After Cheng Yuanjing finished speaking, the quiet needle falling in the attic could be heard. The emperor's face was dark, and after a while, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"My son has been missing for 14 years, and suddenly said that he has found it. Even if His Majesty testifies, many people still don't believe it. If my son is alone and has nothing to do with it, others will think it is a scam. Believe me, seeing that I’m twenty years old and haven’t married yet, I’m afraid I can’t be relieved. It’s better to promulgate the will of my return to the throne together with the will of marriage. With the Crown Princess, people outside will feel at ease.”
Starting a family and starting a business has always been an inseparable whole. Even if a captive who surrenders, no matter how many years of naturalization, as long as they are not married, the authorities will not really be at ease. Only after marrying a wife, having children, and having a family can one truly take root and truly gain the trust of the court.
Although Cheng Yuanjing is not a naturalized person, the position of the prince is not a joke. He has been missing for fourteen years, and suddenly a person appears and says that he is the prince. Who can be at ease? If the emperor hadn't known the behind-the-scenes news, I'm afraid he wouldn't accept it easily.
Getting married and starting a family is indeed a magic weapon to calm people's hearts and ease conflicts. Besides, Cheng Yuanjing had disappeared for many years, and the court had quarreled several times about the heir.
The emperor originally planned to wait a month or two after he announced that he had found the prince, and then issued an imperial edict to choose a concubine for the prince. However, no matter what, the candidates for the future crown princess must have a clean background, a noble family position, and their father and brother will be high-ranking officials in the court, which is beneficial to the stability of the society.
The Cheng family is obviously not qualified.
The Cheng family has made great achievements in these years, and of course the emperor will reward them, but this does not include making the Cheng family daughter the crown princess. The crown princess has something to do with the country, and sets an example for women in the world. The emperor has already conceived it many times. How could it be so sloppy
The emperor calmed down and asked, "Is this what the Cheng family said? How dare they ask for a favor?"
"No, how can I be such a good person." Cheng Yuanjing had already stood up and stood under the emperor's head, saying, "Marquis Yichun was careful all his life, even before his death, he kept the secret tightly, how could he have the courage. The rest of the Cheng family don't even know it at all, and it's impossible to talk about it by asking for gratitude."
Cheng Yuanjing paused after speaking, and continued as if nothing had happened: "It's me who really asks for gratitude."
The emperor frowned even more: "What?"
"Last night, a child accidentally fell into the moat, and the eldest girl of the Cheng family jumped into the ice cave to save her. I rescued her." Cheng Yuanjing said, "In this way, I have saved her life. , so let her be the crown princess, just in response to the grace of dripping water."
The emperor first understood, then became furious. No wonder Cheng Yuanjing didn't come last night. It turned out that he jumped into the river to save people. Many signs today can be matched. However, what kind of thing are those dripping graces and springs repaying each other after that
The emperor said: "The choice of your crown princess is very important, so you don't have to rush it. When you return to the palace, I will make an order to choose a concubine for you. When the ladies and ladies gather, you can choose slowly."
"I know. I have been in the capital for all these years, and I understand all the women in the city." Cheng Yuanjing said, "I have already chosen it, so I don't have to make a big effort to save the people and money, and it's good that your majesty will issue a decree together."
The anger in the emperor's heart grew stronger and stronger, and dissatisfaction gradually appeared on his face. The emperor reluctantly restrained and said, "After all, you and she bear the status of uncle and nephew. After the announcement, how will you please the world?"
"Those are all fakes." Cheng Yuanjing said calmly, "Besides, giving me and her a marriage just proves that I'm not the Cheng family?"
"You!" The emperor was very angry, "Uncle married a niece, do you think this reputation is good?"
"She's not, why not?"
The emperor was so angry that he couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up directly from the seat and scolded: "Absurd!"
The emperor could see it, although Cheng Yuanjing had no contact with the Cheng family, but after all these years, he had been entrusted to the Cheng family. However, there are so many women in the world, why should one woman ruin her reputation and even block the way in the future.
The emperor originally planned to let Cheng Yuanjing leave the capital, but after disappearing for a period of time, he returned as Li Chengjing. It was said to the outside world that the secret army sent by the emperor back then searched for many years, and finally found the prince among the people, and Cheng Yuanjing naturally died forever.
A person's appearance can't deceive anyone. When Li Chengjing returns, seeing his appearance, someone must be able to guess what is going on. But some things can be tacitly announced, but there is no need to announce it to the world. After all, the common people can neither see the prince nor know the ninth son of the Cheng family. That being the case, why not find a way that everyone has a face.
The emperor will compensate the Cheng family in the future, but this must be a long time later. On the bright side, the prince must have nothing to do with the Cheng family. Once Cheng Yuanjing married the eldest daughter of the Cheng family, he would be bound to the Cheng family forever. No matter how powerful the emperor is, he can't stop everyone's mouth. Slowly, everyone will find that the prince and the former Ninth Uncle of the Cheng family seem to be exactly the same.
At that time, the emperor's so-called claim that he had gone through hardships to find the lost prince from the people would no longer be tenable.
This is naturally what the emperor does not want to see. The emperor took a deep breath, suppressed his anger and sat down again. For twenty years, he is the best at forbearance. The emperor's voice was mixed with anger and anger, and asked: "If you insist on marrying the daughter of the Cheng family, what will you do about your identity? You also know that this kind of thing can't be hidden from the public, and someone will always find out that you are Cheng Yuanjing."
Cheng Yuanjing lowered his eyebrows and said slowly, "If you can't hide it, then you can't hide it."
The emperor frowned: "What did you say?"
"I am Cheng Yuanjing, and everyone in the court knows that, if that's the case, why do you deceive yourself and let everyone accompany me to act? His Majesty once met Cheng Yuanjing at Xiangji Temple, and he became suspicious and found that Cheng Yuanjing was the missing prince. It's all right. I'm going to return directly as Cheng Yuanjing, isn't it more convincing than rearranging a set of traces?"
The emperor and Cheng Yuanjing have always known each other, and the so-called disappearance of the prince has always been a blindfold. But now that the Yang family has not fallen, they absolutely cannot admit that they have been acting for the past 14 years.
The best way is to create an accident. The emperor accidentally met a person at Xiangji Temple. There was a blood relationship between father and son. The emperor was suspicious. After sending people to investigate, he found that this young man was the lost son.
This is the reason for Cheng Yuanjing and the emperor to recognize each other on the bright side. In the future, the Yang family and courtiers will turn around to check, and they can only find it here. After that, there were some differences between the emperor and Cheng Yuanjing.
The emperor felt that the dignified prince grew up in the capital and stayed under the eyes of Yang Fucheng and the Empress Dowager Yang all these years, which was too provocative, so the emperor wanted to abandon the identity of "Cheng Yuanjing" and give the prince a drama that he had retrieved from the people. The Yang family must be able to find out that the prince is Cheng Yuanjing, but the emperor Jinkouyu said, the emperor said so, even if the civil and military officials knew it well, they had to cooperate with the emperor to act.
In this way, everyone can round the scene with dignity.
But Cheng Yuanjing didn't think so. He has already given up his identity once, and then gave up his growth experience in the capital, his career as a scholar, and returned to the East Palace as a prince who is better than the folk and has no talent. Who in the world will obey him? Only a few know the truth, and the Yoyo people living outside the capital are the foundation of his existence.
Their father and son's positions are not exactly the same.
The emperor ascended the throne with the unfavored King Kang. He was used to being muddy and scruples about the face of the Yang family for many years. If Empress Dowager Yang and Yang Fucheng knew that the person they had been looking for for many years had been living in the capital and had passed the jinshi examination under their noses, this would definitely be a slap in the face of the Yang family, and it would be a great deal to Empress Dowager Yang. provocative. The emperor didn't want to make another mess, so he thought of grieving Cheng Yuanjing and rounding the face of the Yang family.
However, from Cheng Yuanjing's point of view, giving the Yang family face is his showing weakness to the Yang family. A battle has not yet started, it shows weakness, what is the qualification to call an array.
Cheng Yuanjing has always been unwilling to agree with the emperor's plan, but he didn't need to fight against the emperor before. Compared with the invisible face, of course the actual benefits are more cost-effective. He can completely follow the emperor, the emperor knows he is indebted, and he will definitely compensate him in the future.
If it weren't for Cheng Yujin, Cheng Yuanjing would not come back this winter when he went out to "visit friends".
It was he who thought that she was alone in the Hou Mansion for the holiday, and he rushed back abruptly. Cheng Yuanjing, of course, did not "die".
Every day he stayed in the capital, he was under a lot of pressure, and the last Yuan Festival was already the deadline. After Shangyuan, he had to leave the capital and change his face. But now, Cheng Yuanjing has changed his mind.
I had planned for a long time, and when I really made a decision, I felt refreshed, as if the invisible shackles were suddenly released. Cheng Yuanjing lowered his gaze slightly, not looking directly at the emperor. This is the rule of the sage. Although Cheng Yuanjing and the emperor are father and son, before this, they must first be monarchs and ministers.
Cheng Yuanjing said: "Your Majesty, I would like to return as Cheng Yuanjing and ask to marry Cheng's family daughter to prove that I am not of Cheng's blood."
The emperor looked at Cheng Yuanjing, but did not speak for a long time. His hunch was indeed correct, none of these things went well.
The emperor asked in a deep voice, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how much help you give up by doing this, and how much trouble you add to yourself?"
"I know." Cheng Yuanjing lowered his eyes, and under the cover of his eyelashes, others could not see the expression in his eyes. Cheng Yuanjing didn't know what to think, the coldness on his body was slightly diluted, and a little softness was faintly revealed: "My wife will live and die with me, and will go to the same tomb with me in the future. For such a long time, if the person next to the pillow is not the one who can really give his life, what's the point?"
The emperor had suppressed his anger, but when he heard these words, his expression suddenly froze.
Life is the same as the quilt and death is the same point, when Zhong Shi was still there, he once said similar things. He was just an unloved King Kang back then, and he couldn't even say that his fiefs were vast. The Zhong family was born in the capital and grew up in the capital.
Her parents and relatives are all in the capital. Although leaving with the emperor is life, it is no less than death. I am afraid that she will never have the chance to meet her parents again in this life. But Mrs. Zhong accompanied him to leave his hometown, to accompany him to leave the capital of floating gold and jade, and there was no complaint from beginning to end.
.
Back then, when Mrs. Zhong planned their future with anticipation on the grounds of Prince Kang's Mansion, planning what to do with the yard of Prince Kang's Mansion and what to do with that pavilion, the emperor also had some lifetime thoughts.
But later, the blueprint conceived by Zhong's did not come true, including the courtyard she left for her eldest daughter, and it will never come in handy.
Because they have no eldest daughter.
She accompanied him through the lowest point, but died on the eve of the bitter end.
The emperor should have reprimanded the eldest son for being a fool. But thinking of his wife Zhong who passed away early, the emperor choked up with so many words.
The emperor thought about it for a long time, and finally only sighed. Well, after all, it was the emperor who was sorry for their mother and son. If the Queen is still the Zhong family now, Li Chengjing's position as crown prince is very secure, and he can naturally marry whoever he wants.
The emperor finally sighed deeply: "Have you made up your mind?"
Cheng Yuanjing lowered his head, his voice firm: "Yes."
"You are already old, and you have your own ideas for everything. I can't take care of these things anymore. Well, since you insist, just do it yourself."
Cheng Yuanjing knelt down and bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor seemed to want to say something, but at this moment, the eunuch stood outside the door and reminded cautiously: "Long live, the queen has already asked upstairs."
The emperor's expression instantly vanished, and he said loudly, "I understand, let's step back."
"promise."
Although the emperor said this, he actually stood up and wanted to go out. He took two steps, remembering that the eldest son was still here, and stopped hesitantly.
As early as when the eunuch came, Cheng Yuanjing had already stood up and stood aside. Noticing that the emperor had stopped, Cheng Yuanjing was not surprised, and said, "Thank you for your grace, and I will send you to your majesty."
The emperor wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't say it. Cheng Yuanjing is respectful and courteous in every word and every word, but since his entry, he has always called himself a minister, and has never called him "father".