Chapter 403 The Most Precious Thing in the World
The eunuch was brought into the palace with a bruised face and nose.
Concubine Lu looked at Jiang Qingzhi, "What did this person do?"
"Someone leaked Prince Yu's whereabouts. After interrogation, we learned that the information was passed to Sun Ou." Jiang Qingzhi did not say the purpose and result of leaking the whereabouts.
Concubine Lu Jing was also smart enough not to ask about this matter.
This woman is quick-witted, knows when to advance and when to retreat, and is very tactful. If it weren't for the fact that I have seen through the things between men and women, she would have already become the mother of the country by now.
"You have been with me for more than ten years." Concubine Lu Jing looked at Sun Ou and sighed, "Back then you were just a little eunuch. One day you were bullied and hid in a corner sobbing. I couldn't bear it, so I kept you by my side. I shouldn't be grateful, but I shouldn't betray you either!"
Sun Ou raised his head and said with a sad smile, "A good man was castrated. It's hard to describe the feeling in his heart. If you don't believe me, ask Chang Wei Bo how desperate he would be if he lost that thing."
What the hell!
This piece of shit!
Jiang Qingzhi coughed dryly.
"I see those eunuchs acting so majestically, shouting and yelling, and treating their subordinates as they please. I envy them. But it is so difficult to get promoted in the palace..."
"Who?" asked Concubine Lu.
Sun Ou smiled and said, "Madam, please turn around."
Concubine Lu Jing turned around and saw a female official slowly kneeling down.
"It's you?"
The female official bowed her head and said, "This slave deserves death."
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and left quietly.
Chen Yan sent him out and whispered, "It's not easy for the Queen to interfere with Prince Yu. But I still want to thank Chang Wei Bo for getting these two traitors this time."
"You're welcome."
Concubine Lu prided herself on her ability, but today she was slapped in the face by the betrayal of her two subordinates. The feeling is indescribable.
"By the way, Chang Wei Bo." Chen Yan said, "I don't know what His Royal Highness Prince Jing has been busy with recently. He has not been seen for a few days."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "He did give a few classes, but why didn't he come back afterwards?"
"His Highness goes out early and comes back late every day. When asked, he says he is teaching. The Queen didn't pay much attention to it, but later she found something wrong." Chen Yan said: "His Highness looks quite tired every time he comes back, and he eats less and less."
"It's really worry-free!" Jiang Qingzhi said with emotion.
Chen Yan covered her mouth and laughed, "Thank you for your hard work, Chief Wilbur."
Jiang Qingzhi was in a very hard situation, so he went to find Daoye to complain.
"At this age, it's time to rebel. When the elders say east, they go west. When the elders say the sun is round, they sneer and insist that the sun is flat..."
Jiang Qingzhi felt that Mr. Royal's task was too troublesome and wanted to throw it back to the Taoist priest.
Emperor Jiajing stroked the jade awl, "Why don't you explain the unpredictable human heart to the third brother clearly? Instead, you are vague."
Jiang Qingzhi took a sip of tea. "When I was young, my family was not well off. I was often mocked by others... I was the son of a concubine! I was almost like a bitch. Those people's sarcasm made me unable to sleep or eat, and I felt humiliated. Then I felt that I was inferior to others in every way..."
In his previous life, Jiang Qingzhi's family was not well off, but his relatives were very close to each other. Every time there was a family gathering, the three members of the Jiang family would be excluded from the outermost circle.
His mother went to help in the kitchen, and his father handed him cigarettes with a smile on his face... He looked servile. The children of the same age seemed to be carefree and happy, but they felt superior to him. The condescending and even disdainful attitude made him confused and sad.
Inferiority complex almost ran through Jiang Qingzhi's life from elementary school to university, until he went to South America.
"The third brother may seem insignificant, but here." Jiang Qingzhi pointed to his chest, "He likes to keep everything to himself. If I analyze his heart thoroughly, he won't be able to accept it right now."
After the Crown Prince passed away, although Prince Yu and Prince Jing did not show any intention of competing for the throne, it was inevitable that they would compete with each other secretly.
"If it's the fourth brother, he would understand it without being told." There was some relief in the Taoist's eyes.
At least you've kept the balance!
Jiang Qingzhi thought of the historical records that Emperor Jiajing liked his youngest son, Prince Jing, and was quite dissatisfied with the dull Prince Yu.
Jiang Qingzhi resigned.
Huang Jin sent him out, and when he came back and saw that Emperor Jiajing looked disappointed, he advised: "Your Majesty, the two princes are still young, and there is plenty of time for them to be taught."
"I am not worried about this." Emperor Jiajing said: "Qingzhi refused to teach the third brother that his heart was sinister. It seemed that he was trying to appease him... but it was not."
Emperor Jiajing said: "He suffered from hardship since childhood and grew up being discriminated against. So he knows what young people need. When I was at this age, what I needed was to be free from worries. But the human heart! Once he knows the human heart...how can he still be free from worries?"
Huang Jin's heart tightened, and he took a few steps back with his head lowered.
"People's hearts are evil, they seek profit, and they are selfish." The Taoist muttered, "This is a door. Once it is opened, the two children will walk into hell. There they will see countless ugly human hearts. They will be corroded... Huang Ban."
"His Majesty."
“All life is suffering, and the suffering lies in the human heart.”
"Yes."
"Qingzhi is worried that opening the door to hell for the third brother will cause... a dispute among the brothers."
"Struggle for the throne!" The Taoist shook his head, and Huang Jin moved his lips, "Your Majesty, I think... the two princes will... will..."
"People! We can't be young again. The carefree time of my youth is the most precious time in my life. Have people prepare wine and food, call the third and fourth brothers, and call Changle as well." The two princes came.
"Dad." The little cotton-padded jacket also came.
A screen separated Emperor Jiajing and the two princes.
"You two are allowed to drink today, drink as much as you want!" said the Taoist with a smile.
Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other, wondering why their father was in such a good mood today.
"Dad, what about me?" Changle looked at his father eagerly.
"What kind of wine do girls drink?"
Changle pulled at his long sleeves and refused.
"Forget it, forget it. Give Changle a glass of that sweet wine."
Daoye seemed to be in a good mood today, and he raised his glass frequently, and soon he was a little tipsy. He talked about some things when he was young, and he looked very excited.
"...I saw that the woman was angry and was about to chase me with a wooden stick, so I asked Huang Jin to report to the police. I ran all the way with the child in my arms..."
Emperor Jiajing took a sip of wine, and Prince Yu's voice came from behind the screen, "Father, what happened next?"
"Then I ran all the way. My health was not good at that time, and I was out of breath... Just then Lu Bing came and threw stones at the woman. Then I and he escaped."
"Dad, is that woman the kidnapper?"
"Yes." Emperor Jiajing thought of the past with a smile on his face. "That woman was about to go back, cursing, but I and Lu Bing quietly followed her and followed her all the way to her residence..."
Changle's eyes lit up, and his admiration was evident in his words, "Dad, did you catch her?"
King Jing was also quite anxious and could not help but say, "He must have not been caught."
"Have you learned to use provocation on your father?" The Taoist smiled. "Later, Huang Jin brought people and arrested the woman. Then they found the five kidnapped children and arrested three accomplices..."
"Dad is so awesome!" the little girl praised sincerely.
"Mother once said that I had accumulated great virtue that time." Emperor Jiajing thought of his mother, and his eyes became softer. "Later, when I ascended the throne, mother once said that the reason I could be where I am today must be because of the good deeds I had done back then."
"Father, can I ascend the throne by rescuing a few children?" Prince Yu felt that this matter seemed unreliable.
King Jing curled his lips at him, implying that his father was missing his grandmother and he should stop talking.
"You two don't know..." Emperor Jiajing pointed at the wine glass, and Changle stood up obediently to pour wine for him.
The sound of wine dripping came from the Emperor Jiajing's voice, "For parents, their children are their lives. When a child is lost, the pain is so heartbreaking that I wish I could take his place."
He thought of his children who died young and "I wish I were dead."
On the other side of the screen, the two princes were stunned.
Why is Father saying this?
For children of this age, these sentiments seem distant and difficult to understand.
"When your grandmother learned that your uncle was missing, she was extremely worried and couldn't sleep all night. Well, I'm afraid you two don't understand what I'm saying."
"Dad, I understand." Changle said, "I once secretly raised a bird, but they found out and took it away. I felt a heart-wrenching pain, but I had to pretend nothing happened during the day and hide in the quilt and cry at night..."
Emperor Jiajing touched Changle's head and said, "I said this just to tell you. Fame and wealth may tempt people, but what is the most precious thing in life?"
He pointed at the screen, and Huang Jin led his men to pull the screen open.
Only then could the father and his two sons meet.
"Your Majesty!" Prince Yu and Prince Jing stood up and saluted.
Emperor Jiajing looked at his two sons greedily, as if he would never see them again the next moment.
"The most precious thing in the world is friendship!"
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand, and the screen blocked his view again.
"People without affection are nothing but walking corpses." Emperor Jiajing said, "I can use all kinds of tactics to fight with my ministers, but I will not use those tactics on my own children, even a little bit. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Later in the evening, the banquet was over. The two princes each received a set of four treasures of the study, and Changle received a promise from the Taoist priest that she could raise birds in the palace.
Hearing the footsteps fading away, Emperor Jiajing stood up and went back.
On the wall, Empress Dowager Jiang smiled as she watched her son approaching.
"mother!"
Emperor Jiajing looked up at the portrait and said, "Some people suggest that a prince be appointed. I would like to do so... but I cannot. Two dragons cannot meet each other... It seems absurd, but I dare not take the risk of that one possible possibility. Once a prince is appointed, he will be a young dragon. If the two dragons meet, they will either die or be injured."
In the portrait, Empress Dowager Jiang has kind eyes and eyebrows, and Emperor Jiajing speaks in a soft voice, as if he is expressing his farewell to his mother.
"If the crown prince is not appointed, the third and fourth brothers will start to fight for the throne. It's fine now, but as they grow older, they will be instigated by the people around them and their own inflated desires... and become enemies."
Emperor Jiajing looked at his mother and suddenly smiled. "I have played rogue for once and dragged Qingzhi in. Leave the troubles to him, and I will just watch and enjoy... this rare friendship."
(End of this chapter)
