Chapter 101 Request: "I only ask for your permission."
When Qingjue Temple was renovated, it happened to be during the off-season at the beginning of the year. The Ministry of Works carried out a lot of meticulous repairs on this area. Today, Qingjue Temple is not comparable to the grandeur of the imperial Taoist temples, but it has nothing to do with the wild temples in the suburbs of Beijing.
The reddish-brown walls contrasted with the yellow-green glazed tiles, and when the sun was shining brightly, the view was dazzling. Right now, Jiang Chen stood under this dazzling halo, his aura blending into the incense smoke of the Taoist temple, exuding the noble and aloof air of an imperial family untouched by the mortal world.
Unlike the somewhat dejected Prince Zhao, Jiang Chen arrived dressed in casual clothes. These clothes were personally designed for Jiang Chen by Shen Yujiao, and they looked both comfortable and elegant. He looked like a crane and smiled at Prince Zhao, saying, "I heard that Qingjue Temple is very popular. I happened to have some free time today, so I thought I would come to pray for Father Emperor. Fourth Brother, do you have the same intention?"
The Crown Prince's actions these past few days have already touched upon the core interests of the King of Zhao. He simply cannot pretend to be friendly and play these superficial acts in front of the Crown Prince. He looked back at him with a forced smile and said, "Yes, if the Crown Prince hadn't said so, I would have thought that the Crown Prince had come to besiege us."
"Hey, Fourth Brother, you're mistaken. This Taoist temple isn't a place to act recklessly. Besides, there are no villains here. Who would I be targeting?"
The words were nice to say, but the actions were not so good. The Crown Prince did not bring any ragtag private soldiers today, but the proper Eastern Palace Guard.
As the exclusive private army of successive crown princes, the Eastern Palace Guard has its own set of selection and training standards. Its quality is far superior to that of the private soldiers of the royal palace who are secretly trained. Not to mention that Jiang Chen inherited the Eastern Palace Guard from the former Crown Prince Yu, and every member of it was carefully selected.
The Eastern Palace Guard represents a powerful military force and is also a symbol of the Crown Prince.
King Zhao looked around, gritted his teeth and nodded: "Alright, then Your Highness, please make yourself at home. I have already offered my prayers, so I'll be leaving now."
"Fourth Brother, take care." Jiang Chen nodded slightly, completely ignoring the fact that his words made the Prince of Zhao even more frustrated.
King Zhao arrived quickly with a troop of men and left just as fast. Seeing King Zhao withdraw his troops, Jiang Chen gave Zhu Yu a wink, and the Eastern Palace guards withdrew from Qingjue Temple, restoring peace to the temple.
Watching these people leave like locusts, Princess Yongxian sighed softly and bowed to Jiang Chen, saying, "Yongxian thanks Fifth Brother."
"Get up quickly, you did the right thing," Jiang Chenxu helped her up, "Take me to meet people."
"yes."
After passing through many courtyard walls, Yongxian led Jiang Chen to stop in front of a small gate. A young Taoist boy was already waiting there. Seeing his wife's signal, he reached out and pushed open the door of the woodshed.
When Feng Zhang woke up early in the morning, he found himself thrown here. He was relieved that the door opened by itself after he hadn't been locked up for long, but when he saw who it was, he froze.
“Young Master Feng,” Jiang Chen looked down at the man who was bound hand and foot and sneered, “long time no see.”
It is said that this young eunuch Feng was able to rise to a high position among all the eunuchs thanks to the help of Crown Prince Chen back then. That happened before Jiang Chen transmigrated. Zhu Yu once saw him in the Qian Yuan Palace and casually mentioned the past, which is why Jiang Chen remembered him.
Looking at Feng Zhang now, Jiang Chen felt sorry for Crown Prince Chen's kindness: "If I had known that you would one day help others to deal with me, I wouldn't have bothered back then."
"Waaah—"
Feng Zhang wanted to call out "Your Highness" and explain that he had no intention of framing the Crown Prince, but firstly, his mouth was stuffed with something and he couldn't speak, and secondly, even if he did speak, his words wouldn't be very credible.
Jiang Chen had no intention of dealing with him; such a nobody wasn't worth his time. After meeting him, he and Princess Yongxian left the woodshed.
"Keep him locked up properly. Be careful these next few days, as others might come looking for you. I will leave a team to protect Qingjue Temple. They will be hidden in the shadows, so don't worry about them. Everything will be fine after this period."
Everything is fine now.
These words made Princess Yongxian lower her eyes unconsciously. She remained silent for a while before saying, "Fifth Brother, if there is anything Yongxian can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised, but he nodded slightly.
Seeing that the Crown Prince agreed, Yongxian added, "Please don't stand on ceremony with me. I will do my best to help Fifth Brother in any way I can."
This time, Jiang Chen did not agree, but just watched her wait for what she would say next.
"If... we can get through this period safely, I hope that Fifth Brother will spare Fourth Brother's life afterwards. No titles or wealth need to be left to him; just spare his life, let him live as an ordinary person..."
Perhaps feeling that her words were inappropriate, Yongxian lost the confidence to continue. She took two steps back and solemnly kowtowed to the Crown Prince.
It was a grand ceremony to pay homage to the emperor.
Seeing her kneeling posture almost touching the ground, all his thoughts finally turned into a sigh. Jiang Chen personally bent down and helped Yongxian up: "I promise you, I will try my best."
He didn't give a definitive answer, but even so, Yongxian was extremely grateful. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she bowed again, saying, "Yongxian is deeply grateful to Fifth Brother."
That's enough. She's not a prince, she has no support, and she has no power. All she has is the identity of a princess. The fact that the crown prince is willing to do his best for her is already a huge favor.
Born into royalty, they all understood the importance of putting on a show. Princess Yongxian then accompanied the Crown Prince to each of the main halls to kowtow and pray for blessings, thus solidifying her image as a filial son and daughter. Only then did she respectfully send the Crown Prince off with her Taoist attendants.
Watching the dust kicked up by the departing carriage, Yongxian narrowed her eyes slightly. She had done her best. As long as her fourth brother didn't go too far, the Crown Prince would spare his life. That would be enough.
"Princess Yongxian is indeed a sensible person."
Inside Kunyi Palace, Shen Yujiao shook her head with a wry smile. Mu Tan, who was standing beside her, poured her a cup of tea and lowered her voice, saying, "Since everything is going smoothly outside the palace, when does Your Highness plan to awaken that person?"
Shen Yujiao toyed with the small teacup in her hand, her eyes filled with amusement: "In the next couple of days, I guess."
This feeling is truly wondrous. The Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler, how and when to awaken—such power is entirely in her hands.
She slowly put down her cup, gradually fading the smile from her lips, forcing herself to regain her composure.
No wonder everyone is so eager for that position; power is truly an intoxicating thing.
The emperor knew he had been unconscious for a long time, so long that he felt deeply exhausted even in his sleep.
Ever since the day he fainted from a fit of rage, the emperor seemed to be trapped in a whirlpool. He struggled but could not wake up and was forced to see the scene before him. His life flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
He was made crown prince at a young age, but was later deposed due to his father's favoritism. He lay low among his brothers and maneuvered until he was made crown prince again after his marriage. In order to hold onto the crown prince position he had regained, he fought his way out of a bloody path.
No one knew the hardships and dangers he faced. His father disliked him, his brothers hated him, but only the empress stayed by his side.
The couple walked hand in hand through a blood-soaked path, their feet treading on steps formed from countless bones, stumbling and faltering as they reached the supreme position.
The road to the throne is never easy, as has been the case in every dynasty. Standing at the peak and looking down, one often sees only corpses strewn across the land.
Therefore, when his perfect eldest son was born, the emperor felt that he had no regrets in this life.
Jiang Yu was intelligent from a young age and possessed extraordinary talent, yet he was never arrogant. He was respectful and humble to his teachers and elders, kind and benevolent to his servants, filial to his parents, and cherished his siblings. He was practically a born emperor who could succeed to the throne without any training. Therefore, he was made crown prince at the age of only three.
The emperor never concealed his high regard and fondness for Jiang Yu. His favoritism placed the crown prince far above all the other princes, and the court officials regarded the crown prince as a half-ruler rather than a young child.
The emperor was pleased with this outcome, but even felt it wasn't quite enough. He wanted Jiang Yu to have no obstacles on his path to the throne, and he had absolute trust in his eldest son.
Just as the emperor was certain, Jiang Yu did not disappoint him after becoming the crown prince. Whether it was the way of governing the world that a crown prince should learn, or the ability to care about the people's opinions despite being born on a high platform in the imperial family, or the choices he made in appointing people when he was young, one could see the beginnings of a wise ruler.
Unfortunately, while there may be flawless jade in the world, the royal family cannot tolerate smooth sailing and perfection.
Crown Prince Yu, who was established as heir apparent at the age of three, participated in politics at the age of eight, and made great contributions to the people's livelihood before the age of twelve, failed to inherit the prosperous empire of the Great Xia Dynasty.
The death of his beloved son was the emperor's only regret in his life.
To be fair, setting aside the lust for power, the emperor knew that if he, as the eldest son, were to succeed to the throne, he would do a better job, and the Great Xia Dynasty would usher in an even more glorious chapter.
But fate had other plans...
“Ayu, your father is here. Don’t be afraid, Ayu.”
On the sickbed lay the emaciated boy, with his heart breaking beside him. Perhaps in front of millions of subjects, the emperor was always a high and mighty monarch, but to Jiang Yu, he was just an ordinary father.
A father who, despite being the emperor, possessing the world's rarest treasures and all the most precious medicinal herbs, could not save his son's life.
"Father..." Jiang Yu looked at the emperor, her eyes, though dim and lifeless, were still filled with filial love and respect.
These eyes were the reason for the emperor's silent weeping for thousands of nights. He had wanted to return to this moment countless times, to see his beloved son again, and to touch his head again. But when this scene actually reappeared before his eyes, the emperor felt only heart-wrenching pain.
Seeing the sorrow in the emperor's eyes, Jiang Yu forced a weak smile: "Your subject... is not afraid..."
Suppressing the rising smell of blood, he reached out and grasped the emperor's hand tightly, speaking solemnly with a hint of pleading, "Father, my birthday hasn't arrived yet, but... I have a wish I wish to make. May Your Majesty grant it to me?"
"Very well," the emperor nodded emphatically, his dragon robe becoming damp with several dark stains. "Your father will grant you all of A-Yu's wishes."
“My father treats my mother very well, and they are a loving couple… I am not worried, but my mother is concerned because of my illness…”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yu coughed heavily a few times, and the discomfort he had been holding back burst forth at this moment. Spots of scarlet blood stained the emperor's eyes, and he almost instinctively turned his head to call for the imperial physician.
"Father—" Jiang Yu suddenly grabbed him tightly, his eyes flashing with determination: "Let me finish speaking before you call the imperial physician."
Feeling the long-lost yet unfamiliar force in his hand, the emperor's heart sank. He finally nodded and listened to Jiang Yu's last request. If he remembered correctly, there were three wishes. What were they again?
The scene before him gradually blurred. Jiang Yu's lips moved, and the emperor watched intently, but could no longer hear any sound until a sharp pain shot through his fingertips—
"Your Highness, His Majesty has finally awakened."
A commotion filled his ears, and the emperor, finally awake, only wanted to return to the dream world. However, he was not able to do so. As his senses gradually became clearer, he slowly opened his eyes.
With her delicate eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, high-coiffed hair, and luxurious dress, the elegant and beautiful young woman before him gradually overlapped with the lively little girl in his memory. The emperor suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart and, unexpectedly, burst into tears in front of all the imperial physicians and servants.
He seemed to hear A-Yu's voice: "And A-Jiao, please give her her freedom..."
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