Chapter 211 Partiality
"Let my son come and sit next to your father." After everyone left, the emperor's anger disappeared, and he became like a truly loving father.
Prince Cheng sat down as he was told, and just as he sat down, his hand was held.
Prince Cheng's eyes flickered slightly. Although he was still alive, he was the least favored prince by the emperor. He had never received such treatment since he was a child. He asked for it but could not get it when he was a child. But now that he has grown up, he unexpectedly enjoys it.
But soon, Prince Cheng said softly, "Father, please take good care of yourself."
The emperor coughed twice, shook his head, and said, "How can my health be good with these two evil sons around?"
Prince Cheng's eyes flashed with sarcasm, but he offered words of comfort, "Crown Prince...Although my elder brother made a mistake in a moment of confusion, leading to this situation today, he is still my elder brother after all. I believe he must have realized his mistake by now."
The emperor said coldly, "It's too late to realize your mistake now. Even if I can forgive him, how can the people of the world forgive him?"
Prince Cheng remained silent, and the emperor started coughing again, and it took him a while to recover. It was obvious that the emperor, who had always been in good health, was no longer in good health after this incident.
This is the case when you get older. Even if you drink fine wine, a serious illness can seriously damage your vitality.
Seeing him keep silent, the emperor continued, "The Crown Prince has already acted like this, and your fourth brother isn't a broad-minded person. After a hundred years, who will the Great Zhou Dynasty rely on? The thought of this keeps me awake day and night."
Prince Cheng whispered, "Your Majesty, why do you have to do this? Fourth Brother has always been known for his virtue. Even though he's now... missing an ear won't affect his ability to handle state affairs. Your Majesty has always loved Fourth Brother, so I'm sure he won't mind."
After hearing this, the emperor looked up at Prince Cheng, sighed, and said, "Your fourth brother... is older now and has many thoughts on his mind. The Xu family is ambitious and I'm afraid he is simple-minded and will be fooled."
Prince Cheng's eyes flashed with sarcasm: "Father, Fourth Brother is not a stupid person."
The emperor suddenly said, "If you were a man, I wouldn't have to worry."
Prince Cheng lowered his head and said calmly, "Whether it's a boy or a girl is determined by heaven. I've disappointed your father."
"Don't say that." The emperor grasped his hand tightly and continued, "I know in my heart that I have wronged you all these years. Your mother was confused for a moment back then, and I didn't expect that it would harm you for the rest of your life."
Prince Cheng sneered inwardly. If the Second and Third Princes hadn't died young, and rumors had spread in the palace that were unfavorable to Empress Yuan, how could he have survived? His mother's impersonation of the princess as a prince was also a sign of his connivance.
The emperor pressed the issue, "Fang'er, have you ever felt resentment?"
Prince Cheng smiled and said, "Father, being a prince is much more comfortable than being a princess. I would like to thank you, Father and Mother, for giving me this opportunity so that I am not confined to the inner courtyard."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's heart, which had finally awakened a little bit of guilt, felt relieved. He nodded and said, "Yes, if you were a princess, you would have been married and had children by now, and you wouldn't be in charge of the guards."
"Alas, if Ah Le hadn't injured his body in his early years and had become increasingly weak in recent years, I wouldn't have anyone to use, and I wouldn't have let a girl like you wield swords and guns. I don't know if Su Fengzhang would dislike it."
Prince Cheng raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Father, why are you mentioning him?"
Seeing that he seemed a little unhappy, the emperor skipped the topic and continued, "I think Su Fengzhang is quite talented. Let him work hard in the Ministry of Revenue. Xu Siyuan will have to retire sooner or later."
Prince Cheng's eyes moved, and he began to understand the emperor's intention of leaving him alone. He was afraid that the Fourth Prince would become too powerful and could not only force the Crown Prince to be deposed, but even replace him.
Sure enough, the next moment, the emperor said: "The two people I can trust are Prince Rong and you."
Prince Cheng quickly said, "Father..."
The emperor patted the back of her hand and continued, "I know what you want to say."
"Prince Rong is seriously ill and cannot work hard. Now, only by handing the Imperial Guards over to you can I sleep peacefully."
Prince Cheng whispered, "Father, I'm willing to die for you, but is this inappropriate?"
The emperor said, "What's wrong? You have done very well these past few days."
After saying this, he started coughing again, and it took a long time for him to calm down. He continued, "He Jun and He Jing's wedding is imminent. Once they are married, I will feel more at ease."
"When the time comes, He Jun will be gone. With you in the palace, I will be able to rest assured."
"Although you are young, you are all descendants of generals who have fought on the battlefield and seen blood. I believe you can protect the country and its people."
I am afraid that protecting the country and the people is fake, and guarding the palace is real.
Prince Cheng knew what the emperor was thinking at once. He had sent He Jun to the Ministry of War because, firstly, he had witnessed the influence of the He family in the army and He Jun's own military talent, and secondly, he was impressed by He Jun's extremely poor relationships with the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince.
Prince Rong is now seriously ill and has been struggling to survive these days. Seeing this, the emperor wants to take him out for a walk.
Prince Cheng could only say, "I will definitely live up to your father's trust."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Your fourth brother has always been a man who will take advantage of others. If he shows any kindness to you, just refuse him and don't pay any more attention to him."
"Okay, the matter is over. You should go back and rest early."
After saying this, the emperor closed his eyes again. When Prince Cheng was about to leave the inner hall, he suddenly said, "If you have time, it wouldn't hurt for you to visit Concubine De more often."
Walking out of the bedroom, Prince Cheng could hardly hide the sneer on his face. What was this? They wanted to use him but refused to give him any benefits. In the end, sending him to the cold palace became a privilege.
Prince Cheng had no intention of strolling around the cold palace and left the harem directly.
Even though he had long known that His Majesty was biased, Prince Cheng still felt a chill in his heart today. Letting him command the Imperial Guard seemed to be a great honor, but it alienated him from the Fourth Prince, who might eventually ascend to the throne of Emperor.
Has his good father ever thought that he has completely offended the Crown Prince, and now he is going to offend the Fourth Prince. No matter which of them comes to power in the future, he will not have a good time.
Yes, when has he ever considered these things? After all, as long as the emperor's throne is safe and secure, everything else can be used.
Seeing Prince Cheng coming back with a gloomy face, the people in Prince Cheng's mansion were trembling with fear and didn't even dare to make any sound when they walked.
There was no hostess in Prince Cheng's mansion. In the past, it was the steward beside Prince Cheng who made the decisions. Seeing this, the steward whispered, "Your Highness, the soup is ready. Would you like to take a bath?"
Prince Cheng pinched his brows and asked, "Has anything happened in the palace these days?"
The housekeeper quickly reported: "Nothing happened in the palace, but..."
Receiving the look from Prince Cheng, the butler immediately replied, "But Lord Su does have a small matter."
"After Madam Liu's funeral, Lord Su came to visit and express his gratitude, but the prince was still in the palace at the time, and I didn't dare to make the decision on my own, so I had to refuse Lord Su's request."
Prince Cheng T nodded and asked calmly, "Has he not been here since then?"
The butler didn't know what he meant, but he also knew that his prince was very kind to Lord Su and would always share some of the rewards from the emperor with him.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Later, Lord Su went to the palace gate several times. He must have learned from Prince Rong that the prince had not left the palace, so he did not come again."
Prince Cheng frowned and asked, "What is he doing at the palace gate?"
There was a lot of commotion at the palace gate a few days ago, but many officials wanted to avoid it. Su Fengzhang was not a person who liked to join in the fun. He must have some suspicions about the deposed prince, so why did he go there?
The butler shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I only know that Lord Su maneuvered and protected many scholars and literati from the hands of the Imperial Guards. In recent days, many people in the capital have praised him for his fearlessness of power and his literary integrity."
"Uncle?" Prince Cheng thought and laughed, "These two are playing a double act."
The housekeeper was shocked and asked curiously, "Your Highness, are you saying that these two, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, are deliberately trying to build momentum for Lord Su? But that's not right. Who is Prince Rong? He never even gives the Crown Prince face."
Prince Cheng said, "He doesn't like the Crown Prince, so naturally he won't give him face."
After all, their imperial uncle is a person who wants the ones he loves to live and wants the ones he hates to die, and he shows this to the fullest.
The housekeeper looked a little strange and whispered, "There was a rumor that Prince Rong wanted to take Lord Su as his son-in-law, but it didn't work out because Princess Hejing didn't like him. Could this be true?"
"It's half true, half false," Prince Cheng said with a smile, "but it's almost the same."
"But if it didn't work out, why did Prince Rong still want to promote Lord Su?" the housekeeper asked curiously, "He doesn't have another daughter."
Prince Cheng also felt it was strange. It was too far-fetched to say that they were attracted to each other. He had a good relationship with Prince Rong, but he often couldn't understand what this man was thinking.
In terms of absurd behavior, Prince Rong is even worse than Your Majesty. After all, not every prince would go out and explore the world for many years when he has only one daughter.
"I am also very curious. When I have time, I will go and ask them what kind of medicine is in this gourd." Prince Cheng said this. After a few words, his originally gloomy mood improved a little.
He still had the mind to ask, "Su Fengzhang didn't say anything else?"
The housekeeper thought about it again and again before saying, "It is indeed gone."
"Hmph!" Prince Cheng snorted coldly, but his expression softened as he thought of something. "That's all."
What Prince Cheng didn't know was that Su Fengzhang, whom he had been thinking about all the time, was not in the Su family, but in Prince Cheng's mansion, in front of Prince Cheng's sickbed. Prince Cheng, who had just been in the palace, collapsed as soon as he returned home. The hard work of the past few days had exhausted his body, and it became even worse.
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The author has something to say: The emperor only loves himself, not his children. Even if he loved them, it was only superficial, not to mention the concubines in the harem.
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