Chapter 162: Gongxiangxiao’s Choice

"Opportunity?" Gong Xiangxiao laughed at himself, and said, "What chance is there now? The emperor already has four princes under his knees, and there are no outsiders here. The successor is also one of the four princes who are still in their infancy, and has nothing to do with me!"

"Even if the young master has a mistake and the throne falls into the hands of the father, look at his attitude towards me now, even the son may not let me continue, let alone the throne?"

Qi Jiulu said gently: "It's up to people, son, don't forget, when today's son inherits the throne, how prominent the Ji family is, who would have thought of today?"

Gong Xiangxiao shook his head: "I am different from the Son of Heaven. Although I don't like the Son of Heaven, but if you ask yourself, the qualifications of the Son of Heaven are much better than mine: If I were the Son of Heaven, I would not be able to bear it for eight years as if nothing had happened. When I came to the Imperial Capital, I didn’t get along with the emperor much, so I might not be very clear about it.”

"I was sent to the palace as an accompanying student after the emperor ascended the throne. I am also the emperor's cousin. I know best how he endured those years."

"Do you know? When he first came to the throne, not only did I look down on him, but even the attendants of the Taichu Palace were respectful in front of them, and they talked about him behind their backs, saying that he was just a remote clan. If he hadn't been praised by the Ji family, even I might not be qualified to come to the imperial capital to pay tribute, let alone enthroned? The contemptuous words and attitudes made me feel annoyed when I heard—Chunjia is still a descendant of my Gongxiang family no matter how miserable she is, how can a few slaves have the right to talk about it?"

"The emperor actually heard it at the time, but he could pretend that he didn't know anything, and even turned around and treated those servants as generous as before."

"Even promoted one of them to serve in front of the imperial court."

"It wasn't until after he came to power, that is, at the end of last year, that he found a reason to send all these people away... With just such a few servants, he can endure it until he is safe!"

"And me?"

"I've been in the palace for the past two years. I said that life was difficult, but after all, the first wife was born, and many of the servants in the mansion actually turned to me. But you see, everyone knows that I see my second concubine now, inside and out. Two hates, estrangement from half-mother and direct brother, and incompatibility with father and king... Sometimes when I think about it, I feel annoyed, if I had learned from the emperor earlier, maybe the situation would not be where it is today."

He let out a breath, spread his hands and said, "But knowing is easier than doing. Many people understand the truth of keeping a low profile. How many people can do it?"

Anyway, he couldn't do it.

Sometimes he thought darkly, maybe because he had enjoyed the unreserved love of his parents when he was young, so he was so worried about falling out of favor, and disdain to use disguise to gain the favor of the regent.

And Chunjia lost his father when he was young, and the aunt who raised him is not his own mother. I am afraid that he has learned to read his face since he was sensible, so he has never been qualified to be willful, so he is so tolerant.

...But no matter what the pasts of the cousins ​​are, in the end, Chunjia has all the hardships, but he is stepping towards desperation step by step.

"My lord, many people and things in this world are actually double-edged swords." Qi Jiulu was unmoved, and said An Ran, "The emperor is wise and powerful, and it is now recognized. So whether it is the regent or anyone else, absolutely not He will despise him. Although the son is weak now, it is because of this that many things are more convenient."

He said slowly, "Now, it's up to Shizi to decide how to choose."

Gong Xiangxiao was at a loss: "How to choose?"

"Naturally, it is between the emperor and the regent, who does the son want to choose?" Qi Jiulu took a sip of tea and said slowly, "The son and the emperor are cousins, and the regent is a direct father and son. Now that the Ji family is destroyed, the emperor There is no buffer with the regent, and it will be a matter of time to fight."

"The princes in the temple, and even the concubine, have already started to stand in line."

"If the prince doesn't want to sit still and follow the crowd, of course he has to choose."

"Choose the Son of Heaven, or choose the Regent?"

"I..." Gong Xiangxiao opened his mouth. If it was before, although he was full of grievances and resentment, Chunjia couldn't compare his father to his father.

But since the Son of Heaven took power, his disillusionment with the regent has grown.

When Chunjia was still keeping a low profile, Gong Xiangxiao was still able to comfort himself, maybe the regent just needed an absolutely reliable person to help keep an eye on the emperor. And such an absolutely trustworthy person, besides him, the eldest son of the first wife, who else could it be?

Last year, Chunjia started to be in charge of the government. Apart from Ji Minggan, who was born in the Ji family, and Yuan Ke, who had no talent, Yun Qike, Deng Chengzhai, and Zheng Fengfen were entrusted with missions one after another. Only Gong Xiangxiao, Chunjia was willing to act as a brotherhood Send him something to do, but was stopped by the regent!

At that time, Gong Xiangxiao was already very unhappy, but now?

He didn't even make arrangements for his marriage, and didn't allow his uncle's family to help him to speak a word of justice? !

To put it bluntly, this is not how my own father behaved, and my stepfather was not so harsh on face—Gong Xiangxiao was silent for a moment, and smiled bitterly, "Of course I... choose... Father King!"

After saying the last two words, Gong Xiangxiao sighed self-deprecatingly, "I have thought about it many times before, if one day, it is not my father who is the regent's mansion, but me, I must redouble his indifference and let him know That kind of mood...but that's my father after all."

Not everyone can do such a thing as betraying their own father.

Even under great pressure.

After all, in such an era, the country pays attention to governing the country with filial piety.

Even the grandsons of the emperor were taught to be filial and respectful to their elders when they were young. The pervasive influence of more than ten or twenty years has made it difficult to change the nature of the country. Gong Xiangxiao has hatred and resentment towards the regent. In his imagination, whenever he had the opportunity, he would definitely take revenge on the regent—but when the real situation was in front of him, he found that he couldn't do it.

He could yell back at the Prince Regent, cursing and resenting him in private, but he really couldn't make up his mind to actually betray the Prince Regent and the Palace of the Prince Regent.

Maybe he will regret it and be disappointed in the future, but in the current situation, he can't do it.

"My son is really pure filial piety." Gong Xiangxiao looked away in embarrassment, not wanting to see the disappointment on Qi Jiulu's face.

Because in his opinion, since Qi Jiulu added the option of betraying the regent, he obviously wanted him to do so. Although this person came from a not very high family background, his current rank is nothing in the imperial capital where nobles are everywhere and there are many high-ranking officials like dogs, but his courage is extraordinary - the green plum of ordinary people has entered the palace, even if he can't stop thinking about it I think, at most, I miss it privately. There are really not many people who chase after a private meeting in the palace and want to take away the popular concubine while taking the opportunity of the palace to escape the summer heat.

Such a rebellious thing can be done, what is it to persuade someone's own son to betray his own father to be the master of the house?

But Qi Jiulu didn't mean to be a joke, he praised Gong Xiangxiao's filial piety very peacefully, saying that your son, you are really a filial and virtuous person, and it is his loss that the regent cannot see your kindness.

Then the topic changed, "Since the son still loves the regent, why not pretend to rely on the emperor, because the emperor is famous, even if he doesn't trust you, he will never treat you badly. In this way, the son can get more from the emperor. With support, you don’t have to rely on the Prince Regent’s House for everything; you can also rely on the Son of Heaven to fight against the concubine, mother and son.”

"Wouldn't it be good if we could find out some secret news in the future and tell the regent privately?"

Gong Xiangxiao frowned and said: "In that case, the father will definitely not allow it. Although the Son of Heaven is willing to let me show his kindness, he will not conflict with the father because of me. The most important thing is that Chunjia is careful, and I will do it for him. I have been studying with you for so many years, and even if I get along day and night, I haven't discovered his true face. You said that such an emperor, how can I get close to him on my own initiative, so that I can find out important news?"

Even if you hear the news that it doesn't matter, what's the use?

When he said this, he felt vaguely strange, and felt that Qi Jiulu's suggestion seemed to have ulterior motives?

But Qi Jiulu then said: "My son, the truth is this, but the son has always been pure and kind, and he has shown filial piety to the regent. In order to relieve the regent's worries, he thought of this method and practiced it. It is understandable, isn't it? ?Anyway, the crown prince doesn’t know anything about the secrets of the prince regent, so even if he fails to go undercover in front of the emperor, what loss will there be to the palace?”

Seeing that Gong Xiangxiao was slightly stunned, he sighed and said, "The son never treats me as an outsider, so I just said it straight: the son is in the mansion, and the disadvantage is on the step concubine. The prince is busy with government affairs, even if the son is the son-in-law. It’s impossible for the eldest son to be with you all the time. It’s also your own flesh and blood. You don’t have the help of your mother and concubine to speak in front of the lord, and the second concubine mentioned you in front of the lord. Mu Duan, forever, even if the father and son are biological, how can it be possible that they will not be born with each other?"

"Since the prince misses the regent so much, you should let the regent know your thoughts!"

"Otherwise, the prince has been in power for many years, majestic and solemn, how can he put down his body and speak slowly and well like you did when you were a child? You are not the family of a daughter who will be coquettish and foolish, and there is a second concubine who is hardworking." In this case, even if you think about each other, the estrangement will inevitably increase!"

Gong Xiangxiao wanted to say that he didn't think his father would think of him now.

However, Qi Jiulu didn't give him a chance to intervene, so he gave another example, "My Qi family has had few heirs in the past two years, but it's okay to pay attention to all descendants. But several families in the Northland have always had prosperous descendants. If you want to be loved by your parents and elders, you need to do your best. I grew up in the Northland since I was a child, and I have seen many such things."

"After all, the prince is the pillar of the palace. He is so busy, it is impossible and he does not have the energy to take the initiative to show compassion to the prince."

"I can only find a way to let the prince see you."

"My lord, do you think this is the truth?"

Gong Xiangxiao was a little out of his mind, and subconsciously blurted out: "The person you are talking about, could it be Concubine Xian?"

He regretted saying this, but it was too late.

Fortunately, Qi Jiulu's expression remained unchanged, just like he said he was just an ordinary acquaintance, but nodded calmly: "Concubine Xian is the best among them. She has more than a dozen daughters of the same generation, and she is not the most diligent and considerate. It was her grandparents' favorite."

Yun Fenghuang's fight for favor with Xie Fenghuan when she was a child was kept very tightly by Xie, and outsiders didn't know about it.

But Qi Jiulu was her fiancé at that time after all, and she was pulled by Yun Fenghuang to come up with an idea against Xie Fenghuan, of course he knew.

He was not in the mood to go into detail with Gong Xiangxiao, and said: "Actually, the prince doesn't have to think the prince is too cold and heartless. If you want to go to Suichun Banshan Villa, if you don't have the prince's acquiescence, the Imperial City Secretary will be fine. Regardless of the people in the Prince Regent’s Mansion, how could they try their best to help us wipe out the traces and conceal it so far?”

"Take a step back, even if the lord wants to abolish the elder and make the younger one stand, at most he is partial to the young lord. It is impossible to say that he doesn't care at all about you, the eldest son."

"My son, to be honest, with a status like the prince's, the attention he can give his children is very limited."

"The little prince is young, and his body is not very good. As a father, you have to pay special attention to it, let alone have a step-by-step concubine to help you speak; as for you, the prince, you are already an adult, healthy and safe, there is nothing for the prince to worry about." Yes, the prince is negligent?"

"Now you have to let the prince know that you also need his care and love."

"In this way, we can rekindle the prince's love for his son!"

... After Tiangong Xiangxiao left in a trance, Qi Jiulu sat in the courtyard for a while, holding a tea bowl and quietly watching the blooming osmanthus tree not far away, and the fine golden petals fell in front of him with the west wind. There is a faint fragrance in the tea.

The next moment the tea bowl was snatched away by a pair of bare hands, Chao Jingyou sat down in front of him without expression, poured the cold tea on the ground, and asked in a low voice: "What did you just tell the prince regent... What do you want to do? !"