Chapter 16 Suspicion
At this time, the eldest princess was telling Emperor Wu of Qin about her encounter with the wolf pack today.
Emperor Wu of Qin listened attentively, then pulled the eldest princess to his side and looked her over carefully. He looked at his most beautiful and sensible daughter with an expression of deep love, "Your Highness has been frightened today. Drink a cup of soothing tea and have a good rest!"
"As for those young men and women who bravely killed the wolves, my father will reward them handsomely."
"Just based on those four children's own abilities, they were able to save my two princesses and so many young men and women. It's quite remarkable."
"I'm particularly curious about the 'master archer' you mentioned, and the young woman from the Dingbei Marquis's mansion who is as capable as any man. After a couple of days, when I'm free, I'll summon them to meet and see who they are that my beloved daughter admires so much."
When the father and daughter were talking, their actions and expressions were very intimate, creating a scene of loving father and filial son.
It looks enviable.
While the father and daughter were talking, four handsome princes stood tall and gracefully on both sides. No one interrupted them, and they listened quietly to the conversation between the father and daughter.
A handsome and aloof man sat expressionlessly on the chair next to him, drinking tea leisurely.
It seemed as if nothing around him could arouse his interest.
He covered his mouth and coughed lightly from time to time, looking very weak.
He seemed to be listening to the conversation between the eldest princess and the emperor, but it also seemed as if he was not listening at all, and he looked absent-minded.
He is the current crown prince Huo Yuchen, and also the eldest princess's biological brother.
The former prince was gentle and courteous, and treated everyone around him with warmth and kindness like a gentle breeze, making people want to get close to him.
But starting more than three years ago, he lost his original gentleness and became gloomy and cold. His personality also became unpredictable, making it impossible to understand his thoughts.
Even the style of clothing is completely different from before.
In the past, he mostly liked to wear light-colored clothes, which, combined with his often gentle and smiling face, made people feel as if a gentle breeze was blowing on their faces, extremely warm and comfortable.
Later, he always liked to wear dark clothes, and it was rare to see a smile on his face. He had no expression all year round, and he looked like a dignified, steady and unattainable young man.
It often makes people feel like they are being kept at a distance.
In recent years, his health has been very poor and he often falls seriously ill.
The coughing never stopped and accompanied him all year round.
In the past, his hair was as black and shiny as a waterfall. He inherited the beautiful long hair of Queen Wei. But now it is dry and gray, and no longer as shiny as before.
Huo Yuchen always looks sick and pale, and lacks his former radiant demeanor.
Although countless imperial physicians and doctors were consulted, the real cause of the disease was not found, let alone improvement.
Princess Huo Yaoshi looked at her brother deeply, and seeing his extremely cold look, she stopped thinking about communicating with him.
Emperor Wu of Qin glanced at the grown-up princes. Each of them was handsome and elegant. On the surface, he looked like a kind father, but in his heart he was always observing them, trying to understand their behavior and thoughts thoroughly.
As he got older and his body became less strong, his sense of crisis grew.
He was afraid that his sons, who would gradually grow into towering trees, would covet his throne. It can be said that he would ruthlessly cut off any son who dared to extend his claws, leaving no room for them and without considering any father-son relationship.
Emperor Wu of Qin glanced around before his eyes fell on the eldest princess and the crown prince.
Seeing that the brother and sister were so distant and never interacted with each other privately, and now that they finally met, they didn't even say a single extra word. Instead, he chuckled with relief.
Today, the lineage of Queen Wei is powerful and has complex connections.
Although I supported him, as he got older, he became more cautious, thought more deeply, and became more suspicious.
No matter how much you pamper a woman, she will lose her radiance over time.
Now, Empress Wei has long been old and her beauty has faded. Emperor Wu of Qin no longer has the deep affection for her he once had, and his love has long since disappeared without a trace over the years.
His mind had long been on the younger and more beautiful Concubine Li, Concubine Zhao, and Concubine Wang Shu.
Those young and beautiful bodies made him linger and never get tired of it.
Apart from the consideration of face and the ties between his children, his relationship with Queen Wei became increasingly distant.
With suspicion, he certainly did not want the Queen's line to have too much power and be too united.
Now seeing that the brother and sister were like strangers, Emperor Wu of Qin was actually happy to see it happen.
In recent years, the prince has been in poor health and has been very indifferent to state affairs, which is something Emperor Wu of Qin is even more pleased to see.
Now his health is declining, and he really doesn't want to see the scene of "the father is weak and the son is strong". Although he is old, his desire for control of power is getting stronger and stronger.
He didn't want anyone to take away his imperial power, not even his own son.
Now, he has eight sons who are as fierce as wolves and tigers, and they have all grown up. The position of crown prince does not have to belong to Huo Yuchen alone.
If we talk about his most beloved woman now, it must be Concubine Li. He now prefers the fourth prince and the sixth prince born to Concubine Li, especially the fourth prince Huo Yu, who is deeply relied upon and favored by him.
In recent years, many important tasks have been assigned to him, and the intention of training him is very obvious.
Now that the crown prince has not committed any major faults, it is impossible to depose him. We can only wait for an opportunity.
Emperor Wu of Qin glanced at the Crown Prince calmly and instructed the other princes, "Go and comfort the injured princes and ladies on my behalf! Comfort them well and bring more medicinal herbs!"
Huo Yuchen and the other princes saluted solemnly, "Your son obeys your order!"
After saying that, several people walked out.
Emperor Wu of Qin kept the eldest princess and asked, "I heard that after your sister was rescued, she secretly ran back on her own. Is that true?"
"The imperial sister said she came back to ask for help, but I haven't seen her yet." The eldest princess spoke the truth, but did not think about how her father knew about this.
Emperor Wu of Qin narrowed his eyes slightly, but his face remained expressionless.
He continued to ask, "Huai'an didn't even go to save her cousin Lin Chuyan?"
"Yes! Huai'an said that if her secret guards were injured, there would be no one to protect her. I told her that she couldn't just stand by and watch someone die, so she said she would go get help. After she left, she never came back."
After hearing this, Emperor Wu of Qin looked solemn. He had never expected that his daughter would be so heartless and ungrateful. She was completely different from the well-behaved and sensible girl she appeared in front of him.
It seems that her daughter is really unexpected!
In front of him and in front of outsiders, she has completely two different faces!
The father and daughter chatted affectionately for a while before Emperor Wu of Qin let the eldest princess leave.
After the eldest princess left, Emperor Wu of Qin's eyes gradually became sharper and his face became colder.
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