Zhu Houzhao barely held back his tears, wiped a few handfuls on his face, and walked out in a bit of a daze, and the rest of the people in the hall also walked out, leaving Xia Yuan standing in place.

His eyes were blank and stunned, his whole face was full of confusion, he was thinking that he didn't know what he was thinking, there were always many thoughts rolling and swimming in his mind, but if he grasped it carefully, he couldn't catch any of them.

"Come on. Juzheng, come to me and talk, don't stand there, stay closer. ”

"Oh"

Xia Yuan let out a mechanical sound, moved forward step by step, and did not stop until he was close to the collapse and could not walk, and then looked at Emperor Hongzhi on the couch condescendingly.

Emperor Hongzhi leaned his neck on the pillow and looked up at him, "It's good for you to stand like this, stand like this, I can lean on the pillow, and my neck can be more comfortable." ”

As he spoke, he sighed slightly, "You can see it too, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it." ”

At this point, he finally said this, and his tone was very flat, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him, as if there was no fear of death at all, and it seemed that he had put this fear aside.

Then there was a bit of brisk in his voice, "Fortunately, you are back, otherwise, I really don't know how long I can last longer." ”

Hearing this, Xia Yuan moved his lips, and finally said a little hoarsely, and a little dry: "Your Majesty is in the prime of spring and autumn, and it is in the prime of life, and there are still many years to live." ”

Hearing this, Zhu Youzhu smiled, "I also thought the same way at the beginning, I am in the prime of life, not yet forty, at least a few years, or even more than ten years to live, how could a small wind chill kill me, but now it seems that I am afraid that I will really die because of this wind chill." ”

"I am the Son of Heaven, and I often hear people compliment long live, but since ancient times, which emperor can live to long live, let alone long live, even if he is 100 years old, there is no one."

He talked a little too much in one go, Emperor Hongzhi gasped a little, Xia Yuan didn't know what to say, just looked at the smile on the emperor's face, and subconsciously laughed, but the smile that came out was very strange, and the smile on the face of Emperor Hongzhi, who was not full of sickness, was good-looking.

After taking a few breaths, Zhu Youzhu asked, "What is the success or failure of this expedition to the Japanese Kingdom?" ”

Hearing this, Xia Yuan hurriedly nodded, "Won, our army has won a big victory, not only a big victory, but also captured the lord of the Japanese kingdom alive, and now it has been escorted back, waiting for His Majesty's judgment, and it has also brought back nearly 10 million taels of silver." ”

"Good!"

Emperor Hongzhi shouted a good word, and his thin and sickly face seemed to have a brilliance for a moment, "Attack its country, capture its master alive, with this matter, when I go underground, the ancestors and ancestors ask, I will not be speechless." ”

"It's a pity that I'm in this situation, and I can't deal with the lord of the Japanese country."

"It's okay, put the lord of the Japanese country in prison first, and Your Majesty will take care of it for a while, and then talk about it when the illness is cured."

Emperor Hongzhi was silent for a moment, "I look forward to that day." ”

"There will be."

“.”

After saying that, the two monarchs and ministers fell silent together, and after a while, the two of them spoke almost at the same time,

"I"

"Your Majesty."

"Let's talk first."

"It's better for Your Majesty to say it first, just listen to it."

"Then I'll talk about it first." Emperor Hongzhi leaned on the pillow, his dazed eyes turned to the top of the couch, and his face showed a look of looking up at the sky through the top of the bed, followed by a confused void.

But then, those eyes suddenly showed unwillingness and fear, faintly seemed to be filled with tears, and tightened the quilt with his hands, "Actually, I am also afraid of death"

Xia Yuan moved his lips, wanting to comfort, but at this time, he couldn't think of any words of comfort.

His lips moved for a long time, and finally he didn't speak, but knelt down on the edge of the bed, and then leaned forward, holding the hand of Emperor Hongzhi with both hands, the hand that was almost skinny, looking at the face that was tormented by the vicissitudes of life, and there was only silence.

Zhu Youzhu took a deep breath, "But people will die after all, how can I avoid vulgarity as a son of heaven, and what can I do if I am afraid, the wealth and glory of the world, I can't enjoy it endlessly, and I will not waste it in this life."

"But I don't want to die now, the prince has not yet married, there are no heirs, I haven't seen my grandson yet, so I don't even have a grandson. I still have a lot of things I can't let go, and I'm afraid."

He held Xia Yuan's hand and held it tightly, "What I can't worry about the most is you, the crown prince." The prince is young, and his temperament is ridiculous and nonsense, if I die now, can he take care of his ancestors' country, can he pick up the burden... I don't know, I'm afraid.

And you, I know that you want to change the law, I am afraid that the prince will ascend the throne, and the two of you will change the law in one go, I can't see it, I can't protect it.

It's good to change the law, but you can't be in a hurry, you have to take it slowly, you have to take it slowly, you have to slow down."

Xia Yuan can't remember how many times the emperor said that I was afraid, was it the fear of death?

I guess so.

Who in this world is not afraid of death, he is also afraid of death, if someone says that he is not afraid, it is probably living at the bottom, living tired, living torture.

But people in high positions have always been afraid of death, especially the emperor, if not, how could so many emperors want to live forever since ancient times, and they are struggling to find immortality.

But Emperor Hongzhi was not simply afraid of death.

Zhu Youzhang, the supreme emperor, does not seem to have enjoyed much glory and wealth in his life, he has been working hard, working for half his life, and death may be a relief.

The emperor's fear of death comes more from unwillingness, from the fact that many things have not been done, many things have not been completed, and he can't let go of the country, the society, the prince, and too much.

Xia Yuanqiang choked his sour nose and nodded desperately, "The minister knows, the minister knows"

"It's good to know, I know that although you occasionally mess around, you can still distinguish the importance in general, I know that you won't be in a hurry, I know you won't."

Emperor Hongzhi's words were already incoherent, his eyes were confused and sleepy, and his face became very gray, it seemed that the refreshing effect brought by the bowl of ginseng aconite soup was decaying, but he was still opening his mouth intermittently, and the sound made between the opening and closing of his lips was already very small, so that people could not hear clearly.

Looking at him like this, Xia Yuan's heart was gloomy and uncomfortable, and the tears that he had been holding back finally poured out uncontrollably, this emperor was not only an emperor to him, but also a relative, or an elder, just like a parent.

"Your Majesty is tired, don't say anything more, rest first, and talk about anything when you are cured."

“.”

Emperor Hongzhi didn't answer again, closed his eyes and fell asleep groggyly.

Xia Yuan knelt on the edge of the collapse and looked at the emperor in a daze for most of the day, and finally got up slowly, turned around and walked out.

(End of chapter)