The palace was dark and gloomy. A maid was walking slowly, holding a palace lantern. The light shone on her expressionless face and flickered. The flickering palace lantern looked a little strange in the dark night.
When they reached the door of the palace, the maid stopped and stepped aside respectfully: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xiao Tong nodded and pushed the door open.
There were only a few lights on in the hall, making it a little dim. He searched for a while and saw an old man in bright yellow clothes leaning on the couch, his eyes closed. Xiao Tong walked forward with a smile on his face and tried to light the candle on the table.
"Deshi. No need to order, that's it."
Xiao Tong sat down beside him silently.
The emperor continued, "I am old now, and too many things bother my mind. I can't fall asleep if there are some noises."
Xiao Tong smiled and consoled him: "Father is just too tired, just take a good rest for a while."
The emperor shook his head and said, "After all, I am still not as energetic as you young people." After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Have you ever visited your seventh brother?"
"Yeah. I just came from my seventh brother's place." There was a hint of bitterness in his words.
"What?" The emperor still closed his eyes, but his brows were furrowed.
Xiao Tong sighed softly, "After all, one of my eyes can no longer see. My seventh brother is feeling a little depressed."
The emperor was silent for a long time before he opened his eyes and spoke slowly: "Qi Fu, this child, has always been ambitious. He will definitely not be able to bear it. De Shi, you should visit him often when you have time."
"Yes." Xiao Tong nodded. "I will visit him every day. I hope he recovers soon."
The emperor looked up at the bright yellow tassels on the curtain and murmured, "In fact, it may not be a bad thing for you that Old Seventh is like this."
Xiao Tong was shocked when he heard this. His face turned pale and the smile on his lips gradually disappeared. "Father, I have never thought about it."
He turned his head to look at Xiao Tong's extremely serious face, and smiled faintly: "I know you don't think so. You feel sad and sorry for the seventh brother. Those are what I think. The seventh brother is ambitious, and I am a little worried. This... is also good." He sighed helplessly. In comparison, what the emperor did not want more was the killing between brothers.
Xiao Tong sat stiffly. He understood that his father was worried about him and was afraid that he would be unstable. But such a price... six true, seven talismans... were all things he didn't want to see. If this was really the case, if it really caused the brothers to turn against each other, he would rather not have this position.
The emperor saw him in deep thought and reached out his hand to pat his shoulder: "Don't think too much. I'm just talking to you casually. After all, you are all my children, and the palms and backs of your hands are all flesh." Everywhere he touched was thin. "You have been busy lately. You need to take good care of your body. Look how thin you are." At this moment, he was more like a father who loved his children and was worried about them.
When Xiao Tong heard him say, "The palms and backs of your hands are all made of flesh," a thought flashed through his mind, and he asked, "Father, I have something else to ask..."
"But what about your sixth brother?" Before Xiao Tong could say anything, the emperor had already spoken for him.
"That's right. I feel that no matter how big a mistake my sixth brother made, he is still my father's child, my brother, and the prince of Daliang. Isn't this kind of punishment too... cruel for my sixth brother?"
The emperor laughed coldly after hearing this: "Huh, cruel? I think he's doing well. I've been very lenient with him, otherwise I would have taken your house long ago." In fact, the emperor knew everything. Seeing his son lower his eyes as if he was a little sad, he said, "I know you have a deep relationship, but I'm doing this for your own good. The sixth son is used to being unruly, and I'm afraid he will become as unruly as your sixth uncle in the future, causing you trouble in the future. You don't know how much he resembles your sixth uncle..." At the end, he cursed angrily, "Sometimes I really want to kill your sixth uncle as soon as possible."
Xiao Tong suddenly realized that he understood his father's good intentions for him, but he also felt sad about it. His father had always considered him as the crown prince and had always cleared the way for him. But these were not what Xiao Tong wanted to see, and his father would not understand some of the sinister thoughts.
When he left the bedroom, the moon was already at its zenith.
The wind and frost were getting stronger at night. He was wearing thin clothes and was shivering. In such a deep night, he was alone. He had to walk carefully, without the possibility of looking back or moving left or right. He could only walk straight into the unknown dark night, even if there was an abyss ahead...
My father demoted my sixth brother, which to some extent suppressed his power and balanced the power between him and my seventh brother. Such a shrewd father...
Sixth brother, without you on this road, it's like losing an arm. How can I walk alone on this stormy and bleak road with peace of mind? (To be continued)