Chapter 2044: It’s not okay not to give her an answer
Nan Yan smiled carefully and said, "Don't worry, Queen. The Prince of Wei is now grown up, sensible and mature. The Emperor is very pleased to see his progress. How could he face any difficulties?"
Xu Miaoyin glanced at her.
That look clearly said: You know the answer but still ask?
Nan Yan's heart trembled at the look in her eyes, and she lowered her head. Xu Miaoyin thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, I'm borrowing your auspicious words."
“…”
"But, who wouldn't have had their ups and downs as a child growing up in the palace?"
“…”
"Just like our emperor, he went through so much hardship growing up. Even now that he's the emperor, he still travels around and fights battles every day. Back then—"
When she said this, her expression froze slightly.
It was as if I was trapped in a whirlpool of memories of the past.
After a long while, he murmured, "Back then, he had a lot of bumpy roads to walk on."
Nan Yan whispered, "Is it... is it the late emperor?"
Xu Miaoyin glanced at her and said, "It's the prince."
“…”
"The Emperor's eldest brother."
Nan Yan's expression was slightly stern.
She knew very little about the former prince. The only time she had heard about him was when Zhu Feng talked about his past with Ye Zheng's brother, Ye Quan.
At that time, Zhu Feng always thought that Ye Quan was an undercover agent sent by the prince to be by his side.
But before Ye Quan died, he told him that it was not the case.
Because Zhu Feng saved Ye Zheng, he never passed the news about Zhu Feng to the prince. Later, they guessed that the person who passed the news was Qin Ruolan.
And standing behind the thick fog was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
It was precisely because of his early death that Emperor Gao was so grief-stricken that he even appointed his son as the Crown Prince. It was also because of this that the seeds of the later Jingnan Campaign were sown.
To be exact, among the concubines around Zhu Feng, only the Princess of Yan and Concubine De Xinqing, who had served him since childhood, had met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Nan Yan said softly, "The Emperor's elder brother...isn't he good to the Emperor?"
As she said this, she herself felt that she was asking a question even though she already knew the answer.
If it had been better, then what happened later wouldn't have happened.
But Xu Miaoyin was silent for a while, then said, "Of course."
"Well?"
Nan Yan looked at him in surprise.
Xu Miaoyin said, "Big brother, he's a very generous man. His brothers all have bad tempers. They had a lot of conflicts when they were still in Jinling. Before I married into Prince Yan's mansion, I also heard about them fighting several times, but as long as Big brother stepped in, he would always suppress them."
“…”
"Brothers, if you make a mistake, you can't escape from the late emperor."
“…”
"But thanks to his thoroughness, they were able to escape punishment."
“…”
"So... even though our emperor is a bit arrogant, he has always been very respectful to this elder brother."
Nan Yan looked at her in surprise.
She had always thought that, judging from the fact that the former crown prince sent people to monitor the actions of the Prince of Yan, the crown prince was very harsh to the former Prince of Yan, and even had been calculating against him. However, she did not expect that from the queen's mouth, he was actually a very generous brother.
She asked in confusion: "How could it be——"
Xu Miaoyin glanced at her and smiled helplessly: "It doesn't matter what a person's character is like. What matters is the kind of people who serve him."
“…”
"Big brother has always been very lenient towards our emperor, but the people around him don't think so."
“…”
"Especially—the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor."
Nan Yan's heart sank slightly.
Qin Zhengqi was an important official of the previous dynasty and the Prince's Junior Tutor.
Was it because of him that the relationship between the deceased Crown Prince and the Emperor gradually became distant?
Xu Miaoyin said slowly, "The Emperor was always very outstanding among his brothers. When he was young, the late Emperor doted on him. At one point, there were even rumors in the court that the late Emperor intended to make him the Crown Prince."
“…”
"Although the eldest brother doesn't care much about it, the people around him have always been very concerned about these rumors."
“…”
"Later, the Emperor went to Peking to establish his government and command the Northern Army, while the Crown Prince remained in Nanjing. The two of them hadn't seen each other for years, and their relationship gradually grew distant. But despite this, the Emperor still respected this elder brother, and the elder brother was still very kind to him."
“…”
After hearing this, Nan Yan couldn't help but sigh.
Speaking of which, Zhu Feng is also a man who values friendship and loyalty. The folk rumors that the former prince was kind and benevolent are true when heard from the queen.
However, being caught in the vortex of power, no matter how deep the brotherhood is, it is inevitable that it will break one day.
This is truly a tragedy.
Seeing Nan Yan's expression filled with emotion, Xu Miaoyin sighed softly and said, "In fact, you don't know that even after the vassal state was cut down and the Yanwang Mansion was surrounded by soldiers, he still mentioned Big Brother to me."
"Oh? What did he say?"
"The Emperor said—"
Xu Miaoyin glanced at her, her eyes twinkling as she said, "Although the brothers have different personalities and abilities, none of them had any other thoughts while the eldest brother was alive."
“…”
"If Big Brother were still here, he wouldn't move."
“…”
"After all, an eldest brother is like a father. With him around, everything is different."
“…”
Nan Yan frowned slightly and said nothing.
This is true.
Regardless of Zhu Feng's temperament or methods, he certainly had no such thoughts when the former crown prince was still alive.
It can be seen that he has awe for his elder brother.
However, Xu Miaoyin told her this not to let her know this.
Nan Yan looked at Xu Miaoyin, only to see her turn her head and look at her. She smiled and said, "Although the emperor is destined to succeed, you and I both know how hard it is for the emperor to shoulder the responsibility of carrying this country on his shoulders."
“…”
"If Big Brother were still here, none of these incidents would have happened."
“…”
"Your Majesty, it wouldn't be so hard, wouldn't it?"
Nan Yan forced a smile and said, "Yeah..."
"Then, Nan Yan,"
Xu Miaoyin looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Do you think Cheng Xuan has the qualifications and ability to be a father to his elder brother?"
“…”
Nan Yan's heart sank again.
Finally, we've come to this point.
What Xu Miaoyin was talking about was not the qualifications and ability of an elder brother who was like a father, but the qualifications and ability of being a prince.
If it was before this, Nan Yan’s answer would be yes.
But last night, after Zhu Feng said those words to her, she became hesitant again.
It’s not that she doubts Cheng Xuan, but she doesn’t want to make any hasty decisions before the matter between King Wei and Gu Qiqing is resolved.
In fact, she also had an idea of her own.
But now, the queen has come to her and asked, and judging from her expression, it is impossible not to give her an answer.
Nan Yan hesitated: "My Lady, I——"
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