112 112
◎The Crown Prince and Prince Yong were both scolded◎
Even though Qingyang was trying to make his father laugh after seeing him, he almost cried the first time he saw his father in the yard.
During the southern tour, she and her father were together day and night for a full nine months. Despite the many storms and bumps on the road, her father always stood behind her and her second brother as steady as a mountain, not showing any signs of old age. However, upon returning to Beijing, when her life could have been more comfortable, her father secluded himself for several days because of Deng Chong's death.
Over the past few days, Qingyang guessed that her father must be feeling bad, but she could not have expected that her father would suddenly have so many more white hairs, more wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, and even his gaze had lost the sharpness and spirit that he had when he questioned her and her second brother in Xia County a while ago.
Birth, old age, sickness and death are the normal cycle of life. Qingyang could accept the death of Duke Chengguo Lu Guangzu, the graying of meritorious officials such as Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun, the loss of integrity of the famous founding general Fu Daonian in his later years, and even the unfortunate illness that Deng Chong contracted after successfully defeating Pyu. However, she was unwilling to admit that her most beloved father was also getting older as she grew up.
Qingyang cried heartily when his father teased him about his lifespan.
Emperor Xingwu was talking about hot pot, but his eyes were also sore from the steam from the soup pot.
His son was precocious since childhood. He became more sensible and understanding as he grew older. He never cried or made a fuss because of any sibling quarrel. Even if he was scolded by his nephew, he would not run to complain to his father. The few times he cried were because he was afraid that his father would abandon him.
A daughter like this, who usually seems to be able to take care of herself and doesn't need him to worry about anything, becomes more childish when she cries, which makes it even harder for him to let go.
Deng Chong left as soon as he said he would. Apart from the regret for his miserable death from malaria, Deng Chong actually had nothing to let go of. His two sons had already started their own families and had many children and grandchildren. The wealth and glory of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion was stable enough. He no longer cared about his tough and rude first wife, and his several beautiful concubines were just toys for his entertainment.
Looking at him as an emperor, his family business was much larger than Deng Chong's, so he had to be extremely cautious in choosing his successor. This was not just his business, the person he chose had to satisfy all the civil and military ministers, otherwise these people would come up with all kinds of excuses to bother him.
Looking at his family, he had a beloved concubine seventeen years his junior whom he was reluctant to part with, three sons with no future but who might be instigated into internal strife, an eldest daughter with strong opinions but who was naive, a son who was perfect in every way but destined to suffer countless hardships and whom he wanted to help but had no time to help all the time, and a younger brother who, although occasionally unruly, had accompanied him on the journey to build his empire...
Well, Lin'er is right. There are still a lot of things waiting for him, and he can't just sit there and do nothing.
The table was full of meat and vegetables. Emperor Xingwu seemed to be back to the first time he was invited to a banquet in his teens, stuffing one thing after another into his mouth.
The emperor had a good appetite, so Qingyang adjusted her mood as quickly as possible and accompanied her father to eat to his heart's content. While eating, she talked about some things that her father might not be in the mood to pay attention to, such as the fact that her third sister-in-law, who had just married her third brother in February, was already six or seven months pregnant, and that her princess mansion had been repaired and was waiting for her, the owner, to inspect it before it could be officially handed over.
Even though Emperor Xingwu despised his third son, he was also happy for a moment about the good news that his third son was going to be a father. When his daughter mentioned her princess's mansion, Emperor Xingwu snorted and couldn't help teasing her again: "Are you so eager to marry Zhang Su?"
Qingyang: "What does it have to do with him? That is the mansion that my father gave me. It is completely my own mansion. I would be surprised if I don't like it."
Emperor Xingwu: "It's no use liking you. Father will not let you out of the palace before the wedding. Stay in the palace and spend more time with me and your mother."
As it was related to his own marriage, Qingyang also wanted to know the approximate wedding date in advance, and asked curiously, "Has the emperor chosen an auspicious date?"
Girls in the countryside usually get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen. Families who love their daughters will arrange for them to get married before they turn eighteen at the latest. In my family, my eldest sister got married at the age of seventeen, and Qingyang expects her wedding to be next year.
Emperor Xingwu: "I haven't chosen yet. Anyway, I am not in a hurry to release my beloved daughter from the palace. If Zhang Su dares to be impatient, tell him to come and tell me. I will grant him a new marriage."
Qingyang: “…”
If you are not in a hurry, then don't be in a hurry. She is not in that much of a hurry. Although Jiuhua Palace is not as spacious and grand as the princess's mansion outside, it is close to the government offices of the previous dynasty. Living in the palace, she can sleep about two quarters of an hour longer in the morning, and it is more convenient to see her father, the emperor, and her mother.
.
The next day, the emperor, who had been depressed for several days after returning to Beijing, finally appeared in the hall to preside over the morning court.
Qingyang was pleased to find that although his father's extra white hair could not turn black again, his father's eyes, wearing a black dragon robe with red edges, had regained about 70% of his majesty and spirit. He expected that after some time, his father would completely get over the grief of Deng Chong's death.
After the court was dismissed, Emperor Xingwu asked his three sons, one daughter and his younger brother to accompany him for breakfast, to make up for the small gathering after the southern tour, and to hold a formal royal family banquet on the day of the Little New Year.
After breakfast was served, Emperor Xingwu took a couple of bites and asked Prince Yong, "Did you visit Deng Chong before he left?"
Prince Yong sighed, "Ever since the news of his serious illness spread, I've been going there every day. Every time I go, he scolds me for going too often. The emperor knows him best, he's a stubborn person."
Emperor Xingwu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Besides telling you not to inform me, did he have any other last words?"
Prince Yong was also feeling very uncomfortable. He had lost his appetite just talking about this. He put down his chopsticks and said, "All you told me was some bullshit about fighting and drinking together in the next life. You told me to tell the emperor that he regretted not listening to you and changing his bad habits when he was young. He told the emperor not to blame himself because of those bad habits. He also told Deng Kun and Deng Tai to serve the court wholeheartedly and not to let his people down."
Deng Chong’s bad habits?
Emperor Xingwu could think of a lot of things, but no matter how you look at it, Deng Chong's death was a sacrifice for the country, and it was to relieve his worries, so it was his responsibility.
Qingyang silently picked up a dish for his father.
Emperor Xingwu didn't mention Deng Chong anymore, appreciating his youngest daughter's filial piety. He then turned to the Crown Prince and said, "I heard that during my southern tours, you had headaches once or twice a month. What exactly was the pain like, and what was the cause? Was it because the excessive state affairs had exhausted you, already nearly thirty, or were you irritated by the many ignorant ministers?"
The words about age were filled with undisguised sarcasm and disdain. Qin Hong felt so ashamed that he left his seat and stood aside, lowering his head as he said, "I am incompetent and have failed my father's high hopes."
Prince Yong, who had also been called out, quickly stepped aside and confessed his fault: "Your Majesty, this is my fault. I was too greedy for the fine horses sent by the Western Hu. I only wanted to ensure that all the cavalry in the Northern Camp had new horses. I used the relationship between uncle and nephew to force the Crown Prince to be soft-hearted, and ended up driving him sick. I was wrong, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Qin Bing widened his eyes when he heard for the first time that Uncle Wang wanted a horse. Is there such a thing?
Qingyang only looked at the collar of his father's dragon robe. Because Jiuhua Palace was too close to Chongyuan Palace, Qinfang and the others knew almost everything about his elder brother, big and small. So on the day Qingyang returned to the palace, he learned about his elder brother's headache and the several triggers of his elder brother's headache.
Qingyang felt sorry for his elder brother who had a headache at such a young age, and he could also understand his father's dissatisfaction with his elder brother's illness whenever something happened. His father and his elder brother were not only father and son but also the crown prince. The higher his father's expectations of his elder brother, the more disappointed he would be with his elder brother's inability.
Emperor Xingwu's wrath immediately vented at Prince Yong. "How dare you say that! The Crown Prince is acting as regent for the first time, and as his uncle, not only do you not want to help him, but you're actually causing trouble for him. This is because the Crown Prince is still strong and nothing serious has happened. If something happens to him, and the news gets out, do you want our Qin family to be embroiled in a scandal of uncle-nephew violence right after the founding of the country?"
Prince Yong's face turned pale, and he knelt down before Emperor Xingwu, speaking incoherently and anxiously: "Brother, I, I really just wanted the horse, I didn't think of anything else. I didn't know Hong'er was so incontinent, I didn't know he would have a headache...Brother, believe me, I really didn't mean to make Hong'er sick!"
Qin Hong quickly knelt down and pleaded for his uncle, "Father, this matter is all my fault for being indecisive and breaking the rules. Uncle Wang was simply careless. Please understand!"
Emperor Xingwu smiled and said to the uncle and nephew who were kneeling together, "Yes, one of you just made an unintentional mistake, and the other was just soft-hearted and embarrassed. You are both wrong. I am the one who made a fuss out of nothing. I shouldn't have restricted you so much. I should have given my younger brother as many horses as he wanted, and let my crown prince handle state affairs as he pleased. At worst, the border troops will be unable to stop the Hu cavalry without horses, and at worst, the country will perish soon because it has no rules. Anyway, our old Qin family is originally poor, so we won't be afraid of having no food to eat if we become poor again, right?"
Qin Hong and his two companions had only endured their father's scolding for twenty years, but Prince Yong had endured it for over forty. He knew his elder brother was truly furious when he heard the scolding. He regretted it so much that he slapped himself in the face: "It's all my fault for being so foolish and mean-spirited. I know I was wrong. Calm down, elder brother!"
Qin Hong, frightened by his father's anger, was stunned for a moment. Should he continue to confess his guilt, or punish himself directly like Uncle Wang?
Qingyang kicked his second and third brothers under the table respectively.
Before Qin Bing could react, Qin Ren rushed over, pulled down Uncle Wang's hands and hugged him whole, looking at his father flatteringly: "Father, Big Brother and Uncle Wang have admitted their mistakes. It's almost the New Year, Father, can you please forgive them this time?"
Emperor Xingwu glared at him coldly.
Prince Yong took the opportunity to shake off his third nephew and continued to slap himself.
Qin Bing finally understood what his sister meant. He rushed over and hugged Uncle Wang from the side instead of his third brother, and then went to ask his father for help.
Emperor Xingwu ordered these people to get out.
Qin Bing quickly pulled Uncle Wang away, and Qingyang and his third brother helped his eldest brother leave.
After leaving Qianyuan Hall, Qingyang comforted the two men who had been scolded, saying, "The journey to the south was arduous. Although Father didn't complain, his body must have been exhausted. After returning to the capital, he was heartbroken because of Duke Dingguo. The accumulated anger made him easily angry. Father has a great reputation and cannot wrong the ministers for no reason. He had to take his anger out on his family, but this was absolutely not his intention. Big brother and uncle Wang, please don't take it to heart."
Prince Yong's face flushed red as he heard this. He nodded, "That's right, Hong'er, don't take it too seriously. If we can really help the Emperor vent his frustration, we'll actually be doing a great service. It's better than letting him get sick from holding it in."
He was scolded by his elder brother when he was growing up, but he soon forgot about it.
Qin Hong could only smile bitterly.
Uncle Wang’s mistake was just a one-time one, and the emperor can forgive him. But his incompetence is long-term, so how can the emperor turn a blind eye to it?
【Author’s words】
Here they come, 100 little red envelopes, see you around 11pm for the second update~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com