Lang Yi

Tian Zong helped the coffin of Tianci and came to the foot of Zhaoming Mountain.

It was the severe winter, and the vegetation in the mausoleum was silent, and the snow fell on ancient pines. The long Huling River surrounding the imperial mausoleum was completely frozen, but it was not completely frozen. The river water under the thick ice layer was still the same For a hundred years, it has been rushing like a torrent, and it seems to be swallowing in a low voice.

In front of the majestic mausoleum, two huge stone dragons are quietly entrenched on the lotus stone platform, spotless and lifelike; echoing each other, they raise their bodies, as if they are about to soar into the sky in the next moment, their minions are flying, and their eyes are majestic. , looking down at the descendants who came to knock on the door.

All the officials stood quietly on both sides. Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, Tian Zong led several Ji family members into the Taimiao Temple, and knelt down in front of the ancestors' spirit tablets all over the wall.

Amidst the fragrance of hibiscus flowers, a series of ancestor spirits stood solemnly above their heads, as if the ancestors of all ages bent down to examine the descendants of the descendants.Tian Zong finished prostrating, but he didn't get up, he just stared at the statue of the founding father of Daying hanging on the wall, and couldn't help asking in his heart: the ancestors are above all, but you are really protecting Daying, blessing Are we future generations?If this is the case, why did you let my eldest brother Tianci die in his prime of youth? !He is also as conscientious as you were when you were alive. He should be the heir of Da Ying!

Tian Zong looked sadly at the familiar faces of his ancestors in the portrait, and at the clear phoenix eyes inherited from generations of Ji's descendants. He just wanted to confess his cowardice and fear: I, Ji Tianzong, have no morals and incompetence, and I can't afford to provoke a big scandal. If you follow me, if you follow me, where should you go? !

The ancestor's eyes are clearly only in the portrait, but they seem to penetrate time and space, life and death, looking at him from the bottomless depths, showing neither compassion nor contempt and disappointment.Tian Zong raised his eyes to look at the figure in the painting who created a great dynasty, and had the illusion that he was about to speak up in the next moment, but there was always silence in his ears.

But the gaze of the ancestor made Tian Zong's face slowly ignite with blood. Thinking of Tianci's entrustment to himself before his death, Tian Zong couldn't help but silently clenched his hands hidden in his long sleeves, and resolutely made a wish in his heart: If today, Ci is gone Now, it will be my turn to take up this huge foundation in the future; my ancestors, even though I, Ji Tianzong, is useless, I vow to firmly guard this hundreds of years of foundation!Therefore, please continue to bless me and bless Daying!

Tian Zong looked at the silent spirit seat, knelt straight, and prayed devoutly to his ancestors for strength, the cry in his heart almost rang out.

The clan members behind him also didn't get up, they knelt in their places, each with their own thoughts, staring at the ancestor's spirit tablet on the tall case in a trance.The accompanying eunuchs did not dare to interrupt without permission, and stood aside with their hands folded and their breath held.It wasn't until the time for the mausoleum to be buried in the ground was approaching that the officials of the ceremonies stepped forward to remind Tian Zong to get up.

Tian Zong stood reverently by the side of the mausoleum. Seeing the opening of the Diling mountain gate, a chill came in. In the darkness, the patchwork lamps were burning quietly. Some of the emperor's statues are dressed in military uniforms, some have high crowns and wide sleeves, some hold swords, or hold hibiscus in their hands. All of them have phoenix eyes and long eyebrows, solemn and majestic.

The coffin gifted by God was sent to the Diling Mausoleum, where they will be buried together with the ancestors of the past dynasties.A gust of wind blew, and a few snowflakes got into the collar, causing a stinging coldness, but the fighting spirit that had been ignited in Tianzong's heart since he was in the Taimiao just now did not diminish at all.It wasn't until the mausoleum was closed that he could no longer really feel any breath of God-given in this world, and then he felt that sadness and depression were like rising tides of sea water, creeping ashore again.

Sitting in the temporary tent at the foot of the mountain to rest for a while, and took a sip of hot tea, Tian Zong gradually calmed down, and had brief conversations with several clan relatives who came from the fief to pay the funeral.

Ji Tianshe, the eldest son of Prince Yi, came from the fiefdom of the Eastern Realm, and finally entered the tent to visit, and at first he just sat with him in silence for a while; Tianci's sudden death was tantamount to shaking the whole Ji family. Shocked like this, several members of the Ji clan couldn't hide the panic between their brows.Tian Amnesty had been friends with him before, but the panic in his heart was not inferior to his at this time. The two young descendants of the Ji family looked at each other, unable to find the right words to comfort each other for a while, they could only pat each other on the shoulder in silence.

Tian Zong looked at his hair disheveled by the cold wind and his gloomy eyebrows, and recalled the time when they drank together in Qingdu. Leaving Central Continent, going down to the East China Sea, traveling around and looking for fairyland, I couldn't help bringing up this topic again, and asked, "Cousin, how is your ship going? When do you plan to go to sea?"

Tian She looked at him blankly, and after a while, he remembered the past as if awakened, and said with a wry smile: "In recent years, the harvest in the eastern border has not been good, and the seaside has been repeatedly harassed by Japanese pirates. Most of the taxes collected are not for use. The repair work is to appease the people, so I don’t have any spare money to spend on shipbuilding. My elder brother, alas, has been unable to get out of the old year’s heartbreak. What I can do is limited, but I have to help my father and king with chores—shipbuilding The matter of going to sea has long been left behind."

Tian She's tone was low, and he was about to leave after saying a few words. Before he left, he looked at him and said solemnly: "Your Highness, I won't say much else; but what you said today reminded me: since the determination is made, there is no big boat I also want to go to sea; similarly, as long as you are determined, even if you are not the eldest son, you will definitely be able to stir up the burden of the foundation."

Tian Zong understood his encouragement and trust, and the two saluted each other farewell.Sending Tianshe out of the tent, with some freshly fallen snow on the soles of his boots, he turned and walked back to the tent.

The moment he lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent, Tian Zong raised his eyes and saw the scarlet hibiscus on the top of the canopy. Sneering at him coldly: "Supporting a big scandal? Just relying on you who have accomplished nothing and accomplished nothing? Hahaha..."

Tianzong felt a chill in his heart, as if the blood in his whole body had cooled down, he couldn't help but feel his feet go limp, and fell to the ground.

At this time, Ning Xinghe, the deputy head of the guards who was in charge of escorting the team, came here to inform Tian Zong that he was about to leave for the return journey, so he walked into the tent with Ning Xingye who was outside the guard.The two entered the tent, saw Tian Zong sitting slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the top of the tent, they couldn't help but turn pale with shock at the same time.

In the blink of an eye, the two brothers looked at each other and pulled out their knives almost at the same time.One immediately put down the curtain and blocked the door with a horizontal knife; the other walked to the center of the tent in two steps, looked around and listened vigilantly, and slowly put away the knife until he confirmed that it was not an assassin or a hidden weapon.

At this moment, Tian Zong broke free from the nightmare-like illusion. Seeing the two of them looking at him worriedly, he forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, this king is just too tired for the past few days, and his feet are covered with snow just now. If you accidentally slipped, don't say anything."

This is the majestic mausoleum of Daying, and there is still purple smoke and dragon aura lingering on the top of the mountain; if people know that they are the descendants of the Ji family, and they see strange phantoms here, it will make people even more panic.

Ning Xingye had never seen Tian Zong in such a panic and panic. Standing aside, he was at a loss, but Tian Zong lowered his head and ordered, "Come here, pull me up." He hurriedly passed his hand over, who knew Tian Zong Even though he was sitting on the ground, without raising his head, he very naturally supported the hand that Ning Xinghe handed over to him.

Ning Xingye was stunned, then retracted his hand without showing any trace, and put it on the handle again.

Ning Xinghe used his arms to firmly support Tian Zong to stand upright; but the five fingers in his palm were placed gently on the back of Tian Zong's hand, as if he was afraid that it would hurt him if he clenched it tightly.

Tian Zong stood up, settled down, and let go of his hand.Ning Xinghe bent his fingers slightly, as if he wanted to hold him to keep him, but froze in the middle, allowing him to withdraw his hand.

Ning Xinghe withdrew his mind, and said: "Your Highness is tired, let's rest here for a while before heading back."

Tian Zong waved his hand and refused: "It's okay, the wind and snow are cold, the road is not easy to walk, most of the accompanying people are old and weak, and their bodies are not strong. If the return journey is delayed, I am afraid that many people will catch the wind and cold, so let's start the return journey as soon as possible."

Ning Xinghe promised that when he was about to leave the tent, he suddenly stopped and said earnestly: "Your Highness, for the sake of Daying's future, please take care of yourself."

Tian Zong looked at him, subconsciously said for no reason: "Do you believe me?" Although this sentence was doubtful, he said it in a positive tone.

Ning Xinghe looked at him deeply: "Chen...Da Ying believes in His Highness, and so does the minister."

*****

Tianci was given the posthumous title of Duanrui, and naturally, Tianzong became the new crown prince.After the canonization ceremony, Tian Zong moved into the palace from Linwang Mansion where he used to live, and lived in the Qiming Hall to the east of the palace where Prince Qian Rui lived.

Da Ying has always used the eldest son of the emperor as the heir to the throne, and he has been carefully cultivated since childhood; but now that he has passed the weak crown years, it is no longer possible to train him with that method.So the emperor asked him to attend the court meeting every day, and ordered the academicians in charge of educating the prince to give him lectures.Tian Zong got up on time every morning to attend the court meeting, returned to his study to attend lectures in the afternoon, and studied economics and government affairs in the evening until late at night.

He had lived a casual life for more than [-] years, but now he was pushed to the position of prince, just like Sun Wukong being put under a magic spell, it was unbearable; but thinking of the last words given by God and the trust of everyone, he still gritted his teeth and persisted.Fortunately, Tian Zong was originally intelligent, and although he had been away from the court for many years, he had his own observations on government affairs and the court. With talent and diligence, it was not difficult to become a qualified heir to the throne.

After Tian Zong greeted the Queen, he raced against time to rush to the study.Walking through the corridor in a hurry, suddenly a fresh light yellow came into view.Looking back, it turned out to be a cluster of primroses in the small nursery under the corridor. At this time, only one branch bloomed first, which was particularly conspicuous under the cover of greenery.

Tian Zong looked around, and the huge palace seemed to be still immersed in the tragic atmosphere of losing the eldest prince, but at this time there were some signs of being lit up by this reckless spring.The flower branches trembled, but the bright and lively light yellow impacted his vision that was almost numb after being tired for days, as if reminding everyone in the first palace: mid-spring has arrived.

Tian Zong rubbed the acupuncture points on both sides of his forehead, and couldn't help but think of the scene when he met Ning Xinghe in early spring a long time ago.

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The next chapter begins to recall, a little sweet~~