Xu Wenkai did not stay long. After the discussion, he comforted the two of them with a few words and then left with a heavy heart.
After he left, Ji Yuanhao slowly leaned back in his chair, supporting his forehead with his hands, which was aching. "Do you think the little emperor can speak?"
His voice was extremely hoarse and his face was inexplicably gloomy.
Yang Yanzong said calmly: "Not sure."
Ji Yuanhao also smiled sarcastically, and they looked at each other. They both shared the same opinion.
Therefore, they should be prepared for both situations.
Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao both sneered. What were they fighting so hard until today for?
Long Ling narrowly escaped death this time. Kun's blatant behavior made people furious. Yang Yanzong's external injuries were serious, and Ji Yuanhao had both external and internal injuries. His wife and brother were all gone. As for Yang Yanzong, if it weren't for Ji Chengtan, it would have been Su Ci who was hit in the heart by the dagger.
He is the one whose family is destroyed today!
Some things cannot withstand careful thinking. After the storm, the more you think about it, the more frightened you become. Yang Yanzong has been unable to sleep at night these days. In addition to worrying about her illness, there is another more important reason.
Therefore, not only Ji Yuanhao, but Yang Yanzong's eyes were also extremely cold. The two of them and the Kun family would fight to the death!
…
The subsequent development of events was not smooth as expected.
The Kun brothers and sisters had indeed made every possible preparation.
It is worth mentioning that King Qian also disappeared and was never found.
This Prince Qian was also one of the important targets of Uncle Kun and Queen Mother Kun. At present, Prince Qian has been successfully obtained.
And on that day, taking advantage of the chaos, various forces and Xu Wenkai were busy rescuing people in the mausoleum, and they also took the little emperor to see it privately.
Prince Qian was in a coma and was immediately sent away after being examined by the young emperor.
Empress Dowager Kun did not stop Xu Wenkai, Yang Yanzong and others from seeing the little emperor, even when he was alone. She could not stop him anyway.
After all, Prince Qian was in her hands and the little emperor had completely turned against her, so she was not afraid at all and just went to meet him.
When Xu Wenkai, Yang Yanzong and others saw the little emperor, the little emperor just remained silent.
The journey here took more than half a month, and the return journey was even slower, taking almost a month. It was not until the beginning of the twelfth lunar month that we finally returned to Yangdu City.
During this month-long period, no matter how I appealed to his emotions, explained things to him logically, analyzed the past and future, and tried my best to persuade him, it was useless!
The little emperor seemed to have become a sculpture, silent and motionless.
Yang Yanzong also noticed that many of the palace servants and eunuchs serving the little emperor had been replaced. It was said that the replacement was ordered by the little emperor's oral order.
He sneered in his heart.
Later, Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao no longer spoke to each other. They just watched coldly as Xu Wenkai and the clan elders and royalist ministers whom he had finally persuaded tried their best to persuade them.
Mansion of Duke Xu.
When they discussed the matter again, they had already returned to Yangdu. Empress Dowager Kun carried the little emperor straight into the imperial city in her phoenix sedan chair. Golden and red imperial flags fluttered in the wind. Wherever they passed, officials bowed their heads and the people knelt on the ground.
Recalling the scene of that day, a haze flashed across Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao's eyes. The two did not say much. Only when Xu Wenkai reported the matter of persuading the little emperor, Yang Yanzong said lightly: "I'm afraid this strategy is not feasible!"
General Xu has aged a lot, his face is thin and sallow, and this time when I saw him again, his back was really hunched. He was genuinely ill, with all the new and old injuries from decades of illness coming back at once. When Xu Wenkai sent an urgent letter, the people in charge didn't dare to deliver it and kept delaying the process. Fortunately, another letter came the next day, saying that Yang Yanzong and others had survived and were released, so they looked at the letter and told him.
This time, he even met the guest in bed.
He got so excited that he coughed up blood again.
Xu Wenkai felt sad when he saw his father's sick face, but he didn't dare to say much. After Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao left, he hurriedly said, "Dad, what do you think we should do about this matter?"
Xu Wenkai was worried, "Kun is really crazy!"
He simply couldn't believe it. If the Daqing Dynasty really fell into the hands of the Kun brothers and sisters, would it be okay?
More importantly, it is still unknown who will win!
How could Ji Yuanhao and Yang Yanzong let it go after suffering such a huge loss?
Just after returning to the capital, the two of them had already launched an attack in the court. In just a few days, the whole court was in a state of panic.
But Xu Wenkai was afraid that these were just superficial.
You know, Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao are not ordinary powerful ministers. After several ups and downs, the two of them were in charge of the government and regents. They already had the capital to compete with Kun.
More importantly, the two men hold military power, which is a real fact. Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao are both extremely capable and tough, and to this day, they control more than just the left and right guards.
Xu Wenkai was really worried that this fight and revenge would eventually turn into war and civil strife.
How could General Xu not know this question?
He really hated this Kun! He is always looking for trouble and is overbearing. He repeatedly resorts to extraordinary measures that go beyond the rules of the game!
"In this world, are you the only family that can bully others?!"
General Xu was so angry that he slammed the table, causing the medicine bowls and spittoons on the table to fall to the ground with a bang. He cursed all the ancestors of the Kun family, coughed heavily, and said with great sorrow: "If this continues, the country will fall apart!"
Today's Daqing Dynasty has been hit by natural disasters year after year, the national treasury is in deficit, and there are foreign invaders outside the Great Wall eyeing it covetously. If it continues to be troubled by the Kun family like this, I'm afraid it won't be able to hold on!
"This damned Kun family!!"
General Xu coughed violently and cursed Kun. Xu Wenkai hurriedly patted his back and fed him tea. Finally, after he calmed down, General Xu leaned on the big pillow and looked up at his eldest son who looked worried. He let out a long breath and said, "But I still don't believe that Your Majesty will not be moved."
Recalling that child, his eyes were bright. Although he was still young, he mustered up the courage to talk to him.
So General Xu has always had high hopes for the little emperor.
He looked forward to the little emperor growing up.
So he didn't have any extra hopes, just hoped that he could live a few more years so that he could help this child in the future. Then, he would die without regrets.
General Xu didn't believe that the child was a fool.
He rested for a while, then stood up and said, "Hitch the carriage, change my clothes, I want to go to the palace!"
To curb all this and bring the crazy Kun family to justice, the simplest and most effective way now is the little emperor!
…
General Xu harnessed his carriage and entered the palace that same day.
When the young emperor heard that General Xu wanted to see him, he was a little panicked. He could turn a blind eye to Xu Wenkai, Yang Yanzong, Ji Yuanhao and others, and he could pretend to be deaf and dumb to the clan elders and the old ministers who supported the emperor, because he was not familiar with them.
Although the little emperor was small, he had his own consciousness in his heart. He understood that General Xu was different from those previous people.
This old general traveled hundreds of miles despite his illness to rescue him in times of crisis and supported him unconditionally.
Hearing General Xu's name, he became nervous. The little emperor stood up uneasily, then sat down again after a while. After a moment, he swallowed and said, "Call."
The Maitreya-like chief eunuch who had just taken office last year had lost his cheerfulness in the past month. Upon hearing this, he lowered his head, said "yeah", turned around and left the hall, and quickly helped General Xu in.
This time the little emperor really stood up with a cry of "Ah". General Xu had aged a lot. His face was thin and sallow, and he walked with a stagger. Even his back, which had always been straight, was hunched due to illness.
But even so, he still forced himself to enter the palace in the middle of winter.
"This old minister pays homage to His Majesty!"
"No need to be so polite, old general, please stand up."
The young emperor hesitated and felt uneasy. He hurriedly stepped forward to help him up. The old man looked at him with a pair of clear eyes, "Your Majesty, can you please dismiss the attendants?"
The little emperor felt that he could not bear this gaze, and hurriedly lowered his head. After a while, he said, "...Yes."
General Xu glanced at the chief eunuch, who paused but still took the eunuchs and palace maids out of the hall.
With a "creaky" sound, the palace door closed.
The hall was a little dark with only a long-burning candle lit beside the imperial desk. General Xu raised his eyes and looked at the book on the desk that the little emperor had just read. It was "The Rules for Disciples".
But according to the list of books that General Xu had written specifically for the little emperor, at his age he could try to read "Zuo Zhuan" and "Spring and Autumn Annals" for the first time. Books like Zuo Zhuan, Han Shu and Spring and Autumn Annals provide insights into the present and history, as well as strategies for the court, and are must-read and study books for emperors.
The little emperor had been reading "The Spring and Autumn Annals" before, but now he went back to read the "Rules for Disciples", a Confucian work that is only slightly more advanced than enlightenment.
General Xu sighed softly.
The little emperor couldn't help but lower his head at the sigh.
After the palace maids and eunuchs left, the emperor and his ministers were silent for a while, then sat down on the long couch in the side hall. The young emperor asked General Xu to sit with him on the couch, but General Xu insisted on the hierarchy between the emperor and his ministers and refused, instead sitting on the small round stool in front of the couch, hobbling with his cane.
One big and one small, one old and one young, they were very close to each other and sat next to each other. There is a small window gap in the side hall for ventilation. Looking out from the slightly opened window, one can see the vermilion columns and flying eaves in front of the main entrance of Shangyang Palace. The golden red color is magnificent, solemn and dazzling under the sunlight.
General Xu was a little stunned and looked at it for a long time. "The Daqing Dynasty has been established for more than 400 years. Back then, this Yangdu Palace was surveyed and built by Duke Wen."
Duke Wen, Wen Kaiyang, was a founding hero of Daqing and the greatest thinker under Emperor Taizu. He was well versed in astronomy and geography, and was proficient in the art of mountains, rivers, numerology, mechanisms, yin and yang. He was a great man of his generation.
The three imperial palaces of the Daqing Dynasty, the Capital Palace, Gaodu Palace, and Yangdu Palace, were all surveyed and designed by him.
Especially this Yangdu Palace, he admired Taizu's "the emperor guarding the national gate" very much, and he spent even more energy in Yangdu than in the capital in the south.
In fact, most of the emperors of Daqing lived in Yangdu Palace.
In his lifetime, General Xu has witnessed the Shangyang Palace having three owners.
When he was a child, he sat in the arms of his grandfather Xuanzong, looking at the winter sun outside and listening to his grandfather telling him many old stories about Yangdu Palace and the Daqing Dynasty.
General Xu has very deep feelings for the Daqing Dynasty and the Shangyang Palace.
He chattered on and on, recalling the past and telling the little emperor a lot.
These were things the little emperor had never heard of before, and he gradually became fascinated by the talk.
It was a long, long time, until the sun set in the west and the wind blew the window shut with a creaky sound, and then he stopped.
General Xu asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to come in and have a meal?"
"good."
"How about sleeping?"
"Okay."
"Oh, that's good. Your Majesty is young, and when you are tired of reading and writing, you should walk around, which is the long-term solution."
The little emperor lowered his head and said, "I understand."
He wanted General Xu to take good care of himself, as he really didn't look very well this time. But when he thought about himself, he realized that it was him who made the general enter the palace despite his illness, so he shut his mouth again.
The two were silent for a long time.
General Xu sighed with an old voice and asked, "Your Majesty, can you tell me that you must insist on doing this?"
Insist on helping the Kun family to do evil.
He told the young emperor: "The Kun family has evil ambitions. Your Majesty will not get any benefits in the future."
The little emperor was startled and looked out the window and the side hall door in a hurry. Seeing that there was no one around, he felt relieved.
His lips trembled, and he looked up at General Xu: "Old General, if I tell you the truth, can you save my father and mother?"
The child couldn't help but reveal hope in his eyes.
But General Xu was silent for a while, "I can't guarantee it."
They can only say that they will try their best, but the result is unknown. After all, they don’t even know where King Qian and Xiao Kun are.
The light in the little emperor's eyes suddenly went out, and he became silent again.
"But," General Xu's old voice sounded, and he asked the young emperor: "If Prince Qian and Princess Qian cannot be saved, does that mean Your Majesty must not speak frankly?"
"Your Majesty, do you know the responsibilities of an emperor?"
General Xu said: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the Emperor. The Son of Heaven should take the world as his responsibility and the welfare of the people as his priority. This is the responsibility of the Emperor!!"
No matter how young the little emperor is, he is still an emperor. Once he sits on this position, he must bear the responsibility. No matter how young his shoulders are, there are some responsibilities that he cannot shirk!
How can one enjoy the provision from the people without bearing their burden?
"How can the Ji Dynasty fall into the hands of villains like the Kun family?!" Now there is still General Xu trying to suppress the rebellion, but General Xu already feels bad. What will happen after he leaves?
"Just look at the Taizu Mausoleum incident! If this country falls into the hands of the Kun brothers and sisters, how can this world, these people, and this dynasty be good?!"
General Xu's face turned pale, and he coughed violently when he got excited. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and looked back at the little emperor.
"Your Majesty! Do you know?"
The little emperor listened in a daze, and finally looked at General Xu, his heart trembled.
…
That night.
The little emperor lay in bed. He did not dare to toss and turn for fear of alerting Kun who was keeping watch.
It was not until late at night, when everyone outside began to doze off, that he quietly turned over, tears silently sliding down his face.
After General Xu left, Empress Dowager Kun arrived and warned him again in a harsh and cold tone.
The little emperor nodded and nodded for a long time before the latter left with satisfaction.
But when the night fell and everyone was asleep, the little emperor was unable to fall asleep as he had done every time he met Xu Wenkai, Yang Yanzong, and other old ministers of the royal family.
Step by step, the little emperor showed that he was not so cowardly and useless.
On the contrary, he once mustered up the courage to resist.
This is a smart kid.
However, Empress Dowager Kun and Uncle Kun completely controlled his vital points.
But what General Xu said today.
This was the first time someone explained to him the responsibilities of an emperor and told him that besides being a parent, he also had other responsibilities!
——In the past, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the old emperor could not have taught him, and the Queen Mother Kun would not have had this concept. She was also busy fighting with the old emperor and deliberately trying to kill the little King Zhao. After he ascended the throne, they were even more troubled by the issue of the Grand Tutor.
No one has ever told the little emperor that the Son of Heaven should take the world as his own responsibility and put the well-being of the people first. This is the responsibility of the emperor!
At that time, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
The little emperor is very confused now. On one hand, he is thinking about what General Xu said today, on the other hand, he is thinking about his bloody mother and his unconscious father.
He couldn't help crying.
Crying quietly, not daring to make any sound.
As he cried, the little emperor couldn't help but hold the quilt tightly together - he actually knew it.
The little emperor was actually very smart. Even though Empress Dowager Kun repeatedly assured him that she would let his family return home after the mission was accomplished, he still knew in his heart that it was probably impossible.
I'm afraid my mother and father are in great danger.
And can he really get away with it unscathed?
He was actually not afraid of death, but after today, curled up in the bed, the little emperor suddenly became very scared. He was afraid that he had harmed many people because of his incompetence.
Countless people died because of him. He trembled and felt that he could not bear it. The fear at that moment was even greater than the murder of his mother and father.
…
That night, the little emperor thought a lot.
His mind was in a mess, but the child was full of energy, and there was no sign of bruises or fatigue on his face.
Early the next morning, Empress Dowager Kun arrived, accompanied by her uncle Kun.
Queen Mother Kun then sat at the head of the table, frowned and glanced at him: "Hurry up, the time is almost up!"
This year the old emperor has just passed away, and the annual memorial service is approaching, so there are many memorial services before and after the New Year.
Today is the La Festival, which was a very important day in ancient times. Today the young emperor will lead all civil and military officials to worship the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, as well as the ancestral temple and the old emperor. After that, he will go to the palace gate tower to offer five animals, praying to the heaven and ancestors to bless the world with peace and good weather in the coming year.
The eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly washed and dressed the little emperor and put him in heavy crown and robes. Empress Dowager Kun and Uncle Kun sat at the top and discussed the matter before deciding on the reign title for the next year.
The two of them decided on the reign title on their own without even bothering to inform the little emperor.
The little emperor couldn't help but clench his fists!
No matter how ignorant he was, he knew what the reign title meant.
Children are children after all, and some of their body language is difficult to conceal. Uncle Kun just happened to catch a glimpse and snorted.
Empress Dowager Kun tilted her head and took a glance. She slowly stood up, raised her eyebrows and walked forward.
Queen Mother Kun waved away the eunuchs and palace maids, and lifted the little emperor's chin with her hand wearing red gold nail covers: "What? Did that old man say anything to you yesterday?"
She sneered: "That old man can only talk."
"You'd be stupid if you listened!"
Queen Mother Kun patted his face gently and said, "Be good and obedient. Next year at the latest, after we have dealt with those people named Yang and Ji, I will let you go home and reunite with your father, the king, and your mother."
Empress Dowager Kun always said this, and the little emperor always responded with great hope. However, after thinking deeply last night, it was hard for him not to hear another meaning.
There are many kinds of reunion, such as reunion in the underworld.
The little emperor was stunned: "Will you really let us go back to our fiefdom?"
Queen Mother Kun nodded gracefully: "Of course!"
But this time, the little emperor could no longer deceive himself.
Suddenly he felt a palpitation in his heart, and he thought that he might never see his father and mother again in this life.
No, no, in fact, if my mother was so seriously injured, could she still survive? Or even, maybe she is already dead!
The little emperor was in a daze, like a puppet. He rode out in a sedan chair and led the Empress Dowager Kun, Uncle Kun and a group of civil and military officials to worship the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, ancestral temples and the emperor's father, and then went to the palace gate tower in front of the white marble square.
He finally woke up when the cold wind blew.
In front of this palace gate tower is Tongtian Street. Today is the big day of the Wax Festival. Except for the civil and military officials, roadblocks have been set up at a distance. Behind the roadblocks, common people are allowed to participate.
Seeing that bright yellow light, the people became excited. They knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the dragon!"
The little emperor was stunned. For the first time, he realized that these were his people. Even though he was so incompetent, they still trusted him and worshipped him unconditionally. They regarded him as their heaven and earth, and knelt down and kowtowed to him from the bottom of their hearts.
He suddenly became panic-stricken. He was very afraid that his incompetence would harm them, harm the common people, and harm all the people in the world.
At this time, Empress Dowager Kun frowned and urged from behind: "Emperor, what are you doing? The sacrifice is about to begin!"
The corners of her lips moved slightly, but her voice was extremely impatient.
The Empress Dowager Kun's voice came into his ears, urging the eunuchs on his left and right to take him away. As the little emperor listened, the terrifying fear in his heart suddenly turned into resentment!
It's all her! It's all him! It's all them! He could have been a very good person. He had General Xu and other important ministers. He could have learned slowly how to be a good emperor and shoulder the heavy responsibility of being an emperor.
Instead of thinking like we are now, with no way forward and no way backward.
Thinking of General Xu's hunched back yesterday and the disappointed eyes of Xu Wenkai and the old ministers of the royal family, the young emperor suddenly felt that he could not bear it!
Since he couldn't escape in the end, since he couldn't save his father and mother in the end, since he would die in the end, then he would die together with these abominable Kun brothers and sisters! !
The little emperor was stunned. He suddenly broke free from the eunuch who wanted to support him and rushed to the city wall!
Due to the unique position of the emperor, even the Empress Dowager Kun was about ten feet away from him. The ceremonial officials who were offering sacrifices and ceremonial guards and others behind him were even farther away.
So the little emperor came so suddenly that he ran to the front, stepped on the three-tier altar and jumped onto the city wall.
Under the city wall, civil and military officials were kneeling.
Everyone was startled by the sudden change, and those who were sharp-eyed and sharp-eared had already raised their heads to look upwards.
"ah--"
The little emperor burst into tears. He stared at Queen Mother Kun, who was about to rush over with a shocked look on her face: "Go to hell!"
"Empress Dowager Kun captured my mother, cut off her nose and broke her bones, and then captured my father and threatened me to surrender! The sudden change in Taizu Mausoleum was the work of these two thieves, brother and sister! I have witnessed it with my own eyes--"
"My left toe was cut off by this ear thief! If there is even a single lie in what he said above, I will never be able to be reborn!!"
"Save my father and mother!!"
"I don't want to be the emperor anymore..."
If he can't live, he won't live either!
Seeing the sudden change in Empress Dowager Kun's expression, the little emperor felt pleased. He blinked his eyes and tears streamed down his cheeks. When the little emperor finished speaking the last word, he suddenly turned around and jumped down from the high palace gate tower!
it's over.
It's finally over!
With a "bang", blood splattered, dyeing the falling white snowflakes red.
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