Thief Emperor

Chapter 1150 Bloodline Suppression

With His Majesty the Emperor determined to leave, things proceeded smoothly.

Three days later, the imperial entourage departed from Jinling.

Officials and commoners of Jinling Prefecture saw them off for dozens of miles before reluctantly dispersing.

His Majesty the Emperor traveled at a leisurely pace, occasionally taking his entourage on visits, and it wasn't until more than a month later that he returned to the Central Plains. After arriving in the Central Plains, His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress parted ways.

The Empress, along with a portion of the Emperor's entourage and her entourage, returned to Luoyang first.

His Majesty the Emperor, accompanied by the Imperial Guards, Prime Minister Du, Duke of Ying, and others, traveled non-stop towards Guanzhong.

In early June, the emperor's entourage entered Guanzhong from Tongguan.

At Tongguan Pass, General Chen had been waiting for a long time. When the emperor's entourage arrived, General Chen and his generals knelt on one knee with utmost respect and bowed their heads in greeting: "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

The emperor lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at Chen Da outside, then closed the curtain again, and smiled at his fourth daughter inside the carriage: "Come on, come on, your Uncle Chen is here. I'll take you out to meet him."

At this time, Empress Xue and the Fifteenth Prince had already returned to Luoyang, but the Fourth Princess wanted to see more of the place, especially Chang'an, the former capital of the Zhou Dynasty, so Li Yun took the eldest daughter with him.

This also saved some people in Luoyang from coveting it.

Moreover, on the journey from the Central Plains to Guanzhong, Li Yun had no one to talk to except Du Qian. Having this girl by his side would allow him to chat and relieve his loneliness.

The Fourth Princess is only fifteen or sixteen years old this year. Since she can remember, Chen Da has spent most of his time guarding Guanzhong, and in recent years he has been fighting in the Western Regions, so he has not returned to Luoyang many times.

She and Chen Da didn't really know each other very well.

Upon hearing Li Yun's words, the Fourth Princess dismounted from the imperial carriage first. After Li Yun also got off the carriage, she obediently stood beside the emperor, looking at the group of generals kneeling on the ground.

These generals were mostly from the Jiangdong army back then, and many of them were personally trained by Li Yun. His Majesty the Emperor jumped down from the carriage, raised his hand and smiled, "Get up, all of you, get up."

Chen Da and the others bowed their heads in thanks, then stood up from the ground with utmost respect.

The emperor glanced at the fourth princess, who stepped forward, bowed to Chen Da, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Uncle."

Chen Da was originally an attendant of the emperor, and there was no real "brother" relationship between him and the emperor. When he heard the emperor's daughter call him that, he quickly bowed his head and clasped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, please don't address me like that. I am not worthy of such a title."

The Fourth Princess smiled and said, "On the way, Father Emperor told me a lot about Uncle Chen. You and Father Emperor have been old friends for many years, so it is only right that I call you Uncle."

Li Yun stepped forward, patted Chen Da on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Why are you still in Guanzhong? Didn't I tell you to go back to Luoyang to wait for your promotion?"

Chen Da was not so reserved in front of Li Yun, and simply said with a smile: "Your Majesty is wise. The situation in the Shuofang area is complicated and someone is needed there to manage it. General He is still in Lingzhou, pacifying the local area, and has not returned to Chang'an to take over as General of Chang'an."

"I stayed for a while longer to look after the Chang'an army for General He."

Upon hearing this, the emperor sighed, "My son has caused you trouble."

Chen Da quickly lowered his head: "Your Majesty is wise, I did not mean that at all. His Highness Prince Qin fought a very beautiful and decisive battle in the Northwest. If I had been in charge of that battle, it probably would still be going on now."

The emperor waved his hand and said calmly, "What about that rebellious son?"

Chen Da took a deep breath: "His Majesty forbade His Highness to leave Chang'an City, so His Highness did not come out to greet us and is still in Chang'an City."

The emperor grunted in agreement and said with a smile, "I understand. We'll talk about it once we get to Chang'an."

At this moment, the officials from the Three Offices of Guanzhong Circuit also came forward to kowtow to the Emperor. The Emperor gestured for everyone to rise, then glanced at the Provincial Governor of Guanzhong Circuit with some surprise.

"you…"

The provincial governor bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I, Fan Heng, have only been in office in Guanzhong for a few months."

He paused, then added, "The former Provincial Governor Cui Gan has already returned to Luoyang to await his new post after taking office."

The emperor said "Oh," and then remembered: "You were originally an official in the Eastern Palace."

Fan Heng quickly lowered his head: "Your Majesty is my subject."

Upon hearing this, the emperor chuckled and said, "You scholars really know how to talk."

The chief official of the Three Departments of a region was already a third-rank official, a regional governor in a certain sense. In the past, such officials required the emperor's approval.

By this time, the imperial court was already operating on its own.

Of course, the Luoyang court must have reported this matter to Li Yun, but His Majesty the Emperor may not have read all of these documents, and probably missed it.

But this feeling is very unpleasant.

There will be a sense of loss.

This is only human nature. Let alone the emperor's power, even a class monitor would feel uncomfortable if he were suddenly dismissed.

Not to mention the emperor's power.

In another world, when the Ten Perfections Emperor abdicated and handed over the imperial seal, even the emperor himself was unwilling to relinquish it, almost causing a major escalation.

Li Yun is also human, and he naturally feels uncomfortable. However, he is also very clear that he must learn to control his emotions and use reason to suppress this "human nature".

After all, the rotation of local officials is a fairly normal thing.

As for whether he was an official in the Crown Prince's palace.

There's really no big problem with this; as long as it conforms to the rules of the imperial court, it's normal.

Moreover, the Ministry of Personnel and the Secretariat must have known about this matter and given their approval.

The emperor was only distracted for a moment before he came to his senses. He glanced at everyone and said with a smile, "Alright, there's no need to stay at Tongguan any longer. Let's set off for Chang'an. We can discuss anything in Chang'an."

Everyone bowed their heads in agreement.

The emperor smiled and said, "Prime Minister Du has come along too. He's at the back. Go and say hello to Prime Minister Du. We'll set off now."

"We must get to Chang'an as soon as possible; Prime Minister Du is already longing for home."

The emperor joked, "These past few days, I've been urging you to hurry on your journey." Everyone laughed along, and then General Chen, along with a group of generals and officials, went to greet Du Qian.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group set off again.

Inside the imperial carriage, the Fourth Princess looked at her father, thought for a moment, and then said, "Father, when we arrive in Chang'an, please don't be too angry with Second Brother..."

"Can't we talk this out calmly?"

Li Yun looked at her and said speechlessly, "Why are you suddenly saying such things, you silly girl?"

"This was specifically instructed by the Empress Dowager before she returned to Luoyang."

The fourth princess whispered, "She asked me to persuade you."

The emperor was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he understood.

Such a major event in the Northwest, and so much time has passed, it's unlikely that the Empress, who has been Empress for many years, was completely unaware of it. However, she didn't say anything directly to Li Yun.

So he could only tell his daughter.

Now that they were almost at Chang'an, the Fourth Princess finally spoke up.

The emperor patted the fourth princess's head and said slowly, "Don't worry, my dear daughter, this is a family matter, not a matter of national law."

The King of Qin was ordered to lead his troops and won a great victory. There was nothing wrong with this, since the laws of the Tang Dynasty did not stipulate how to fight a war.

As long as you win, you've made a contribution.

That's why Li Yun said that this matter was just a family affair of the Li family.

The fourth princess breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "By the way, Father, how many children does Second Brother have now?"

"One daughter and two sons."

The emperor replied, "I have only seen his eldest daughter; I have not seen the others."

The fourth princess said with a smile, "This time, I will be able to meet my nephews and nieces, and Father will also be able to meet his grandchildren."

"That's quite rare."

The emperor looked at his daughter and said speechlessly, "Did your mother teach you these words?"

The fourth princess stuck out her tongue, lowered her head, and dared not speak.

By this time, the caravan had left Tongguan. The emperor lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked at the scenery of Guanzhong outside, and the crops and grains on both sides of the road, and then sighed: "Before my beloved daughter was born, this place was full of corpses and war."

The fourth princess followed her father's gaze and asked, "Your daughter knows that it was Father who saved Guanzhong."

"Not really."

Emperor Li said calmly, "Time marches on, and cycles of order and chaos repeat themselves. Sooner or later, this day will come."

"It will get chaotic again sooner or later."

The fourth princess seemed to understand but didn't reply.

…………

The emperor's entourage continued forward, and several more days passed before they finally arrived at the gates of Chang'an.

After alighting from the carriage, Prime Minister Du looked up at Chang'an City, his eyes filled with tears.

His Majesty the Emperor, along with his daughter, alighted from the carriage and looked up at the weathered city of Chang'an before him.

Chen Da and the others stood on either side of His Majesty the Emperor.

At the gates of Chang'an, His Highness the Prince of Qin, along with his family and servants, knelt respectfully before the city gates.

King Li Zheng of Qin, along with his family, knelt and kowtowed.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years."

The entire Qin Prince's household also bowed their heads and kowtowed to His Majesty.

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at the crowd, silently stepped forward, helped his daughter-in-law, Lady Fei, to her feet, then picked up his grandchildren from the side and strode towards Chang'an City without looking back.

His Highness the King of Qin kept his head down, but dared not stand up.

The fourth princess sighed, stepped forward, and helped the King of Qin.

"Second brother, Father has already entered the city."

"Get up quickly."

The King of Qin then managed to stand up, his legs still trembling uncontrollably, and he could no longer stand steadily.

He had a bad temper and sometimes liked to beat and scold his servants. Even in front of General Chen, he would say that he could speak for his father, the emperor.

But when His Majesty the Emperor actually arrived, he was still terrified.

"Girl..."

He looked at the fourth princess and smiled wryly.

"Help your second brother a little."

The fourth princess nodded gently.

"Don't worry, Second Brother."

(End of this chapter)