Thief Emperor

Chapter 1159 Old Friends Pass Away
"Brother."

The emperor glanced at the Prince of Chu, then at the Crown Prince, and continued, "Yuan'er."

Both of them stood up and bowed their heads in response.

"The minister is here."

"My son is here."

The emperor said quietly, "My elder brother is currently in charge of the Imperial Clan Court. In the future, it should be our own Li family members who will be in charge of the clan affairs. The Imperial Clan Court should widely publicize these regulations to all registered members of the imperial clan."

"Let every member of the royal family know, so that if any member of the royal family commits a crime in the future, they won't say that we punished them without teaching them."

The King of Chu bowed his head and said, "Your subject obeys."

The emperor then looked at the crown prince and said quietly, "Throughout history, each new emperor has his own set of rules. I know that you may not share my thoughts on many things. But I hope that you will do your best to restrain the imperial clan in the future."

“Our Li family has achieved its position through suppressing rebellions and bringing peace to the land. If we were to become one of the sources of calamity for the world, then the destruction of our clan and the extinction of our people would not be far off.”

The Crown Prince bowed deeply and said, "Your subject will remember your father's teachings."

"All right."

The emperor waved his hand: "Let's leave the formalities behind. It's rare for our family to get together today, so don't leave. Let's have a meal together later."

Prince Jin also stood up and said with a smile, "So I'm the only one who has nothing to do. I've come all this way just to drink for nothing."

The emperor stepped forward, tugged at his sleeve, and said with a smile, "You be a witness. Besides, your family is also a member of the imperial clan. You should explain this matter clearly to your sons and future grandchildren, shouldn't you?"

Li Zheng said with a smile, "That's easy. If any of my little rascals make a mistake, you don't need to arrest them, I'll personally escort them to the clan headquarters and show them no leniency."

At this point, Prince Jin patted his chest and said, "Even if it means beheading me, I won't blink an eye."

The emperor joked with him for a few moments, then walked out with his hands behind his back. After a few steps, he turned back to the three of them and said quietly, "The Tang imperial family consists of only three families. The reason I set these regulations is not to mistreat my own family. Do you understand?"

All three of them stopped in their tracks.

“Father, I understand you.”

Both of them bowed their heads in greeting.

The emperor looked at the three people and said quietly, "To talk to you about fairness is probably too broad. The world itself is not very fair, so let me put it another way."

"Barring any major unforeseen events, the Li family will enjoy wealth for more than ten generations. We should take it easy and make it last."

"Understand?"

"Yes."

"All right."

The emperor, with his hands behind his back, said with a smile, "I'm in a good mood today. Let's go, let's go have some wine."

…………

Luoyang, Mingyue Tower.

In the private room on the second floor, Prince Zheng and Prince Su sat facing each other across the table. Prince Zheng poured a cup of wine for his fourth brother, then looked at his brother's dark face and sighed, "Fourth brother has suffered a lot this time."

Prince Su took the wine cup, toasted Prince Zheng, and shook his head, saying, "It's alright, it's just that I've been running around with my second brother and General He, and haven't even been on the battlefield much."

After the two brothers clinked glasses, Prince Zheng continued, "I will be leaving Luoyang at the end of this month. If Si Lang has already taken up his fief by the time I return, I don't know when we brothers will meet again."

Prince Su asked with some curiosity, "It's almost the end of the year, what brings you, Third Brother, to leave Luoyang at this juncture?"

Prince Zheng coughed and said in a low voice, "It's something Father arranged."

Prince Su immediately became serious: "Then I won't ask any further. May everything go smoothly for you, Third Brother."

"it is good."

The two clinked glasses of wine, and Prince Zheng said with a smile, "You've been in Luoyang for a few days now. Have you visited the Duke of Xuan's residence? Did you send any gifts to your fiancée?"

Prince Su scratched his head: "I was exhausted after returning with Father Emperor. I only went to see Empress Dowager and Consort Mother, and then I lay in bed for two days to recover."

Prince Zheng was speechless and said, "You rascal, you're such a fool."

"I heard your fiancée is very beautiful, why don't you go and see her?"

"Even if you don't go see your fiancée, you should at least go see your father-in-law, shouldn't you?"

King Zheng said softly, "Your father-in-law is young and powerful, and many people are envious of him. You have such a high position, but you don't try to climb it."

He said with a smile, "You are a prince. If you go back to Luoyang but don't visit the Duke of Xuan's mansion, people will think you're putting on airs. Don't upset your father-in-law."

Prince Su seemed to wake from a dream, slapped his forehead, and said with a wry smile, "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning, first thing in the morning."

Prince Zheng asked with a smile, "Did you prepare any gifts for their family?"

Prince Su shook his head: "I didn't think of that at all. I only brought things for the Empress Dowager and Consort." Prince Zheng smiled and said: "Then come to my house in a little while. I've been managing our family business for the past few years and have collected some things. Pick a few items and take them to the Duke of Xuan's mansion tomorrow."

"Pick one for your future father-in-law and fiancée."

Prince Su frowned and said, "Third Brother, this..."

"We're brothers, don't refuse."

Prince Zheng extended his hand, clinked glasses with Prince Su, and asked, "How is Second Brother doing in Chang'an?"

"Aside from not being able to go out, there are no other problems."

Prince Su said in a low voice, "This time, my second brother was quite frightened by Father Emperor and even fell ill."

Prince Zheng sighed: "Second brother is too impulsive. He doesn't think about our old father at all."

"Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'll see if I can find some time to go see him."

Prince Su lowered his head and ate a few bites of food, then sighed, "Third Brother is the best. You don't have to go to a fiefdom. You're free and can go wherever you want."

King Zheng shook his head: "I don't know how many more years I can stay in Luoyang. No one can say for sure what will happen in the future."

He glanced at his brothers and continued, "Let's all do our best in the present. I'll do what Father Emperor entrusted to me, and you should spend more time with your fiancée's family."

At this point, Prince Zheng asked with a smile, "Has the wedding date been set?"

"It'll probably be after the Lunar New Year."

Prince Su said, "I must get married before the Prince Su's Mansion in Suzhou is completed."

King Zheng patted his brother on the shoulder.

"After Silang arrives in Suzhou, he can travel directly to the Western Regions. When he encounters any new or unusual things that our Tang Dynasty doesn't have, especially any new things that can be planted, remember to have them sent back to Luoyang."

King Zheng smiled and said, "Father seems to be very interested in these things."

Prince Su seemed to be deep in thought.

"Thank you for the reminder, Third Brother. I'll remember it."

…………

On the other side, His Majesty the Emperor was having a drink with his family. When the banquet was halfway over, Eunuch Gu walked carefully with small steps to Li Yun, bowed and said a few words.

Emperor Li frowned deeply upon hearing this and asked, "Is it true?"

"true."

Gu Chang quickly said, "This message came from the Grand Princess's residence. The Grand Princess would not deceive His Majesty."

The emperor stood up, took a deep breath, and then sat down again: "Go and prepare the carriage; I'll be going there in a bit."

Gu Chang responded and left in a hurry.

After he left, Prince Jin looked at Li Yun and asked, "Second Brother, what happened?"

His Majesty the Emperor tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine, then looked at Li Zheng and replied, "General Su is very ill; he even coughed up blood today."

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng frowned deeply: "Then I'll go with my second brother to take a look later."

The Crown Prince also stood up and said, "Your subject will also go and take a look."

Only Prince Chu hesitated for a moment, then stood up without saying a word, his hands hanging down at his sides.

He didn't have much of a relationship with Su Sheng, and given his personality, he rarely interacted with important officials in the court.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then waved his hand: "I will go by myself today. You all go about your business. You can go and take a look in a few days."

After thinking for a moment, Prince Jin said, "Second Brother, I'd better go."

The emperor looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, let's go together in a bit."

With that, he sat back down in his seat and poured himself a drink: "Let's eat first, let's eat first."

After an incense stick had burned, His Majesty the Emperor boarded a sedan chair and, together with Prince Jin, went to the residence of Duke Su Sheng of Wei.

Half an hour later, the sedan chair stopped in front of the Su family's house. Everyone in the Su family, young and old, was kneeling at the door to welcome the imperial procession.

The emperor alighted from his carriage and looked at the group of people kneeling before him. He also saw Su Zhan, the fifth son of the Su family, and his son-in-law, Su Zhan.

He remained silent for a moment before sighing.

"Everyone, get up."

(End of this chapter)