The emperor who had not slept all night made him feel exhausted. Looking at the group of eunuchs and palace maids serving around him, Zhongzhong felt the sadness of being an emperor for the first time. Everyone is respectful to themselves, but no one is sincere, because Zhongzhong knows who they care about who is sitting on the throne.

"Your Majesty, it's time for you to eat"

At this time, his personal eunuch reminded him. Such an ordinary thing actually reminded him of the scene when he was not the emperor, and the family sat happily and ate together. But since he became the emperor, according to the group training, the emperor had to eat alone, and even the delicious delicacies of the mountains and seas made him feel bored.

There are a table of delicacies, and everyone has no desire to lift the chopsticks and eat a bite. The attendants thought that these meals were not to the Yellow Emperor's appetite, so they asked, "Does the emperor want to change the table again?" ”

Zhongzhong, said, "Change again, isn't the food also filling?" ”

The crowd did not understand what the emperor meant. Who knows the emperor's suffering, who can solve the emperor's worries. He didn't dare to say these feelings, he could only hold them in his heart, as an emperor, he should always think about the suffering of the people at dawn, instead of worrying about how hard he worked all day long, otherwise he would be scolded as a "faint king".

The emperor's incomprehensible words made the attendants dare not say anything more. If you can't figure out the meaning of the master, it's best not to speak, this is the experience summed up by being a subordinate.

The emperor was disappointed that these attendants did not understand what he meant, and even scolded, "A group of pig-like things, go and call the crown prince and the second prince to me." ”

Seeing that the emperor was angry, the attendants crawled to summon the two princes, for fear that they would annoy the emperor if they stayed any longer.

The two brothers were summoned and rushed to the emperor's bedchamber without stopping. At this time, the two met at the gate of the palace and suddenly stopped. Seeing the radiant face of the countryman in the past, Daye tried to recall the last time he looked at him carefully.

Seeing that the great cause was in front of him, Guoshi Yan saluted cautiously and said, "Brother Greetings to His Royal Highness the Prince!" ”

This move made Daye feel a little surprised, because in his impression, it was the first time that Chinese Shiyan saluted himself. The brotherhood of the past was suddenly dissipated by his kneeling.

For a long time, the great cause was almost staring at Guoshiyan in a daze, and Guoshiyan didn't dare to get up, so he kept kneeling in front of him. The eunuch guarding the palace gate saw that the two people had not moved, and stepped forward to urge, "The two princes hurry up and go in, the emperor is in a hurry." ”

So the two of them came back to their senses, and they were ready to help Guoshi Yan up in the great cause. But Guo Shiyan showed a very scared look and refused.

Entering the dormitory, the two saw that the face of their father, who had ruled the world in the past, was haggard, and the king's spirit was lost. The two of them hurriedly explained, "Father, take care of the dragon's body!" ”

Seeing the two sons comforting themselves, Zhongzhong felt a little better, and his appetite opened up a little, and said, "Have you ever eaten?" ”

The two of them said, "Not yet!" ”

Zhongzhong's face suddenly showed joy and said, "Okay, good, good, come and eat with us!" ”

Three "good" in a row made the two of them feel abnormal. Can having a meal with his father really make him so happy?

sat down at the table, because it was the crown prince who sat next to the emperor in the great cause. And Guo Shiyan could only sit opposite them. The eunuchs put on the tableware, and the heavy chopsticks took a bite of the dish, and the two of them moved the chopsticks.

Didn't take two bites. The emperor put the chopsticks down, and neither of them dared to move the chopsticks again. The emperor looked sad again, sighed, and said, "Do you remember the last time our father and son had a meal? ”

The two looked at each other, not knowing what the emperor's words meant. The emperor seemed to be talking to himself, and said, "I remember the last time the three of us had dinner together, it was not long after I ascended the throne, and I still remember the prince gobbling up, and the national scholar Yan was still young, so he had to pester me to feed, and he didn't care about the royal etiquette at all." ”

The emperor's feelings made the two brothers feel remorseful, and said, "Father, the children can't always stay by their side, it's the children's unfilial piety!" ”

But the emperor said, "It's not your fault, who let you be born in the emperor's family." You have your ideals, so naturally you can't always be by my side. ”

As soon as these words came out, the two of them had their own thoughts in their hearts. Because in this sensitive period, any unusual behavior of the emperor can arouse the suspicion and uneasiness of a large group of people. Even as princes, they are no exception.

Seeing the almost identical reactions of the two, the emperor was keenly aware that the words just now made them gradually distance themselves from him. turned to say, "There are no monarchs and ministers today, only the three of us father and son have dinner together and talk about family life." ”

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased slightly, the emperor continued to ask, "Guo Shiyan, what have you been busy with lately?" ”

Guoshi Yan said, "Father Qi, the son has been feeling unwell since he came back from the border pass, so he stayed in the palace to recuperate. ”

When the emperor heard this, he said with concern, "You have to take care of your health!" ”

"Yes, Father!"

Then he asked Dayezhong, "What have you been busy with lately?" ”

When asked about this, Da Ye Zhong looked indebted, and said, "Since the son was grounded, he has been learning from the pain, accompanying the sages every day, appreciating the teachings of the sages, and not daring to go beyond the palace!" ”

The answers of the two people made others seem to be very sensible and obedient. But knowing the son Mo Ruo's father, neither of them told the truth. At this time, everyone sighed heartily, why is it so difficult to listen to the truth as an emperor?

Although the two children don't tell the truth to themselves, Zhongzhong doesn't want to continue to play tricks in front of his own son, although he is the emperor, but looking at the entire Houhai subjects, he only dares to say something from the heart to his two sons.

"Great King, Pan An. I want to tell you that I, the emperor, don't want to do it anymore, what do you think? As he spoke, the emperor looked at the two of them carefully.

The king in the mouth of the people, Pan An. When the two of them were young, Zhongzhong gave these two children nicknames, because they have been the king of children since they were children, so they gave him the nickname of the king. And Guoshi Yan likes to look in the mirror since he was a child, and his appearance is unparalleled in the world, so he gave him the nickname of Little Pan An.

This can be said to be the little secret of the three of their father and son, and no one else knows that the two princes of the dynasty have such nicknames.

As soon as I heard the nickname that my father had not called for many years, it seemed that time had gone back to the time when the three of them were laughing and playing. But they are more concerned about why their father chose to abdicate. The first to express his stance was in the great cause, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "The son is guilty of death, the father is in the prime of life, you must not abandon the country, the son would rather use his life in exchange for his father's longevity!" ”

As soon as the words in the great cause are finished. Guoshi Yan also knelt in front of the great cause, although he did not speak, but he showed the same demeanor as in the great cause.

Looking at Guoshi Yan's sincere and slightly sad expression, the emperor said, "I'm not testing you, what I'm saying is true, Guoshi Yan, you said that now let your eldest brother inherit the unification, I really want to hear your opinion!" ”

This question is too difficult for Guo Shiyan. Since ancient times, this kind of problem is only a question that the emperor and the prince will have, he is not the prince, but the emperor threw this question to him, Guoshi Yan felt afraid when he thought about it, did the emperor suspect what he had?

It is impossible to escape. Guoshi Yan had no choice but to bite the bullet and said, "Erchen has the same idea as his eldest brother, and he would rather exchange his son's life for his father's longevity." But how can anyone live forever? To put it mildly, when his father ascends to heaven, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be able to inherit his father's will and rule the entire Houhai Kingdom! ”

Guo Shiyan's words are so popular every time. But the emperor still did not hear a word of truth. At this time, Zhongzhong no longer expects these, and the children born in the emperor's family have imprinted the way of monarchs and ministers in their hearts since they were young, and it is impossible to let them change it.

At this point, he only hoped that even the two people in the emperor's house could unite and protect the inheritance left by their ancestors.

So the emperor added a dish to each of them, first adding a fish head to the great cause and a fish tail to Guoshi Yan. Then he said, "Eat, eat! ”

After each of them took a bite. The emperor said, "Prince, what do you think of the fish head?" ”

In the great cause, he said, "It's okay, it's very appetizing when you look at it, but there is too little meat!" ”

The emperor said, "Yes, the fish head seems to be a very good thing, but in fact, you can only know the taste after tasting it yourself." ”

Then he asked Guo Shiyan, "How does the fish tail taste?" ”

Guoshi Yan said, "The fish tail is the strongest part of the whole fish, and it tastes particularly delicious." ”

The emperor nodded with satisfaction and said, "Yes, the taste of the fishtail is indeed delicious, but after all, it is easy to be ignored by people at the end." ”

While eating, the two of them savored the emperor's words over and over again.

The emperor said in a roundabout way, "Our country is like the body of this fish, but without the head and tail of the fish, the fish is a dead fish." In the future, the throne in the great cause will be the head of this fish, guiding the direction. And the tail of the fish is your country's face, and it is up to you to push the body of this fish forward. Only when the head and tail work together can the whole country thrive! ”

Listen to the meaning of the father. The two clasped their hands together and said, "Obey the good intentions of my father!" ”

Zhongzhong showed a kind smile at this time and said, "Okay, good, all of them are my good children!" ”

On this day, the father and son rarely got together and shared a happy family, and they drank a lot of wine during the banquet, and the three of them returned drunk. Looking out the window, watching the two children separate, Zhongzhong threw the music he had received that night into the fire, not intending to let go of the great cause, but to let go of himself.