Chapter 92: Becoming King
Chang'an City.
The noble families are the most active in celebrating the New Year and other festivals.
When the first winter wind roared in from the north, the city of Chang'an began to decorate with lights and lanterns in preparation for the New Year.
Every household begins to prepare New Year's goods, hang up red lanterns and paste red window decorations.
The palace began preparing for various New Year celebrations early on, making sure everything went perfectly.
One day it snowed particularly heavily.
On the day when the snow was particularly heavy, an imperial decree was issued from the palace:
The eldest prince Murong Qi was named King of Chu, the second prince Murong Li was named King of Liang, and the third prince Murong Di was named King of Yue.
The emperor made all three of his sons kings at once, and gave mansions to Murong Li and Murong Di, which the Ministry of Works is currently renovating.
After the repairs were completed, Murong Li and Murong Di moved out of the palace and into the mansion.
After receiving the imperial edict, the three princes all went to Qianyang Palace to express their gratitude.
The Ganyang Palace is the most majestic and magnificent in the entire imperial city. The floor of the palace is paved with jade tiles and the pillars are coiled with golden dragons. As soon as you enter the palace, you will feel like kneeling down to worship.
Amidst the splendor and golden splendor, Emperor Murong Yu, wearing a five-clawed golden dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne with a sullen look on his face.
In front of him were three good-for-nothing sons.
"Your son thanks you, father." The eldest brother Murong Qi had dark circles under his eyes and his face was pale with a hangover. It was obvious that he had had a ridiculous night.
The fourteen-year-old boy already knows about matters between men and women. I heard that he even molested several palace maids on the way here.
When Murong Yu saw him, he wanted to slam the table in anger, and he actually did so:
"Murong Qi, how can you look like this?"
Murong Qi's ears were almost callused after hearing this. He knelt down and kowtowed skillfully, shouting:
"Father, I was wrong! I will reform myself next year and live up to your expectations."
He says this every year, but how he does it is another matter.
While Murong Qi was shouting, the second-in-command Murong Li next to him covered his mouth with his sleeves and yawned uncontrollably, almost closing his eyes due to sleepiness.
Murong Yu slapped the imperial desk again and glared at him:
"I feel sleepy all day long, and I just want to sleep. Is Ganyang Palace a place where you feel sleepy?"
Murong Li rubbed the sleepy tears from the corners of his eyes, then knelt down to plead guilty:
"Your Majesty, I am wise. I woke up early to express my gratitude, and I only slept for less than six hours last night. Therefore, I am extremely sleepy. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Murong Yu took a deep breath and said, "Six hours is not enough... I can still be more energetic than you even after sleeping for three hours!"
When his gaze shifted to the third brother Murong Di, he saw that Murong Di had already knelt down, with his head on the ground, curled up like a turtle.
Murong Yu got angry when he saw this cowardly look:
"I'm scolding the eldest and second in command, why are you kneeling? Who told you to kneel?"
Murong Di hunched his head and shrugged, hesitating and unable to answer a complete sentence:
"Reply, Reply Father, I am truly terrified... Just... Just... Kneel..."
Murong Yu picked up the teacup and threw it at Murong Di, and it shattered into pieces in front of Murong Di:
"Lift your head and speak properly!"
Although Murong Yu had not been close to Pei Shu for a long time, the third child was his own child after all. Anyone who saw that his son was a coward who could not speak complete sentences would be so angry that the blood would rush to his head.
Murong Di raised his head and looked at Murong Yu timidly.
Seeing this, Murong Yu only felt more angry.
This son has delicate and handsome features, somewhat like Pei Shu, but the stupid and cowardly temperament on his face completely ruins his face.
This boy was extremely intelligent when he was young, which even made him feel a little cautious and take precautions. However, after an accident, he became so stupid and ridiculous that it was disgusting.
Whether in the past or now, the third brother has never satisfied him.
"You all come here to piss me off!"
Murong Yu even suspected that his own prince had been replaced by someone.
Du Ru was a dignified and rigorous person. His father, the Imperial Censor, strictly abided by the rules of etiquette and laws, but he gave birth to such an unruly and absurd son.
Qin Rong was born into a family of military generals and had a strong personality. She handled everything in the palace thoroughly, but she gave birth to a second child with narcolepsy.
Pei Shu was both talented and beautiful, intelligent and gentle, and always acted gracefully in front of others. However, her son was as timid as a mouse and as stupid as a pig.
"Father, please forgive me. I am incompetent." The three sons bowed together.
Murong Yu usually only has the prince in his eyes. If others don't mention it, he won't think of these children.
However, the Imperial Censor recently suggested that the young should follow the elders' example and etiquette should not be violated. Since the eldest prince has already left the palace, the other princes should also leave the palace and set up their own homes at the same age.
Otherwise, the princes would have to guess the emperor's intentions, and if that caused unnecessary disputes in the future, the result would be more harm than good.
Murong Yu felt that the latter sentence made some sense. The crown prince had already been appointed, so the other sons should be sent out of the palace as soon as possible to prevent them from developing any inappropriate thoughts.
Moreover, he didn't like the second and third sons, so he had no regrets about sending them out of the palace.
However, since several princes have left the palace, they might as well give them their fiefs according to the rules. After all, they are just fiefs for food, and they are not expected to govern.
Except for a few who wanted to go to their fiefdoms in person, the princes of this dynasty could live in the capital and rule their fiefdoms remotely.
"You all should go back."
Murong Yu waved his hand, not wanting to look at his three sons anymore.
The three princes had no intention of staying any longer.
Murong Qi walked out of the palace as soon as he left the hall, rushing to go to the theater with his friends, without even thinking about going to Yifeng Palace to see the Queen.
Murong Li yawned and hurried back to catch up on some sleep; he hadn't gotten enough. Anyway, the mansion was finished, so he could just move out. He didn't have to worry about anything else.
Whether he is crowned king or not does not affect his sleep.
Murong Di also shrank his body and returned to the lonely Minghui Palace.
His expression usually looked numb and dull, but today he had a hint of melancholy that he couldn't hide.
He knew that he would eventually leave the palace, and only by leaving would he have a chance to break free from this life of being controlled by others.
But when he really had to leave, he still couldn't bear to leave his mother.
Murong Di returned to Minghui Palace with a drooping brow and walked in front of Pei Shu:
"Mother, I can't bear to leave you."
Pei Shu sat by the window, painting a Chujiu jumping onto the wall.
She put down her paintbrush and stroked her son's eyebrows with her slender fingers:
"Di'er, your mother is reluctant to let you go, but you must go. Only when you leave can we, mother and son, let go and do what we want to do."
Murong Di's eyes were a little red. He would only be twelve years old next month, so he was actually still just a half-grown child.
But the half-grown children already knew that the palace was a place very close to death.
Truth will come to light sooner or later. No matter how well you pretend, the truth may be revealed one day and be discovered.
Murong Di sniffed and raised his eyes, which looked very similar to his uncle Pei Lingyun's:
"Mother, he appointed me the King of Yue, and my fiefdom is in Lingnan. If I want to go to Lingnan, will he be suspicious?"
Pei Shu touched her son's head:
"If you said you were going to Lingnan, he would definitely be suspicious. But since he took the initiative to send you there, he won't be suspicious of you."
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