Chapter 271 The Queen Mother Who Turned Into a Cat and the Regent King 33 (End)

This battle for the throne, which was supposed to be a bloody one, ended hastily before it even officially began because of an endless copybook of calligraphy.

The next day, the prince saw Cheng Ke declaring war on Jing Shu, who was petting a cat, with a similar expression and words outside the Yongning Palace.

"Jingshu, I want to compete with you for who is the person Pupu likes the most." Cheng Ke pointed at the calico cat lying on the ground basking in the sun and said solemnly.

The prince, who had not slept all night preparing a plan to catch up with his brother, said: "..."

Jingshu was squatting and petting a cat. When she heard this, she rolled her eyes at him and said, "I don't accept your boring declaration of war. Besides, my name is Huahua, not Pupu."

"Meow~" the calico cat also echoed angrily.

Jingshu picked up the cat and left.

Cheng Ke stood there, head down and looking dejected, feeling very lonely.

The prince inexplicably saw a sense of age from the little body of only four years old.

"Cheng Ke." He walked over.

Cheng Ke gave him a dull look and said, "Brother Crown Prince."

"Didn't you agree to be the crown prince?"

Cheng Ke pouted, "No, I thought about it last night. Being a crown prince is too difficult. Besides, you don't have to be a crown prince to be a powerful person. For example, the cat doesn't like anyone except the queen mother. If I can make it like me first, well... I'm pretty powerful then."

After all, the calico cat didn't even give Zong Yue face.

If he can conquer the cat, he will surely impress his father.

The prince was intelligent and understood Cheng Ke's idea after just a little thought.

Although Cheng Ke is smart, he is impatient and jumpy. He has no interest in literary skills such as memorizing and practicing calligraphy, so he always does his homework perfunctorily and is criticized by his teacher and Zong Yue.

Being criticized too much, coupled with some rumors, will naturally lead to self-doubt and the feeling that you are not valued and loved by others.

The prince touched his brother's head and said, "Even if you don't become a prince or a powerful person, Jingshu, my father, the emperor and my mother will still like you very much."

Cheng Ke was suspicious: "Really?"

"Really? If you don't believe me, let's go ask our mother." The prince nodded, led Cheng Ke into the palace, and continued:

"Everyone has different strengths. For example, I have a photographic memory, so I can achieve twice the result with half the effort in my studies. Although you are not good at literary things, you are particularly sharp in arithmetic."

Cheng Ke thought about it and it seemed to be true.

"You may become a minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the national treasury in the future. Even if you can't, then what's wrong with being a leisurely prince?"

The prince squeezed his brother's chubby little hand and said gently, "I am your elder brother and will always protect you in the future. You don't have to force yourself to be someone you don't want to be."

At this time, Cheng Ke still didn't understand the weight of this sentence.

It was not until he later entered the court, proposed new policies, scolded incompetent officials, and offended countless old nobles and villains, but was never reprimanded and was able to implement the new policies that benefited the people smoothly and unhindered, that he slowly realized how much pressure his brother had endured for him behind the scenes.

His brother always gives him the confidence to move forward.

…

The year the crown prince ascended the throne, Zong Qiguang, who was in prison, was seriously ill and nearly dying.

Cha Jiu went to see him for the last time.

When Zong Qi's cloudy and dim eyes saw Cha Jiu's figure, they suddenly burst into a light of hatred, which was particularly strange on his haggard face.

"Lu Zhaoyu, how dare you come before me?" He was barely breathing, but could not hide his hatred: "You taught your own son everything you knew, and helped him to take the throne step by step. But you played both sides against me, and plotted against me in secret. You and Zong Yue are both shameful traitors."

Cha Jiu looked at him steadily: "My teachings to you and to His Majesty are the same. Study at 3 pm, eat moderately, be punished when you are lazy, and reflect on your mistakes. Zong Qiguang, I have never kept anything from you."

Zong Qiguang sneered.

Cha Jiu continued, "Even if you are not very talented, hard work can make up for it. If you can't even be hardworking, then perhaps kindness can make up for it. But you have nothing. Letting you continue to sit in that position is tantamount to putting the people and the entire Sheng country on the fire."

The more she spoke, the more Zong Qiguang felt his cheeks burning and he became extremely embarrassed.

He roared, "Stop saying these high-sounding words! You and Zong Yue are simply in the same boat, and you have planned this all out! Even if I listen to your teachings, work hard, and be kind, you still won't let me sit firmly on the throne!"

"I will." Cha Jiu said without hesitation.

Zong Qiguang was stunned: "What?"

Cha Jiu said: "Even if your father's kindness to the Lu family was just a calculation, even if I already knew that you prepared a torture chamber for me, as long as you can do any of the things I just said, I will do my best to assist you."

"But Zong Qiguang, you never believed me."

Her words were sincere and her eyes were calm, without any hypocrisy or pretense.

Zong Qiguang could no longer deceive himself.

He knew she was right.

If he had believed in Cha Jiu instead of the Lin family.

If only he could endure hardship and listen to advice, instead of being lazy and stubborn.

The one who is sitting on the throne now and enjoying unlimited glory must be him, right?

Zong Qiguang died with endless regret, and he didn't even close his eyes.

Song Zhili was shivering in the corner. When she saw Cha Jiu was about to leave, she immediately pulled at her robe and burst into tears: "Empress! The deposed emperor died of illness. Can you please let me go?"

She doesn't want to be buried with him!

Cha Jiu leaned over and smiled at her faintly: "Back in the pavilion, when you said you were going to throw me into the lake, did you plan to let me go?"

What

Song Zhili was stunned. She was about to ask when she saw the amber necklace on Cha Jiu's neck.

Her mind went blank and her eyes slowly turned into fear.

"you……"

Before she could say anything, the eunuch behind her had already wrapped a white silk ribbon around her neck.

Song Zhili, whose original name should be Song Zhiling.

However, she wanted to get close to Zong Yue, so she renamed herself using the character "li" from Zong Yue's mother's name, and began her pursuit of glory and wealth.

But there are many roads that, once you start walking on, you can never turn back.

…

After the crown prince officially ascended the throne, Zong Yue and Cha Jiu finally had some free time to see the latest batch of pear blossoms in early spring in the former Regent's Palace.

There were only a few pear trees in the yard before, but after Zong Yue moved back, he replaced the other trees with pear trees.

Now that spring has arrived, the whole courtyard is filled with blooming pear blossoms, creating a scene as if in a fairyland, pure and elegant beyond compare.

"Don't move." Zong Yue's voice came.

Cha Jiu put away the fan and ignored the lingering butterfly.

The sunlight was bright and dazzling on her face. Cha Jiu squinted her eyes and looked at the man who was painting seriously in the pavilion.

So many years have passed, and the years seem to have left no trace on him, only carving that deep and handsome face into an even more stable and profound one.

Her figure is still as exquisite as before, her ability is still as strong as before, and she can be gently held around the waist with one arm...

System: “Ahem.”

Tea closes the mind.

The more Zong Yue traced Cha Jiu's posture, the more he recalled her charm when she was a cat. They were exactly the same.

A question suddenly occurred to him.

"Zhaoyu."

"Um"

"When you turned into a cat in Yujin Garden, why did you choose to come to me?"