After Li Chengjing walked into the Qianqing Palace, the emperor did not ask anything outside, nor did Li Chengjing mention it.
The father and son knew very well that the second prince had just left, but neither of them mentioned it, but avoided the topic invariably.
The emperor put his forehead in one hand, Li Chengjing saw it and asked, "Your Majesty, have you suffered from a headache again?"
The emperor sighed and said, "It's better if you don't have to worry about it, you get a headache when you move your head."
Li Chengjing frowned when he heard it: "Your Majesty, I will announce the imperial doctor for you."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "No need, it's an old problem, it's useless for the imperial doctor to come. This is the excerpt of the Jiangnan branch, look at it."
The emperor said that he picked up a book and handed it to Li Chengjing. The eunuch next to him caught it with a plate and presented his hands to Li Chengjing.
Li Chengjing picked it up, opened it and glanced at it roughly. Most of the words in it were compliments, and they were for him.
Li Chengjing's eyes moved slightly, and when he put down the memorial, everything became traceless again. Li Chengjing returned the book to the emperor, cupped his hands, and said, "My son is ashamed to be worthy of his praise. This son only borrowed the sage's light to gain the respect of all the adults. How can the trip to Jiangnan go so smoothly, and it will not be praised by all the adults."
The emperor threw the book back into the pile that he had read, and the old god said: "You don't have to be humble, there are no humble people under your reputation, so many ministers praise you, and even the people in the south of the Yangtze River enshrine your longevity. Monument, of course you did a good job. What do you think about this seal?"
The emperor threw another letter, and Li Chengjing took it and read it, and found that the official impeached the queen. This courtier wrote a lot of tweets, from the Shang Zhou involvement to the Renzong Dynasty's sympathy for the death of the prince, all accusing the emperor of condoning the harem's political affairs, the Yang family's troubles in the court, and the murder of the former queen. Now that the Yang family has been convicted, Yang Fucheng's daughter is no longer qualified to be the head of the harem, and should be abolished.
Li Chengjing looked at it carefully this time, he actually finished it very quickly, but he still pretended to read it word by word, and put down the memorial after counting the time: "This person is the official of the Censor's Office, and he has never tolerated sand in his eyes. Few of the hundred officials have not been scolded by him for personal moral disorder. Now the matter of the Yang family is on the cusp, and he aimed at the queen. Although he was rude, he was forgiven."
"Oh?" The emperor responded with an indifferent response, and asked, "Then what do you think?"
Li Chengjing lowered his eyes, suppressed the look in his eyes, and said plainly: "It's about the queen, and my sons and ministers dare not speak blunders. Those who are in charge of government should be public, and those who should be employed should be eclectic, and should be treated equally in terms of merit and deeds. When dealing with disputes Right and wrong, right and wrong, should be dealt with according to the law.”
According to the law, the emperor put his hand on the book and said in a deep voice: "You are still young, you are full of enthusiasm, and you are determined to forge ahead. But things in the world are not black and white, and as a monarch, it is not right or wrong. You have to know that there are people outside the law."
"My son naturally knows that life is in the world, everything is related, and human feelings cannot be restrained. However, I do my best to obey the mandate of heaven, and I can't do anything when people move around. But since the law has been established, we should fulfill the obligation of the law to be the supreme justice of the world."
The emperor was a little angry. He didn't show any expression, and asked in a deep voice: "So, do you agree to dispose of the queen and abolish the queen's position?"
Li Chengjing closed his eyes and said nothing, but the silence was already a statement. The emperor waited for a long time, but when he didn't see Li Chengjing's words, he couldn't help getting more and more annoyed: "I thought you were cautious and steady, but I didn't expect you to be so radical. Those who are princes, be benevolent, and those who are monarchs should look at the overall situation even more, and have sand in their eyes. ."
Li Chengjing didn't move for a long time when he heard the emperor's comments. He knew for a long time that his words would definitely offend the emperor, but he did not expect that the emperor's evaluation of him would be like this.
He was silent for a long time, then looked up at the emperor: "Your Majesty thinks I am not benevolent?"
Speaking of the eldest son like this, the emperor also felt a little embarrassed. Regarding the Yang family, he contributed the most. But the emperor's guilt was like a wave, and it was gone after a roll in the flood. The emperor still had a solemn face and said, "You have seen your hard work for your father over the years, but you have taken it for granted. What is right? What is wrong? Legal principles are human feelings, and those that conform to the interests of most people are right. , if most people are dissatisfied, that is wrong. The queen has been in the palace for nearly 20 years. She has given birth to children, presided over the harem, and is the biological mother of your second brother. When it comes to etiquette, you should also call her. Mother. You are a family, and you should shut the door and say it yourself. It would be too ignorant to move out of the outline of the law."
family? Li Chengjing's face was calm, and his eyes looked deeply at the emperor: "But Your Majesty, not long ago, you ordered the death of the Yang family, confiscated the Yang family's property, and never reused Yang Fucheng and Yang Shilong. Even the Yang family's niece, the Dou family. , have been deprived of the title by your decree and demoted to a commoner. You are so heartless towards the niece of the Yang family, why do you think of the family's affection when facing Empress Yang?"
The emperor was annoyed by the question, frowned and said: "Presumptuous. How can the Yang family and the queen be confused? The Yang family controls the state affairs and disrupts the state, and of course it should be cut off. But the queen married into the royal family and served me for many years. How can you disregard the Queen's years of hard work and shake the Queen's position as the wife of the Queen because of the Yang family's affairs?"
Li Chengjing has been listening quietly, his hands clenched into fists unconsciously, blue veins bursting out. After all, it was a couple who had been married for almost 20 years. Even if the emperor didn't like Empress Yang very much, but after all, she was his own woman, the emperor still couldn't bear to let her be too embarrassed.
What about him, what is he
Li Chengjing couldn't help mocking in his heart. How ridiculous, because the emperor has not abolished his crown prince position for many years, Li Chengjing has been moved and full of pressure these years, and he has always restrained himself by the standards of the prince, and has never slack off for a few years. However, when he was about to fulfill his original promise to his mother, his father, his monarch, denied all his efforts in one sentence.
The emperor said he was unkind. Inhumane, this is a fundamental denial for a prince. It has nothing to do with ability, and you don't even need to work hard anymore. As a prince but not benevolent, there is no need to work hard.
Li Chengjing's feelings for the emperor over the years have been tangled and complicated. For his father, he was naturally eager, and there was a lot of pressure from the foreign court, but the emperor always insisted on making him the prince. Li Chengjing was very grateful in his heart, and he did not dare to slack off. But from the point of view of his son, he has a grudge against the emperor.
If it weren't for the emperor's inaction, he would not have been living abroad, Empress Zhong would not have died innocently, and the Zhong family would not have been destroyed.
For years he had been so grateful and resentful, longing and restrained. It is also for this reason that he refuses to be called the emperor's father.
It's awkward because you care. Just like Cheng Yujin, she didn't care at all, whether it was the Cheng family or the emperor, all kinds of titles came when she said it.
Now Li Chengjing felt a piece of coldness in his heart. It turned out that the father's love he had longed for for many years but was afraid to approach was just a phantom he imagined.
In the emperor's mind, he or Empress Yang is just a symbol. As the emperor's son, he must work hard for the emperor. The emperor said that if he should stop, he must stop the hatred between himself and his mother for many years. The emperor eradicated Empress Yang's family, and finally asked Empress Yang to be a good wife honestly. She couldn't hold grudges because of her family, and she couldn't be slack in managing the harem because she had no hope.
He, Yang family, Empress Yang, nothing compared, they are nothing but tools of the emperor. Everything they do must satisfy the image of the family and the court in the emperor's mind.
In the emperor's heart, he himself is the center of everything. Everyone should have no emotions, use it for him, and accompany him to play the drama of the king as the minister, the father's kindness and the son's filial piety.
He actually longed for the emperor to have feelings for him and guilt for Empress Zhong. Really naive and funny.
Li Chengjing's heart became cold, and his tone slowly revealed a chill: "Your Majesty now takes care of the relationship between husband and wife, what about my mother? She is also His Majesty's wife, so she died in vain?"
"Presumptuous!" The emperor shouted and slapped the table hard. The eunuchs serving both inside and outside knelt down one after another, not daring to let out the air. In the Qianqing Palace, the needle could be heard for a while, and the emperor stared at Li Chengjing angrily, and Li Chengjing also stood up straight all the time.
In the end, Li Chengjing did not admit his mistake, but raised his hand and bowed, and said, "My son retire. I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health."
Li Chengjing turned around and walked out of the Qianqing Palace. Behind him, he could vaguely hear the sound of slapping the table, as well as the flattering voice of the eunuch who kept persuading him.
He didn't stop, didn't even look back and walked out the door. After walking out of the Qianqing Palace, the sun shone down, making people dizzy.
After all, he and the emperor have come to this point, and the monarch, the minister, the father and the son, are suspicious of each other.
In the first month of Empress Dowager Yang's death, the emperor slowly discovered that the original sense of supremacy, the original unchecked power, was so fascinating.
What the emperor wants to do, no longer need the consent of Yang Shoufu, where the harem wants to go, no longer need to worry about Empress Yang's face. Even he doesn't have to endure with anyone anymore, and he doesn't have to endure the respectful greetings to the Queen Mother Yang in the past twenty-five years, sooner or later.
In the former harem, no one could restrain him. The emperor gradually indulged in this feeling of being in control, but his health was getting worse day by day, and the occasional headache was holding back most of his energy.
The emperor suddenly, like many old kings, began to long for longevity.
The second prince ran to the palace every day, greeted the emperor with warm greetings, brought tea and medicine. And Li Chengjing was a little stiff here.
The emperor has a headache and can't manage his affairs, so he has to do these things. The memorial will never be finished, and the daily emergencies and trivia emerge in an endless stream, and none of them can be delayed.
The emperor enjoys the power of the emperor in peace, but the responsibilities and obligations are all transferred to Li Chengjing. The second prince serves the emperor every day and performs his filial duties, and he is at ease as a filial son, while Li Chengjing has to handle government affairs and discuss matters with the courtiers. Every day is no more than night. Take the time to go to the Qianqing Palace to ask a question. It is clear at a glance which is light and which is heavy, which is close and which is sparse.
Li Chengjing never said these things, but Cheng Yujin was particularly distressed when he saw it. After Li Chengjing came back in the middle of the night again, Cheng Yujin brought him hot tea and knelt on the couch to rub his forehead.
"His Royal Highness, you are working so hard, but you don't get any love there. King Shou is always filial to His Majesty, saying some specious things. I heard that His Majesty has been criticizing these few days. , not loyal enough, sincere and filial.”
Li Chengjing sighed, took Cheng Yujin's hand and pulled her into his arms, and naturally placed his forehead on Cheng Yujin's shoulder. "I will do my due duty, be fair and comfortable, and let him go with any rumors."
"Let him go?" Cheng Yujin raised her eyebrows and said, "His Royal Highness, if my child and I are said to be unlucky, it may cause chaos in the palace, so you will also go with these rumors?"
Li Chengjing raised his head, his brows and eyes were cold, and there was no tiredness: "Who said that?"
"I said it myself." Cheng Yujin sat down and moved to Li Chengjing's side. Although she was still very arrogant, her hand quietly tugged at Li Chengjing's sleeve, "I'm just giving an example."
"Is this a random analogy?"
Cheng Yujin stared at him, turned her head suddenly, and said, "Your Highness, have you noticed that you have changed recently?"
Li Chengjing's expression paused for a while, obviously tense.
Cheng Yujin still tilted her head to look at him and said, "You used to be noble and introverted, and you were as deep as jade when dealing with people, but now, when you speak, you never care about the other party's reaction, and you are quite sharp and aggressive."
Li Chengjing was stunned, as if he did not expect Cheng Yujin to say this. A person's change is completely invisible to himself, only the people around him can see it clearly.
Xu Shi wished to see Li Chengjing silent, Cheng Yujin suddenly burst out laughing, took the initiative to surround Li Chengjing, and said, "Your Highness, do you think I blame you for changing? People always change. When I was in Cheng's house, my words and deeds must be smooth everywhere. I don't dare to offend anyone, but now, when I say to my grandmother, I slap my face, and you never blame me for being arrogant."
Li Chengjing reacted and really wanted to show her face. But Cheng Yujin couldn't resist taking the initiative to hug him, Li Chengjing held Cheng Yujin's waist with restraint, and still taught her with a cold face: "Nonsense, even dare to joke about me?"
Cheng Yujin thought that if you were really angry, run away, put her arms around her, and pretended to be with her. Cheng Yujin took care of His Royal Highness's face, nodded, and said, "Yes, I have to make an inch. His Highness will spare me this time?"
"Do you dare next time?"
"right."
Li Chengjing couldn't help laughing, he pinched his eyebrows helplessly, and the fatigue of the day seemed to dissipate. Cheng Yujin saw that he finally had a smile on his face, slowly retracted his hand, and sat back in place: "It's good that you finally smiled. You've been too tense these days. I don't think I care about you changing at all, but you I'm chasing myself with myself."
"I care too much about being a qualified prince. In the past 20 years, this is all my beliefs. I thought I did it, but now, it seems not."
Li Chengjing was a little emotional. These words, these doubts, he never exposed to the courtiers. In the face of Liu Yi and others, he was always a confident and dignified prince. Only in front of Cheng Yujin can he show his true heart.
In every sense, they are both very similar. People who haven't experienced it will not understand how harsh a person can be, let alone the pressure behind their perfection.
Cheng Yujin understood Li Chengjing's sigh very well, she even knew where the crux was. But even though she understood, she couldn't say it.
The reason is actually very simple. One mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. How can one country tolerate two kings
Li Chengjing is so tired these days, not because he has to approve Zhezi to handle the affairs of the state, but also to take care of his father's sensitive imperial heart. After Li Chengjing corrected the book, he had to send it to the Qianqing Palace for the emperor to see. The emperor would have a headache if he was overworked, so those so-called "trivial and meaningless" papers were handed over to the prince for processing, and after Li Chengjing had screened them, they were handed over to the emperor for review.
The emperor is a typical example of not being at home but also blindly commanding. He is obviously not good at doing these things, otherwise he would not have been controlled by Yang Shoufu for 20 years, but now that he is in power, the emperor tasted the addiction of the master of the world and refused to let go. The emperor gave a random command, but he enjoyed himself, and Li Chengjing had to clean up the rest of the mess. Recently, not only Li Chengjing is tired, but also the cabinet and the six ministers.
But that is the emperor, who dares to tell the truth to the emperor. Everyone had no choice but to agree, reluctantly to laugh. There is a division of labor among the six ministers, and each person is responsible for a part, but Li Chengjing has to take care of everything here.
Just thinking about it, you can see how tired Li Chengjing must be. If all matters are left to Li Chengjing alone, the efficiency will be much faster.
Cheng Yujin understands, the cabinet understands, most ministers understand, and Li Chengjing himself understands.
How could Li Chengjing not know where the road to breaking the game is now
For now, the only option is to wait. Li Chengjing knew everything in his heart, but he took on it alone for too long, and occasionally, he also needed to talk to someone alone.
After Li Chengjing finished speaking, after waiting for a long time, he couldn't help lowering his eyes and staring at Cheng Yujin: "If you don't get on the Tao, can't you take a little longer to make progress?"
The hugging talent is released so quickly, what kind of formality does it become