Thief Emperor

Chapter 1040 Imperial Family Customs
Upon their meeting, both grandfather and grandson shed their tears, and even the tall and imposing King Yue wept until his sleeves were soaked.

When Madam Xue came in and saw the grandfather and grandson in such a state, she also burst into tears.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect?
Li Zheng and the Xue family have a genuine emotional bond.

Moreover, he truly had no intention of vying for the throne; he was simply fond of martial arts and competition, and also concerned about his reputation, wanting to impress his father.

That's why I've always wanted to go on adventures and fight.

He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, and his mind was still simple and passionate.

Even if he had some ulterior motives, he only wanted to achieve his goal of leaving Luoyang for the front lines.

At least for now.

Prince Yue stood up, comforted Madam Xue for a few words, then knelt down before the two elders and kowtowed, saying, "Grandfather and Grandmother, please take good care of yourselves. I will come to see you again next time."

"Grandpa, please take a good rest and get well soon."

After kowtowing three times, Li Zheng got up, wiped away his tears, and carefully left the bedroom. On the bed, Master Xue held Madam Xue's hand, also silently shedding tears. After a long while, he murmured, "Madam."

He spoke so softly that Madam Xue leaned closer and asked, "Sir, what did you say?"

Master Xue was in tears: "The time was too short."

"I can't see the children grow up."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xue couldn't help but shed tears.

"you…"

Holding his wife's hand, Mr. Xue said quietly, "You must live well and watch the children grow up for me."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xue lay on the bed and wept uncontrollably.

Outside, Prince Yue, wiping away his tears with his sleeve, bowed to Xue Shou and his son, as well as the Crown Prince, and said, "Elder brother, uncle, cousin, I need to go home to make some preparations, so I won't stay any longer."

"Please take good care of my maternal grandfather for me."

Xue Shou stepped forward, patted the Prince of Yue on the shoulder, and sighed, "Second Prince, don't overthink it. His Majesty values ​​relationships and won't let you be enfeoffed so far away."

After exchanging a few more words, the King of Yue took his leave and was escorted to the gate of the Nanyang Prince's Mansion. As soon as they arrived at the gate, a middle-aged man in a tight-fitting robe walked towards them. The man looked up at them, was taken aback, and quickly stepped forward and knelt down.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince of Yue."

His Highness the Crown Prince quickly stepped forward, helped him up, and asked, "General Chen, what brings you here?"

The person who arrived was Chen Da.

After he stood up, he did not answer, but bowed to Xue Shou again and said, "Greetings, Minister Xue."

After Du He, the Minister of Revenue, resigned, Xue Shou was promoted a month ago after a period of selection to fill the vacancy and become one of the Nine Ministers.

With the Empress Dowager's family in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the position of the Crown Prince is as secure as Mount Tai. Currently, neither the court nor the princes have any intention of vying for the throne.

Xue Shou returned the greeting with clasped hands: "General, you are too kind."

After bowing deeply, Chen bowed to His Highness the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, I used to work in Prince Xue's office, which is how I met Your Majesty and became who I am today. Prince Xue took good care of me back then. Now I am about to leave Luoyang to pacify the Northwest, and I have heard that Prince Xue is seriously ill."

He looked down at what he was carrying, sighed, and said, "So, before leaving the capital, I came to see Prince Xue."

Few people know what happened in the Qingyang County government office back then.

It should be noted that when Xue Shou and his family came to seek refuge with Li Yun, Li Yun was no longer the head constable of Qingyang County.

Back then, the lowest-ranking of the yamen runners who went out to do business with Li Yun were already officers at the level of deputy commander, and Chen Da had even been ennobled and appointed as a general. Master Xue's personality meant that he would not bring up their past deeds, much less use them to highlight himself.

Even Prince Li Zheng of Jin rarely mentioned this matter.

Therefore, the few people present were not really aware of this story.

Only Xue Shou vaguely knew something about it. He quickly stepped aside and said to Chen Da, "I heard my father mention this matter back then. General, you are very thoughtful."

"I will lead the general to see my father."

Chen Da bowed to the two princes and then followed Xue Shou into the Nanyang Prince's residence. The Crown Prince thought for a moment, looked back at his brother, and said, "Second Brother, I will return to the palace in a while and go to see Father Emperor immediately. You don't need to rush to prepare."

After saying that, he followed his uncle into the Prince's mansion.

Prince Xue watched them leave, then got into his own carriage. Sitting inside, he took a deep breath before slowly speaking.

"go home."

…………

As evening fell, His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the palace. He first went to Ganlu Hall and, upon learning that Li Yun had gone to the inner palace and was not in Ganlu Hall, he returned to the East Palace.

Later that evening, the eunuch Gu Chang went to the Eastern Palace to summon the Crown Prince. When it was completely dark, the Crown Prince finally met the Emperor in the Ganlu Hall. He bowed to the Emperor and said, "I have disturbed Your Majesty's enjoyment." The Emperor glanced at him and then said, "Let's sit down and talk."

The crown prince responded and sat down in the chair.

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and asked, "Has there been any signs of pregnancy with my daughter-in-law?"

His Highness the Crown Prince was taken aback, then shook his head and said with a wry smile, "We've only been married for a short time, Father, you're too hasty."

Li Yun got up, stretched his limbs, and then asked, "Is your maid in the palace about to give birth?"

Before the Crown Prince's wedding, one of his maids was already pregnant. This was a common occurrence in the royal family, or rather, in wealthy households, and was not unusual.

The crown prince nodded and replied, "Yes."

"It'll probably be within this month."

His Majesty the Emperor nodded and said, "This is a good thing. The birth of this child will bring joy to your maternal grandfather and also improve your mother's mood."

He returned to his seat and said quietly, "During this time, you should visit your mother often."

"My child understands."

After the prince responded, he mustered his courage and said, "Father, I am seeing you so late because I want to ask you something."

Emperor Li did not look up, but simply flipped through the documents: "Speak."

"I heard that you plan to send Erlang to Jiannan Circuit to assume his fiefdom?"

Li Yun did not answer the question, but instead looked at the Crown Prince: "What are your thoughts?"

"Too far."

The Crown Prince said quietly, "We are family. There are so many elite soldiers and generals in the court. It's not like Erlang absolutely has to go to Jiannan Circuit. Why send him to such a far place?"

"He really is going to Chengdu Prefecture to take up his fiefdom."

The crown prince frowned and said, "How many more times will we brothers see each other in this lifetime?"

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue reading the documents: "Only by going to Chengdu to assume his fiefdom can he solidify your position as Crown Prince and make it clear to the court and the public that the position of the Eastern Palace is unshakeable."

The Crown Prince was taken aback, then understood his father's thoughts. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "With Erlang's personality, he wouldn't have such thoughts or ideas."

"The position of Crown Prince cannot be secured through this method."

Emperor Li raised his head and carefully looked at his son's expression. After a while, a smile appeared on his face: "Alright, I will seriously consider this matter. But this time, let him go and make contact with the Tibetans first."

"As for whether or not to take up a fiefdom in Chengdu."

The emperor said quietly, "Let's think about it some more."

The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, bowed to his father, and said, "Father is wise."

After saying this, he prepared to take his leave. He bowed and hadn't even uttered the words "take your leave" when His Majesty the Emperor asked, "There is one more thing I would like to ask for your opinion on."

Upon hearing this, the crown prince became somewhat nervous.

As the crown prince, the emperor had to test him in many ways, so he had to be careful in everything he did.

Clearly, this issue will likely be another test.

However, there was nothing he could do. Since his father had already asked, he could only lower his head and say, "Please tell me."

"The third prince is also going to leave the palace and establish his own residence."

The emperor looked at the crown prince and stroked his chin: "I went to see him this afternoon, and the boy... is not bad."

"Tell me, when he left the palace to establish his own residence, was he granted the title of Prince or Duke?"

The crown prince was taken aback, then looked confused: "Father, when princes leave the palace, aren't they all given to princes?"

"Then, depending on the magnitude of the merit, succession will be considered."

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "In the future, the princes will not necessarily be granted the title of Prince, and perhaps even..."

"It is not necessarily granted to a prince."

"If you make a mistake and repeatedly fail to correct it after being taught to do so."

The emperor remained calm: "Then for life, he will only be granted the status and treatment of a prince. If he makes another mistake..."

"Then he will be dismissed and reduced to a commoner."

(End of this chapter)