Chapter 296 Collision
The Cao family's ancestral tomb is in a forest. The tall trees around the tomb block the scorching sun and block some of the summer heat.
The Queen and Yu Cheng walked to the tomb of Grand Tutor Cao and knelt in the shade cast by the trees.
Looking at Grand Tutor Cao's tombstone, the Queen was overwhelmed with grief, her eyes were red, and she shed tears of guilt.
Father, please forgive your daughter for being unfilial and coming to pay homage today.
The Queen kowtowed in shame.
Yu Cheng lit paper money and incense candles and paid solemn homage.
After burning the paper money, seeing that the Queen was still crying in front of Grand Tutor Cao's tombstone, Yu Cheng frowned and advised: "Don't be too sad, mother. Grandfather has been bedridden for many years. It is good enough that he can pass away peacefully in his sleep."
The Queen listened and said nothing.
Everyone thought that Grand Tutor Cao died in his sleep and had no pain. But in fact, Grand Tutor Cao died suddenly, and his face was grim.
And for the sake of the Cao family and Yu Cheng, Grand Tutor Cao even got his death anniversary wrong.
Thinking of this, the queen felt even more grief-stricken, and she clenched her fists and pounded them lightly.
Yu Cheng thought she was too sad, and supported her shoulders and patted her back to comfort her.
"Mother, your grandfather will be distressed to see you like this."
Everyone will die one day, and it is a great blessing for Grand Tutor Cao to pass away peacefully like this.
Therefore, Yu Cheng was a little puzzled and didn't understand why the queen was so sad.
The queen had no words to express her pain, and could only force herself to calm down.
It was not easy to leave the palace, and before leaving, the queen kowtowed a few more times.
Seeing this, Yu Cheng also kowtowed a few more times.
After kowtowing, Yu Cheng helped the queen stand up and was about to leave, when the queen suddenly turned her head to look at him: "Cheng'er."
"Your grandfather's last wish was for you to ascend to a high position and ensure the prosperity of the Cao family. You must not let him down."
Yu Cheng frowned when he heard this.
He is the crown prince, and it is natural for him to ascend to the throne after the emperor abdicates in the future. But ensuring the prosperity of the Cao family...
After being immersed in the court and participating in government affairs for many years, Yu Cheng is no longer an ignorant boy. He knows the ambitions of the Cao family and Cao Qian's way of being a minister.
He does not agree with them, so he cannot make a promise.
The Queen saw that he had been silent for a long time, and her face was annoyed: "Cheng'er, do you want your grandfather to die with regrets?"
In order to let him ascend the throne as soon as possible, Grand Tutor Cao set up a trap and died unclearly. He could not make the real anniversary of his death public in his life, and suffered the humiliation of digging up his grave and digging up his coffin.
And Yu Cheng, he refused to say a word!
The more Yu Cheng was silent, the angrier the Queen was. She pointed at Grand Tutor Cao's tombstone and said: "Look at your grandfather, are you worthy of him!"
Seeing that the Queen was insisting on forcing him and refused to give up, Yu Cheng had to say in a deep voice: "Mother, if it is just a family matter, I can agree. But if it concerns the court and the world, I can't agree."
Compared with the country and the people, Yu Cheng knew very well which was more important, the Cao family.
The Queen was confused, and he couldn't be confused.
"What are you talking about? Your grandfather and your uncle have worked hard for Dazhao for so many years, what's wrong with that?" the queen questioned.
Yu Cheng said, "I know what my grandfather and uncle are like. If the Cao family has no ulterior motives and is just a loyal minister, I will do my best to protect them. On the contrary, I cannot be partial."
The queen brought it up in front of Master Cao's tomb today and pressed him hard. Yu Cheng knew that the queen would not give up if he didn't explain it clearly.
So Yu Cheng, who had been avoiding it for many years, made up his mind to bring up the matter and explain it.
"You, you..." The queen's chest heaved violently with anger, and she said angrily, "Are you worthy of your grandfather and uncle by saying this!"
It was the same kind of words again, mentioned many times over the years, and Yu Cheng was really tired of it.
Yu Cheng looked into the Queen's eyes and retorted for the first time: "I have never asked them to do anything for me, and they have never informed me before doing anything. Everything is imposed on me by you. I don't need it, and I don't appreciate it!" If he
doesn't appreciate it, he won't repay it.
"Pa!" The Queen was so angry that she raised her hand and slapped Yu Cheng.
Yu Cheng's head was tilted and his left face was red.
The Queen said angrily: "You have been in the court for so many years and have grown so many years, but you can't even tell who is loyal to you. If it weren't for the Cao family, do you think your position as the prince would be as solid as a rock!"
"The chariots of the common people depend on each other, and we all prosper together and suffer together. Don't you understand such a simple truth?"
"Mother, do you think that I am comfortable as a prince!" Yu Cheng met the Queen's angry eyes and did not flinch.
He kept saying that he was supported by the Cao family, which allowed him to sit firmly on the throne of the crown prince, but were the Cao family really selfless?
Over the years, haven't they used both soft and hard tactics to force him?
In the final analysis, the Cao family just wanted to use him to consolidate their own position.
If that's the case, why bother to speak so high-soundingly, honestly and selflessly!
The queen was shocked by Yu Cheng's firm resentment, and even his resentful eyes.
She didn't understand why Yu Cheng went to Duanzhou and came back like a different person.
In the past, no matter what she said, he would not like to listen, did not want to do it, and would never be so disobedient.
But today, in front of Grand Tutor Cao's tomb, Yu Cheng was so disobedient to her, why on earth was he doing that?
"You are not doing well as a prince, do you blame the Cao family? It's your father who is partial to you! If it weren't for the Cao family, I'm afraid your position as prince would have been taken away by someone else long ago." The queen calmed down a little and tried to reason with Yu Cheng.
Yu Cheng said with a bit of sarcasm: "Why is your father partial to you? Mother knows best, right?"
Everything has a cause and an effect. When the Cao family forced him, they should have expected this consequence.
He didn't blame the emperor because he had taken the same path as the emperor.
Yu Cheng's words were like a sharp knife stabbing the queen's heart. She covered her chest in disappointment and grief and said, "You want to piss me off to death today! Do you know how much I have paid, sacrificed, and endured for your position as crown prince?"
Yu Cheng felt very tired and said with fatigue, "It is not necessary for me to be crown prince."
"Do you know what you are talking about!" The queen was shocked and couldn't believe it.
The crown prince, the future emperor, the supreme position that many people dream of, he actually said that he didn't want to do it?
Yu Cheng looked up at the scorching sun above his head and said: "I just want to live upright and unrestrained. Is it really that important to sit on that high position?"
If he hadn't been born a crown prince, shouldering the people's livelihood of Dazhao, he really wanted to be a leisurely prince like Prince Rui and others. Or like Yu Zheng, be a virtuous king.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.
The queen gritted her teeth, angrily said: "How can you have such an idea? The supreme ruler of the world, who can be more free and unrestrained, do whatever he wants?"
"Then mother, do you think that father is free and unrestrained, and does whatever he wants?" Yu Cheng asked back.
The queen snorted coldly: "He only favors Yu Guifei, favors Yu Zheng, and favors Yu Lan, and doesn't care about our feelings and face. Isn't he free to do whatever he wants?"
Hearing this, Yu Cheng realized that he couldn't explain it to the queen, so he gave up the conversation.
"It's getting late, and the sun is getting high. Let's go back to the palace, mother." Yu Cheng turned and walked towards the carriage outside the forest.