Emperor Xuande did not expect that Song Hongshen would put forward conditions at this time, as if he did not take the prince's identity seriously at all.
But Song Hongshen could not take it seriously, but he could not ignore it.
"If you have any conditions, just mention them."
Song Zan sat at ease on the side, and it seemed that all the bad anger he had accumulated over the years had been released today.
Song Hongshen said, "First, I will not change the way I address everyone in the Song family. My parents raised me for so many years, I can't change my ways. Even though I'm a prince, I still address them as father, mother, and grandmother."
"Second, my name will not be changed. If I go to the Emperor's family tree, I will only change my surname, not my given name."
"Third, my marriage remains unchanged. From now on, whether I take a concubine or not, it will be my decision. The royal family cannot use the excuse of expanding their family lineage to force someone into my household."
"If Your Majesty agrees to these three points, I can return to my ancestral home. If not, I have said that I am still a bastard of the Song family."
Emperor Xuande stared at him for a long time. These three conditions were really...harsh.
But he still said: "I agree, I will do as you say."
Song Zan's lips curled up, and he could hardly hold back his smile. The conditions proposed by Song Hongshen deeply pleased him.
Emperor Xuande saw that he looked like a shrewd villain and wanted to reprimand him, but when he looked at Song Hongshen, he swallowed his words.
For the sake of the relationship between father and son, he had to be more tolerant towards Song Zan during this period of time.
After finishing the business, Song Hongshen wanted to leave.
Emperor Xuande was reluctant to let him leave the palace, so he suggested that he stay in the palace for a few days so that the father and son could talk.
Song Hongshen insisted on leaving, using the excuse of worrying about his grandmother's health.
Emperor Xuande could only comfort himself in his heart that there would be plenty of opportunities for father and son to reunite in the future and there was no need to rush.
The tug-of-war between father and son ended with Song Hongshen's absolute control.
Afterwards, Song Zan and Song Hongshen left the palace, but they did not ride in the same carriage.
Song Zan had to go back to the mansion to prepare for the transformation of the marquis' mansion into a royal mansion. The gate had to be changed, the regulations in the mansion had to be modified, and preparations had to be made for ancestor worship and other matters.
When Song Hongshen left the palace, the sky outside was overcast and the autumn wind was bleak.
He planned to visit Zhang Pan and explain the situation in Fujian.
But as soon as his carriage left the palace, it was stopped by Ning Wang Su Yuanzhou.
Su Yuanzhou got on the carriage and said with a smile, "Congratulations first. Do I have to stand in line?"
Song Hongshen knew he was joking and rolled his eyes at him unhappily.
After Su Yuanzhou sat down, he asked seriously, "I'm waiting for you here on purpose to ask what your plans are for the future."
Song Hongshen raised his eyebrows, "You mean..."
Su Yuanzhou nodded. "It's just as you think. If you want to kill the king and take the throne, I will bring everyone in the north back to you."
Song Hongshen's expression remained unchanged, and he was not frightened by Su Yuanzhou's words.
"You are not shy about it." Song Hongshen chuckled.
Su Yuanzhou leaned against the wall of the carriage, crossed his hands behind his head, and said, "What's there to be shy about? If you want it, just go and grab it. I've been living this way since I was a child."
He didn't think Song Hongshen's ascension to the throne by murdering the emperor was a heinous act. That position should naturally be occupied by whoever was capable.
Moreover, for them, Song Hongshen's ascension to the throne was far better than the crown prince's ascension to the throne.
Instead of guarding against others, it is better to strike first.
Song Hong thought deeply for a moment and said, "The old man has handled government affairs very well. If he leaves, won't I be exhausted?"
Su Yuanzhou was stunned for a moment before realizing that the old man Song Hongshen was talking about was the emperor.
The corners of his mouth twitched twice, and he said, "So what do you mean?"
Song Hongshen said, "Let's take the crown prince down first, and the situation in the court will be stable. The old man can still serve for at least another decade. If he can't, I'll take over."
There was one more thing Song Hongshen didn't say: by that time his son might be able to ascend the throne.
He really has no interest in that position.
He was also thinking about taking the little girl out for a walk after getting married.
If Su Zhilan knew that the freedom he promised her was not realized and that she would be trapped in the palace for the rest of her life, she would probably curse him in her heart.
Su Yuanzhou nodded, "Okay, let's do as you say. Then let's go to the Shen family? We military generals can't do this, so we need civil officials to be more thoughtful."
Ever since Shen Zhixiu became his brother-in-law, Su Yuanzhou had become more casual in his speech. However, he only dared to say this behind his back, and in person he still respectfully addressed him as "Teacher."
Song Hongshen shook his head. "I have to go find Zhang Pan first and explain the situation in Fujian to him."
Su Yuanzhou immediately said, "Don't go. Zhang Pan and I left the palace together. He went directly to the Qin family to apologize."
Song Hongshen thought about it and realized that Zhang Pan suddenly had to go to Fujian, so he had to give an explanation to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
The two of them took a carriage to Shen's house. When they got off the carriage, the autumn rain started to fall.
At this time, in the study in the west courtyard, Su Qingyu had just listened to Shen Zhixiu's account of what happened in the palace and was sighing.
Song Hongshen was actually the legitimate son of the late queen. This was news that shocked the entire capital.
Like everyone else, Su Qingyu first thought of the struggle for the throne.
Subconsciously asked: "Then the position of the crown prince..."
Before she could finish her question, Wen Zhu came from outside and said, "Third Master, Prince Zhongyong and Prince Ning are here."
Shen Zhixiu said: "Please come in, my two princes."
A moment later, Song Hongshen and Su Yuanzhou walked in.
Su Qingyu stood up, called out "brother", and greeted Song Hongshen.
Knowing that they had something to say, Su Qingyu said, "You guys chat, I'll go back first."
Although she said this, she actually wanted to hear what they had to say and what their plans were for the future.
I was thinking that when I asked Shen Zhixiu again in the evening, Shen Zhixiu had already spoken.
"It's raining outside, so don't bother. Just sit here and read a book while we chat."
Su Yuanzhou also said, "Don't go out. You're pregnant. What if you catch a cold?"
Upon hearing this, Su Qingyu sat down on the small couch and picked up the half-read notebook beside her.
Several people also sat together to discuss what to do next.
Shen Zhixiu asked Song Hongshen to keep a low profile and thoroughly investigate the crown prince first, and then discuss other matters after the investigation was complete.
The virtuous concubine and the crown prince had been operating in the court for many years, and it was not easy to completely eliminate them. Therefore, what Song Hongshen had to do was to accumulate strength first, and then find the right opportunity to deal a fatal blow to the crown prince.
If we talk about Song Hongshen's life experience being exposed, the person who would be happiest, apart from the emperor, would probably be Shen Zhixiu.
After falling out with the Crown Prince, Shen Zhixiu had carefully observed several of the princes. It seemed that they all lacked the talent to serve the emperor.
He even wondered in his heart whether the Great Zhou Dynasty had begun to decline.
Looking at history books, this has been the case in every dynasty. The absence of a wise ruler is the beginning of the dynasty's decline.
However, once Song Hongshen's background was made public, Shen Zhixiu felt that the Great Zhou had a successor.
Several people were talking about serious matters, and Su Qingyu did not interrupt. She sat on the small couch and read the storybook quietly.
But in fact, I couldn’t concentrate on it. My thoughts were wandering, wondering if the Su family was going to have a queen?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
