Chapter 71 A new dynasty will rise like the morning sun…
"Up there?" Phoenix tilted her head, her eyes sparkling as she asked.
She's a year and a half old now and is increasingly able to understand what adults are saying, but she's still too young. Even if she understands, she doesn't really comprehend it.
“Yes, up there, just like we were in the tree before,” Ling Xun said.
Phoenix immediately turned around and pounced on Ling Xun, excitedly saying, "Okay, Phoenix wants to go up."
"Then you have to be good," Ling Xun said.
Phoenix nodded emphatically and said, "Phoenix, be good."
Bai Xuerou watched the father and daughter with a smile.
"Alright, Phoenix, come to your mother. Don't bother your father. He needs to read the letter." She pulled Phoenix over.
Phoenix obediently let her mother pull her away.
Bai Xuerou's smile deepened upon seeing this. Fenghuang'er was an exceptionally clever child—yes, clever. Children are inevitably willful, but she had already intuitively figured out how to treat herself better, and thus behaved very obediently.
Sometimes she felt sorry for her, thinking that children should be a little willful, and sometimes she was proud of her intelligence.
Phoenix continued to look at the city wall. Everything in Chang'an was new and exciting to her, and she was very curious about everything.
Outside the city, Wei Yi and his men were already waiting there. When the carriage arrived, they immediately paid their respects. Ling Xun personally got out of the carriage and helped him up, still addressing him as Master.
Wei Yi earnestly declined, but Ling Xun insisted, so he had no choice but to accept. As he spoke, his eyes swept over the carriage and met Bai Xuerou's smiling eyes.
Bai Xuerou nodded slightly to him.
She looked radiant and seemed to be doing well, which put Wei Yi at ease, and he returned her a smile.
Their eyes met, then they looked away.
Wei Yi and Ling Xun were talking, while Bai Xue Rou looked around. It seemed like there was no difference, yet it also seemed different.
Chang'an has been completely taken over by Wei Yi. Based on the evidence in his hands, a thorough investigation has revealed that many aristocratic families cannot be extricated from their ties. However, these families have existed for hundreds of years, and it is unlikely that they can be wiped out in one fell swoop. At most, they will suffer serious damage.
"No rush, we've already achieved our goal this time."
Ling Xun never intended to eliminate these people all at once. He was already considered successful if he could ruin the noble reputation that these families had cultivated for hundreds of years.
Afterwards, those who heard about these aristocratic families naturally harbored doubts.
Aren't these people trying every means to ruin his reputation? He doesn't care because he holds real power, but what about these people?
"By the way, Lang Cheng is seriously ill," Wei Yi added.
Ling Xun raised his eyes.
Who is Lang Cheng? He is the pillar of the Great Qi Dynasty. Even though he abuses his power, undermines the royal family, and even manipulates the succession of the throne for his own power.
But as long as he was alive, Da Qi always held on to his last breath.
"Looks like I need to be careful," Ling Xun said again.
"Lang Cheng is plotting against the Prince?" Wei Yi immediately understood his meaning.
Ling Xun smiled. "The Lang family's reputation is already ruined. But if he dies at this critical juncture, and the cause of death is related to me, what do you think outsiders will say?"
"If handled properly, the situation might be reversed, and the only cost would be Lang Cheng's life, which was already destined to die anyway."
"Be careful, everyone," he said.
Wei Yi indicated that he was aware of this and would warn his subordinates.
Afterwards, the Zhenbei Army set up camp outside the city, and the personal guards escorted Ling Xun into the city to return to his residence.
The atmosphere in Chang'an, which had become subdued due to Wei Yi's domineering presence, unconsciously became lively and stirred after Ling Xun's return.
Ling Xun has already pacified the world; with such great achievements, how should he be rewarded?
Only the world.
If the young emperor on the dragon throne were wise, he should have abdicated and handed the throne to Ling Xun.
But who would be willing to give him up? And nobody wants him to step down.
Rather than a righteous emperor, the people of Chang'an today would rather he be a usurper and a traitor.
But if that's the case, their lives and property might not be safe.
I was momentarily conflicted.
But whatever they thought in their hearts, they had to immediately prepare a victory celebration banquet for this great victory.
The Ministry of Rites had already begun preparations when the good news arrived.
Despite the turmoil in the outside world, Ling Xun remained calm.
Before the two returned, their close servants had already come back and tidied up the house inside and out, so they were quite happy to move in.
Bai Xuerou quickly became familiar with everything that seemed somewhat unfamiliar after not seeing it for several years, while Fenghuang'er, on the other hand, found everything novel and was running around the courtyard with her maids and servants.
After playing for a while, she came back to find her with a flushed face, hugged her, and chattered about what she had seen.
Flowers, stones, lanterns.
In the little guy's eyes, everything here is new and interesting.
Bai Xue Rou could hardly carry her anymore, and just as she was about to ask someone to carry her, Ling Xun happened to return and bent down to pick her up.
"Having fun? I could hear my Phoenix's voice from far away." He said, taking Bai Xuerou's hand in one hand.
"Happy." Phoenix nodded emphatically.
Bai Xuerou smiled as she spoke of her, saying, "That's right, you're all sweating from running."
She wiped the sweat from the little guy's forehead with a handkerchief.
"Thank you, Mother." Phoenix blinked her eyes and thanked her, looking extremely well-behaved and adorable. Bai Xuerou felt her heart melt as she looked at her.
Ling Xun tossed Fenghuang'er up a little while holding her and laughed, "Drink some ginger soup later, so she won't catch a cold."
"No," Phoenix said immediately.
She was restless and always loved to go out and play. Bai Xuerou was worried about her, so whenever she caught a cold or ran around and sweated, she would make her drink ginger soup. The little one was very resistant to this strange liquid that was sweet but a little spicy.
"No, you have to drink it." Bai Xuerou said very seriously.
She could compromise on other things, but when it came to her health, she couldn't let it go; these days, a child getting sick is no joke.
Phoenix frowned. Although she was human, she still remembered that when her mother spoke in this tone, no amount of coquetry would work.
She wisely refrained from trying to bargain with her mother. Instead, she pinched the bottle open and closed slightly with her thumb and forefinger, and said in a serious tone, "Just a little bit, just this little."
Bai Xuerou chuckled.
“No, it’s the same as before, only half a bowl in your little golden bowl,” she said.
Phoenix's face fell, and she looked at her father pleadingly. Seeing that her father was unmoved, she listlessly lay in his arms and gave up struggling.
When Aunt Yingui brought out the ginger soup, she frowned slightly but drank it all in one gulp.
Bai Xuerou smiled again.
Phoenix went to play with her toys again, but she had used up a lot of energy running around, and she got sleepy after sitting there for a while. She was then carried and coaxed to sleep.
Bai Xuerou has many things to do. Having been away for a long time, her first task is to familiarize herself with everything in the Prince's mansion.
If the owner is away from home for a long time, it's inevitable that some people might develop ulterior motives; this is something to be wary of.
Before things were even settled in the manor, invitations were already arriving like snowflakes, all for visiting or offering greetings.
Bai Xuerou wasn't in a hurry to read the post; she was thinking of first sorting out the affairs of the mansion when someone from the palace arrived.
The young emperor wants to see the Prince of Zhenbei.
The palace eunuchs were extremely cautious, not daring to utter even the words "summoned".
Ling Xun raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised. He knew about the young emperor in the palace. He had long been sidelined by the court officials and had not been taught any skills of governing the country. The young emperor was also obedient and did not try to resist. He spent his days reading and playing.
Why is she now asking to see him?
As for why it was proactive.
After the residences of the ministers were sealed off, the Zhenbei Army had already taken over, and no one entered the palace to see the young emperor today.
Therefore, it can only be his own idea.
Ling Xun decided to go and see what this young emperor was up to.
Bai Xuerou warned him to be careful.
To everyone's surprise, Ling Xun returned very quickly after his departure.
Bai Xuerou led her people out to greet them, and the two naturally linked arms. Just as she was about to ask, Ling Xun, with a subtle expression, took the initiative to speak, saying, "Sister, you would never guess what the little emperor said to me."
"Oh? It seems his words were indeed unexpected." Bai Xuerou suddenly became curious and couldn't help but ask, "Tell me quickly, don't keep me in suspense."
"The young emperor asked me, 'If you were to abdicate in my favor, what would you do with him?'"
Ling Xun's memory returned to the time in the Zichen Palace. Although he was the young emperor, he was already sixteen years old and looked like a somewhat immature and thin young man.
He stood in the tall and magnificent palace, but he lacked the aura of a ruler. In fact, he appeared somewhat weak. He seemed timid yet forced to put on a show of bravado, and it was easy to see that he lacked confidence.
When Ling Xun heard this, he was somewhat surprised and simply smiled, saying, "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"
He did not deny his ambition to seize the throne, but he still had to put on an act.
The young emperor was somewhat at a loss. He wasn't actually such a useless person, but Ling Xun was putting too much pressure on him.
He was only in his early twenties when he had already swept across the land and made such an unparalleled contribution. In the court and in the palace, many people said that his next step was to become emperor. So, this last emperor should naturally die, otherwise his title would be illegitimate and unjust.
Even if he abdicates, there will still be problems in the future.
During that period, the young emperor lived in constant fear, often waking up in the middle of the night, terrified that someone would quietly kill him and bring his life to an end.
But it didn't happen.
The Prince of Zhenbei has already returned to the capital, and it is clear that he is not going to die, so the only option left is to abdicate.
The young emperor breathed a deep sigh of relief.
It would be a lie to say that he had no attachment to the throne. Although he had no power, the feeling of being above everyone else, with everyone bowing down to him, was simply too fascinating.
But he didn't want to die, and he also wanted to see the world outside the palace.
The young emperor could hardly wait to summon Ling Xun to the palace and told him that he would abdicate.
Hopefully, Ling Xun will treat him better because of this.
Bai Xuerou was surprised after hearing this.
“I never expected…” she paused to find the words, “that he would have such a temperament.”
Although she had lived in Chang'an for several years, Bai Xuerou was not very familiar with the young emperor who had always stayed in the imperial city.
I only saw him once a year at the annual New Year's Eve party, and my impression of him was that he had a very honest and quiet personality.
"I didn't expect that either," Ling Xun said with a smile.
He didn't really care about the young emperor; things had come to this point, and the young emperor was no longer important. But he was still somewhat pleased that the other party was so pragmatic.
"So what was your answer?" Bai Xuerou asked curiously.
“I say, the world is so vast, it doesn’t need another duke.”
"You're going to grant him the title of Duke?" "Yes," Ling Xun said. "I don't plan to grant a title of King to someone of a different surname."
At this point, Ling Xun looked at Fenghuang'er, who was playing under the watchful eyes of the servants.
Bai Xue Rou's difficult childbirth frightened him, so he took medicine to prevent himself from having any more children. In the future, Feng Huang'er would be his crown prince.
He will pave the way for Phoenix, letting his daughter take over everything.
The only uncertainty is whether Phoenix is capable of being nurtured, but as it stands, she is a bright child.
“Alright, what about the Ling family members?” Bai Xuerou asked again.
"We'll see." Ling Xun didn't care about his so-called family members, but they still needed to be settled. As for how to settle them, he would leave it to his subordinates to figure out a perfect procedure.
Bai Xuerou had only asked casually and didn't really care. Seeing that Ling Xun didn't take it to heart, she didn't ask again.
"So the young emperor will abdicate soon?" she asked.
Ling Xun hummed in agreement and said, "The Emperor said he would announce it at tomorrow's morning court session, and I have already told my men to start preparations."
Bai Xuerou took a deep breath.
No matter how casually Ren Lingxun spoke, he could not conceal the meaning behind his words, which was enough to turn everything upside down.
The Great Qi Dynasty, which lasted for more than two hundred years, was about to fall.
Even Bai Xuerou, who had never shown much respect for the emperor, couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions from the assassin.
A new dynasty will rise slowly, like the morning sun.
And how many more days and nights will this sun shine upon this sky?
Nobody knows.
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