Chapter 12: Not a single good one among them.
Emperor Hong'an was slightly taken aback, and withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
The pop-up window disappeared quickly, replaced by lines of text with various strange avatars.
【Upup, I think you misunderstand Xiao Jianhe. Our little Xiao is clearly a smart person with both high emotional intelligence and high IQ, okay?——】
【You misunderstand Xiao Zhen. Calling him a treacherous minister is entirely justified. If it weren't for the interference between Emperor Huai and Emperor Xiao, do you believe Emperor Zhongzong could have escaped all the way out of Shanhaiguan?】
[Hehe, you can guess the content from the title, but don't be biased, up. If Emperor Renzong had put more effort into martial arts, he could have been considered one of the greatest emperors of all time, a true emperor of destiny. If Emperor Zhongzong hadn't relied on the two Xiao brothers, his civil administration would have been far worse. Frowning.jpg]
Emperor Renzong's scandals are few and far between, nothing compared to the numerous marketing accounts Emperor Zhongzong has supported throughout history. His biggest black mark is probably his blind trust in his sons, especially his failure to pass the throne to his sixth son; otherwise, he might have been able to hold on a little longer.
"Absolutely not. The sixth prince is only good for performing shamanic rituals for Emperor Zhongzong. Don't let him learn from that guy..."
[How dare you mortals dare to challenge me, the Emperor of Longevity? *biting fork*]
I suspect he wasn't referring to this person. Actually, which emperor didn't have some hobbies? As long as they didn't become obsessed, it was fine.
The Emperor of Longevity is standing in front of you, watching you.
[This is hilarious! The uploader claims Emperor Zhongzong was a tyrant, but actually mentioned zero bad deeds. Uploader, please investigate this thoroughly, otherwise your topic will veer off-topic.]
[The tyrannical emperor who only injured his courtiers dismissed Liao, but unfortunately history is in the hands of scholars, and Emperor Cheng was a good son who listened to his father...]
[Are you talking about Emperor Cheng, who killed his own uncle, exiled his cousin to the frontier, and then secretly plotted against him? I think I'm going blind. Read it to me. (Sunglasses.jpg)]
[Emperor Cheng is indeed obedient. Emperor Zhongzong told her to ignore the rumors, and she really didn't. Otherwise, how could Zhongzong's dark history have been circulating for so long, with people still making up stories about him every day, adding more unfounded accusations.]
[What the person upstairs said sounds like they're insulting Emperor Cheng...]
Emperor Hong'an's hand remained suspended in mid-air, maintaining a posture of wanting to retreat but not retreating.
The crowd looked at the fancy patterns on the sky, especially the little yellow human head, which immediately caught their attention.
These people seemed to be speaking in different tones and holding different opinions, as if they were having a group discussion. It's just that somehow they had all seen the content of this discussion.
Everyone focuses on different things. Xiao Jianhe thought to himself: Although I was out of my mind, it seems I didn't do all bad things. Later generations may be narrow-minded, but their evaluations are generally more normal.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Emperor Hong'an was very concerned about his posthumous reputation: What did he mean by not being skilled enough in martial arts? Yet he clearly kept the Northern Di at bay... Could it be because of this that he could not become a great emperor for all time?
And what about the sixth brother? Did he become the Emperor of Longevity? It seems that Tianmu mentioned earlier that this child would live longer than a turtle... Hmm, that doesn't sound like a compliment.
The Confucian scholar, on the other hand, was concerned with the characters on the celestial screen: although he could understand the words spoken by later generations, he still felt uncomfortable with them.
Moreover, how come even the characters are written incompletely? Does this mean that future generations will be ignorant and incompetent?
Xiao Yichun thought to himself: Emperor Cheng's ascension to the throne was all Xiao Jianhe's doing. That grandson needs to be taught a lesson; he dares to meddle in everything, while his grandfather is always terrified…
As for the conventional military generals of Hong'an Dynasty, they were simultaneously stung by the words "try harder to improve your martial arts skills" and secretly vowed: they must dismantle the Northern Di royal court!
After a brief silence, Emperor Hong'an frowned deeply and suddenly lit up the sky again.
This time, the message to post a comment didn't pop up. He placed his hand on the screen, and after a few breaths, a message suddenly popped up.
Thanks for your attention!
Emperor Hong'an: "...?"
Xiao Yichun gently advised, "Your Majesty, we do not yet know what this canopy is, so it would be best to leave it alone."
Emperor Hong'an stared intently at the middle line of text.
Is it my dark history that I didn't pass the throne to the sixth prince?
He ignored Xiao Yichun, remained silent for a long time, and then wrote with a flick of his sleeve: "In your opinion, who should be made crown prince?"
After writing, I casually tapped the screen, and a ring in the air began to rotate continuously, eventually displaying the message "Sent successfully".
Emperor Hong'an stroked his beard, pleased to see his question appear after the comment about passing the throne to the sixth prince.
This canopy is exactly what I desire.
He had stood up at some point and stood gazing at the sky for a long time. When the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, confirming that there was no further news for the day, he turned around and said, "Everyone, you may all leave now."
Zhou She mingled in the crowd, about to take his leave and leave quietly, when he heard the emperor say, "Zhou She, Tan Zhao, you two stay."
Several familiar friends hurriedly ran away, leaving him with a "good luck" look before they left.
Xiao Yichun was asked to wait in a side hall. He remembered to repeatedly admonish: "Your Majesty has been ill for a long time. I hope you will consider the overall situation and cherish your health."
It means telling the emperor to try not to get angry.
In the small flower hall, a group of young men of distinguished status were gathered. Zhuang Shi, Huai Leju, and Xiao Jianhe, having been mentioned by Tianmu, naturally stayed with the imperial relatives and dared not leave without being spoken to individually.
The emperor, lost in thought, fired his first shot at Zhuang Shi.
"Zhuang Yuanchu, do you have something to say?"
Zhuang Shi shuddered, on the verge of tears, for it sounded far too much like a dying wish.
"The Zhuang family is utterly loyal and has no ulterior motives. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!" After saying this, he continued to maintain his classic pose, feigning death.
Emperor Hong'an chuckled: "Your brother is audacious and reckless, but you are quite frank." (He is) very afraid of death.
Huai Leju, who was standing to the side, stepped forward. Taking the initiative and acting on His Majesty's urgent needs, he asked earnestly, "Your Majesty, shall I send someone to escort Marquis Zhen'an back to the capital?"
You good-for-nothing Huai Leju.
Zhuang Shi grinned in a corner where no one could see him. No wonder you're not popular!
Fortunately, Emperor Hong'an was only asking. He remained calm and waved his hand to stop him: "No need. Send someone to deliver an imperial edict, ordering..."
His voice paused slightly before quickly returning to normal: "Send Zhuang Che to the capital."
Huai Leju's gaze swept over Zhuang Shi, and he lowered his eyes and replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Upon hearing this conclusion, Zhuang Shi immediately relaxed. Heh, what does it matter to him whether his good brother lives or dies?
After the emperor dealt with the Zhuang family, Zhuang Shi was helped to sit up, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
Huai Leju gave him a disdainful look: Is that all?
Emperor Hong'an then targeted the next person, and this time it was Xiao Jianhe who suffered the most.
"Zhiping..." Emperor Hong'an readily agreed, using the title "Tianmu" (meaning "Heavenly Curtain"), "I heard that you achieved excellent results in the last provincial examination, and it seems you are already acquainted with the Fourth Prince?"
Xiao Jianhe was sweating profusely: "Your Highness is skilled in poetry, and I have indeed met you once."
God knows, it was just a poetry gathering.
Emperor Hong'an shifted his posture, looking down at the emperor, and said, "There's no need to be nervous. I'm just a little puzzled. Since you're familiar with the Fourth Prince, why didn't you help him seek justice at the last minute?"
Xiao Jianhe: ...Actually, I'm not that familiar with him, do you believe me?
I'd also like to know the answer to this question!
But he dared not utter it aloud, and could only rack his brains, trying his best to understand his future self: "Your subject... was young and reckless, unaware of the hidden truth... perhaps he saw..."
He was stumped, momentarily at a loss for how to address the Zhongzong Emperor.
Fortunately, Emperor Hong'an gave his permission: "Go on, say what you think."
"Perhaps seeing that Emperor Zhongzong had rendered meritorious service in guarding the northern border, he felt a sense of cherishing talent and did not want our Ning Dynasty to lose a great general."
Emperor Hong'an remained noncommittal, but smiled slightly and said, "The general you chose has usurped my throne."
"..." Xiao Jianhe was still young, so he immediately chose to shut up and say nothing.
Emperor Hong'an seemed to be merely venting his anger before turning his attention to Zhou She and Tan Zhao.
The tone of his voice, suggesting an impending storm, revealed that Emperor Hong'an was not in a pleasant mood.
Zhou She tensed up and nervously replied, "Your subject is here."
"When I awoke from my illness last time, can you guess what the first news I received was?"
Zhou She had a bad feeling and almost stammered. He exchanged a glance with Tan Zhao and said, "...Your subject does not know."
Emperor Hong'an waved his sleeves and said, "It is the Minister of War, the Vice Minister of War, and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy who have jointly accused you two of disrupting the classroom, disrespecting your teachers, and assaulting your classmates!"
His tone turned subtly stern. Zhou She stared in disbelief, frantically trying to recall when that incident had occurred.
Emperor Hong'an fell ill three months ago. It happened to be around the time of the first ten days of the month's examinations, I think...
Tan Zhao remembered it even more clearly than him, and took the lead in kneeling before his maternal grandfather: "I was a bit presumptuous, but it was indeed Ren Duan who started it!"
Zhou She: "..." Really!?
How come I didn't know?
Zhou She vaguely recalled the scene from back then, and it seemed, perhaps, that they weren't entirely innocent either.
However, it's normal for young people to cause trouble. Ren Duan had served on the frontier with his father in his youth, and was hot-blooded and impetuous. Tan Zhao, from a prominent family, was even more intolerant of injustice.
Zhou She wasn't particularly fond of causing trouble, but he was definitely not a good student either.
Ren Duan provoked first, Tan Zhao responded with violence, and Zhou She, though not physically involved, also fanned the flames.
Not a single one of them is good.
Emperor Hong'an was clearly aware of these intricacies, and perhaps having also been up all night, he was somewhat tired, so he only let out a faint laugh: "I know you are young, but you are of noble status after all. How can you beat up your classmates? Tan Zhao, you are older, you should set a better example. Zhou She, you were quite clever when you were young, how come you've become more and more of a scoundrel as you've grown up?"
Zhou She was somewhat embarrassed: "Your Majesty, Ren Duan's leg was not broken by us. He broke it himself when he was climbing over the wall to leave the Imperial College... He fell and broke it."
They only suffered the punishment of being bystanders. Besides, you, Ren Heng, the Minister of War, actually went so far as to falsely accuse the emperor; isn't that extremely unethical?
Emperor Hong'an clearly didn't want to hear his explanation and said domineeringly, "I don't care. I don't want to hear anyone complaining anymore. Remember that?"
Zhou She thought to himself, "What's wrong with Emperor Renzong now? He doesn't listen to honest people either."
However, while he was inwardly grumbling, he only apologized aloud. After obtaining his maternal grandfather's permission, he quickly got up and made a hasty escape.
Now that the flower hall has been cleaned up, only Emperor Renzong Hong'an and his four useless sons remain.
His four sons knelt before him in a row, each with their own dark past, except for the third prince, who was only associated with "being greedy for merit and rash," unlike his brothers who were considered outstanding talents.
The third prince raised his head, two streams of tears flowing from his eyes: "Father, I only regret not studying military strategy, causing you grief..."
He could clearly see that his father, who had been cold and indifferent just moments before, now had a slight redness around his eyes.
However, Emperor Hong'an ignored him. He was seriously considering his sons, evaluating them in his mind again: the second prince was dull-witted, and now he had to be accused of deceiving the emperor; the third prince was intelligent, indeed too intelligent; the fourth prince was outstanding in literature, but his character was worrying... especially since his shameful affair had been made public.
He didn't know what the Fifth Prince had done yet, but it certainly wasn't anything good.
Emperor Hong'an considered his words carefully before uttering a single word: "Get out."
The third prince was stunned.
Is this still his gentle and loving father?
The good father was furious with these idiots. He stood up, clutching his aching back; he was truly exhausted. He could still chat with the other young people, but looking at these good-for-nothings in front of him…
All that's left is exhaustion.
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