Chapter 25 He trusts the Golden Stage and he is willing.
Zhao Yan looked at his always doting mother in disbelief, his face wrinkled. "Mother! You can't treat me like this!"
How could Empress Nangong not feel sorry for her child? But at this point, she couldn't let Zhao Yan continue to act like this: "Hurry up and help His Highness back!"
After that, several young eunuchs gathered around him, helped the young man out and said, "Your Highness, let's go."
"Mother! Please, help me this time! Mother!" Zhao Yan was no match for so many people, and Shui Lingling was dragged out.
Over the next few days, the honor guard began its march toward Yujing, but Zhao Yan was bound and placed in a sedan chair. The ropes were made of silk, strong but not chafing. The Jinling Army surrounded the young man's sedan chair in circles, ensuring that no further accidents would occur.
The young eunuch brought two large trays of food and said, "Your Highness, I have just gone to the Empress, but she still refuses to see you."
Zhao Yan couldn't move his hands, but luckily he could still speak. He looked at the plates of exquisite food in the food drawer, swallowed his saliva, and turned his head away: "Then I won't eat. You go tell mother that I want to talk to him. If mother doesn't see me for a day, I won't eat for a day!"
The young eunuch said nothing, placed the food in front of the boy, and then knelt respectfully.
Zhao Yan opened one eye and turned to look at the silent eunuch: "Hey, did you hear that? I asked you to go find my mother."
The young eunuch said nothing. He picked up the silver chopsticks and scooped up a piece of fresh fish meat. "Your Highness, the Queen said you love sea bass the most."
Zhao Yan: “…”
After two days of hunger strike, the Queen Mother still refused to give in.
"I! Don't! Eat!"
The young eunuch put the food down and continued to kneel. Zhao Yan was really at his wit's end. He hadn't eaten for two days and was so hungry that he wanted to bite someone. But he knew that his mother could only hold on for five days at most. Thinking of this, he simply closed his eyes and went to sleep.
…
The next day, the honor guard arrived in Yujing, and civil and military officials came to greet them.
Zhao Yan was forced to be busy all day and only entered the Taiji Palace at the hour of You in the evening.
But he still didn't eat a single bite.
In the evening, Zhao Yan was arranged to live in the Zichen Palace where he lived before leaving Beijing, while Queen Nangong stayed in the Jiaofang Palace.
Before midnight, Emperor Yuanwu came. Zhao Yan was still lying in bed, too hungry to walk.
It is unprecedented in history that an emperor bowed to his youngest son.
But Emperor Yuanwu doted on Zhao Yan so much.
The emperor was coming, and all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Purple Palace were waiting in fear. It was not until the emperor arrived at the door of the Purple Palace that Zhao Yan had to get up to greet him. However, he had not eaten for three days, and he felt dizzy when he walked. He could only kneel on the ground with his head down.
"Welcome, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Emperor Yuanwu was already over seventy years old, with gray hair on his temples, but he was still strong and powerful, looking like a man in his forties or fifties.
Emperor Yuanwu, dressed in a black robe, walked up to his youngest son whom he hadn't seen for over ten years. Looking at his lonely figure, it would be a lie to say he didn't feel distressed. "My son, you haven't seen your father for many years. Don't kneel."
Zhao Yan nodded, but he couldn't stand up. "Thank you, father."
When Emperor Yuanwu heard what Empress Nangong had said about Zhao Yan and Yong Shaolan, and saw that he had tortured himself so much for a man, he wanted to kick him over, but when he saw the child staggering to his feet, he couldn't help but feel distressed.
Emperor Yuanwu raised his hand to signal for the young eunuch to stand up, then he walked over and supported Zhao Yan: "Go in and talk to father."
"..." Zhao Yan nodded and let go of his father's hand: "Yes."
Emperor Yuanwu walked side by side with Zhao Yan and signaled to the eunuchs and palace maids behind him: "All of you step back."
…
The Purple Palace was the residence of the crown prince of the previous dynasty. After Emperor Wu of Yuan conquered the country, he ruled the country frugally and did not renovate the palace, but still gave the best-preserved Purple Palace to Zhao Yan as his bedroom.
Not only that, in the ten years since he left, someone has cleaned the Zichen Hall every day and kept it in its original state.
The father and son entered the room. Zhao Yan waited for his father to sit down and then told him to sit down. Then he sat down slowly and said, "Father, I have made you and mother worried."
Emperor Yuanwu: "Since you know your parents are worried, why don't you eat?"
Zhao Yan said nothing: "..."
Emperor Yuanwu: "Your mother has told your father everything."
Emperor Yuanwu was born into a bandit family. To consolidate his imperial power, he had worn out almost everything ingrained in him. Only in front of his wife and children would he be willing to act like a father and a husband: "Ayan, you are my father's most beloved child. Since your mother gave birth to you, I have no other children."
"Ten years ago, you fell into the water in winter and had a high fever that wouldn't go away. You almost lost your life. When you regained consciousness and met your father for the first time, you said you didn't want to be the crown prince. You said your elder brother was kind and benevolent, and asked your father to make him the heir."
"Father promised you."
"Afterwards, you didn't want to stay in the capital, and the emperor agreed to your request."
"Now, you want me to give up my kingdom for a man. I still want to agree to your request."
"But Ah Yan, my father is the emperor, the Son of Heaven. I will die without regret, but I cannot take the lives of the people of the world lightly. Father has let the Yong family down, but I am the emperor, and Prince Yong holds the military power, so I have no choice but to do this."
Zhao Yan shook his head: "...Brother Lan is very good to me."
What the emperor said might be true, but he didn't want to hear a single word. Zhao Yan turned his head away.
"Forget it." Emperor Yuanwu naturally noticed it and heaved a long sigh: "Since you are willing to be with him, then this-"
…
Zhao Yan was dazed after hearing what Emperor Yuanwu said: "Are you asking Brother Lan to hand over the tiger talisman? Stay in Yujing and marry me?"
Zhao Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Father, do you want Brother Lan to be a hostage?"
The emperor's father did not agree with his marriage to Brother Lan, simply because he was afraid that Brother Lan would bear a grudge against him for the poisoning. But if Brother Lan handed over his military power, lost his position as regent, and remained in Yujing, he would not be able to cause any trouble - the emperor was so ruthless!
Emperor Yuanwu nodded and said, "Well, since you said he treats you well, then you should ask him to hand over the tiger talisman and stay in Yujing to be your husband."
"..." Zhao Yan was a little moved: "This, this is possible."
But he was not sure whether Brother Lan was willing to make such a huge sacrifice, and Brother Lan did not know that he was the Seventh Prince.
But Zhao Yan is confident, he is very good at judging people!
Zhao Yan: "But I lied to Brother Lan, and I'm afraid he'll be sulking for a while, and he needs some time to comfort him."
"That's something you have to find a way to do," Emperor Yuanwu chuckled and looked at the young man. "Father's birthday banquet will be held soon. After the banquet, father will give you another month. If you can convince Shao Lan to hand over his military power and resign in Beijing in a month, father will agree to your marriage. Otherwise--"
Zhao Yan asked, "If not...what will Father do?"
Emperor Yuanwu: "If not, Shaolan will not be able to leave Yujing alive."
"Ayan, do you dare to make a bet with our father?"
Zhao Yan's body softened and he fell off the chair to the ground: "Child..."
Zhao Yan leaned on the chair and stood up. An idea suddenly occurred to him: "Let's bet!"
He was willing to give it a try and work hard to make it up to Brother Lan. If what his father said was true, Brother Lan would not be able to let go of the hatred... No, he believed in Brother Lan's character.
Zhao Yan staggered, holding onto his chair. Emperor Yuanwu stood up and pulled the young man aside. "Okay, then I'll allow you to leave the palace. You can do whatever you want. I'll talk to your mother, the Queen Mother, and your father will speak to you."
"Well, father, you are the best." Zhao Yan leaned on the emperor's shoulder with great effort, and took a breath weakly, "Father..."
Emperor Yuanwu said solemnly, "Hmm," and asked, "Anything else?"
Zhao Yan closed his eyes and leaned against Emperor Yuanwu: "I'm so hungry..."
"Hahaha," Emperor Yuanwu was delighted. He grabbed the boy's arm and threw him onto the small couch. "Come here, serve the meal."
…
Emperor Yuanwu had a meal with Zhao Yan.
The last time father and son met was when Zhao Yan was eight years old. At that time, Emperor Yuanwu's doting on the young man was unparalleled, and he wanted his son to ride on his head during court.
After dinner, Emperor Yuanwu coaxed Zhao Yan to sleep before returning to the Pepper Room.
Empress Nangong helped Emperor Yuanwu undress and asked worriedly, "How's that child Ah Yan? Is he still throwing a tantrum?"
Emperor Yuanwu: "I have agreed to let him see Shao Lan."
Queen Nangong: “…”
"Your Majesty, how can you be so arrogant and indulgent towards Ah Yan? What should we do if Yong Shaolan sees Ah Yan and his symptoms improve, and he becomes rebellious?"
"Don't worry, Empress," Emperor Yuanwu explained the situation to her. "I know Shaolan well. He might actually be willing to hand over his military power and live an ordinary life with Ayan. If he's willing, I'll return the military power to him after a hundred years. This will be just as I planned from the beginning."
Emperor Wu of Yuan: "If he is unwilling, I will kill him directly. His death will only cause chaos in Liaodong for a while. But for Ah Yan, no matter what the result is, it will be a hundred benefits and no harm."
Upon hearing this, Empress Nangong finally felt relieved: "Your Majesty is indeed thoughtful."
She is not a benevolent queen, she just wants her child to be healthy.
…
Zhao Yan's wish was fulfilled, but he also encountered a difficult problem.
That is, he couldn't be sure that Brother Lan would agree to him directly. After all, before he left, Brother Lan was really angry about being poisoned!
Zhao Yan could only think of ways to proceed step by step, such as asking Shen Buyu to come back and pretend to be himself, and then he would pretend to be Shen Yan and slowly coax Brother Lan.
But he is the seventh prince of Dayan, and he has to attend his father's birthday banquet. How could he let Shen Buyu pretend to be him?
He pondered this for three to five days, and then explosive news suddenly came from Yujing.
"Have you heard?"
"The Prince Regent was ambushed by assassins on his way back to the capital. He was stranded in the mountains and was picked up by a man. However, that man and the Prince got together and then ran away!"
"It is said that the palace arrested a bunch of people and tortured them yesterday. It seems that he is really angry."
At that time——
Zhao Yan, wearing a veiled hat, sat in a teahouse in Yujing City, waiting for the Jinling Army to inquire about Yong Shaolan's news.
Hearing these words, Zhao Yan, who was leaning on a bamboo chair, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
At this time, the Jinling Army, who had gone to the palace in plain clothes to gather information, returned. He walked up to the young man and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, the prince has returned home safely. He has indeed arrested and tortured many people."
Zhao Yan heard this and shuddered with fear, her body splattered with tea fragrance. She fumbled with her hands and muttered, "Let's go. I, I have to go back to the palace to prepare a gift for the prince."
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