The emperor sighed: "I have five princes, but now the only ones I can trust are you and Wuxi, and the other princes are either ambitious and secretly disobedient, or they have no ambitions, and only know how to make friends with literati and travel in the mountains and rivers, I am really chilling to them!" ”

After the emperor breathed for a while, he finally eased up, sighed and said: "It has been more than 40 years since I ascended the throne, and in the past 40 years, the Chinese Dynasty has been in constant wars, foreign tribes have frequently knocked on the border, and people in various places have been in rebellion...... It seems that I have been doing the same thing all my life, I want to strengthen the army, to create an iron-blooded army that will be feared by the enemy, and I want to change the law and make a set of laws that will benefit the people, so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment...... I still have a lot of ambitions, but unfortunately I have been hampered by these struggles between the court and China, so that now, I have reached the age of running out of oil and lamps, and I am still the emperor who has achieved nothing, and what makes me even more sad is that these princes of mine are more ambitious than the other, one is more greedy and cunning than the other, and I seem to have failed too much in family and state affairs, sorry for my ancestors and ancestors......"

The more the emperor spoke, the more sad he became, and in the end he was already in tears, and he kept wiping his tears. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Ren Xiaoyao was speechless, and he couldn't think of words to persuade him for a while, so he had to hang his head silently and listen to the emperor's heart without saying a word.

Looking at the emperor's twilight years, tears flowed down his desolate and aging face, and Ren Xiaoyao's heart couldn't help but feel a little bitter.

Born in the emperor's family, is it fortunate or unlucky? In the emperor's family, a little little thing of serving tea and boiling medicine has been covered with a deep utilitarian color, and the emperor's life has to be said to be a kind of sadness.

After a long time, the emperor gradually calmed down, and looking at Ren Xiaoyao, his cloudy old eyes couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

"Among my five princes, only King Fu and King of Thailand are still in their duty, but unfortunately the King of Thailand has a lazy temperament and only knows how to play in the mountains and rivers...... Fu Wang is less than twenty years old, his temperament is too simple, although his heart is kind and innocent, but he lacks a bit of courage and strategy, his character is too honest, if one day he ascends to the great treasure, it is inevitable to be taken advantage of by traitors, but everything has disadvantages will be beneficial, if Fu Wang's character is a little sharpened, with his simple and benevolent nature, he will be able to treat the people well in the future, and he will be able to treat the people well, which is a generation of Ming Jun...... Ren Yao, you and no illness acquaintance in Buyi, is a deep love of classmates, this friendship is very rare, I hope you can do your best in the future to assist without disease, learn from each other's strengths, and serve the new monarch for the rest of your life, you ...... Can it be done? ”

Ren Xiaoyao's brain exploded when he heard this, his ears buzzed, and he was stunned for a while.

What does the emperor mean by this...... Could it be that it has been determined that the candidate for the new prince is a fat man?

Before the huge surprise could be revealed, Ren Xiaoyao thought about it carefully, and then was shocked again.

The emperor's words are clearly asking him to be lonely!

Ren Xiaoyao raised his head suddenly, and all that came into his eyes was the emperor's old and tired face, with a bit of relief and relief.

The emperor is too tired, he has been tired all his life, and now that the deadline is approaching, it is time to rest.

Ren Xiaoyao took a few steps back, knelt down on the smooth floor of the dormitory, respectfully kowtowed to the emperor three times, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, Weichen will do his best to safely and smoothly push King Fu to the position of the crown prince, until he inherits the unification and reigns over the world, Weichen swears that he will be loyal to King Fu for the rest of his life!" ”

The emperor nodded with satisfaction, and then stared at Ren Xiaoyao seriously, his eyes flashed a little complicated light, and said in a deep voice: "Several famous ministers throughout the ages, there is no one like you who is a young man with ambitions, the royal family is not stingy to give you high-ranking officials, but you have to remember, abide by the duties of the courtiers, do not abuse power, do not gain power, I don't want to see that many years later, there is a second Pan Shangshu above the court, the monarch is weak and the minister is strong, for the monarch and the country, it is the way to take trouble, Ren Xiaoyao, you must not become a sinner of the Chinese Dynasty through the ages in the future, otherwise, Even if I'm dead, I'll show you what I'm doing! Do you understand? ”

Ren Xiaoyao's heart was shocked, and then his face turned pale, and cold sweat kept bursting out, and he soaked through his clothes in an instant.

is the most ruthless emperor's family, the true meaning of this sentence, Ren Xiaoyao can be regarded as having learned today.

For the continuation of the country, for the orthodoxy of the heavenly family, the emperor must have made arrangements, and left a will for different people in advance, including himself, if he really becomes a usurper of power, I am afraid that someone will soon hold out the will of the emperor, and what awaits him at that time will be a sword and axe.

For the emperor, they may yearn for sincere family affection, longing for a warm and peaceful family, but the heaviest weight in his heart is the consolidation of the country and the continuation of 10,000 years, this is the bottom line in the emperor's heart, no one, including Ren Xiaoyao, is not allowed to violate this bottom line in the slightest, otherwise, the emperor will not hesitate to kill him, this has nothing to do with personal feelings, for the orthodoxy of the country, it is worth killing anyone, it should be.

Ren Xiaoyao suddenly felt a chill all over his body, it was a kind of cold that was deep in his bones. The emperor, who was lying on the sickbed weakly, felt that he was so strange and indifferent for the first time in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes at this moment. Ren Xiaoyao seemed to suddenly realize at this moment that the old man in front of him, who had always been generous and benevolent to him, still had an identity, that is, the emperor who was high above, holding the life and death of the people in the world, supporting the survival of the country, stepping on thousands of white bones, and ruling the emperor of the world!

Are emperors ruthless? Without exception?

In the future, when the fat man ascends the throne as the emperor, will it become like this? Will he also be suspicious of his own power and disorderly government? The emperor and Pan Shangshu, weren't they also a pair of friends who got along very well when they were young?

As if seeing himself many years later, Ren Xiaoyao suddenly felt a burst of fear.

I am a traverser, I am a traverser with no ambitions, I just want to live a leisurely life with fine clothes and fine food, once upon a time, I was deeply involved in this turbid court battle and could not extricate myself? Once upon a time, I, a young man under the age of twenty, had become the envy of everyone as a second-class master, a hereditary repudiatory marquis? Are these what I need?

Looking at the emperor who was lying on the sickbed and breathing, a feeling of pity rose in Ren Xiaoyao's heart.

This old man has been busy maintaining his imperial power all his life, he is afraid that others will snatch the power in his hands, he is afraid that other people's every move will affect the supreme imperial power, and he even thinks about the transfer of power when the oil is exhausted.

He was not only the emperor whom everyone feared, but also a poor old man. Maybe he understood that he had no ambitions and no intention of officialdom, but he still left a will, not because of distrust, but out of an instinctive defense of the emperor.

Ren Xiaoyao's heart was full of mixed feelings, mixed feelings, disappointment, coldness, pity, and his thoughts were so disordered that he didn't know what to say.

"Wechen...... Wechen obeyed. After thinking about it, Ren Xiaoyao finally didn't say anything, kowtowed and replied indifferently.

The emperor closed his eyes, sighed, and said weakly: "Ren Xiaoyao, don't blame me, I carry on my shoulders the country, mountains and societies passed down from generation to generation by my ancestors, I still hope that it will be passed on from generation to generation, and I don't want it to have any mistakes, whether the emperor's family is ruthless or not, you will know in the future." As long as you keep your duty, I will give you everything you want, now and in the future. ”

※※※

The crown prince's chariot was parked in the square outside Jingyang Palace. Nearly 100 honor guards and small yellow gates stood quietly around the imperial chariot, waiting for the prince to ascend the chariot.

The prince stood motionless in front of Jingyang Palace, looking at the emperor's bedroom with his eyes, and it didn't take long for him to see a group of eunuchs, palace maids and imperial doctors slowly and respectfully exited the palace, and the prince's eyes swelled with a little uneasy.

There was a sound of gentle footsteps behind him, and he didn't need to look at it to know that it must be King Shou.

"Your Royal Highness the Prince, didn't you say that you will go back to your home and invite a folk doctor to your father? Why are you still standing still? King Shou sneered and stared at the prince fearlessly, his tone full of ridicule.

The crown prince didn't look back, still staring at the emperor's bedroom, and said lightly: "Don't you also want to go back to the mansion to get that thousand-year-old snow ginseng to offer to your father?" Why don't you go yet? ”

King Shou laughed: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a filial person, serving his father and the emperor with all his heart, and this king is also a son of man, how dare he fall behind you and let His Royal Highness be beautiful?" Merely...... If Your Highness wants to heal others, it is better to heal yourself first. ”

The prince frowned, glanced back at King Shou, and said lightly: "Why did King Shou say this?" ”

King Shou sneered: "Don't mention that my father is seriously ill, His Royal Highness the Prince's heart disease is also very serious, and he has been a prince for ten years, I'm afraid that he feels that this seat is not very stable now, right?" ”

The prince's gaze swept over King Shou, and then stared at the palace with a distracted gaze, and said indifferently: "Lonely, King Shou doesn't have to care too much, you better be careful of yourself, Lone is the prince, he will always be the prince, maybe...... Maybe it's not just the prince! ”

After speaking, the prince flicked his sleeves, took a deep look at the palace again, and then turned around and walked down the white jade steps of Jingyang Palace, carefully adjusted the crown crown and hat on his head, and climbed into the imperial chariot and said lightly: "Go home." ”

Sixteen people carried the royal chariot slowly towards the west palace gate, the honor guard warrior holding the golden gourd scepter in front of the way, passing through, the eunuchs in the palace, the palace maids saw one after another kneeling and saluting, until the imperial chariot was far away, did not dare to stand up.

Outside the palace gate of Jingyang Palace, King Shou stared at the prince's imperial chariot with resentment, and suddenly sneered: "The weight of the tripod, is it possible that you are the only one in the world who can ask?" This king wants to ask! The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch is behind the trick, do you think you can do it alone? ”

In the imperial chariot, the prince sat upright and looked at him, his eyes were already fierce, looking at the palace maids and eunuchs who knelt down to him on the side of the road, a feeling of dominating all beings spread, the prince's fists were clenched tightly until he trembled, and said to himself with hatred: "Lone is the prince, Lone is not only the prince!" No one should try to depose the lonely, no one! ”

――Ren Xiaoyao and his father, what are the two of them talking about in the dormitory?

Suddenly, a great wave of panic and uneasiness hung over the prince's heart like a dark cloud covering the sky.

※※※

Three days later, in the morning court, a shocking thing happened.

Zheng Ru, the imperial historian of Taichung, after the failure of the last impeachment of the prince, once again put forward the four major faults of the prince in the Jinluan Palace, and urged the emperor to depose the prince and set up a new prince.

Zheng Ru ignored the prince, who was sitting at the emperor's head at that time, and his face had become pale, in front of hundreds of civil and military officials, he generously stated, counting all the mistakes and crimes committed by the prince in the ten years since he was canonized.

What's even more surprising is that Ren Yao, who unexpectedly said good things for the prince last time and obstructed the deposition of the prince, once again surprised people this time.

After Zheng Ru's speech, Ren Xiaoyao was the first to stand up from the court, and first responded to Zheng Ru's proposal to ask the emperor to depose the crown prince.

Under the resentful gaze of the prince, Ren Xiaoyao looked calm, and expressed extreme sadness and disappointment at the prince's perverse behavior over the years in an impassioned tone, and hoped that the emperor would set up another virtuous prince to serve the hearts of the world.

"Let it go! You...... You capricious villain! Guo Renliang, the left attendant of the household department, jumped out first and scolded: "You...... Didn't you say last time that the crown prince will be a benevolent and virtuous monarch in the future, please don't listen to slander and don't do the act of abolishing the elder and the young? How has it changed today? Villain! Villain! ”

Guo Renliang is the prince's hardcore confidant, and at this time, the prince is surrounded by enemies, Guo Renliang can't help but be anxious, so he doesn't choose what to say.

Ren Xiaoyao took a step back in surprise, looked at him with wide eyes, and said in amazement: "Are you crazy? How could I possibly say something like that? Didn't you wake up at the time? ”

Guo Renliang didn't catch his breath when he heard this, and almost fainted.

knew that Ren Xiaoyao was shameless, but he didn't expect Ren Xiaoyao to be shameless to such an extent, saying that if he didn't admit it, he wouldn't admit it, and he would rely on what he said cleanly, such a character was still in a high position...... Misfortune of the country!

"You...... You scoundrel! I said it, but I didn't admit it! Guo Renliang couldn't wait to scold.

"I didn't say it!" Ren Xiaoyao's head tilted, and he leaned his neck to deny it.

"You said it!"

"I didn't!"

"That's what you said!"

"I definitely didn't say it!"

"Do you dare to swear to the sky?" Guo Renliang is unrelentingly entangled.

"......" Ren Yao's eyes widened and he was speechless.

Guo Renliang looked at him with a sneer: "What? Don't dare? ”

The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty also looked at Ren Xiaoyao with contempt to see how he responded.

Who knew that after Ren Yao was suffocated, his face immediately returned to normal, and he twisted his head arrogantly, and said disdainfully: "Jinluan Hall is such a sacred place, but you are bickering like a child, is it interesting?" Too lazy to tell you, naïve! ”

"You...... You ......" Guo Renliang was so angry that his face turned red, but he didn't know what to scold.

"The civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty have heard it, you are a repeated villain, but now you don't admit it, where is your moral character?"

Ren Xiaoyao rolled his eyes: "Manchu Dynasty civil and military? Who? Who heard? ”

"We all heard it!" Several of the prince's cronies and ministers stood up and spoke in unison.

"Huh?" Ren Xiaoyao was shocked, and then he looked like he was stuck in a memory, frowning and thinking, "Did I really say it?" ”

"Did!" Everyone replied in unison.

"Oh—I remember! I really said it! After trying to recall for a moment, Ren Xiaoyao suddenly patted his forehead and said loudly as if he had just remembered such a thing.

The ministers looked at them with contempt, you repeated villain, now that you admit it yourself, you can still deny it.

Calmly facing everyone's contempt, Ren Xiaoyao straightened his chest and said loudly: "What did you say? I changed my mind today, can't I? I'm a sensitive and fickle man, can't I? ”

“……”

Everyone fell.

"Enough!" The emperor drank loudly, his weak body trembled slightly, and Gonggong Cao, who was standing beside him, hurriedly reached out to support the crumbling emperor.

glared at Ren Xiaoyao fiercely, the emperor gasped, and with the support of Gonggong Cao, he stood up with difficulty, his majestic eyes swept over the ministers, and his eyes stayed on the pale-faced prince for a short time, and then staggered.

"Zheng Ru, present your participation in the impeachment of the prince. If Zhong Aiqing has any views on this matter, he can speak freely on the fold, and after I have considered it, I will call Zhong Aiqing for reconsideration. ”

As soon as the emperor's words came out, the ministers were in an uproar.

This...... What's going on? In the past, there were a lot of twists and turns in the impeachment of the prince, and the emperor has always been indifferent to leave the twists and turns, and then it is gone, why is the emperor today leaving Zheng Ru's twists and turns alone, saying that he will consider it, and also say that he will reconsider, does the emperor really have the intention of deposing the prince, and has already begun to take action?

The ministers had different expressions at the moment, some were frightened, some were happy, and some were incredulous. At the same time, the gaze of everyone looking at the prince was also unusual.

Just when everyone was still digesting what the emperor had just said in shock, the emperor unexpectedly made another will.

"I have been feeling unwell lately, and this year, I have been experiencing drought and flood disasters in various places, and the people have been displaced. Therefore, I decided that in five days, I will go to the Temple of Heaven in the Shenlie Mountain in the north of the capital to worship the heavens, and then I will reflect on myself and issue an edict of sin, all the sins are on me, begging God to have mercy on the people, and not to inflict disasters. This matter is handled by the Qin Tianjian and the Ministry of Rites, and I will go with the officials above the fourth grade, and there must be no mistake. ”

After speaking, the emperor ignored the stunned gaze of the ministers, and did not look at the desperate expression of the prince, brushed the sleeves of the dragon robe, and with the support of Gonggong Cao, turned around and walked towards the harem.

Xiao Huangmen shook off the dust lightly, and shouted loudly: "The emperor retreats from the court, and the hundred officials bow—"

In the singing and cheering of my emperor, the prince's lowered eyes suddenly showed a bit of ecstasy, flashed, and then quickly changed to the desperate expression just now, and under the sympathetic gaze of the ministers, he slowly walked out of the Jinluan Palace, leaving the ministers with a hero's desolate back......

The ministers remained in the Jinluan Palace, standing dumbfounded, looking at each other, and they saw worry and heaviness in each other's gazes.

Outside the temple gate, the sky was gloomy and stuffy. Suddenly, a spring thunder exploded, and everyone was shocked, and their faces turned pale in an instant.

-- It's going to change.

"Oops! It's going to rain! Fast! Adults, go home and collect your clothes......"

Ren Xiaoyao shouted blindly in his mouth, and under the attention of the ministers, his figure turned into a black smoke, and disappeared with a swish.

Inside the Prince's Mansion.

As soon as the prince returned from the Jinluan Palace, he urgently summoned Fan Rui's apse to discuss the matter.

When Fan Rui hurried to the apse, he found the prince standing in the empty apse, his body trembled uncontrollably, his face was as pale as a dead man, and his eyes revealed the look of despair that only the end of the road can have.

Fan Rui couldn't help but be taken aback, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" ”

The prince turned his head, his eyes were bloodshot, and his lips trembled and said, "He...... He's finally going to do it, he ...... He's finally going to depose the prince Gu......"

Fan Rui was shocked: "Your Highness, what's going on?" What happened this morning? ”

"Morning today...... Zheng Ru, a member of the imperial history, jointly signed more than a dozen officials, proposed to his father that the prince be deposed and a new prince should be established...... "The prince's body is still trembling.

Seeing this, Fan Rui hurriedly stepped forward, didn't care about losing his manners, stretched out his hands and pressed the prince's shoulders hard, and finally made the prince's body stop trembling.

Fan Rui looked at the desperate prince and said softly: "Your Royal Highness the Prince, you must be calm, at this time it is a time of life and death, you can't mess up your own proportions, otherwise, your great cause will really be over!" ”

When the prince heard this, his pale face finally regained a little blood, looked at Fan Rui gratefully, and sighed: "At the time of life and death, only Mr. stands by Lone's side and is willing to reach out to help each other, and this kindness will never be forgotten." ”

Fan Rui smiled calmly: "Your Highness's words are wrong, when you are in danger, Your Highness is not only standing beside you, you also have tens of thousands of border army soldiers, and the private army in the mountains and forests, nearly 100,000 troops are advancing and retreating with Your Highness, why is Your Highness lonely?" ”

When the prince heard this, he finally settled down, and his eyes regained their previous self-confidence, although his face was still a little pale, but the temperament of the whole person had gradually changed, and he no longer looked panicked and helpless just now.

"What Mr. said is good, with Lone's strength, Lone's prince, is not something that those people can depose if they stand on the Jinluan Palace and say a few words!"

Seeing that the crown prince had regained his composure, Fan Rui smiled with satisfaction, and then frowned and asked, "Your Highness, are you sure?" Does the emperor really want to depose you? ”

A little resentment and resentment flashed on the prince's face, and he nodded: "It's confirmed, Zheng Ru's recital has been submitted, and the four major faults and crimes of Gu in the past ten years have been listed on the recital. ”

Fan Rui looked stunned, thought for a long time, and finally sighed: "That's right, the emperor really has the intention of abolishing the prince, maybe in a few days, the emperor will mobilize the ministers to write a letter, and finally push the boat down the river to depose His Royal Highness." ”

The prince's face was slightly panicked, and then he sneered: "He let Gu be the prince for ten years, Gu has been swallowing his anger for ten years, desperately trying to cater to him, please him, in front of the ministers and the people, Gu still has to work hard to play the role of a good prince, even laughing and crying can not help himself, now he is about to swallow his breath, but at this time he wants to depose Lone, is Lone just a mess of mud in his eyes, he can pinch as much as he wants?" ”

Fan Rui bowed his head and was silent.

There are only monarchs and ministers in the heavenly family, there is no father and son, and the so-called family affection is nowhere to be found, and what can be held in the hand makes people feel the most real, only the supreme power.

"Your Highness, the situation is critical, so you should make plans as soon as possible." Seeing that the prince was getting excited again, Fan Rui hurriedly reminded him softly in his ear.