The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1297 Finale

Thinking back to the years that Sheng Yuan had been assisting in the administration, she had never been troubled by the exclusion from cabinet ministers at the beginning, the ridicule for her emphasis on science and technology and research and development, the attacks and slanders for promoting female officials and changing the deep-rooted backward customs and habits, etc.

The unreasonable ones were dealt with, the ignorant and incompetent were sent for re-education, and the ignorant and conservative were thrown into the grassland to graze... The main theme of the left and right sides was "rational discussion, civilized debate, harmonious consultation, and finally compliance with the laws of nature and happiness for everyone."

Although her administration has not been easy since the Prime Minister Gu Yuncheng retired in the third year of Shunning and Sheng Yuanrong took over the position of Prime Minister, most of the things she wanted to do were accomplished despite all difficulties; even if some of them could not be promoted for the time being, they laid a good foundation for their future achievement.

This is also the reason why she can take such a long maternity leave leisurely.

But even with her ability, her head couldn't help but buzzing when she heard Zhiyu's words!

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are having a quarrel. This, this, this...it's no use helping anyone!

More importantly, her previous methods of dealing with problems were no longer applicable.

The method of “problems caused by troublemakers are difficult to solve, so just solve the people who caused the troublemakers” is not applicable here!

She couldn't possibly get rid of the emperor and the empress dowager, and she wasn't trying to usurp the throne.

"Perhaps you can find a way to get rid of the person who caused the quarrel between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager." Tongzi, who had just returned from a long journey, suddenly reminded.

Sheng Yuan glanced at the guy who was about to go out again: "I have mediated for them so many times before, and every time it was either a dispute of temper or a difference of ideas, and I never saw anyone getting involved."

"[The past is the past, the present is the present, things are always moving, stillness is only relative... Do I need to remind you of this?!]" Tongzi, who had put his luggage on his back, put his sunglasses on his face and raised his head, "[Don't forget that the emperor is now in her prime, and she has gone through the coming-of-age ceremony. She is no longer the child she used to be!"

After saying that, the playful Tongzi blew a few kisses to Sheng Yuan and said, "Goodbye, infancy, buddy!" Then, he turned around and walked away, waving his hand.

"..."

After Tongzi's words awakened the dreamer, he walked away without a trace of worry, leaving Sheng Yuan standing there, not knowing whether to be surprised or helpless.

"Third Miss." Zhiyu saw Sheng Yuan jump to the ground in shock and then stood there in a daze, not saying a word for a long time. Thinking that she was startled by her sudden appearance, she couldn't help but call him softly with trepidation.

"Ah?!" Sheng Yuan heard the voice and suddenly remembered that Zhiyu was still beside him. He immediately slapped his head and muttered softly, "He has really become stupid."

Then he gently rubbed his forehead, helplessly looked at Zhiyu who was full of concern, and asked in a panic: "Why is there a quarrel again? Last time at the coming-of-age ceremony, didn't the emperor express his gratitude to the empress dowager for giving birth to and raising him, and took the initiative to promise not to argue with the empress dowager anymore? Why did he go back on his word this time?!"

"Because..." Zhiyu just said a word impulsively, then stopped, looked around, and even though she didn't see anyone else, she refused to say a word, just whispered, "Please follow me into the palace quickly, and I will tell you after we enter the inner courtyard."

"..." Upon hearing this, Sheng Yuan instantly thought of what Tongzi had just said and hesitated.

If she didn't still have the responsibility of being the emperor's teacher, she would have pretended to be stupid.

……

"Miss Third, have you ever heard of the Chen family on Nanping Street in Kyoto?" Zhiyu suddenly asked as they walked towards Zhihui Palace.

Sheng Yuan knew that she was going to explain the whole story, and thought about it carefully: "It sounds a little familiar..."

"During the Chengyuan period, their family had a prime minister, but later he was implicated by Crown Prince Huaiyan, so Emperor Gaozu dismissed him and exiled him."

"Ah, so it's their family! I remember that!" Sheng Yuan said suddenly, "The Prime Minister's surname is Chen Fengsheng, and he is said to be a capable official.

Not long after Emperor Gaozu dismissed him, he regretted his decision. Later, when he found an opportunity, he recalled him and his family from the cold and bitter land. He also gave him the title of Yuanwailang and asked him to live out his days in peace.

It is said that he was a man who enjoyed a quiet life. After returning to Beijing, he really ignored government affairs and did not plan for a future for himself and his sons. He just forced his children and grandchildren to study hard day and night. At that time, there was a rumor that he was pinning his hopes on his grandson's generation to pass the imperial examinations!

I just wonder if the third generation of their family participated in the imperial examinations collectively as rumored, and how many talents emerged during that time... By the way, why did you mention their family today?"

"You have a really good memory. You even remember such a retired person so clearly." Zhiyu did not respond to Sheng Yuan's words immediately, but flattered him instead.

Sheng Yuan thought, how could I not remember this clearly? After all, the Chen family has some connection with Concubine An!

You should know that before An Yu's aunt, Concubine An, got married, Emperor Gao had arranged a marriage for her with Chen Fengsheng's youngest son, Chen Xianxi... But later, the Chen family was exiled to a cold and bitter place. Emperor Gao couldn't bear to see his old friend's daughter suffer from this, so he personally wrote an imperial edict to cancel the previous arranged marriage, and let Concubine An become a concubine of Emperor Jinghe, who was then King Hui, as compensation.

An Yu said that after his cousin was crowned as king, he had frequent exchanges with Chen Xian, and even regarded him as a counselor and a good minister! This made Concubine An very angry.

What made Concubine An even more angry was yet to come. After repeated efforts to discipline her son, she had achieved no results, and her son almost married Chen Xian's niece as his principal wife.

If it weren't for Empress Lu's trick, the King of Chu would not have been able to return to the capital alive. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble would have happened.

"...Chen Xian is Chen Fengsheng's late-born son." Zhiyu was silent for a moment after flattering Sheng Yuan, and then suddenly spoke up to answer Sheng Yuan's question, "And he also has a late-born son named Chen Zhixu, who is only nineteen this year."

"Chen Zhixu, nineteen...nineteen?!" Sheng Yuan suddenly became alert.

Three years younger than the emperor?!

This... shouldn't be her overthinking? !

Sheng Yuan looked at Zhiyu with wide eyes, and when she saw him nod slowly, she asked without hesitation, "Is that young man good-looking?"

"People who have seen him either praised him as 'a man as beautiful as jade, a young man unparalleled in the world', or lamented that 'before Pan An, there was Chen Lang'."

When Zhiyu said this, Sheng Yuan felt a chill in his back teeth, and sighed, "The emperor has reached the age of liking beauty, and it is human nature to like beautiful appearance."

After sighing, Sheng Yuan looked at Zhiyu in confusion: "Could it be that the dispute between the emperor and the queen mother originated from this person?!"

Zhiyu looked at herself in Sheng Yuan's eyes and nodded slowly.

"...Really?!" Sheng Yuan was stunned, puzzled, "If the emperor really likes her, as long as the other party's character is good enough, he can just ask him to be a candidate for the emperor's husband. Why are they arguing all the time?!"

"The Queen Mother thought that Chen Zhixu was too cunning and hated the Chen family's behavior, so when she heard that the Emperor and Chen Zhixu often interacted, she ordered them to cut off contact..."

After hearing this, Sheng Yuan could guess what would happen next without even listening to the rest of the story.

The emperor may have reached puberty, but she has become more and more stubborn in recent years. No matter who tells her not to do something, she will do it more. As a result, the quarrels and conflicts between her and the queen mother have become more intense. This time, she must have been unable to tolerate the queen mother's interference and her stubborn temper came out.

"But, when did the emperor meet Chen Zhixu, and when did they start interacting with each other?"

"Two months ago, the emperor planned to recruit a wave of talents, so he published a few test questions in the Times. It was during that period that Chen Zhixu caught the emperor's eye with his talent for poetry and prose."

"A talent for poetry and prose..." Sheng Yuan nodded, "She is both talented and beautiful. No wonder the emperor likes her."

"Miss San!" Zhiyu didn't expect Sheng Yuan to accept it so well. She was afraid that if she wasn't careful, she would be asked to stand on the emperor's side. She stamped her feet and reminded him, "My dear Miss! The emperor likes him, but the queen mother doesn't like him! The mother and daughter had a quarrel and they haven't reconciled yet."

"Reconcile?! If the emperor really likes the other person, how long can the queen mother stop them? Don't let it end up preventing a pair of true love from forming and destroying the family relationship."

Sheng Yuan looked at the outline of Zhihui Palace not far away and gently reminded Zhiyu: "Report my original words to the Queen Mother and tell her to calm down."

"Slave..." Zhiyu looked at Sheng Yuan in embarrassment and shyly offered a suggestion, "How about Miss San talk to the Queen Mother herself?"

"I said? Then she will have to punish me?!" Sheng Yuan waved his hands quickly.

Her sister's temper is getting worse and worse, and she often starts scolding people over a disagreement. She just wants to feel uncomfortable!

"Go back and tell her that no matter how angry my sister is, she will calm down after I get there."

Zhiyu listened to Sheng Yuan's matter-of-fact words and couldn't help but sigh: If the emperor could be as slippery and lazy as the third lady in front of the empress dowager, many conflicts might not have arisen.

……

As soon as Sheng Yuan entered the study of Zhihui Palace, he saw the back of the little emperor's head which had just turned around.

"If you are here to criticize me on behalf of my mother, please step aside. I am not in the mood to listen to harsh criticism today."

Before Sheng Yuan could say anything, the little emperor's muffled voice reached her ears.

"Why does the emperor say that?!" Sheng Yuan smiled, and not only did not leave, but walked to the table where the little emperor was sitting and sat down casually.

"Hmph, my aunt is asking questions even though you already know the answer." The little emperor looked up at Sheng Yuan, rolled his eyes, and turned his head to the other side.

"I really don't know why I should teach Your Majesty a lesson." Sheng Yuan put his hands on the table and looked at the emperor sideways. "How about Your Majesty remind me?"

"I..." The little emperor looked at Sheng Yuan speechlessly.

Didn't she look like a fool? Who in their right mind would expose their shortcomings in front of the teacher?

Seeing that she was just sulking and refusing to speak, Sheng Yuan was not anxious. He just raised his eyebrows and looked at the little emperor with a smile.

Sure enough, this provocative look worked.

The young and hot-tempered emperor couldn't stand it anymore, and immediately slammed the table and blurted out: "Aren't you here just for Chen Zhixu, the young master of the Chen family?!"

"Young Master Chen?!" Sheng Yuan tapped the table with his fingers. "I have heard of this person."

"Hmph." Seeing that Sheng Yuan didn't seem to object, the little emperor's previous rebellious mood subsided a lot. However, his face was at stake, so he couldn't change his mind immediately.

Naturally, Sheng Yuan noticed this change in her.

"Since the emperor mentioned this person, I will just say something. After all, although the emperor's marriage is a private matter, it concerns the future of the country. Whether as the emperor's teacher or the chief minister of the court, I have the responsibility to warn and advise."

"You're still losing your temper, aren't you?!" The little emperor curled his lips and shrugged, indicating that he was all ears.

Sheng Yuan was not angry, and continued to speak slowly: "Although the emperor is the ruler of the world, there are many things that he cannot do as he pleases..."

"Humph, you mean to say that I shouldn't act recklessly!" The little emperor pouted with a bad look on his face.

Sheng, however, nodded as if he hadn't seen it, "It's all the same, it's all the same, Your Majesty doesn't need to care about these details."

The little emperor choked and was amused by the perfunctory attitude.

These two words have different positive and negative meanings. Did the teacher take her for a fool? !

"Your Majesty, please do not think that I am meddling. After all, the talent, appearance and quality of the emperor's husband are closely related to the emperor's heirs, and are also related to the upper and lower limits of the future heirs of Da Chu. Therefore, if you want to have more high-quality heirs, you must select the best among the candidates for the emperor's husband. I think the selection criteria must be comprehensive, and the most important one must be character."

"Auntie, are you implying that Chen Zhixu has a problem with his character?"

……

"Whether he is a good person or not, I don't know now, but I have heard of his family's reputation."

"Aunt, you are losing your temper, aren't you? You are trying to help my mother persuade me to break up with him in a roundabout way!" The little emperor showed an expression of "I was right" and looked at Sheng Yuan smugly.

Sheng Yuan sighed helplessly, "I am just saying that based on the Chen family's usual style of doing things, Chen Zhixu is not suitable to be your Majesty's principal husband. Of course, if the emperor really likes him, it is not impossible to take him into the palace as a concubine after they get married and have children in the future."

She said this simply and easily, but she didn't know that these casual words stunned everyone present and they couldn't close their mouths for a long time.

"Aunt, what are you talking about? What's the main husband and concubine? How can you talk like that?" The little emperor's face flushed red, and it seemed that even his hair revealed embarrassment.

Looking at the extremely embarrassed and angry little emperor in front of him, Sheng Yuan blinked in surprise: "This word did not exist before, but there has never been a girl who ascended the throne as an emperor as a princess before! Of course, the words "Husband of the Emperor" and "Concubine" are also made up by me on the spot. If you don't like it, it's okay to change the name in the future."

"..."The little emperor was once again shocked by Sheng Yuan's blunt words.

Cai Ning, who was standing by, came to her senses and said in a low voice, "Master Prime Minister... the emperor has just come of age... you, you are talking about these tigers and wolves here... ahem, aren't you going too far by saying these things?"

Sheng Yuan heard the voice and looked at the little palace maid whose head was about to steam. He said with a smile, "How could this official say anything vulgar?! The emperor has already reached the age of marriage, and now he has someone he loves. In this case, what's wrong with talking about marrying a husband?!"

As soon as she finished saying "marry a husband", coughing sounds broke out in the hall.

After hearing this, Sheng Yuan slowly glanced among the people who overreacted, and teased them one by one, "Look at how ignorant you are."

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, the Emperor has no intention of marrying more than one wife, ahem. What I mean is that the Emperor only wants to follow the example of the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor and choose only one among all the beauties." Cai Ning said dryly on behalf of the little emperor what she was embarrassed to say.

Sheng Yuan waved his hand: "The situation is different! Unless, Your Majesty, you don't care whether the Chu Kingdom will be named Jiang or something else in the future, and are willing to have three generations of heirs return to the clan, otherwise you should still marry a few more husbands and give birth to a few more princes and princesses, so that they can check and balance each other and ensure the continuation of the Jiang Chu Kingdom."

When he heard the possibility of the imperial power falling into someone else's hands, the blush on the little emperor's cheeks gradually faded.

Cai Ning looked at the silent little emperor and could only bite the bullet and murmur softly: "But, but... our emperor is a girl, it is not convenient for him to marry so many husbands."

"What's wrong with a girl? The emperor is a girl, but he is also the ruler of the world. The entire country belongs to the emperor. Not to mention marrying a few husbands, even if the three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines are all reopened, what can people in this world say?!"

"Cough, cough, cough!" The little emperor was just about to pick up the teacup and take a sip of cold tea to calm down when he was choked by these words.

"Your Majesty!" Cai Ning was shocked when she saw this and hurried forward to serve, but was stopped by the little emperor.

"I, I... I'm fine." The last few words sounded like he was speaking with gritted teeth.

"Master Prime Minister, please stop talking!" Cai Ning breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the little emperor was fine. She turned her head and whispered, "In the past, during the Yan and Chen dynasties, when the emperor was the emperor and the concubines had children, there were several cases of children being swapped or robbed. Now that the emperor is the emperor, if he marries more, I'm afraid he will be even more worried. The advice of the censors outside is a small matter, but if the affairs of the harem take up the emperor's energy, how can he govern the country in the future?"

Cai Ning's words were a little unclear, but Sheng Yuan understood what she meant: "The emperor is the emperor, the emperor is the emperor, and being able to be the father of the emperor's personally conceived child is a great fortune for him and his family. Who can have any objection?"

After that, she looked at the speechless little emperor and said in a soothing tone: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about such things, nor do you have to struggle to figure out who the biological father of the heir is because you favor your husband too much. You just need to know that the child was born from your womb and is your biological child. As for the record in the Jade Book, you have the final say."

"Bang!" The little emperor, who was about to stand up, slipped and almost fell. Fortunately, there was a table at hand to support himself, and he just knocked over a paperweight.

"Aunt, does the Empress Dowager know about the vicious words you said?" The little emperor's face turned purple and red. He wanted to touch his forehead, but his sleeves were stained with ink... If he had not retained a little bit of rationality, he would have shouted to her and asked for help!

"The Queen Mother certainly didn't know before, but now, perhaps she already knows!" Sheng Yuan still didn't look worried at all, and was even in the mood to smile at the little emperor.

"..."When the little emperor saw this, all the complaints in his heart disappeared instantly.

The little emperor had finally sorted out her words, but before she could say anything, she saw the smile in Sheng Yuan's eyes. Immediately, there was a loud bang in her head and she understood!

It turned out that her aunt and her teacher were just joking with her by saying all these things!

"Aunt said these ridiculous things just to make fun of me?!" The little emperor, who understood all this, was so angry that his eyes turned red.

"How dare I make fun of the emperor? I just told you in advance what the queen mother and you need to consider in a few years! If you really want to say it's ridiculous, I dare to ask... Just to be angry with the queen mother, you want to force a boy with unknown background to be your partner, completely ignoring the potential risks. Isn't this ridiculous?!

At present, the important matter of ruling the country is right in front of you, but you turn a blind eye to it! You neglect important matters such as getting married and having children, which are related to the stability of the country! You let yourself get angry and make a fuss! You neither care for the queen mother who guards the country for you, thinks for you, and takes care of everything for you, nor do you pity the common people who work hard every day to produce, pay taxes, and live a poor life. You can't distinguish between the virtuous and the treacherous! Isn't this ridiculous? ! "

Sheng Yuan's words were spoken with emphasis and intensity.

Looking at the little emperor who was stunned by her scolding, Sheng Yuan's rising anger eased a little: "Your Majesty, ever since I was ordered by the late emperor to be your teacher, I have been worried every day and couldn't sleep at night. I was afraid that I was not capable enough and could not shoulder the heavy responsibility, causing people in the world to look down on you and the empress dowager, and implicate the great Chu country, the common people, and those girls who are studying hard and fighting hard." "Little, little... aunt." The little emperor looked at the flickering flames in Sheng Yuan's eyes, and suddenly he didn't dare to look at her.

"You have studied classics, history, and literature since you were young, learned poetry and prose, delved into legal cases, and reviewed good governance practices. Along the way, whether it is the noble scenery of the elite or the secular scenery of the common people, I will show you everything!

The economic calculations in the world, the various social conditions among the people, the factional struggles in the court, the grievances and disputes in the rivers and lakes, the intrigues and deceptions of all parties with interests, the calculations and checks and balances in the inner court... I think you can see them all clearly. I think you should also be clear about the interests involved.

I do not think that a Chen Zhixu can deceive your eyes. Even if this Chen Lang is the reincarnation of Pan An or Gongjin, you can still treat him normally.

But I know that you are just being naughty and acting like a spoiled brat, not really confused, so what's the point? In the eyes of others, other court officials, and the common people, your actions will only be a case of lust blinding your mind!

Your Majesty, even if I am the Prime Minister, I am just one of the hundreds of officials in the court! Even if I have a thousand mouths, I can't make most people believe that he, Chen Zhixu, is just an excuse for you and the Queen Mother to act spoiled and willful!

By then, how will all the officials in the world view you? How will they view the Chen family? !

People who think you are easily fooled will try every possible means to fool you; people who think you are weak-willed, easily shaken, easily confused, and easily influenced by external things will try every possible means to confuse and tempt you; people who think you are unworthy of your position and not worthy of a husband may begin to have false thoughts.

In this case, will Chen Zhixu, who is considered to be able to influence your thoughts and policies, become the object of their pursuit and flattery? By then, what kind of inappropriate thoughts will the Chen family behind Chen Zhixu have?

Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the world. What you say, think, do, and do may seem insignificant to you, but it affects the entire body. This is why ministers have always made bitter remonstrations to the emperor since ancient times!"

Sheng Yuan was quite tired when she said this. She looked at the guilty little emperor and sighed with true feelings: "Your Majesty, you have already reached the age of marriage... Although you are still a child in the eyes of the elders, you are the emperor. Even if you have not yet taken power, you can't treat yourself as a child.

I know that you are dissatisfied with the Queen Mother's strict discipline of you, and you want to act like a spoiled princess... But why can't you understand that the Queen Mother is strict with you, busy with government affairs and rarely has fun, all in order to pave the way for your future personal rule. She wants to hand over a great country to you so that you don't have too much pressure and burden! "

"Aunt!" After the young emperor waved his hand to dismiss the eunuchs and palace servants, he looked at Sheng Yuan with tears in his eyes and asked back sobbingly, "I know what you said, but even though I am the emperor, I am also a human being! I am not a tool for the continuation of the Great Chu!

I would like to ask, from ancient times to the present, has any emperor's prerequisite for taking power was to have two or three children after the wedding? !

I understand my mother's painstaking efforts! But I can't stand her persistence!"

At this point, the little emperor gasped in self-mockery.

"In fact, I don't necessarily have to be the emperor of the Great Chu! Last year, a court official presented a male favorite to my mother... My mother is only in her forties. According to the old rules of the Imperial Medical Bureau, she is still capable of giving birth to a child..."

"Your Majesty!" Sheng Yuan couldn't bear to listen any longer and looked at the little emperor sternly, "There have always been many flatterers in this court! As for male favorites, since you ascended the throne, people have been offering them to you one after another... Is there anything strange about this?!

From ancient times to the present, how many emperors have not had concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards?! Not to mention the earlier dynasties, just look at the Yan and Chen dynasties, how many regents did not have favorites?! Is there anyone who is as pure-hearted as your mother, who only focuses on government affairs and military affairs?! "

"I, I never objected..." The little emperor's voice gradually faded under Sheng Yuan's sharp gaze.

"The Emperor may not object, but the Queen Mother hopes that you will grow up in a healthy environment. She would rather give up anything that has a negative impact on your growth."

Sheng Yuan's exclamation made the little emperor sniff.

"You said you don't care about the throne. Maybe you mean it from the bottom of your heart, or maybe it's just words spoken in anger. But do you know that since the second year of Shunning, no matter how tired the Queen Mother is, she will take time out every day to study a man of your age.

As long as they are from families within the Great Chu, from the children of noble officials to outstanding young men from local academies and official schools, as long as conditions permit, she will find someone to find information and study it carefully. "

"Isn't this casting a wide net?!" The little emperor opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Not to mention the number of new personnel to be monitored each year, just look at the 396 men who were handed over by the inner guards at the beginning and are worthy of long-term attention. Your Majesty, do you know how many people are still available for selection?!"

"This... half of half can always be there, right?" The little emperor had just finished speaking when he saw Sheng Yuan's slightly changed expression. He immediately changed his words and said, "Ah, no no no, I mean, how can this also have a zero?"

"Things like character, appearance, knowledge, temperament, and manners... these standards are not one-time. As the men on the list grow older, the possibility of them growing up wrong also increases. These standards alone eliminate many men."

Sheng Yuan shrugged, "More importantly, the Queen Mother's selection list has many more criteria for the candidates. After all, choosing a suitable man also depends on the character of his closest relatives and family, his living environment since childhood, whether he can take on important responsibilities, and whether he has a sense of responsibility."

"Many of these standards are quite normal." The little emperor nodded in approval.

"Haha, it's quite normal indeed." Sheng Yuan smiled and continued, "But the requirements afterwards are quite different... For example, designing scenarios such as the hero saving the beauty, love at first sight, sharing weal and woe, sitting on a woman's arms without getting confused, and being successful overnight... and so on and so forth. The Queen Mother designed all the situations that have happened in storybooks, dramas, and real life, and then those who were caught in the trap were kicked out."

"Ah?!" The little emperor had never heard of this before, so he was amazed and impressed by his mother's wonderful ideas.

"So, aunt, how many men are there on mother's list?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. There should be at least two dozen young men on the list, right?"

"Ah? Only about ten!"

"Your Majesty, after all, beauty has always been a scarce resource. In addition, the Queen Mother requires that the son-in-law must be tall, handsome, capable, and of good character, not disliked by the elders and relatives at home, and that the family must be sensible and law-abiding and not ambitious, without a white moonlight, childhood sweetheart, or love at first sight, and can withstand all kinds of strange tests... To be honest, I think it is not easy to have these ten gentlemen!"

"I, I, I think so too." The little emperor inexplicably felt some sympathy for those "brothers" who were being tested.

Sheng Yuan saw that the little emperor no longer had any resistance, so he changed the subject back to the previous one: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has taken the trouble to study and plan so much just for your life to be smooth and worry-free... If you always say that you don't want to be the emperor, you are really letting her down!"

The smile on the little emperor's face gradually faded, and he lowered his head and remained silent again.

Sheng Yuan didn't expect her to figure it out all at once, so she just gently persuaded her, "The Emperor and the Queen Mother are mother and daughter. Even if there are conflicts, they should be made clear face to face. After all, there is no overnight hatred between mother and daughter... If there are emotions and dissatisfaction, they can quarrel and make a scene face to face. Once the words are clear, the misunderstanding will be gone, and they will reconcile soon. At worst, you can throw a tantrum and make a scene in front of her. If you vent your anger, the Queen Mother will not be really angry with you."

"I'm not you. How can I throw a tantrum in front of an adult? I'm not a scoundrel!" The little emperor burst into laughter after hearing Sheng Yuan's words. There were still sporadic tears in the corners of his eyes, but he did not forget to tease his aunt.

When Sheng Yuan saw this, he shook his head and chuckled, then turned his head to look out the window.

……

"So, the emperor really just let you persuade him with a few words?!" When Sheng Xiangxun heard the news that Chen Zhixu was ordered to go overseas, he found his little daughter and circled around her several times, sighing as he did so, "Wow, Sister Yuan, you are really capable!"

Sheng Yuan, who was eating a fruit, raised his head proudly.

"Look how proud she is!" Zheng shook the cloth tiger at the two little granddaughters, looking at her little daughter who was about to lift her tail to the sky with amusement, and couldn't help laughing and said, "But I heard from Zhiyu that the relationship between the emperor and the queen mother is really good. When they meet, they no longer quarrel over a disagreement like before. I heard that everything is discussed beforehand now, which is really good."

"That's right. I heard from Ouyang Ling and Sheng Ge'er that the Queen Mother intends to delegate power to the Emperor. Now, unless it's an extremely important military matter, the Emperor basically reviews the memorials!" An Yu, who was sitting behind the two children, nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and then raised a thumbs up to Sheng Yuan, "So, my sister Yuan is still capable! She persuaded the Emperor and coaxed the Queen Mother! Now, even the court is much more relaxed!"

His proud look made Sheng Xiangxun and Zheng laugh.

The warm sunlight shone into the round hall through the window frames, illuminating the tender smiles of the old couple looking at each other, the overflowing happiness of the young couple's tacit understanding, and the chubby faces of two fat babies biting their bound feet.

It is warm and cozy now, it is quiet and peaceful now, everything is so good, and everything will be better.

(End of text)

……

Extra 1: Resignation

In the 19th year of Shunning, after the one-year-old banquet of the emperor's fourth daughter, Princess Jingrong, the empress dowager returned power to the emperor and lived in seclusion in the imperial city, not caring about state affairs.

In the same year, Prime Minister Sheng Yuan continued to preside over the government, following the Empress Dowager's good advice and the Empress's order to drastically eliminate the resulting bad policies, strengthen the administration of officials at all levels, appease the people's lives, rectify various military affairs, open up a wide range of educational subjects, encourage a variety of cultural practices, develop tools and weapons, increase trade routes, promote and use talents, and vigorously change customs.

In the ten years that followed, the people of Da Chu had simple customs, the common people lived and worked in peace and contentment, the society continued to prosper, and the officials were modest and honest. Female officials gradually became more common, and there was a trend among common people and nobles of having only one daughter to inherit the family business.

Neighboring countries were afraid of Chu's military power and dared not overstep their boundaries. Chu's merchant caravans spread all over the world. Foreigners also came across the seas to learn culture and craftsmanship from Chu, calling it the Celestial Empire.

……

"Aunt, you want to resign?!" Emperor Shunning was stunned as he never expected to receive Sheng Yuan's request to resign. He then heard from the palace servants that Sheng Yuan happened to be passing by Lanzheng Hall at this moment and seemed to be going to Yongxiang Palace to pay respects to the empress dowager, so he hurried to look for him.

Sheng Yuan didn't expect the emperor to stop her on the palace road. She couldn't help but bow with amusement and helplessness: "Your Majesty, please look at my temples... Look, they are also frost-stained!"

"I don't agree!" Emperor Shunning looked at the Prime Minister in front of him, whose face was moist and wrinkle-free, and became more and more unwilling to let her leave.

Sheng Yuan looked at her with a slight headache: "Your Majesty, do you know how old I am now?"

Under the gaze of Emperor Shunning, Sheng Yuan patted himself on the shoulder.

"Although I am still strong, I am now 60 years old! When I was a teenager, my biggest wish was to enter the cabinet and become the chief minister. Now looking back, I have been in this position for more than 20 years."

"As long as I am here, my aunt can still serve as Prime Minister for another thirty years!"

After hearing the childish words of Emperor Shunning, Sheng Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Your Majesty, let alone whether I have the energy to work until I am eighty years old, even if I do, I am afraid I will be spurned by the backbone of the court! Hahaha!"

"If my aunt can do it, it won't be that hard for her to live to the age of 100!"

"Hahaha, I will accept your good words, Your Majesty!" Sheng Yuan laughed and looked at Emperor Shunning with satisfaction, "It's just that the court needs to provide channels for officials to rise, and new pillars of society also need more space to exert their abilities and realize their ideals! Only in this way can the younger generation surpass the older generation, and the younger phoenix will be clearer than the older one! Your Majesty, I have decided to request your permission to retire, and I hope you will help me!"

“But…” Emperor Shunning wanted to say something else, but Sheng Yuan stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Your Majesty is now fully grown, with abilities, courage, insight, ideas, and vision... all not inferior to those of our ancestors. I will retire at this juncture, so that you can better display your talents and realize your own ideas of governance."

Sheng Yuan said this, looking at Emperor Shunning with a smile, his eyes full of trust and expectation: "Your Majesty, I really hope to see with my own eyes the harmonious and prosperous Great Chu under your leadership."

Looking into Sheng Yuan's eyes, Emperor Shunning felt a surge of warmth in his chest.

"I will definitely live up to the Prime Minister's expectations!"

……

"You are such a heartless guy. You are usually too busy to look after me, your sister. Now that you are willing to resign from your post and retire, you want to travel around with Yu Ge'er. You don't care at all whether I am lonely or not!"

In Yongxiang Palace, Empress Dowager Sheng Ran glanced at her younger sister who was hugging her arm and acting like a spoiled child with a displeased look, and said in a hypocritical manner: "Go away! You are an old lady, and you are still acting like a spoiled child in front of me! Isn't this corny!"

"No matter how old you are, you are older than me. Just because you are older than me, you have to bear it!" Sheng Yuan didn't care and continued to shake her sister's arm jokingly.

"You are such a scoundrel!" Sheng Ran was so angry at her self-righteous words that she laughed, "Stop shaking, do you think I am still the little girl I was decades ago? If you keep shaking, I will shake your sister and me to pieces!"

"Sister, you can't do this! Look at our parents, they are almost 100 years old, but they are still very strong! They were playing with slingshots the other day!"

"I heard about it! You, girl, you didn't instigate them to play, did you? Don't just shake your head. I'm asking you, you know their birthday is coming soon, why are you resigning now? Are you going to take them and your wife on a trip?!"

"How dare I! Yu Ge'er and I say we are traveling around the capital, but we are just going around the capital. We can't go far. We will definitely go there and come back the same day!" Sheng Yuan drew a map with his bare hands, "Look, this is the big lake outside the capital. Yu Ge'er and I will go boating on the lake tomorrow and have fun!"

Speaking of boating on the lake, Sheng Ran somehow recalled the garden party that year when she and her sisters and An Yu were boating on the lake, and she couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Sister, what were you laughing at just now?" Sheng Yuan had just put her head on her sister's shoulder when she felt a vibration and couldn't help but look over curiously.

"Me? I remembered the sunshine, the lake, and the waves when you were three years old!"

"Ah?! The sunshine, lake light, and wave light when I was three years old?!"

Sheng Yuan sat up straight in surprise, staring at her sister's smiling eyes, puzzled.

Sheng Ran looked at the girl in front of her with hair dyed with autumn frost. Inexplicably, the chubby smiling face appeared in her mind. In her ears, she seemed to still hear the babyish voice calling: "Sister! Sister!"

……

In the 30th year of Shunning, the chief minister Sheng Yuan requested to resign and return home, but the emperor did not approve it. Yuan requested again, but the emperor still rejected it. Yuan requested again, and after three requests and three rejections, the emperor had no choice but to approve it. Later, the emperor granted him more grace by imperial decree, honoring him with the title of one of the Three Dukes and the Grand Secretary of the Dongke.

……

"Sister Yuan, we are finally free from all worries!" On the East Lake, Sheng Yuan and An Yu took a small boat together, rowing slowly among the rippling waves.

"Yes! I have successfully reached the shore after my mission accomplished!" Sheng Yuan used his hands to stir the lake water and looked up at the clear sky happily. "I am like a weary bird returning to the forest, free from the web of dust!"

"Hehe, I've finally waited until you stop caring about government affairs and live a carefree pastoral life with me!" An Yu excitedly splashed lake water towards the birds circling above the lake.

Sheng Yuan looked at the bird that flew away cursing and laughed, "I feel sorry for the birds in the fields!"

An Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard this. After a while, his eyes suddenly rolled, and he raised his hand to snatch the oar from Sheng Yuan, and then threw it into the lake together with his own.

"Brother Yu, you're holding on!" Sheng Yuan looked at An Yu in surprise as he wanted to dance on the boat, and was so angry that he wanted to beat him up.

"Yuan Jie'er, stand up!" An Yu smiled and stretched out his hand to Sheng Yuan, helping her to stand side by side with him on the boat. "Look, this scenery, this elegant scene, doesn't it prove the saying that one only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals!"

"Haha, it's quite similar, but let me ask you, how are we going to get back without oars? We have to float!"

"It's okay to drift! Let this little boat take us to travel around the world! As long as we are together, we can go to the ends of the earth!"

An Yu's passionate words made Sheng Yuan roll his eyes: "Yes, yes, yes, we'll all go! But we may have to rely on begging! We just ate up all the food on this boat!"

"How can a scholar beg? You teach and I educate. You write books and biographies while I write reviews and prefaces. We sing in unison and can earn enough for food and travel expenses!"

"Yes, yes, you are so smart, what you said is right, then let's... float?!"

“Float… let’s go, float! Let’s go! Hahahahaha!”

"What are you laughing at! You're shaking the boat so hard that it's about to capsize!"

"Hahahahaha, I can't help laughing. I just remembered that the end of this lake is the official road. We can go around along the official road and then go home!"

"Pfft! Good to be home! At least I don't have to wander around anymore!"

"Yes, let's go home!"

"Go home!"

"Go home!"

The shouts of joy sounded just like the laughter they had shared when they first met more than sixty years ago.

Time goes around and around, and the return journey is just like the way we came. What is different is the changing youth, but what remains the same is the emotions and fate that have never changed.

At this moment, the setting sun is accompanied by the sunset glow; at this moment, everyone is reunited.