Chapter 77 Chapter 77 The emperor's achievements are known throughout the world, long live the emperor...
As the night grew darker, the crimson palace, illuminated by a corner of palace lanterns, appeared even darker and more obscure.
Zhang Jingxuan knelt upright on the blue brick floor, his body motionless, snow covering his shoulders, making him look somewhat lonely and chilly.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already returned to the Imperial Study. He neither agreed to nor rejected the grace he requested, but rather ignored it.
The evening court meeting was not held after all. The ministers left in twos and threes. When they passed by the kneeling figure, they glanced at it and then avoided looking.
I don't mean to laugh at you.
Not everyone has the courage and responsibility to give up the glory that is within their reach. It is truly admirable.
It's just a pity that the young talent who was once famous in the capital...
When the ministers passed by this place, some admired it, some sighed, and some just looked away. Eventually, they all left.
Some sighs and regrets quickly dissipated in the cold air.
The square in front of the Golden Throne Hall became empty.
Time passed by little by little, the night fell completely dark, and in the silent air, it seemed that only the sound of falling snow could be heard.
Zhang Jingxuan knelt in front of the white jade steps, lowering his eyes to look at the snow frosting on the steps. His vision gradually turned white. He knelt until it was completely dark, his body upright and motionless.
The prince wants to leave him alone, so he has to show sincerity and attitude.
He had been kneeling for quite some time, and his knees had gone from the initial dull pain to stiffness and numbness.
He had grown up in luxury and had never suffered such hardship. Only after experiencing it did he know what it felt like to kneel in a snowy night.
He was lucky enough not to suffer too much physical pain, but Xue Yuanyin almost suffered two beatings, both because of him.
It must have hurt when the board fell on her.
Her health is already weak, when will she be able to recover?
In the silent and dark night, the palace walls gradually became unclear, and the few palace lanterns were almost swallowed up by the darkness.
I saw snowflakes dancing in the air and the wind gradually got stronger.
Zhang Jingxuan knelt between heaven and earth, his black crane cloak coated with a layer of white frost, the down fluttering in the wind. Snow fell on his eyelashes and shoulders, his hands frozen stiff, and along with his knees, he gradually lost feeling.
But he couldn't get up or leave. He needed to force the prince to show mercy and rescue her.
The wind and snow gradually grew stronger, swirling and making a whistling sound.
The cold wind blew into his throat, bringing with it a sweet and fishy taste. He coughed twice and swallowed the discomfort.
In the dark winter night, even the passage of time was a blur. Ever since he knelt on the ground, no one had come to the Golden Throne Hall. Now, deep in the night, there was no one in sight.
He didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps half an hour, an hour, or even two. He also didn't know how long he would have to kneel. If the Crown Prince was angry, he might even make him kneel until dawn.
Zhang Jingxuan didn't know if he could hold on until dawn. Even if he could, his knees would probably be broken from kneeling.
He knew this, but he still had to do it. Ashlie would not let him go. He was a dying man and did not care about losing a little dignity or getting hurt.
But she still has a lifetime, the rest of her life is so long.
She no longer had the Xue family's protection, and it was extremely difficult for an unmarried girl to survive alone in the capital. He needed to find someone to protect her future, and the future emperor was the best candidate.
The king is serious about his words. If the prince agrees, he can go to Qintang Pass with peace of mind.
The thick night concealed the numerous palaces, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Beneath the towering red walls, another sharp wind and snow blew towards him. Zhang Jingxuan's back, which had been straight all night, finally swayed slightly. All around him was silent, with only the rumble of wind and snow in his ears.
His knees were almost numb, and he estimated that he had been kneeling for at least two hours.
Suddenly, a faint light was reflected on the blue bricks of the ground. Zhang Jingxuan glanced to the side and saw a young eunuch carrying a palace lantern walking out of the dark snow. He walked closer and closer, and finally stopped beside him, bowed and said:
"Mr. Zhang, please come with me to the Imperial Study. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is waiting for you."
The wind whistled softly, and these words seemed to pour into Zhang Jingxuan's ears along with the frost and snow. There was a slight buzzing in his ears. After he heard it clearly, he slowly nodded in response, raised his hand, and spoke in a dry and hoarse voice:
"Please give me a hand, sir."
Although he had internal energy in his dantian, he was not a military commander. He knelt motionless for half a night, and his legs below the knees were almost frozen.
The young eunuch helped the man to stand up from the cold blue brick slab. Zhang Jingxuan's eyes went dark for a moment, and after a few breaths, his vision became clear and he could see the road ahead.
He stood up, nodded and said, "Let's go."
The young eunuch led the way in front. Perhaps out of consideration for him, he did not walk fast. It took the two of them a quarter of an hour to cover the short distance.
The young eunuch retreated when he arrived at the door of the imperial study.
Zhang Jingxuan stood in front of the imperial study door and knocked gently. He heard a voice from inside: "Come in." The door was not latched, so he pushed it open and walked in.
The imperial study was heated by a floor heater, its warmth even stronger than usual, driving away the chill within him. Inside, an oil lamp lit, illuminating a tranquil spot in the dark, snowy night. The crown prince sat at a table, a game of Go before him.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and waved, a gentle smile on his lips, as if nothing had happened, he said: "Come over and play a game of chess with me."
Zhang Jingxuan took off his frost-stained cloak and placed it on the antique display case. He then walked over and sat down across from the desk. His knees ached and numbed, and although his body didn't sway, his movements weren't smooth.
The prince did not rush and waited patiently.
After he sat down, he noticed that there was a cup of hot tea on his side. He looked up and saw that there was no steam coming out of the teacup in front of the prince.
He took a sip of hot tea, put down the teacup, and said softly, "Okay."
The prince gestured for Zhang Jingxuan to choose first. Zhang Jingxuan paused briefly, then picked up the white pieces. The prince then picked up the black pieces. He made the first move, raised his eyes, and smiled.
"It seems like I haven't played chess with you in ages. I didn't expect Zhang Qing to give me a hand this time. Didn't Zhang Qing always pick up the black pieces and make the first move before asking me to find a way to defeat you?"
Zhang Jingxuan was silent for a moment, made a move, and did not answer.
The prince didn't seem to care. He made another move and said to himself:
"Mr. Zhang is not only a master of chess, but also excels in many other arts. I still remember when you were twelve years old and accompanied Master Zhang to court for the first time. The Emperor gave you a test on the embankment of the Nanliu Grand Canal, and singled you out for the answer. Everyone in the court was skeptical of you, thinking you were too young, too immature, and without any experience. But you spoke eloquently, each sentence making perfect sense, and by the end, no one in the court dared to speak. That was when I saw that despite his youth, Mr. Zhang was truly exceptional."
Without waiting for Zhang Jingxuan to speak, he continued, "When you were fifteen, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yu returned triumphantly to the capital. No one in the court was optimistic about me, and some even advised my father to depose the Crown Prince. I almost thought I was doomed, but you insisted that I meet my father in private to express my sincerity and ambitions. It was also thanks to your advice that my father regained his trust in me and gave me another chance. Otherwise, I would have been deposed as Crown Prince long ago."
He smiled when he said this, as if he recalled the feeling when he came back from meeting his father. He thought that Zhang Jingxuan was his great contributor, and in the future, if he had a share of honor in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zhang Jingxuan would have a share of honor as well.
Zhang Jingxuan squeezed the white piece tightly and said softly, "Your Highness..."
The Crown Prince didn't give him a chance to speak, and continued, "At sixteen, you asked me to read the policy of governing the country. At seventeen, you secretly won over court officials to counter the connections of Prince Yu. At eighteen, you went on an inspection tour of Luoyang on my behalf. At nineteen, you returned to the capital with a stack of local news reports. At twenty..."
He paused, smiled, and said nothing more.
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes to look at him and said slowly, "So, Your Highness also remembers everything."
The prince smiled again and said nothing more. He actually wanted to say that he had already remembered Zhang Qing deeply since the first time he met him, when Zhang Qing came to the Eastern Palace and competed with many other young men for the position of the prince's companion.
The prince would always remember that when others saw him, they would say all kinds of respectful words, not lacking in flattery. However, this young man who looked like a modest young man from a noble family, said things that were completely different from his appearance. The words "As long as I am by your side, your Highness will eventually wear the dragon robe and ascend the throne" made his insecure heart beat violently in an instant.
Many legitimate sons of aristocratic families came to compete for the spot of the crown prince's companion, but Zhang Jingxuan stood out among them, as if one could see at a glance that he was the only one who stood out.
The prince thought to himself that his minister of state didn't know that he had chosen this person on the spot. After the selection was over, he ran to his father's study and said with all his courage, "Father, I want this person."
What was he thinking at that time? The prince remembered it clearly. He thought firmly and stubbornly, I want him to stay by my side.
These memories were fleeting. The prince put down the black piece and said with a gentle smile:
"Mr. Zhang, I've been looking at the vacancies in the court these past few days. I've found most of them, and it's up to you to make your choice. We can play chess together after court, discuss court affairs, and study state governance together. You can continue to offer me advice and be my advisor."
His voice became slightly excited, and he couldn't help but speed up his speech: "You have contributed a lot to the Eastern Palace in the past ten years. Whatever you want, as long as it is within a reasonable range, I can reward you..." I can even arrange a marriage between you and the woman I hate.
There was only one condition: he needed Zhang Qing and he didn't want Zhang Qing to leave.
The prince realized that his mood had slightly lost its composure, so he forced himself to smile, suppressing the lump in his throat, and asked:
"Jingxuan, you will definitely come back from Qintang Pass, right?"
Zhang Jingxuan also stared at the Crown Prince for a long time, his mind in turmoil. The Crown Prince was too dependent on him, he had gotten used to it, but sooner or later he would have to get used to the counsel of other ministers and to making decisions on his own.
He should have just said, "No." But seeing the prince's red eyes, Zhang Jingxuan didn't say it out loud. Instead, he said softly:
"If we have the opportunity to meet again in the future, I would like to ask Your Highness for a cup of tea."
The tip of the prince's nose felt astringent for a moment, and he was overwhelmed by the immense grief, and tears were about to burst out.
But the Crown Prince didn't want to cry in front of Zhang Jingxuan. He was already the Crown Prince, the heir apparent, about to ascend the throne. He couldn't afford to lose his dignity. Hearing about separation and death would only make him appear as weak and indecisive as before.
The wind and snow outside the window whistled past, and the white snow covered the dark red tile eaves, making the room seem even quieter.
The prince stood up from the desk and walked to the window to look at the snowy scene for a while, trying his best to suppress his emotions. He turned to look at him, and said in a relaxed tone that hid his shy smile:
"Jingxuan, please talk to me...anything is fine."
Zhang Jingxuan put down the white piece in his hand and followed the prince to the window. Hearing this, he fell into a brief contemplation.
After a moment, he raised his eyes to look at the prince and said slowly:
"Your Highness and I have known each other for over ten years, growing up together and sharing a close bond. In my eyes, Your Highness is kind and generous, utterly benevolent and virtuous, the perfect choice for the Crown Prince. Your Highness possesses both talent and virtue, and his abilities are truly remarkable. When he inherits the throne, he will surely bring peace and prosperity to the nation and its people. It's a pity that I am leaving now, and it's uncertain when I will return. My only regret is not being able to see Your Highness don the dragon robes and ascend the throne one day."
After saying this, he retreated to a spacious open space, knelt down and prostrated himself in the solemn ceremony of a monarch and his subject, and said softly:
"I, Zhang Qu, would like to express my sincere wishes to Your Highness that the people will prosper and the country will be prosperous in the future. May the Emperor's achievements be known throughout the world. May our Emperor live forever."
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