Chapter 408: The Concubine's Sister Travels Through Time VS the First Sister Reborn (14)

"My son, do you know why I left you here alone?" The emperor stroked his beard, his expression indifferent.

Qi Yanlai shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"You are so polite to call me your subject?"

The emperor used to appreciate Qi Yanlai's respect for him the most, but today's respect made him a little sad.

"All the people in the world are my subjects. I am not being polite." Qi Yanlai's respectful attitude once again made the emperor let down his guard.

"After all, my son understands my heart the best." The emperor stroked his beard and laughed. The whole world belonged to him. He could take the initiative to get close to his subjects, but his subjects had to understand their duties first.

Qi Yanlai finally felt relieved when he saw the emperor laughing.

The emperor seemed to have seen through his heart and turned to the main topic of today.

"My son, the journey south to investigate the case of corruption in disaster relief funds is dangerous, so be careful." He pondered for a while and almost promised: "After the matter is investigated, I will definitely not treat you unfairly." The emperor believed that his son must know what he meant by "not treating you unfairly".

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qi Yanlai did not refuse. He had no reason to refuse. The position of the crown prince is coveted by so many eyes, and it would be best if he could get it legitimately. He still hasn't forgotten how his good brother, the fourth prince, has made "efforts" to kill him!

"Today I summoned you not just for this matter." The emperor gave a look to the eunuch beside him, and the eunuch respectfully carried a handwritten letter to Qi Yanlai's side.

"Take a look."

The emperor spoke, and Qi Yanlai took it. He unfolded it and saw that it was all names at the beginning. And they were all female names. There were circles or crosses on it, and it can be seen that they were selected.

"Your Majesty, what is this?" He had a vague idea in his mind, but he couldn't be sure until the emperor spoke.

"I have always favored you, so naturally I want to give you the best." The emperor looked him straight in the eye and said lovingly, "Little Four has started to discuss marriage, and it's time for you, the eldest brother, to look for one in advance. The women listed above are all those I have carefully selected for you. Most of them are daughters of powerful families in Kyoto. If you can handle them, they will surely be able to help you."

Qi Yanlai held the imperial edict in his hand and read it carefully again. There was no one in his heart on it, and his eyes unconsciously became disappointed.

"My son, are you not satisfied with the candidates listed above?" The emperor did not miss his disappointed look.

Qi Yanlai lifted up his robe and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, I have an unwelcome request that I hope you will agree to."

"Oh?" The emperor was a little surprised by this, "Tell me what it is."

"It is always difficult for royal children to find true love. I want to choose my own marriage partner. I don't mind whether she is of noble birth or not, and I don't mind whether her family is powerful or not. I just hope that we are of the same mind." Qi Yanlai said this seriously, and it was obvious that he had thought about it a long time ago.

The emperor pondered for a long time, glanced at his eldest prince, and said in a deep voice: "You have to think about your identity and my expectations of you. If you want to be an idle prince, I don't mind..." He didn't continue.

Qi Yanlai suddenly laughed, and said slowly and firmly: "Then I will be an idle prince."

He wanted that position. But he wanted that person even more.

"You!" The emperor slapped the handle of the chair heavily and was angry: "How dare you hurt my heart so much!"

"My son just wants to be with the person he likes for the rest of his life. Is that wrong?" Qi Yanlai looked up at the man sitting high up, his eyes full of unshakable determination.

Through those eyes, the emperor was a little dazed. He remembered the girl he met by the Huaiyang River when he was young. She also told him with such a firm and unshakable look that she wanted to find a "single-minded person" and only love her for the rest of her life. He still remembered that his young self asked her back, "There are so many unfaithful men in this world. Having three wives and four concubines is the norm. Does the kind of man she said really exist?" She didn't answer him, but left a meaningful look.

Later, he left Huaiyang. She followed him.

He asked her, "Aren't you looking for a single-minded person?"

She looked into his eyes and replied, "I found it." "Who is that person?" he asked again. In fact, he already knew it in his heart.

She pointed at him and smiled like a flower, "There are many unfaithful men in the world, so I want a loyal person. But a loyal person is hard to find, and a sweetheart is even harder to find. Today, I have a sweetheart, I am satisfied and no longer want a loyal person."

In a blink of an eye, so much time has passed. He came back to his senses in a trance, and looked at the eldest prince kneeling below, and laughed instead of being angry: "Your personality is really like your mother."

This is also the reason why he prefers the eldest prince. In the twenty-five years of being a prince, only the eldest prince's mother really touched his heart. Later, the concubines he chose when he ascended the throne were either more gentle and virtuous than her, or more noble and elegant than her, or more cold and aloof than her, or more beautiful than her, but they were all just pets he placed in the harem. In this world, you have only seen pets actively please their owners, where is the owner rushing to please the pet?

In his heart, he had actually agreed to Qi Yanlai's unwelcome request. But he didn't say it directly. Some things, if promised too early, will inevitably lead to rifts between father and son if they change in the future.

"Your Majesty..." Qi Yanlai wanted to continue begging when he saw that his expression had relaxed.

"I am tired today. Be careful when you go south." The emperor raised his hand and motioned him to leave.

Although Qi Yanlai felt regretful, he had already made his feelings clear this time, and he thought that the emperor would not force him too much in the future.

He rolled up the imperial edict in his hand, put it on the ground, stood up and strode away.

"Your Majesty, look... look..." The eunuch was anxious, because it was him who was so willful and embarrassed by

the eldest prince. "It's okay." The emperor comforted the eunuch who had accompanied him all the way, "He has always been respectful to me, just because I am the monarch and he is the minister. But today, he and I are father and son."

The eunuch lowered his head in shock when he saw the remaining tenderness and kindness in the emperor's eyes.

This master of our family stood out from the previous emperor's nine sons and ascended to this position. He stepped on countless skeletons to get to this position. He appeared to be gentle and considerate, but in fact he was cold and ruthless. In terms of character, ability, and strategy, the other princes were no match for him. But now he showed a father's feelings to the eldest prince. A real father's care and understanding for his children.

It seems that the eldest prince really won his heart. It is not just "pretending" as he thought before.

The eldest prince, the future is promising.

(End of this chapter)