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◎In the spring of the 20th year of Xingwu, the founding emperor of the Great Qi died with a smile on his face.◎
Emperor Xingwu simply wanted to explain everything to his children while he was still conscious and had enough strength. He wasn't about to die immediately after. So before calling his youngest daughter and her husband over, he glanced at his eldest daughter, eldest son, and second son's families waiting on the other side. He then said to the third son, who was still clinging to him and crying, "There's nothing for you to do here. Those who should go home should go home, and those who should go to work should go to work. Let's go."
Qin Ren knew his father had something more important to say to his sister. He wiped his eyes, helped Yan Zhenzhen to her feet, and took Rui Ge'er from his father's arms. He said in a hoarse voice, "Then I will come to pay my respects to your Majesty tomorrow morning."
Emperor Xingwu nodded.
He Yuanjing, who was waiting more than ten steps away, saw Prince Xian and his family leave. After receiving the emperor's gaze, he first invited the princess and her husband to come over separately.
Zhang Su knelt in front of Emperor Xingwu with his back straight.
The first few people either shed tears or had red eyes, but Zhang Su had a stern expression on his face, without even the sad expression that Fu Kui deliberately showed.
Emperor Xingwu just liked such a son-in-law. If Zhang Su really cried, it would be inconsistent with the calmness and composure he showed in his youth. If Zhang Su cried falsely, Emperor Xingwu would dare to divorce this treacherous and hypocritical son-in-law for his daughter!
"I met Prince An and the others as a family. Do you know why I spoke to you and Lin'er separately?"
Admiring his son-in-law's handsome appearance, Emperor Xingwu asked calmly.
Zhang Su speculated, "Because the Crown Princess and I are already husband and wife, we will also be ruler and subject in the future."
Emperor Xingwu could tell the Crown Princess if he had any questions, but it was not appropriate for him to listen in from the side.
Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "That's what I mean. However, you can listen to whatever I want to say to Lin'er today. However, what I want to say to you is not suitable for you two to hear together."
A hint of surprise finally appeared on Zhang Su's usually calm face.
Emperor Xingwu was rather melancholic. "Among the sons of the nobles in the capital, if only in terms of talent and character, I consider you, if not number one, to be in the top five. Don't think being in the top five isn't impressive enough. Your father was a master of raising children, and you three brothers already have three of those places. I praise you so much to say I'm very pleased with you. My only concern is your future with Lin'er."
"If Lin'er were just an ordinary princess, I wouldn't have to worry about this. If you were a girl who married into the Eastern Palace and became the Crown Princess, I wouldn't have to worry either. But I want to leave Da Qi with a female emperor, and therefore an extra male empress. Not to mention that you two will have to slowly figure out how to get along harmoniously, even I, as your father, don't know how to teach you."
He could certainly force Zhang Su to follow the same rules and regulations as those expected of empresses throughout history, but women are often weak and can only simmer down when their husbands, the emperor, are angry, not daring to challenge him. An emperor wouldn't be afraid of the empress striking someone. Zhang Su was different. His martial arts skills were such that he could be unmatched in the entire Imperial Guard. If he felt wronged and suddenly rebelled, he would have plenty of opportunities to control his daughter.
This is not Zhang Su's problem. No matter which man is chosen to be his daughter's male queen, unless he is really useless, these male queens will find an opportunity to physically restrain his daughter.
If a daughter is not on guard against her male superior, she will easily indulge his ambition. If she is too cautious, the relationship between husband and wife will fade, and accidents will be more likely to happen.
Zhang Su could guess the emperor's concerns and took the initiative to say, "If Your Majesty is worried about state affairs, I may not be able to share your worries. But for me and the Crown Princess, I dare to ask Your Majesty to rest assured. My love for Your Highness is no less than Your Majesty's. Therefore, whether it is state affairs or family matters in the future, I will strive to help Your Highness solve problems and will not become a burden to Your Highness."
Emperor Xingwu: "Even if it means putting yourself in a difficult position, are you willing to do so?"
For example, if there is a rift between the couple in the future, the daughter may revoke Zhang Su's official position and ask him to stay in the harem wholeheartedly. Will Zhang Su be willing to do that?
What's worse, his daughter fell in love with other men and wanted to appoint several male concubines for herself. Could Zhang Su tolerate this?
Emperor Xingwu naturally would not think that his daughter was wrong. His son was already the emperor and had the right to decide what Zhang Su could and could not do, as well as how many people he could keep in the harem. Emperor Xingwu was just curious about what Zhang Su could do for his daughter, even though Zhang Su's response might not be sincere, or he might not be able to last a lifetime.
Zhang Su said frankly, "Your Highness is a person who protects his shortcomings. If Your Highness wants to wrong me in the future, it must be because I have first chilled Your Highness's heart. So whether Your Highness ignores me or wrongs me, it is all my own fault and has nothing to do with Your Highness."
The little princess has been studious since childhood. She usually reads, practices martial arts, or observes government affairs. She only plays with her royal brothers or her study partner when she has free time.
When the little princess became the crown princess, most of her time was occupied by state affairs, and the rare moments of love she had were given to him.
Zhang Su couldn't imagine what stupid thing he had to do to disappoint the Crown Princess, and he would never do such a stupid thing. In other words, if he looked even a little stupid, the little princess and later the Crown Princess would never like him.
If he wanted to fight for power, Emperor Xingwu would have to worry about it. But as long as he had no intention of fighting for power, there would be no chaos in the harem or among the Zhang family's foreign relatives, and Emperor Xingwu would not have to worry about it.
Zhang Su raised his right hand, looked directly at Emperor Xingwu in his wheelchair, and said, "I swear in the name of the loyalty of my ancestors. I will be loyal to the Empress until death. If anyone in the Zhang family is disloyal, I will personally eliminate the rebellion of the Empress's relatives."
If this kind of oath was given to the descendants of founding generals who came from commoner backgrounds, such as Deng Kun, Deng Tai, Fan Huaizhong, and Lu Chaoguang, Emperor Xingwu would just treat it as nonsense. Even if he believed these juniors, the oath would not carry much weight. But the Zhang family was different. In the previous dynasty, there had been wise rulers and foolish rulers for more than two hundred years, but the Zhang family was always regarded as a loyal family by the court and the people. The Qin family's ancestral tombs were so full of smoke that he was able to get help from Zhang Jie!
If any descendant of the Zhang family dared to rebel, the other members of the Zhang family would regard it as a stain on the entire clan. In other words, the Zhang family's reputation for loyalty was both their glory and their bondage. Anyone who wanted to rebel had to endure the torment of their conscience first. The more tormented they were, the less likely they would dare to act rashly, unless they were forced into a corner by the current emperor.
Emperor Xingwu was very fair. If the later rulers of the Qin family dared to be foolish, it would be natural for them to be rebelled against.
"Okay, I believe you."
.
After Zhang Su left, Qingyang finally came to his father's side.
Before his daughter could even kneel, Emperor Xingwu said with a smile, "Your Majesty has been talking all morning and is almost out of energy. Lin'er, please push your father back."
The daughter he had personally raised, the new Emperor of Great Qi whom he had chosen according to his heart, Emperor Xingwu could not be more confident, so why should he elaborate? Everything he needed to teach and say had already been said in the previous eighteen years of living together day by day. The only two things he hadn't said were his reluctance to abandon his daughter and his heartache for the pain he was destined to endure at the loss of her father.
Qingyang had been watching from a distance for a long time, looking at his father in a wheelchair whose thin figure could not be concealed even with a cloak, and looking at his elder sister and brothers who knelt before his father one after another and left in tears.
Qingyang thought about what her father would say to her, but most of the time she just stared at the scenes in a daze.
Are you crying?
From the time her father fell ill in December until today, Qingyang couldn't count how many times she had secretly cried. She naturally hoped that a famous doctor would appear to reverse her father's aging and prescribe a prescription to make her father energetic again, but she knew clearly that there was no such miracle doctor in the world, so she shouldn't have such useless fantasies anymore.
Therefore, Qingyang has already prepared for the possibility that his father may leave at any time.
When Qingyang was little, she could cry whenever she wanted, and she could throw herself into her father's arms and tell him not to talk nonsense. But as she grew up, Qingyang disliked crying less and less. She despised her elder brother's tears that were shed because of his incompetence and cowardice. The more she despised him, the more she didn't want to become like that.
Furthermore, my father wants to leave the kingdom of Da Qi to her. How can my father feel at ease if she cries all day long because of this long-anticipated separation?
Qingyang wanted to let his father know that his little princess was able to remain calm even when faced with a crisis. She was not even afraid of her father's departure, and there would be no state affairs in the future that would make her worried and show weakness.
"Father likes to bask in the sun, so I'll pick half an hour every day to accompany him to stroll in the Imperial Garden?"
"Okay, but please come in the afternoon. I need to use your mother for half an hour in the morning."
Qingyang laughed. How could she compete with her mother? Her mother was the person her father couldn't let go of the most.
.
It was sunny for several days in a row.
Prince Yong always remembered his elder brother's words that he might not last until February, so he went to the palace every morning and evening these days, especially on the first day of February. As soon as the Imperial Guards opened the palace gate, Prince Yong went in with the greeting badge given to him by his elder brother, and also had a light breakfast with his elder brother and little niece.
Looking at his elder brother who was slowly scooping up half a bowl of porridge, Prince Yong grinned and said, "I've been tricked by you so many times, but this time I'm the happiest."
Emperor Xingwu glared at him.
Qingyang didn't know about the conversation between the two brothers, but she had guessed it based on the frequent greetings from her uncle recently. But whatever her father said had nothing to do with her. As early as December last year, Qingyang had been having meals in Qianyuan Hall morning and evening. Sometimes her father would call Zhang Su over, and sometimes she and her mother would accompany her father, just like when she was three or four years old.
On the afternoon of the second day of February, Qingyang came as promised to take his father to the Imperial Garden.
The sun was very warm, and Emperor Xingwu, who had just rested from the sun for a while, felt sleepy again.
But he didn't want to sleep. He cherished the extra half hour he could spend with his daughter during the day.
There was a bench on the roadside ahead, and Emperor Xingwu asked his daughter to sit there, with the father and daughter facing each other.
The sun shone in from the west, and half of the father and daughter's bodies were warmed by the sun.
Emperor Xingwu saw that his cheeks had become much thinner, but he always smiled when he saw his daughter, and muttered, "She looked better when she was fatter. She should eat more meat and soup pot in the future."
He has been speaking unclearly lately, and only Concubine Li, He Yuanjing and the Crown Princess who have always been by his side can immediately distinguish them.
Qingyang thought of the year when Deng Chong died of illness. She coaxed her depressed father to go to Jiuhua Palace to eat a steaming hot pot meal.
"Father is craving for the soup pot. Let the imperial kitchen prepare it later. We will eat it tonight."
Emperor Xingwu vaguely ordered a few dishes, all of which were Concubine Li and his daughter's favorites.
Before he finished lighting the candle, Emperor Xingwu could hardly lift his eyelids, and the small copper hand warmer in his hand was beginning to loosen.
Qingyang helped his father put his hands into his arms, then held the small hand warmer tightly and said softly, "Father, go to sleep. I will take you back."
Emperor Xingwu nodded.
Qingyang pushed the wheelchair back, with the long shadows of father and daughter behind him.
After walking for a while, Qingyang heard his father laughing: "On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head. My son Lin will turn into a dragon..."
Before he could finish his words, the small hand warmer in Emperor Xingwu's arms suddenly rolled down, fell onto the cobblestone path, and spun twice.
He Yuanjing, who was following behind, ran over, picked up the hand warmer and wanted to put it back in the emperor's hand, but when he looked up and saw the emperor's expression, He Yuanjing's whole body went limp and he fell to the ground.
Qingyang closed his eyes.
She didn't want to cry, but tears still fell like rain.
.
In the spring of the 20th year of Xingwu, the founding emperor of the Great Qi died with a smile on his face.
【Author’s words】
[Poor thing], 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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