265, Perverted Factory Owner 16

"Regarding the post-disaster handling of Lan Province, the first batch of relief grain has been delivered. I think it will be able to calm the panic of the local people in a short time. The dam that was built at the time has been washed away by the spring flood. Instead of increasing the labor service, it is better to consider work-for-relief. By distributing relief grain and silver, we can encourage the victims to participate in post-disaster reconstruction, which can not only reduce the public complaints caused by increased labor service, but also reduce the unrest of the local people during the disaster period."

In a blink of an eye, ten years have passed. The young emperor at the time is now talking in the court, with a youthful spirit between his eyebrows.

The court officials below listened to the way Emperor Jingning dealt with the once-in-a-century flood in Lan Province, and nodded repeatedly.

Time has not only made him fade away his childhood immaturity, but also made him more and more like an emperor.

At the beginning, Emperor Chengqing issued an edict of self-criticism, and the people of Dashang admitted their crimes against the loyal Yan family, which caused an uproar, especially the people in the northwest, who were the most benevolent people of the Yan family. When the Yan family was accused of treason and conspiracy, the people in the northwest were suspicious and caused a big riot. It was only when the court sent troops to suppress it that the disaster was eliminated. Now Emperor Chengqing admitted that all the crimes of the Yan family were framed by him, and the people who had complained against the Yan family were completely unable to sit still.

It was only after Zong Zheng Qingqi issued several edicts in succession that the people's resentment was barely calmed down.

One edict was to collect the remains of the Yan family and rebuild the Yan family's ancestral tomb.

The second edict was to set up Yan Zhaonan's spirit tablet in the Hall of Heroes. Since the founding of Dashang, only a few people have been able to enter the Hall of Heroes. These people are all great men with illustrious achievements recorded in history books.

The Hall of Heroes was set up in the imperial temple of the Zongzheng clan. Any meritorious official who entered the Hall of Heroes could receive incense from the people and share the blessing of the royal family.

The third edict sent the retired emperor to the imperial mausoleum. He would stay in the mausoleum for the rest of his life and could not leave the mausoleum.

There has never been a precedent for such a severe punishment of a former emperor.

Although the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people, the emperor often uses various excuses to cover up the crime and will never tell the world.

Zongzheng Qingqi's actions attracted criticism from many pedantic Confucian scholars, but also won the favor of many people. Those years were indeed the most turbulent years in the court. He also made qualitative progress in those years amid internal and external troubles.

Now, it is different from the past.

"Teacher, what do you think of my idea?"

Seeing the thoughtful expressions of the courtiers below, Zong Zheng Qingqi turned slightly and looked at the slightly feminine man sitting on the imperial chair in the lower left corner, who was detached from other ministers.

Perhaps because of the serious injuries in his early years, and the accumulation of toxicity from those messy elixirs, Yan Chu's body has become increasingly deteriorating in the past few years. Half of the time in a month, he missed the morning court.

The man sitting on the imperial chair at this moment was thin, with pale lips. Although he was haggard, he did not hide his unique temperament.

He twisted a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads in his hand and wore loose and comfortable clothes, which did not blend in with the serious atmosphere around him.

As the little emperor gradually grew up and Xiao Chu's body became more and more deteriorating, the situation in the court also changed a lot.

After all, Xiao Chu is a eunuch. Following him for ten or twenty years may be very glorious, but what about a hundred years later? The power will be held by the Zongzheng royal family. Moreover, it is hard to say whether Xiao Chu's body can hold on for another ten years.

Following such a master with no future is very risky.

In the early years, the little emperor was still young and his temper was hard to see. In recent years, it has been different. As the little emperor began to intervene in the government, everyone with a discerning eye could see that in the face of Xiao Chu who hindered him from taking full power, one of them would die sooner or later.

Either Xiao Chu loses or the little emperor loses. In terms of the current situation, the former is more likely.

Looking at his body, it seems that he really can't hold on for many years.

"Your Majesty, do you want to hear the minister tell the truth or a lie?"

Yan Chu looked at the young man sitting on the high platform, a little dazed. Although he lacked the various trainings of the previous life, the young man in front of him still overlapped more and more with him in the previous life.

Yan Chu's mood was very complicated, and so was Zongzheng Qingqi.

At first, he hated the man sitting on the throne, but over the years, in the bits and pieces of getting along with each other, Zong Zheng Qingqi gradually changed his opinion of him.

That man is very complicated.

He doesn't seem to be greedy for power, allowing him to learn a lot of emperor's skills, and when he grows up, he lets him start to get involved in government affairs without caring, but at the same time, he still firmly grasps the Jinyiwei as a killer, and cultivates his party members in the court as a eunuch.

He seems to be very friendly to him, for example, he will take him out of the palace incognito, and take him to learn a lot of useful knowledge that teachers will not teach, but at the same time he is close to him. There was a time when he wanted to get close to him, but he always kept a strange distance from him, as if the connection between them was only in teaching.

Such an elusive man made Zong Zheng Qingqi unable to help but explore, admire, and at the same time, deeply fearful.

Because he was so unpredictable, Zong Zheng Qingqi didn't know what the other party would do in the next second. What's more, as an emperor who was already 20 years old, married and had children, but the imperial power was not completely in his hands, this kind of sleepless nights and the feeling of having a knife on his neck forever was really terrible.

The counselors around him had asked him to attack Xiao Chu more than once, and Zong Zheng Qingqi had been hesitating because he found that even if he was afraid, he couldn't do anything to the other party.

But Zong Zheng Qingqi himself didn't know how long he could hold on to such hesitation.

"The truth, I naturally want to hear the truth." He looked at Xiao Chu and smiled.

"Very good, your majesty already has the shadow of a wise ruler." Yan Chu nodded. He had nothing to teach him, and the rest needed him to figure it out by himself.

This was the first time in history that Xiao Chu praised him in front of all the court officials. Zong Zheng Qingqi, who had long been accustomed to not showing his emotions on his face, could not suppress the smile on his lips. All of a sudden, his back straightened even more, and his chin could not help but lift up, like a child who was praised by his elders.

Such an expression was fleeting, but it was still captured by some sensitive ministers.

The way Xiao Jiuqiansui and the emperor get along does not seem to be as tense as they think. Strange, strange.

The morning court was soon over. Yan Chu did not return to his palace, but let the grown-up eunuch who was taken in by him at the beginning support him and walk towards the inner hall of the Qianqing Palace.

"I wonder if Your Majesty would do me the honor of accompanying me out of the palace."

Privately, Yan Chu always called himself "I" in front of Zong Zheng Qingqi, and Zong Zheng Qingqi himself was used to it, just like when they were together in private, he never called himself "Gu" to Yan Chu.

In the past two or three years, Zong Zheng Qingqi never left the palace with Yan Chu again, because at that time he had already started to get involved in government affairs and began to cultivate his own new power in the court.

Everyone around him told him to be on guard against Xiao Chu, fearing that the other party would do something to hurt him in private.

Suddenly, he heard the other party ask him to leave the palace together, and Zong Zheng Qingqi was still a little uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty."

The eunuch behind Zong Zheng Qingqi called nervously. Now the voices in the court demanding Xiao Chu to return power are getting louder and louder. Who knows what the other party is thinking of asking His Majesty to accompany him out of the palace this time.

After so many years, we can't fail at the last moment.

"Okay."

Face Yan Chu's eyes, Zong Zheng Qingqi agreed.

*****

"You are talking about my father. He died two years ago."

In a farmer's house, Zong Zheng Qingqi and Yan Chu were wearing casual clothes and sitting around an old wooden table with a missing corner to have lunch.

Grain dumplings, pickled vegetable porridge, chicken soup with a layer of chicken fat, Zong Zheng Qingqi's thoughts suddenly returned to ten years ago.

The same food, except that the old farmer who sat with them at the table at the beginning has become the old farmer's son, and the three slightly shabby thatched houses at the beginning have become five bright mud-brick houses now.

Zong Zheng Qingqi chewed the rough and dry grain dumplings in his mouth. He was still not used to the taste, but now he could chew sweetness from it, and he could talk about farming with this farmer.

"Your father and son have a really good relationship."

The little kid with a gap in his teeth is now married and has children, and has become a cheerful young man. He is holding a little kid who has not grown teeth in his arms, and he uses chopsticks to dip chicken soup to feed him to taste the freshness, and said with a smile.

Father and son?

Zong Zheng Qingqi glanced at the much older man beside him, and his heart softened, and he didn't say anything to refute.

"I still remember that you ate a candied haws from me."

When returning to the palace, Zong Zheng Qingqi bought a string of candied haws specially. This taste has always remained in his heart, but since that time, he has never tasted the taste of candied haws again.

"Hmm-a bit sour."

Zong Zheng Qingqi took a bite of the candied haws and frowned because of the sour hawthorn inside. Is this really the delicacy he missed for a long time when he was a child?

After doubting his taste in his childhood, Zong Zheng Qingqi handed the remaining candied haws to Yan Chu.

This is what he once owed him.

Yan Chu looked at the little emperor's tightly clenched hands and smiled.

"Today, let your majesty accompany me out of the palace, which is also a wish of mine. My body can't hold on for much longer. For the rest of my life, I want to visit the beautiful rivers and mountains of Dashang, and then find a place with the most beautiful scenery to bury myself."

He returned the two strings of candied haws, so should he also return the power that should be returned to the original owner? This is what the little emperor wanted to express.

Yan Chu understood the other party's feelings very well, not to mention that he was indeed planning to leave.

He cultivated a wise ruler for Da Shang, and all the debts owed to him in his original life were made up in this life.

"Leave?"

Zong Zheng Qingqi's hands trembled. Yes, only if the other party leaves is the best choice. As long as he is still in the court, his former party forces will never give up.

And only if the other party leaves the court completely, he can really rest assured about him.

Such an idea is despicable, and it is indeed the best choice for both of them. It is better than one day when he becomes a real emperor and can no longer tolerate the other party's existence.

"I will send a team to protect you."

"No need."

Yan Chu glanced at the emperor, who was a little nervous. His expression showed whether the role of the team was protection or surveillance.

His thoughts were seen through by Yan Chu, and Zong Zheng Qingqi was a little annoyed. In fact, the other party's body was already so bad, what should he be vigilant about.

"Take care on the way."

Without the conflict of interests, Zong Zheng Qingqi felt that a huge stone was put down in his heart. From now on, perhaps he can only look at the man in front of him with pure appreciation and admiration.

No matter what he was, at least for him, he was a good teacher.

*****

"Are you leaving?"

After Emperor Chengqing died in the imperial mausoleum, Wanqi Lan had been waiting, waiting for Yan Chu to leave.

Ten years later, Wanqi Lan had become a grandmother. The strong emotions she once had had gradually settled down. She became more wise and more charming. Similarly, she was no longer young.

"Well, it's time to leave. If I stay in the palace, wouldn't it be like you have to make a choice between the two?"

This time is just right. Zong Zheng Qingqi is ready to become an emperor, but he is not cruel enough. In a few years, as the court officials guessed, one of them will end up miserable.

"You have been hiding from me for ten years. You can't hide from me anymore in the future." Wanqi Lan smiled at the man not far away.

The meaning of his words is that he wants to leave the palace with Yan Chu.

"This time, you choose me?"

Yan Chu smiled. In a trance, Wanqi Lan returned to more than 30 years ago. At that time, his smile was the same as now, without any complicated emotions, just pure happiness.

The original body had two wishes. One was to make Da Shang peaceful and the people live in peace. He did it. He helped the Zong Zheng family manage the country for more than 20 years and cultivated a wise monarch for the people.

The second wish was that the original owner wanted to be chosen by Wanqi Lan once.

In his previous life, he had countless chances to win against Zong Zheng Qingqi, but he still lost in the end. Did he really lose to the King of the Northwest? No, he just lost to Wanqi Lan, lost to his only remaining best memory.

This time, he also wanted to be chosen by Wanqi Lan once, no matter what the reason, just once would be fine.

Now Wanqi Lan chose to give up the identity of the queen mother, gave up becoming the son of the emperor, and left with Yan Chu. The original body's wish has been fulfilled.

"I'm tired."

After laughing, Yan Chu shook his head gently.

"I lived for revenge in the first half of my life, and for the people of Dashang in the second half of my life. For the rest of my life, I just want to live for myself."

Yan Chu looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the palace wall, "The girl I like is the girl with long braids riding on the back of a deer, and you like the upright and cheerful General Yan. We are no longer the same as we were before. What we like is really the changed us, or the shadow in the depths of our memory that we constantly beautify and recall."

Yan Chu turned around and smiled with relief at Wanqi Lan's puzzled and puzzled eyes.

"Empress Dowager, take care of yourself in the future."

Yan Chu gathered the cloak on his chest, turned around and left under the other's stunned gaze.

*****

"Nine thousand years old, are we really leaving?"

The little eunuch who was lucky enough to be chosen by Yan Chu to stay by his side looked at the red palace wall that was getting farther and farther away, and felt a little reluctant.

You said he had finally climbed to such a high position, why did he think so much and followed the governor out of the palace? Once he left the imperial city, he would be nothing.

"If you can't bear it, it's not too late to go back now."

Yan Chu sat in the carriage, holding a book, and spoke slowly.

"That won't work." The little eunuch answered without thinking. He had been serving the governor for more than ten years. How lonely the governor would be without him. He also had a conscience. The governor treated him well, and he had to repay his kindness.

Isn't this because he felt sorry for his treasures that he hadn't packed up, but the gold, silver and jewelry they brought with them on this trip out of the palace were enough for them to be a chic rich man outside the palace.

Thinking about the increasingly tense situation in the palace where life was in danger every day, it seemed that this was also a good choice.

The little eunuch didn't think too much, and saw that the tea beside the governor had been finished, so he quickly filled it up.

The imperial physician said that the governor's time was running out, so he couldn't show a bitter face in front of the governor. He had to be happy every day. Maybe the governor would be in a good mood and his life would be extended.

Not all the words of the imperial physicians could be believed. The governor was such a good person, why couldn't he live a hundred years?

The young eunuch encouraged himself in his heart, and the carriage gradually drove away from the imperial city and went to an unknown place.

*****

"I didn't expect that I would send you away first."

In the ancestral tomb of the Yan family, there was a newly renovated tomb with Yan Chu's name written on the tombstone.

Wanqi Lan dressed up and knelt in front of the tombstone in casual clothes. At this time, she was older than three years ago.

Before his death, the other party asked her to bury him in a place with good scenery and not to pollute the ancestral tomb of the Yan family, but Wanqi Lan finally failed his wish.

When he was alive, Yan Chu was unwilling to acknowledge his identity, causing the world to sneer at the Yan family. After his death, he should return to the place where he belongs, where his parents, siblings, and other relatives are.

When burying Yan Chu's body, Wanqi Lan also put a booklet describing his life experience in the coffin.

Perhaps one day in the future, when there is no Da Shang, no royal family, and everything becomes more open, this booklet will be discovered, and people at that time will be able to better evaluate his mistakes in this life and his true identity.

There is nothing worth laughing at in his life. He is a hero.

"Empress, it's time to go back to the palace."

The only old nanny who knew about Wanqi Lan and Yan Chu's past was still energetic. She looked at the time and urged Wanqi Lan in a low voice.

Wanqi Lan stood up with her help, and his knees had long been numb from kneeling.

"I still don't understand what you said when you left."

Wanqi Lan slowly spoke to Yan Chu's grave: "But don't forget to wait for me when you cross the Naihe Bridge. At least in the next life, we should not miss each other again."

"My queen, it's time to go."

The old nanny's eyes were a little reluctant. The imperial physician said that my queen was suffering from a heart disease. Since the news of General Yan's death came, her body has collapsed. I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on for much longer.

She couldn't persuade my queen. Fortunately, she was old. On the road to the underworld, she could still serve her princess.

The two figures were getting longer and longer in the afterglow of the sunset until they disappeared.

The author has something to say: I will try to make the next story sweeter, and I will restrain myself from adding glass slag to the sugar.