Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 550: Good Brothers of the Heavenly Family
"Father, I know I was wrong."
Seeing the fourth prince coming in and kneeling down on the ground with his head down, the emperor couldn't help but laugh, and then looked at the third prince. He saw that his son, who always spoke slowly and hesitated for a while when encountering things, was particularly decisive in pleading for his brother. For the first time in his life, he did not kneel down with him.
But the next moment, the Third Prince took a step forward, bowed deeply and asked, "Father, I don't understand."
The emperor's smile deepened: "What don't you understand?"
"I don't understand why the emperor chose me." The confusion he had just felt along the way suddenly turned into clarity. Therefore, the Third Prince did not stutter, but spoke in a very organized manner. "I don't understand even more why the emperor let my fourth brother see and hear you talking to those ministers even though he knew that he was impulsive and reckless."
"And they let him escape from the palace, allowing him to rush directly to Jiuzhang Hall and say those words in public!"
The words that had been suppressed in his heart from the beginning, but eventually floated up his throat unconsciously through his chest, were finally spoken out directly at this moment. The third prince felt relieved and just let it go: "I am timid and young, and I have not had the opportunity to show much talent..."
"You also said that it's because you don't have the opportunity to show your talent, not because you don't have talent." The emperor easily caught the loophole in the third prince's words and interrupted him directly, then said calmly, "As for your timid personality, you may have been a little bit timid in the past, but since you and Silang went to Zhang Shou's lecture, not only has your personality become much more cheerful, but also..."
The emperor paused, then suddenly stood up by pushing the armrest, but ignored the Third Prince who was still bowing, and stretched out his arms to pick up the Fourth Prince from the ground. He grabbed his youngest son and put him on the throne, and without saying anything, he slapped him twice on the butt.
As expected, the fourth prince, who had been beaten more often since he was a child, immediately howled: "Father, spare my life. I know I was wrong and I will never dare to do it again. Third brother, save me!"
The Third Prince finally couldn't bear it any longer. He rushed forward and threw himself on the Fourth Prince, biting his lip and saying, "Father, since you deliberately let Fourth Brother see that scene and let him leave the palace, why did you hit him! He was only thinking about me... But I, I was not mentally prepared at all!"
Seeing that the Third Prince finally made up his mind and broke the window paper, but did not say that he did not want to be the Crown Prince, or that he was not worthy of being the Crown Prince, the Emperor's remaining trace of worry finally disappeared. He looked at his two sons who were stacked like a pyramid , and suddenly grabbed the Third Prince like an eagle catching a chick and threw him to the ground, followed by the Fourth Prince.
When he saw the Fourth Prince hiding directly behind the Third Prince again, he clapped his hands and said, "Although I have released the news, the most important thing is still you. Think carefully about whether you want to be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. If you want to be one, how to be one, what to do now, and what to do in the future. And..."
The emperor smiled at the third prince and said meaningfully, "Also, if you become the crown prince, do you want to go to Jiuzhang Hall? If you do, how will you solve your safety problem? You know, you are the one who bears the heavy responsibility of the Eastern Palace. It may not be a big deal if you occasionally go out with the White Dragon Fish Suit , but if you go in and out of places with mixed people every day, how many people do you think you will need to bring with you?"
"With so many people guarding you, you can't do anything else . How are you going to make up for the expense of these people? And your classmates in Jiuzhang Hall who used to call you by your name but still have awe for the royal family, can they get used to studying in the same class with a prince? Will they have strange thoughts? Have you considered all this?"
The Third Prince, who was already in a state of confusion, felt as if his head was about to explode. He still remembered what he had just said to Zhang Shou today, but when he thought about it again, he felt that it was simply a joke.
The Imperial College has a mixed crowd, so wouldn't the public schools in the outer city be even more mixed? No matter how many guards he brings, it may not guarantee that he will be safe!
This is not because I think that all the rebels are rebels, but as long as there is a rebel, it may lead to the most terrible result. Even my father himself, after the rebellion of King Ye, didn't he stay out of the palace for a long time in disguise?
The emperor obviously had no intention of letting the third prince calm down. After sitting down again, he sighed softly and said, "Look at this throne. It seems stable, but in fact there is no place to lean on on any side. And it is not only like this in the Fengtian Hall, but also in the Qianqing Palace right now. It is not only like this in my dynasty, but also in the previous dynasty. Why?"
"Because as the Son of Heaven, most of the time, I really have no one to rely on. The same goes for the Crown Prince. I am better than many emperors because the Queen Mother still cares about me wholeheartedly, is not greedy for power, and is even willing to take the blame for me. If you become the Crown Prince, you should be better than most Crown Princes, because I will not doubt you, and would rather treat you as my beloved son, rather than a minister fighting for power."
"But that doesn't mean you'll always have someone to rely on."
"I once thought that I could rely on Prince Lu because his mother, Concubine De, died early and it was the Queen Mother who brought him up. I have always regarded him as a brother from the same mother. He used to hide behind me just like Silang did behind you. Whenever he caused trouble, he would hide behind me. Even during the coronation ceremony, he also tried to hide behind my throne and watch the scene."
"If the Queen Mother hadn't ordered him to be taken away, then perhaps at that time, rumors would have spread among the people that there was an emperor behind the sitting emperor."
When the emperor saw that the Third Prince's face had finally changed horribly, and the Fourth Prince's brows had wrinkled into small pimples, he said in a deep voice, "So think about it carefully. If you become the Crown Prince, it will be almost impossible for you to go in and out with Si Lang like this."
The fourth prince's eyes widened immediately. Without waiting for the third prince to speak, he immediately shouted , "As long as the third brother is the crown prince, it doesn't matter to me! Aren't there many emperors in the past dynasties who are friendly and respectful to their brothers? They protect their younger brothers, and their younger brothers also respect their older brothers! The third brother is not the father, and I am not the Prince of Lu... Uh!"
This time, the fourth prince covered his mouth. After a long while, he let go and said angrily, "I only know that the third brother has a kind personality. He is not timid, he just doesn't like to show himself. Otherwise, why do you think he is suitable to be the crown prince? If you scare the third brother like this again, he might really back down."
As if he had completely forgotten that he had just been severely spanked by the emperor, he said bluntly: "Also, Father, the problems you just mentioned, Third Brother can think about them slowly, he will definitely figure them out!"
The Third Prince looked at his younger brother with a complicated expression. He was always more active than himself and better at showing and expressing himself. Seeing that the man was protecting him with confidence, he thought of the ecstatic scene when he rushed into Jiuzhang Hall and hugged him. He felt his heart warmed and he couldn't help but stepped forward and grabbed the Fourth Prince.
Seeing that the person glared at him anxiously, as if he was still unwilling to give up and wanted to say more, he said word by word: "What the emperor just said, I have never thought about it, but just like what my fourth brother said, I will try my best to think about it, try my best to give the emperor an answer, and also give myself an answer."
"I have indeed never thought of becoming a crown prince, but since my father thinks I can do it, and my fourth brother also thinks I can do it, then... I will carefully consider what I should do in the future with great trepidation."
Seeing the emperor nod with a smile, he finally bowed solemnly, and when he stood up, he saw the fourth prince looking at him in surprise and joy, so he walked forward, dragged him out. But the fourth prince seemed to have completely forgotten the beating he had just received, and walked out happily, turning back and shouting, "Father, I'm leaving now!"
Go away, go away, you naughty kid who only cares about your brother!
The emperor waved his hand in disdain, but when the two brothers left the Qianqing Palace side by side as usual, he felt very happy. He had deliberately kept the fourth prince to watch him meet the ministers, and let him leave the palace in a hurry to inform the third prince, just to see how the two brothers would react after facing such a big news, and the result was exactly what he expected.
At this moment, the emperor couldn't help but think about the third prince. If the news spread, would the third prince still be able to go to the Jiuzhang Hall?
If the Third Prince couldn't come up with a good idea, then shouldn't he be responsible for helping to come up with a win-win solution? Those students from the Jiuzhang Hall are good, and it's quite suitable for them to accompany the Crown Prince to study...
As for the reaction of the people in the Imperial College or the ministers, why should he care? When he was young and full of vigor, because his father died early, the government was unstable, and his mother could not support him alone, so no one supported him. But now he has been in power for many years, enough to protect his son from wind and rain!
When the Third Prince led the Fourth Prince out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, he noticed that a long line of palace maids and eunuchs were hurriedly standing on both sides, paying respects. He and the Fourth Prince had been raised by the Emperor since they were young, and were used to going in and out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but they had never seen anyone treat him with such respect and courtesy.
The next moment, he only heard the Fourth Prince muttering in a low voice: "This is really a matter of taste. If they didn't know that you, Third Brother, were going to be the Crown Prince, how could they be so respectful to you!"
The Third Prince frowned immediately and said angrily, "Fourth brother, don't talk nonsense! The people in the Palace of Heavenly Purity have always been very good to us brothers."
The Fourth Prince was speechless. Indeed, compared to the people in other palaces, the people in the Palace of Heavenly Purity were already good enough to the two brothers.
He and his third brother's mother were not from high-ranking official families, and they were suppressed by the empress in the palace. If their father had not been afraid that their two young sons would be spoiled or neglected, he would have taken them to the Qianqing Palace during the day and taught them personally or taken them out to play when his father was free from official duties. How could they have lived such a leisurely life in this palace that was the best at judging people by their appearance!
However, it was one thing to take care of them under the emperor's order, but it was another to be so respectful now. After the fourth prince reflected on himself, he couldn't help but said unconvincedly: "Anyway, third brother, you will be the crown prince in the future, and I can finally stand up straight and not be afraid of anyone!"
The Third Prince was so angry that he glared at the Fourth Prince fiercely, and almost couldn't help but retort - wouldn't it be more proud for you to be the Crown Prince? After all, he knew that he was different now and couldn't speak carelessly, so he walked straight forward after glaring. But when the two brothers were about to reach the Qianqing Gate, they saw a person running in from outside. It was Liu Feng, the manager of the Qianqing Palace.
Liu Feng finally did not walk without looking at the road. When he saw the Third Prince, he suddenly stopped, but he still couldn't stop and rushed forward for two steps. He stopped just before he bumped into the two brothers. He hurriedly bowed and saluted, "The Queen Mother is here. She is not far outside. The Third Prince and the Fourth Prince should go to greet her!"
The fourth prince was fearless, although he was also afraid of the emperor's palm-leaf-fan-like slap, but he was more afraid of the empress dowager's inadvertent cold glance. But in his impression, whether it was the once domineering first and second princes, or Princess Yongping who was more favored by his father than them, they were all no different from him and the third prince in front of the empress dowager.
Therefore, he was not worried that the Queen Mother would come to blame him for the affairs of the Eastern Palace, but he was worried that if the Third Prince, who was in a state of uncertainty at the moment, encountered the Queen Mother's blame, he would feel even worse.
Without even a second thought, he left the Third Prince behind and hurried out to greet the Queen Mother alone. Seeing this scene, the Third Prince was stunned, and Liu Feng was even more stunned.
The one who is about to become the crown prince is the third prince, right? Fourth prince, why are you rushing to the front so attentively? Normally, the youngest prince is not seen flattering the empress dowager... Moreover, even the emperor's own son cannot master such a difficult task of flattering the empress dowager. Only Zhu Ying can do it in the palace.
Like Liu Feng, the Third Prince was not worried at all that the Fourth Prince would win the favor of the Queen Mother before him. Instead, he was worried that his impulsive and reckless younger brother would not be able to please the Queen Mother and then get himself into trouble!
So, after a moment of hesitation, he ran after her. As soon as he left the Qianqing Gate, he saw that the Queen Mother was not riding in a sedan chair, but was walking instead of a carriage. Yuquan, who was accompanying her, was holding the Fourth Prince and talking to him. He didn't even have a chance to talk to the Queen Mother. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He hurriedly rushed forward and bowed, saying, "Grandson greets the Imperial Grandmother."
But this time, the Queen Mother stopped in front of the Third Prince, looked him up and down for a long time, and finally touched his head gently: "You will be the one to shoulder important responsibilities. Remember to be more stable in the future and set an example for your fourth brother and other brothers in the future."
