Chapter 46 Each has its own characteristics
Yan Cang reached out and pulled her closer, straightening her nightgown before speaking: "If you want to be the Empress—"
"It's not that I want to be empress," Chu Yunjin interrupted him, raising her hand. "I'm asking your thoughts. Do you want to be emperor?"
Yan Cang remained silent.
Chu Yunjin said, "Jinyue said that you made a pledge before the Emperor and all the officials that if you were to become the Grand Marshal of the Army, you would not be able to become the Crown Prince. Is that true?"
Yan Cang nodded: "Mm."
Chu Yunjin frowned: "Then you've never thought about becoming emperor?"
Yan Cang looked at her with a subtle expression: "The pledge I made only said that I could not be the crown prince, but it didn't say that I could not be the emperor."
Well?
Chu Yunjin was stunned.
Is this even possible?
Could this be the reason why the emperor has not designated an heir for so many years?
Chu Yunjin hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something but then stopped herself several times: "Then..."
Yan Cang asked gently, "What do you want to say?"
“Jin Yue said… my eldest brother is gay.” Chu Yun Jin lowered her head, feeling a mixture of curiosity and shame at prying into his private life. “He…”
Yan Cang leaned against the headboard, his unfastened silk nightgown slipping to the sides as he moved, revealing a large expanse of his muscular chest: "My eldest brother voluntarily gave up the throne, only wishing to grow old with his beloved. He was stripped of his title of Prince and is now just a County Prince, living a secluded life in the County Prince's Mansion."
The eldest prince of the Yong Dynasty, Yan Chen, was the eldest son of the emperor and empress, and was extremely noble. From birth, Emperor Zhaode had been grooming him as the future crown prince, and had invited famous teachers to teach him the Four Books and Five Classics, military strategy, the way of the common people, and the art of being an emperor.
All the officials believed that he would be the rightful crown prince of the Yong Dynasty.
No one expected that he would give up everything for a man.
When Emperor Zhaode learned the truth, he was more heartbroken and disappointed than angry. He couldn't bear to kill or punish the son to whom he had placed all his hopes. At one point, he only wanted to tear the culprit who had bewitched his son to pieces.
But Yan Chen stood in the hall, his expression unchanged, his will firm: "If he lives, I will live; however he dies, I will accompany him in the same way."
His attitude was so resolute.
He neither begged for mercy nor pleaded for leniency, maintaining a calm and unwavering attitude of sharing life and death, which angered the emperor to the point of fainting twice.
That day marked the most out-of-control Emperor Zhaode had been since his ascension to the throne.
The entire court was silent as a cicada in winter, and not a single person dared to impeach the eldest prince.
They were all frightened by the Crown Prince's words, fearing that the Emperor might unleash a massacre in a fit of rage. Who would dare to add fuel to the fire?
In the end, Yan Chen did not die, but was demoted to a county prince.
That person didn't die either.
They were imprisoned in the Prince's Mansion and were not allowed to step out of the mansion without an imperial edict.
Chu Yunjin was stunned, unsure whether to comment on the Crown Prince's deep affection or his fearlessness in the face of death, not only daring to lay bare such an unconventional relationship before the Emperor but also daring to threaten him with death.
He was probably the bravest prince in history.
She composed herself: "Did Father Emperor let him go later?"
Yan Cang nodded: "Father was willing to let him go not entirely because of the eldest brother's threat of death, but because of another person's attitude."
He didn't seem to care about Chu Yunjin's curiosity about the princes, nor did he become suspicious of Chu Yunjin because of a few questions, like Yan Jinyue did. Instead, he patiently answered her questions.
"Four years ago, the Prince's mansion was surrounded by imperial guards like an iron barrel. In the past two years, the imperial guards have withdrawn, and Father has also softened his attitude. My eldest brother can leave the mansion whenever he wants, but he is used to a secluded life and doesn't really like crowds."
Chu Yunjin heard these words, but her eyes were fixed on his chest, and she seriously suspected that he was deliberately seducing her.
However, Chu Yunjin had been bullied too badly last night, and now that she saw the beautiful scenery in front of her, she had no desire to be tempted at all.
She clung to his shoulders, her body limp and boneless as she leaned against him: "What kind of person was that man?"
Yan Cang was silent for a moment: "I can only say that he did not disappoint his eldest brother's insistence."
Chu Yunjin nodded slowly: "What about the Second Prince? What kind of person is the Second Prince?"
“My second brother is a master of criminal investigation,” Yan Cang said subtly. “He enjoys dealing with prisoners.”
Chu Yunjin opened her mouth wide.
“He has a rather eccentric personality.” Yan Cang carefully chose his words, worried that he might frighten her. “He likes to study all kinds of tortures that cause pain. He has no interest in playing power games or being an emperor. He just controls the imperial prison and enjoys outwitting and outmaneuvering the most vicious people.”
Chu Yunjin sighed silently.
People are indeed different.
Born into royalty, he disliked power and instead enjoyed researching torture.
Is this some kind of psychopath who enjoys torturing people?
Chu Yunjin asked, "Is he married?"
“Never,” Yan Cang shook his head. “No woman in the capital dares to marry him.”
Chu Yunjin bit her lip: "Didn't Father Emperor bestow a marriage upon him either?"
Yan Cang said calmly, "He will defy the imperial decree."
Chu Yunjin remained silent: "..."
The current emperor seems to have fathered a bunch of fearless sons.
"The second prince, Yan Yang, has a name that represents sunshine and uprightness, but his temperament is completely inconsistent with this name; he is like a person from the underworld."
Chu Yunjin remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Yan Cang's assessment.
He really does look like someone from the underworld.
The prince, who did not wish to rule the world and be the emperor above all others, nor did he care about the common people and do anything for them, nor did he covet wealth and glory and want to be a leisurely prince enjoying riches. Instead, he devoted himself to studying the cruel punishments of the imperial prison and dealing with prisoners in the underworld.
It's really incomprehensible.
Chu Yunjin's feelings were a bit complicated.
"The Third Prince's name is Yan Zheng. His mother comes from a military family and hoped he would have a strong and unyielding spirit." Yan Cang played with her hair, his voice tinged with a hint of languor. "But Yan Zheng..."
Chu Yunjin's lips twitched, as if she had already guessed something: "He's spineless?"
Yan Cang was silent for a moment: "Father described him as timid as a mouse and unfit for any important task."
Chu Yunjin remained silent: "..."
It can only be said that the princes each have their own characteristics, and these characteristics are very distinct and unique.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com