Chapter 270 Huo Zheng's Choice

"What?" Queen Wang exclaimed in shock after hearing Huo Zheng's retelling. "Because you refused to marry the Princess of Xiling, the Emperor refused to make you Crown Prince and even gave you Xizhou as your fiefdom, requiring you to leave the capital and take up residence there soon?"

Huo Zheng came out of the imperial study and went to Qiwu Palace to meet his mother.

When Queen Wang first saw him, her eyes were filled with joy. She looked him up and down for a long time, and only after making sure that her son was safe and sound did she let him sit down and drink tea and talk.

As a result, Huo Zheng told her right away that when he met the emperor in the imperial study just now, the emperor had promised him the position of crown prince, on the condition that he must marry the Princess of Xiling.

He refused.

Not only did he see the position of crown prince that was about to be obtained slip away, but he was even unable to stay in the capital and was banished by the emperor to Xizhou to become a vassal king.

Prince Rui is the emperor's eldest son. He is nearly thirty years old and has always stayed in the capital instead of going to a fiefdom.

The emperor asked Huo Zheng to go to Xizhou to be a vassal at this time, which meant that Qilang had lost the emperor's favor and would never have the chance to be emperor.

Huo Zheng stepped forward and personally poured a cup of hot tea for Queen Wang, saying calmly, "Mother, please be patient."

The mother and son were talking. There was no one around, only the senior female official and two trusted palace maids serving them.

Queen Wang was the one who knew best how much Huo Zheng had sacrificed for the Crown Prince. It was difficult for her to remain calm at this moment. She took the teacup Huo Zheng offered her and said, "I thought you would fight for Chunzhi, but I didn't expect you to even give up the Crown Prince's position for her."

Queen Wang knew that Huo Zheng truly loved Chunzhi, and she had witnessed with her own eyes how much Huo Zheng had done to marry Chunzhi as his principal wife.

But no matter how beautiful love is, it is not something that lasts forever.

It's great when you can't get it, but many people don't cherish it after they get it.

Queen Wang was used to seeing the emperor's ruthlessness, and she didn't dare to imagine what Huo Zheng would choose between the position of crown prince and his wife and children.

Because even if Huo Zheng chose the position of crown prince, no one would say that he made the wrong choice.

It is normal for a prince who was born and raised in the royal family and has been working hard to become the crown prince for the past twenty years to make such a choice.

But Huo Zheng gave up the position of crown prince that was within his reach and chose his wife.

Even Queen Wang was shocked by the emperor's ruthlessness and Huo Zheng's affection.

"That's not the case," Huo Zheng said sternly, "I don't think your father is sincere when he says he wants to make me the crown prince."

Queen Wang had just opened the lid of the teapot and was slowly stirring the floating leaves. When she heard this, she paused slightly.

As the emperor's wife, she naturally knew how much the emperor cared about the power in his hands. Ten years ago, some court officials advised the emperor to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to avoid disasters caused by several princes fighting for the throne and to ensure the long-term stability of Daxing.

But at that time, the emperor felt that he was still young and did not want to hand over power too early. He was even more unwilling to see the court officials focus all their attention on the crown prince, so he was reluctant to appoint a prince.

No matter how outstanding Huo Zheng's abilities were, the emperor kept silent about the matter.

Seeing Queen Wang remained silent, Huo Zheng continued, "The Emperor's sudden proposal to make me Crown Prince is simply because I quelled the rebellion in Xizhou and repelled the Xiling army. My achievements have been widely discussed by officials in the court and the people. Making me Crown Prince was not the Emperor's original intention, so even though he knew I didn't want to marry the Princess of Xiling, he still insisted on using this matter to force me to make a decision."

In fact, Huo Zheng knew in his heart that the emperor did not force him to marry the Princess of Xiling, nor did he have to agree to the request of the Xiling people.

The emperor just wanted to make him make a mistake and use it to make trouble.

Just as Ye Ninglan said, Huo Zheng's achievements have now surpassed his father's, and he has become a thorn in the emperor's side. No matter what he does, he will end up in trouble.

Now that he was unwilling to marry Princess Xiling, he was disobeying the imperial order, so he had no chance of becoming the crown prince and could only leave Beijing and go to Xizhou to be a vassal.

But if he really married Princess Xiling for the position of crown prince, the emperor would say that he abandoned his wife for power and was not worthy of being reused.

No matter what Huo Zheng chooses, the emperor will not be satisfied.

In this case, Huo Zheng decided to do as he pleased.

After hearing what Huo Zheng said, Queen Wang slowly sipped her tea and said helplessly, "Qi Lang, are you afraid that I will embarrass your princess?"

Huo Zheng quickly said, "Your Majesty, you are overthinking this. I have absolutely no such intention."

Queen Wang also knew that she had not been very kind to Chunzhi in the past, so she would not mention those things before. She put down her teacup and said to Huo Zheng, "You have been diligent since childhood and have outstanding talents. You are the perfect candidate to be the crown prince. I am your legal mother. I have watched you grow up from a toddler. Naturally, I hope that you can become the master of the Eastern Palace and rule the world in the future—"

Ever since the incident with Wang Yiyue, Queen Wang has become much more distant from her maternal family, and her future has long been tied to Huo Zheng.

Although she is the empress dowager, no matter which prince succeeds to the throne in the future, he will have to respect her as the empress dowager, but the biological mother of Prince Rui and the fourth and ninth princes are still alive. If their sons succeed to the throne, the two empress dowagers will share the glory in the future. The life of one with the support of the emperor's son is always different from that of one without support.

Queen Wang knew this clearly, but she did not blame Huo Zheng for not considering her as her mother when making the decision.

She looked at Huo Zheng and said slowly, "But you've grown up a long time ago and know what you should do and what you want. Today, you gave up the position of Crown Prince to protect your wife and children. Although I feel regretful, I am also inexplicably relieved."

"Mother—"

Huo Zheng didn't know why Queen Wang said such a relieved word. Could it be that his mother was so angry that she lost her mind?

"It is said that all men in the world are unfaithful, and the emperor's family is the worst." Queen Wang smiled. "As a prince, you are not blinded by power and still have true love in your heart. This is truly rare."

Queen Wang has been locked in this deep palace all her life and has no way to escape. Now she is relieved to see Huo Zheng meet a good girl like Chunzhi, be sincere with her, and become a flesh-and-blood person with true feelings.

For a moment, Huo Zheng didn't know what to say.

The Queen Mother now seems to be different from before.

Seeing Huo Zheng remained silent, Queen Wang smiled and added, "Of course, it's also because Chunzhi is worthy."

If Huo Zheng gave up his kingdom simply for beauty, she would beat him to death.

As soon as these words were spoken, Huo Zheng understood.

The Queen Mother now likes Chunzhi more than her son.

Huo Zheng said solemnly, "Don't worry, mother. Even if I go to Xizhou to be a vassal, I will never forget you. I will definitely find a way to bring you over to share the joy of family life."

Queen Wang smiled and said, "I'll remember this."

In fact, Queen Wang knew very well that ordinary concubines in the harem had to follow their sons to their fiefdoms, but the queen could not.

But there’s no point in saying this at this time.

She didn't mention it anymore.

Queen Wang came to her senses and turned to Huo Zheng, saying, "Even if the Emperor really did appoint you as Crown Prince, it wouldn't be a good idea. At a time when the Emperor considers himself in his prime and his brothers are fighting, being a Crown Prince surrounded by wolves is better than retreating from the limelight for a while."

Huo Zheng said, "Your Majesty and I have the same idea."

He said: "A blessing in disguise. It is wise to retreat while the going gets tough and wait for the next day."