Little wolf?

Sheng Xiyan turned her head to look at Jiuyang. Jiuyang's eyes were moist and he smiled at her sweetly, just like a little kitten lying on its belly and acting coquettishly. His expression changed so quickly that Chu Yuanchen secretly exclaimed in his heart.

Sheng Xiyan's hands were a little itchy, and she resisted the urge to touch his head and introduced him to her, "Jiaoyang, this is Prince Chu."

"Achen, her name is Jiaoyang."

Prince? Jiaoyang couldn't hide her surprise. Of course she knew who Prince Chu was. When she was in the Jiang family, she often heard them talk about him.

They said that the prince of Zhenbei was the grandson of the Jiang family, and when the prince became a prince, the Zhenbei Palace would belong to the Jiang family. They were very happy when they talked about this, but the woman who was not sure if she was her biological mother would beat her in anger. No matter if she did anything wrong or not, they would beat her.

She also knew that Prince Chu was engaged to her sister, so that's why he was here? How disgusting!

Jiuyang glared at Chu Yuanchen again from an angle that Sheng Xiyan couldn't see, with a cold look in his eyes, like a lone wolf.

Chu Yuanchen was not annoyed at all. Instead, he was somewhat interested and raised his eyebrows.

Have blood!

He is totally different from Chu Yuanyi who is so indifferent and slow.

Chu Yuanchen folded his arms across his chest and leaned on his desk. He seldom returned to Beijing, and to be honest, he was not very familiar with Chu Yuanyi. This time when he returned, he found that Chu Yuanyi simply didn't know what to say about him.

On the surface, he seems to be polite and courteous, but he is slow and indecisive in doing things. It seems that there is nothing wrong with him. At most, he is not suitable to lead an army.

But in fact, Chu Yuanyi was not hesitating at all, but was too petty. He was afraid of being taken advantage of, so he kept weighing things, which resulted in him being indecisive and intimidating.

Chu Yuanyi is not stupid. At least he can see the pros and cons of certain things for himself, and then he selfishly only considers himself.

This is something Chu Yuanchen cannot accept.

It doesn’t matter whether Chu Yuanyi likes literature or martial arts. It doesn’t matter even if he is timid and cowardly. I am the eldest brother and can protect him.

But being selfish is not okay.

Selfishness will lead to fear and cowardice, and will intentionally or unintentionally do things that are detrimental to the interests of the Zhenbei Palace. However, the Zhenbei Palace today is facing difficulties at every step and will not tolerate the slightest mistake.

The Zhenbei Palace does not belong to the Chu family alone. The generals and common people in Southern Xinjiang are the foundation of the Zhenbei Palace.

For Chu Yuanchen, blood ties are not as important as those to the Zhenbei Palace, so after discovering that Chu Yuanyi was unrepentant and difficult to tame, he would rather let Chu Yuanyi return to his clan.

Sometimes, Chu Yuanchen couldn't help but wonder why Chu Yuanyi didn't seem like a member of the Chu family at all.

At first he thought it might be the result of the emperor deliberately raising him in a crooked way.

And now, he somewhat understood why it didn't look like that.

The way one behaves may be different due to upbringing, but bravery is ingrained in one's bones, just like the little girl in front of him. No matter how the Jiang family bullies her, she has never lost her bravery.

At this moment, he believed the guess a little more.

It must be said that compared to Chu Yuanyi, Jiuyang is more like a member of the Chu family.

"I heard that you learned archery well?" Chu Yuanchen asked with interest.

Jiaoyang raised his head proudly and said, "Very good."

Chu Yuanchen raised a finger and shook it: "The bow and arrow are too limited to use. If the opponent is facing you, it is not suitable to use the bow and arrow, and you will suffer a loss."

Jiaoyang thought she meant to say that learning archery was useless, so he pursed his lips and didn't want to pay attention to him.

Chu Yuanchen suddenly smiled and said, "Learn how to use a sword!"

Jiaoyang repeated in confusion: "Knife."

Chu Yuanchen took off a curved knife from his waist and handed it to her: "Do you want it?"

Jiuyang looked at Sheng Xiyan, and seeing Sheng Xiyan smiling at her, she took the knife without hesitation.

This curved knife was only as long as an arm, and was completely different from the ones used in the Central Plains. The scabbard was inlaid with gems and was very heavy in the hand. Jiuyang did not have much strength, so he could only barely hold on to it.

She took it in her hand and pulled it hard.

The blade was unsheathed, and the cold air was emanating from the edge. Even someone like Sheng Xiyan, who knew nothing about swords, could tell at a glance that this was a peerless sword.

Jiuyang stared at the blade, her tender and petite face reflected on the blade.

There was no fear in her eyes, but rather excitement to try. She couldn't help but want to touch the blade with her fingers.

"This knife is very sharp, don't cut your hand." Although he said this, Chu Yuanchen didn't look worried at all, "I'll teach you next time."

The next time he mentioned refers to after the identity is confirmed.

"I don't need you to teach me." Jiaoyang glared back at him, "I'll learn it myself!"

Chu Yuanchen laughed and said, "The little girl is learning on her own, she is really capable."

Jiaoyang sheathed the curved knife again and held it tightly in her hand. Her palms were very small, so she needed to use both hands to hold it.

Chu Yuanchen smiled and said, "Ayan, I'm going back first.

"It will take at least three to five days for Ji Mingyang to come back." Chu Yuanchen had met Jiao Yang once and had some idea in his mind. He said, "I will tell you when there is news."

Sheng Xiyan nodded, remembered something, and said, "Achen, the Jiang family has already avenged Jiang Ya's death." She was talking about Jiang Ya, not Jiuyang.

Chu Yuanchen smiled nonchalantly, his attitude casual and natural: "Let them be."

Sheng Xiyan understood, and she smiled at Jiaoyang, meaning to reassure her.

Chu Yuanchen waved to her, and then followed Jiaoyang and said, "See you next time, wolf cub."

Jiaoyang snorted at him, "You are the wolf cub!" My sister likes cats! She is a cat.

Chu Yuanchen pushed open the window, climbed out of it lightly, climbed onto the roof, and soon disappeared.

Jiuyang opened his mouth slightly, stunned and said: "Sister, he can fly!" It's so amazing, it's like he's doing acrobatics!

Sheng Xiyan knew that Chu Yuanchen was already about 70% sure, so she smiled and said, "Let him teach you in the future."

"I want to learn how to use a knife." Jiaoyang held the curved knife tightly and said solemnly, "I will protect my sister in the future."

Sheng Xiyan smiled: "Okay."

The Zhenbei Palace has everything from martial arts training grounds to teaching teachers; Jiaoyang can learn whatever he wants.

She put away the note on the desk, as it was no longer needed, and walked out of the study holding her hand.

Jiuyang held the curved knife in his hand, held Sheng Xiyan with one hand, squinted his eyes in satisfaction, raised the corners of his mouth, and felt like a little bird was fluttering in his heart.

"Sister, can we play catwalk?"

Sheng Xiyan agreed happily.

With Chu Yuanchen investigating, she could put her mind at ease and stopped worrying about it. She happily played cat's tangle with Jiaoyang.

At night, Liu asked Amber to come over and ask her if she wanted to go to the Jiang family, but Sheng Xiyan directly refused.

When Sheng Xing'an learned about this after returning home, he was really at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He just asked Liu to give twenty taels of silver according to the rules for families in the capital that he didn't have much contact with.

Sheng Xingan saw through it clearly. Chu Yuanchen obviously didn't care about the Jiang family, so they didn't need to give face to the Jiang family because of Chu Yuanchen.

Liu was relieved and quickly ordered someone to send the silver over that night. She sat on the Luohan bed in the main room and chatted with Sheng Xingan about some trivial matters. Sheng Xingan responded in a perfunctory manner.

When Liu mentioned that she had already sent an invitation to the Zhenbei Palace and would go to measure the size of the new house in a few days, Sheng Xing'an nodded first, then put down the teacup in his hand and said slowly: "Sister Yan's dowry will be arranged according to the dowry list you wrote last time..."

Liu's heart skipped a beat. Sheng Xing'an continued, "Add another 10,000 taels of silver to her as a deposit."

1. Ten thousand taels!

Mrs. Liu almost couldn't catch her breath. Why did he add another 10,000 taels?

She forced a smile and said, "Master, this..."

"I've thought about it. Sister Yan's dowry can't be too small, but if it's increased, time won't be enough. It's better to give her some money to live on." Sheng Xing'an looked well-intentioned. "Sister Yan is marrying into the Zhenbei Palace. After all, she is marrying a rich man."

Liu wanted to persuade him to give up the idea: "But the emperor hasn't approved the memorial submitted by Princess Jingle yet. Maybe... maybe Prince Chu won't be able to get the title."

Even Liu herself didn't believe what she said.

Chu Yuanchen is the eldest son and the crown prince. He has been in charge of the Northern Frontier for so many years and has made great military achievements. Even the common people outside do not believe that he will not be able to succeed to the title.

However, Liu just wanted to persuade Sheng Xing'an to give up the idea, at least to keep the 10,000 taels, so she could only say with a guilty conscience: "There is a second son in the Zhenbei Palace, and the emperor might let the second son ascend to the title."

"That's just right!"

Sheng Xingan slapped his thigh, his eyes full of ambition.

If the emperor really didn't give the title to Chu Yuanchen, it would be a good thing. Their Sheng family might be able to soar to fame with the help of Sister Yan.

Liu wanted to cry but had no tears. She really couldn't understand what was good about this. She tried to persuade him again and again: "Master, we don't have much cash in our house. You see, the second and third girls are almost coming of age, and we still need to arrange things for them..."

Sheng Xingan was excited, and said unhappily: "I said to add 10,000 taels, so why are you nagging? Whether they can find a good marriage depends on Yan Jie'er. The same goes for Ying Ge'er and Wan Jie'er."

Sheng Ying and Sheng Xiwan are Liu's biological children.

Speaking of the two of them, Liu didn't dare to say anything. Indeed, ever since Sheng Xiyan got engaged to the Zhenbei Palace, the status of the families that came to the Sheng family to propose marriage to their other children suddenly increased by more than one level. Many of them were nobles, and they were powerful nobles, which were not comparable to the Yongning Marquis's Mansion.

Liu replied hesitantly, "Yes."

Sheng Xingan wanted to say a few more words, but a maid came from outside the curtain and reported: "Master, a powerful eunuch has come to the palace."

Sheng Xingan's expression froze: "Are you here to deliver an imperial decree?"

The maid replied, "It was the Emperor's order."

Sheng Xingan quickly straightened his clothes and hurried to the front yard.

Eunuch Li was waiting in the main hall. After seeing Sheng Xing'an, he directly conveyed the emperor's oral order: the morning court will be resumed from tomorrow.

The emperor has been out of court for more than half a month.

During this period, all government affairs were handed over to the Imperial Household Department, and everything was in order. For the court officials, except for the first few days of panic, they found that the speed of reviewing memorials was faster than before and things were done more smoothly, so they all became obedient.

Sheng Xing'an hadn't thought about when the emperor's illness would be cured for a long time. If Zhao Wang's people hadn't come to him privately again, he would have almost forgotten about the court and the emperor.

Sheng Xingan received the oral order solemnly. That night, not only Sheng Xingan, but all the prefectures in the capital received the emperor's oral order, and they all knew that the morning court would be resumed.

Originally they were almost accustomed to going to the yamen to work after noon, but now they had to go out before dawn. Many of them were respectful and happy when they received the oral instructions, but started sighing as soon as the fierce eunuch left.

The court officials, who had not gotten up early for a long time, finally left the palace when it was dark.

In the Golden Palace, after the sound of the whip, the emperor arrived and all the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor".

Everyone was observing the situation furtively.

Xiao Shuo kept the entire inner palace under tight control, and not a single word came out of the palace. For so long, they actually didn't know how seriously ill the emperor was.

Now, when they saw the emperor again, they saw that he looked haggard, and everyone felt that things were not going well.

It has been more than half a month of recuperation and he is still not well. How seriously ill must the emperor be? Some people who were worried secretly looked at King Zhao in the queue.

Sheng Xingan looked at his nose and his heart, and stood there with his hands behind his back.

After saying "All the ministers, please stand up," the emperor cleared his throat and said, "I was not feeling well a few days ago and was absent from court for a few days. Fortunately, thanks to you, my dear ministers, there was no major chaos in the court..."

He spoke in a high-sounding manner, paused for a few breaths, and then continued: "I received a letter from Princess Jingle a while ago, requesting that the prince of the Zhenbei Palace be granted a title."

The whole capital had already known that Princess Jingle had submitted a petition to confer a title on her eldest son. This was a done deal, for apart from Chu Yuanchen, who else in the Zhenbei Palace was qualified to inherit the title?

Unfortunately, the emperor did not approve it for a long time.

Even if the emperor was seriously ill, what was the big deal about approving a memorial? To put it bluntly, the government affairs during this period had long been handled by the Imperial Household Department. Whether the emperor agreed or not, he only needed to tell Xiao Shuo, and he didn't need to worry about it himself.

However, it has been so long since the memorial was submitted, and there is still no response, neither a good nor a bad response, which inevitably makes people speculate.

Does the Emperor want the Prince of Zhenbei to ascend to the title?

Now that they heard the emperor finally bring up this matter, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor called out, "Prince Zhenbei."

"I'm here." Chu Yuanchen took a step forward.

The emperor sat on a throne painted with gold and carved with dragons, looking down at his ministers, and said in a deep voice: "Prince of Zhenbei, Princess Jingle requests that you be given a title, inherit the fiefdom, and become the King of Zhenbei. What do you think?"

Chu Yuanchen smiled and said proudly, "I think you deserve the title."

There was a defiant smile on the corner of his mouth, and his expression was filled with arrogance that looked down on the world, just like an eagle in the sky, absolutely not subject to any constraints or oppression.

Unlike others who would avoid the emperor's gaze, he looked directly at the emperor, his eyes like a famous sword being unsheathed, sharp and cold.

The emperor retreated for a moment, then pretended to clear his throat and said, "However, I have another petition in my hand requesting a title. It was submitted four years ago by your grandfather, King Zhenbei Chu Shen."

Four years ago!

When they heard that this was the memorial submitted by Chu Shendi four years ago, the whole court was shocked.

Four years ago, Chu Shen was still the King of Zhenbei, and he had not yet died in battle.

The emperor sighed slightly and said with embarrassment, "This memorial has been in my hands for four years. After Princess Jingle submitted the memorial requesting the title, I thought about it and still felt that it was inappropriate... If I follow Princess Jingle's wishes and let you, Achen, take the title, wouldn't it make the King of Zhenbei rest in peace in his grave?"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. The emperor meant that Chu Shen did not want Chu Yuanchen to inherit the title? This was unlikely, as Chu Yuanchen was the grandson that Chu Shen had personally raised, and he was outstanding in every way.

The emperor asked, "Prince Zhenbei, do you know about this memorial?"

Chu Yuanchen smiled slightly and said calmly, "I don't know."

He paused for a moment and asked, "I wonder where did you get this memorial from, Your Majesty?"

"It was presented to you personally by your grandfather four years ago." The emperor looked nostalgic and continued, "I..."

"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen interrupted him slowly, "But, four years ago, my grandfather had been in the northern border and had never set foot in the capital."

He stopped at the right time, smiling without saying anything, his expression seemed to be saying: Grandfather had not been to the capital four years ago, so how could he present the memorial in person.

emperor:"……"

He narrowed his tiger eyes, and the gazes of the two people collided in mid-air, as if sparks were flying.

The emperor cleared his throat and said, "This memorial was sent to me by your grandfather from the northern border four years ago."

"You can tell whether the handwriting inside is your grandfather's at a glance." The emperor said calmly, as if he was looking at a rude and naughty child, "There should be many of you who know Chu Shen's handwriting. You can also identify the authenticity together."

Even the words "distinguishing the true from the false" were mentioned. It is conceivable that the memorial from King Zhenbei must be unusual.

The emperor gave a look and Song Yuan handed a memorial to him.

The emperor held the memorial and said, "This is the memorial that Zhenbei King Chu Shen gave me. It asks me to take away Chu Yuanchen's title of crown prince and to make Chu Yuanyi the crown prince. It also says that if Chu Shen himself dies, then I ask that Chu Yuanyi be made the King of Zhenbei and inherit the title of vassal king."

The emperor signaled to pass the memorial to Lin Shoufu. He looked at Chu Yuanchen and said, "Prince Zhenbei, in the past four years, you have been in charge of the northern border and resisted Beiyan. You have made great contributions to Darong. I was very hesitant at first. Based on your merits, Achen, you should be awarded the title, but... I cannot ignore your grandfather's will. I, alas, am also very embarrassed."

Many people in the court recognized the handwriting of Zhenbei King Chu Shen. Prime Minister Lin recognized it at a glance. He nodded secretly and passed it to the next person.

After the memorial was quickly passed around among the people in the inner cabinet, Lin Shoufu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this memorial is indeed written by the King of Zhenbei. The King of Zhenbei does intend to pass the title to Chu Yuanyi."

When these words were spoken, the others who had not seen the memorial were almost dumbfounded.

In a noble family, as long as the eldest son is not disabled, no matter how mediocre he is, the title will be given to the eldest son. Not to mention the nobles, even ordinary wealthy families and even ordinary people would not pass on their property to the youngest son instead of the eldest son.

Establishing the eldest son as the heir is the duty of governing the country and settling the family. Moreover, Chu Yuanchen and Yu Darong have made great contributions in expanding the territory.

"Your Majesty." Lin Shoufu thought for a moment and bowed, "This memorial was submitted four years ago. It has been four years. The Prince of Chu has done nothing wrong and should not be stripped of his title."

In fact, Lin Shoufu was a little confused. Logically speaking, there were only two brothers in the Zhenbei Palace, and the Zhenbei King should hope that they would live in harmony. Why did he insist on deposing the eldest and enthroning the youngest? Wasn't he trying to cause discord between the brothers?

This was really unreasonable. He couldn't help but wonder if someone had copied Chu Shen's handwriting and was deliberately trying to provoke him.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Chu has made great contributions to the country and has guarded the northern border for many years. He has already taken on the title of King of Zhenbei, even though he doesn't have the title." Lin Shoufu said, "The Second Young Master is still young, so it is inappropriate to change his title now."

He almost said directly that even if Chu Yuanyi succeeded to the title, there was no way Northern Xinjiang would obey him.

Everyone responded in agreement.

It's just like the throne. The prince has been in power for decades and is about to ascend the throne. Suddenly, a will comes out saying that the emperor has passed the throne to his youngest son. Will the prince accept it? Will the people under the prince accept it? It would be strange if they don't rebel!

As long as Chu Yuanchen does not retreat, Chu Yuanyi will never be able to successfully seize the military power. I am afraid that even the imperial edict cannot influence this point.

So, what did the emperor want to do?

Not only Lin Shoufu, this thought also appeared in everyone's mind.

Those who could rise step by step in the ups and downs of officialdom and stand in their current position are not stupid. They couldn't help but think of the duel between the emperor and his ministers on the street on the day when Chu Yuanchen just came back.

For a moment, there was silence in the Golden Palace.

Everyone's eyes were on Chu Yuanchen, and most people remained silent and just watched from the sidelines.

"Prime Minister Lin is right." The emperor nodded slightly, looking embarrassed. "I thought so too, so I didn't take out Chu Shen's memorial for a long time. When Princess Jingle first submitted the memorial, I had planned to let the old prince's memorial remain in my hands and never see the light of day again..."

Lin Shoufu nodded silently.

The emperor changed the subject and continued, "But, my dear ministers, have you ever thought about why Chu Shen submitted this memorial four years ago, instead of earlier or later..."

He said in a low voice, "Four years ago, Northern Yan was pressing in. The force was so great that Chu Shen had no time to resist. Yet he still took the time to write such a memorial and had someone deliver it to me."

"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen watched the emperor pretending to be calm and composed, and then simply followed his words and asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, who presented this memorial to you?"

"My dear Jiang." The emperor called.

Jiang Ting stepped out from among the ministers and bowed to the emperor.

Jiang Ting's feet were completely disabled and he walked with a limp. He should not have appeared in the Golden Palace. It was obviously a special order from the emperor.

Not only Jiang Ting, but Chu Yuanyi was also in the court, standing next to Jiang Ting. If the emperor hadn't called them, no one would have noticed that they were there too.

"Your Majesty." Jiang Ting bowed and said, "Father-in-law..."

He seemed to want to talk about his father-in-law, but then he remembered that he had been kicked out of the Zhenbei Palace, so he changed his mind and said, "The memorial was presented to the emperor by the old prince four years ago."

Jiang Ting looked at Chu Yuanchen with a sad face and said, "At that time, it was the old prince who sent his confidant to deliver this memorial to me and asked me to pass it on to the emperor."

"Ah Chen." Jiang Ting looked at Chu Yuanchen with a sad face. "Because your grandfather scolded you a few times, you led the Northern Yan people into the pass. After your grandfather learned the truth, although he was extremely disappointed in you, he couldn't bear to take your life, so he could only hastily send someone to send this memorial back."

Jiang Ting knelt on the ground and said bitterly: "Your Highness wants to make amends, but I was too selfish, so I only presented the memorial to the emperor, but concealed the fact that Chu Yuanchen colluded with Beiyan. I beg the emperor to blame me."

He put his head on the ground, kowtowed deeply, prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face, looking like a loving father who had planned everything for his son.

"Hey, my dear Jiang, I know what you are thinking. Please get up."

"Father." Chu Yuanchen's face showed no panic or uneasiness. He still had that nonchalant smile on his face and said, "Are you accusing me of colluding with Beiyan and intending to rebel?"

He said with a half-smile: "Do you know that according to the Darong Law, if I commit treason, you as my father will also be guilty of the same crime as my entire clan?"

According to the Great Rong Law, any of the ten unpardonable crimes will inflict disaster on nine generations of the family.

Jiang Ting was still prostrating himself on the ground. His face changed color and he cried bitterly, "Your Majesty, Chu Yuanchen has not changed his teachings. I will never have this son. I am willing to sever my relationship with him."

When the word "severing ties" was uttered, everyone in the court was shocked, and some people even gasped.

To sever ties of kinship means to completely cut off blood ties, becoming strangers and having no relatives anymore.

This was established by Emperor Renzong of the Great Rong Dynasty a hundred years ago. At that time, the father of Empress Yuan of Emperor Renzong was suspected of being a matchmaker for treason, and according to the law, Empress Yuan would also be implicated. However, Emperor Renzong and Empress Yuan had a deep relationship, so he overruled public opinion and allowed Empress Yuan to sever her relationship with her father.

After the ties of relationship are severed, there are no longer any fathers or sons.

The sins of the father do not involve his son, and the sins of the son do not involve his father.