Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 171 Perhaps the Storm is Coming

The current Emperor of Jingguo ascended the throne at the age of 32 and has been on the throne for 38 years.

When he first ascended the throne, he changed the reign title to Zhenkai, and now it is the 38th year of Zhenkai.

Because the court and the people avoided using the emperor's name, at the beginning of his reign, the court and the people requested the emperor to decide on a title. In the first year of Zhenkai, the emperor led his ministers to submit a memorial to heaven, deciding on the title of Emperor Shangxuan Rende, or Emperor Shangxuan for short.

Emperor Shang Xuan had given birth to a total of seventeen sons and twenty-five daughters up to now. However, in this era, even if born in the royal family, the growth of princes and princesses still had to go through many hardships. Some things were well known to everyone. Anyway, one third of Emperor Shang Xuan's dozens of children died young.

Now, leaving aside the young princes and princesses, there are seven adult princes and fifteen princesses.

In the past forty years, the crown prince of Jing State has changed three times, all following the precept of enthroning the eldest son as the heir. Now the fourth crown prince is in power.

The first one was the year when Emperor Shang Xuan ascended the throne. He made his eldest son the crown prince. However, less than half a year later, the first crown prince, who was only thirteen years old, died of illness in the first year of Zhenkai. So the position of crown prince became vacant. It was not until the sixth year of Zhenkai that the second prince grew up. The ministers submitted a memorial to reassure the people, and then the second prince was made the crown prince.

However, in the eleventh year of Zhenkai, the second prince died in the war when the northern enemy country attacked the border. He personally led the troops to defend the country against the enemy. The whole country was in great grief, and the position of prince remained vacant for several years.

The third prince is interesting. He was canonized as the prince in the 17th year of Zhenkai, so he can be considered as the legitimate son of the royal family. The reason why the word "can be considered" is used is because the biological mother of the third prince was the empress who ascended to the throne after the first empress of Emperor Shangxuan died of illness in the 14th year of Zhenkai.

However, this queen did not rule for many years. In the 19th year of Emperor Zhenkai's reign, she was assassinated on her way home with the prince to visit her parents. Both mother and son died by their own hands. To this day, it has not been found out who did it. It is a taboo unsolved case.

The current Crown Prince of Jingguo was born to the third empress. According to the age ranking of Emperor Shang Xuan's children, he is the eighth prince. He is now 22 years old and has been canonized as the Crown Prince for seven years. He ascended the throne of the Crown Prince in the first year of Chen Xuan's arrival in this world and was unable to enjoy the universal celebration.

Anyway, in the 38th year of Zhenkai, of the seven adult princes, except for the eighth prince who was named crown prince and stayed in the capital, the other six were each made king. They either stayed in their fiefdoms or led troops to guard the border and were not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict.

Then came the adult princesses. Most of them had already married, and only four or five remained in the palace to fulfill their filial duties.

Because Gao Jingming is the brother-in-law of Prince Qing, Chen Xuan has occasionally learned some information in this regard over the years. Especially after realizing that Gao Jingyu has ambitions, Chen Xuan has occasionally paid extra attention to the situation of the royal family recently.

As far as he knew, Prince Qing was the fifth son of Emperor Shang Xuan, and was now 32 years old. He was one of the elder brothers of the current Crown Prince, and was also the eldest son of Concubine Xian, the current Imperial Concubine of the Western Palace of Emperor Shang Xuan.

Prince Qing was crowned king when he was eighteen years old, and he went to his fiefdom after being crowned king. Because he had shown outstanding martial arts talent and military ability since he was a child, when he was twenty-six years old, he received an edict from Emperor Shang Xuan to lead 50,000 troops to guard the border between Jing State and Rong State in the south. He stayed there for eight years, and had already taken root in the border between the two countries.

During the eight years that Prince Qing was guarding the border between the two countries, there were dozens of frictions of varying sizes between the two countries, but Jing Kingdom did not lose an inch of territory. However, Prince Qing was also unable to invade the territory of Rong Kingdom. The two sides were always in a delicate balance, with both sides winning and losing.

Speaking of it, Gao Jingyu was able to marry Prince Qing because it was the year when Prince Qing led his troops to garrison the border. They met in advance, and they were still newlyweds when the emperor's edict arrived. So the newlyweds hurried to the border. Even Gao Jingyu's first son, Zhou Jinlin, was born at the border.

It is a taboo for generals to bring their female relatives with them when they go to war, but Prince Qing did just that and even had a son there. There have always been memorials impeaching him in the court, but they have never been resolved.

It was only after Gao Jingyu gave birth to her second daughter that she left the border and returned to the palace. A few years later, not long ago, she returned home to visit her relatives...

I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but Prince Qing went to guard the border eight years ago, and the fourth prince of Jing Guozhen’s reign came to the throne the following year. It’s hard not to think that Prince Qing’s departure was paving the way for the prince.

In short, all the big and small matters of the royal family are recorded, and anyone who is interested can find a way to check them.

Now hearing Gao Jingming say that the Emperor of Jingguo is about to celebrate his 70th birthday, Chen Xuan couldn't help but think a lot in his mind.

If Chen Xuan thinks deeply about some things, he will feel a little scared. If it was before he set foot in the innate realm, he would probably be a little horrified, but now he is just a little scared.

Think about it, why did Gao Jingyu go home to visit her relatives before the emperor's 70th birthday? It was probably she who directed the scene with Leng Bing. From Chen Xuan's current perspective, after experiencing that incident, Leng Bing's character changed drastically, and he became more suitable for practicing martial arts. He made further progress in martial arts, and it would only take three to five years for him to step into the innate realm.

Perhaps Gao Jingyu knew the news in advance, or Prince Qing would make some moves next. More likely, Gao Jingyu himself did not intend to settle down, so he went home to resolve the worries at his mother's side.

Secondly, why did Prince Qing lead the troops to garrison the border for eight years, and even brought his newlywed princess Gao Jingyu with him? This seems to be a sign of self-desecration. In addition, he has no outstanding military achievements and shortcomings that are criticized. It is hard to guarantee that he is not lying in wait to recuperate.

Then there is the recent disappearance of a large number of blacksmiths around Mo City, which makes it hard not to think of some bad situations.

Who says that wars are easy to start in troubled times, and that the emperor is most dangerous when he is old? Ordinary people may not know much about it, but every change of the throne is not accompanied by blood and rain, both openly and covertly.
The most ruthless are the imperial families. The temptation of that position is too great. Sometimes you can't just stay out of it if you don't fight for it. The people behind you will push you to fight for it. Even if you want to give up, you can't, unless you really have no threat, otherwise you will be a thorn in the eyes of others.

The dead are the least threatening! Fortunately, there has been no recent news of the emperor's poor health, nor has there been any signs of him becoming incompetent in his old age. In any case, the world is still peaceful and prosperous.

Speaking of it, Emperor Shang Xuan's performance during the 38 years of his reign was also remarkable. Perhaps he was not aggressive enough, but he was good at maintaining the status quo. He failed to expand the territory, but he did not lose an inch of land. He was also able to govern the Jing Kingdom in an orderly manner. This was already very good. If you look through history, he was much better than the previous two emperors. At least there was no major disaster that required him to issue a self-criticism edict.

This is a rare wise ruler.

"Emperor Shang Xuan is now seventy, a rare age for a man to reach seventy. The current Crown Prince is only in his early twenties. The six princes, except for a few who are extremely absurd, are all very troublesome. If bad news about Emperor Shang Xuan spreads, and the Crown Prince cannot convince the people, I'm afraid that the peaceful days will not last for many years..."

Chen Xuan sighed as his thoughts flashed through his mind. In the feudal dynasty era, the most feared thing was a major disaster, followed by the emperor's old age. If one was not careful, the whole country would be in turmoil, and the common people were helpless in such a torrent of trends.

Fortunately, he is just a little servant now. Even if the sky falls, it won't hit him. Moreover, he has a certain ability to protect himself. As long as he doesn't cause trouble, it won't be a problem for him to live a peaceful life.

Gao Jingming didn't think so much about it. He was still enthusiastically talking about how the academy organized students to celebrate the emperor's birthday.

"...the academy encourages everyone to actively participate and congratulate His Majesty on his birthday, but it is not mandatory. You can decide whether to participate or not."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the restaurant. Xiao Cai and the others had already prepared the food.

Chen Xuan was speechless and said, "It seems that the young master is planning to participate, right?"

"Of course. This is a rare opportunity. It's His Majesty's 70th birthday. I heard that it was celebrated grandly only ten years ago. Who wouldn't want to take this opportunity to show off?" Gao Jingming said with a smile.

Some words should be avoided. He did not dare to say that after this, Emperor Shang Xuan might not have the chance to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Looking at history and the surrounding countries, there are very few rulers who can live to be eighty years old. This is still the fantasy world of high martial arts in Chen Xuan's view.

The ruler of a country works hard day and night, and it is rare for him to live a long life. Even if there are many ways to prolong life, he cannot withstand the mental and physical exhaustion, especially a wise ruler like Emperor Shang Xuan who is devoted to the country.

Speaking of this perspective, if one reaches the innate level of martial arts, one can live for two decades, and if one reaches the master level, the life span can reach three decades. But the prerequisite is that one can die of natural causes, and few can actually live that long.

Some people who practice extreme skills have extraordinary strength and their lifespan is no different from that of ordinary people. Even if they practice superior skills, they can hardly protect themselves from being challenged by others and getting injured and having their lifespan shortened.

As for the lifespan of the peerless strong men in the realm of tribulation, it is hard to say. As long as they don't die, living two or three hundred years is like a piece of cake. The prerequisite is that you must be able to withstand the heavenly tribulation. After that, there is the earthly tribulation waiting for you. After that, there is still the human tribulation. Just like Liu Changhe, he was confused and didn't know what happened. He only remembered who he was when his soul was scattered.

Unless you step into the realm of immortals, you can roam freely in the world and watch the dynasties change and the world changes. As long as you don't die, you can probably live forever. Who knows? Anyway, living for a thousand or eight hundred years is no problem.

Throughout history, there are only a few records of people at that level, and no one knows the details. In front of human immortals, century-old dynasties and thousand-year-old families are just a joke. They themselves are a living history.

"So specifically, how do the young masters participate in the academy?" Chen Xuan asked, following Gao Jingming's lead.

Gao Jingming replied enthusiastically, "The academy doesn't encourage money-grabbing, so spending money on birthday gifts is fine. It's strictly prohibited. However, you can make some handicrafts yourself, or you can present poems, calligraphy, and paintings."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "We will take this opportunity to have the students present their works. The academy will screen them and pick out the best ten, which will then be presented directly to His Majesty. This is not just a personal matter, but also concerns the academy. After all, it is also a competition with the other two academies. If His Majesty is pleased, not only will the academy be honored, but the individuals themselves will also be rewarded and become famous. The teacher said that if the work is approved by His Majesty, it will be printed and distributed nationwide for thousands of scholars to observe and learn from. I won't have to think about the honor then. It's good enough to be a little eye-catching in the academy. At the very least, I can't fall too far behind my classmates."

There are so many scholars in Jingguo, and I wonder how many of them are trying their best to show themselves. I guess the three major academies will rely on their special functions to directly reach the emperor's desk, which is also a chance for the students.

Gao Jingming was only fourteen years old, and his chances of standing out from the crowd were almost zero, but he still had this self-awareness.

Chen Xuan has received too much favor from the Gao family over the years. It can be said that without the Gao family, he would not be where he is today. He is well aware of this, so he is thinking about whether he should give Gao Jingming a push and let this kid come to the limelight?

Whether he can be given a push is still another matter. If he really seizes this opportunity, there are pros and cons. It is glorious to become famous at a young age, but as the saying goes, a tree stands out in the forest. Moreover, there are some malicious guys in this academy who are always thinking of harming him. They might take advantage of the situation and stir up trouble. Any performance of Gao Jingming may be caught by the other party.

While thinking about it, Chen Xuan asked, "So, young master, what do you think? Where do you plan to start participating?"

……

(End of this chapter)