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◎A ruler possesses the dignity of a ruler, and his subjects fear and love him.

Emperor Xingwu, along with the Crown Prince, generals, and a group of civil officials from Liang Province, went to inspect the Great Wall near Wuwei, including the people's livelihood in the villages and towns along the way. He asked the people about their harvests in recent years, whether they had any grievances, etc. As for what kind of grievances the little princess had suffered outside, Fan Zhong, who was a few steps behind, had already reported it to him separately before Emperor Xingwu left the city.

Emperor Xingwu pretended not to know and returned to the general's residence before dusk. After dismissing all the civil and military officials, Emperor Xingwu sent someone to ask for his daughter.

When Qingyang came over, he saw He Yuanjing carrying out a basin of water. The water in the basin was not very clean. His father, who had taken off his outer robe and was only wearing a white silk singlet, was lying on the couch in the side room. The hair on his forehead and temples was a little wet, and his face showed some fatigue.

After being tossed about on horseback by Fan Zhong for an hour, Qingyang no longer considered continuous horseback riding a pure pleasure. He asked distressedly, "Is Father going out again tomorrow?"

Emperor Xingwu asked his daughter to sit on the edge of the couch and said with a smile, "I went to check out the iron mines in Chang County this morning. It's about a hundred miles from Wuwei. I came back and rested."

Qingyang asked in confusion, "Why go to the iron mine? Isn't there a gold mine in Liangzhou? The one where Yuan Zhaoxiong concealed the gold production and enriched himself."

Emperor Xingwu said, "The Shazhoushan gold mine is four hundred miles from Wuwei, making the round trip too cumbersome. Your Majesty doesn't have time to visit it. We can simply interrogate the mine supervisor and investigate the mine's accounts. Furthermore, while gold and silver are valuable, iron mines are even more important to the court. A sufficient supply of iron is essential for forging sufficient weapons and tools for industry, agriculture, and commerce. Your Majesty is inspecting the mine to ensure its protective fortifications are in place and to see if the mine supervisor is withholding food and wages from the miners."

It sounded like a lot of knowledge, so Qingyang immediately said, "I will go with my father."

Emperor Xingwu rubbed his daughter's head and brought up what happened that morning: "Deng Kun offended you, why didn't you report him in front of Deng Chong?"

The little princess snorted and looked at her father. "If I really mentioned Deng Kun's name, Deng Chong would definitely pretend to be very angry. Then father would comfort him, saying that we are all children and children are bound to have bumps and bruises. In the end, it was me who made a big deal out of nothing. I don't want to be treated like a child by father and several generals."

Emperor Xingwu: "...perhaps father will support you?"

The little princess didn't even have the slightest doubt, and directly put on an expression of disgust, as if her father was trying to fool her again. "How can your father support you? Will you really punish Deng Kun for the crime of disrespecting the princes and princesses and chill Deng Chong's heart? Putting aside Deng Chong's friendship with your father and his founding achievements, just based on his great achievements in this campaign against the barbarians, your father must show him some mercy."

So what if my father is the emperor? The emperor also has to rely on civil and military officials to help govern the world. The emperor also has to balance the grace and power towards his subjects. Too much grace will make the subjects disrespectful, while too much power will make them seem mean. The subjects will either be too afraid of the emperor and dare not offer advice or hold grudges and secretly plot to overthrow the emperor.

The emperor is good to her, and Qingyang cannot take advantage of this to make things difficult for her father. She is a princess and there are some things she can handle on her own.

Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter's lively eyes and listened to her thoughtful words, and he felt all the fatigue from a busy day disappear.

"Good daughter, you are a hundred times more promising than your third brother!"

He had to show some mercy to Deng Chong, his former brothers and current heroes, especially Deng Chong, who was known to everyone as a vulgar and outspoken person. If he cared about trivial matters, it would make him appear narrow-minded as an emperor. However, his princes and princesses should behave like the emperor's sons and daughters and should not allow the sons of nobles or even civil and military ministers to bully them.

He tolerates meritorious officials, but he can also suppress them. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince respect and treat meritorious officials with courtesy, and respect has become a habit. Who will be afraid of them in the future?

Two useless faces appeared in his mind, and Emperor Xingwu suddenly felt physically and mentally exhausted.

Deng Chong was in a good mood after seeing the emperor off from the general's mansion. The emperor had awarded several houses of Yuan Zhaoxiong's followers to temporarily house these generals. Now that his duty of accompanying the emperor was over, he could go back and relax, drink some wine, eat some meat, and pick two beautiful maids to entertain him.

"The Duke is back." The servant came forward to lead the horse and said respectfully.

Deng Chong hummed, dismounted, and asked, "Where's the prince?"

The servant's face changed slightly, and he lowered his head and said, "The prince came back this morning and didn't go anywhere in the afternoon."

Deng Chong found it strange. He had two sons, and their personalities were just like his. How could they be willing to stay at home obediently?

Deng Chong sent someone to call his son over.

Deng Kun didn't feel any pain from the three slaps he slapped himself, but his face was hurt. He was afraid that now all the vendors and people on that street knew that he was punished by Princess Qingyang, and next the people of the whole city and the accompanying soldiers would hear about it one after another.

Deng Kun had never suffered such humiliation in his life.

Deng Chong saw a son who felt humiliated but had nowhere to vent his anger. He frowned and asked, "Why are you like this?"

Deng Kun sat down below his father and told him the whole story in an angry and aggrieved manner.

Deng Chong: “…”

In all honesty, Deng Chong completely understood his son, for he too disliked Generals Zhang Jie and Meng Ji. Zhang Jie, a former general who had surrendered, deserved to be granted the same title of Duke as him and Lü Shu. In the nine years since the emperor ascended the throne, Meng Ji had been away in Liaozhou, returning to the capital only once every three years. His infrequent appearances had made him less of an eyesore. Meanwhile, Zhang Jie, on the other hand, was constantly around, making him look like a puddle of dirt.

Deng Chong knew he was crude, but that was just the way it was. No matter how crude he was, he had earned the title of Duke based on his own merit. As a Duke, he deserved the respect of the ministers and the people, not the gossip of those who had led him to this point. Deng Chong was unwilling to change, and Zhang Jie, praised by the emperor and his ministers as a model Confucian general, became a thorn in his side.

"You are right. The Zhang family is a family of gigolos. I dare to say so in front of the emperor." Deng Chongxian agreed with his son.

Deng Kun straightened his chest.

The next moment, Deng Chong frowned and scolded his son, "But you shouldn't have mocked Zhang Su in front of the Third Prince and the Little Princess, especially that girl Qingyang. She even dared to scold Prince Yong and even contradict Yan Xizheng. I, your father, may not be able to gain any advantage in front of her. You are simply asking her to slap you in the face."

Deng Kun: "...I didn't expect her to come forward. The Third Prince didn't even say a word."

Deng Chong: "How can it be the same? The Third Prince only regards Zhang Su as a study companion. Qingyang is a maid. Little girls like pretty boys like Zhang Su and his like. The more they like him, the more they protect him. You, remember this lesson and don't mess with her again."

Deng Kun touched his face, thought about the faces of Zhang Jian and his three brothers, and finally looked at his rough-faced father sitting in the main seat.

Deng Chong: "...Let's go."

Deng Kun: "Where are you going?"

Deng Chong: "The little princess went back in a rage earlier. I didn't know you had offended him, and I threatened to beat that man up. The emperor and Meng Ji heard it. If I hadn't beaten him because you're my son, how would the emperor and the others view me?"

Deng Kun: “…”

Two quarters of an hour later, Deng Chong and his son knelt outside the general's mansion and asked to see the emperor.

Emperor Xingwu had already eaten with his four children. After the guards at the door announced the news, Emperor Xingwu, the crown prince, and Qin Ren all looked at the little princess. Only Qin Bing, who had slept in the room all day, had a blank look in his eyes, while the little princess ate as if nothing had happened.

Emperor Xingwu ordered the guards to go and call someone, and then he continued to pick up food and eat. Qin Hong and Qin Ren saw this and started eating too.

Qin Bing: “…”

After a while, Deng Chong strode into the yard, holding the collar of Deng Kun, whose hands were tied. Before the father and son approached the door, Qin Hong stood up first.

Qin Bing was still confused, staring at the whip marks on Deng Kun's body and forgetting to move. Qin Ren was about to stand up with his elder brother when he was suddenly kicked by his sister under the table. Meeting his sister's sharp eyes, Qin Ren finally sat down firmly.

Deng Chongguang only looked at Emperor Xingwu, who was sitting in the main seat. He dragged his son to his knees outside the main hall door and said shamefacedly, "Your Majesty, I only found out after returning home that it was this bastard who offended the Third Prince and the Princess. I'm almost dying of anger at him. I beat him up, but it's not enough. After much deliberation, I decided to bring him here and let Your Majesty punish him personally. And I, your Majesty, have failed to educate my son well. I also ask Your Majesty to punish me!"

Emperor Xingwu glanced at Deng Kun, whose sleeves were torn and bloody whip marks were exposed on his arms. He put down his chopsticks and scolded him, "Nonsense! I've already told you not to pursue this matter any further. You can just give Brother Kun a verbal lecture. Why hit him? Come, untie Deng Kun and call the imperial physician."

The guards outside the door immediately stepped forward and untied the ropes on Deng Kun without giving Deng Chong and his son a chance to refuse.

Deng Kun knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am guilty and unworthy of being treated by the imperial physician. Please punish me!"

Deng Chong was about to speak when Emperor Xingwu slammed the table and glared at him, saying, "You two are so full and have nothing to do, while I'm still hungry. Hurry and leave! Go back to your palace and stay here!"

Deng Chong: "You bastard..."

Emperor Xingwu: "Show the guests away!"

The guards took the Deng father and son away, and the main hall became quiet again.

Seeing the Crown Prince still standing, Emperor Xingwu sneered, "Why, you still want to see Duke Ding off in person?"

Qin Hong heard the sarcasm in his father's words, lowered his head and sat down, not daring to look at his father again.

Qin Bing: "...What on earth is going on?"

Emperor Xingwu asked the third son to speak.

Qin Ren stammered and recounted what had happened.

Qin Bing became furious after hearing Deng Kun's questioning of Zhang Su's military achievements. If Zhang Su had not protected him in time that night, he might have died under the sword of the Hu people. He also saw Zhang Su's heroic figure killing the enemies one after another. Deng Kun's words were a great humiliation to a general's son like Zhang Su.

"Everyone has stepped on Zhang Su's face, and you still want your sister to support Zhang Su?" Qin Bing scolded his brother.

Qin Ren lowered his head in shame.

Qin Bing's eyes were red as he said, "Whoever dares to insult my study partner in front of me, I will beat him to a pulp!"

After saying that, he dropped his bowl and chopsticks and rushed out.

Emperor Xingwu, who did not insult the second son's tutor but personally ordered the beheading of his tutor, said: "..."

The second brother’s courage is commendable, but is his brain just a decoration?

The silent little princess picked up a piece of meat for her father, eldest brother, and third brother in turn: "Okay, let's eat first, everything is over."

Neither Qin Hong nor Qin Ren dared to pick up the chopsticks first.

Emperor Xingwu asked his two sons coldly, "Can you still recite the last section of the Zuo Zhuan, which discusses majesty, from the 31st year of Duke Xiang of the Han Dynasty?"

Qin Ren lowered his head even lower, and Qin Hong's forehead was sweating. He had read "Zuo Zhuan" when he was twelve or thirteen years old. He had put it down for such a long time and now he was asked to recite it suddenly, but he couldn't do it.

Emperor Xingwu said: "Go back and memorize it. Come see me tomorrow morning when you have memorized it well."

The two brothers left in shame.

Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter. Qingyang smiled and whispered the words her father wanted to hear the most: "A ruler possesses the majesty of a ruler. His subjects fear and love him, and emulate him. Therefore, he is able to rule his country and make his name known for generations to come."

【Author’s words】

Here I come, 100 red envelopes, see you tonight~