Chapter 361: To Conquer the World
Ye Chutang thought this was a good idea and was about to agree when An An spoke up.
"Mom and Dad, I want to sit in that seat."
As soon as these words came out, Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou looked at An An and asked questions at the same time.
"Why do you think that?"
"Are you serious?"
An An stood up and bowed to Qi Yanzhou.
"Dad, ever since I was old enough to understand and knew what family, country and the world are, I have had the idea of ascending to a high position."
After saying that, he bowed to Ye Chutang again.
"Mom, I am serious and have been working hard for this, but I need time to grow up."
The implication is that he needs his parents to conquer the world and help him keep it for a few years.
Ye Chutang helped An An up and asked affirmatively: "Did your uncle tell you anything?"
She knew her son was sensible and precocious.
But he was only four years old, and if no one instilled some ideas in him, he would not have the possibility of dreaming about the throne.
An An pursed her lips but said nothing.
As soon as Ye Chutang saw this, he knew that he had guessed right.
"My brother really knows how to calculate people's hearts to the extreme."
Even four-year-olds are not spared!
Qi Yanzhou didn't think it was a big deal, and said with a smile: "Since An An wants it, help him get it."
He had long discovered that the child was interested in family and national power struggles.
When I went to school to learn, I was asked about the emperor's mind, the checks and balances in the court, and the people's livelihood.
And after asking, he will draw inferences and come up with better solutions.
It was as if he was born to be an emperor.
The teachers who taught him all said that this child was extraordinary and would become a great man in the future.
Unexpectedly, before waiting for the future, he had already chosen the most difficult and lonely path.
Thinking of this, Qi Yanzhou put his hands on An An's shoulders and looked at him seriously.
"An An, do you know what you will lose when you become an emperor?"
The emperor gained a lot, but lost even more.
He had to make An An clear about the gains and losses.
An An nodded affirmatively, "I know. I will lose my freedom, my family, my friends, and my sincerity. I will also be forced to make choices against my will, marry someone I don't like, and be checked by court officials."
It is lonely at the top, he will be lonely all his life and shackled by imperial power for life.
After hearing this, Ye Chutang chuckled and shook his head.
"An An, the first half of your sentence is wrong, and the second half is completely wrong."
An An looked at Ye Chutang in surprise and raised her hand to bow.
"Please give me some advice, mother."
Ye Chutang pulled An An to sit down and said, "The only thing you lose when you become an emperor is your freedom."
"Your father and I will not have any more children. You only have one sister, Lele. She will not compete with you for power, so at least you will not lose us. As for your future children, if you can't even control them, you should not be the emperor."
"Only those who care about you can be called friends. As time goes by, your friendship will only grow deeper."
"As for sincerity, if you only calculate and weigh the pros and cons, others will naturally treat you the same way."
As he spoke, Ye Chutang took An An's hand and patted it gently.
"Son, being an emperor is not scary. What's scary is that once you take that position, you no longer trust anyone and your heart and eyes are filled with only political schemes."
"The mind of the emperor, the checks and balances in the court, and the people's livelihood, the situations faced by each emperor are different. You can read more, learn more, and summarize more, but you can't follow the routine."
"Before abdicating, my parents will solve all the problems of the old dynasty and establish a new order. All you need to do is stabilize the country and ensure its safety."
"An An, I won't stop you from doing what you want to do, but I also hope that you can follow your heart and not be constrained. Even if you are imprisoned in the imperial city as an emperor, your heart is free. Make friends you want to make, marry who you want to marry, and make the decisions you think are right."
Ye Chutang hugged An An gently.
"Dad and Mom will always stand behind you and be your backup and retreat."
Although Lele didn't quite understand what Ye Chutang had just said, she understood the last sentence.
"And Lele, don't forget Lele."
Qi Yanzhou held Lele on his lap and scratched her nose with a smile.
"You little clever fellow, of course you have to be counted in."
After saying that, he looked at Han Chong's confidants.
"Don't let any news spread. I want to see what plans my brother and Jie Yi have set."
***
The rain continued until the next morning.
The accumulated water outside the ruined temple was above half of his calves, and the bottom of the carriage had been soaked in water for a long time and was somewhat deformed.
The river water rose sharply and submerged all the bridges and roads leading to Guangling County.
After a day of exposure to the sun, the accumulated water outside the temple had dried up, leaving only a muddy ground.
The river water has receded a little and some roads are passable.
Ye Chutang looked at the red clouds in the sky and said, "Early tomorrow morning, we will abandon the carriage and ride horses to Yangzhou City."
Now that I'm in Jiangnan, I have to meet the two elders of the Tang family.
Even if Song Jingning's plan was imminent, he was capable of dealing with their inaction.
You can plot against her.
But she is not someone you can easily mess with, so of course you have to fight back!
Qi Yanzhou nodded in agreement, "Okay, there are just enough horses, just take the necessary luggage with you when the time comes."
Sun Chu and Song Jingning's carriages were both powered by one horse.
Qi Yanzhou's carriage was too big, so it used two horses.
Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou each took a child and rode a horse.
Two of Han Chong's confidants rode on one horse.
If we ride faster, we can reach Yangzhou City in just three hours.
But when traveling with children, it is not advisable to run too fast. It is fine as long as you can arrive tomorrow night.
Qi Yanzhou saw birds flying into the woods from time to time, so he stood up and said, "I'm going to go around the woods and see if I can catch some game."
After hearing this, Han Chong's confidant quickly said, "Master Qi, let's go."
Just in case, two people went and two stayed behind.
Not long after, the two people who left came back with a fat hare.
"The rabbit's nest was flooded, and we found several rabbits. We picked the biggest one."
Qi Yanzhou nodded and said, "Go and prepare it and grill it later."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge Saker Falcon landed on the rotten windowsill.
When Lele saw it, he shouted in surprise: "Qingqing, you are here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Saker Falcon flew to Lele and rubbed her calf with its mighty and domineering head.
"Your wings are wet. Did you get caught in the rain? Are you hungry?"
"Chirp~Chirp~"
"Mom, Qingqing has been flying for five days and was caught in the rain. It must be tired. Feed it quickly."
Ye Chutang took the bamboo tube off Haidongqing's leg and handed it to Qi Yanzhou.
Then he picked up the Saker Falcon, placed it next to the fire, and roasted its wings.
"Lele, tell it to wait until its wings are dry and then go hunting in the woods."
The Saker Falcon is not an ordinary bird, it is a carnivorous animal.
Lele nodded, caught the Saker Falcon in front of him, and chatted with it.
Ye Chutang looked at the letter in Qi Yanzhou's hand and asked, "What did Nan Xiao say?"
The Saker Falcon has always been fed by Nan Xiao. If an emergency occurs, he will let it deliver the message.
It brought two letters in total.
One was a copy of the emperor's edict, and the other was about the misfortune of the Qi family.
Qi Yanzhou quickly read the two letters and handed them to Ye Chutang.
The content of the imperial edict was very simple, saying that the Qi family controlled the court and the army and intended to rebel, and they were sentenced to immediate execution.
This imperial edict was not only issued to the Qi family, but also announced to the world.
Tianshan County was completely under the control of the Qi family, and no one took the imperial edict seriously.
Nan Xiao thought that he had to tell Qi Yanzhou about this, so he went to Qi's house to discuss it with Old Man Qi.
Then he discovered that none of the Qi family members were in the Qi Mansion.
He learned that Qi Shuyan had taken the Qi family to Tianchi in Tianshan Mountain to take a hot spring bath.
The Qi family goes to Tianshan to soak in hot springs twice a year.
But I only go for three to five days each time.
This time the Qi family was gone for nearly ten days and did not come back.
Nan Xiao realized something was wrong and immediately sent people to Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Mountain, but he did not find the Qi family.
He asked around for information and sent people to look for her, but found nothing.
Until the Qi family received a secret letter.
"If you want the Qi family to survive, let Qi Yanzhou come to the capital and exchange his life for theirs!"
Ye Chutang chuckled after reading Nan Xiao's letter.
"I'm afraid that except for my husband and me, everyone else has become a part of my brother's plan."
Qi Yanzhou said: "My parents definitely don't know about this. They must have been deceived by my brother."
Ye Chutang believed this.
Because the two elders of the Qi family have always been on her side and would never do anything to make her unhappy.
"Never mind, let's go to Yangzhou for a few days and have fun first."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Ye Chutang threw the two letters into the fire and burned them.
At this time, Han Chong's confidants also processed the rabbit and soaked it in water to remove the blood.
Ye Chutang went to the carriage and took out the barbecue ingredients from the space.
Soon, the rabbit was roasted with a sizzling aroma.
An An and Le Le ate a lot.
The next day.
As soon as day broke, Ye Chutang and his party rode straight to Yangzhou City.
And as planned, they arrived at the Tang family at dusk.
Ever since the two elders of the Tang family started doing business again and making money, they bought back their old house.
The layout of the house remained unchanged. The two elders restored the house to its original appearance before it was ransacked based on their memories.
The two elders of the Tang family have been looking forward to it for two days.
Old Madam Tang sat in the main hall, stretching her neck to look outside.
"The rain a few days ago came at an unfortunate time, otherwise Chu'er and Jing'er would have arrived yesterday."
Old Master Tang was even more anxious than his wife and urged Nanny Feng to add more tea.
"Go check at the door again, but others have arrived and no one is there to greet them."
Nanny Feng is an elder in the Tang family. She and the two elders are more like relatives than master and servant.
She smiled and said, "Master, Madam, the concierge is always watching. If Miss and Young Master Cousin come, they will be notified immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, the doorman rushed in hurriedly.
He didn't have time to salute, and hurriedly said, "Master and Madam, my cousin and her husband are here."
The two elders of the Tang family immediately stood up and walked out briskly.
Before he reached the door, he saw a servant leading Ye Chutang, Qi Yanzhou, and two children, walking quickly towards him.
As for Han Chong's confidants, they were arranged to stay in the inn.
Old Madam Tang's eyes became moist as she looked at her granddaughter who looked so much like her daughter.
Her throat seemed to be blocked by something, making her feel very uncomfortable.
I have a lot to say, but I can't utter a single word.
Mr. Tang has three legitimate children, and his favorite is his youngest daughter, Tang Wanning.
He looked at Ye Chutang, thought of his poor daughter, and cried even harder than his wife.
Ye Chutang really couldn't stand the old man crying, and it was even more awkward because they were not very familiar with each other and had little affection for each other.
She quickly interrupted the two old men's spellcasting and went forward to hug them.
"Grandpa, grandma, you're crying so hard, I'm going to be scared away."
As soon as these words were spoken, the two elders of the Tang family wiped away their tears immediately.
"Chu'er, we are old and our tears are shallow, so please don't mind. I should be happy to see you in my lifetime, not cry."
Having said that, the two elders couldn't stop crying.
An An and Le Le each hugged an old man's trouser leg and called out softly, "Great-grandfather, great-grandmother, we are An An and Le Le."
The two old people's hearts were melted by the child's shouting.
Each person picked up a child, and tears were replaced by smiles.
"You are so good. Your parents have taught you very well."
"Let me go in and talk. You must be exhausted from the journey."
The group entered the main hall.
Old Madam Tang stared at Ye Chutang, unable to take her eyes away.
"Just like your mother."
After that, she asked, "Chu'er, why don't you see Jing'er? Didn't he say he came with you?"
Ye Chutang didn't want the Tang family's elders to worry, so he didn't tell the truth.
"My brother left for some urgent business. When he is done, he will bring his sweetheart to Yangzhou to visit us."
This made the two elders very happy.
"Jing'er is not young anymore, it's time for him to consider his lifelong affairs."
Just as Mrs. Tang finished speaking, she saw Lele dozing off sleepily.
"The kitchen is already preparing dinner. It will be ready soon. You can go to bed early after eating."
Ye Chutang was indeed a little tired after riding a horse for a whole day.
She nodded, "Grandma, tell me about my mother's time in Yangzhou City."
Speaking of Tang Wan Ning, the mood of the two elders of the Tang family immediately became depressed, but they suppressed the pain and recalled the past.
After chatting for a while, someone from the kitchen came to ask if we wanted to serve the meal.
"Tell Chu'er and the others to finish their meal and rest early."
The meal was so abundant that the table was almost full.
The two elders didn't know what Ye Chutang's family of four liked to eat, so they asked the kitchen to prepare a table of authentic Yangzhou dishes to show their hospitality.
"Chu'er, if these dishes don't suit your taste, I'll ask the kitchen to make something else."
"Grandma, you're welcome. If I'm not mistaken, these are Yangzhou's famous dishes, right?"
Old Madam Tang nodded and asked Nanny Feng to introduce everyone to Ye Chutang one by one.
Nanny Feng’s introduction was very detailed and whetted people’s appetite.
Even though An An Le Le was not used to Yangzhou cuisine, she still ate a lot of it out of courtesy.
After dinner, Ye Chutang and his family went to rest.
Because they were guests, they woke up early the next day.
Yangzhou is fresh and bright after the rain, and the air is full of the fragrance of flowers, which is refreshing and pleasant to smell.
After breakfast, Mr. Tang arranged for someone to take Ye Chutang and his family to visit Yangzhou City.
"Chu'er, your grandmother and I are not very mobile, so we can't go shopping with you. We are really sorry."
"Grandfather, you're welcome. It's the same if you arrange for someone to take us there. We won't be back for lunch."
"Okay, take your time walking around, don't get tired."
The spring scenery in Yangzhou is pleasant, there are delicious foods everywhere, and the cultural atmosphere is also very strong.
Lele likes it here very much.
"Mom and Dad, let's play in Yangzhou for a while longer, okay?"
Qi Yanzhou had no objection and looked at Ye Chutang.
Just as Ye Chutang was about to agree, he heard the people discussing something strange.
This strange thing is related to the Qi family.
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