Thief Emperor

Chapter 1025 Golden Words
When Emperor Li opened his eyes again, it was already the morning of the next day, and the sun was high in the sky.

At a table not far from the bedchamber sat three women: Empress Xue, Consort Liu, and Consort Lu.

The three sisters were talking quietly, glancing at Li Yun every now and then. When they saw that Li Yun had woken up, Empress Xue quickly got up and sat down by the emperor's bedside.

The two imperial concubines also came over and stood by the bed.

Empress Xue looked at Li Yun, her eyes full of worry: "We've been together for over ten or twenty years, and I've never heard of you having any troubles. Why did this suddenly happen?"

She sighed and said, "Was it Yuan'er's wedding yesterday? Did something upset you?"

She held Li Yun's hand and said quietly, "That child knelt outside early this morning, wanting to apologize to you. If I hadn't sent him back, he would probably still be kneeling outside now."

Emperor Li did not answer, but reached out and rubbed his temples. Seeing this, Consort Liu quickly stepped forward and massaged his temples for him.

After taking several deep breaths, Emperor Li looked at the three women who had been with him for many years. He was silent for a while before shaking his head and saying, "I'm fine."

Emperor Li smiled wryly and said, "It's just that I've been emperor for too long."

When one first assumes the role of emperor, regardless of who it is, they are undoubtedly full of passion, dreaming of ruling the country and even recreating the world.

The founding emperor envisioned opening up a new world, later emperors sought to create a golden age, and still others aspired to revitalize the dynasty.

But passion always fades eventually.

By now, if we include the period before his ascension to the throne when he had actually ruled the country, Li Yun has been in this position for almost ten years.

For ten years, Emperor Li could not be said to have worked tirelessly day and night, but he could be said to have been diligent and conscientious. It wasn't until last year that he was able to take a break from the court and make an eastern tour for more than half a year, which was a kind of vacation for himself.

Upon returning to the imperial court, the situation became even more complex, and the things he wanted to promote were gradually turning him into a lonely figure.

If he, Li, were still alive ten or twenty years from now, even Lord Du might not be his companion anymore.

Adding to the mix was his eldest son's wedding, and all sorts of emotions piled up, which led to his drunkenness last night.

This was Li Yunxin's first time getting drunk since coming to this world. Before this, although he often drank, he would only get four or five points drunk at most before stopping.

Last night's unrestrained drinking was a first for me.

However, this emotional release is still quite important for Emperor Li now. After waking up, his emotions are much more stable than before.

And my determination to do things is more solid than before.

"This is my own fault."

Li Yun looked at Empress Xue and said quietly, "It has nothing to do with Yuan'er or yesterday's wedding. When you have time, Madam, go and tell him so that he won't overthink it."

Emperor Li paused for a moment, then continued, "The Crown Prince's wedding is a major event for the new dynasty. Now that the ceremony is complete, there are still various matters to attend to. The imperial edict promoting Qian Zhong to a higher rank should have already been issued. Today or tomorrow, please invite Qian Zhong and his family to the palace for a family banquet."

Empress Xue looked at Li Yun and asked, "What title did His Majesty bestow upon Qian Zhong?"

"Duke".

Emperor Li was now fully conscious, and he calmly said, "Duke of Han."

Empress Xue was somewhat surprised: "His Majesty is always cautious in bestowing titles, why is he so generous to Qian Zhong?"

"It is not a hereditary title."

Emperor Li said, "He is the future father-in-law of the emperor and the first in-law of our Li family. In addition, he is already a marquis. It is reasonable to promote him by one rank. If he does a good job in the future..."

"We could consider making this dukedom hereditary."

Hereditary succession without replacement means that the title is passed down through generations, and the descendants inherit the title of marquis from the duke of his state.

As he spoke, Li Yun looked up at Consort Liu behind him and said with a smile, "Zheng'er has reached the age of marriage. During this time, I have had people look for a princess for him. When you have free time, my beloved consort, you can also visit the noble ladies in Luoyang and find him a family to marry into so that he can get married as soon as possible."

Empress Liu nodded in agreement, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty and my sister are his legal parents, so this matter should be decided by Your Majesty and my sister."

Emperor Li sat up in bed and said quietly, "I have some things to attend to recently, so I'm afraid I won't have much energy to take care of him. You sisters should all keep an eye on him."

He sighed and said, "There are more and more people in the family now, and things are getting more and more complicated. The three of you need to pay more attention to many things and ensure that our family is harmonious."

"Don't let anything go wrong."

Empress Xue held Li Yun's hand, looked at her husband of many years, and said softly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, with me here, nothing will go wrong in the inner court."

Empress Xue is absolutely qualified to say this in the entire court today. She is not only the head of the harem and the emperor's first wife, but more importantly, she herself has a very deep seniority.

Putting aside the power of the Xue family, and aside from her marriage to the emperor, Empress Xue's words already carried considerable weight simply because of her influence within the anti-theft team.

To put it more bluntly, if Emperor Li were to suddenly pass away, Empress Xue would rule as Empress Dowager.

There will be no obstacles.

Emperor Li nodded silently, stood up and said, "Help me get dressed, I have some things to take care of."

Consort Lu took an outer robe from the side and draped it over the emperor while sighing, "Your Majesty, why don't you rest for a few days?" Li Yun smiled and said, "I have plenty of energy."

"It was just a bout of drunkenness, nothing to worry about."

After saying this, he got up, washed up, had Consort Liu fix his hair, and walked outside.

After he left, Consort Liu watched his retreating figure and sighed to Empress Xue, "His Majesty seems to have encountered some difficulties."

She frowned and said, "I really don't understand, what could possibly be so difficult for His Majesty now?"

Empress Xue nodded first, then said quietly, "Perhaps there really are things in the world that are more difficult than conquering the world, but we are not in the position of husband."

Therefore, it is not clear.

…………

In the afternoon, in the Ganlu Hall.

Qian Zhong, who had already been granted the title of Duke of Han, knelt respectfully before the emperor and kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, I would rather die than accept such an honor."

He bowed his head and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please rescind your decree!"

Back then, the title of Duke was extremely rare. Even Yao Zhong, the Prime Minister, was not granted the title of Duke. Although Zhuo Guangrui, the Prime Minister, was granted the title of Duke, he was stripped of it some time ago.

There are only a handful of dukes in the imperial court these days.

Qian Zhong was far inferior in both merit and seniority. The fact that his daughter was granted the title of Duke was not a source of much pride among his old comrades.

Emperor Li stepped forward, helped him up, and said with a smile, "You scoundrel, you don't know what's good for you."

"This Dukeship isn't entirely yours; it's for my daughter-in-law and for the Crown Prince."

"You don't need to take it to heart. Just keep things the same as before."

Qian Zhong declined a few more times, but Li Yun insisted. Finally, Emperor Li frowned and asked, "Are you not satisfied with the Duke?"

Qian Zhong was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and trembled with fear, daring not to speak again.

Li Yun helped him up again, chatted with his old comrade for a few words, told him to be a good general of the Eagle Guard, and then let him leave.

After Qian Zhong left, someone else went to the palace to express their gratitude; this time it was Zhuo Guangrui's son, Zhuo Zhong.

Last night, the words Emperor Li mumbled in his sleep were actually carried out by Prince Jin, who went to the Secretariat early this morning to inform Chancellor Du.

Prince Jin had a great deal of influence. By noon, the imperial edict from the Secretariat was issued, and in the afternoon, Zhuo Zhong had already entered the palace to express his gratitude.

When Emperor Li saw Zhuo Zhong and heard what Zhuo Zhong said in gratitude, he was somewhat stunned. He frowned and pondered for a while before he remembered that he seemed to have said something like that last night.

Zhuo Zhong looked up and saw the emperor's puzzled expression, then quickly lowered his head again: "Your Majesty drank too much last night. If you spoke in a drunken stupor, I will go to the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel immediately and have them take back the imperial edict."

Emperor Li waved his hand: "I was going to promote you anyway."

The emperor's words are law; one cannot retract a statement made while intoxicated.

Because that would cause big problems.

The emperor's words, in a sense, were a means to ensure his power remained constant and to protect him from harm.

If someone is drunk, their words may not be considered true.

Therefore, an emperor who is "drunk" is no longer an emperor.

If such a rule really existed, whether the emperor was drunk or not might not be up to him to decide.

If all the civil and military officials unanimously say that you are drunk...

Although such a thing is unlikely to happen during the Zhangwu era, it is very likely to happen in later generations.

Emperor Li walked up to Zhuo Zhong, helped him up, and said, "The Ministry of Works is your father's old office, and it is no worse than the other five ministries. You must do your job well."

"in addition."

His Majesty the Emperor instructed, "Take good care of your father; I will need him in the future."

Zhuo Zhong's eyes turned red, and he knelt on the ground once again.

"Your subject speaks on behalf of my father."

"I kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace."

(End of this chapter)