First year of Shenlong, Da Ming Palace.
Shan Chao had been on the throne for more than half a year, but he still felt unreal. After the court was dismissed, he sat on the high throne and looked around. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and slapped the armrest, "Empress!"
Xie Yun turned a deaf ear.
"Empress!" Shan Chao said sternly, "Hey, I'm calling you! Don't pretend you didn't hear me. Come here and feed me grapes! "
Empress Xie didn't even turn her head. A hidden weapon flew out of her sleeve. Shan Chao couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the face by the imperial jade seal. He fell on his back under the throne.
"If you don't want to feed me, then don't feed me. Why are you so angry?" The Emperor crawled up with two streaks of blood from his nose and ordered, "Tie up the Empress! I … I'll feed her grapes! "
When a man achieves the Dao, his chickens and dogs will also ascend to heaven. To use this sentence to describe Commander Xie was really …
Xie Yun was the most hardworking and important official of the dynasty. She had been through the three reigns of Gao Zong, Zhou Wu, and Shenlong. She raised the current Emperor from the barren north and supported him on the throne. Every night, she had to comfort the Emperor's body and mind. It was not easy to be a pillar of the country.
As a result, Commander Xie also got what he wanted. He had the merit of raising the Emperor. When he had nothing to do, he would walk the birds and take care of the flowers. Apart from not being surrounded by beautiful women, he had all the characteristics of a successful man.
On the Double Seventh Festival, the boudoir was begging, and the night market was Chang An.
The Emperor was humming an erotic tune as he finished his official business. He stamped the last memorial with his red seal and rushed out of the Imperial Study as if there was a spring on his butt.
Outside the corridor, a chubby boy wearing a red coat and a gold chain was walking towards him. Shan Chao recognized him as the third son of the King of Ji, Li Longji. He called his nickname and asked, "Shan! Have you seen Commander Xie's carriage? "
Shan Shan skipped over with the candy in his hand. He first paid his respects to the Imperial Uncle and said crisply, "I've seen you! Commander Xie has been waiting outside the northern gate for half a day. He's thinking of burning down Epang Palace! "
Shan Chao picked up his robe and turned around to go to the north gate to welcome the Empress.
Who would have thought that the more it was a season of dog abuse, the more ignorant old men would come out to mess things up? The Emperor was on his way to meet the Empress. Suddenly, a loud voice exploded in front of the palace gate, "Your Majesty!"
Shan Chao staggered, "Elder Guo?"
In the entire Imperial Court, there was only one person who could be called Guo Lao, and that was the same as the Phoenix Pavilion's Luantai Pingzhangshi, the Yinqing Guanglu Daifu, Di Renjie, who enjoyed great prestige during the Martial Emperor's reign. Prime Minister Di was also dragging another bearded old man behind him. His face was filled with an aggrieved expression as if a duck was being driven onto a perch. It was surprisingly Dai Zhide.
Shan Chao stopped in his tracks and sighed, "Guo Lao, you've finally thought it through and are willing to come out of the closet with Dai Xiang. You're taking advantage of this festive season to ask me for a marriage, right?"
Di Renjie was puzzled, "What do you mean by 'coming out of the closet'? Is it a new term invented by the National Division Ming?"
"… Nothing."
Di Renjie completely ignored the Emperor's puzzled expression and said earnestly, "Speaking of marriage, this is the reason why I'm here today. May I ask where Your Majesty is going? Are you leaving the palace again? "
The Emperor braced himself and said, "Tonight is the night market. I'm going out of the palace with Beiya's Commander Xie. Soon …"
Di Renjie said, "Your Majesty!"
The Emperor was speechless.
"Your Majesty is in the prime of your life. It should be a good time to take in concubines and have children. However, Your Majesty spends all your time with your officials. You don't marry or take in concubines. The country is unstable, so how can you talk about concubines? I'd like to ask Your Majesty to take advantage of the Qixi Festival to invite all your officials to a banquet. You can pick out young ladies from the aristocratic families so that the Tang Empire can continue to have children for generations … "
Once Guo Lao started nagging, there was no end to it. The more the Emperor listened, the darker his face became. He raised one of his eyebrows and cast a sidelong glance at Dai Zhide. What he meant was, Prime Minister Di had just returned from Luoyang. It was fine if he didn't know anything about the Emperor, but why didn't Prime Minister Dai stop him?
Little did he know that Dai Zhide was also sweating profusely. He hated that he couldn't break free from Elder Guo's iron claws. Before he came, he had repeatedly hinted to the Premier Di not to talk about the future with the Emperor. The Emperor could talk about the future with Commander Xie every day and didn't want to think about other people. However, Elder Guo, who was as straight as a pillar supporting the sky, didn't get it. Every few days, he would write a memorial to ask for a new Empress. If it weren't for Commander Xie's last bit of rationality, the Beiya Imperial Guard would have already wiped out the Di Residence.
"If Your Majesty is burdened by the cumbersome state affairs, you can also favor the palace servants more and look forward to Lin 'er." Premier Di changed his tone, thinking that he was already very open-minded and sincere. "It's a blessing for the royal family to have children. Besides, as the Emperor, it's normal to have three palaces and six courtyards …"
Dan Chao was like a monkey that had been chanted with the Golden Hoop Curse. He let out a long sigh of helplessness. Just as he was struggling with whether or not he should give this overly righteous Imperial Elder another hint, he heard someone nearby say with a smile, "Imperial Elder —"
It's here!
Shan Chao's body shook and Dai Xiang's eyes filled with tears!
A divine weapon descended from the sky, shining brightly. The dignified Commander of the Imperial Guard of the Tang Empire arrived with a celestial light and purple aura, blinding the Emperor's 24k golden dog eyes!
Di Renjie said, "Commander Xie came at the right time. Help me persuade His Majesty. He's not married yet and doesn't have any princes or princesses. When I was His Majesty's age, I already had three sons. Every time I think of His Majesty, I feel anxious … "
Xie Yun was dressed in a white brocade robe, with a lapis lazuli and jade belt. He held a red muslin palace lantern in his hand. Under the illumination of the halo, he looked as beautiful as a painting. It was impossible to tell that the lantern in his hand was about to burn Ahfang for three hundred li. Hearing Xie Yun's words, he asked with a smile, "Then Elder Guo must have a hall full of grandchildren by now, right?"
Di Renjie said, "Not yet. My useless son hasn't passed the imperial examination yet … "
"How's your study?"
"He's already familiar with ten thousand books …"
"When will he take the examination?"
"He's preparing to …"
"Where will he take up his post after the imperial examination?"
"Uh …"
"When will he marry? Which family's young lady will he marry? How many grandchildren will he have? Will he be a man or a woman? Which private school will he go to? Which teacher will he invite? When will his grandchildren be educated? When will he take the examination? Where will he be an official in the future? "
Di Renjie, "…"
Xie Yun was aggressive, "Where will he buy a house after three generations? It's not easy to live in Chang An. Have you prepared the money to buy a property? Have you prepared the dowry for your granddaughter? Have you prepared the money for your granddaughter-in-law? "
Di Renjie, "…"
Xie Yun said scornfully, "It seems that Elder Guo hasn't settled his own family matters. Since that's the case, don't worry about when His Majesty will get married. Maybe His Majesty will have grandchildren before you. "
Di Renjie was stunned by this bandit's logic. The Emperor didn't care about his image and applauded, "Well said!"
Commander Xie rolled her eyes elegantly and pulled the Emperor away. Under Dai Xiang's attentive escort, they left with their heads held high.
·
In the fifth year of the Divine Dragon Era, the Emperor issued a decree to adopt the third son of King Ji, Longji, as the King of Chu.
Several years later, the Emperor still had no children, so he issued an edict to appoint the King of Chu as the Crown Prince.
Winter went and spring came. Light and shadow changed. The Daming Palace stood under the white blue sky. The glazed tiles reflected the many years of wind and clouds.
Nine carriages and horses came to disturb. Pedestrians did not envy Chang An. Pills were forbidden to leak. The sound of drums beat the dawn. Chang An's people grew old first.
People would always be born, grow old, get sick, and die. In the first year of Yanhe, a loud bell sounded in Chang An's city. The bell rang for a long time and spread throughout the land.
— — That was the death knell.
Today, the Emperor died.
Boom — —
When the Imperial Mausoleum closed, a series of explosions sounded in the deep tunnel. The earth trembled continuously. After a long time, it finally calmed down. The evening wind passed through the plains, lifting countless weeds in the afterglow.
The New Emperor, who had just been promoted from the Crown Prince, stood at the entrance of the Imperial Mausoleum. He lifted his robe and stepped on the white jade steps. He fanned himself with his hands. "Ah — — It's finally over. I'm so tired!"
The little chamberlain was busy fanning himself and handing him water, but the New Emperor casually waved his hand and pushed him away. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the silent Imperial Mausoleum under the setting sun. There seemed to be something inexplicable on his face. It seemed to be sadness and nostalgia, but it was also mixed with more complicated emotions. It could even be called a gratified expression.
The chamberlain misunderstood his mood. He looked behind him and reminded in a low voice, "Your, Your Majesty, there are still people watching behind you. At this time, you should …"
Li Longji said, "Ah, what do you know? If the late Emperor's spirit is in heaven, he wouldn't want to see everyone crying pretentiously. "
The little chamberlain was stunned. The New Emperor was silent again. After a long time, he suddenly asked, "Do you know how the late Emperor survived until now?"
"— — Ah?"
"In the end, the late Emperor dragged on for so long. Even the coffin was prepared. All the imperial physicians told us to be ready at any time … … but he persisted until the day after Xie Yun died of old age before he died. Do you know why? "
The little chamberlain peeked at Li Longji's face. He saw that his expression was dark and unclear in the afterglow. The chamberlain said carefully, "I … … I don't know."
Li Longji said, "Because a humble person can't be moved by a superior person. If the late Emperor didn't survive until then, the Imperial Mausoleum would be sealed after the coffin was put in. Even I couldn't open the Imperial Mausoleum and bury Xie Yun in it. "
The little chamberlain was moved. He didn't say anything for a long time.
Before the late Emperor passed away, the Crown Prince pointed to heaven and earth in front of his sickbed and swore that he would follow the late Emperor's wishes and use the coffin. Sure enough, he didn't violate his oath. When the late Emperor closed his eyes, countless members of the imperial family jumped out to oppose this unorthodox funeral. They were all forcefully suppressed by the New Emperor.
"That's why the late Emperor was very happy." Li Longji said lightly, "In his life, he practiced Buddhism, fought in wars, was a slave, and was also a general. He experienced thousands of miles of desert beyond the Great Wall and Chang An. No matter where he was, no matter what identity he had, Xie Yun was always by his side, even after he died. "
"When such a legendary life comes to an end, there's no need for others to cry at the top of their lungs to express their sadness." The New Emperor turned around, patted his sleeves and said, "Let's go."
The setting sun stretched for thousands of miles. It was like rich golden water from the sky, dyeing the horizon with endless brilliance. The young New Emperor of the Tang Empire slowly walked to the carriage in the distance. Before they set off, he lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the Imperial Mausoleum in the twilight.
At the end of the plain, the forest was dyed red. Two figures stood side by side under the jade steps. They waved to him in the wind for the last time. Then they turned around and walked into the dark depths of the Imperial Mausoleum.
"… … Goodbye," the New Emperor said in a low voice.
He lowered the curtain of the carriage. In the distance, Chang An's city gate was magnificent. The Daming Palace reflected dazzling golden light under the last ray of the setting sun.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
