good season

Zhao Xingzhou was taken aback. Did Xiao Zhen recognize me?

However, another thought popped into my head: Xiao Zhen actually knows me!
I can't remember when I last saw Xiao Zhen; it must have been at least twelve or thirteen years.

I never expected that after so many years, Xiao Zhen would still recognize me at a glance.

Come to think of it, Jiayi always boasted about how handsome and intelligent her son was. She always said that I had thought about calling this grandson to see him alone, but when I thought that he was surnamed Xiao, I lost interest. Therefore, before today, even though Jiayi's birth mother was my Empress Dowager, I never paid much attention to Xiao Zhen.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhen held me, his maternal grandfather, in his heart. He respected me greatly, so even after more than ten years, he still recognized me at a glance.

I am deeply gratified!

Zhao Xingzhou was lost in thought, but Xiao Zhen was unaware of it.

The person who could arrange for the retired emperor to be in this room must be Zhao Shiqing.

He knew Zhao Shiqing's temperament; she wasn't someone who could be fooled with just a few words.

Could it be that the Emperor Emeritus and Zhao Shiqing signed an unequal treaty that humiliated the country in exchange for this room?

Well, that must be the case.

Thinking of all the benefits Zhao Shiqing had gotten from the Emperor Emeritus, Xiao Zhen couldn't help but smile. But in Zhao Xingzhou's eyes, his grandson was smiling at him!

Recalling the dream he had just had, Zhao Xingzhou sighed.

An ordinary person might be skeptical about dreams, but Zhao Xingzhou is no ordinary person; he cultivates immortality!

Although he failed to achieve enlightenment, he became completely lost in the mysteries of the world.

In Zhao Xingzhou's view, that dream was a warning from his ancestor!
It's not just a warning, it's a prophecy: Xiao Zhen will die. The second son won't kill him, but his son will. Oh, and Xiao Yue too!

Wait, Xiao Yue? In the dream, Xiao Yue's face was covered in blood, but you could still make out his delicate features. Wasn't that his grandson Zhao Yuan?
I only met Zhao Yuan during the New Year. Zhao Yuan was only a teenager, still a child.
Seeing that Zhao Xingzhou was staring blankly and hadn't spoken for a long time, Xiao Zhen couldn't help but urge him, "Where are your attendants? Did they come up the mountain with you?"

Zhao Xingzhou finally came to his senses. He stared intently at Xiao Zhen and said, "Your younger brother, yes, the one from Xiao Fuma's concubine, is named Xiao Yue?"

I only learned in a dream that the child's name was Xiao Yue, a mere concubine's son, unworthy of my remembrance.

Xiao Zhen was surprised that the Emperor Emeritus remembered Xiao Yue's name. He gave a wink, and Da Zhuang, Jiang Ping, and the others left. It was too late to disturb others, and since it had rained that night, the mountain was wet everywhere. They decided to find a place that wasn't too wet to take a nap.

Only Zhao Xingzhou and Xiao Zhen remained in the room.

Xiao Zhen then spoke up: "Why did you ask about Xiao Yue?"

During the New Year, although he managed to arrange for the Emperor Emeritus to meet Xiao Yue, neither of them spoke at the time, and Xiao Yue did not reveal his identity. However, it was clear from the Emperor Emeritus's expression that he recognized Xiao Yue.

The reason he was in such a hurry to have Zhao Shiqing take Xiao Yue to Liang was because he heard his mother say that Xiao Yue was growing more and more like Empress Zhong.

He was startled at the time. Empress Zhong had only given birth to the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess. Therefore, if anyone noticed that Xiao Yue resembled Empress Zhong, they would easily think of Zhao Yuan. He then had the idea of ​​sending Xiao Yue away from the capital.

I just didn't expect that the Emperor Emeritus would mention Xiao Yue right away. How did he know that Xiao Yue was Zhao Yuan?
Zhao Xingzhou sighed. "If I told you that this was a message from the Ancestral Master in a dream, you certainly wouldn't believe me. After all, someone with such a predestined affinity for immortality is one in ten thousand!"

"Don't ask any more questions. I should have realized it long ago. With your mother's personality, how could she tolerate a son from another family? Alas, I thought she had been bewitched by men and changed her ways."

Upon hearing the phrase "bewitched by male beauty," Xiao Zhen felt embarrassed, yet felt that the phrase was most fitting for her mother.

"Where is Xiao Yue now?" Zhao Xingzhou asked.

“He is safe now, you can rest assured,” Xiao Zhen said.

"I'm not at ease!" Zhao Xingzhou roared. "How can I be at ease? Do you think you, your mother, and the Xiao family alone can protect him? You can't! You can't protect him!"
Besides me, there is no one in the world who can protect him except me!

Did you know? Even the founding master believed that I was the one who could protect him!

The patriarch saw it all long ago!
Are you the only ones still so self-righteous, thinking that making him a concubine and forcing him to hide will protect him? No! No!

Zhao Xingzhou became more and more agitated as he spoke. The eldest son was dead, the second son was an illegitimate child, and of the other three sons, the third son was bisexual and caused a lot of trouble, so I sent him far away to his fiefdom so he wouldn't have to see him. The fourth son was weak from childhood and only survived to the age of twelve thanks to ginseng. The fifth son was even worse off and died at the age of seven.

I have no sons I can use now, and I only have my grandson Zhao Yuan!
But now, the patriarch tells me that even if Zhao Yuan hides at the ends of the earth, he will still be hunted down, he will die, and his head will be cut off!

What do you want me to do? What should I do?
Zhao Xingzhou suddenly felt a wave of despair. Was the Zhao Dynasty going to end with him?

Of course, there are plenty of men in the royal family, and if he wanted to adopt one, those people would probably fight tooth and nail for him.

But why should I adopt someone else?

Zhao Xingzhou recalled Zhao Shiqing's words before he went to sleep: Why should the favor my father earned with his life be given to others?
Yes, why should the empire that my mother fought and seized for me be given to those collateral branches?
Adoption is absolutely out of the question. In this life, the next life, and the life after that, I never want to raise someone else's child!
Zhao Yuan, only Zhao Yuan, I must protect Zhao Yuan!

Zhao Xingzhou made up his mind that, just like back then, his mother would protect him, and he would fight his way through, killing anyone who stood in his way, stepping on a trail of blood, until he finally sat on the dragon throne.

The only difference is that now the roles have changed; it's now me with my grandson.

Xiao Zhen stared blankly at Zhao Xingzhou. He was not familiar with this maternal grandfather. Ever since the death of the former crown prince, his mother had harbored resentment towards his maternal grandfather, so she rarely mentioned him.

Every time Zhao Shiqing talked about him, she would call him an old madman. At that time, Xiao Zhen thought he was faking it.

But now, Xiao Zhen saw madness on Zhao Xingzhou's face.

What triggered this shock that drove the old man to madness?

Xiao Zhen and his group returned in the middle of the night. Zhao Shiqing had already gone to sleep, and he hadn't seen her yet. Of course, he didn't know that Zhao Shiqing had already revealed the matter of the hooked nose. If he had known, he would have been able to understand Zhao Xingzhou's madness.

“Xiao Yue is in Gaoping, he’s safe,” Xiao Zhen said.

Zhao Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something: "That so-called Young Master Guanyue, is that him?"

He had already heard of Young Master Guanyue before he went to Gaoping. He originally planned to visit Tongzhou before going to Gaoping to see where this Young Master Guanyue came from, a self-proclaimed fame-seeker. However, he did not expect to meet Zhao Shiqing in Tongzhou.

Xiao Zhen nodded: "Yes, Xiao Yue is now using the alias Shen Guanyue. Before the flood arrived, he took rice and grain for disaster relief to Gaoping." Zhao Xingzhou's mood finally improved. He recalled the things he had heard about Young Master Guanyue along the way. The people said that Young Master Guanyue was the golden boy under the seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and some even said that he was the son of the God of Wealth. In short, they were all praising him.

"Where did those relief rice and silver coins come from?"

Zhao Xingzhou knew that Princess Jiayi and the Xiao family had some wealth, but if they used it for disaster relief, they would probably go bankrupt.

Xiao Zhen guessed what he was thinking and said, "I raised part of it, and the rest came from the Wei family."

Zhao Xingzhou's eyes lit up: "The Wei family? The Wei family that Consort Li is from?"

"Yes, it's their family. They've done all sorts of bad things, and I only gave them a small lesson," Xiao Zhen said.

Zhao Xingzhou snorted coldly: "You can't be soft-hearted when dealing with this kind of person. You did the right thing!"

At this moment, Zhao Xingzhou found his short-lived grandson much more agreeable.

"By the way, do you have any dealings with the Zhong family in Baifeng City?" Zhao Xingzhou asked.

Xiao Zhen didn't understand why he suddenly asked about the Zhong family, and said, "We have no contact now."

Zhao Xingzhou didn't notice that Xiao Zhen said "now". He nodded and said, "It's best if we don't have any contact. After the Tongzhou matter is settled, I will send someone to Baifeng City. The Zhong family should be dealt with."

Xiao Zhen frowned slightly, about to ask what had happened to the Zhong family, when he heard Zhao Xingzhou continue, "Have you seen someone named Zhong Ziyang?"

Xiao Zhen frowned even more. How did the Emperor Emeritus know about Zhong Ziyang?
He told the truth: "Zhong Ziyang died the year before last, and his death was not honorable."

This time it was Zhao Xingzhou's turn to be surprised. "I only learned of this person's existence today. This person died two years ago?"
"How did he die?" Zhao Xingzhou asked.

Xiao Zhen didn't hide anything from him: "I killed him."

He thought Zhao Xingzhou would be surprised, but to his surprise, Zhao Xingzhou clapped his hands and laughed: "Well done, well done!"

The ancestral master appeared to me in a dream, and it was this traitor named Zhong Ziyang who betrayed my great-grandson!

Zhao Xingzhou stroked his goatee and looked at Xiao Zhen with a smile. Not bad, not bad. No wonder Xiao Yue protected him even in death. It seems that Xiao Zhen was really protecting Xiao Yue with all his heart.

It seems even our ancestor had things he didn't know; he didn't even tell me that Zhong Ziyang was dead.

No, the patriarch would not make any oversights. The patriarch was giving me a warning, letting me know that if Zhong Ziyang did not die, he would betray Xiao Yue sooner or later.

Yes, that's exactly it.

Seeing that he finally stopped asking questions, Xiao Zhen continued with the previous one: "Did you come up the mountain alone?"

Zhao Xingzhou said, "Yes, I happened to meet my granddaughter when I went up the mountain. She had someone carry me up."

Xiao Zhen was stunned. His granddaughter? Who was that?

He did know that the Emperor Emeritus wanted Zhao Shiqing to be his goddaughter. Fortunately, Zhao Shiqing did not agree, otherwise he would have had another little aunt.

"Is your granddaughter also on the mountain? Who is she?" Could she be one of those wives of officials? Is there a princess among them? I don't remember any of my aunts' daughters marrying into Tongzhou.

"That's right, it's Qingqing, Zhao Shiqing!" Zhao Xingzhou said proudly, and even gave Zhao Shiqing a nickname.

Xiao Zhen
What exactly happened today?
How did Zhao Shiqing become the Emperor Emeritus's granddaughter?
Wouldn't that make them siblings?

“Grandfather, may I ask which aunt you adopted this daughter for? If it's my mother, then there's no need for that. You don't know, do you? My mother gave me a younger sister, my own sister.”

To be honest, Zhao Xingzhou really didn't know that Princess Jiayi had given birth to another daughter, but he didn't care.

"You silly child, I'm not exactly free, why should I concern myself with your mother's affairs? I'm an adopted daughter of your Aunt Jiabao. By the way, since you're on the mountain, you must know Qingqing. From now on, you'll be cousins. As the older brother, you should always give way to your younger sister."

Xiao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been this nervous even when dealing with those Imperial Guards today. Although he had gained a younger sister, she was his cousin.

I never imagined that he and Zhao Shiqing would become cousins.

Xiao Zhen was so caught up in the surprise that she didn't notice the name she had never heard of before, Jia Bao.

Zhao Xingzhou, however, moved on to the next question: "I remember you are already dead."

Since that was the case, Xiao Zhen did not hide it from him: "My grandson was on the verge of death. After being rescued, he realized that he had been harmed by someone. He was worried that the villain would continue to harm him if he found out that his grandson was not dead, so he pretended to be dead."

When Zhao Xingzhou thought of the massacre of the Xiao family in his dream, he had his answer.

Who else could possibly harm Xiao Zhen besides that bastard child of the second brother?
The second brother not only wanted to kill Xiao Zhen, but also Jia Yi!
That's Jiayi, the Empress's biological daughter.

Empress Yuan only gave birth to two children. The second son has already killed Zhao Xian and is now trying to kill Jia Yi. He won't even spare Xiao Zhen. He wants to wipe out all of my and Empress Yuan's bloodline. He's ruthless, too ruthless!

Thinking of this, Zhao Xingzhou softened his voice: "Good child, your grandfather knows that you and Xiao Yue are brothers. Don't worry, as long as you treat Xiao Yue well, assist him, and are loyal to him, your grandfather will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Xiao Zhen sneered inwardly, "How I treat Xiao Yue is none of your business."

In his past life, Xiao Yue died for him; in this life, he would certainly not allow anyone to harm Xiao Yue.

Zhao Xingzhou wanted to make a couple more promises, but Xiao Zhen changed the subject: "Where are your guards? Didn't they come up the mountain with you?"

Zhao Xingzhou said, "I hired a boat, originally intending to see how that prince was managing the floods. However, I only saw a few officials from the Ministry of Works. The prince himself was hiding in his mansion and didn't even show his face. I happened to hear that there was a place of refuge on the mountain, and I also heard people talking about Miss Zhao the Second. I wondered if it could be the Miss Zhao the Second I knew, so I went up the mountain. As for the guards, I don't know where they are."

Xiao Zhen really didn't want the Emperor Emeritus's guards to go up the mountain. After dawn, she still had to find a way to send the old man down the mountain.

"What are your plans next?" Xiao Zhen asked.

Zhao Xingzhou smiled and said, "Good child, how about you accompany your grandfather to Gaoping tomorrow?"

Xiao Zhen: When you need me, you're my maternal grandfather; when you don't, you're me. Even the people of Shu can't change their tune as quickly as you. (End of Chapter)