Three days after Ji Mohan and Yan Wan left, the old emperor arrived outside Huangzhou City.
When Ji Mosheng heard the soldier's report, he was somewhat dazed. His father had clearly said in the letter that he had just set off from the capital and that it would take at least half a month to get from the capital to Huangzhou. However, his father had appeared in Huangzhou in just three days.
Ji Mosheng gave a bitter smile. So, his elder brother was right; his father simply didn't trust him.
Presumably, Father also knows that the Emperor has been here, and he must have sent his secret guards to investigate first.
Ji Mosheng closed his eyes in pain, then opened them and resolutely walked outside. As a subject, he had to go to the military camp to greet the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the place where His Highness the Crown Prince has set up camp is just ahead," said Chief Eunuch Li, pointing ahead respectfully.
"Has the Crown Prince come out yet?" the old emperor asked from inside the sedan chair, his voice devoid of any emotion, showing none of the excitement and eagerness a father would have for his son.
Chief Steward Li peeked ahead but didn't see His Highness the Crown Prince. He nervously swallowed and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince is busy and this servant did not see him."
The old emperor gently knocked on the window of the sedan chair, but made no sound. He did not order them to move forward, and no one dared to move even a step without permission. The group remained frozen in place.
It wasn't long before Ji Mosheng arrived outside the military camp. He thought his father would be arriving quite some time later, but to his surprise, he had already arrived much earlier.
Ji Mosheng strode forward, stood before the emperor's sedan chair, and respectfully said, "Father, I am late. Please punish me."
The old emperor remained silent for a long time. After about fifteen minutes, he said slowly, "Sheng'er, I think you've been in the Northwest for too long and have forgotten the rules you learned."
Ji Mosheng knelt on the ground with a thud and said in fear, "Your subject dares not, please forgive me, Father Emperor."
Immediately, laughter came from inside the sedan chair, "Hahahaha, Sheng'er, it's been a long time! Why are you kneeling? Get up quickly. Your father was just joking with you. Did it scare you?"
The old emperor stepped out of the sedan chair, stood in front of Ji Mosheng, gave him a helping hand, and said kindly.
Ji Mosheng then used the support to stand up, and said with a somewhat forced smile, "Father Emperor just loves to joke with his son."
He knew in his heart that his father was really angry and was not joking with him, but now that his father had said this, he could only go along with what his father said.
Ji Mosheng looked up at the sky and said gently, "Father, it's too sunny outside. Let's go into the military camp and talk as we walk."
"Yes, Sheng'er is indeed very thoughtful." The old emperor patted Ji Mosheng on the shoulder and said with admiration.
"Father, please."
"Yes, let's go." The old emperor nodded and walked in front of Ji Mosheng.
Ji Mosheng's eyes darkened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and followed after him.
"Sheng'er, are you all alone in this military camp?" the old emperor suddenly asked.
Ji Mosheng's heart trembled, and his steps slowed down. He looked up at the old emperor and wondered, "What does Father mean?"
After thinking it over, Ji Mosheng decided to answer truthfully. Since his father asked this question, he must already know that his elder brother was also here.
"Father, my elder brother was here before. I grew up in the capital and don't know much about the Northwest, so I asked my elder brother to help me understand. I didn't expect that you would arrive just a few days after you left. What a missed opportunity!" Ji Mosheng said, while observing the old emperor's expression. He noticed that the old emperor's expression gradually softened after the initial seriousness.
Ji Mosheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Although he was the emperor's son and the crown prince, he was not the one sitting on the throne. He was still a subject, and there was a difference between the ruler and the subject.
"Yes, it is indeed unfortunate. I'm sorry to trouble Prince Han. And Sheng'er, you've done very well. Your father is truly happy for you," the old emperor said, looking at the Huangzhou city gate tower ahead.
"Father is a wise and benevolent ruler, diligent in governing and loving his people. He is praised by the people. Compared with Father, I am still far behind. Therefore, I need to continue to work hard and strive to do better, and learn more from Father." Ji Mosheng tried his best to belittle himself and praise the old emperor.
After hearing his words, the old emperor smiled sincerely and said, "Sheng'er, you are a clever and quick-witted child. You are indeed my most intelligent son."
Ji Mosheng lowered his head and smiled sarcastically, then raised his head and said, "Father, you flatter me. It is thanks to your tireless teachings that I have achieved what I have today."
The old emperor patted Ji Mosheng's arm and said, "Sheng'er has grown up and knows how to make his father happy."
Ji Mosheng wanted to explain something, but seeing the old emperor's smiling face, he ultimately said nothing.
Clearly, his father was pleased with his words. Previously, his father disliked praise the most, feeling that excessive praise would corrupt him. Therefore, his father instructed everyone in the palace and all ministers to be truthful.
But now, even the Emperor can't stand honest advice that's hard to hear, and he prefers to hear words of praise.
"Sheng'er, go and arrange for a messenger to go to Huangzhou City and ask your Uncle An to meet me tomorrow. We haven't seen each other since I buried his coffin myself. I've come here in person because I want to see him." The old emperor said to Ji Mosheng, his back to the figure on the city wall.
"Yes, Father, I will make the arrangements immediately." Ji Mosheng nodded and withdrew, leaving the old emperor alone standing at the entrance of the tent, looking at the city tower opposite.
He must have seen me too, the old emperor thought, looking at the figure on the opposite city gate tower.
An'er, it's been so many years since your brother and I last saw each other. Since you're not dead, why are you being so disobedient? Wouldn't it be better to quietly find a place to spend the rest of your life in peace? Why do you insist on coveting a position that doesn't belong to you?
The old emperor looked around for a long time before turning around and entering his tent.
He was looking forward to meeting his younger brother the next day. They were born of the same blood, so why were they fighting each other? They were brothers born of the same mother, so why did they have to come to this point of fighting and killing?
"Crown Prince, brother!" Ji Moting called out when he saw the Crown Prince in a hurry.
As soon as Ji Mosheng turned his head, he saw Ji Moting waving excitedly to the side, and then ran up to him.
"Why aren't you staying in the capital? Why did you come here?" Ji Mosheng asked in a deep voice. This was simply absurd. The Northwest was likely to be on the verge of war, and the safest place was the capital. Yet he had come to the Northwest.
"Brother, I haven't seen you in so long, so I came to see you. To see how you're doing?" Ji Moting said coquettishly, pulling on Ji Moting's arm.
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