In addition to preparing some materials, Xia Chun also had to prepare some clothes, after all, what the holy decree said was true, and Xia Chun wanted to live in Chonghua Palace temporarily.

If you look at it from another angle, what is temporary residence? In essence, it is to put Xia Chun under house arrest. That's right, Xia Chun has already understood, what the holy decree says is indeed good, but fundamentally, it is to let him, the Eight Sages King, enter the palace, and then put him under house arrest, so that he cannot contact the outside world.

But no matter what, Xia Chun did not have the slightest desire to covet the throne, whether it was temporary residence or house arrest, it had no effect on him.

This may be the final test of his own emperor's eldest brother for his own mind. Xia Chun is very clear about his situation, and he also understands that even if he really has the intention of usurping the throne, he is still unknown!

The snow in Jizhou City was heavier, and after Xia Chun packed up everything, he took a sedan chair and rushed to the palace. Chonghua Palace is located in the southeast of the Jinluan Hall in the center of the imperial city, and can be reached through several palace gates. Next to Chonghua Palace is the dormitory of Xia Zheng, the emperor of Great Xia, Chaoyang Palace.

"Chaoyang Palace has arrived!"

However, Xia Chun did not go to Chonghua Palace first, but chose to go to Chaoyang Palace, which is where Xia Zheng, the current Emperor of Great Xia, stays.

Stepping down from the sedan chair, Xia Zheng looked around and found that there was no other sound around except for the sound of snowflakes falling to the ground. Even the sound of the guards breathing on this cold day was hard for him to hear.

The Chaoyang Palace in front of you is no different from ordinary days.

"The prince is here?"

The guard guarding the door had already seen Xia Chun's arrival, and he quickly walked in front of Xia Chun.

"Lord Wang, please!"

When Xia Chun heard this, he raised his feet and walked forward, and after a few breaths, he stepped through the palace gate and entered the Chaoyang Palace. However, when he looked up, he was shocked by a scene in Chaoyang Palace.

The ministers of civil and military affairs, standing in separate columns, serve on both sides of the dragon couch. In front of the dragon couch, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy with fair skin in a python robe was shaking his hands and feeding medicine to the old man on the dragon couch.

The old man on the dragon couch is Xia Chun's imperial brother Xia Zheng, who is the current Emperor of Great Xia. On his forehead, covered with a white square scarf, his haggard face, and the faint sound of breathing, made everyone already judge in their hearts.

The old emperor was sick, and very sick.

"Minister Xia Chun, knock on my emperor, may my emperor live long live, long live, long live!"

Even though Xia Chun was shocked by the situation in front of him, he still knew what he had to do.

"Uncle Eight Emperors, you're here!"

That young man is none other than today's de facto successor - Xia Chang.

"How is Your Majesty/"

"The doctor has just diagnosed that the dampness and cold have entered the body and need to be rested. However, old age and physical decay have caused a lack of qi and blood, so now the body is relatively weak. The nephew is worried that his father may not be able to survive next year's Qingming! ”

Xia Chang said with a crying voice, as if he was telling something extremely sad. When Xia Chun heard this, he looked around, and saw that many civil and military ministers were exempt from postage, so he sighed: "His Royal Highness the Prince, don't be sad!" ”

"The Eight Wise Kings...... You're here......" Xia Chun was about to continue, but he heard an intermittent voice coming from Xia Zheng's mouth.

Everyone also heard this voice, so they stepped forward one after another, helped Xia Zheng who was lying on the dragon couch up, and half lay on the cushion.

"Wait for the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs, wait for the decree outside the palace!"

"Obey your orders!"

Xia Chun listened to Xia Zheng's order, and saw everyone leave, but the crown prince Xia Chang stayed. In his heart, he breathed a sigh of relief, but then he became worried again.

Breathe a sigh of relief because Xia Zheng still has doubts and doesn't want to kill himself. Or in other words, before Xia Chun entered the palace, he considered one thing, that is, Xia Zheng was very likely to use the excuse of serious illness to deprive himself of military rights and other powers, or even kill himself. After all, he, the Eight Sages King, as the imperial uncle, has the greatest threat to the throne.

In ancient times, the succession to the throne of the Son of Heaven, according to the rule that the father dies and the son succeeds, and the brother dies and the brother dies, Xia Chun still has a reason to inherit the throne.

However, how can you give your own things to others?

Therefore, Xia Chun, as the King of the Eight Sages, has always been feared by Xia Zheng. It's a pity that Xia Chun doesn't have such thoughts, so he doesn't have any desire to usurp the throne. All this was purely caused by Xia Zheng's serious suspicion.

However, Xia Chun was worried again, he was afraid of Xia Zheng in front of him, if he really died, it would inevitably lead to a bloody storm for the throne.

He Xia Chun does not compete for the throne, it does not mean that his elder brothers, his younger brothers do not fight. In other words, what kind of thoughts Xia Chang's uncles and uncles other than Xia Chun have in their hearts can be said to be Sima Zhao's heart, and everyone knows it.

"Eighth brother, I came to you today, do you understand my intentions?"

"Didn't you say that you would live in Chonghua Palace temporarily?"

"That's just one of them!" Xia Zheng said weakly, his eyes aimed at Xia Chang, "I have already made a decree to appoint Shangshu Zuo Servant Gao Shen, Zuo Taifu Cao You, and Xingshen General Wei Entropy as auxiliary ministers, and now there is still one deputy to participate in politics, I don't know who to choose." So, call you over for a reference. ”

When Xia Chun heard this, he saw Xia Zheng's eyes drifting towards Xia Chang again, and he understood everything, and replied in his mouth: "The minister is not talented, and he has no ability to see people." But if it is about merit, the right servant of Shangshu Province and Changyang Hou Yu Shifan can serve as it! ”

As soon as his words fell, Xia Zheng's face became gloomy, and his expression was slightly unhappy: "Huh? That humble retainer whispers the words of restructuring in my ear every day, which makes me feel very uncomfortable! But then again, you're a good fit to be the first assistant to participate in politics! ”

Xia Zheng's sentence directly rejected Xia Chun's proposal, but it seemed to be raising a difficult problem for Xia Chun. When Xia Chun heard the last sentence, his face was not happy, but turned pale. In the end, he still forgot one thing, that is, Yu Shifan is the proposer of the change, and he also supports the change! But on the contrary, the Great Xia Emperor Xia Zheng did not support the change. And whether he is the first assistant to participate in politics or Yu Shifan, it may constitute a party for personal gain.

So the problem is, at such a critical moment, he proposed to let Yu Shifan be the first assistant to participate in politics, and the real purpose of it may have been distorted by Xia Zheng, the emperor of Great Xia in front of him. Maybe, now Xia Zheng is thinking in his heart that this Eight Sage King has actually taken advantage of his serious illness to cultivate the power of autocracy!

Thinking of this, Xia Chun was in a cold sweat, and kowtowed again and again: "The minister really doesn't know who else can serve as the chief assistant to participate in politics!" And the minister's age has come. According to the ancestral practice, the princes who are over thirty-five years old have to return to the fiefdom to eat! So, now please let your majesty let the ministers return to Liangzhou and seal the throne! ”

"Although it is said to be a convention, there are exceptions, you live in Chonghua Palace first! I am seriously ill and can't handle state affairs, so I leave everything to the crown prince to deal with, and I am troubled by the Eight Sages King as my overseer! ”

Hearing this, Xia Zheng was completely relieved, and he understood that Xia Zheng had dispelled some thoughts of doing it to himself. And the fundamental reason for this is because of what I just said.

According to the ancestral family law of Great Xia, if the descendants of the royal family want to go out of the cabinet to become the king and handle political affairs, they cannot return to their fiefdom and can only stay in the Kyoto area. The purpose of this is naturally to prevent the prince from becoming a prince and leading to a rebellion.

And if you want to return to the fiefdom and eat the eup, it means giving up the power in your hands and living a real life of fine clothes and food. That kind of life, which is to eat and drink until death, also means to stay away from the political core and become ordinary people.

It's a disguised way to weaken the power of the royal family's nephews, but it's extremely effective. Xia Chun naturally understood that he wanted to think about himself, and the best way was to tell Xia Zheng in advance that he was not greedy for power and wanted to return to Liangzhou to serve the country.