Chapter 9 and Chapter 89: The Sixth Prince's Years (The End)...
Zhong Shuo did indeed feel that something was wrong with his body.
He must have achieved great success in his cultivation in his previous life, because he almost never got sick. It is even more abnormal for him to have such frequent fevers now.
Zhong Shuo seriously doubted his third brother.
He had no affection for any of his brothers. His third brother, who died young, was a different story, but his fifth brother, who died last, was even more estranged from him.
Fortunately, Zhou She brought Liang Jichuan along and prescribed some medicine for him.
Zhong Shuo was a little moved: "Good nephew, you took care of me in the past life and you still care about me in this life. It makes my revenge seem petty."
But the nephew clearly didn't see himself as a nephew; he seemed to see himself as a second father.
This includes, but is not limited to, worrying about his studies, physical health, mental well-being, and hobbies.
When Zhong Shuo could speak fluently, the first thing he said was "Mother." This woman had died young in her previous life, and in this life, he hoped that the bond between mother and son could be deeper and last longer.
Chu Wensong hugged Zhong Shuo, his smile so wide it almost disappeared his eyes, but tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.
This was the first time Zhong Shuo had seen her like this. He reached out and wiped away her tears, whispering, "Mother, don't cry."
The emperor sat to one side, seemingly indifferent, but his gaze was actually fixed on Zhong Shuo.
Zhong Shuo really wanted to deliberately ignore his father, and he actually did just that.
Zhou She immediately glanced at the old emperor.
Emperor Hong'an sat unmoved and said calmly, "Why don't you hold him?"
Zhou She: "..." Your Majesty, you actually care a lot, don't you?
But he didn't speak. Instead, he reached out and hugged Zhong Shuo, grinning as he said, "Your Highness likes me, doesn't he?"
The uncle and nephew were both delighted, finding their own joy amidst Emperor Hong'an's dissatisfaction.
Besides the pleasure of disliking his father, Zhong Shuo had another kind of joy: he had never dared to call Zhou She by his full name before, and now he finally had the chance—a rare opportunity indeed!
Even Chu Wensong was somewhat dazed: Actually, the old emperor really seemed quite superfluous...
Of course, she wouldn't dare say that aloud.
Children know who treats them well, and the person who takes care of them the most will naturally be the one they are closest to.
*
In the spring of the twenty-ninth year of Hong'an, at the Eastern Palace.
"Is that so?" Zhou She lowered his head and looked at the three children in front of him.
A pair of twins, a boy and a girl, dressed in winter coats, sat obediently on either side of Zhong Shuo.
Zhong Shuo, only six years old, sat upright in the middle, his face full of sincerity. Faced with Zhou She's question, he nodded earnestly: "Yes."
"You mean, they're closer to you than I am?"
“I watched them grow up,” Zhong Shuo said innocently, “just like I love you.”
Zhou She twitched the corner of his mouth, and remained silent for a moment in the face of Zhong Shuo's accusing expression.
After his children were born, he was indeed busy with official duties and sacrificed a lot of time. Perhaps from the perspective of a father, he was just as inadequate as the emperor.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Cong and Zhong Huang simultaneously raised their heads and hugged Zhou She's legs on either side: "Father, brother is so good!"
Zhou She rubbed his forehead: "This is your great-uncle..."
Zhong Cong understood, but Zhong Huang ignored him.
Zhou She sighed softly and finally said, "Thank you very much for your help during this time."
After saying this, he looked at Zhong Shuo in silence, knowing that the other must have something he was hiding from him.
Zhong Shuo immediately seized the opportunity and said with a grin, "I want to take them to Yunzhou for a visit."
Yunzhou is 108,000 li away from the capital. Although it is prosperous, it is really far away.
Zhou She, of course, wouldn't let the three children go on a long trip, and was about to refuse. Seeing this, Zhong Shuo quickly changed his request: "Then let's go to the suburbs for a few days."
Zhou She: "...?"
He frowned slightly, looked down and saw the expectant eyes of the two children, and instinctively felt that something was wrong.
The changes in Yunzhou and its suburbs are too great!
"Have you finished your studies?"
Zhong Shuo remained expressionless: "Of course, Yi Niang has always been outstanding, and Brother Xin is no less so, is he?"
The last question was directed at his two grandnephews. Zhong Cong remained composed, but Zhong Huang hesitated for a moment before quickly adjusting his expression: "Yes!"
Zhou She narrowed his eyes slightly and stretched out his hand: "I heard that a few days ago, the new teacher took office and gave you a test paper. Let me take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two children scurried out, yelling and screaming.
Zhong Shuo stood silently in place, giving Zhou She a look that was three parts awkward, three parts innocent, and four parts aggrieved.
Zhou She also knew him very well.
Zhong Shuo was good at playing dumb; the more honest he appeared, the more wicked he was.
He chuckled: "Didn't do well on the exam?"
Zhong Cong and Zhong Shuo studied together with other members of the imperial clan of the same age, and their teacher had always spoken highly of them. This time, however, the teacher brought Zhong Shuo along, criticizing his own incompetence and proposing a short stay in the suburbs. Whom were they trying to avoid?
Zhong Shuo sat down opposite him at the long table and nodded casually: "It's not good. They want me to cover for them."
What kind of cover can he possibly provide? It would be a good thing if he didn't expose them.
Only Zhou She and Zhong Shuo remained in the room. Zhou She, unusually quiet, gazed at Zhong Shuo, then suddenly spoke: "You..."
Zhong Shuo looked up in confusion: "?"
With pastries still in his mouth, he casually pulled all the desserts next to Zhou She to his side and ate them very earnestly.
Zhou She swallowed all his questions back down.
"It's nothing," he said casually. "There are still some of your favorite snacks in the small kitchen. I heard you go to Ziyun Temple often. His Majesty doesn't like these, so don't mention them in front of him. Also, while you're having fun, don't neglect your studies. The medicine is warming on the stove; remember to drink it before you leave."
Zhou She did not look at Zhong Shuo's face when he said these words.
Sometimes he felt that Zhong Shuo had a maturity beyond that of ordinary people, a maturity that was not the precociousness of a child.
For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to ask Zhong Shuo: Who exactly are you?
Are they from the future, like me?
He could sense Zhong Shuo's gaze upon him, which occasionally held a probing and scrutinizing quality, as if Zhong Shuo were studying him across time.
Zhou She chuckled at his own thoughts. He had indeed had doubts, but it seemed pointless to voice them.
Nominally, he was Zhong Shuo's nephew, but in reality, it was he who took care of Zhong Shuo.
The feelings are real, but does it really matter who he is?
Zhong Shuo remained silent. He quietly finished his favorite portion, then looked up and smiled, a smile that was surprisingly shy: "Father knows I went to Ziyun Temple. I also heard that Ziyun Temple has been very effective in recent years, so I went to take a look."
That being said, what he was really thinking about was the abbot of Ziyun Temple from his previous life.
A single elixir brought him here, but whether this counts as rejuvenation or not, Zhong Shuo couldn't figure it out even after thinking about it for several years.
Actually, one could barely consider it as having achieved some success in cultivating immortality, right?
Zhong Shuo comforted himself in this way.
Zhou She seemed to have lost the desire to talk. Zhong Shuo then quietly walked out, closing the door behind him.
The spring sunshine is lovely, and it feels warm on the skin.
Zhong Shuo glanced back; the door was tightly closed, and someone inside was writing furiously.
Everything seemed so wonderful, even better than in my previous life.
Except that Emperor Hong'an died earlier than he had imagined.
When the third prince led his troops into the palace and sealed the palace gates, Zhong Cong happened to be in the palace as well, and everyone was locked in the same room.
Although the Third Prince was tall, his back seemed somewhat hunched, and when he scanned the entire room, he revealed a hint of madness.
He saw Zhong Shuo and let out a disdainful snort: "You're such a fence-sitter, wagging your tail for anyone who feeds you a piece of meat."
Zhong Shuo wanted to curse him, but survival was his priority, so he remained silent and quietly shielded Zhong Cong behind him.
Seeing that he didn't retaliate when he was being insulted, the Third Prince didn't bother to continue the conversation and went to find the Old Emperor first.
He killed the emperor, seized power, and ascended the throne.
This was the last vestige of reason in his mind, and also the goal of all his actions.
A group of soldiers blocked the palace gates. Zhong Cong held Zhong Shuo in his arms, and the two sat close together, neither in the mood to speak.
After a long while, a faint sigh drifted from behind.
Zhong Shuo was somewhat worried about Zhong Cong. He didn't know this grand-nephew very well in his previous life, but their relationship had become much closer in this life.
He himself was only eight years old, yet he had known Zhong Cong for six years. To put it bluntly, he had watched these two children grow up.
Zhong Shuo asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
Zhong Cong nodded, then shook his head: "I'm worried about His Majesty."
Everyone's lives depended on the emperor, and her first thought was not for herself, but for the emperor's safety.
Zhong Shuo was unsure, but could only comfort her, "His Majesty has a perfect plan; nothing will happen."
Zhong Cong: "He didn't see me."
Zhong Shuo was slightly taken aback.
Zhong Cong added, "He hates my father. If he sees me, he will definitely come and cause me trouble."
Zhong Shuo didn't know what to say, so he simply said, "I will protect you."
In truth, Zhong Shuo felt that the Third Prince shouldn't be that crazy. But even he himself didn't believe it when he said it.
They were political rivals, so confiscating their property and exterminating their entire families seemed like a reasonable choice. But Zhou She himself wasn't present; what was the point of all this?
Is it just to showcase one's abilities?
Everything was almost exactly as Zhong Shuo had imagined, except for a few slight changes.
As expected, the emperor was already on guard against the third prince. Apart from Zhong Cong being injured unexpectedly, everything ended without serious incident.
Even so, the emperor was seriously injured. Upon learning of this, Zhong Shuo, accompanied by his mother, went to visit his father.
The old emperor's eyes were tightly closed, his face was purplish-blue, and he looked like he was about to die. Standing beside his father's bed, it was the first time he had ever looked at the emperor's face from this angle.
Chu Wensong didn't want his son to worry too much, so he took him back to Biyingxuan so he could rest. But before leaving, he hesitated and said, "Sixth."
Zhong Shuo's breathing became rapid. He took a few steps to his mother and asked in a low voice, "What does Mother want to say?"
Chu Wensong knew her son was intelligent. The words she had suppressed for so long finally surfaced.
"If your father passes away, and the Crown Prince is far away in Chuzhou, when will he be able to return to the capital? You are your father's son..."
She was somewhat resentful.
The throne fell into the hands of the emperor's grandson. It sounds like a joke; in all the thousands of years of history, has there ever been such a precedent?
She was unwilling to accept this situation, whether for her son's sake or for her own.
Zhong Shuo quickly stepped forward and gently covered his mother's mouth: "I understand that you care about me, Mother."
Chu Wensong: "Hmm."
“But there’s no need.” Zhong Shuo smiled lightly, his smile even possessing a transcendent and carefree quality. “I’m not the type to be an emperor, nor do I have the ability. If we were to compete, it wouldn’t be good for anyone; I would undoubtedly lose.”
Zhou She served as the crown prince for six years. For him, these six years were enough for him to grow, expand his ranks, and become close to the officials.
Even if the emperor still wielded considerable influence and could not openly cultivate relationships with officials, his power was still far beyond what an orphan and widow could contend with.
This suggestion is completely pointless.
Moreover, Zhong Shuo felt that this was already very good.
He said softly, "Mother, the Grandson has been very good to us. I have been grateful for his kindness over the years, and I have no ambition whatsoever. Let's just live a simple and peaceful life."
Chu Wensong remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I was too hasty."
Zhong Shuo's eyes crinkled into a smile.
If God gave him a second chance, he hoped he would do better, not worse.
Just like the abbot of Ziyun Temple who gave him the elixir, Zhong Shuo will also give him a chance to turn over a new leaf.
In the second month after Zhou She ascended the throne, Zhong Shuo yawned and said to those around him, "Go to Ziyun Temple."
The close attendant laughed and said, "That Abbot of Ziyun Temple is indeed quite capable, that His Highness likes him so much."
Zhong Shuo looked up, his eyes sparkling, and smiled gently.
Even if it was a matter of liking, after all, Zhou She wanted gunpowder, and the Master of Ziyun Temple was obviously very knowledgeable in alchemy.
He's a professional at retrieving cattle and horses for the new emperor.
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Author's Note: Zhong Shuo & Zhou She, a pair of happy-to-work uncle and nephew.
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