Chapter 7 The historian's pen is the most deceptive.

To put it nicely, this means the two of them care about His Majesty's safety; to put it bluntly, it means they are colluding with each other.

Emperor Hong'an remained calm, his gaze shifting upwards. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly let out a heart-wrenching cough.

The noble youths, eunuchs, and palace attendants who had been pretending not to exist all quickly approached, and even several princes swarmed forward.

"Your Majesty—Imperial Physician, come quickly and take a look!" This was Zhao Wen in a panic.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health and do not get angry!" This was said by Prime Minister Xiao Yichun.

"Father, please don't let your son harm your health..." This was the Fifth Prince, choking back tears as he still tried to make an appearance.

Even Zhou She joined in, squeezing in with his cousins, and noisily shouted, "Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance!"

Once the emperor stopped coughing, the noisy crowd dispersed. The boys, who had just been lively for a moment, returned to their seats, lowering their heads and continuing to play dead.

Only Huai Leju knelt on the spot.

Emperor Hong'an had little to say to this young man he had personally supported: "Huaiqing, please excuse my rudeness."

Huai Leju paused, taken aback. Zhou She could see it clearly; even on that usually expressionless face, there was a hint of helplessness.

He lowered his face and said in a deep voice, "I am guilty."

Emperor Hong'an remained silent for a moment, then smiled and his voice turned stern: "Since you are guilty, I will make you atone for your crimes by keeping an eye on these good-for-nothing descendants for me."

The imagined storm did not come, and Huai Leju was stunned, only able to respectfully reply, "Your subject obeys the decree."

What the hell……

Everyone was amazed.

Everyone knows that Huai Leju is favored, but no one expected him to be favored to this extent!

This must be the emperor's illegitimate child!

No, even the emperor's own son doesn't receive this treatment... Everyone glanced at the Second Prince silently.

The Second Prince was still kneeling there, stunned. Zhou She belatedly realized that during the chaos just now, he seemed to have been completely dazed and motionless.

In the twenty-seventh year of Hong'an, although Emperor Zhongzong was sent to the northern frontier, he kept a close eye on the movements in the capital.

All of this surveillance data was sent to Huai Leju and Emperor Hong'an. Emperor Hong'an wanted to settle things peacefully, but things had already come to this point. With his fifth son ascending the throne, wouldn't he be responsible for the loss of his last remaining offspring?

The emperor certainly didn't want all his sons to die out, so he tacitly agreed to send the fifth prince to his fiefdom first, and then make the fourth prince the crown prince.

But... the Fourth Prince, he's not a good person either!

The imperial physician was still writing the prescription with trembling hands. Seeing that the emperor's attention had been diverted, Zhou She nudged his companion, his cousin Tan Zhao, with his elbow.

"Fourth Prince..." He glanced at the figure over there, his eyes conveying a subtle meaning.

Tan Zhao turned his head and followed his gaze. The two of them understood each other without saying a word, and at the same time, they showed disdain in their eyes.

The fourth prince was arrogant and talented. He dressed like a peacock every day, recruiting followers and attending various poetry gatherings.

This person looks down on them!

What's wrong with my uncle? Does having an uncle give you the right to look down on people?

Zhou She whispered, "He was still at the brothel last time..."

Tan Zhao lowered his voice in agreement, then added, "What's a brothel? I've heard..."

The two chirped softly. It's important to know that the Fourth Prince has a bad reputation; he's not only a frequent visitor to brothels, but his men have also abducted women countless times.

This kind of thing can't even be taken to court. Although they are spoiled brats, they are not stupid. Do you think they don't know who their subordinates work for?

What Tianmu said was very agreeable.

The fourth prince is not the empress's biological son, but he has always tried to integrate into the family.

The image shook and turned into a video.

Everyone looked closely and saw a woman in green standing in the middle, with the words "Fourth Prince" written above her head. She said softly, "I'm here to join this family, not to break it up..."

Fourth Prince: ...

This damned sky curtain, how dare it turn him into a woman?!

The fourth prince was furious, but his anger was quickly subsided by his father's expression.

Zhou She laughed so hard his whole body trembled, even the table in front of him shook. Tan Zhao used all his strength to hold him down with difficulty.

This sky is rather cramped.

The emperor wasn't really buying it, but as a novice who always won by doing nothing, the fourth prince successfully waited for his brothers to make mistakes, how delightful!

Upon being appointed Crown Prince, the first thing to do was to offer sacrifices to Heaven and ancestors. Emperor Zhongzong was far away in the northern frontier and could have easily avoided returning to the capital by simply sending some gifts. However, his good brother Zhuang Shi and his mortal enemy Huai Leju both wrote to him simultaneously, inviting him to return to the capital.

Emperor Zhongzong pondered for a moment, realizing his child was already four years old; was it appropriate for him to spend every day with him eating dirt in the northern frontier? So he took his wife and child and embarked on his first journey home in four years.

The Zhuang family, who had just made a big splash, was brought up again, and Emperor Hong'an then remembered that Zhuang Shi was still kneeling.

He was still struggling with his question when he heard Tianmu mention Zhuang Shi. He immediately turned his attention to Zhuang Shi: "Zhuang Shi, are you acquainted with this Emperor Zhongzong?"

Zhuang Shi inwardly groaned, but his face remained calm, numb with despair: "Your Majesty... I do not know."

It would be a miracle if he knew.

This person in the sky didn't reveal even half a name. Even if you knew him well, he had good relationships with half of the capital and was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital!

He certainly wouldn't dare say these things to the emperor.

Emperor Hong'an was clearly looking for trouble. Hearing this, he calmly nodded and went back to look at the sky.

Emperor Jungjong clearly did not expect that this temporary decision would change the life of another person—mainly the fourth prince.

It's common knowledge that the Fourth Prince has a peculiar habit: he's obsessed with other men's wives. Many have tried to steal a subject's wife, and few could resist. But the woman the Fourth Prince has his eye on is none other than Emperor Zhongzong's wife!

The audience erupted in uproar!

Of course, those sitting in front of the emperor only dared to communicate with their eyes and dared not speak loudly.

Those who were further away began to loudly rebuke them, after all, these Confucian scholars were always bold and dared to even scold the emperor.

"Your Highness, as a prince, how can you seize a subject's wife and violate human ethics? How can this behavior convince the world?!"

"This is an act of beasts! Does Your Highness intend to emulate Jie and Zhou?"

If the Fourth Prince hadn't been still in the palace, his followers would probably have rushed forward and started admonishing him.

It should be noted that these Confucian scholars were skilled in both literature and martial arts, and their admonitions were delivered with both fists and words.

Even the reigning emperor would have a headache for three days when he saw these unruly fellows.

The fourth prince was stiff all over, and the probing, questioning, or disdainful gazes around him made him feel ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die.

His hatred for the sky grew stronger.

In the thirty-first year of the Hong'an era, Emperor Zhongzong arrived in the capital and the first person he saw was his good brother Zhuang Shi.

The old Ning Shu describes the relationship between these two men as follows: "At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Jian recognized the wise ruler amidst the turmoil and entrusted himself to serve him. He devoted himself to the cause for twenty years, and the relationship between the ruler and his minister was so harmonious that no one at the time could match it." It was truly a touching story of the deep bond between ruler and minister.

Of course, the Xinning Book also includes this passage. But as everyone knows, the subtle and euphemistic writing style of cultured people is most deceptive. The same anecdote about a ruler and his minister is written like this in the Xinning Book: "When Yuan Chu met Emperor Zhongzong, he bowed and said, 'Your Excellency has the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix; one day you will surely ascend to the throne.' He then devoted himself to serving the emperor to the death. Yuan Chu was loyal to the emperor; when the emperor was good, he praised him; when the emperor was wrong, he blamed himself."

Yuan Chu was the one who chose his lord wisely.

Listen to that! How sarcastic! Zhuang Yuanchu, when you were fighting with Emperor Zhongzong, did you realize you were such a sycophantic person?

Ah, this...

Emperor Hong'an stroked his beard and remained silent, while Chancellor Xiao Yichun smiled and remained silent.

Not far away, the historian's hand trembled slightly.

As official history, basic facts cannot be changed, but the author's personal feelings are hard to avoid. Besides, the previous dynasty is gone, and as a subject of the new dynasty, it's perfectly normal for a junior official to make some rankings.

The historian recalled the previous Sheng Dynasty, and the new Sheng Dynasty book, which was still being compiled, had just included some scandalous information about Emperor Gaozu of Sheng.

Isn't this perfectly reasonable?!

After Tianmu said that, he blushed a little.

As for the protagonist who was being controlled by Yin and Yang, Zhuang Shi didn't know what to say.

In the end, all he could do was think through his tears: At least I've made my mark on history.

Tianmu seemed to have no problem with him, and his voice sounded quite cheerful.

As a long-established family in the Ning Dynasty, the Zhuang family was implicated after Zhuang Che's death and went through a period of decline. However, they were incredibly lucky, pulling a top-tier SSR character in a gacha pull. Everyone underestimated them, but they defied expectations!

Northern Xinjiang.

Zhuang Ziqian's wandering gaze suddenly sharpened.

He only had two sons. The eldest was raised in the capital and was spoiled and had too many bad habits. The second son was intelligent from a young age, and he thought there would be someone to carry on the family name, but now it seems that he is not up to the task of maintaining the family's reputation.

Fortunately, his brothers have children, and if they are capable, we can train some of them.

The Emperor has shown mercy and spared my family from suffering, but we cannot rely solely on His Majesty's grace for the future.

As for that "eh si eh si ah" thing, he didn't understand it, but based on the previous content, he could probably guess that it was a good seed.

He gazed at the sky with a sense of anticipation.

He naturally ignored Zhuang Shi's lengthy discourse.

What a joke! My eldest son is lucky to have found the right person. How can I expect him to do anything great?

[Let us solemnly welcome Prince Zhuang, a renowned general throughout history. He doesn't flatter; true brothers are bound to work together. What's wrong with letting me sit on your throne? Zhuang Shi, Zhuang Yuan Chu!]

A thunderous applause erupted from the sky, seemingly quite excited, and her voice carried a mischievous chuckle.

Zhuang Shi froze.

They're clearly speaking in Chinese characters, so why can't I understand them?

Cold sweat silently soaked my back.

"Oh?" Emperor Hong'an finally took a serious look at the young man in front of him.

Admittedly, Zhuang Shi was very handsome. If he hadn't paid attention to these young nobles, he might have been deceived by Tianmu's assessment.

This was a notorious playboy in the capital.

For the first time, Emperor Hong'an had some doubts about the Heavenly Curtain.

The Third Prince raised his face, revealing a sinister smile: "The heir of the Marquis of Zhen'an and your brother are indeed family. They even want to sit on the throne. They certainly have ambition."

Emperor Hong'an gave a light rebuke, but his eyes shone brightly with a hint of inquiry.

Zhuang Shi broke out in a cold sweat, and he stammered, "I...I...maybe there's another Zhuang Shi..."

What merit or ability does he possess?

Zhuang Shi asked himself honestly, and he realized that he really only wanted to eat, drink, and have fun, and had no interest in making achievements or establishing a career.

Was Tianmu really talking about him?

In the chaos, Zhuang Shi recalled a word, struggling desperately: "This must also be that brainwashing package!"

Emperor Hong'an didn't know how much he believed.

Regardless, they were indeed very close. Zhuang Shi, such an arrogant and domineering person, was still alive and well after the Zhuang family's downfall; he should thank Emperor Zhongzong.

King Jungjong also had to thank Jangshi, because his ATM finally came to him.

These two are truly evenly matched, like two equally matched generals!