Chapter 3588: Repeated cycle, endless life
They traveled very slowly, setting out at the end of September and arriving in Nanjing in late November. Concubine Yi and Princess Yongping had long known of the Emperor's injury and had personally gone to the city to greet him.
They had been gone for more than half a year. When they met again, they found that Yongping had grown a lot taller. She was wearing a bright red jacket and looked as delicate as a porcelain doll. Zhu Feng sat in the golden carriage and asked Concubine Yi to bring her daughter up so that he could hold her. Nan Yan looked at his chest worriedly. Zhu Feng smiled and said to her, "Don't worry."
Nan Yan shook her head helplessly, got off the carriage, and went to ride with Concubine Yi.
Although Yongping had grown closer to her father during her journey south, she was still a little nervous when they met again after more than half a year. She carefully looked up at Zhu Feng's smiling face, holding his rough index finger with both hands. Zhu Feng bent his finger to tease her and said, "Did you miss your father?"
Yongping nodded: "I do."
Zhu Feng smiled and said, "How much do you miss it?"
Yongping immediately raised his hand and drew a big circle in front of him: "I think so."
Zhu Feng burst into laughter.
His smile nearly toppled Yongping from his embrace. Zhu Feng hurriedly reached out to hug his little daughter, but the movement immediately strained his chest. He couldn't help but frown and utter a "hmm."
Yongping immediately said, "What's wrong with Father?"
Zhu Feng smiled and shook his head hurriedly: "It's okay."
As he spoke, he teased his daughter and the carriage slowly moved forward.
Nan Yan, who was sitting in the back carriage, had changed carriages, but her mind was still on the front carriage. It was not until Concubine Yi called her a second time that she suddenly came to her senses and turned around to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong with you, sister?"
Concubine Yi whispered, "Is it the Emperor's injury? Is the Emperor really injured?"
Nan Yan asked, "Do you know?"
Concubine Yi said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent someone to Yongzhou to pay his respects and kowtow to the Emperor. When he returned, he also kowtowed to me. I only found out about this when I asked him about it. Sister, you are so mean! Why didn't you tell me such a big thing?"
An ordinary person would have suspected Nan Yan was deliberately concealing the truth, wanting to remain by the emperor's side and enjoy his favor, without allowing other concubines to share Zhu Feng's affection. However, she and Concubine Yi had known each other for many years, so she had no such reservations. She sighed and said, "I really want to tell you, but the journey is long and arduous. If I tell you, you'll worry in vain."
Concubine Yi also sighed.
She also understood that even if she knew about this, she couldn't bring Princess Yongping all the way to Yongzhou without the emperor's summons. Furthermore, that place was already the front line during the war, too dangerous for her. Even if she was willing to take the risk herself, she couldn't let her daughter take it.
She asked again, "I heard that we won the battle this time?"
Speaking of this, Nan Yan also smiled: "That's right, the emperor is very happy."
Concubine Yi considered it for a moment before saying, "Then that—"
She got stuck mid-sentence, but Nan Yan already knew what she was going to say. She was definitely going to ask about Li Bushang. However, Li Bushang was considered one of her men, and Concubine Yi was worried that asking would offend her. She smiled bitterly and said calmly, "I know what you're going to ask. There are only three commanders left in the Jinyiwei."
Concubine Yi held her breath.
She carefully moved closer to Nan Yan and whispered in her ear, "That Li Bu Shang is really from Yue State, Yue State—"
Nan Yan said: "The former crown prince of Yue State is now the king of Yue State."
Concubine Yi gasped.
She sat there thinking blankly for a long time before she sighed and said, "This person is too tolerant."
Nan Yan smiled bitterly and said, "Who can't endure if they want to do great things?"
Concubine Yi thought for a while before saying, "I just can't believe that when Your Majesty brought him back, he was just a child, yet he could have such deep scheming and cunning thoughts."
Nan Yan thought back to the skinny little kid from back then and could only sigh.
Seeing her like this, Concubine Yi didn't know what to say. After all, this matter was a scar in the Imperial Concubine's heart. So she said, "No matter what, it's good that the matter is resolved. If he stayed with the Empress forever, that would be worrying."
As she spoke, she smiled again, "I also heard that His Royal Highness the Prince of Han has made great contributions this time. Your Majesty can now rest assured."
Nan Yan snorted softly and said, "Why should I be so worried?"
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "Your Highness the Prince of Han will be highly valued by the Emperor in the future."
Nan Yan shook her head and said with a wry smile, "Fighting and killing all day long, if someone gets hurt, that's what I'm most worried about."
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you're worrying too much. I'll just look after His Royal Highness the Prince of Han. He's so brave and strong at such a young age, and with the Emperor's divine protection, he'll be able to accomplish great things in the future. For boys, it's not a bad thing to get out and run around more."
Nan Yan smiled bitterly and said nothing.
She knew this very well, but besides worrying about her son, she also had another layer of worry in her heart that she couldn't express.
As the next generation of children grows stronger, it is inevitable that the older generation will gradually decline.
The cycle repeats itself endlessly, this is not life, but nature.
Thinking of the wound on Zhu Feng’s chest, although it seems to have healed now, the wound is like a mark on her heart, and it will come out from time to time to make her feel heartbroken.
But she couldn't say these words to Concubine Yi, so she just smiled faintly and walked away.
Soon, they returned to Jinling Prefecture.
Zhu Feng only stayed here for two days. After a short rest, he took the imperial concubine, the Yi concubine, and several children on a boat northward. They did not travel fast and even stopped at some scenic places for sightseeing. This journey took several months and they finally returned to Peking in the early spring of the following year.
This is the best time of year in Beijing, with the winter snow melting and the spring breeze blowing gently.
Zhu Feng had already issued an oral order, not allowing the crown prince and officials in the capital to come to receive him, so officials from various departments could only stay at their posts. The crown prince did not dare to be negligent, and led the crown princess and the people in the palace to wait at the South Palace Gate. Finally, around noon, they saw the emperor's carriage returning to the palace. Everyone hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowed and shouted "Long live the emperor".
Zhu Feng slowly got down from the carriage.
It's been a long time since we last met.
He originally stretched out his arms to relax, but when he moved a little too much, his chest became tense and uncomfortable, so he immediately lowered his arms.
Nan Yan, who was standing by, naturally saw it, but didn't say much.
At this moment, the Crown Prince had already led the Crown Princess forward to kowtow and pay their respects. Zhu Feng looked at them and simply said, "No need to be so polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, a small figure stood out from behind the two of them, saluted respectfully towards Zhu Feng, and said in a crisp voice: "Greetings to Grandpa Emperor!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com