly realized that the feeling of supremacy, the power that no one could restrict, was so fascinating.
The Emperor no longer needed Yang Shoufu's permission to do anything he wanted to do. He no longer needed to worry about Empress Yang's face wherever the Emperor wanted to go.
He didn't even need to be patient with anyone. He also didn't need to endure the respect and reverence he had shown to Empress Dowager Yang for the past twenty-five years. He also didn't need to endure it.
No one in the court or in the harem could restrain him.
The Emperor gradually became addicted to this feeling of power, but his health was getting worse day by day. His headaches from time to time took up most of his energy.
The Emperor suddenly became like many kings in their twilight years, yearning for immortality.
The Second Prince ran to the Palace every day, asking after the Emperor's well-being and serving him tea and medicine.
Li Seung-kyung, on the other hand, was in a bit of a deadlock.
The Emperor had headaches and couldn't manage affairs, so he had to do these things.
The memorials could never be finished. Every day, urgent and trivial matters emerged one after another. None of them could be delayed.
The Emperor enjoyed the Emperor's power, but all the responsibilities and obligations were transferred to Li Seung-kyung. The Second Prince attended to the Emperor every day to fulfill his filial piety, peacefully being a filial son. Li Seung-kyung had to deal with government affairs and discuss matters with the court officials. At most, he would find time to go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity at night to ask a question.
Who was more important, who was closer and who was distant, it was clear at a glance.
Li Seung-kyung never talked about these things, but Cheng Yujin felt particularly distressed when she saw it.
When Li Seung-kyung came back in the middle of the night again, Cheng Yujin brought him hot tea and knelt on the bed to rub his forehead.
"Your Highness, you're working so hard, but the other side doesn't appreciate it at all.
Prince Shou is by His Majesty's side every day to fulfill his filial piety, saying some specious words. I heard that His Majesty has been gradually criticizing you these days. He thinks that you're obsessed with power, scheming, and not loyal enough. "
Li Seung-kyung sighed. He held Cheng Yujin's hand and pulled her into his arms. Naturally, he put his forehead on Cheng Yujin's shoulder.
"I'm doing my duty. Justice is in people's hearts. Some rumors, let them be."
"Let them be?"
Cheng Yujin raised her eyebrows and said, "Your Highness, if my child and I are said to be inauspicious, I'm afraid it will cause chaos in the palace. Are you going to follow these rumors?"
Li Seung-kyung raised his head. His eyebrows were cold and he didn't look tired at all. "Who said that?"
"I said it myself."
Cheng Yujin sat up and moved closer to Li Seung-kyung. Although her expression was still very arrogant, her hand secretly tugged at Li Seung-kyung's sleeve. "I'm just giving an example."
"How can this be a random example?"
Cheng Yujin stared at him. Suddenly, she tilted her head and said, "Your Highness, have you noticed that you've changed recently?"
Li Seung-kyung's expression froze. It was obvious that he was tensed up.
Cheng Yujin still tilted her head and looked at him. "You used to be noble and reserved. You treated people like jade. But now, when you speak, you don't care about the other person's reaction. You're showing off your ability and aggressive."
Li Seung-kyung was stunned. It seemed that he didn't expect Cheng Yujin to say this.
A person's change couldn't be perceived by oneself. Only the people around them could see it clearly.
Perhaps seeing Li Seung-kyung's silence as she wished, Cheng Yujin suddenly laughed. She took the initiative to wrap her arms around Li Seung-kyung and said, "Your Highness, do you think I blame you for changing?
People always change. When I was in the Cheng Family, my words and actions had to be smooth and sly. I didn't dare to offend anyone. But now, when I say I'm giving Grandmother a hard time, you've never blamed me for being arrogant. "
Li Seung-kyung reacted. He really wanted to give her a hard time.
But Cheng Yujin took the initiative to hug him. He couldn't resist. Li Seung-kyung coldly restrained himself and hugged Cheng Yujin's waist. His face was still cold as he scolded her. "Nonsense. You even dare to make fun of me?"
Cheng Yujin thought to herself, if you're really angry, then move away. You're already hugging me, yet you're still putting on an act.
Cheng Yujin took the Crown Prince's face into consideration and nodded. "Yes, I'm going too far.
Your Highness, please forgive me this time. "
"You still dare to do it next time?"
"Yes."
Li Seung-kyung couldn't hold back his laughter. He helplessly pinched the space between his eyebrows. The day's exhaustion seemed to have dissipated.
Cheng Yujin saw that there was finally a smile on his face. She slowly withdrew her hand and sat back in her seat. "It's good that you're finally smiling.
You've been too tense these past few days. I think it's not that I care that you've changed. It's just that you're fighting with yourself. "
"I care too much about being a qualified Crown Prince. For the past twenty years, this has been my belief.
I thought I've done it, but now, it doesn't seem to be the case. "
Li Seung-kyung felt a bit emotional.
He would never reveal these words and these doubts in front of the court officials. Even in front of Liu Yi and the others, he was still the confident, poised, and prudent Crown Prince.
Only in front of Cheng Yujin would he reveal his true feelings.
In every sense, the two of them were very similar.
People who had never experienced it would never understand the extent to which a person could criticize themselves, let alone understand the pressure behind their perfection.
Cheng Yujin understood Li Seung-kyung's lamentation very well. She even knew where the crux of the problem came from.
But although she understood, she couldn't say it.
The reason was very simple. A mountain couldn't accommodate two tigers. How could a country accommodate two monarchs?
Li Seung-kyung was so tired these past few days because he had to approve memorials and deal with court affairs. He also had to take care of his father's sensitive imperial heart.
After Li Seung-kyung finished editing memorials, he had to send them to the Palace of Heavenly Purity for the Emperor to look over.
The Emperor would have a headache if he overworked himself, so those so-called "trivial and meaningless" memorials were all given to the Crown Prince to deal with. After Li Seung-kyung screened them, they would be given to the Emperor to look over.
The Emperor was a classic example of not being in charge, but giving orders blindly.
He clearly wasn't good at these things. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed Yang Shoufu to control court affairs for twenty years. But now that he had power in his hands, the Emperor was addicted to being the ruler of the world and was unwilling to let go.
The Emperor gave orders randomly and enjoyed himself. The rest of the mess was left to Li Seung-kyung to clean up.
Recently, Li Seung-kyung wasn't the only one who was tired. The Cabinet and the Six Ministries were also tired.
But that was the Emperor. No one dared to speak the truth to the Emperor.
Everyone could only agree and smile reluctantly. After the Emperor had enjoyed himself, they would work overtime to correct the inappropriateness.
The Six Ministries had a division of labor. Each of them was responsible for a part, but Li Seung-kyung was responsible for everything.
Just thinking about it made one realize how tired Li Seung-kyung was.
If everything was left to Li Seung-kyung alone, it would be much more efficient.
Cheng Yujin understood, the Cabinet understood, most of the officials understood, and Li Seung-kyung himself also understood.
How could Li Seung-kyung not know where the way out of the current situation was? However, saying such words would anger the Emperor and violate a taboo.
The only thing he could do now was wait.
Li Seung-kyung knew everything, but he had shouldered it alone for too long. Occasionally, he also needed someone to talk to.
After Li Seung-kyung finished speaking, he waited for a long time. He couldn't help but lower his eyes and glare at Cheng Yujin. "You don't know what's good for you. Can't you take a little longer?"
He had only hugged her for a while and then let go. What a scandal!
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