Chapter 73 is now a done deal.
Darkness falls earlier on the northern grasslands, and by this time, a deep blue hue is already faintly visible, while a patch of bright red surges across the desolate landscape.
Those were the uniforms of the Ning Dynasty army, exceptionally eye-catching, and even more exhilarating.
Cheng Zhuoran stood atop the city wall, horns blaring around him. A massive crowd surged into the city gates, the deafening shouts causing a headache.
The various armies counted their men, and the city gates gradually closed. However, Cheng Zhuoran looked into the distance but still couldn't see Zhou She's figure.
"Where is Zhou She?" He had a bad feeling and grabbed Su Tianzong, who was the last to enter the city. "Have you seen him?"
Zhou She's troops were delayed, so their return should indeed be later, but Su Tianzong has already returned, so this pace doesn't seem normal at all.
Su Tianzong was puzzled and shook his head, replying, "No."
Cheng Zhuoran's heart stopped beating instantly.
His gaze swept quickly outwards, and from the retreating army of the Northern Barbarians, cavalrymen rode in, kicking up two plumes of dust, and suddenly two dusty figures appeared.
The man, who was half a step ahead, looked up and flashed a bright smile at Cheng Zhuoran. It was none other than Zhou She, who had disappeared.
Zhou She rushed into the city, the city gates slowly closing behind him. He reined in his horse, strode up the city wall, and went straight to Cheng Zhuoran, saying in a deep voice, "General Cheng, we can launch a counterattack!"
Cheng Zhuoran's curse words stuck in his throat. He looked Zhou She up and down in disbelief, tentatively asking, "You mean..."
"Li Tu was shot by an arrow and fell from his horse!" Zhou She gasped for breath, still very agitated as he recounted the incident. "My lord, strike while the iron is hot! Li Tu won't live much longer!"
"..." Cheng Zhuoran's eyes changed suddenly. After a long while, he pressed heavily on Zhou She's shoulder, "I will remember this as a merit for you."
The sky still says:
[Zhong Huang was born later, and after he could remember things, he had more contact with his maternal grandfather. Zhong Cong, on the other hand, wasn't very fond of her maternal grandfather, and seemed to think, "Go wherever you want to die!"—truly a touching display of grandfather-grandson affection. Our Great Ning Dynasty really doesn't have many emperors with normal family relationships. Come to think of it, Emperor Hong'an is actually the type with a harmonious family… How humorous!]
Emperor Hong'an was stunned by the phrase "family harmony".
He pondered for a moment, recalling his early-deceased mother, his father who didn't value him, his eldest son who was envied by heaven, his second son who attempted to rebel, and the other princes whose open and covert struggles gave him a headache...
This can be considered family harmony?
Just how discordant are these guys in the back?
Zhong Zhun and Zhou Xuyan exchanged a glance.
Indeed, his kinship was shallow. Zhou She should probably be considered one of the emperors of the Ning Dynasty. His kinship was such that he turned against his parents and exiled his brothers.
He left a significant mark among the emperors of the Ning Dynasty, so could Zhong Cong have learned from Zhou She?
[Jong-gwang was gentle and innocent, but because of this, he cared the most for his family. For example, King Jungjong himself was only gentle to his two children during their childhood. After they grew up, he began to push them hard and became somewhat cold-hearted.]
Needless to say, Empress Renzhao was busy with free schools before Zhonghuang was three years old, and busy with inspection tours after he turned three. What? A child? Where did this child come from?
The claim that Zhong Huang and Gu Jingshan had a deep bond has been widely criticized. People always jump in to say, "If Zhong Huang and his maternal grandfather were really that close, why didn't he save Gu Jingshan? I think it's just that the Zhou family genes are all about acting!"
However, in reality, Zhong Huang's actions of collecting his body and handling the funeral arrangements were indeed the limit that a powerless prince like him could do.
Shen Mingzhe pondered for a moment, wondering what this "machine sound" was.
What exactly is the "machine voice" of the Zhou family? Does it mean that people with this kind of voice are particularly fond of acting?
Upon hearing the news of her father's death, Gu Xunhui couldn't help but reflect. Not on why she hadn't saved him, but on the fact that she could vaguely sense changes in the future, changes in family relationships—sometimes just as unpredictable.
What she was thinking at that moment was that it was indeed difficult for a powerless person to live well, no matter where they were.
Seeing his daughter's thoughtful expression, Gu Jingshan felt somewhat comforted.
Sigh, my daughter still cares about him after all.
But in any case, whether Gu Jingshan lives or dies, it doesn't change anything.
In October of the seventh year of Jinghua, Emperor Zhongzong's executioner's blade completely wiped out the court. His reputation plummeted from that point onward, and historical records say of him:
"There was much controversy in the court over the matter of the Crown Prince. Emperor Zhongzong overruled the objections to stabilize the country."
Anyone who defies the emperor's will will be either dismissed from office or exiled to the frontier. He acts arbitrarily, wielding his blade before the palace as a warning to others.
The court was now free of corruption, and all officials deeply appreciated the Emperor's grace. Whenever an imperial edict was issued, they all proclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise and sagacious"; whenever there was a court discussion, they all said, "Your Majesty's decisions are divinely made." Truly, the emperor and his ministers were of one mind, the world was bright and clear, and the government was efficient and the people were harmonious!
As Tianmu finished reading, everyone gasped in disbelief.
Although Ren Heng was not well-versed in literature, he was still a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). This historical record was so crude and crude that it was practically asking for death.
He even suspected that this fearless historian was practically thinking about dying.
Which official in the land doesn't know that ministers who are reprimanded, demoted, or die by the emperor are simply naturally veiled in integrity and uprightness?
Ren Heng clicked his tongue and cursed inwardly: How insidious.
Emperor Hong'an was taken aback. He had never seen his own daily records, so he probably wouldn't have been scolded so harshly.
This level of frankness... it can no longer be considered frankness. If he saw it, he might really want to change history.
[Do you feel Yin and Yang? This isn't even Yin and Yang; it's an insult pointed at your nose.]
Emperor Zhongzong did see this record. In fact, he loved reading history books, and he would even fill in any incomplete parts of early records himself.
But this was the only part of history he read through without making any changes.
The sound from the sky gradually faded away, and a hand suddenly reached out.
A hand firmly grasped a roll of paper. As the fingers lifted, half of the person making the movement was revealed.
With a cold and stern expression, the emperor's imposing aura was overwhelming; he was none other than Emperor Zhongzong himself, whom Tianmu had been talking about at length.
Just after the court session ended, the court attendant, who had been silently waiting at the back of the main hall, was still organizing documents when suddenly darkness fell in front of him, and the paper full of writing in his hand was snatched away.
The court attendant was taken aback. He was initially flustered and wanted to advise the emperor, but was then firmly restrained by the emperor's other hand.
A hand was placed in front of him, and the court attendant's breathing became heavy, as countless scenes of his own execution flashed through his mind.
Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly, and his voice trembled without him even realizing it: "Your Majesty..."
The court attendant began to recall what he had written. If he pleaded for leniency to avoid implicating his entire family, would he succeed?
Emperor Zhongzong read through all the records, line by line. He was not unaware of the gaze of the court official, but he was too lazy to care. He simply read through all the quotations that were ostensibly praising but actually criticizing.
Amidst the alarmed pounding of the attendant's heart, he suddenly let out a sneer.
The court attendant immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty! I have dared to speak so presumptuously; my crime does not extend to my wife and children—"
"Heh." Emperor Zhongzong chuckled almost simultaneously. "Not bad, I think you wrote very well."
The court attendant: "...?"
He was drenched in cold sweat and remained silent.
The emperor tossed the paper back onto the desk and said casually, "How can you work on such a small desk? Get him a bigger desk tomorrow. Make sure to record my every move carefully."
The middle half of the sentence is a message to the chief eunuch beside him.
Even after King Jungjong's figure disappeared outside the palace and the blinding sunlight shone into the palace, the court attendant was still in a daze, unable to believe it.
A young eunuch stepped forward and directed two palace servants to help him up.
A larger table was carried in from behind and placed in the corner of the hall. The court attendant looked up and heard the gentle voice of the eunuch: "Sir, His Majesty has granted permission for the imperial carriage to leave the palace. Please proceed."
King Jungjong sometimes had a really wicked sense of humor. He wrote in his diary, "My mistakes are not for these people to judge," which showed a sense of indifference to honor or disgrace.
Then she gave the court attendant a severe dressing-down, knowing full well what was going on, but unable to control her temper.
The officials all expressed their understanding.
Seeing yourself being verbally abused, and with the possibility of further fabricated information, to be able to refrain from dragging the person down and giving them a beating is already quite a feat.
The common people were more indifferent to this: what did it matter to them whether the officials in the imperial court lived or died? As long as they were doing well, that was enough.
Seeing them suffer... even makes me feel better.
However, the two-year-long conflict gradually dissipated, and the princess's power was established through numerous changes.
In the eighth year of Jinghua, two months before the formal establishment of the heir apparent, Zhong Huang suddenly sent a memorial to the throne, severely criticizing himself and comprehensively covering all his actions.
The memorial reads: "Your Majesty, I have been dull-witted for many years, lacking both intelligence and diligence. My abilities are far inferior to those of my elder sister, and I have failed to fulfill even a fraction of my duties. Whenever I think of this, I am filled with shame. I humbly beg Your Majesty to disregard this when choosing a successor; I am utterly ashamed."
Emperor Hong'an's expression was obscure and unclear.
Just when he had almost come to believe that his future great-grandson was a naive fool, he surprised himself with another unexpected gift.
Is it concealing one's talents or a childlike heart?
He read the memorial again, but from the few words revealed by the sky, he could not discern the child's true nature.
This is almost the best description of Zhong Huang himself. Because he really did not fulfill his duties. When guarding the border, he acted as a mascot. After the war, although he was in Mingyuan Pass, he did not care about anything and only cared about being affectionate with his wife.
In a sense, it's not wrong to say that Zhong Cong helped him hold back the Ning Dynasty's rule.
On the other hand, this memorial was quite clever. It cleanly absolved itself of any ambition for the throne, demonstrating that it truly had no designs on the crown. "My elder sister, let's live peacefully together. I relinquish my right to the throne; I dare not contend with you. And please, don't hold a grudge against me or try to kill me!"
Fang Jingruo rode a donkey, swaying from side to side on his way home.
With honor and glory upon him, he returned home in triumph, feeling extremely happy. He was naturally even more moved by Zhou She's helping hand.
He wholeheartedly agreed with all of King Jungjong's decisions. If future generations could see this, they would surely label him a sycophant.
"The Second Prince isn't actually that stupid..." he sighed. "He must have had a master guiding him."
Tianmu quickly named this expert:
[Thanks to Fang Jingruo. As the teacher of the two heirs, Zhong Huang's sudden display of intelligence is also thanks to him.]
Self-deprecation is a common tactic, but for Zhong Huang, it was definitely beyond his capabilities... I don't mean to mock him!
Regardless, Emperor Cheng and his sister had a truly good relationship. Although Zhong Cong often tried to sabotage his brother, he always ensured his brother's dignity in important matters. Zhong Huang's life was incredibly smooth; aside from not ascending the throne, he was practically the epitome of royal life, the envy of everyone.
Zhong Jin scratched his head.
He was no longer a role model before even ascending the throne. He thought to himself, but a hint of envy crept in his eyes.
It would be wonderful for him to enjoy such a good life. His own sister is the emperor, and he is the only prince. Ah, just thinking about it makes me happy.
Duan Mingyuan's concern was: "Huh...? Zhong Huang survived? Emperor Cheng didn't kill her brother?"
Wouldn't that allow the Duan family's glory to continue...?
"Father, Emperor Cheng not killing his brothers doesn't mean he won't touch our Duan family—"
The eldest son of the Duan family spoke again, but before he could finish speaking, Duan Mingyuan finally lost his temper, picked up the teacup, and threw it away.
The teacup brushed past his son and crashed heavily to the ground with a "bang," shards of porcelain scattering and tea seeping out.
Then came his angry shout: "Shut up! You jinx!"
Young Master Duan: "..."
My dad just doesn't like to hear the truth.
At the same time, in northern Xinjiang.
After Cheng Zhuoran confirmed the authenticity of the news, the city gates, which had just been closed, were reopened, and the army poured out from all sides, launching a counterattack to the north.
Zhou She, still in his armor, went into battle once more. His army swept through the Northern Di army's defenses with unstoppable momentum, capturing tens of thousands of prisoners and seizing countless horses and livestock.
Zhou She's route was even more precise, managing to block Li Tu, who was still trying to escape.
Li Tu was indeed half-dead and slumped on his horse, surrounded by his guards.
Half an hour ago, Zhou She was cornered by this group and unable to break through. But now, he led several hundred elite cavalrymen, like a sharp dagger, and steadily plunged into their ranks.
As the deep blue sky turned bluish-black, the Northern Barbarian flags fell, and victory was assured.
Zhou She grabbed Li Tu's head and rushed back, blood dripping down his arm, some of it his own, some of Li Tu's.
As he was speeding along, he happened to hear the last words of the falling sky.
When Zhong Huang's memorial was presented, the officials—no, the common people—who still harbored resentment were speechless.
So, we fought for you on the front lines, and you, Zhong Huang, sabotaged us from behind?
Although Zhong Huang didn't want to ascend the throne, this group had simply become accustomed to using him as a shield, but the effect was outstanding. They all fell silent, the situation was cleared up, and Zhong Cong's ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion.
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