The wind blew away the clouds, revealing the moon and stars.
The father and son enjoyed the beautiful night view, looking relaxed and comfortable.
"What do you think of the Ming family?" Emperor Longfeng would not point at an official and say to his son, "This person's character is like this, and how you want to treat him." People's hearts are fickle. As a father, he should teach his son to understand people's hearts instead of asking his son to obey him in everything.
He hoped to cultivate a wise, decisive and confident emperor for the future of Dacheng, rather than a mediocre puppet.
"They know when to advance and when to retreat, and they are loyal and righteous." Prince Chen said without thinking, "The most important thing is that they care about the people."
"It is easy to find talented people, but hard to find good officials." Emperor Longfeng nodded with a smile: "Even if someone can write brilliant articles, it is not as good as someone who can revitalize the country."
"The Ming family is different. They can write good articles and help father govern the country." Prince Chen looked at Emperor Longfeng: "Is that why father values them so much?"
Emperor Longfeng put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Seeing you and the daughter of the Ming family supporting each other and having such a deep affection for each other, I, as a father, can finally let go of my guilt towards the Ming family."
Out of selfish motives, he disregarded the Ming family's wishes and made the girl from the Ming family the Princess of Chen, hoping that Du Qing could learn the responsibilities and manners of a superior from the Ming family.
Originally he had chosen the Sun family, but the daughter of the Sun family preferred the fourth son. If he forced it, it would not be good for either son.
Many members of the royal family will never encounter true love. Most of them spend their lives in a daze with different women, with many wives and concubines, and a lively and noisy life.
They don't recognize the people around them, and they approach them for money or power because they already have it.
It is because of this that he feels guilty towards the Ming family.
But fate sometimes works miracles. He could never have imagined that the daughter of the Ming family had such a connection with Du Qing.
Prince Chen turned his head to look at Emperor Longfeng. He wondered what kind of image of him was in his father's mind that made him feel guilty about marrying the daughter of a minister.
"Why are you looking at me? You have such a bad temper. How many impeachment memorials have your father blocked for you?" Emperor Longfeng patted his back, making a loud pat. "You are such a troublesome thing."
"You can't say that. I was just doing justice." Prince Chen yawned, "Others don't know. You can't wrongly accuse my son."
"If I didn't know, how could I let you wander around the capital all day?" Emperor Longfeng laughed out loud. The father and son hugged each other's shoulders, looking like good brothers. Anyone who saw them would not believe that this was the Emperor of Dacheng and the future Crown Prince.
"However." Emperor Longfeng looked at his son: "That night, you came back and told me that you were willing to share your father's worries and become a successful prince. I was very pleased."
"I just..." Prince Chen turned his head slightly, not looking into Emperor Longfeng's eyes: "I just don't want you to stay up late every night reviewing memorials, causing the Queen Mother to worry about you all the time."
"oh?"
"You do your job as the emperor, and I do my job as the idle prince. It's the best of both worlds."
Qilin Palace.
Bai Shao accepted the thank-you gift from Princess Chen and went to the main hall to bid farewell to Princess Chen.
"Where are you going, sister?" Jiuzhu looked at Bai Shao, who was less than 30 years old but already looked very old: "Why don't you stay in Qilin Palace? Sister's tea is delicious."
Bai Shao refused without a second thought: "Princess, I was once a maidservant to Concubine Ning and the Fourth Prince. I cannot serve in Qilin Palace."
Rumors are scary. If she stayed in Qilin Palace, others would think that everything that Concubine Ning and the Fourth Prince encountered might be the Fifth Prince's conspiracy, and she was the spy sent by the Fifth Prince.
The ceremony of enthroning the Fifth Prince as Crown Prince is approaching, so why should she add stains to the two of them?
"I am already old, and I cannot get pregnant due to my injury. It is not easy for me to remarry after leaving the palace. I beg the princess to grant me a favor and allow me to work as a maid in the clothing bureau." Bai Shao wanted to kowtow to Jiuzhu, but she stopped him. She looked at Princess Chen who was squatting in front of her and looking at her at eye level, and a faint smile appeared on her face: "It will be my honor to add a stitch to the princess's clothes in the future."
"Okay." Jiuzhu raised her head and greeted Yang Yidu who was standing beside her: "Eunuch Yang, is there anything vacant at the Clothing Bureau?"
Yang Yiduo said, "Yesterday, a Dian Yu from the Shangyi Bureau committed a crime, and her position is currently vacant."
"Then arrange for Sister Bai Shao to go. She is a fifth-rank palace maid, so she can fill this vacancy." Jiuzhu helped Bai Shao up and said to Yang Yiduo, "You will personally send Sister Bai Shao there tomorrow. Don't let the people below bully her because she is a stranger."
"Princess, you can't..."
"Sister, Your Highness and I never care about how others see us, but we just want to have a clear conscience." Jiuzhu smiled at her: "You can sleep peacefully in Qilin Palace tonight, and don't worry about anything else."
If you can't even do what pleases you, what's the point of being a human being?
"Thank you, Princess." Bai Shao did not bow until she walked out of the main hall door. Then, where Jiuzhu could not see, she knelt and bowed in her direction.
She was very sorry.
It’s a pity that when I entered the palace at a young age, I didn’t meet a master like Princess Chen.
Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, she smiled.
It’s good this way. She finally had a good ending in her life.
In the main hall of the Sun Mansion, there were several officials with solemn expressions sitting there. Their faces looked particularly uneasy under the candlelight.
"Lord Sun, please say something. Are we going to let the Fifth Prince become the Crown Prince?" The official who spoke was wearing a green robe and frowned with worry. "Over the years, the Prince of Chen has been willful and absurd. We have impeached him many times. If he ascends the throne in the future, we old bones will not be afraid, but we are afraid that our descendants will be implicated by us and have no place to display their talents."
"That's right." A gray-robed official continued, "Before the Zheng family lost power, Zheng Wangnan offended the prince with his words and was punished by him to study calligraphy in a children's enlightenment class, which was a disgrace. Those of us who impeached him are thorns in his eyes and bones."
Lord Sun raised his eyelids and glanced at the gray-robed official who had spoken, but still said nothing.
"Sir Sun, it is said that your daughter and Princess Chen have a bad relationship. You should think carefully about the future." The gray-robed official saw Sir Sun looking at him and hurriedly continued to persuade him, "Your son has been working in other places for many years. We must find a way to transfer him back to the capital."
Lord Sun felt a little annoyed by what he heard. Although he was mediocre and not as talented as his ancestors, he was not so stupid as to not be able to hear the attempt to sow discord.
The Sun family has produced many loyal ministers and generals. If he goes against the emperor because of personal grudges, he is afraid that he will be scolded by his ancestors a hundred years later.
What's more, Prince Chen is not as bad as the outside world says.
If he really acted recklessly, why would he ask Princess Chen to plead for his daughter?
"Your Highness Prince Chen has a pure heart and is kindhearted. I think that Prince Chen is the best candidate for the crown prince." Lord Sun stood up and bowed deeply to the people present. "Please forgive me, Lords. I don't think there is anything wrong with this matter."
"you……"
No one present had ever imagined that the man surnamed Sun would actually speak up for Prince Chen. Over the years, the man surnamed Sun had written many memorials impeaching Prince Chen.
"I never thought that Lord Sun would one day speak for the Prince of Chen. I wonder if after the Prince of Chen ascends the throne, he will remember Lord Sun's contribution to the throne, or will he remember the hatred of Lord Sun's impeachment all these years?" The gray-clothed official did not expect such a result and left in anger.
"Alas." The green-robed official sighed, "Brother Sun, you are confused."
The Sun family was unwilling to marry the prince of Chen in the beginning, and they also impeached the prince of Chen for his words and deeds. Which of these things did not make the prince hate them?
"Gentlemen, I feel bad for the Prince of Chen. His Royal Highness the Prince of Chen is indeed the best candidate for the Crown Prince. Please put aside your old prejudices and stop finding fault with the Prince of Chen." Lord Sun bowed to everyone, begging them not to cause trouble for the Prince of Chen. "It was all my fault in the past. Please, for my sake, don't mention the matter of conferring the title of Crown Prince at the morning court tomorrow."
Everyone fell silent, and one of them spoke up, "Can you guarantee that Prince Chen will not retaliate against us after he takes the throne?"
"Don't you understand that even if we object, His Majesty will not change his mind?" Lord Sun advised, "Why not go with the flow and keep some favors?"
"To be honest, our Sun family owes Prince Chen a big favor." Lord Sun told the story of Prince Chen and Princess Chen pleading for his daughter.
"Please think about this, my Lords. If the Prince of Chen is really a vindictive person, why would he and Princess Chen plead for my daughter when His Majesty is furious?"
"We understand what you mean." Several officials have known Lord Sun for many years and know that he will not fool them. After struggling for a long time, they said, "We will go back and think about this matter carefully."
After returning home, they tossed and turned until midnight and attended the morning court with dark circles under their eyes.
Then when the emperor praised Prince Chen, they gritted their teeth and were the first to stand up and praise Prince Chen.
Since they want to do a favor, they might as well do it thoroughly. At least they should let the King know that they have done a good thing for him.
The gray-robed official's face turned extremely ugly last night. How come these people changed their words in just one night? What did the man surnamed Sun say to them?
He thought about it and did not dare to stand up alone and oppose the emperor.
The court officials were shocked to see that these officials who loved to impeach Prince Chen for no reason were the first to stand up and praise Prince Chen.
These people have bad tempers and are stubborn. What methods did Your Majesty use to make them change their ways?
Emperor Longfeng was also surprised. These people had always been dissatisfied with his Du Qing. More than half of the memorials impeaching Du Qing came from them. However, considering that they were all talented people, Emperor Longfeng had never made things too difficult for them.
What's going on today?
They don't seem like the kind of people who change with the wind.
However, some people in the harem were looking forward to the grand occasion of officials opposing the enthronement of Prince Chen as the Crown Prince.
"Is the court lively today?"
As long as there are enough people who oppose it, there will be hidden dangers even if Yun Duqing becomes the crown prince.
"master……"
The little maid knelt before her: "Everyone in the court praised the prince highly, and no one objected."
"What?" She stood up: "Impossible."
She specially arranged people to stir up their fear and dissatisfaction towards Prince Chen. How could they still praise Prince Chen in the court?
"Useless piece of trash." She had spent so much energy to get him to the position of a fourth-rank official, but he couldn't even do such a small thing.
"Your Majesty, something bad has happened." A eunuch came running in, "There are rumors in the palace, saying..."
"say what?"
"It is said that His Royal Highness Prince Huai is not your and Your Majesty's biological child."
"Nonsense!" Concubine Xu's face changed drastically, and she was furious: "Who dares to spread rumors about the royal bloodline?!"
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