Two days after the winter solstice, Zhu Yunxuan went to Yuanji Temple. Since he ascended the throne, every year on this day, he would come to this temple to perform a ritual ceremony for his long-deceased queen mother, which has become a custom.
Liang Zhen was with him back then, but now he is the only one left.
The sound of the old abbot's chanting echoed in the hall for a long time, Zhu Yunxuan lightly stroked the string of beads on his wrist, and worshiped the Buddha again and again devoutly.
When the sun was setting, he got up and performed Buddhist rituals with the old abbot. Seeing that his brows were always gloomy and unhappy, the old abbot comforted him and said: "Your Majesty is benevolent and filial, the former queen will have the blessing of heaven, you don't have to worry too much."
Zhu Yunxuan sighed: "Actually, it's not just for the mother's sake. I came here today to light an ever-burning lamp for a child, to keep him happy and healthy, and to keep him safe every year."
He handed over the birthday horoscope that he had written long ago, and the old abbot read it and told him: "If it is this child, someone would have lit a lamp for him three years ago."
Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a moment: "Someone has already lit the lamp? Who is it?"
"It's the benefactor Xiaoliang. Before he left Beijing three years ago, he came to this temple for the last time. He lit a lamp for this child and guided him to the path of rebirth."
Zhu Yunxuan said, "...it's him."
"It's him."
Coming out of the hall in a daze, Zhu Yunxuan stood in a daze under the corridor, the cold wind brushed his cheeks, but he didn't notice it.
It turned out that Liang Zhen had already done what he wanted to do three years ago. Although their goals were different, all they wanted and wanted was for that child.
At this moment, he suddenly began to regret whether he had been too cruel to Liang Zhen for not telling the truth back then.
Gao An called him softly from behind: "Your Majesty..."
Zhu Yunxuan suddenly came back to his senses, and murmured: "Follow me and walk around."
Walk aimlessly among the overlapping pavilions and pavilions in the temple, climb up the steps, climb up to the high place, glance around, but can't see the comfortable figure playing chess with others in the pavilion.
Standing on the tallest tower in the temple, you can have a panoramic view of the whole mountain temple. The mountain streams in the distance seem to be coated with a layer of golden light in the setting sun. The tired birds have returned to their nests, coming and going The monk is rushing to pick up the last load of water before nightfall, everything is in order, only standing here looking at the scenery, he is the most out of place.
At the foot of the mountain farther away, a large grassland can be seen faintly, all of which are covered with white snow in this severe winter. The scene of him and that person galloping side by side seems to be still vivid in his memory, but now, things are different and people are different. .
"...Who does that Zhuangzi at the foot of the mountain belong to now?"
Gao An was stunned for a moment before realizing that Zhu Yunxuan was asking about the Tangquan Zhuangzi at the foot of the mountain that once belonged to King Zhao: "After King Zhao was... executed, all his family property was confiscated, so that Zhuangzi should have been confiscated as Huangzhuang. As long as Your Majesty If you don't give it away, it will be yours."
After a long silence, Zhu Yunxuan said calmly, "Keep it."
Not wanting to read any more, he closed his eyes and turned to leave.
Early the next morning, as soon as he returned to the palace, Zhu Yunqiong came to Ganlin Palace to pay his respects. Zhu Yunxuan kept him for lunch. Seeing the child yawning in the afternoon, he let him go to the side hall to rest.
Princess Shuhe came into the palace and heard that Zhu Yunqiong was also there. She looked at Zhu Yunxuan with a complicated expression and hesitated for a long time before asking him: "I heard that His Majesty even sent a master to teach the child? What is your plan?" Is it possible... Do you really want to flatter that child?"
She was there when Emperor Zhaoyang passed away, so she knew all about the turmoil of the succession. Even today, there are still some people out there who are either stubborn or have ulterior motives. The imperial edict issued by the ministers of the cabinet is the real one. But now, instead of being wary of this little brother, Zhu Yunxuan brought him with him, intending to educate him himself, how could he not make people think too much.
Zhu Yunxuan shook her head slightly: "Auntie is overthinking, I have no such intentions."
"Then you are...?"
"After all, he is my imperial younger brother, the son of the first emperor, but he was abused by his servants in this palace. He didn't even have enough to eat. He endured hunger and suffered from hunger. How could I just ignore him? They are both descendants of dragons and phoenixes, so we can't make him illiterate, as long as he is good in the future, I will keep him safe for the rest of his life, and it doesn't matter."
The eldest princess sighed: "It's good if you know what you have in mind. It's rare for you to have such a mind. You and him are both my nephews. I naturally hope that you are both well, but if I choose one of you, I, an old woman It will still be towards you."
Zhu Yunxuan smiled lightly and comforted her and said: "I know, I understand my aunt's worries and worries. It's okay, it's fine for him to come to me every day to talk with me, otherwise... I'm just too lonely."
"You, really, why bother..."
She only vaguely knew that Zhu Yunxuan had some entanglements with the executed King Zhao, but she never thought that he would still be unable to let go of his knots. At the very beginning, she also persuaded Zhu Yunxuan to fill the harem with branches and leaves. Later, seeing him becoming more and more indifferent and losing the joy, anger, sorrow and joy of a normal person, I didn't dare to persuade him anymore.
She understands and understands love better than anyone else. The root of all symptoms lies in that one person, and no matter how much other people say, there is no solution.
Zhu Yunxuan's eyes froze, and she didn't answer again. The eldest princess sighed: "Forget it, let's not talk about it. I came today because I have something to tell you. In the past two years, I always feel that my bones are getting worse. I'm lazy, I'm afraid I won't have a good life for a few years, so I always want to go back to Jiangnan again. When I was a little girl, I went to Jiangnan with your grandpa and met your uncle. After so many years, it's time to go back and see Look, maybe I won’t come back after this trip.”
Zhu Yunxuan was startled: "Aren't you coming back?"
"Yes, just stay in that ghost's hometown for the elderly. He always said that it is good there, and he used to nagging in my ear, saying that when he grows up, he will take me back to his hometown to take care of the rest of his life, so that's it. Let’s fulfill this long-cherished wish.”
The eldest princess's eyes were slightly watery, and Zhu Yunxuan noticed her gray hair, and was in a trance for a while. In fact, there is one thing that has always been pressed in his heart, and he never dared to tell his aunt. Back then, the first emperor thought that his aunt, Empress Dowager Qinghui, killed Liang Zhen's father. The old queen passed away a few years after the emperor ascended the throne. , Emperor Zhaoyang treated Shu and the first eldest princess with courtesy, but is this really the case? Was the death of the son-in-law and the death of the little princess really just accidents? Although they are all just unfounded guesses, Zhu Yunxuan can't help but think in the wrong direction, but it's just that it's all in vain, it just adds to the sadness and resentment.
"When is aunt going to leave?"
The Eldest Princess looked a bit disappointed: "I'm already making preparations, and I will leave after the spring of this year. I have nothing else to worry about in this capital. The only thing I am worried about is Your Majesty."
"I'll send my aunt there," Zhu Yunxuan blurted out, her heart trembling, but her voice became firmer, "I'll send my aunt there, and I also want to... go to Jiangnan to see."
"Your Majesty is going too?"
Zhu Yunxuan nodded: "... I have to go out for a walk."
He had selfish motives, and when he went to the south of the Yangtze River, maybe... Maybe he could always meet his son, he escaped for three years, and until now, he finally lost to himself.
Princess Dachang smiled and said: "That's fine, our emperor of Dayan has never liked to stay in one place. Since the founding emperor of our ancestors, there has been a practice of traveling abroad. You have been on the throne for five years now, so it's time to go out." Look around, go if you want, no one can say anything."
When Zhu Yunqiong woke up, Zhu Yunxuan was calling the cabinet officials to discuss the matter of the tour, and issued an imperial edict on the spot. After the officials who discussed the matter retreated, Zhu Yunqiong went to Zhu Yunxuan. Seeing his rare relaxed expression, she asked him curiously : "Brother Emperor, did something happy happen to you?"
Zhu Yunxuan smiled at him: "After the Lantern Festival next month, I will send my eldest aunt to the south of the Yangtze River. Do you want to go with the ninth brother?"
Zhu Yunqiong nodded eagerly: "Can I go too?"
"Go as you want."
Minzhou, Naval Commander's Mansion.
Holding the letter paper in her hand, Zhu Yunjing whispered to He Huailing about Zhu Yunxuan's upcoming southern tour, and sighed with a smile: "He finally figured it out."
On the floor covered with tiger skin mats, Min'er and Ming'er were playing house around a pile of bamboo dolls. The two children enthusiastically wrote names and stories for these animal-shaped dolls, letting them play different roles. The role, extra investment. Yuan Bao, who was already nine years old, naturally had no such interest. He just looked at the fine workmanship of those dolls, picked one up out of curiosity, looked at it carefully for a moment, and stretched out his hand to take it apart.
Min'er, who was thinking about it, stopped, blinked at Yuan Bao, Yuan Bao paused for a while, and said with a smile: "You have so many, Miner, can you give this to brother?"
The always well-behaved and obedient little doll made a mistake this time, refusing to nod whatever she said, her black grape-like eyeballs kept staring at Yuan Bao, tears faltering, and after a while, Yuan Bao was defeated and put the doll back: " I'm afraid of you, why do you cry so much..."
Chu'er held back her tears, and lovingly stretched out her hand to touch the doll that Yuan Bao had just put down.
Zhu Yunjing, who was seeing this scene, shook his head helplessly. He had seen these things in Ganlin Palace back then, and found out from Gao An who made them. He never thought that three years had passed. Throw it away, and send it all to Min'er, and the child like Min'er doesn't fight for anything else, but he loves these inconspicuous and worthless gadgets very much, maybe he really understands it father-son nature.
As for Zhu Yunxuan, who knows what he is thinking, whether he has really let go of everything from the past.