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"Enough of that, come and eat some meat!"

The emperor left Yizhou City and passed through Guangyuan, Hanzhong, Jinzhou, Yunyang, crossed the Han River and Danjiang River and entered the territory of Xia County. After traveling more than 10,000 miles, he finally returned to the territory of the capital. It was only more than 400 miles away from the capital, and it would take at most five or six days to travel.

It was March when the emperor set out, but it was already the cold winter of Laba Festival.

The official post station in Xia County was quite spacious, but in winter they used kangs and charcoal as fuel, and there was no ground heating like those used in the palace or the homes of nobles in the capital.

After dinner, Emperor Xingwu left his two children behind and sat before a charcoal brazier, warming his hands as he spoke, "Actually, after leaving Yunyang, we can continue eastwards out of the mountains. From Nanyang, the road back to the capital is smooth. But I insist on taking you along this mountain road. Do you know why?"

Qingyang sat on the other side of the charcoal brazier, stretching out his hands to warm himself by the fire like his father did, and looked at his second brother when he heard this.

Even though second brother's answers along the way never satisfied the emperor, he was always confident when answering. So, as a younger sister, Qingyang should not speak before second brother.

Qin Bing said without hesitation: "The more mountainous the county, the poorer it is. The poorer it is, the more important it is to check whether the county magistrates are doing their job as their parents."

Another point is that my father deliberately wanted to use the hardships of traveling to temper them, so naturally they would take the most difficult road.

Emperor Xingwu raised the corner of his mouth. The nine-month southern tour did not let the second son's head fill with more things. Isn't this a kind of skill?

He looked at his youngest daughter.

Qingyang said, "Second brother, that's just one point. Furthermore, returning to the capital from Xia County, we'll pass through Funiu Mountain and Xiong'er Mountain. These two mountains form a natural barrier to the southwest of the capital. Father wants my second brother and I to be familiar with the terrain in this area. In the event of a war in the future, we can deploy our troops accordingly."

The emperor had already taken them along the road from the capital to Chang'an during the northern tour. This southern tour allowed her and her second brother to personally inspect the terrain around the capital.

Emperor Xingwu did not praise his youngest daughter, but only glanced at the second daughter.

Qin Bing was not ashamed of his wrong answer. Instead, he was quite excited. He stood up and said, "Then I'll take a good look at the map here!"

Emperor Xingwu did not stop him. After the footsteps outside had faded, he sighed to his little daughter, "Your second brother will at best be a brave general charging into battle, but he will never become a capable commander."

Qingyang smiled and said, "Generals and commanders each have their own strengths. It's amazing that my second brother can be a fierce general."

A cold wind blew past the window, its whistling sound chilling. Emperor Xingwu took down his daughter's cloak hanging beside him, put it on her with his own hands, and put on the hood. He said, "Let's go. Your Majesty will take you back."

Qingyang: "It's in the side room. Father, please go to bed early."

Emperor Xingwu insisted on sending his daughter away, so Qingyang took off his father's cloak and put it on him with a smile.

The father and daughter walked out one after the other, with the cold wind blowing in their faces. Emperor Xingwu skillfully stood in front of his daughter.

After a few steps, they arrived at the little princess's chamber. Emperor Xingwu looked at the charcoal basin in the main hall and entered his daughter's bedroom. He felt under the already spread out quilt to make sure it was warm enough. Then, he looked at the prepared writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk and asked, "It's so cold, and you still want to write?"

If their daughter had not given them instructions in advance, Jie Yu and Fu Liu would never have dared to act on their own.

Qingyang: "...I'm used to it. It will take me half an hour at most. Don't worry, Father."

Emperor Xingwu was worried, so he walked to the desk and found a lot of books there, including two volumes of Ban Gu's "Geographical Records", two volumes of Li Daoyuan's "Water Classic", and five manuscripts with inscriptions by his daughter, named "Southern Tour" and divided into "Mountains", "Water", "Officials", "People" and "Products".

Emperor Xingwu was stunned.

Qingyang pushed his father out directly: "There are still a few hundred miles left to write. I will ask for your guidance after I finish it."

Emperor Xingwu sighed with emotion: "My son Lin has already written a book. Your knowledge is not enough to teach you anymore."

Qingyang: "This is just a random record of my experiences during my southern tour. It doesn't count as a book. If you tease me again, I won't let you read it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little princess had already pushed her father out of the main hall and told him to go to bed early. Qingyang smiled and closed the door from the inside.

Emperor Xingwu said loudly, "I will come out to check in half an hour. If the light on your side is still on, I will ask your mother to take care of you."

Qingyang didn't believe that his father would be willing to kick his mother out of her warm bed. At most, he would just let He Yuanjing make a trip.

.

On the morning of the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Xingwu, who had been away from Beijing for nearly a year, finally returned to Beijing.

The prince led all the civil and military officials to welcome him outside the city. He was finally home. Emperor Xingwu was still in a good mood. However, as soon as he walked out of the carriage and stood on the shaft, Emperor Xingwu noticed the prince's strange expression. He was evasive, but he didn't seem to worry about being scolded by him.

Emperor Xingwu looked behind the crown prince again, and this time he saw that his younger brother, Prince Yong, did not dare to look him in the eye. However, after a brief eye contact, the younger brother who did not cry out in pain even after being stabbed actually had red eyes.

Emperor Xingwu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly glanced at Yan Xizheng, Yang Zhimin, Lu Zan and others who lowered their heads to avoid him, and looked at the younger generations. Qin Liang, Fu Kui, Xue Yanzheng and others were there, but Deng Kun and Deng Tai were missing. These two brothers would never fail to come to welcome him without a reason.

Emperor Xingwu stepped back, leaning against the carriage, and looked down for a long time before looking up and asking, "Tell me, when did Duke Dingguo leave?"

Qin Hong knelt on the ground, weeping, "Three days ago, Duke Dingguo became seriously ill. Before his death, he specifically instructed that no one should report the news to the emperor, so as not to disturb him during his southern tour... Please accept my condolences, and take care of yourself!"

The civil and military officials who had already knelt down shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."

Emperor Xingwu couldn't do it. That was Deng Chong, a brother who was more like his brother than his own brother, a fierce and powerful general. He was originally tougher than the emperor who was always busy with state affairs. But because he was sent by him to conquer the Pyu Kingdom, he contracted malaria, had a head full of white hair, and passed away at the age of fifty...

"Prepare the horses." Emperor Xingwu still looked up and ordered Fan Zhongdao who was guarding the carriage.

With red eyes, Fan Zhong went to get the emperor's mount.

Emperor Xingwu stepped directly from the carriage onto the horse's back and said to his youngest daughter who was about to follow, "I will go and see Duke Ding off for the last time. Lin'er will accompany your mother back to the palace first."

After saying this, he spurred his horse towards the city gate. Fan Zhong winked at Zhang Su, then followed Prince Jing closely to chase the emperor.

After the emperor left, all the civil and military officials who had come to welcome him stood up one after another, because the crown prince was going to the Duke Dingguo's mansion to accompany the emperor, and the ministers had to go with him.

Qingyang asked Zhang Su, Fan Huaizhong and others to continue escorting her and her mother back to the palace, and she got on her mother's carriage.

Concubine Li's carriage was right behind the emperor's. When she heard what had happened, as soon as her daughter got in, she burst into tears out of heartache for the emperor: "When Duke Cheng left, your father was like a lost soul. This time..."

Qingyang sat down next to his mother, hugged her shoulders when she leaned over, listened to her soft sobs, and thought of how his father had been worried about Lu Guangzu, and Qingyang's heart felt heavy.

.

The emperor's return to the capital should have been a happy event, but the death of 56-year-old Duke Dingguo Deng Chong cast a shadow over the entire court.

After returning to the palace from Deng Chong's mansion, Emperor Xingwu allowed the crown prince to continue to govern the country, and then stayed alone in the Qianyuan Hall and refused to see anyone. Even on the day of Deng Chong's burial, the gate of the Qianyuan Hall was never opened.

Concubine Li went to ask for an audience three times a day, but He Yuanjing shook his head every time. Qingyang went to pay his respects in the morning and evening, but He Yuanjing still didn't dare to let the little princess in. Since both the mother and daughter were like this, it was no surprise that the imperial concubine, the crown prince, Prince Jing and others repeatedly hit a wall.

Seeing that it was time to go to court tomorrow, but his father had locked himself in the Qianyuan Hall and refused to show up, Qingyang asked Jie Yu to go to the Qianyuan Hall in the evening.

Even though he knew Xie Yu's words were false, He Yuanjing still had to go in and pass on the message. He said to the emperor who was unwilling to move on the dragon bed: "Your Majesty, Xie Yu just came to report that the princess is sick and can't eat dinner."

The emperor in the bed turned over and lay facing inward.

He Yuanjing sighed and said to the emperor's back, "I should have advised the emperor, but I feel that there is no one in the world who loves the little princess more than the emperor, so why should I have to say anything more?"

Emperor Xingwu: "I can tell you're pretending. What's the pain?"

He Yuanjing: "The illness is probably fake. I don't know if he skipped dinner."

Emperor Xingwu: “…”

What's wrong with skipping a meal? When he was a child, he was almost hungry every day, but he still lived well, didn't he?

A quarter of an hour later, Emperor Xingwu returned to Qianyuan Hall with an expressionless face, and obediently let He Yuanjing put on his cloak before setting off for Jiuhua Palace again, so as to avoid being nagged by his little daughter for not wearing a cloak.

Qingyang had asked the kitchen to prepare the soup and side dishes for the hot pot. As soon as his father arrived, Qingyang took his father to the warm room and asked Jie Yu to serve the meal.

Emperor Xingwu glanced at his daughter and asked listlessly, "Aren't you sick? Why don't you pretend?"

Qingyang: "Even if I pretend, I can't hide it from Father, so why should I bother? But I haven't seen Father for several days. If Father doesn't show up tonight, I might really get sick from missing him."

Emperor Xingwu spat twice and said, "It's almost the New Year, stop talking nonsense."

After he finished spitting, he looked up and saw his daughter looking at him eagerly. Perhaps because he looked too haggard, his daughter's eyes were full of heartache.

Emperor Xingwu waved his hand, lowered his eyes and said, "It's common to be like this when you get older. It will be fine in a couple of days. Don't worry, Lin'er."

Qingyang: "Father has been through so much, yet he still can't help but grieve for Duke Dingguo. How can I, a mere teenager, not worry about you? If that's the case, then Father must be heartbroken to have a daughter as heartless as me, right?"

Emperor Xingwu: “…”

At this time, Jie Yu came from the kitchen and brought a steaming pot of soup.

Emperor Xingwu was surprised by his daughter's good appetite: "..."

After Jie Yu and the others left, Qingyang prepared some hot pot for his father while saying, "Your Majesty, you are already old enough. It's time for you to be sensible. You can't let your wife, children, and a bunch of ministers suffer day and night because of the passing of an old friend. Have a good meal and then go and stay with my mother. My mother has been having a hard time eating these past few days and has lost a lot of weight."

Emperor Xingwu: "...So, your mother is the one in the palace who cares about me the most. I have loved you for more than ten years in vain."

Qingyang: "That's because Father has loved Mother for six years longer than he has loved me. Mother cares about you more than I do. Isn't that natural?"

Emperor Xingwu: "According to what you said, after Zhang Su has been with you for decades, you will miss him more than me, right?"

The little princess put down her chopsticks with a thud and glared at her father. "Father, try saying something like that again?"

Emperor Xingwu saw his daughter's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and quickly picked up the chopsticks to help his daughter rinse the meat: "No more talking, no more talking, come, eat the meat!"

【Author’s words】

Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow in the new year~