It can be said that there was basically no resistance to Su Huaijing becoming emperor.
He was the one who "saved" the palace. Sheng Chengming and Princess Duanyi came forward to testify to his background. Half of the civil and military officials in the court followed him into the court. Under such circumstances, the only reason that would make those old antiques in the court hesitate was nothing more than one reason: his identity.
As everyone knows, Su Huaijing entered the court as a male wife, and the one he married was Ningxuan Prince Rong Tang. As for the mystery of the Eighth Prince's life experience that caused a lot of controversy in the capital some time ago, everyone has tacitly accepted that Concubine Yi's adulterer was Ningxuan Prince Rong Mingyu.
When Su Huaijing was just a low-ranking official in the court of Dayu, the Princess Consort of Prince Ningxuan was his guarantee and backer; but when Su Huaijing became Sheng Fuya, the next successor of the Dayu Dynasty, this identity became a stain on his resume.
Not to mention that unless a man divorces his wife, he cannot marry and have children like an ordinary man. After Su Huaijing ascends the throne, will the harem be empty? What about the heirs? Who will the throne be passed on to
At first, only a few officials talked about this matter privately, and it was not spread as widely as before.
Lu Jiaxi heard it once very occasionally and inexplicably understood something.
In the past, any gossip about Emperor Renshou or several princes would be known to the whole city. But now that Su Huaijing is about to officially ascend the throne, these discussions can only be carried out in private and not a single bit of it has been circulated.
I didn’t know it before, but now that I think about it carefully, I’m afraid that every piece of public opinion at the time was written by Su Huaijing.
Because of this, even though Shuangfu was well-informed, Rong Tang had no idea for a while how many people in the court had objections to Su Huaijing's status as a male wife.
After waking up that day, he went back to Tang Jing's house alone, threw all of Su Xiaoqi's things out of the yard, and put up a sign at the door stating that Su Huaijing and the dog were not allowed to enter.
At first, Rong Tang even wanted to go to the Wentian Tower to escape from the world with Huimian and separate from Su Huaijing.
But when Shuangfu heard him say that, his face turned red. After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't help but said suggestively: "It's not good, young master. It's a Buddhist pure land. You go there like this...?"
Rong Tang was stunned for two seconds, and subconsciously stretched out his tongue to lick his lips, but he licked a wound on his lips, which hurt when touched.
"Stop licking Master, your lips are swollen..." Shuangfu said again. Although he felt sorry for his Master, one could somehow hear a hint of complaint in his words.
Rong Tang was so angry that he kept holding it in.
He had made up his mind to separate from Su Huaijing, but perhaps because things had just happened and there were still a lot of follow-up matters to deal with, Su Huaijing was stopped for several days and stayed in the palace.
Rong Tang felt relaxed and comfortable in the first two days, and his body was slowly recovering. But as the weather got colder, sometimes when he woke up in the middle of the night, he would subconsciously try to crawl back into a bed that was even colder, and he couldn't help feeling a little lost and depressed.
Then I would wake up and stare blankly at the light in the night sky that was so faint that it was invisible, until I was once again attacked by drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.
And when he woke up like this again, Young Master Rong became angry, which was rare for him.
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, he got dressed and went out, planning to eat something delicious on the street to warm himself up before curfew.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I opened the door, my eyes met with someone standing in the yard. Both of us were a little surprised, and no one spoke for a while.
Someone who was at ease and strolling in the court, and whose casual words were enough to shock all the civil and military officials, stood there and blinked, looking at Rong Tang from a distance. The next second, before his brain could make a judgment, his expression had involuntarily softened, revealing a sense of submission and begging for mercy, so pitiful.
Su Huaijing came over and stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to hold Rong Tang's fingers, but he stopped halfway, and moved his fingers in the air a few times without knowing what to do. He asked in a low voice: "Why did you come out wearing so little? Aren't you cold?"
Rong Tang looked at him coldly and said nothing.
Su Huaijing pursed his lips, looking a little embarrassed, lowered his head, and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Rong Tang still didn't speak. Su Huaijing looked at him, who was rarely nervous and anxious, and said, "I was wrong, Tangtang. Please don't be angry, okay?"
As she said this, she raised her upper eyelids to look at him. Her eyes looked wet in the moonlight and the night sky, like a puppy that was kicked out of the home, humbly and obediently rubbing against its owner to beg for forgiveness.
Rong Tang stared at him for a moment and asked coldly, "What did you do wrong?"
Su Huaijing got a response, even though the emotion of the response was still not right, but he was relieved, took a step forward and moved closer to Rong Tang.
But she didn't dare to get too close, for fear of being chased away by Tangtang. She obediently listed her faults one by one: "I shouldn't have been so lustful, I shouldn't have dragged Tangtang to the hot spring to mess around with me, I shouldn't have bitten so many marks on Tangtang's body, I shouldn't have agreed to do it for the last time, but then did it again and again, making Tangtang faint and waking her up again—"
The voice stopped abruptly, Rong Tang stretched out his hand and covered Su Huaijing's mouth with a "snap", his eyes widened with little sparks in his pupils, as if he could execute Su on the spot immediately!
Su Huaijing blinked his eyes, slightly surprised for a moment, then his eyes softened again, his back slightly bent, he looked at Tangtang pitifully, and stretched out his tongue to lightly lick his warm and cool palm.
Rong Tang got goosebumps all over his arms in an instant, and he was about to let go, but when he was halfway through the action, Su Huaijing grabbed his wrist, and forcefully but gently inserted his fingers into his fingers one by one, begging for mercy softly: "I know I was wrong, Tangtang, please don't be angry with me, okay?"
Rong Tang gritted his teeth: "You know what—"
He almost couldn't hold back from cursing. How could this guy even seem to know he was wrong
Did he come here to apologize or was he still unsatisfied and came here to help Rong Tang recall the past?
Debauchery! Living a life of drunkenness and dreams!! Shameless!!!
Rong Tang was so angry that his ears were red and there were little flames in his eyes.
Before he could lose his temper, Su Huaijing pulled his hand up, put Rong Tang's wrist against his forehead, and rubbed it very lightly: "I really know I was wrong, Tang Tang, please punish me, don't get angry and hurt yourself."
"… "
Rong Tang was speechless for a moment. The man in front of him was the villain in the book, the future emperor of this country, but now he was standing in front of him without any burden or airs. He was just obedient and super obedient, like a pet animal at home. He put his head under the master's hand, rubbed it docilely and obediently, and gently said words of begging for mercy...
No more anger could be vented.
Besides, Rong Tang was also happy.
but…
In the few seconds when Rong Tang calmed down, he thought, if she said she forgave him so easily, wouldn't it be too easy for Su Xiaoqi? What if he did the same thing again next time
Rong Tang didn't say anything, but his emotions were probably already revealed.
Su Huaijing lingered for a while, slightly satisfying the impatience and emptiness in his heart that he hadn't felt for many days, and quietly promoted his achievements: "Tangtang, do you want to go see Sheng Chengli?"
Rong Tang was originally thinking about how to continue to be cold-faced, and finally found an opportunity after hearing this, and said in a bad tone: "What should I see him do?"
Su Huaijing: "I deliberately spared his life so that you can vent your anger. Tangtang, don't you want to go and take a look?"
In fact, he didn't want Rong Tang to see Sheng Chengli at all, but when the tip of the sword was against that man's heart, Su Huaijing still moved the sword down a few inches to avoid his death.
He always had some concerns, fearing that Rong Tang might get into trouble because of Sheng Chengli.
Rong Tang thought about it for a moment and nodded proudly: "Okay then."
Su Huaijing laughed, walked to his side, clasped his fingers tightly, and shook them gently like a child, unable to hide his good mood.
After taking a few steps, he thought of something and asked, "Tangtang, you went out so late, are you hungry? Do you want to eat before going to the prison?"
Rong Tang didn't know how to evaluate the villain's sharpness.
He did want to go out to eat, but that was because he felt annoyed when he woke up in the middle of the night and didn't see Su Huaijing. Although he was still a little annoyed now, the abnormal annoyance in his heart had long disappeared.
With Su Huaijing by his side, he seemed to be less hungry.
But he couldn't refute it too easily, otherwise he would seem to lose face.
Rong Tang pondered for a few moments and said in a pretentious manner, "The smell in the prison is terrible. It's easy to get nauseous and vomit after eating. Come back and eat."
He should be hungry after returning, Young Master Rong thought.
Su Huaijing almost saw through his true thoughts at a glance, and laughed a little, his eyebrows and eyes were stained with a layer of ease and joy, but he said: "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Tangtang."
Even the voice has a hint of sweetness.
There's nothing you can do, he really falls for it.
-
The prison is dirty and dark, and most of the prisoners are on death row.
Because Rong Tang said "dirty", Su Huaijing asked Xingfeng to come here in advance and ordered people to clean the place inside and out. After pouring a few buckets of water, it became much cleaner, but the air was still filled with a faint fishy smell.
Su Huaijing's face was slightly dark, and he was not in a good mood. He held Rong Tang's hand tighter and said in a slightly depressed tone: "I'm sorry."
He should have cleaned the place more thoroughly before letting Tangtang come over.
Rong Tang's excuse was just one he made up casually. He had been to even dirtier prisons before. He was stunned for a second before he realized what Su Huaijing was apologizing for. For a moment he didn't know how to respond.
Fortunately, they soon arrived at Sheng Chengli's prison. Rong Tang glanced around, trying to find someone.
Seeing this, Su Huaijing asked, "Who is Tangtang looking for?"
Rong Tang shook his head subconsciously and did not answer the question directly.
In the dim prison, the man sitting on the straw mat was in a particularly miserable state. The tendon of his dominant hand was plucked out, and it was drooping limply. His hair was a mess. The so-called son of heaven was now just a prisoner living with snakes, insects, rats and ants. A louse crawled out of his hair and fell to the ground. The man sitting there reacted and raised his hand that could still move and pressed the louse to death.
Rong Tang frowned instantly.
He couldn't tell what emotions were in his heart. He had feelings of protection and resentment towards the person in front of him.
He once wanted him to die at his hands, but when he really saw Sheng Chengli's appearance in the prison, Rong Tang only felt irony.
Including the original novel, this is the fourth time that Sheng Chengli has lost to Su Huaijing.
He will always be defeated and a prisoner.
But Rong Tang had never seen such a miserable male protagonist before.
Su Huaijing had also been in a miserable state before, and had been locked up in Fengyue Tower with fine gold chains, and was manipulated like a flower ready to be plucked, waiting for someone to come. But when Rong Tang saw him, he was shaken and felt only distressed and angry.
Now, looking at Sheng Chengli through the prison door, he felt neither heartache nor anger, but only silent sarcasm and indifference.
He only took a glance and turned to leave, but the man sitting in the cell suddenly raised his head. One of his eyes had been gouged out, one was bloody and the other was empty and scary. But the moment he saw the man's face clearly, he smiled, sweet and creepy, and whispered, "Sir, you're here to see me."
Rong Tang trembled unconsciously, stopped and looked at him.
Sheng Chengli supported himself on the ground with one hand, as if he wanted to stand up and look him in the eye, but after struggling for a while, he failed to stand up and instead broke out in sweat. He simply sat where he was, slightly raised his head and looked at Rong Tang.
Rong Tang was puzzled, and turned his head to ask Su Huaijing: "What's wrong with him?"
Su Huaijing: "I have a few nails in my body, but it's not a big deal."
Rong Tang was silent. After Sheng Chengli had taken a deep breath, he tilted his head and asked him in confusion, "Did the master ask him to spare my life?"
Rong Tang: “No.”
Sheng Chengli opened his mouth and silently uttered "Ah", then he said softly as if he had figured something out: "So that's what Lord Su wants me to do?"
Su Huaijing looked at him coldly and did not tell Rong Tang about his plans. Rong Tang actually had no intention of reminiscing about the past with Sheng Chengli.
It was purely because Su Huaijing gave him a way out, so he just came over and treated it as his last meeting with this "Son of Heaven". More importantly, he wanted to see whether the "Son of Heaven" was here.
It’s a pity that I didn’t see anyone, so there’s actually no point in staying here.
Sheng Chengli looked at Su Huaijing, then at Rong Tang. His eyes rolled around and finally stopped at the two people's clasped hands.
He was silent for two seconds, as if he had discovered something new. He wanted to raise his eyebrows, but the muscles on his face were pulled so hard that it hurt. He didn't make any extra expressions. He just lowered his head and smiled for a long time. When he finally raised his eyes, he looked at Rong Tang jokingly and asked softly, "Cousin, didn't the master say anything to you before he left?"
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly. His eyes moved slightly, and he looked at Sheng Chengli with caution.
Sheng Chengli's prank was successful, so he didn't say anything more. He just lay back and fell asleep, muttering to himself, "Since you didn't come to see me, then go back. Since Master Su still has something for me to do, let me rest for a while."
Rong Tang took a step forward, facing the cell door, and asked coldly, "What do you know?"
"You're so strict, sir! You've never been so strict with me before." Sheng Chengli complained like a spoiled child, and Rong Tang got goosebumps when he heard it.
Su Huaijing couldn't listen any longer. He looked at him coldly for two seconds and called the jailer: "Cut off his tongue."
Sheng Chengli was startled, and immediately turned over and sat up, staring at Su Huaijing, gritting his teeth and saying, "You really have no scruples."
Su Huaijing asked, "If I don't cut off your tongue, will you tell the truth?"
Sheng Chengli was speechless for a moment, staring at Su Huaijing viciously, his pupils filled with unspoken resentment and anger.
Su Huaijing waited for a few moments, but got no answer. He turned around and was about to leave, holding Rong Tang's hand. The jailer was already walking towards them with a fire bucket and scissors.
Rong Tang didn’t know whether Su Huaijing’s decision was the best solution. He only knew that if Sheng Chengli wanted to use this to threaten Su Huaijing, he must have made a wrong idea.
As a result, he had just taken two steps when he heard Sheng Chengli muttering sinisterly behind him: "The Canopus star rises in the west, and the Shang star rises in the east. If we never meet in this life, we will be as far away as the Canopus and the Shang star."
Rong Tang stopped walking for a moment, his face blank for a moment. Su Huaijing saw this, stopped the jailer, lowered his head and asked Rong Tang softly: "What's wrong?"
Rong Tang subconsciously clenched his fist and shook his head: "It's okay."
Huimian asked him if he had anything to ask her, and Sheng Chengli recited the poem that "Heaven's Way" had written on the paper at that time.
Even if Rong Tang didn't take it to heart, he would still be suspicious.
It seems like... a curse.
He pursed his lips, raised his head to look at Su Huaijing, and casually changed the subject: "Have you chosen the date for the coronation ceremony?"
Su Huaijing's eyes flickered slightly. He could tell that he was hiding something, but he let it go. He took Rong Tang's hand and walked out of the prison. He replied in a gentle voice, "Not yet. There is no particularly good auspicious day recently, and we can't be too hasty. It may have to be next month."
That means there is still half a month left. Rong Tang nodded: "Okay."
At first, Su Huaijing didn't know what he meant by "OK". But after they had supper on the street, Su Huaijing sent him back to Yong'an Lane. He hesitated at the gate of the courtyard and was about to beg Rong Tang to let him stay overnight, but Rong Tang yawned and lazily said, "Go get some water. I want to take a shower."
Su Huaijing was stunned for a second: "?"
Rong Tang looked at him unkindly: "What are you doubting? You want one too, you're dirty, don't get on my bed if you don't take a shower."
Su Huaijing: “???”
It seems Tangtang took the wrong medicine! There was medicine in the midnight snack!!!
Su Xiaoqi didn't have time to think, fearing that Rong Tang would go back on his word, so he immediately agreed and turned around to boil water.
The moment he walked into the kitchen, he thought about it again, and for some reason he called Xingfeng: "Go find the old man selling Yuanxiao on the street and buy the recipe from him."
Xingfeng: “???”
You...are not in your right mind, are you
(End of this chapter)