"Don't cry, little sister. You know that Father's health has been failing for a long time. It's already quite an achievement that he's held on until now. Now that he's passed away, he won't have to endure the pain anymore."
The crown prince did not appear particularly sad, but his eyes were red-rimmed, and his voice was steady and powerful, which was reassuring.
The third princess cried for a while, then calmed down.
“Crown Prince, no, Imperial Brother…” She wanted to say something, but didn’t know where to begin.
The Crown Prince sighed, smiled faintly, and said, "Don't worry, whether I am the Crown Prince or the Emperor, I am still your elder brother."
"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I will first take charge of the government and preside over my father's funeral, and then ascend the throne. It would be even better if you could help me with the trivial matters of the funeral."
The third princess naturally agreed.
Even without my brother's instructions, I would still do this even if it were my own father who had died.
The two siblings sat facing each other in silence for a moment, both feeling somewhat awkward for some reason.
The change in identity has definitely made things different from before.
Fortunately, Caiyun was with her, and she quietly nudged her master and handed him a box.
The third princess became excited immediately after being reminded.
"Crown Prince, no, Imperial Brother! Jiayin and the others are gone, the Li family is all gone!"
She handed the box over and continued, "Just now, while I was at the manor, I suddenly heard that Master Chen from Baiyunjian was requesting an audience. After exchanging only a few words, he gave me two boxes, saying they were left for us by Jiayin."
“My box contains letters and some land deeds. She entrusted me with the Broken Gold Beach, the Earl’s Mansion, the Princess’s Mansion, and White Cloud Pavilion. This box is yours, quickly check what’s inside.”
The crown prince looked surprised, but his eyes remained calm.
The box was opened very quickly.
The contracts for hot pot restaurants, fruit shops, flower gardens, and even pickle shops, as well as prescriptions for wound medicine, are all included.
Of course, the most prominent place is still a letter.
The crown prince stared at the familiar handwriting and remained silent for a long time.
That clever and charming girl entrusted him with all the shops and staff he was familiar with.
The profits from the shop were his profits, but the profits from the medicinal fields and pharmacies were used to support the wounded soldiers of the northern expedition.
It seems there's nothing she can't think of, and no one she can't think of.
The only thing she didn't think of was saying goodbye to him properly...
Moreover, even though their father was already dead, their family still withdrew to Quanzhou. Did they not trust him?
"Your Majesty..." The Third Princess was uneasy, fearing the Crown Prince's wrath, and cautiously tried to explain, "Father's attitude earlier probably meant the Li family was worried about Jiayin's safety, so they took advantage of the chaos to go south. Your Majesty, what do you think..."
The Crown Prince slowly put away the letter and the box, and replied, "I understand. We'll discuss this matter later. You should go and pay your respects to your father first."
Seeing that the Crown Prince didn't seem particularly angry, the Third Princess breathed a slight sigh of relief and went to change into mourning clothes.
The prince sat alone for a while, and just as he was about to leave, the little fox ran in and snuggled into his arms.
The Crown Prince couldn't help but chuckle. "Little thing, you're afraid I'll cause trouble for your master, aren't you? If I wanted to keep her here, she couldn't leave."
The little fox seemed to understand, and chirped twice...
Soon, the ritual preparations were complete, and the mourning shed was erected.
With the Crown Prince in front and civil and military officials in hand, everyone was preparing to kowtow and pay their respects when suddenly a cold wind blew in.
Such a sweltering day was truly unusual, prompting everyone to look up at the sky.
The once azure sky was suddenly dotted with clouds drifting in from the edge, threatening to obscure the sun.
Even more clouds are slowly gathering.
Is it... going to rain?
Everyone craned their necks in shock, not daring to breathe, for fear of startling the clouds in the sky and scare away the hard-won rain.
Even outside the palace, all the common people unconsciously knelt down, vaguely hoping.
Perhaps a quarter of an hour had passed, or perhaps only a few breaths, the cool breeze began to carry a hint of dampness, and then raindrops began to patter down.
Everyone's raised heads and faces were gradually soaked, but no one tried to cover themselves.
The rain grew heavier and heavier, and gradually the world was covered in a silvery white.
The fields and forests, parched for more than half a year, frantically absorbed this hard-won rain.
And everyone was overjoyed!
"Ah, ah, it's raining! It's raining!"
"Waaah, thank God, it's raining! It's raining!"
The refugees outside the city gates had gone mad, rolling around in the rain, covered in mud, and refusing to get up.
The people in the city spread the news excitedly, afraid that not a single person would be unaware of this joyous occasion.
Inside the palace, civil and military officials were also dancing with joy, and some old ministers even burst into tears.
There is never a shortage of clever people. Wipe the rain off your face and look at the late emperor who has already been placed in his coffin.
Is the drought a punishment from heaven for the late emperor? Now that the late emperor is dead, the wind and rain have come immediately!
But you can't say that!
Even in death, he was still an emperor.
However, one cannot question the former emperor, but one can praise the new emperor.
Then, a young official shouted, "The new emperor is about to ascend the throne, and heaven has sent down a blessed rain! Our glorious Tianwu era has begun, lasting for thousands of generations!"
All the civil and military officials were stunned for a moment, then regretted it, as this kid had stolen their thunder.
But they were quick to join in the shouting.
"A new emperor ascends the throne, and heaven sends down sweet rain! A golden age has arrived, lasting for thousands of generations!"
The crown prince stood in the rain with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, looking down on the world with an air of supreme authority, displaying the majesty of an emperor...
At that moment, more than a hundred miles away, on the canal leading to Quanzhou, two large ships were sailing one after the other, cutting through the waves.
Everyone who saw it couldn't help but take a second look at the lead ship, because it was just so imposing.
In comparison, the latter ship was much more low-key and quiet.
The sudden storm prompted everyone on both ships to come out.
"It's raining? That's wonderful!"
"Yeah, no one's asking for rain this time!"
"Heaven has shown mercy and finally given the people a way to survive."
Everyone was happily discussing it, but Li Lao Er and Jia An were standing by the boat, their hearts filled with worry.
All told, Jiayin and Muxu have been on their way north for a day and a night, and no one knows where they've gone.
Whether we can make it in time or not, cooling off the heat is good, but it's also delaying our journey...
Jiayin held the reins tightly, guiding the horse to avoid the trees by the roadside, and galloped past like the wind.
Since leaving Broken Gold Beach, except for a quick trip to the restroom, she and Mu Xu haven't stopped for a single moment.
The two men took turns controlling the horses, one resting while the other continued on their way.
Just like now, a cloth strap about the width of a palm is used to tie Mu Xu behind her back, which ensures that Mu Xu will not fall off even when she is asleep.
As they ran, Mu Xu woke up, moved his stiff body, and said, "Let's use the restroom and rest for a quarter of an hour."
Jiayin's legs were numb and she couldn't feel them anymore. Even though she was burning with anxiety, she had no choice but to stop.
The chestnut horse was probably exhausted; as soon as it unloaded Jiayin and Muxu, it collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Without a second thought, Jiayin waved her hand and put it into her spatial storage, then replaced it with another yellow horse.
When Mu Xu returned, he saw the yellow horse, the blankets spread on the ground, and all sorts of food. Even though he had seen them several times that day and night, he couldn't help but be amazed.
Today's update is here!
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