Chapter 70 Can't you show some respect for the empress?! ...
Long before Sheng Yu entered the capital, the Crown Prince had already sent Qin Ge to investigate his experiences over the years. He learned that Sheng Yu had not married or had children for many years, and that both his parents had passed away, leaving him all alone. However, he did not take it to heart at the time.
The reason for recommending Sheng Yu to go to the capital to take up his post was twofold: first, to cherish talent; and second, because Sheng Yu was a good general under the late emperor and was trustworthy. Moreover, he had served under the late emperor together with Feng Yu, so it was appropriate to ask him to expose Lu Qi's true identity.
Sheng Yu acted swiftly. He had no wife or children and only brought a few trusted subordinates to the capital. Assassination attempts were inevitable along the way, but he finally made it to the capital safely today.
But the Crown Prince never imagined that he and Yun Kui might be related by blood.
The Crown Prince suppressed the turmoil in his heart, quickly composed himself, and raised his hand, saying, "General Sheng, there's no need for such formalities."
Sheng Yu rose to express his gratitude.
The once dashing martial arts champion is now over forty. Although the graying temples are hard to hide, his bright eyes and impeccable face still reveal his former glory.
With the passage of time, the man still stands tall and upright, as dignified as a gentle breeze through the pines, adding a touch of strength and gentleness, wisdom and composure.
The Crown Prince said, "General Sheng, you must be tired from your long journey."
Sheng Yu cupped his hands and said, "Fortunately, Your Highness secretly protected us, so this trip was relatively safe. I have not yet thanked Your Highness for saving me."
The Crown Prince said, "There is no need for thanks. It is my will that General Sheng return to the capital to take up his post. It is my duty to protect the General's safety."
Sheng Yu then slowly raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince sitting at the front of the table.
He wore a dark black dragon robe embroidered with gold patterns. His face was cold and dignified, and his deep and sharp phoenix eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. Every move he made exuded the aura of a superior who was not angry but had authority.
Although he had been in the south all these years, he had heard of the Crown Prince's military achievements in expanding the territory. Even the Northern Wei, a powerful enemy that he had been unable to conquer for a long time, was defeated and forced to retreat. It can be seen that his military talent was no less than that of the late emperor, and even surpassed that of his predecessor. I think the late emperor and empress can be comforted in the afterlife.
The crown prince lowered his eyelids, his face expressionless.
He couldn't control other people's thoughts, especially those of Sheng Yu, a close minister of the late emperor, who couldn't help but think of the late emperor and empress from time to time. He could only listen in silence.
Recalling the perilous journey, Sheng Yu sighed, "I never imagined that even after more than twenty years, there would still be people who don't want me to return to the capital."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "General Sheng, there are many things you haven't considered. Please sit down, and I will explain them to you in detail."
The two talked from dusk till late at night.
Sheng Yu initially thought that Emperor Chunming had reluctantly ascended the throne under the recommendation of the masses. After all, when the late emperor was seriously injured, Emperor Chunming, who was still Prince Rui, served him wholeheartedly at his bedside, and no one dared to say a bad word. Later, when he was recommended by the court officials to take the throne, he made excuses and claimed that he was unworthy of the position. Unexpectedly, after taking the throne, he secretly attacked the former officials of the late emperor, demoting some and punishing others.
After leaving the capital, Sheng Yu was assassinated along the way. It was then that he gradually realized that Emperor Chunming was far from being as tolerant, magnanimous, and indifferent to worldly affairs as he had imagined.
I thought this was a common problem among emperors throughout history. The allure and sense of crisis brought by power slowly eroded human nature. Even the most gentle and wise people would become ambitious, cold-blooded, and suspicious once they were tainted by power. Emperor Chunming was no exception, which is why he regarded these former emperors as thorns in his side.
However, the crown prince was still young at the time and could not contend with Emperor Chunming. Electing a new emperor would only cause chaos in the country. The former emperor's old subordinates were leaderless. In addition, for the sake of the young crown prince's safety, no one could go against Emperor Chunming. They could only be "fairly punished" by him on the grounds of defeat in the northern frontier.
But Sheng Yu never expected that in recent years, in order to consolidate his position, Emperor Chunming would go to any lengths to eliminate dissidents and kill them all.
On his journey south to take up his post, he was constantly targeted by assassination attempts. The following years were also fraught with danger. It wasn't until the crown prince gradually grew up that Emperor Chunming began to focus all his energy on consolidating his throne and dealing with the crown prince. He gradually lowered his guard against these former officials of the late emperor, and only then were they able to catch their breath.
The Crown Prince tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and then asked at the opportune moment: "Others at General Sheng's age probably already have grandchildren. General Sheng is handsome and dashing, and countless women must have secretly fallen for him. Now that you have established yourself in Pengcheng, why have you not married yet?"
A hint of regret flashed across Sheng Yu's eyes as he said self-deprecatingly, "I've spent my life wandering far from home, owing all the deepest gratitude I've owed. I'm already struggling to take care of my teachers and friends, both in life and in death. Why should I trouble others?"
"Delayed?" the Crown Prince probed. "Could it be that General Sheng once had someone he admired, but missed his chance?"
A voice, long forgotten and indistinct, suddenly echoed in Sheng Yu's mind.
"Snake venom must be sucked out with your mouth, otherwise it will quickly penetrate into your internal organs."
"General, I'm sorry for the offense..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know this poison could cause loss of consciousness. General, are you feeling unwell anywhere? I..."
"General, you...you are so handsome..."
That year, while he was suppressing bandits, he was ambushed by another group of men in black. He was injured in both eyes and temporarily blinded. During this time, he also got separated from his subordinates and could only find a cave to take temporary refuge. Fortunately, he met a female doctor who was gathering herbs on the mountain and promptly bandaged and treated his wounds.
That night, however, the mountain was teeming with venomous snakes. Because he was blind, he was bitten on the abdomen by a snake. The female healer sucked out the venom herself to treat him, but she did not expect that the snake venom had hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac properties... The man and woman were alone and not fully conscious, which led to that absurd night.
He wanted to give her an explanation, but when he woke up the next day, she had already been rescued by his subordinates and taken back to the inn. When he returned to the cave, the woman was nowhere to be found.
His eyesight was impaired, so he couldn't describe the woman's appearance to his subordinates. He could only wait until his eye injury healed and the bandits were eliminated before slowly searching for her.
Later, several pursuing forces besieged the bandits on Dongshan Mountain, forbidding the local people from setting foot there. He himself was repeatedly assassinated by men in black and could barely protect himself. The government troops he brought also suffered heavy casualties and were on the verge of death. Fearing that this would endanger her safety, he had no choice but to temporarily put aside the search for her.
When he returned to Pengcheng, it took him almost half a year to fully recover his eyesight. Later, his parents passed away one after another, and he observed three years of mourning. By the time the court gradually lowered its guard against him and tried to find him again, several years had passed.
In the vast sea of people, he did not know her name or appearance, and he feared that she was already married and had children. He was, after all, a major threat to the emperor, and his life was already precarious. Why bother to bother her further? After several unsuccessful attempts to find her, he had no choice but to give up.
He never considered marrying and having children again, but unexpectedly, eighteen years later, when the Crown Prince asked about it, the first person he thought of was still the woman in the cave from back then...
The crown prince listened to the story in silence, but unexpectedly, his probing had indeed reminded him of the events of the past.
Sheng Yu is actually Yun Kui's biological father.
However, during that time of crisis, the two missed each other by a twist of fate, and the birth of Qi's daughter was also something neither of them had expected.
The crown prince remained silent for a long time, his thoughts a complex and indescribable mix.
Sheng Yu slowly snapped out of his reverie and looked at the Crown Prince with satisfaction: "Your Highness, I never thought I would be able to see you again in my lifetime. If I can serve Your Highness with the utmost loyalty, I would gladly give my life."
"General Sheng, you flatter me."
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then asked, "General, you have encountered several assassination attempts on your way to the capital. Have you considered the origins of those people?"
Sheng Yu said, "These people are highly skilled in martial arts and well-trained. I once suspected they were members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In this world, besides His Majesty, who else would want to exterminate us all?"
The Crown Prince said, "Besides His Majesty, it could also be someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Sheng Yu frowned: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "There may be some old acquaintances of the General among the Embroidered Uniform Guards. The General is insightful and will surely be able to find out the truth for me."
He said no more. In any case, Sheng Yu had arrived in Beijing safely, and he would eventually discover the clues when working with Lu Qi in the future.
As for his entanglement with Yun Kui's mother, he has no right to decide for Yun Kui whether or not to acknowledge this father; he should first try to find out her feelings.
The Crown Prince returned to Chengguang Palace at midnight.
The little girl hugged a book and fell asleep leaning against the headboard.
The prince took the storybook from her hand and looked at the contents with curiosity. He then discovered that the chapter title was "An old father seeks a good husband for his daughter, and three talents compete to show their abilities," and the next chapter was "A beauty admires him but cannot choose, wavering back and forth, her heart confused."
He frowned, quickly scanning the text to get a general idea of what the story was about.
It turns out that a high-ranking official was choosing a husband for his only daughter, and in the end, three handsome men were left to choose from: a spirited young marquis, a charming scholar, and a cold-on-the-outside-but-warm-on-the-inside general. The official's daughter was really having a hard time choosing and fell in love with each of them. In her dream, she invited all three of them into her bedchamber... The story even ended with an illustration of the four of them making love in the bedchamber.
Crown Prince: "..."
Suddenly, I realized that having a father who was an official wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Yun Kui was half asleep when a sudden pain in her forehead startled her awake. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the man's sinister gaze. "Your Highness is back?"
Seeing that he was clutching her storybook, Yun Kui glanced at the illustration on that page and immediately felt guilty, reaching out to snatch the book back.
The Crown Prince refused to let go, gritting his teeth and saying, "You've got wild ambitions. It seems I'm not enough for you. Tell me, how many more people do you want to serve you?"
Yun Kui muttered softly, "It just so happens that I turned to this page. I never had such thoughts."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Is that so? Then why do you still see me as just a concubine? Do you want a harem of three thousand?"
Yun Kui didn't know what to say. She knew he was petty, but she didn't expect him to take even a casual remark she made seriously.
The Crown Prince said coldly, "Am I petty?"
Yun Kui couldn't explain herself any better, and he could hear everything she muttered to herself. So she simply threw herself into his arms and hugged him haphazardly, saying, "I've already said it, I only like Your Highness!"
The prince removed her from his body, but the man clung to him like glue. He got up to leave, and the girl cursed him inwardly in frustration.
"Xiao Qi'an! Have you any manners befitting an empress?"
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