In the past few days since returning to Weidu from the battlefield, Chen Bai has seen the emperor and the concubine once, and then regardless of the eyes of others, he still returned to Princess Ru's mansion to live, in addition to reading books and practicing martial arts in the mansion every day, he will also personally go to the street to buy ingredients, work and rest rules, and he doesn't care at all what kind of decisions the royal court will give to his rewards and punishments. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

After Xiu Xuan learned the news of the fall of the Yi Kingdom, he immediately disbanded the army with a small number of people, and came with Chen alone, and also lived in Princess Ru's mansion as a guest and a guest. Xiuxuan only turned fifteen years old this year, and the age difference between him and Chen is as much as eleven years, Jing Chen is like respecting his brother Xiuxi, and he will not leave until Chen's safety is determined.

Chen had been thinking about an answer for a few days, and as the outline of the answer gradually emerged, he wanted to know more and more what Xiuxuan's answer was. So Chen knocked on the door of the study and came to find Xiu Xuan, who was reading.

"Cousin. Xiuxuan raised his head and greeted Chen.

"Today, the emperor has summoned all the ministers to discuss in the tent, and I think there will be news soon. Chen said lightly.

"Emperor Xian feels guilty about his aunt, and he has missed you for many years, I don't think he will blame you too much. Xiuxuan put down the book in his hand and said.

"If the courtiers are bent on believing that I am a rebellious minister and thief who killed my brother and rebelled against my father, the emperor is afraid and incapable of rejecting public opinion. My only concern at the moment is my mother, I can't let her bear everything for me, I want to take her out of the royal court. ”

"Whatever you do, I will do my best to help you. ”

"You have given up your future for my sake. ”

"Are you saying that I didn't lead the army back to Yidu, but chose to go with you?"

"I wonder why you decided that. ”

"I said at the time that in that case, even if I can return to Yidu, it will not affect the trend of the current situation, why bother going back and forth in vain, and even let thousands of soldiers die for me in vain. ”

"But you can follow the example of your two imperial brothers, support the army for the time being, and he will try to develop again in the future. ”

"Everybody is alive, and there's something for him to do. Since I was a child, in my heart, my eldest brother is the best candidate for the crown prince of the royal family, and I read military books and think about strategies, all in order to help him lead the country one day. I think I can still be called a general, but the way of being an emperor is completely incomprehensible. I don't want to comment on the actions of the Fourth Emperor Brother, but the Second Imperial Brother originally had no thoughts about the throne. Do you know why my father gave all the concubines to death before he was martyred, maybe it was for him to be buried, maybe it was because he was afraid that they would be sent under the fence and miserable, but there were two other factors. On the one hand, it was to eliminate the weakness of the four emperor brothers, so that he would not be bound by his feelings, so he was coerced. On the other hand, the concubine Niangniang longs for the second emperor brother to inherit the throne, and every time the second emperor brother misses his mother in the future, he will remember that his mother died with regret, and the father is forcing the second emperor brother to ignite the desire to compete for the throne. ”

"Xiuxuan, although you are young, you have seen things thoroughly. Chen never thought that Xiuxuan could have such an opinion, and a little admiration flashed in his eyes.

"This is not my desire, I have no choice. Growing up in the court, if you don't have a little thought, you may catch fire at some point. Although the country is broken, the people can live a quiet and prosperous life away from the war. And I also had the opportunity to choose what kind of life I wanted. I don't want the relationship between father and son to be full of intrigue calculations, I just want to live freely and with peace of mind from now on. ”

"You and Xiuxi are worthy of being brothers, and they both have the same thoughts. Chen thought about Xiuxi, staring at Xiuxuan, and a smile came out of his lips.

"Isn't my cousin also interested in staying away from the strife in the royal court?" Xiu Xuan's eyes were clear and bright, as if he had seen everything, and said.

"I ...... One day in the royal court, I will think of Ge Sheng. Chen only felt stunned for a while, his brows frowned slightly, and his heart was filled with remorse, "When the light went out, I realized that it was a rare glimmer of light in this dark royal court, and I extinguished this lamp with my own hands." ”

"Your Highness. At this moment, a guard walked quickly outside the study. Because the identity of Chen has not been officially determined, the guards and servants used such ambiguous titles for Chen during this period.

"Is there something wrong?" Chen asked, turning around.

"Back to His Royal Highness, the emperor suddenly fainted during the deliberations of the ministers, and after the imperial doctor saw it, he said that the emperor was caused by a stroke, and he was afraid that it was...... I can't survive tonight. The emperor invites you to enter the royal court to see him, and the son of Xiuxuan can accompany him. ”

When Chen heard what the guards said, it was dark in front of him, after Ge Sheng, Emperor Xianhuang was almost the only flickering light in Chen's heart, and at this moment this light was about to go out......

~~~

When Chen and Xiuxuan followed the guards to the royal court and walked towards the emperor's tent, the closer they got to the big tent, they saw that the ordinary courtiers were surrounded by the periphery, and the high-ranking ministers were surrounded outside the tent, the eldest princess, the lord of Moha, the county lord Mohami, the county horse Zhanpeng, Princess Mo, the little prince of Zuoqiu, Zuoqiu Yu, and even the queen, the concubine, and the concubine stood far away at the door of the tent, only the eldest prince and the fifth prince Xun Qi were guarding the emperor's bedside.

Seeing Chen walk into the big tent step by step over the crowd, everyone seemed to have guessed something in their hearts, some people looked at each other, but no one dared to speak out at this time.

Xiuxuan stopped when he passed by Concubine Ji, Chen looked at Concubine Ji, and then walked to Emperor Xianhuang's bed.

Although Emperor Xian was seriously ill, his heart was very clear, and when he heard the footsteps, he knew that Chen was coming, he tried his best to open his eyes, and looked at Chen tightly, his eyes were excited and relieved, and his hand slowly stretched out into the air with a slight trembling.

Seeing this, Chen hurriedly held the hand of the emperor, knelt on one knee in front of the bed, and shouted softly:

"Your Majesty. ”

"When you first returned to the royal court, my body was still strong, but I was too old to stand it, and it was only a little more than two months before I became like this. Emperor Xian spoke, speaking with much less strength than usual.

"The emperor is just tired and needs to rest. Chen endured the pain in his heart and said in a calm tone as much as possible.

"They all lie to me by saying such things, but I know my body. I wantonly started a war against the southern kingdom and caused my wife to be separated, which is the retribution of heaven for me. Emperor Xian paused and said, "I am sad that I owe you twenty-six years, but I have not been able to make up for one day. ”

"The emperor doesn't owe me anything, and our separation is not the emperor's fault. ”

"But I connived at them, and for the sake of my power, I let you live in a foreign land, and father and son could not recognize each other. ”

"Ge Sheng...... The third brother has healed my wounds. But my return took him away from the emperor. Like a child who has made a mistake, Chen silently lowered his head and said.

"I don't blame you, you two are fine. And I'm not a good father. Emperor Xian patted Chen's hand and said. The emperor, who has been rigid and self-serving all his life, is just a loving father in front of Chen.

Chen suppressed his mood and exhaled sullenly.

"I am very grateful that you grew up in Yiguo and can have what you have today. Emperor Xian said this, his eyes unconsciously overflowing with pride, "You remember, I said...... You're a lot like me when I was younger. ”

"Yes, the emperor said. Chen nodded, his eyes slightly moist.

"Then do you want to recognize me as a father?" Emperor Xianhuang did not use "I" to refer to himself, but said as "I".

Chen stared at Emperor Xian deeply for a moment, turned his head to look at Concubine Ji, and after receiving the encouragement of Concubine Xian's eyes, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Emperor Xian again, and said softly:

"Father. ”

Chen's "father" in front of Emperor Xian's sickbed is particularly precious to Emperor Xian. Emperor Xian nodded, tears welling up in his eyes, and tears almost slipped down the corners of his eyes.

Mushroom and Xun Qi couldn't help but glance at each other, Mushroom seemed to want to say something, but she was worried about the relationship with Xun Qi, so it was inconvenient to say more, so she only held it in her heart for a while, and swallowed the words back into her stomach.

Emperor Xian closed his eyes and opened them again, took two deep breaths, suddenly gathered all his strength, raised his voice and said:

The ministers outside the tent listened. ”

Hearing this, the courtiers outside the tent knelt down at the door of the tent, and later heard the emperor continue:

"On the same day, the third prince Ge Sheng was posthumously crowned as the Prince of Ying, and he chose the children of the same lineage to inherit the prince's throne on the same day, and he was hereditary. ”

As soon as Emperor Xian's words came out, everyone present was shocked, the hereditary replacement of the prince throne has no precedent in the history of the country, not to mention that the three princes did not leave heirs. And Emperor Xian's next words stirred up a thousand waves with one stone.

"The fourth prince is the new monarch, and he is in charge of all personnel appointments and dismissals, life and death. If you violate your order, the new monarch can do whatever he wants. After Emperor Xian finished speaking, his palm covered Chen's hand, as if he had passed on his firm belief to Chen.

"Father, I don't want you to pass on the throne to me, what's the point of the royal court without you. Chen was sad in his heart, shook his head and said.

"This is compensation for the fact that my father can no longer accompany you, and it is the only thing that can be left to you. As my father's heart, I hope you accept it. If you really don't want to, it's up to you to make arrangements. ”

Seeing that Emperor Xian's eyes began to gradually dissipate, Chen's tears instantly dripped uncontrollably, and he did not leave Emperor Xian, and shouted in his mouth:

"Doctor, doctor!"

The imperial doctor hurriedly stepped forward in two steps, knelt beside Emperor Xian to check Emperor Xian's condition, and after half a sound, he shook his head silently, kowtowed to the ground, and did not dare to get up.

Seeing this, Mushroom and Xun Qi immediately rushed forward, leaned over and shouted:

"Father, don't leave your son!"

"Father, wake up, you can't sleep. Father......

The concubines and royal relatives of the emperor immediately rushed up, looking panicked one by one. The ladies couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

Emperor Xian finally tried to open his eyes, looked at the people closest to him around him, and then returned his gaze to Chen's body, a smile appeared on his face, his fingers trembled slightly on the back of Chen's hand twice, and the person closed his eyes.

“…… Father, father?"

"Father's ......"

"Your Majesty!"

After a while, I heard the Imperial Doctor say in a trembling voice:

"The emperor died......"

When the courtiers outside the tent heard the sound, they knelt down and leaned on the ground, and their weepings grew louder and louder. In contrast, the atmosphere in the tent was much quieter. The remnants of the emperor have not disappeared, and everyone can hear the will of the new emperor clearly, but for a while, the queen, the concubine, the eldest prince and others still feel unacceptable. And Chen just stared at the serene face of the emperor and didn't say a word.

At this time, Marshal Feng Dan, who was outside the tent, broke the silence and said loudly:

"The emperor's funeral, please mourn the four princes' day and preside over the emperor's funeral. ”

Subsequently, some courtiers echoed one after another:

"Please mourn the Fourth Prince's Day. ”

"I respectfully invite the four princes to ascend the throne and inherit the throne. ”

"I respectfully ask the new monarch to take the throne and preside over all matters. ”

Faced with the death of Emperor Xian, Chen's heart seemed to be hollowed out, and his heart was full of powerlessness. In response to what the courtiers said, he had to brace himself and respond:

"The matter of ascending the throne is not a moment, and the emperor's funeral is important. ”

After a pause, Chen said again:

Zuo Qiu Yu listened to the order. ”

A flash of surprise flashed between Zuoqiu Yu's eyebrows, as if he didn't expect Chen to trust him, but after only a moment's pause, he took a step forward and said:

"The minister is here. ”

"Seal off the royal court, strictly guard the curfew, and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will without a summons. ”

"Yes. Zuo Qiu Yu took the order, turned around and stepped out of the big tent.

"Marshal Feng Dan. Chen said without a pause.

"The minister is here. Feng Dan stood up, walked briskly into the tent, and waited for the dispatch.

"With the tiger talisman given to you by the emperor, mobilize the defenders in the city, close the city gates, the streets and alleys, and the police of the palace to prevent disturbances. ”

"The minister commanded. Feng Dan was also ordered to retreat.

"Tai Shi Ling. ”

"The minister is here. ”

"The affairs of Emperor Daxing's funeral, burial, and spiritual seat entering the temple will be handed over to you to officiate at the ceremony according to the ancestral practice. ”

"The minister obeyed. ”

"Queen. Chen's gaze then turned to Empress Xianhuang, after all, she still couldn't be called "Queen Mother".

The queen personally saw that Chen was in an orderly manner, steady and decent, and had controlled the overall situation in a short period of time, and in addition to the original hatred for Chen, she also added a little vigilance.

Chen didn't care about the defensive look in the queen's eyes, and only said:

"The trivial matters in the backyard still need to be bothered by the mother. Tonight for the father's wake for the emperor, a few mothers and aunts please go back to the tent to bathe, a little rest, Tai Shi Ling will later convey the etiquette time to the tents. ”

The queen and the concubine, the eldest princess, and Princess Mo looked at each other, and they had no objections, so they each returned their accounts. The county lord of Moha and the county horse Zhanpeng helped the eldest princess to leave together.

Chen looked at Concubine Ji and saw her tears in her eyes, her expression was sad, and she couldn't hide her sorrow in her eyes. Seeing this, Xiuxuan said to Chen:

"I'll take care of my aunt, you don't have to worry. ”

Concubine Ji didn't want to distract Chen, she looked at Chen and said:

"Mother and Xiuxuan will go back to the big tent first. Stay here, your brothers. ”

Subsequently, the imperial physician also withdrew from the emperor's tent and knelt down with the courtiers, leaving only Chen, Rong and Xun Qi in the tent. The three of them fell silent suddenly, and none of them spoke to each other, so they spent the night.

~~~

On March 13, everything after the death of the emperor was basically handled properly. Regarding the "right of appointment and dismissal, life and death" entrusted to Chen by the emperor, Chen summoned the important ministers of the court to come to discuss the big tent, and issued several decrees on the spot.

The official in charge of reading the holy will stood on Chen's left hand side and said aloud to everyone:

"In the past, the infantry battalion, the cavalry battalion, the crossbow battalion, and the artillery battalion stood side by side, and now the cavalry battalion and the crossbow battalion are combined into the iron cavalry battalion, and the artillery battalion is renamed the firearms battalion.

The owner of the infantry battalion is still served by Marshal Feng Dan, and the former strong crossbow battalion Hu garrison and artillery battalion Wang garrison bravely defended the country on the battlefield with outstanding achievements, and was specially given the position of the owner of the iron cavalry battalion and the owner of the firearms battalion to show his glory.

Jun Ma Zhanpeng knew about the premeditated plan of the eldest prince to kill the five princes and did not report it, so he took back his central military power, but after many years of hard work, he still enjoyed the position of envoy of the economic strategy, and was transferred to the northeast economic strategy to garrison the northern tribal defense boundary.

The queen is the queen mother, the concubine is the concubine, the eldest princess and Princess Mo are the eldest princess, the eldest princess, and the princess of Qiangbei, Princess Tingyu, is the eldest princess of Tingyu.

The eldest prince premeditated to kill the five princes and the fourth prince Chen assassinated the third prince, the first emperor was merciful and did not care, and the four princes blamed themselves, and now they have deprived the eldest prince and the four princes of the royal family, and they have been demoted to concubines, and they are not allowed to enter the royal court again. That is, the concubine failed to teach her son, and the quasi-concubine left the royal court with the four princes, so as to guide the four princes in the future.

The fifth prince Xun Qi is intelligent, diligent, frugal and benevolent, and can inherit the unification, that is, the new emperor. ”

Several decrees promulgated by Chen as the new monarch soon spread throughout the royal court. Chen's determination is to clear the obstacles for Xun Qi and consolidate the royal power, and Zuo Qiu Yu and other people who follow and support the five princes, Chen leaves Xun Qi to personally determine the position, and Xun Qi's consideration is not incomplete.

After everyone learned the news, they were particularly surprised by Chen's move to give up the throne and give way to Xun Qi, while Chen himself felt relieved. When he really faced the throne and the country, he finally made a firm choice - the same choice as Xiuxi and Xiuxuan. From now on, you can no longer cling to hatred, you can have a free heart and do something with a clear conscience.

Chen did not leave the enthronement ceremony of Guan Xun Qi, and did not even say goodbye to Xun Qi, so he drove a carriage with Xiu Xuan to escort the concubine south.

Walking to a city in the south of Victoria, which was originally located in the territory of Yi State, the carriage stopped, Xiuxuan accompanied Concubine Ji into the teahouse to rest for a while, and Chen walked along the street for a distance, and walked alone into the semicolon of the Qianzhuang in the city.

Although the country of Yi was destroyed, the money village was still firmly rooted in the original land, not only did not any of the branches be closed, but the business of each branch was still in order. Chen looked at the decoration of the money village and looked around at the guys who were doing their jobs, and felt very relieved.

"May I ask what Childe is here to do?" a fellow greeted him and said politely to Chen.

"The shopkeeper is here, I have something important to discuss with him. Chen bowed slightly, and said in a calm tone.

Before the guy met, the man had handsome eyebrows and luxurious clothes, and he knew that Chen's identity was not ordinary, so he hurriedly said:

"Childe, please wait in the middle hall, I will ask the shopkeeper to come over immediately. ”

"There is labor. ”

After a while, the shopkeeper followed the man into the middle hall, who was about thirty years old, and he was extremely young among the branch shopkeepers. Chen and the shopkeeper glanced at each other, it was an unfamiliar face, so presumably he wouldn't know himself.

"Below is this semicolon shopkeeper, I don't know what the son needs?" asked the shopkeeper.

"Can the shopkeeper and the rest of the semicolons be in contact smoothly?" Chen did not answer the rhetorical question.

"All branches can be connected to each other, and it will not affect the business in different places. The shopkeeper replied.

"That's fine. Chen nodded, then raised his right hand, and the thumb that was originally hidden in the cuff was revealed, and the jasper wrench on the thumb was exquisitely clear, scattering dazzling brilliance.

The shopkeeper saw the jasper wrench in Qingchen's hand, his eyes were full of light, and he knelt down on one knee and said respectfully:

"I don't know that the owner is coming, and the villain is far away. ”

When the man heard this, he also knelt down on the side, and said:

"The villain sees the owner, and asks the owner to forgive the sin if he is rude. ”

"He who does not know is not guilty, so get up. Chen waved his hand casually.

"It is a great honor for the owner to come, and I ask the owner to tell me anything. The shopkeeper stood up and said.

"Two things. First, escort the old lady back to the head office of Qianzhuang and settle down in the residential courtyard. ”

"The villain understands that this is a matter of preparation, and he can leave tomorrow morning. ”

"Second, inform the branches of the Qian Zhuang to look for Yi Guoxiuxi's son, and I will stay in this news. ”

"This is not difficult, please wait a while, I believe there will be a response within three days. ”

"Hmm. ”

In the early morning of the second day, Chen personally helped Concubine Ji into the carriage and said to her:

In two or three days' journey, we arrived at my son's house. Along the way, what does the mother need, although the order is. After I found Xiuxi, I immediately went home with him. ”

"Okay, my mother is waiting for you at home. Concubine Ji nodded and said.

Chen then turned his head to look at Xiuxuan, and said:

"Will you stay with us in the future?"

"Well, I'll accompany my aunt back to the house, and then go out to do some errands. When I'm done, I'll come back and live with you. I miss my big brother too. ”

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I can do it myself. ”

"Well, you should be careful in everything. When the three of us brothers get together, we will definitely have a drink. ”

"It's nature. Xiuxuan smiled and said, "Okay, it's time for us to go." ”

"Get in the car. Chen watched Xiuxuan sit in the carriage, waved to Concubine Ji, and then motioned for the coachman and his entourage to drive off.

Three days later, Xiuxuan left Chen's house alone and went all the way to the villages affected by the war between various countries, concealing his identity and moving around to help the people of Yi Guo and Guodi rebuild their homes. Cutting and carrying timber, building houses, building roofs, and tirelessly running around, climbing up and down, Xiuxuan's hands and face were covered with dust, but his heart was happy and full. It seems that yesterday he was a fifteen-year-old child, but today he seems to have become an excellent and steady man.