allonlinenovel Chapter 416 Prince Chun
Chapter 416 Prince Chun
Emperor Shenwu ordered the palace servants to serve the meal in the palace, and the family of five prepared to have the meal in the palace.
When Lan Qingwu came out, several princes had already left the palace.
Emperor Shenwu asked with a smile, "What kind of soup did you teach Yueyue to cook? What kind of painting did you teach her to create?"
Lan Qingwu glanced at his little daughter, who was secretly sticking out her tongue, and said helplessly, "Your Majesty will know in a moment."
Emperor Shenwu thoroughly enjoyed this warm and affectionate atmosphere. He couldn't even dream of a harmonious marriage with his children around him. He watched Lan Qingwu pour soup and pick up some vegetables for him, the children's whispers filling his ears.
"This lotus root is actually made into jade-white little feet!"
The seventh princess exclaimed in admiration and picked up a piece of lotus root with chopsticks.
The Seventh Prince couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister, when you were little, I saw you eating your own feet."
"Impossible!" The Seventh Princess widened her eyes. "I didn't do that! How could I possibly eat my own feet?"
My feet smell good, but...
The Seventh Princess looked at the Seventh Prince's confident face as if she had been greatly shocked. "Father, Mother, Brother, is this true? Yueyue didn't do it!"
The Sixth Prince couldn't bear it and glared at the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince was suppressed by the bloodline from his own brother, so he lowered his head and picked up the food to eat. However, a word from the Sixth Prince almost made the Seventh Prince spit out his food.
"When your seventh brother was little, he loved eating his own feet too. Sixth brother watched him eat them every day, and he would even cry if he wasn't allowed to!"
The Sixth Prince had a blank expression on his face.
The Seventh Prince's face flushed crimson, but the Seventh Princess smiled brightly, "So, Brother Seven has also eaten his own feet!"
Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu couldn't help but look at each other, with smiles in their eyes.
The next day, several princes of the royal family came to pay homage to Emperor Shenwu. When the memorial was handed to Emperor Shenwu, Emperor Shenwu had to see them and immediately summoned several princes, among whom Prince Ding and Prince Kang were prominently listed.
Among them was an old prince of the same generation as Emperor Shenwu’s grandfather, who was highly respected and given the title “Chun”.
When Prince Chun came to the palace, he immediately bowed deeply to Emperor Shenwu. Emperor Shenwu quickly signaled Prince Ding with his eyes, saying, "Prince, please don't be so polite. You are my grandfather's younger brother and my elder. You absolutely cannot be so polite!"
Prince Ding stretched out his long arms and helped the old prince up with Prince Kang. Old Prince Chun couldn't kneel down, so he simply gave up. Emperor Shenwu ordered someone to give him a seat.
The palace servants placed a chair in front of the prince, but Prince Chun waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, even if I am an elder, I cannot take advantage of my age. I will stand and answer your Majesty!"
Since old Prince Chun didn't want to sit, the remaining older princes couldn't sit either. There was nothing they could do because they were not as senior as the others.
Emperor Shenwu said slowly, "Everyone in the palace today is from the royal family, and Old Prince Chun is even a centenarian. No need to be polite. The Queen will prepare lunch, and I will dine with you all!"
Several princes hurriedly expressed their gratitude, and the emperor inquired about the old prince's health. Finally, Old Prince Chun changed the subject and got to the point: "Your Majesty, there has been unrest in the harem of the previous dynasty a while ago. I, as an old minister, have long since turned a deaf ear to the affairs of the previous dynasty. However, I have learned that Your Majesty, in a fit of rage, has sent your own Fourth Prince to the imperial mausoleum. Is this inappropriate? The Fourth Prince is Your Majesty's biological son. Such an act will likely lead to endless criticism from the royal family, the previous dynasty, and even the people!"
Emperor Shenwu thought to himself, "Finally, he's shown up!" Several princes from the royal family always come to ask about this. Royal blood is paramount, and unless there's a serious crime like treason or rebellion, royal children are privileged. The idea that a prince is guilty of the same crime as a commoner is simply impossible. Rulers protect and support the people of the world, but they also enjoy supreme power and the ultimate authority of the emperor.
To a certain extent, Emperor Shenwu scoffed at the idea of equality for all that Lan Qingwu sometimes inadvertently revealed.
The outbreak of the incident involving Concubine Zhang, the fifth prince's mother, also reflects the differences in their ideas.
When Emperor Shenwu exiled the fourth prince, he anticipated that several old princes would inquire about the matter.
Emperor Shenwu said slowly, "Old Prince Chun, I'm sure you've heard about the Queen being poisoned by a cold."
Prince Chun nodded in agreement. "The Empress is the Mother of the Nation. We, the old ministers, pray for a long and healthy life for Her Majesty! But if you severely punish my royal bloodline for this matter, isn't that a bit excessive?"
After all, Lan Qingwu was safe and sound in the end. As for the damage to his body and the impact on his lifespan, who could have seen it!
Emperor Shenwu's face was stern and cold. "Old Prince Chun, my former officials, princes, and concubines colluded to assassinate the Queen Mother of the Dasheng Dynasty. I have already investigated and found out that there is nothing wrong with the servants and things in Fengqi Palace. It's just that the Queen is very kind to flowers and plants. However, she went to the flower room a few times in the past few days and was assassinated. The method was silent and extremely vicious. I am also very worried. What if this hand unknowingly reaches into my Qianzheng Palace? If I don't punish severely, I am afraid that the poison will one day be able to make its way into my own rice bowl!"
This is also the real reason why Emperor Shenwu agreed to let Lan Qingwu return to Fengqi Palace. There is no problem with Fengqi Palace. It has long been protected by Emperor Shenwu. However, people cannot be trapped in it and cannot get out. The person behind the scenes seized this opportunity.
The corner of Prince Chun's eye twitched, and he hurriedly cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. How dare they!"
Prince Ding stepped forward and said, "Old Prince Chun, you may not know that some time ago, the Qianzheng Palace was under martial law, and a young eunuch was dragged out. Under torture, he confessed that he had stolen Your Majesty's imperial painting and sold it. To this day, the painting has not been found, and the young eunuch has committed suicide!"
Prince Kang's expression also changed: "If that little eunuch does something else, will Your Majesty be safe in the palace?"
Emperor Shenwu waved his hand, looking at Old Prince Chun's unhappy expression, and said, "Ministers, princes, and concubines of the previous dynasty, what are they trying to do by colluding with each other? What was their purpose in poisoning the Queen? Of course, they were targeting other princes who coveted my throne! Old Prince Chun, is my punishment too severe?"
Prince Chun was silent for a moment. Of course it wasn’t severe. Anyone who threatened the imperial power would not be punished severely no matter what!
"Old minister, I understand!"
Another prince said, "Your Majesty is already showing mercy by sparing the Fourth Prince's life!"
After the banquet, Prince Ding and Prince Kang were detained by Emperor Shenwu. Prince Kang was much more composed. He spoke first, "Your Majesty, these old princes are too nosy. This is originally your Majesty's family affair!"
Prince Ding shook his head upon hearing this. Emperor Shenwu nodded his chin and said, "Prince Ding, go ahead!"
Prince Ding said respectfully, "Second Brother, these old princes are not idle. Of course, they don't have a deep friendship with the Fourth Prince, but they all have sons and grandsons of their own. They saw Your Majesty deal with their sons so decisively. Although there are reasons for it, they are also instinctively afraid. What if one of the princes or grandsons makes a mistake and is reported to Your Majesty? Do you think they are afraid?"
King Kang frowned and said, "So what if you're afraid? If you have the ability, don't make any mistakes! You're all so cunning, like a sieve!"
Emperor Shenwu suddenly said, "That Wuer Yuji from the grassland has been dead for several years. Do you want me to grant you another concubine?"
Prince Kang's face froze, and he quickly knelt on the ground: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! But I will be letting Your Majesty down!"
Emperor Shenwu said nonchalantly, "Oh? What? You don't like the women I give you? No problem, they are just a few women, I will give you a few more!"
King Kang knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness, but I didn't know how to control myself when I was young. Now my health is impaired and I am no longer able to do so. The imperial physician has instructed me to be chaste and restrain my desires."
The palace was filled with silence. Prince Ding couldn't help but twitch his lips. "Second brother, how can you say such things in front of His Majesty!"
King Kang said helplessly, "What the minister said is true!"
Emperor Shenwu finally spoke: "Originally, I had thought that the grassland tribes would come to Dasheng to pay tribute in the spring of this year, and I would then give you a few beauties. Since that's the case, then so be it!"
It's a shame I can't use my identity as King Kang anymore. King Kang thanked me repeatedly. He was really scared. When Wuer Yuji died, it was also a big trouble. After all, it involved the diplomatic relations between the two countries. Fortunately, the woman's body was not normal to begin with. After all, she died in a foreign country after more than ten years.
And the only kindness that woman who fought for her tribe and country received was the man's request for medical treatment and medicine when she was alive and the deep sigh when she passed away!