Chapter 135

Zhao Youze's footsteps were very light, whether he did it on purpose or because of his slender stature, I don't know.

In fact, this son has never been very much like himself. When Emperor Zhang He looked up, he was looking back to a very distant time.

He suddenly remembered the year Zhao Youze was born. First, there was a landslide in Lantian and then a severe drought in Yuzhou. Everyone said that it was not a good year, and they hoped that the queen's legitimate son would be born, which would bring good luck and wash away the bad luck.

But no one expected that the Queen's legitimate son would be born blind. This seemed to further confirm that this was not a good year.

But Emperor Zhang He actually didn't believe these.

God knows how much he is looking forward to the birth of this child. Jiashan is very smart and is one in a million, but there is one disadvantage: she cannot inherit the throne. If the queen can give birth to another boy of theirs, he will teach him carefully and train him to be the crown prince.

Their child will surely grow up happily and become a wise monarch in the future... Even if later on, God does not grant people's wishes and Yuan □□ has an illness and cannot be the monarch, Emperor Zhanghe is not prepared to be stingy with his fatherly love.

However, he recalled those few words that Empress Pei had said to him before her death, as she clutched his hand in frustration.

"Your Majesty, the more you love Yuankang, the more you will harm him in the future. In fact, if Your Majesty could abolish my position as empress... it would be the best for Yuankang. He is still so young, and he is the legitimate son, so how can he not be envied and hated. But I can't give up Jiashan. She shouldn't lose her title of legitimate princess because of the mistakes of me and Yuankang. She is just a girl. Your Majesty likes her, so she can marry more gloriously in the future."

"Your Majesty, I am a mother. I really don't know what to do..."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't give birth to a healthy prince for you..."

The last tear of Empress Pei fell on the back of his hand. Emperor Zhang He raised his hand slowly as if it was scalded, touched her face and said: "I don't blame you. As long as it is our child, it's all good, all good."

Queen Pei's eyes were clear, but there was no life in them anymore.

He wondered whether she heard him or not.

She left, leaving this world and him forever.

Emperor Zhang He suddenly came out of his memories and found Zhao Youze standing in front of him. He bowed and said, "Father, I have fulfilled your orders and have taken care of everything."

"The King of Qin and his son have both died, and the King of Lu and others have been placed under house arrest in Chengqian Palace. Nothing has gone wrong at the Nine Gates either, Wei Ziqian has been captured, and with my brother-in-law in charge, the rest of the people are not worth a damn."

This child, this child that Queen Pei was worried about, their child, has grown so big. He has recovered from his illness and has his own fangs and wings.

Emperor Zhanghe looked at his young and handsome face and asked in a low voice: "In your opinion, how should we deal with Prince Lu?"

Zhao Youze raised his head calmly and said: "The King of Lu committed treason by committing a crime against his superiors. He wanted to kill the king and his father, which is disloyalty and unfilial."

He said such outrageous words without changing his expression, and Emperor Zhang He couldn't help but look at him with a frown.

Zhao Youze's eyes were dark, and he showed no fear. He continued, "But the Prince of Lu is my father's son after all, and has been taught by my father since he was young. Since the King of Qin and his son have been executed, I think that for the sake of my father's face, there is no need to drag the Prince of Lu into this. It would be better to revoke the Prince of Lu's title, demote him to a commoner, and confine him in Fengyang."

Emperor Zhang He pondered for a moment, looked at him, and said half-jokingly: "If you don't kill the tiger, there will be endless troubles in the future."

"The King of Lu is not a tiger," Zhao Youze said bluntly, "I, your son, can control him."

Zhang Hedi smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"As you say."

He thought for a moment and then said, "The Princess of Lu and the Marquis of Pingyang participated in the rebellion. This is a serious crime that can lead to the extermination of the clan. The crime cannot be forgiven."

Thinking of the lonely woman just now, Zhao Youze paused, then lowered his head and said, "Yes."

He raised his head slightly and said, "As for Consort Zhuang of Chengqian Palace, please advise me, Father."

Emperor Zhang He turned his head and glanced at the half-withered plum blossoms outside the palace, and was stunned for a moment.

After a few breaths, he said, "The noble concubine is extremely rebellious and committed crimes together with the Princess of Lu. In consideration of the kindness she has shown me over the past few decades, I will give her a three-foot white silk."

"Shuxian has a perverse personality and doesn't get along with the Loyalty Marquis's Mansion. I made a mistake in my mind and made them a couple who are resentful of each other. Let her spend the rest of her life in a Taoist temple with green lamps and ancient Buddhas."

Emperor Zhanghe's voice was cold, and within a few words, he had already decided the fate of countless people. Zhao Youcheng and Shuxian were finally the sons and grandsons of the emperor. Even though Zhao Youcheng had deceived the emperor and rebelled, even a tiger would not eat its own cubs, so he still spared Zhao Youcheng's life, but Concubine Zhuang Gui and Princess Lu were not so lucky.

As for Shuxian, this child has never known her place. To prevent her from stirring up trouble and having unnecessary thoughts after Zhao Youze ascended the throne, Emperor Zhanghe simply cut off her red dust. This is also a clear indication that the lineage of Prince Lu will completely fall into dust, and there will be no possibility of any comeback.

In this great move, a palace rebellion was successfully resolved.

Zhao Youze received the order and was about to retreat to deal with the aftermath when Emperor Zhanghe suddenly called him back.

"Yuan Yasu."

Zhao Youze took two steps forward and then stopped again: "Father."

Emperor Zhang He stared at him and suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhan Yanqing?"

Zhao Youze did not hesitate, and said in his unique clear voice: "My brother-in-law has extraordinary talent. I think he should not be confined to a small world because of his family background and status."

Emperor Zhanghe said, "You and Jiashan have had a deep relationship since childhood, and both of you are loyal and righteous. Zhan Yanqing is the most capable of all the imperial consorts. He can be used by you, he can command military power, and he can be an important official in the court. But because he is an imperial consort, he cannot be a provincial governor in his lifetime."

The status of the consorts in the previous dynasty was low, and they basically only held a fourth or fifth grade idle position, and they could be considered the most miserable royal family members. The consorts in this dynasty were different. Emperor Taizu loved the princesses, and when he first selected consorts, many of them were eldest sons from famous families. If such talents were only held idle positions, it would be a waste of talent.

The same is true for Zhan Yanqing.

But being a consort to the emperor has its disadvantages. A consort to the emperor is a relative of the emperor. After becoming a consort to the emperor, all the princes will be related to him. But he is a person of a different surname.

If you trust your husband too much, there may be a risk of changing the dynasty.

Emperor Zhang He did not say this explicitly, he believed that Zhao Youze could understand it.

Zhao Youze really understood, and he said openly, "Yes. Father wants to teach me the art of checks and balances, and I know it."

Zhang Hedi hummed, closed his eyes slightly, and said no more.

Zhan Yue stayed in the capital that night until he heard the news that the incident had been settled in the palace. He then changed his clothes and rode out in a hurry.

When Zhao Youze came to look for him, Zhan Yue was nowhere to be seen, so the Nine Gates Admiral's men planned to look for him along the road.

Zhao Youze said, "No need."

At this time, my brother-in-law would not go anywhere else except to pick up my sister.

It was good that there was no chaos in the Nine Gates tonight because Zhan Yue was there. He had already held a high position, and after this night, Zhao Youze's position as the heir to the throne would be as solid as a rock, and Zhan Yue would become famous again.

A big tree attracts the wind, so he also needs to lower his edge appropriately.

Zhao Youze summoned Chu Xi and ordered him to read the tribute issued by the inner cabinet - the nails planted by Wei Ziqian before were completely pulled out, and the troops at the nine gates were rearranged.

As for Zhan Yue, he indeed left Beijing and headed straight towards Changchun Temple.

On the way, he unexpectedly met Lu Sixian who was returning to Beijing from Changchun Temple. Lu Sixian briefly told him about his experience in Changchun Temple, and Zhan Yue was terrified.

He thought he had made the most careful arrangements for Jiashan's mother and son, but he still didn't expect that Northwest would dare to reach so far!

Fortunately, fortunately Lu Sixian was quick-witted and returned to Beijing in time, otherwise...

Zhan Yue was frightened for a moment and quickly thanked him.

Lu Sixian said: "This is my job, you are being too polite!"

"Hurry up and go see the princess. I am also busy returning to the capital to report."

Zhan Yue bowed to him and the two of them quickly said goodbye.

After this episode, Zhan Yue hurried on his way even more hurriedly. The journey would have taken three days to complete, but he arrived at the dawn of the second day.

At this time, Jiashan and Xuan Ge'er had just woken up and were having breakfast in the yard with Qi and Hong Ge'er. Xuan Ge'er was always very fond of food, but Hong Ge'er was a little petite and could not adapt to the food in the temple. Qi had to feed him herself.

Here, Xuan Ge'er and Jia Shan had already put down their bowls and chopsticks, planning to change clothes and go to the garden to pick some water cabbage. Qi was still muttering to Xuan Ge'er: "Why don't you eat faster? We will all go out later, and you can only read in the yard."

As he was talking, Xuan'er had already changed his clothes and skipped out of the corridor.

He had the mentality of a child and walked carelessly. He didn't even notice that there was someone in front of him and just ran straight into someone else's arms.

It was only when Zhan Yue pulled him out that Xuan Ge'er started dancing and shouting in surprise: "Daddy, Daddy! Daddy is here!"

It happened that Jiashan had just changed into simple clothes at this time. Because she was going to the garden, she was dressed in a simple and plain skirt.

The morning sun rose, the morning mist dissipated, Jiashan stood under the deep, pale sky, looking at him with a smile. When she smiled, she had a very vivid beauty.

Jiashan stared at her dark, crystal-clear eyes and said in a soft voice, "You're here."

Although it wasn't a long-awaited reunion, Zhan Yue inexplicably felt his eyes warm.

He ignored the presence of so many people and threw Jiashan into his arms with a rough tenderness.

"I miss you so much." Zhan Yue closed his eyes, smelled the fragrance on Jiashan's body, and said.