Chapter 1324 The Queen, could it be a man?
Outside Deyang City, Liuzhou.
Green reeds sway in the endless green waves, and white hair suddenly flies like snow.
In the reed marsh, there were two lonely graves, and on the tombstones in front of the graves were only the words "Zhao" and "Zhao's Wife" written.
The current King of Shu, Xia Tingyu, slowly stood up and looked at the two tombstones. He showed no sadness at all. He just smiled softly, reached out and gently took the white reed fluff from the tombstones, and whispered, "Mother, my daughter is going to the capital."
After saying that, Xia Tingyu buried an arrowhead jade ornament in front of his mother's grave: "I'll leave Uncle Dian's things here so that he can accompany you two."
This is not my first time here, so I am very familiar with it.
In the past, there were two pieces of wood standing here. They were erected by Dian Junming, and the words on them were also written by Dian Junming.
So Xia Fengye was furious.
But Xia Fengye did not move the grave or destroy this place. It is not known what Dian Junming did or what Xia Fengye did himself.
Later, Xia Tingyu replaced it with a stone tablet and used the same words without changing anything else.
A gentle breeze blew by, the reeds swayed sparsely, and white fluff floated up into the sky.
Xia Tingyu smoothed her hair with one hand, looked up, and smiled gently.
Xia Tingyu turned around and looked at the carriage parked not far away. He noticed the man in the carriage lifting the curtain and couldn't help but smile. Right next to Xia Tingyu, Lang Gou stepped forward and whispered, "The old prince has been peeking since just now."
Xia Tingyu walked over there and said with a smile: "Don't worry about it. It's his own business whether he comes to see it or not. I can't control it. But my master ran away?"
Kun Ling nodded: "The master said that he couldn't go to the capital, because if he went there, he would be killed by the sword of the Yan general. He said that she was a stubborn woman and would follow through on the order of the late emperor. So he went to the Western Regions to take a look. He said that since it was all the territory of Daxia, the so-called Five Great Families should not exist. He also said that the Enfeoffment Order issued by the Empress for the Western Regions, although it seemed to be able to undermine the rule of the royal families of the Western Regions, there would always be some loyal people who would use religious means to restore their country. Since the Empress was believed by many people in the Western Regions to be the reincarnation of the Zoroastrian god, such a good chess piece could not be left unused. This time, the people of some surrendered countries came for the Empress, so we must work harder to fan the flames. There is a long way to go before the Western Regions can completely become the territory of Daxia."
Xia Tingyu smiled and shook his head: "Leaving me, your disciple, behind to go to the capital, a place full of tigers and wolves, you are a good master."
After that, he continued with a smile, "Let's continue on our journey. According to the schedule, we will definitely enter the capital in two days."
Kun Ling and Lang Gou said nothing more, but turned and left.
Zhang Junyi, the guard Dian Junming had specially assigned to Xia Tingyu, had a sword hanging from his waist. Seeing Xia Tingyu approach, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "Lord Shu, there's news from the back saying they've already left Shu. They should arrive about ten days later than us, but the exact date depends on the Second Master and Fifth Master's health."
Xia Tingyu is the King of Shu, but according to the rules of Daxia, when a woman becomes king, she is no longer called "Prince" but "Lord", and she is called "Lord" according to the title she is given.
The so-called Second Master and Fifth Master are naturally the second and fifth sons.
After all, Xia Tingyu is the King of Shu, so it is naturally inappropriate to call these two "Your Highness".
Xia Tingyu said, "Didn't I tell you? Uncle Zhang can just call them Lao Er, Lao Wu, or whatever their names are. There are no such things as "Ye" (master) in the capital."
Zhang Junyi was a quiet person to begin with, so he clasped his fists and said no more.
Xia Tingyu then got on the carriage.
Inside the carriage, the old prince Xia Fengye closed his eyes to rest, and did not open his eyes even when he felt Xia Tingyu getting on his carriage.
Xia Tingyu said, "I plan to find suitable families for the second, fourth, and fifth children in the capital. Since we're going to settle down in the capital anyway, it's not good for them to stay single. The two younger brothers are easy to deal with, but the fourth child is more troublesome. After all, she's a girl, and I'm afraid she'll marry into a bad family. If that doesn't work out, I'll recruit a son-in-law to live with me so I can take care of her. As for the third child, it depends on her own wishes. If none of them are willing, I'll find Su Liheng and let them learn how to do business. At least there will be a family fortune, and I'll support them. I'll also have my own private property and be able to make a living."
Seeing that Xia Fengye remained silent, Xia Tingyu continued, "With the new imperial examination system, there was already an official document issued by the government in Deyang City. The fifth brother has no hope, and there is no way to recommend him. It's just right that he can be a rich man at home without an arm. The second brother is okay. After all, he hasn't done anything bad. He just targeted me, which is not a big deal. The same goes for the fourth brother, but I don't think he is a good student."
Xia Fengye slowly opened her eyes: "You are the eldest sister, you can make the arrangements. As for the second sister, isn't Master Yao going to accept him as a student?"
Xia Tingyu said, "Master Yao has forgiven past grudges. This is Master Yao's magnanimity, not the appreciation of the second son's talent. If he wants to go, he should kneel at the gate of the Imperial College for three days. After that, he can become his disciple."
Xia Tingyu looked at his father and smiled softly, "He must give an explanation to all the students in the world for what he did to the Master."
Xia Fengye did not say anything more on this topic, but glanced at the curtain that was gently lifted as the carriage started moving, "I thought you would go to pick up Prince Yong Xia Yan and return to the capital together."
Xia Tingyu said, "Father."
Xia Fengye turned around and looked at his daughter.
Xia Tingyu smiled and said, "This matter has nothing to do with us, so please don't think too much about it, Father."
Xia Fengye heard this and smiled softly: "Is this why Xia Qingge trusts you? But leaving Xia Xuan outside is also a trap she set for me long ago. As long as I dare to capture him, it will be another reason for Zhu Huang to send troops."
Xia Tingyu said, "She simply respected her brother's choice. Xia Zhan now claims to have opened his own hotpot shop in Liuzhou. His wife and her parents-in-law are honest farmers, working the fields in spring and summer and running the hotpot shop in winter. They don't make a lot of money, but they live a happy life. This is Xia Zhan's own choice. There's no royal palace, no publicity, so His Majesty let him go his own way. Just like the late emperor respected Prince An and Prince Bei'an, they all live very comfortably now. And if Xia Zhan had really been used as bait, I'm afraid the name Lushan would have been attached to him long ago."
Xia Fengye stopped looking at his daughter and lifted the curtain to look at the people outside carrying hoes and pushing carts. "On the way, I thought a lot about the world situation."
Xia Tingyu looked at his father.
Xia Fengye said softly, "Ever since my fourth brother died, the world was on the verge of chaos, but now Great Xia has returned to the prosperity of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, and is even slightly better than Emperor Taizong's. I think about it over and over again, but I can't think of any reason. It seems that everything is as it should be."
Xia Tingyu said, "This is the fate of the country."
Xia Fengye sneered. "How can there be national destiny? National destiny lies in the emperor. You are well aware of how our ancestor Taizong succeeded to the throne when the Great Xia Dynasty was founded. But Taizong's methods were so strong that everyone in the Great Xia was convinced. Is this national destiny? Xuanzong was diligent in his early years and worked hard to govern the country, which brought the Great Xia to a new level. In his later years, he was decadent and indulged in wine and women, even handing power to the left and right prime ministers, trusting An Lushan, and causing disasters in the Great Xia. Is this national destiny? Grandfather succeeded to the throne, personally led the army to quell rebellions and civil unrest, and was saved several times by my grandmother. Is this national destiny? Father trusted his subordinates and was not good at government affairs at the time, so he used wise ministers to govern. He personally led the army to foreign enemies, allowing the Great Xia to breathe for decades. Is this national destiny? My fourth brother, the late emperor, eliminated the domestic scoundrels and still led the army himself. His diligence was comparable to Taizong, and the Great Xia was revived from then on. It's a pity that he died too early, but his death is national destiny."
Xia Fengye looked at Xia Tingyu and said, "You should know that these things have nothing to do with the fate of the Great Xia nation. They only depend on the monarch. Xia Qingge, humph, her methods are no less than those of the late emperor. If we have to talk about the fate of the nation, it lies with Su Changan."
Xia Fengye laughed at himself, "That person was so successful, so successful that it was terrifying. I almost thought it was a trick left by the late emperor. If you hadn't said it, and it was just Xia Qingge who happened to encounter it, I might have always believed it."
Xia Tingyu asked back: "Isn't this the destiny of the country?"
Xia Fengye laughed a few times, then said, "It's the destiny of the country, but without the position of King of Shu, the Great Xia collapsed, but it made me see more things clearly. The means left by your fourth uncle are not weak."
Xia Tingyu looked at Xia Fengye.
Xia Fengye said: "It's never a matter of who we leave behind, but what we make that person do. It was a lie to let your Eleventh Uncle and Zhu Huang keep an eye on me in the only two places where I sent troops in Shu. Now it seems that they are stationing troops under the pretext of keeping an eye on me, one in Luzhou and one in Liuzhou, one to suppress Jiangnan and one to protect the capital. Old Eight is a waste. It looks like Zong Ze is keeping an eye on him, but in fact the Northern Frontier Camp is just north of the capital. That is the capital's backer. Jiangnan, west, and north form a triangle with the capital in the middle. Old Eleven, Zong Ze, and Zhu Huang, which one of them didn't follow him before he became the crown prince? With these three guarding him, anyone in Daxia who rises up in rebellion will end up dead!"
"Oh, when I was a prince, I thought it was against me. Now that I'm a prince, everything is clear. As for the government, it's been in chaos for three years. I used to think it was because of those people who changed. The sudden death of the fourth uncle made his daughter bullied, but now it seems that the fourth uncle wanted his daughter to be bullied. The government must be in chaos. Without chaos, people's hearts cannot be united. If there is no chaos, how can the government be stable? The method of checks and balances is so smooth even in death. Your fourth uncle sees through people's hearts, but the only point of failure may be Li Nishang. Before he died, he took my fourth sister-in-law's last words into consideration and showed mercy for once. He didn't kill her, which caused a lot of trouble for his daughter. But fortunately, Li Nishang would never dare to touch her."
"But because of Li Nishang, the government was in complete chaos. But because of this, it is now completely stable, and Xia Qingge's position as the emperor has completely won the support of the people."
Xia Tingyu looked at his father and laughed.
Xia Fengye looked at Xia Tingyu and asked, "You are very smart, you should have thought of this."
Xia Tingyu said, "I guessed a little bit about it when I left Beijing last time, but now I understand it clearly. Besides, I am also a chess piece in Fourth Uncle's hands."
Xia Fengye burst into laughter. "He calculated that you would help Xia Qingge because you hate the court struggles and the scheming. He also calculated that I would indulge you and tolerate you because of my guilt towards you and your mother."
Xia Tingyu looked at Xia Fengye: "My fourth uncle told me that you love mother, so you won't let her go. Even though you know that mother's heart is with that scholar, she can't stay with you in this life."
Xia Fengye laughed: "Even if I can't get her heart, I must get her. She is my only wife, and no one can replace her."
Xia Tingyu asked back, "So, you don't blame Fourth Uncle for being stupid for keeping Li Nishang?"
Xia Fengye was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I scold Xia Huachang for many things, but this is the only thing I won't scold him for, because I understand."
"I have been fighting with Xia Huachang for so long, I wish he were dead, but as for my fourth sister-in-law, she is the eldest sister-in-law who treats me very well. Even though she knows I am her rival, she is still very gentle to me. I thought about what I would do if I had won back then. I would have settled my fourth sister-in-law in Jiangnan, away from the capital where there are disputes, and lived a good life. Xia Huachang did not kill Li Nishang because he loved her deeply. He would not do anything that she did not allow him to do. Otherwise, with his temper, Li Nishang would have suddenly fallen ill the day after entering the palace, and would have died a few days later. But my fourth sister-in-law is too kind and has always protected Li Nishang. It's a pity that Li Nishang, that bitch, has always slandered her!"
The King of Shu never truly joined forces with Li Nishang, but instead made things difficult for her at every turn.
Xia Tingyu knew this, but he never thought that it was because of the relationship with the late queen.
Xia Fengye suddenly smiled: "I really feel much more comfortable now that I'm not in this position anymore. I used to have to worry about all these things and think about the details, but now, I can just say it."
Xia Tingyu asked with a smile, "But father seems to be worried?"
Xia Fengye said, "There is one thing that I couldn't see before, but now that I'm free, I've noticed some clues, but I still find it ridiculous and unsure, so I've been thinking about it."
Xia Tingyu was puzzled: "Can I listen?"
Xia Fengye looked at Xia Tingyu and said straight to the point, "Su Changan, she, couldn't be a man in disguise?"
Xia Tingyu looked surprised.
Xia Fengye continued, "False and true, what the human eye sees may not necessarily be true, because what the human eye sees is what it wants to see, just like the mountain flowers about to burn and the flowing water like fire. I never thought about it before, but now I'm carefully reviewing all the things that happened before and after, as well as Xia Qingge's behavior of not caring about other things, and the news from Yandi about investigating Su Changan's life experience. I think he couldn't be a man. As for why he became the so-called most beautiful woman in the world, perhaps it was because of his appearance? As for why he doesn't have a Adam's apple like a man, there are so many strange things in the world, this is nothing, but if it is true, how absurd it is? That's why I find it ridiculous and can't figure it out. I can only keep thinking about it. After all, there are some things about the little emperor that are really puzzling."
Xia Tingyu said, "Once you enter the capital, you will be able to see the Queen."
Xia Fengye was silent for a moment, then looked at his daughter: "I've heard before that you have a good impression of the Queen?"
Xia Tingyu heard this and replied almost instantly: "No!"
(End of this chapter)
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