Chapter 145: Kind Father and Emperor, This is My Dish
Emperor Jiajing was a little sad.
As a father, he tries his best to care for each of his children.
But as an emperor, he had to choose between his children.
It's difficult to make a choice.
So historically, after the Crown Prince passed away, Emperor Jiajing let Prince Yu and Prince Jing stand side by side, without distinguishing who was better between the two.
"The third and fourth brothers' tricks are pretty good. If I hadn't tried them when I was young, I would have been fooled."
The old prince Xing was also a kind father and was very tolerant of Emperor Jiajing. Therefore, Emperor Jiajing had a good life as a child.
"Huang Jin."
"His Majesty."
Huang Jin felt that at this moment, Emperor Jiajing was filled with an aura of decadence.
"As for the Crown Prince... a few words, he is his cousin, his brother. I am his father, I cannot suppress others for his sake. He is the elder brother, he should be tolerant as an elder brother."
"Yes."
Huang Jin was about to go out, but stopped when he saw a eunuch coming in.
The eunuch came in and bowed.
"Your Majesty, just now, Long Wilbur met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the palace, and the two sides had a conflict."
"Hmm!" Emperor Jiajing was startled. "Speak."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that he admired Long Wilbur's talent and wanted to ask for his advice..."
"The prince is eager to recruit Qingzhi!" Emperor Jiajing narrowed his eyes, "How should Qingzhi respond?"
"Chang Wei Bo reprimanded the prince's tutors, saying that these people had deceived the prince into playing political games."
"Playing, the word…" Emperor Jiajing sneered, "Some people just can't bear to see me in peace."
"Chang Wei Bo told the prince that he disdained the idea of following the emperor and would rather be a rich man in Suzhou than in the capital."
"This kid! I know he is full of arrogance. You see, he had a conflict with Cui Yuan as soon as he arrived in the capital. It seems unintentional, but in fact, he looks down on people like Cui Yuan in his bones. Others say that he is as beautiful as jade, but in fact, they don't know that this kid is actually made of steel!"
"Chang Wei Bo said that the Crown Prince should not think that everything is so bad. The two princes are not so insidious and do not have so many calculations."
Emperor Jiajing's eyes were filled with sadness. "Yes! I just want my family to be harmonious, but I can't."
"Heavenly Family, Heavenly Family..."
Emperor Jiajing murmured softly and slowly closed his eyes.
Many times, he could only seek self-liberation deep in his heart.
There is no power struggle or intrigue there.
Jiang Qingzhi returned home and waited for half an hour but was not summoned by the palace.
He scratched his head, "Your Majesty, I went a little too far."
Hu Zongxian said: "Your Majesty should have reprimanded Lord Bo and eased the relationship between the Crown Prince and the two princes. But now he has said nothing, which clearly shows that he is sympathetic to Lord Bo's embarrassment."
Since the Taoist priest was so kind, Jiang Qingzhi would not pretend to be stupid.
He cooked a few dishes himself, got a jar of fine wine from the south, and went out on the horse given by Lu Wei.
……
"Long Wilbur."
Jiang Qingzhi entered the palace again.
"What about Your Majesty?"
Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Huang Jin turned around and pointed inside.
Jiang Qingzhi followed him in.
Amidst the smoke, the Taoist priest sat cross-legged.
He was the only one in the temple, oh! and there was also a statue of the god.
The wide Taoist robe covered his thin body, and there was a hint of helplessness in his slowly opened eyes.
"Celebrate it."
"Your Majesty, this weather is so cool that it reminds me of a poem by Li Bai."
"What poem? But can you enjoy it?"
"No, when life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest, and don't let the golden cup face the moon empty."
“It doesn’t fit the scene at all.”
"Yes! But I was thinking that people can't be tense all their lives, right? They need to relax once in a while."
Jiang Qingzhi arranged the wine and food, filled Emperor Jiajing's glass with wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
"At the beginning, I also thought about what would happen after marriage. I thought my wife was virtuous and my children were naughty but ambitious..."
Jiang Qingzhi filled his glass with wine and drank it all again.
Emperor Jiajing seldom drank alcohol.
Drinking alcohol will cause confusion, which is a taboo for monks.
Huang Jin served a pot of tea and asked the Taoist to drink it.
"I see my neighbors, friends, and classmates getting married one after another, and I envy them very much."
Jiang Qingzhi drank the wine in his glass and picked up a meatball. "Your Majesty, would you like to try it?"
A hand came over quietly and was about to pick up the meatball, but was hit by Jiang Qingzhi with the head of chopsticks.
The eunuch who was testing the poison looked at Huang Jin awkwardly.
Emperor Jiajing had already picked up the meatball and tasted it. Huang Jin waved his hand, signaling the eunuch to leave.
Didn’t I see that Long Wilbur had eaten it? Unless he wanted to die together with Your Majesty, how could it be poisonous?
"I have seen couples living in harmony, and I have also seen couples falling out because of the decline of their family business. I have seen couples being sweet and having sex, and I have also seen couples growing tired of each other after a few years. I have seen men and women go from being affectionate to being heartless... I wonder, what is affection?"
Jiang Qingzhi drank so quickly that he was half drunk.
Emperor Jiajing remained silent.
"I feel that the so-called friendship is something that happens at a specific time, in a specific environment, and at a specific age. These things will change over time."
"Life is full of suffering. Your Majesty, are you right?"
Emperor Jiajing picked up the wine glass and thought about the first half of his life. Was it bitter?
bitter!
"Life is full of suffering, so we seek comfort. Love and friendship are the comfort that mortals long for but cannot obtain. But how rare is love and friendship?"
Jiang Qingzhi raised his head and drank.
He looked at Emperor Jiajing with sleepy eyes. Huang Jin was standing beside him, looking at the drunken young man with red lips and white teeth.
"I have said so much just to say that any affection is mixed with interests. This is true for father and son, mother and son, monarch and minister... A man is bound to have an unvirtuous wife and unfilial sons, so I don't want to get married early. It's too tiring."
Jiang Qingzhi raised his glass.
He knew that Emperor Jiajing didn't drink and was just making a gesture.
"I have done it. Your Majesty, please do as you wish."
Jiang Qingzhi tilted his head back and did it.
When he looked down, he found that Emperor Jiajing had picked up the wine glass.
He slowly brought it to his lips and sniffed it.
then
He raised his head suddenly.
"His Majesty!"
Jiang Qingzhi and Huang Jin looked at each other in surprise for the first time.
Damn it.
Emperor Jiajing actually drank!
This is fucking hell. Emperor Jiajing played with the wine glass and said, "The wine is good."
Jiang Qingzhi was getting drunk. "Come to my house someday if you want to drink. I'll cook some snacks myself. We won't leave until we're drunk."
Emperor Jiajing looked at the young man who was becoming more and more talkative and said softly, "Okay."
Jiang Qingzhi didn't hear it. At this moment, he was numb and kept chattering.
"What people fear most is obsession. If you cannot obtain what you want, you will suffer. Your Majesty, your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. We should be happy as long as we can. As for our children and grandchildren, they will have their own destiny."
Jiang Qingzhi raised his glass, looking very excited. "The fate of most people in this world is determined from birth and cannot be changed. Since it cannot be changed, then just enjoy it."
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Qingzhi collapsed and got drunk.
Huang Jin stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, shall I ask someone to send Chang Wei Bo back?"
Emperor Jiajing was silent for a moment, "No, clean up the side hall and take this kid to rest."
"His Majesty……"
This is the palace!
Is there ever a precedent of a foreign man staying overnight?
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand.
"Yes."
"I'm not drunk!"
Jiang Qingzhi waved his hand.
Two eunuchs carefully carried him out.
Emperor Jiajing sat alone in the hall.
The air was filled with the unfamiliar aroma of wine and meat.
"The world, father and son..."
Emperor Jiajing murmured.
"Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings."
"A real man will inevitably have an unvirtuous wife and an unfilial son."
Emperor Jiajing suddenly picked up the jar of wine and drank it.
The wine ran down his chin and beard.
After a long time, he gasped and threw the jar of wine on the ground.
"Can power really destroy friendship?"
He reached out and stroked the jade pendant around his waist, which was given to him by the prince.
……
Jiang Qingzhi woke up in the early morning of the next day.
"Comfortable!"
He stretched and opened his eyes.
What the hell!
"Where is this?"
"Is Uncle awake?"
There was a sound outside the door, the door opened, and two eunuchs came in.
Jiang Qingzhi then remembered that he had gone to the palace yesterday to comfort Emperor Jiajing.
I actually stayed overnight in the palace?
"My Lord, His Majesty asked you to have breakfast."
The Taoist's breakfast is simple: porridge, a piece of cake, and a plate of pickles.
Jiang Qingzhi, however, ordered an extra portion of stewed lamb.
The mutton is very tender, and when stewed with white radish, it tastes sweet and fresh.
Jiang Qingzhi ate voraciously, while Emperor Jiajing ate slowly.
After finishing his portion, Jiang Qingzhi looked up and asked, "Do you have any meat buns?"
Huang Jin nodded, thinking, "Aren't you full yet?"
"Two of them."
Jiang Qingzhi drank alcohol and didn't eat yesterday. The young man's body needs nutrition.
Emperor Jiajing finished his portion and coughed dryly.
"Your Majesty." Huang Jin stepped forward.
"cake."
Huang Jin was startled. The Taoist always said that if you want to have a clear mind, your stomach should be clean. That's why he refused to eat more.
Today is...
When you see people with a good appetite eating, you can eat more too.
Not everyone understands this principle.
After breakfast, the Taoist stood up and said, "Qingzhi, walk with me."
The two walked out of the hall.
The East Garden looked more lively under the morning sun.
"The prince is still young."
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi knew that Emperor Jiajing ultimately chose to be a kind father rather than an emperor.
Otherwise the prince would definitely be scolded.
"In the northwest, the White Lotus Sect is hiding quite deeply." The Taoist priest suddenly changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, do not underestimate the White Lotus Sect." Jiang Qingzhi knew how terrible this organization was.
Every year, members of the White Lotus Sect would revolt. In the second year of the Tianqi reign, Xu Hongru of the White Lotus Sect started an uprising on a grand scale, which opened the curtain of the chaotic times in the late Ming Dynasty.
It can be said that the White Lotus Sect was the beginning of the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Jiajing sneered, "Those fools submitted memorials to congratulate me, saying that people in the northwest are living and working in peace and contentment, and that the White Lotus Sect has long been wiped out."
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi cursed inwardly.
"But yesterday there was a report that Liao Jiang, who was in charge of the inspection, was assassinated, and the culprit was the White Lotus Sect."
This is a slap in the face.
and many more!
Jiang Qingzhi's body shook.
The White Lotus Sect had a significant impact on the Ming Dynasty!
There are rebellions of varying scales every year.
It played a significant role in the decline of the Ming Dynasty.
If we can suppress the White Lotus Sect...
How much national destiny can be increased?
Emperor Jiajing was thinking about who to appoint to take charge of this matter.
"Does Qingzhi have anyone to choose from?"
The prince made a move but was slapped back by Jiang Qingzhi. But he was wronged after all, so Emperor Jiajing wanted to make up for it with this.
This emperor!
His thoughtfulness is beyond words.
Isn’t this just my cup of tea?
Jiang Qingzhi suppressed his joy and looked determined.
"Your Majesty, I wish to go to the northwest!"
(End of this chapter)