“We were all wrong!” Rong Sheng said, head bowed. “We held the power of the world, yet we had to give away what we cherished most. Father… why did you risk your life to ascend to this throne in the first place?”
for what?
The emperor, his thoughts adrift, said, "For the sake of all the people under heaven..."
The people of the world, the country and its people, have always been the best reasons.
Rong Sheng looked up and said, "Father... the late emperor had many children. Although some were killed and others were demoted to commoners, he was still able to find a suitable one to marry into the royal family. Why did it have to be Yang'er?"
"Crown Prince!" the Emperor's voice rose, "Now that the two countries are negotiating peace and have promised not to wage war for fifty years, you should know what that means."
The Southern Dynasty desperately needs a respite; this situation is hard-won. So if they want a legitimate princess, then so be it. I don't want to give them any ammunition that could become their pretext for rebellion later.
Is there really no room for maneuver?
"No…"
The emperor was as hard-hearted as iron, but the thought of his wife, who had passed away many years ago, stirred up some of his compassion.
After all, they were her eldest son and daughter, whom she had raised with great care and had high expectations for.
He couldn't bear to accept such a severe punishment.
However, just as the Crown Prince was about to go to the marriage alliance, he suddenly returned to Nanyang City. The Crown Prince did not want to let the matter drop so easily, so he finally ordered that the Crown Prince be confined to the Eastern Palace and not allowed to leave without permission.
They then dispatched the Imperial Guards to completely surround the Eastern Palace, preventing even a fly from getting out.
The main concern was that the Crown Prince might collude with Rong Ning to cause trouble.
The marriage alliance is imminent, and there is no room for error.
As for Rong Ning, they let her go easily, telling her to get as far away as possible.
The news that the Crown Prince had been placed under house arrest as soon as he returned to Nanyang spread like wildfire. There were some speculations in the court and the palace, and people tried to ask the emperor, but they could not get any information out of him.
The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace and not allowed to leave, but it was not said that others could not enter the Eastern Palace. Therefore, in the last few days, Rong Yang and Rong Ning basically spent their time in the Eastern Palace.
In the past few years, Rong Ning had been traveling around with her master and rarely returned to Nanyang City. The three siblings rarely got together like this. The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace and had no political affairs to worry about, so he could spend time with his sisters without any distractions.
These days were happy and blissful, but they passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was time for the marriage alliance.
The night before their departure, the three siblings drank jar after jar of wine at the East Palace.
The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and the people were so drunk they were barely conscious.
Rong Yang hooked her arm around Rong Ning's and mumbled, "Ning, actually I'm very scared. I'm scared that if I go to Da Jing, I'll be surrounded by wolves and life will be difficult..."
They were even more afraid of dying a humiliating death in Dajing.
After all, historically, few princesses who were defeated in wars and sent to marry foreign rulers had a good ending.
When sober, he appears calm and collected, but when drunk, he can no longer hide the fear in his heart.
Rong Ning patted her back and gently comforted her, "No, sister will definitely have a happy and peaceful life."
Rong Sheng watched, feeling a tightness in his chest. He tilted his head back and drank the wine, feeling more powerless than ever before.
Although he returned, their father, the emperor, guarded the Eastern Palace with extreme caution. The Eastern Palace was surrounded by layers upon layers of imperial guards, and his own people had long been sent away by the emperor, leaving him unable to do anything and trapped to death in the Eastern Palace.
Even though Rong Yang is leaving tomorrow, there is no indication that he should leave.
He was in great pain. As a son, he couldn't defy his father; as a brother, he hated himself.
“Brother…” Rong Ning looked at the Crown Prince, “You must always remember today. A weak country has no power. Only with absolute strength can you stand tall and speak with confidence, and protect the people you want to protect.”
Rong Sheng lowered his head in shame, "A Ning... it's because your elder brother is useless."
"As long as it's useful in the future," Rong Ning said calmly. "I hope that in the future, there will be no more princesses from the Southern Dynasty sent to marry foreign rulers."
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