Chapter 203 Chapter 203 Emperor
Yu Li and Chu Shaoyu ignored Prince Yue.
But what they didn't expect was that more and more people noticed them, and in the end, no one paid attention to the literary gathering in Zhuangyuan Building, but just kept staring at the two of them.
It seemed that the two people sitting on the roof were much more interesting than the text.
Someone recognized Chu Shaoyu, the prince of Rui.
Prince Rui is a prince with real power, who is deeply trusted by the Saint. The status of Prince Rui's son is naturally not insignificant. Even though he has only been back in the capital for a few years and has not had any duties, there are still many people who know him.
Those who can sit in the box of Zhuangyuan Building are all nobles in Beijing.
Seeing Prince Rui sitting on the rooftop opposite Zhuangyuan Building, everyone was speechless.
"I heard that the prince of Rui is a playboy, he has no job, even the king of Rui once said that he is naughty."
"Doesn't King Rui value his eldest son more? His eldest son is very talented. He has done several tasks and completed them beautifully. Even the saints have praised him."
"What's the point of valuing him? As long as there is a legitimate son, the eldest son of a concubine cannot inherit the palace."
The Daqing Dynasty followed the ancient rituals and if there was a legitimate heir, the eldest son would be the heir; if there was no legitimate heir, the eldest son would be the heir.
This rule applies no matter where it is.
"Hey, who is the girl sitting on the roof with Prince Rui?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen it."
"I've heard that the prince of Rui is unruly before, but I didn't expect him to be so absurd. He actually took a girl to sit on the roof to watch the literary gathering. It's really..."
“…”
For a moment, everyone looked at Chu Shaoyu with some contempt.
As the prince of Rui, it would have been easy for him to get a private room in Zhuangyuan Building, but he chose to sit in the private room instead of going to the rooftop opposite. Everyone thought he did it on purpose.
I'm afraid it was just to please that girl.
Chu Shaoyu didn’t know that he was taking the blame. He didn’t hear those people’s discussion, but he could feel their gazes.
He felt a little uncomfortable.
Yu Li had sensitive hearing and heard something vaguely.
She looked at Fu Wenxiao in the Zhuangyuan Building. She was asking for advice. No matter what problem arose, he would be able to handle it calmly.
In public, even the Third Prince and others would not dare to deliberately make things difficult for him in front of so many scholars. There is no need to worry about damaging their image.
So she said to Chu Shaoyu: "Cousin Chu, let's go."
"Leave? Not want to watch anymore?" Chu Shaoyu asked puzzledly.
Yu Li hummed, pulled his sleeve, stood up, walked to the other end of the roof, and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Those people didn't notice Yu Li pulling Chu Shaoyu's sleeve, and were a little surprised to see that Chu Shaoyu could actually walk steadily on the roof against the wind.
"I didn't expect that Prince Rui had such a skill."
"Yes, the wind was so strong, but he could still walk so steadily. I thought he would fall down."
"No wonder King Rui dotes on his concubine's eldest son and doesn't ignore his legitimate son. If Chu Shaoyu is really capable, King Rui will ask the Saint to give him a job in the future. Wouldn't the position of the Crown Prince be more secure?"
The news that Prince Rui went to the rooftop to watch the literary gathering at Zhuangyuan Building reached Prince Rui's ears that day.
In the evening, Chu Shaoyu returned to the palace and saw his father standing there with a gloomy face.
He was a little confused. Who made his father angry again?
Prince Rui said angrily, "I heard that you went to Zhuangyuan Building today and climbed onto the roof of someone's house?"
"Yeah." Chu Shaoyu nodded, looking indifferent.
King Rui was almost mad at him and shouted angrily: "Why did you run to the roof instead of going into the house? What do you want to do? Do you want to prove to the world that you can climb the roof?"
Thinking back to when he was leaving the yamen today, his colleagues joked with him, saying that Prince Rui was very good at climbing rooftops and even took girls to watch literary gatherings. Could it be that the methods used by playboys to please girls these days are so unusual?
King Rui was completely confused when he heard this.
When he came to his senses, he felt his blood rushing to his head and he wished his son would appear in front of him so he could beat him up.
It's so embarrassing!
He questioned angrily: "Even if you want to please a girl, there is no need to take her to the roof. What will people say about you when they see you? They won't think you are great, they will just think you are stupid. You can't even please a girl, and you are just trying to attract attention..."
Chu Shaoyu was speechless when he heard this and interrupted him: "Father, what do you mean by pleasing a girl? Don't say that. She is my cousin's wife, Cousin Fu's wife! If Cousin Fu hears you saying this, be careful that he will scold you."
King Rui: “…”
Prince Rui was like a duck with its neck strangled, and his heroic face turned red in an instant.
His face was red, his neck was thick, he was panting, his hands were shaking as he said, "Fu Xiao's wife? You actually brought Fu Xiao's wife up to the roof? How can this be? I am really going to be mad at you, this rebellious son..."
In a rage, he searched the house for something to beat the unfilial son to death.
When Prince Rui found a feather duster and was about to beat his son, Concubine Rui and Princess Rui rushed over.
The two hurried to stop him. Concubine Rui protected her grandson behind her. Princess Rui tried to pull the feather duster out of Prince Rui's hand, crying and scolding him: "Are you going to beat my son to death?"
Concubine Rui also said: "What are you going to do? If you dare to hit my grandson, I will fight you!"
King Rui: “…”
The servants around: "..."
The concubine and several illegitimate sons who rushed over after hearing the noise were speechless when they saw this scene.
The concubine cursed bitterly in her heart, it was this old fool again, who only knew how to protect that useless playboy. They were obviously all her grandsons, but she never even looked at other more capable grandsons. She was so biased.
Prince Rui didn't dare to lay a hand on me, so he had to let the princess snatch the feather duster away and throw it to the servants.
Princess Rui saw the concubines and others running over to watch the fun, and said angrily: "What are you looking at? Go back to your own courtyards, you have nothing to do here!"
The concubine was indignant, and seeing that Prince Rui had a dark face and didn't say anything, she had no choice but to let her son pull her away angrily.
The servants also quickly left, leaving only Prince Rui and others in the room.
Prince Rui said angrily: "Look at what this kid has done. He actually took Fu Xiao's wife to climb up the roof to watch the literary gathering. He made a fool of himself!"
When Concubine Rui and Princess Rui heard this, they immediately asked with concern: "Son, did you fall?"
"Grandson, you didn't fall, did you?"
Chu Shaoyu smiled at them, very obediently, "No, I'm fine, right?"
The two men were relieved after confirming that he did not fall, but at the same time they were very dissatisfied with King Rui.
"It's just climbing up the roof, not killing people or setting fire to anything bad, why are you so angry?" Concubine Rui didn't care. "When the imperial physician said Shao Yu couldn't survive, my heart was broken. I wished he was alive and well, and he could climb up the roof and tear off the tiles as he pleased."
With a family like theirs, they have no shortage of power and royal favor, so there is no need to pursue anything else. As long as their children are safe and healthy, that's enough.
Prince Rui said angrily, "Mother, what are you talking about? No wonder people in the capital call him a playboy. Is this something a decent person would do? Don't you think it's shameful?"
"What shame?" Princess Rui interrupted, "If anyone is embarrassed, it should be Fu Xiao."
Don't forget, Fu Xiao's wife also climbed onto the roof with his son.
Prince Rui choked and pointed at his son who was protected by his mother. "He actually brought Fu Xiao's wife to climb the roof. Isn't he afraid that Fu Xiao will cause trouble for him?"
Why is he so angry? It's because of his son.
He had seen Fu Xiao's methods before. If Fu Xiao felt it was shameful for his son to take his wife to do something dangerous, he didn't know how Fu Xiao would torture the child.
Chu Shaoyu stretched his neck and said, "No way! Father, don't wrongly accuse cousin Fu. Cousin is a very nice person. He will definitely not be angry, nor will he cause trouble for me. He will only protect me!"
He muttered to himself that compared to those half-brothers in the mansion who only wanted to kill him, Fu Wenxiao was more like an elder brother in his heart.
Besides, it wasn't him who wanted to climb onto the roof, it was his cousin's wife who took him there. Why would Cousin Fu be angry?
Of course, Chu Shaoyu would not tell them these.
If they want to misunderstand, let them misunderstand. He is a man with thick skin and doesn't care about being embarrassed.
Seeing how Fu Xiao had fooled him, Prince Rui felt so angry that his heart ached.
No one knew what kind of magic potion Fu Xiao had poured into him, but this son firmly believed that Fu Xiao was a good person. No matter what others said, he thought that outsiders were slandering Fu Xiao.
In the end, the beating naturally failed.
However, the news of Prince Rui climbing onto the roof to watch the literary gathering soon spread throughout the capital. Even the saint in the palace heard about it and specially summoned Prince Rui to inquire about it.
-
When Prince Rui arrived at the Yangxin Palace, he found that the Imperial Master was also there.
The Imperial Master had white hair and a face like a young man in his early twenties. He wore a white Taoist robe, which made him look otherworldly and ethereal, like an outsider.
The state teacher was holding a jade box in his hand. The box was already opened, and inside was a jade-colored elixir that emitted an indescribable fragrance. The fragrance permeated the room, as if the entire hall was filled with the aroma.
Smelling this fragrance makes people feel more energetic.
The palace servants in the hall couldn't help but lift their noses and try hard to smell the fragrance.
Prince Rui glanced at the Imperial Master, then lowered his eyes and stepped forward to greet the Emperor.
The old emperor waved his hand casually at him, staring at the elixir with his cloudy eyes, a satisfied look on his face, and said, "Grandmaster, you have made great contributions in refining the elixir. How should I reward you this time?"
The imperial teacher closed the jade box. A palace maid came over, carefully took the jade box and placed it in front of the emperor.
His voice was calm and without desire, and he said, "Your Majesty, I am a person from the outside world. The things in the world are of little use to me."
The old emperor turned his gaze from the elixir to him, and then smiled, "The Imperial Master is still like this, which really makes me feel at ease."
The Imperial Master did not stay in the hall for long. He said he wanted to go back to continue his research on the elixir, and then left.
After he left, the palace was still filled with the lingering fragrance, and King Rui felt that it was a bit greasy.
The elixir that the national master refined this time seems to be a little different.
The old emperor's eyes fell on Prince Rui and he said with a smile, "Royal brother, you are here, come and see my elixir."
As he opened the jade box, the rich fragrance escaped once again.
Prince Rui naturally praised the elixir, then looked at the old emperor's face and said, "The saint looks better today."
The old emperor touched his face and said happily: "I feel the same way. I felt a little uncomfortable in my chest yesterday, but today I smelled the fragrance of the elixir and I feel much better."
Prince Rui said nothing, his eyes sliding lightly across the old emperor's face.
Compared to a few years ago, the emperor has aged a lot, and his eyes are even more cloudy. In fact, many people can see that the old emperor is not in good health, but no one dares to touch his reverse scale.
The old emperor carefully closed the jade box and touched it again, then he remembered the reason why he called Prince Rui over.
"I heard that Prince Rui climbed onto someone's roof. What's going on?"
King Rui looked embarrassed and said helplessly, "Saint, this is a long story. It was also because my son was naughty and young people were not careful. He wanted to go to the Zhuangyuan Building to watch the literary gathering, but he didn't reserve a seat in advance. When he got there, he found that the seats were full, so he climbed onto someone's roof to watch the literary gathering."
The old emperor probably found it funny and said cheerfully, "He's still a child, don't be too harsh on him."
King Rui hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, you don't know that he brought a girl with him to climb the roof. That girl was... Sister Yuan An's daughter-in-law."
He did not mention Fu Xiao's name, only Princess Yuan'an.
The old prince was stunned for a moment, the smile on his face fell, and he showed a bit of disappointment, "She is Xiao'er's wife..."
He sat there in a daze, as if his mind had drifted away.
King Rui bowed his head and said nothing.
After a long while, the old emperor said, "I didn't expect that Xiao'er would get married in the blink of an eye... Is Xiao'er okay now?"
King Rui said: "Very good, he was the champion of Nanjun Province last year, and he also participated in this year's imperial examination. He has a very good reputation among scholars. Everyone who sees him praises him. Even my brother's naughty son calls him cousin and follows him..."
The old emperor smiled again, looking satisfied. "Of course. Xiao'er is a man of both civil and military talents. He is the most outstanding child I have ever raised. Except for the crown prince, no other child can compare to him." Then he sighed, "He is also my most filial child..."
King Rui lowered his head and said nothing.
He could guess some of the old emperor's intentions. None of the princes were worry-free. They all had their eyes on that position, except Fu Wenxiao. Naturally, the saint liked him.
Fu Wenxiao was raised by the old emperor himself. He was loyal to the saint. If he had not been implicated by the Fu family and Princess Yuan'an, the old emperor would not have abandoned him.
After all, the old emperor couldn't bear to part with Fu Xiao.
Fu Xiao's knife is so useful. As long as he is around, he can help the old emperor suppress those princes who are ready to make moves.
Unfortunately, he is a child of the Fu family, the child of Princess Yuanan.
At this time, the old emperor turned to the chief eunuch beside him and said, "Li Mao, please send the examination papers over there. I want to take a look."
Li Mao responded with a smile, knowing in his heart that the only paper the sage wanted to see was Fu Xiao's.
He sighed in his heart, as expected, the saint's favorite child was still Prince Fu.
The old emperor's mood became very good, and he asked Prince Rui again: "It seems that Prince Rui still has no job?"
"Yes." King Rui said respectfully, "He is young and unstable, so I want to let him temper himself for a few years. When his temperament is more stable, I will ask the saint to give him a job."
The old emperor said: "Young people have their own vigor and vitality, so there is no need to be too strict."
Seeing his peaceful expression, Prince Rui finally relaxed. He knew that the old emperor's words would definitely mean he would give his legitimate son a job, which was a blessing in disguise.
When Prince Rui saw that the old emperor had something to do, he said goodbye and left.
Walking out of the palace gate, he turned his head to look at the towering palace walls and sighed in his heart.
The saint is indeed old and attaches more importance to power. Perhaps it is because he was suppressed in every way when the empress dowager was in power. Under such long-term suppression, he is also very wary of the princes.
The reason why Fu Xiao could gain his trust, besides the fact that Fu Xiao was a sword sharpened by the emperor himself, might also be related to Fu Xiao's character.
Fu Xiao had indeed never been interested in that position.
Even though his father held military power, his grandmother was the powerful empress dowager, and his mother was the extremely powerful eldest princess, he never had any other thoughts.
If Fu Xiao was pretending, he was able to pretend to the point where the suspicious emperor believed in him, which was also a skill.
At least, the saint has always trusted Fu Xiao in his heart.
Back then, Fu Xiao was poisoned by Concubine Xian and was dying. The emperor had no choice but to give up on him and let the Fu family send him away.
Perhaps this was also the last bit of warmth he showed to his beloved child, giving him the last bit of shelter, allowing him to stay away from the hustle and bustle of Kyoto and spend the last few years of his life in peace.
Now that Fu Xiao has returned, the old emperor will naturally remember his kindness.
Especially since Fu Zongxu was dead and Princess Yuan'an had been ill for a long time and would not live long. Without these people, Fu Xiao was just Fu Xiao, still the most trusted child raised by the old emperor.
The old emperor ordered Princess Yuan'an to be brought back from the temporary palace, which might be a signal.
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