Lin Shuping dyed the hair of Emperor Liu Zhao.
The hair dye was personally prepared by Gu Jiu and has a fresh plant fragrance.
Compared with the chemical hair dye products of later generations, the hair dye prepared by Gu Jiu is 100% natural and pollution-free.
Liu Zhao grinned at the mirror.
Gu Jiu laughed at him, "You are so old, but you are still not serious!"
Liu Zhao laughed heartily. "I didn't notice my white hair before, but now that I've taken a closer look, I see there are indeed many more. No wonder you refused to pluck my white hair. If you keep plucking, I'll definitely become bald."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I will personally take care of your body. Don't worry, you won't be bald."
"I am very relieved."
Lin Shuping finished dyeing his hair and said with a smile, "Your Majesty looks ten years younger."
Liu Zhao smiled proudly at the mirror, his shiny black hair made him feel very proud.
He boasted, "I'm not just ten years younger, I'm at least twenty years younger."
"I am an old servant with poor eyesight, but Your Majesty has a better vision." Lin Shuping flattered implicitly.
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, complaining about Liu Zhao, "No matter how young you are, you can't turn into a strong young man in his twenties."
Liu Zhao laughed heartily and said nonchalantly, "I'll hold court tomorrow morning. I'll definitely surprise all the court officials."
Liu Zhao was always a restless person.
After being recuperated in Xiaozhu for nearly two years, he returned to the palace and was busy handling government affairs every day.
After two years of meditation and cultivation, my health has indeed improved a lot.
Full of energy and vigor.
He's always making trouble, making trouble, and making trouble.
He enjoyed fighting with court officials every few days.
Gu Jiu reminded him, "You're not young anymore, take it easy! Don't overwork yourself."
Liu Zhao agreed readily, but still occasionally stayed up late to work overtime.
…
The invention of the self-ringing clock brought the Polytechnic Institute over one million taels of silver in revenue each year.
Liu Zhao was extremely envious.
As a result, the money never went into his pocket.
The Polytechnic Institute had a large amount of income, so with Renqiu's indulgence, it spent money even more crazily!
Seeing the millions of taels of money being burned every year, Liu Zhao felt heartbroken.
"You're a big spender! You're even more wasteful than me. You're a complete spendthrift."
Gu Jiu said, "If the Polytechnic Institute doesn't burn money, it won't be able to produce anything. Only by constantly burning money can a steady stream of new things be produced. I've told you before that a chime clock can be made the size of a child's palm, so it can be carried around and called a pocket watch."
If it succeeds, if even one percent of the world's population owns a small pocket watch, how much value will it create? Pocket watches can be updated with new designs and new selling points. Even if it doesn't reach one percent, one thousandth is still a huge number. And then there's that steam engine I told you about before. If it could be built, the world would be completely changed! To create all of this, you have to burn money. Only with huge investment can you get rich returns."
"That makes sense! I hope those people will live up to your expectations and really build the steam engine you mentioned."
"That day will come."
…
Liu Zhao was full of energy for the year.
The weather has been changing for several days in a row and the climate is unpredictable.
A cold brought Emperor Liu Zhao back to his original form.
His body was not as strong as he thought, and he could never return to his youthful and strong twenties.
He lay in bed, drinking bitter medicine, feeling weak and depressed.
Even with Gu Jiu by his side, he couldn't calm his irritable mood.
"Will I die?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Gu Jiu scolded softly.
Liu Zhao smiled and said, "Are you worried about me? If I die, you will be the Empress Dowager."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him, "Do you really want to die?"
"I don't want to die! I said I would stay with you until you are at least sixty years old. This is still more than ten years short. I can't bear to leave you."
"Since you can't bear to leave me, get well soon."
Liu Zhao sighed, "But I just can't seem to get better! This body is like a piece of rag, patched here and there, it only gets uglier. I don't want to take medicine."
Gu Jiu coaxed him, "I prepared some frosting candy for you. You can eat candy after you drink the medicine."
Liu Zhao wrinkled his nose and asked, "Can we go to the pond first and then take the medicine?"
Gu Ji was at a loss for words. It turned out that the boy was disliking the bitterness of the medicine and was acting like a child.
She took out some frosted candy and fed one to Liu Zhao. "Is it delicious?"
"Sweet! I heard that many places in the south are growing sugarcane to make sugar. If I have the chance, I really want to go and see it."
"When you've recovered, we'll take a trip south. We'll also visit Jiangling. The Jiangling Academy, run by Cui Qi, is doing very well. This year, several Jinshi graduates from Jiangling Academy passed the imperial examination, and they all achieved good rankings."
"I want to ride on a pleasure boat, and have a boat full of singing girls sing little songs."
Without saying anything, Gu Jiu reached out and pinched his ear, "Does your skin itch?"
"I'm sick, and you're still bullying me. You don't care about me at all."
"Do you want me to find you a boatload of singing girls to sing for you right now?"
Liu Zhao said seriously, "That's not necessary! When we go south, it will be more interesting to listen to the soft Wu dialect. You have to accompany me. If you are not here, I am afraid that I will be eaten alive by the boat girls."
Okay!
This is clearly showing off!
I'm deliberately trying to make her angry!
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him three times.
Liu Zhao had a very happy face, showing off his successful joke.
After eating the candy, Liu Zhao felt better and finally agreed to take the medicine.
Gu Jiu was so tired that he was sweating.
She said to Qi Wang Liu Yu: "Old child, old child, it is true. When your father is sick, his temper is like a child. He has to be coaxed by me before he will take medicine."
Liu Yu lowered his head and smiled secretly.
"What are you laughing at?" Gu Jiu asked him.
Liu Yu stopped laughing and said, "When my son went to visit my father, he was still very majestic. He only acted like a child when he was with my mother, and she would coax him."
Is this the joy of life between an old couple?
Gu Jiu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he heard this!
An old couple has a tacit understanding that no one else can match.
Gu Jiu sat on the couch and read a book, while Liu Zhao lay on the couch with his head next to her.
He was breathing heavily and his condition had not improved.
"My broken body is not even as good as yours."
Gu Jiu flipped through the book and said, "I have been taking care of myself since I was young and have persisted for decades. You, who didn't even take care of your injuries properly, are certainly not as strong as me."
Liu Zhao hugged her waist and said, "You have taken care of my health for many years, why is my health still declining?"
Gu Jiu said seriously, "Because you missed the best time to recuperate. Back then, you were poisoned on the battlefield. If you had been able to return to the barracks in time and recuperate properly, you wouldn't be in this situation now. But back then, you insisted on showing off. When you were injured, you used some medicine casually, and as long as you were not dead, you would continue to fight on the battlefield.
One after another, countless injuries piled up on your body, spanning several years. After returning to the capital, you were constantly busy. The imperial physician repeatedly warned you not to overwork, but you ignored him. It was fine if you didn't get sick, but once you did, it was always severe. Even after you recovered, you were no better than before.
Liu Zhao sat up and looked at her seriously, "Can you tell me the truth? How much life do I have left?"
Gu Jiu frowned, "Why do you ask this question again? I've already told you that you can't think about it, you just need to follow the doctor's orders..."
"I want to know my lifespan so I can make the right arrangements. I want to spend a few more years with you."
Gu Jiu was speechless.
She rubbed her brows and said, "It's not appropriate for me to say this. I'll call all the doctors from the Imperial Hospital and have them answer you."
"Those doctors are all cowards. They don't dare to tell the truth. I want to hear your honest truth."
Gu Jiu looked embarrassed.
Liu Zhao comforted her, "Just tell me, no matter what the result is, I can bear it."
Gu Jiu sighed, feeling very tired!
She asked him, "How do you feel about this illness?"
"I've taken so many medicines, but my condition is taking so long to heal. I'm old now, not as good as I was when I was young. I used to recover from a cold in two or three days. This time, it's been half a month, and there's still no improvement. How long do you think it will take for me to recover?"
Gu Jiu said: "I think it will take another half month of medication to recover."
Liu Zhao frowned. "A minor cold, and I have to take medicine for a month?"
"For young people, it's just a minor cold. But for you, it could kill you."
"Is my health so bad? Wasn't the two years of recuperation in vain?"
"Without the previous two years of recuperation, you wouldn't be able to withstand this cold."
Liu Zhao was dumbfounded.
Gu Jiu held his hand tightly and said, "So, you must follow the doctor's instructions and don't miss any of the medicine."
Liu Zhao took a deep breath and asked, "Do I still have two years?"
Gu Jiu said nothing.
"Tell me the truth! I have to make plans early."
Gu Jiu pondered, "If you are willing to put aside government affairs and come with me to the other courtyard to recuperate, you can expect to live ten years, not to mention two. If you insist on being busy with government affairs and refuse to rest properly, I can only say that two years is a great blessing."
"Is this all the time I have left?"
Liu Zhao looked confused.
He thought of many things, but he never thought of death!
Gu Jiu hugged him and said, "Don't think too much. I will always be with you."
Liu Zhao came back to his senses and said, "Let me think about it carefully."
Gu Jiu fell silent.
Liu Zhao thought from day to night, and from night to dawn.
The sun is shining brightly at noon.
Gu Jiu took him to the embroidery building and basked in the sun through the glass.
He said to her, "I've been thinking about this all night. You said before that if I were willing to put aside government affairs and let you cultivate yourself, I could expect to live ten years longer. Is this true?"
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, "Your body has already endured high-intensity work."
Liu Zhao sighed, "If I had known this would happen, I might have spent more time recuperating."
Gu Jiu responded with a wry smile.
Liu Zhao suddenly made up his mind, "I have decided to abdicate and pass the throne to the eldest son. Issue an order for the second son and Ruyang to return to the capital. When I abdicate, I hope they will all leave."
Gu Jiu was shocked. "Are you sure? Can you really give up the throne?"
Liu Zhao spoke frankly, "I am reluctant to give up the throne! But in life, one must make choices. Should I continue to cling to the throne, or give it up to live a few more years and spend more years with you? I choose the latter. Even though I have many regrets, I can let go as long as I can."
Gu Jiu hugged him tightly.
"You don't have to abdicate, just let the boss be the regent."
"No! This is too cruel for the boss. He has been the regent for a long time, but he can never reach that position. After a long time, chaos will definitely happen. I believe he will be a good emperor. I feel at ease handing the throne to him!"
Gu Jiu looked at him, "Have you really thought it through? Don't you regret it?"
That’s the throne!
The supreme throne.
Although Liu Zhao became the emperor emeritus after he abdicated.
However, there is a saying that goes, "Don't meddle in matters that are not your responsibility."
The emperor emeritus cannot interfere with the emperor in everything, nor can he intervene in state affairs.
As the emperor emeritus, one must put himself in the right position and not interfere too much in the emperor's decisions or in state affairs.
How can an emperor who is used to giving orders to the world adapt to this?
Will there be a conflict between the retired emperor and the emperor, father and son?
Will there be unspeakable consequences?
Liu Zhao had already thought of everything. "After we abdicate, we will leave the palace. You take care of my health, and once I'm better, we'll travel south. Remember to find some singing girls to sing for me."
Gu Jiu was originally very sad, but was stimulated by his words "a singer singing a little song" and laughed out loud.
"You're just thinking about Xiaoqu. I see you abdicated so you can travel out of the capital in a legitimate way."
Liu Zhao laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to see through the truth! My lady, you have a sharp eye. I can't hide anything from you."
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I will continue to update the finale tomorrow
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com