"You want to change your name?"
The Empress leaned forward slightly.
The Crown Prince nodded, his face resolute. "Tingzhou has had a heart to serve his country since childhood, and he has always acted in accordance with his words. I admire him greatly. Such a person should not be forgotten by the world."
Marquis Zhongyong only had one biological child in his life. Your subject suspects that Lady Liu and Lady Shu Liuniang did something to him, and he may not be able to have any more children in the future.
It is heartbreaking that a loyal minister has no heir. Your son, Tingzhou, uses his name to console this loyal minister.
The Emperor and Empress understood.
The Crown Prince not only wants to change his name to Xie Tingzhou, but also wants to inherit Xie Tingzhou's father's name and fulfill his filial duties.
The two exchanged a glance. Before the emperor could object, the empress spoke up, "Your father has agreed."
emperor,"……"
Like my son and wife, I can't easily lend them out.
Moreover, this is the Crown Prince; there's no guarantee that in the future people won't suspect them of forming cliques, engaging in corrupt practices, and disrupting the court.
Knowing his worries, the Empress instructed the Crown Prince, "There is a distinction between the emperor and his subjects. Although your father has agreed to your name change, you must not forget your status as the heir apparent."
Maintaining the proper distance between ruler and subject with Xie Bang is good for both of them.
The crown prince understood the reasoning behind it, thanked him, and left.
The emperor looked at the empress helplessly, "You spoil him again."
"Your Majesty, can't you see that your son is becoming closer to you?"
"What makes you say that?"
The Empress smiled gently, "I saw Zhao'er's shadow in Tingzhou before, which is why I tested him repeatedly."
Today's events were entirely within our control, except for Tingzhou's accident, which I found suspicious from the start.
But our son just told us the answer: Tingzhou is indeed dead, but not just now.
The emperor also realized, "The Tingzhou who just died was a fake, and the one who had previously infiltrated the Wude Division was actually Zhao'er."
No wonder we couldn't find him anywhere; the little rascal was hiding right beside us, but we had already tested him..."
The Empress interrupted with a smile, "My son has been as clever as His Majesty since he was a child. He has been away from home for many years and has his own ways of concealing things."
Of course, none of that matters anymore. Your son is back and willing to tell you his secrets. Don't you think he's closer to you now?
The emperor, guided by the empress's train of thought, nodded in agreement, "You're right. If the child doesn't want us to know, there's no need to ask for a name change at this time."
In the past, the crown prince was very wary of him.
Having figured this out, and with the Empress praising him as well, the Emperor was pleased. But soon, another problem came to mind.
"Does Xie Bang know that Tingzhou is Zhao'er in disguise?"
Could it be that the old man is also helping that brat deceive him? Or does the old man not know that his son is gone?
Before my thoughts could even begin, my eyes were blindfolded, and I could hear the Empress's soft whispers in my ear.
"Your Majesty, don't overthink it. All you need to know is that Xie Bang is a loyal minister, and that the Crown Prince Xie most likely died trying to save Zhao'er."
Even if it wasn't him, the fact that he let Zhao'er take his place and avoid being harmed by those people is an immense favor to you and me as husband and wife.
Your Majesty, all the suffering Zhao'er has endured in his life is brought upon him by his mother, me. If anything were to happen to him, I would have no face to live on.
Whether the Marquis of Zhongyong knew it or not, he protected our son for many years, which is tantamount to saving my life.
"Alright, alright, I don't want to think about it anymore. You shouldn't think about those messy things either. Zhao'er's matter is not your fault."
The emperor grasped the empress's hand and hurriedly comforted her, "You're right, Xie Bang is loyal, that's enough. I'm not such a petty person. Let's put this matter behind us, put it behind us, put it behind us."
He thought to himself, "He really isn't suited to be emperor. Luckily, the empress doesn't bring disaster to the country, otherwise he would definitely have become a foolish ruler because of her."
After appeasing the Empress, he personally wrote an imperial edict, which essentially requested the Crown Prince to change his name to commemorate the loyalty of his subject, and then ordered the Crown Prince to personally escort Xie Tingzhou back to the capital.
The crown prince's initiative to change his name may earn him praise from the world for being grateful and repaying kindness.
However, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It will surely allow the old foxes in the court to guess the truth, and thus become wary of the Crown Prince and the Marquis's close relationship, and thus plot against them.
By taking the matter into his own hands, he can save the Crown Prince a lot of trouble. As for the Crown Prince's reputation, as long as he serves as the heir apparent and the emperor well, he has a lifetime to accumulate those.
After receiving the imperial decree, the Crown Prince, or rather, our Xie Tingzhou, took the opportunity of sorting through Xie Shizi's belongings to go to Tingsong Residence.
Fu Guang, Xing Ze, Ye Zhen, and Yin Jiu Niang were all present.
Xie Tingzhou patted Fu Guang and Xing Ze, "From now on, you will follow the princess and make sure to protect her."
Now that he is the Crown Prince, Xie Tingzhou's guards can no longer follow him. Since he was worried about Ye Zhen, he left the two of them with Ye Zhen.
Xing Ze was very reluctant to part with him. "Master, you too, please be careful in everything you do."
He couldn't help but ask again, "When will I be able to return to your side?"
Fearing Ye Zhen might misunderstand, he explained, "Princess, it's not that I don't want to follow you, it's that I can't bear to part with my master."
Yin Jiuniang laughed, "Simple, once your master marries my disciple, you'll be family again."
The word "family" warmed Xing Ze's heart.
Yin Jiuniang comes from the martial arts world and doesn't have much of a concept of hierarchy. She only has people she likes and people she doesn't like, and she will protect those she likes.
Xie Tingzhou bowed respectfully to her, "Thank you for your help today, Master."
Xing Zefu also bowed and greeted him.
When the Crown Prince returns, Prince Xie must disappear. To make it realistic, someone must impersonate Prince Xie and be blown up in front of everyone.
In order to keep the secret and still be able to act like the prince, this person had to be Xie Tingzhou's confidant, so Xing Ze and Fu Guang vied to sacrifice themselves.
Xie Tingzhou was unwilling for any of his subordinates to lose their lives for him in vain, so he subdued the legendary "Mountain-Piercing Demon."
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