Chapter 254: Tear

Compared to the sincere expression of nostalgia by the retired emperor, Prince Rong seemed somewhat indifferent. He was carried to sit in front of the bed, looking at the retired emperor quietly.

After crying for a while, the Emperor Taizong of Tang apparently realized his brother's indifference. He looked up and was shocked: "A Le, why do you look so bad?"

Prince Rong simply said, "It has always been like this, and it has been like this for many years."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across the face of the retired emperor, and he sighed and said, "I am sorry for making you work so hard for so many years."

Prince Rong simply said, "Those are the things a minister should do. Your Majesty, they are not worthy of your attention, let alone any apology. Your Majesty's words have made me feel uneasy."

The emperor looked up at him and asked faintly, "Ah Le, are you blaming me too?"

Prince Rong avoided answering and simply asked, "Your Majesty, you specially invited me here. It's not to reminisce about the past, is it?"

The Emperor leaned against the head of the bed and said, "Since Jiu'er ascended the throne, my health has deteriorated. The doctors dare not speak frankly, but I know that I am afraid it will take only a few months."

"Jiu'er is not even three years old yet. I haven't been able to raise him to adulthood. I am always worried."

Prince Rong said, "Don't worry, my royal brother. With the two Empress Dowagers taking care of us, the new emperor will surely grow up safely. With Prince Cheng watching over us, the court will also be safe and secure."

The Emperor, however, grabbed Prince Rong's hand and said, "I just don't trust the Fifth Prince."

Prince Rong suddenly laughed and asked, "Brother, what is there to worry about? This is the regent you personally selected. I believe you can see the fifth brother's ability more clearly than I do."

The Emperor said, "It is because you see it too clearly that I am worried."

"By the Fifth Brother's side, there's Su Fengzhang in literature and He Jun in martial arts. These two are smart and capable. The Emperor is still young, and if this continues, I'm afraid they'll control the court."

"Especially Su Fengzhang, he's very good at winning people's hearts. He's been in the court for only a few years and he's already got everyone on his side. If things keep going like this, the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty will become his one-man show."

Prince Rong said, "My Royal Brother, isn't this a good thing? Only when they have the ability can they suppress the entire court, both civil and military officials, and the Great Zhou will not fall into chaos and will enjoy long-term stability."

After saying this, he patted the Emperor's hand and said, "Brother Emperor, isn't that why you chose the Fifth Prince as the Regent?"

The Emperor frowned and sighed, "One or two years is certainly good, but what about ten or twenty? By then, the Emperor will have grown up. Will the Fifth Prince be willing to give up his power?"

Prince Rong's eyes flashed with sarcasm: "I can't say for sure what will happen in twenty years."

The Emperor frowned and said, "Yeah, who can say for sure."

"I am afraid that in twenty years, the world of the Great Zhou will no longer belong to the Qin family, but to someone with the surname Li, Su, or He."

Prince Rong looked at him and sighed deeply, "Brother Your Majesty, I am also approaching death. I won't be able to see what will happen in twenty years. It's useless to worry about it now."

The Emperor's eyelids twitched slightly, and he stared at Prince Rong: "A Le, you know what I mean."

Prince Rong's fingers on the armrest trembled slightly, but he smiled and said, "Your Highness, I am not a worm in your stomach, how can I know what you mean."

There was a flicker of displeasure in the eyes of the retired emperor, but he still said in a gentle voice: "Over the years, I have always known that my father placed that secret guard in your hands."

Prince Rong's expression remained unchanged, and he was obviously not surprised.

"Father has always loved you more. If you were not still young and neither the eldest nor the legitimate heir, the position of emperor might have been yours." The emperor emeritus said.

"For so many years, I have acquiesced to this matter and never thought of taking action against you. I just thought of it as my father doting on his youngest son, leaving this secret guard to you for protection. But Ah Le, now that we are both about to be buried, can't you help me this time?"

"These were originally the secret guards protecting the Great Zhou royal family. Now it's time for them to return to the royal family."

Prince Rong's eyes turned cold, and he asked, "Royal brother, according to you, who do you want to hand over this secret guard to?"

The Emperor thought he had convinced him and said with a smile, "Logically, the Emperor should be in charge, but the Emperor is young and I'm afraid he won't be able to do anything for the time being. Why not hand it over to Concubine Yu?"

"The Jade Concubine is the Emperor's biological mother. The Empress and the Fifth Prince may have other thoughts, but she only has this one son. I think even if she controls the Secret Guards, she will never do anything to harm the Emperor."

After a pause, he continued, "Besides, Fang Zhiwen is Yu Fei's uncle. With him around, Yu Fei can take over more smoothly. Fang Zhiwen has been far away in Qingzhou for many years, but he is a smart and capable person."

Listening to the self-righteous words of the retired emperor, Prince Rong almost laughed out loud. He stared at his brother and felt that he almost didn't recognize him.

Once upon a time, when they followed this man, the emperor's brother was also a man of outstanding talent and learning. Otherwise, how could the emperor father be confident in handing the Great Zhou into his hands?

But the result is that this person has done a lot of ridiculous things over the years, and at the last minute he came up with such a bad idea.

Prince Rong asked in return, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that the imperial relatives will become too powerful and threaten the emperor in the future?"

The Emperor said, "Fang Zhiwen is the only one left in the Fang family, and the Yun family and the Old Five are watching closely. How can they become powerful? They can only barely maintain their position."

Prince Rong then asked, "Does my brother trust Concubine Yu so much? Do you think she is the one you can trust?"

The Emperor hesitated for a moment, but finally replied, "The Jade Concubine may not be the best choice, but she is the Emperor's biological mother."

Beauty and enjoyment have emptied this man's mind, and perhaps even led to his madness before death.

Prince Rong thought this in his heart, but he couldn't bear to tell the emperor about Fang Zhiwen and Concubine Yu. This was his last bit of true love for his brother.

Prince Rong shook his head and said, "My Royal Brother, it is impossible for the Secret Guard to be handed over to Concubine Yu. But don't worry, the person I chose is very good. He will not do anything to harm the Great Zhou."

The retired emperor's expression changed drastically. He obviously didn't expect that Prince Rong had already chosen his successor.

Countless names flashed through his mind, and the Emperor asked in shock, "Who did you give the secret guard to? He Jing? Impossible, she's a woman, and she doesn't have the brains to do that."

"Could it be He Jun?" The thought of this possibility made the Emperor feel uneasy. He angrily said, "Ah Le, how could you hand him over to He Jun out of selfish motives? You know the He family has always held a grudge against the Great Zhou. He Jun is now the commander of an army. If he controls the secret guards, wouldn't that mean the Great Zhou is being handed over to him?"

"Do you think this is for He Jing's own good? The day He Jun rebels and ascends to heaven, He Jing will die!"

Prince Rong listened quietly, and after he had vented his anger, he said, "It's not He Jun."

The Emperor, still furious, pressed on, "Who on earth is that? Could it be Old Five?"

"No, it can't be Lao Wu, otherwise he would have already..."

"Could it be the Queen, or the Yun family? Yun Qian? Was it given to Yun Qian?"

The Emperor said angrily, "It must be the Yun family. I should have guessed it earlier. You have been feeling guilty towards the Yun family all these years, even secretly helping the Queen and framing the Crown Prince. That's why you are like this today."

"Ah Le, are you worthy of our father and me?"

"For the sake of Yun Hui, who died young, you actually abandoned the Great Zhou and let my own princes wither away. Day by day, you have come to this point. Those are all your nephews!"

Prince Rong's eyes also showed a trace of anger. He sneered and asked, "Brother Emperor, have you forgotten how your own princes died? How about I help you recall it?"

The emperor's face froze.

Prince Rong continued, "It seems that the emperor already knows the situation, even without me saying it."

"Ah Le...the matter of the secret guards is of great importance. You can't act recklessly!"

Prince Rong sneered, "So, Your Majesty, rest assured. The one I choose is the best candidate."

After saying this, he didn't want to continue arguing with the emperor, so he asked someone to help him walk out.

The Emperor, filled with rage, shouted, "Ah Le, think about your father. If it were the Great Zhou..."

"The Great Zhou will be fine." Prince Rong said coldly.

Finally, he continued, "Brother Emperor, you have been very fond of me over the years, and I am deeply grateful. However, you have never taken action. Is it because you really don't want to, or because you can't?"

Prince Rong walked away, leaving behind the retired emperor with a dismal face.

Eunuch Li was so frightened that he dared not disturb him. Ever since the coronation ceremony, the emperor's temper had become worse and worse. He had always been gentle and tolerant, but now he could take the lives of those around him at any time. It was not until a long time later that the emperor's voice was heard from the inner hall.

"Let Concubine Yu come over."

Eunuch Li responded and hurried to summon him. Although the throne had been passed to the ninth prince, the emperor was extremely wary of Empress Dowager Yun. If he had not had to rely on Empress Dowager Yun and the Yun family to protect the new emperor, even superficial harmony would have been difficult.

In comparison, Concubine Yu, who is the mother of the new emperor and has no power behind her, is now the apple of the eye of the retired emperor.

Concubine Yu came in dressed in plain clothes, with a look of worry on her face, which was exactly the look the emperor liked most.

She leaned against the bed and cleaned the emperor with her own hands before saying, "Your Majesty should take good care of your health. If something happens to you, wouldn't we, mother and son, be..."

The retired emperor might also know that Concubine Yu also contributed to the palace coup, but at this moment he chose to ignore it, just like he did during his years as emperor.

Sighing, the Emperor said worriedly, "How can I not be worried? Prince Rong is unwilling to help. After a hundred years, I'm afraid you and your son will have an even harder time."

Concubine Yu's eyes were a little dazed, and she said sadly, "If it weren't for my uncle's insistence on retiring, I would still have someone to rely on."

The retired emperor was also puzzled by this. Logically, Fang Zhiwen should have seized the opportunity to return to the capital, but he had repeatedly resigned from his post and now he had never left his house.

But now, he no longer had the time and energy to figure it out, so he could only comfort them: "As long as I am here, I can protect you for a while."

After saying that, he took out a golden token from his pocket and said, "Take this, it will be a guarantee in the future."

Yu Fei's eyes flickered slightly, and she expressed worry, but her hand took it without any hesitation.

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The author has something to say: The time difference operation~~~~ missed it