All the affairs of the harem were handed over to Zhang Miaoyu and the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so Shen Wei could focus on "recuperating her body".
After years of careful instruction from Li Yuanjing, the outline of a young emperor had taken shape when Li Chengtai was sixteen years old. Late at night, Li Yuanjing called him to Chang'an Palace.
The Chang'an Palace was brightly lit, and darkness shrouded the ancient palace. The emperors of Qing Dynasty all handled government affairs here.
Li Chengtai was wearing the crown prince's uniform. He was already very tall, with handsome and deep features. When he looked into Li Yuanjing's eyes, there was no sign of timidity.
Li Chengtai asked, "Father, you summoned me so late at night, is it for the imperial examination next year?"
Li Yuanjing shook his head and said in an examining tone: "Tell me about the way to be a king."
Li Chengtai replied: "The way to be a king is to save the people first. To keep the world safe, one must first correct oneself. If one's own self is not correct, the upper order will be orderly while the lower order will be chaotic."
Li Yuanjing nodded with satisfaction.
In the past two years, Li Yuanjing began to let the crown prince act as regent. Li Chengtai lived up to expectations, he was a natural emperor.
The glazed palace lanterns illuminated the inner hall of the Chang'an Palace, and the desk was piled with memorials. Li Yuanjing picked up a memorial and told Li Chengtai: "Many years ago, I was still the Prince of Yan. If it weren't for my elder brother's illness and my third brother's ambition, I wouldn't have taken this position."
Li Yuanjing was a military man.
For the sake of his deceased brother the Crown Prince and for the people of the world, he tried hard to become a wise ruler.
Now, Li Yuanjing wants to hand over the burden on his shoulders to his son.
Li Yuanjing patted his son's shoulder and said, "I have already arranged the internal affairs and military affairs. Daqing will be handed over to you from now on."
Li Chengtai was not surprised.
He had watched his father's every move in the past two years and guessed that his father wanted to abdicate. So Li Chengtai said calmly: "Father, rest assured, I will work hard and love the people, and usher in the great era of Daqing."
Li Yuanjing looked relieved.
Li Yuanjing thought of Li Chengtai's age again. He was only sixteen years old and still unmarried.
Many officials in the court were eager to send their daughters to the palace. In the future, the Qing Kingdom's harem will surely be filled with blood and gore.
Li Yuanjing was an experienced person and knew that the harem was closely related to the previous dynasty. Li Chengtai is a young emperor, full of vigor and vitality, and may be blinded by women.
Therefore, Li Yuanjing warned Li Chengtai: "After you ascend the throne, new people will enter the harem. Remember, the country is always the most important. Don't indulge in women and don't let women blind your eyes."
Li Chengtai thought of his mother in Yongning Palace. Over the years, his father and mother had a very good relationship. When my mother was occasionally ill, my father would not even read the memorials to her but would go to visit and keep her company.
Li Chengtai asked: "Father, is it possible that in your heart, the Queen Mother is not as important as the country?"
In order to keep his son awake, Li Yuanjing vowed: "There is no true love in the royal family! The country comes first, and love between children comes second. Your mother loves me the most, but I only have the country in my heart."
Li Chengtai nodded as if he understood.
He asked casually: "Father, what if you are not the most important person in Mother's heart——"
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Yuanjing. Li Yuanjing glared at him angrily: "You young man, stop talking nonsense."
When Shen Wei was in Prince Yan's Mansion, she fell deeply in love with him. Over the years, the two have maintained a harmonious relationship and are as loving as ever.
Li Yuanjing fully believed that he occupied the most important position in Shen Wei's heart.
Being in the royal family, it is rare to receive complete and sincere love.
Li Yuanjing cherishes Shen Wei's love very much. The court is stable and there is a successor, so he is willing to accompany Shen Wei to Jiangnan and grow old together.
Three months later.
Li Yuanjing issued an abdication edict on the grounds that "the emperor is ill and has difficulty managing state affairs."
As the old and new regimes took over, there was only a minor disturbance in the court, and the new emperor Li Chengtai ascended the throne smoothly.
After Li Chengtai ascended the throne, he named his younger brother Li Chengyou the King of Qin, and all his other brothers were named princes. He changed the reign title to "Yuanchang" and began to govern.
...
Yongning Palace.
The palace servants were busy packing their luggage. Chen Wei doesn't want to live in the palace and plans to move to the royal villa on Luoyue Lake outside the city. After resting for a while, we took a horse carriage to travel to Jiangnan.
"Master, Concubine Yu is here." Cai Lian came into the room to report.
After a while, Zhang Miaoyu ran in with a cheerful step.
Seeing her smiling face, Shen Wei knew that she had encountered a happy event, so she asked, "Sister Miaoyu, what is the happy event? Tell me about it, too."
Zhang Miaoyu laughed happily: "Nanzhi personally asked the new emperor to take me to the princess's mansion to live there in my old age this morning, and the new emperor agreed."
Zhang Miaoyu was very happy.
When she was in the Prince of Yan's Mansion in her early years, she was secretly poisoned by the Prince of Yan's wife, which resulted in her being unable to get pregnant for the rest of her life. Zhang Miaoyu had no children in her life, so she adopted Li Nanzhi out of kindness. Unexpectedly, she found a place to stay for the rest of her life.
Living in the princess's mansion is more comfortable than living in the harem.
Zhang Miaoyu sat next to Shen Wei, and said with emotion: "I used to think that I would be trapped in the palace for the rest of my life, and become a lonely old concubine. Who would have thought that I could have a perfect and free second half of my life."
Li Nanzhi was a filial girl. Not only did she plan to bring Zhang Miaoyu to the princess's mansion, she also sent someone to ask Liu Ruyan.
But Liu Ruyan refused.
Liu Ruyan spent most of her life pursuing "true love", but in the end she had nothing. She seemed to have let go of everything and went to Anguo Temple early to spend the rest of her life with the green lamps and ancient Buddhas.
Zhang Miaoyu excitedly pulled Shen Wei's hand again: "Sister Shen Wei, will you live in Luoyue Lake in the future? Then we should visit each other often."
Shen Wei nodded happily: "Okay."
Zhang Miaoyu held her chin up and looked at Chen Wei with envy: "To be honest, I have always envied you. The emperor is so heartless that he is willing to abdicate for you."
Only in folk picture books can one find such beautiful and legendary stories.
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