Chapter 247: The Emperor Collapses
When Prince Su and Prince Jin came out, Ye Shuo, who was kneeling outside, was about to move, but saw Prince Su shook his head and looked at the Sixth Prince beside him.
“My brother is calling you in.”
The Sixth Prince was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he acted quickly.
The fifth prince, the seventh prince, and the eighth prince stared at his back as if they wanted to stare a hole in his back, but they felt extremely powerless in their hearts.
After entering the inner room, the Sixth Prince did not dare to look at anything more. Until now, he still looked cautious and respectful.
In other words, the more it is at this time, the more the Sixth Prince dares not to be careless.
“Father, what do you want?”
Looking at the future successor of the Great Zhou before him, Emperor Jingwen could not say that he liked him very much, but he did not hate him either. Although he had originally favoured the crown prince, after two years, Emperor Jingwen had to admit that he was more suitable for the position than the crown prince.His son never acts on emotion, and every decision he makes is based on interests, which is good. But at the same time, this child has been able to endure since he was young. His character is somewhat similar to his own when he was young, but he is more ruthless than himself. For a moment, Emperor Jingwen didn’t know what his future would be like.
Of course, the Sixth Prince was not without flaws. For example, he had few children. After so many years of marriage with the princess, he only had one son. But this was not a big deal. He had few wives and concubines in the palace. There were only four people in total, including the princess, concubines, and other concubines. When he ascended the throne and started the selection, everything would gradually get better.
Emperor Jingwen was an emperor and a man, so he naturally didn’t think there would be anything wrong with his son.
However, what he didn’t know was that even this matter was within the Sixth Prince’s budget.
It’s not that the Sixth Prince only wanted to find four women, but he had to do so in order to cover up such a big flaw.
Now it seems that it is extremely successful. Even Prime Minister He feels that the Sixth Prince is a man who keeps his promises. After marrying his granddaughter, he rarely touches other women.
How could such a meticulous and thorough Sixth Prince fail?
Looking at the Sixth Prince kneeling below, Emperor Jingwen took two breaths and said, “You have done a good job in Beiting and Chen State.”
Although it was the first time to deal with such an important matter, under his arrangement, the Great Zhou Dynasty was able to withstand the attack from the two countries. Emperor Jingwen was particularly satisfied with this.
“It’s only been two years. War itself is a matter that consumes a lot of national and civilian power. Recently, I have seen that the two countries seem to be retreating. There is also news from the secret guards that Beiting can no longer hold on. In this case, you should find an opportunity to negotiate peace with them.”
Although the Great Zhou still has some strength left, if something goes wrong in the middle, it may cause big problems, so the safest thing to do is to stop here.
Over the years, the three countries have always been like this, fighting and resting, fighting again and resting again, and everyone, including Emperor Jingwen and the Sixth Prince, have long been accustomed to it. The most fundamental purpose this time is just to tell Beiting that their Great Zhou is not so easy to bully, and if they dare to make small moves, they must be prepared for war.
The ascension of a new emperor is basically a time of turmoil. If internal and external troubles come at this time, the Sixth Prince will really not know what to do.
Now that Emperor Jingwen had spoken, the Sixth Prince couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“I will follow my father’s orders.”
Emperor Jingwen looked at his son who had never been favoured by him since childhood, and finally said, “You… are very good.”
He climbed to this position step by step from nothing. Even Emperor Jingwen could not guarantee that he could do better than him.
“I will hand this kingdom over to you. I hope you will not bring disgrace upon the reputation of the Ye family in the future.”
The Sixth Prince was already past the age of craving for father’s love, and no longer took these matters to heart, but when he heard these words, he still felt a tremor in his heart.
The part that was originally missing in my heart was finally made up.
Although this recognition came too late, it finally came.
The Sixth Prince thought he didn’t care at all, but when that day really came, his eyes became red uncontrollably.
“As your son, I will live up to your father’s trust and will not let him down.”
Finally, the Sixth Prince bowed respectfully and seriously to Emperor Jingwen who was lying on the bed before leaving.
Finally, Emperor Jingwen called Ye Shuo in.
After finishing all other matters, Emperor Jingwen now seemed like a real father.
“In the future, you must listen more to your sixth brother and don’t go against him. I know this will wrong you, but there is nothing I can do about it.” In the future, the sixth prince will be the king and the youngest son will be the minister. As time goes by, this gap will become more and more obvious.
Emperor Jingwen himself was an emperor, and he also had brothers. How could he not understand these things?
“Remember, remember, don’t treat your sixth brother like you treat me.” After I left, the Sixth Prince would never protect his youngest son like I did. Father and son are different from brothers.
Emperor Jingwen had already told him this once yesterday. Perhaps because he was afraid that his youngest son had forgotten, he told him again in a nagging manner.
Holding back tears, Ye Shuo nodded: “Son understands.”
“Also, I have left an imperial decree for you and Jianjian. After I leave, you must not act recklessly because of this imperial decree. Be careful that your sixth brother will punish you.”
“You are an adult now. Don’t be so willful as before. Don’t make your mother angry like before. And you and the princess should pay more attention to Jianjian’s marriage.”
“It’s fine if you and the princess don’t want to have children now, but when you two give birth to a child in the future, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl, remember to burn incense for me in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. You must remember, don’t forget.”
Emperor Jingwen actually didn’t know what would happen after death, but he couldn’t help thinking that it would be nice if he could know everything about the world even after death.
And then there is…
“After one month, everything will be over. I will leave you another thing, another thing, thirty miles southwest of the city…”
As he spoke, Emperor Jingwen felt more and more breathless. Seeing this, Ye Shuo could no longer control himself and tears rolled down his face. After a short while, the quilt covering Emperor Jingwen was wet.
Seeing his youngest son crying so hard, Emperor Jingwen felt a pang in his heart and began to tighten his grip on his hand.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry…”
“If…if people could really live forever, …”
How could Emperor Jingwen let go of such a situation?
“Leaving you, you two children behind… I… I really…”
“Also, don’t… don’t blame me…”
Don’t blame me for not being able to leave all the best things for you.
For a moment, Ye Shuo wanted to tell him everything and tell him not to worry, but in the end, Ye Shuo did not say a word.
From beginning to end, even until death, due to their respective identities, neither the father nor the son ever truly opened their hearts to each other.
In the end, Emperor Jingwen left with a heart full of worry and reluctance.
Ye Shuo watched him close his eyes like this, and finally, he couldn’t help but shouted, “Dad!”
Emperor Jingwen seemed to have heard the cry and wanted to respond, but his right hand finally dropped weakly.
In the last moment of his consciousness, numerous scenes flashed before Emperor Jingwen’s eyes, from the time he could remember till now, to this moment.
Among them are the cautiousness and prudence in his youth, the forbearance and humiliation in his youth, the coldness and cruelty after he ascended the throne, and the estrangement between father and son later…
Human life is so short, and there are only a few things that can be remembered.
But in the end, God was kind to him. Although he lost several sons in a row, he was not left completely alone. In the later period of his reign, there was no turmoil in the court. Everything was calm. He did not have to worry about being pushed off the chair by others, especially his own son, when he was sick.
Although his life was somewhat rough in his youth, it gradually got better later on, especially in his later years, when his life was relatively smooth. Compared with other emperors, he was much better off.
He had been working diligently and conscientiously in handling various matters for so many years, and had not dared to slack off for even a single day. After ascending the throne, he had pulled the Great Zhou, which had been nearly collapsed by the previous emperor, back from the brink of decline. With such an achievement, it would not be difficult for him to be remembered in history.
Such a glorious achievement will be remembered by future generations. How many emperors can achieve this?
In terms of political affairs, he was good at both civil and military affairs. Even in the last years, he successfully resisted the encirclement of two countries. In terms of family affairs, he was also extremely happy in the end. What else could he not be satisfied with? If he was lucky, he might even become an emperor of all ages!
His lifelong wish was finally fulfilled.
Thinking of this, Emperor Jingwen’s frown gradually relaxed.
Ye Shuo stayed with his father for a long time, until he was completely out of breath and his body was cold, then he stood up.
The same thing happened twice, but the pain was not reduced at all.
No matter how smart he is, if he can’t keep something, he still can’t keep it.
At first, the imperial physician said that Emperor Jingwen had only half a year to a year to live. However, he was worried and held on for two whole years. Today, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer.
In the twenty-seventh year of Emperor Jingwen’s reign, Emperor Jingwen…died.
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Three days passed in a flash, and the wake was over. Prince Su quickly took out the imperial edict that Emperor Jingwen had prepared long ago.
Although the Sixth Prince already knew the answer when his father summoned him, when that day finally arrived, he still felt ecstatic from the bottom of his heart. However, he could not show it because of the recent death of Emperor Jingwen and so many eyes watching him.
Just when the Sixth Prince was trying hard to control his emotions, he saw Prince Su take out the second will.
The second edict was none other than what Emperor Jingwen left for Ye Shuo and Jian Jian, the two siblings. The content was also very simple, stating that Prince Rui’s life would not be harmed unless he committed the serious crime of treason, and Jian Jian’s marriage would never be allowed.
Emperor Jingwen finally made an exception and agreed to what he had failed to do with Ye Shuo.
But at the same time, Emperor Jingwen knew the Sixth Prince’s temper better. Blindly suppressing him would only make him rebellious. How could Emperor Jingwen not know that what an emperor hated most was being forced by others, even if that person was his own biological father.
Even with a will, it would be easy for the emperor to take someone’s life.
Therefore, in addition to the will, Emperor Jingwen also specially gave the Sixth Prince a rattan stick. The will clearly stated that if Prince Rui did anything wrong, there was no need to show mercy and the prince could act on his father’s behalf and punish him.
You can beat but not kill, you can punish but not kill.
Emperor Jingwen was already almost tolerant. After all this, unless Ye Shuo really committed a heinous crime, the Sixth Prince would beat him, but there was really no reason to take his life.
This was probably the most comprehensive method that Emperor Jingwen, as a father, could think of.
Since he likes freedom, let him be free forever.
Subconsciously looking at the coffin not far away, Ye Shuo couldn’t help but burst into tears in front of everyone.