Sha Po Lang

Speaking of which, is the fate of Prince Li Zheng good or bad?

In fact, it is difficult to generalize.

He was born of the empress of the late Emperor Long'an. He is not the eldest son, and he has an ambitious elder brother. According to common sense, when he grows up, he is likely to embark on a path of competing with his elder brother for his mother's favor and fighting to the death. The road to defend the crown prince.

The prince is gentle and peaceful by nature—gentleness followed his grandfather, tranquility followed his mother, neither of them is a good example of a ruler, his mother is sad and sick, her mother's family has no influence, I am not ambitious, nor She has no backbone, and has a temper with Emperor Long'an Li Feng, who was once conferred the title of empress because of the emperor's favor.

However, after being sealed, the mud will not be able to support the wall. Compared with the concubine Lu and the eldest princes back then, no matter how you look at her, she will be cannon fodder in the future.

But fate is always unpredictable. When the little prince Li Zheng was only six or seven years old, the peace was broken and the country was in chaos.

Li Zheng, who was in the deep palace, did not actually have a very intuitive impression of those years of difficult wars. He only remembered that there were very few cases in that year. In the early summer of that year, the capital was as hot as a boiler, and the western sky was steaming With the purple atmosphere, people inside and outside the palace walls were panicked. The maids and servants who came in and out didn't show a smile at all. They were all trembling and came and went in a hurry. Sometimes, you can always hear the palace people can lower their voices to report the outside affairs, and keep fighting in three sentences.

The prince was too young to understand what the adults were talking about, but he remembered that this topic was always accompanied by the mother's low sobs.

Later, as the young prince grew up little by little and began to understand the world around him, Daliang's situation improved little by little. The monkeys were scattered, the Lu family was convicted of rebellion, the concubine Lu was deposed and thrown into the cold palace, and the eldest prince also fell into a slump from then on.

During that period of time, the East Palace seemed to suddenly become a sweet pastry. For the first time, the prince felt the ups and downs of power in a ignorant manner, but he didn't like it. There was no time to talk about these dirty things in the sage books taught by the Taifu. However, with a certain innate sensitivity, he has already felt uneasiness beyond his age-he always feels that ups and downs mean turmoil.

Emperor Long'an has few heirs, the eldest son of the emperor is weak, and the mother of the three emperors is humble and young. Everyone thinks that the crown prince Li Zheng is the most honorable heir of Daliang—and he has not had this illusion with everyone. He saw his father died in the chaos.

That day the little prince was holding the fourth uncle's hand in the chaos, and he still regarded himself as a child in his heart, witnessing the truth of power with the eyes of a child without any hindrance.

For Daliang, it is the beginning of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, a new era and a new policy.

For the little prince in the deep palace, the whole world seems to have changed.

The empress is cowardly by nature, and always tells him to please the fourth uncle, because the lives of their orphans and widows have hung on his uncle's conscience and promise since then, and none of the officials can say that he, the prince, can be a prince. When will he be able to live in the palace where he grew up?

Li Zheng used to like to be close to the emperor's uncle Li Min, but during that time he felt a lot of pressure when facing the fourth emperor's uncle.The formerly kind and knowledgeable little uncle suddenly turned into the emperor, and even his title had to be changed for a while.Every day, the little prince bites the bullet and listens to the half-understood government affairs, endures all kinds of considerate or meaningful gazes from around, bites the bullet to pay his respects to the emperor's uncle, and then returns to the East Palace to listen to his mother's endless worries.

His mother was never as good as Concubine Lu, she didn't have her own backbone, she didn't have a clear idea, she would only transfer the pressure to her son, asking him to "be successful" every day.

But she has no idea what kind of anger he should take a breath of, or what kind of person she expects him to grow up in the future.

Everyone has their own confusion and predicament when they are young. For example, Gu Yun's predicament is the Xuantieying camps scattered all over the place, Taishi Emperor Li Min's predicament is the terrible Wuergu and Gu Yun -- and the predicament of the little prince Li Zheng is his uncertain future.

But behind Gu Yun are tens of thousands of wind blades and the ancestors of the Gu family hanging high in the hall. Chang Geng has a little adoptive father who is always watching him and leading him.

But Li Zheng's surroundings were only filled with constant fear, and no one showed him a clear path.

In the autumn of the fourth year of Taishi, after a frost, Li Zheng's mother died suddenly amidst the endless fear and worry during her lifetime.

The 15-year-old prince has grown into a teenager, and he is taciturn day after day.

When the coffin stopped, Chang Geng stepped back from the left and right, walked in slowly, and lightly pressed Li Zheng's shoulder who was about to stand up and salute.Li Zheng didn't insist.Under the urging of his queen mother, he tried his best to figure out the likes and dislikes of this fourth uncle every day, knowing that he didn't like others to be polite in private.

Li Zheng: "Your Majesty."

Chang Geng glanced at him, and the young man immediately changed his words embarrassingly: "Uncle Huang."

"My condolences."

Chang Geng gave instructions, and paid homage to the emperor's wife whom he had never seen twice before, just as he straightened his waist, he heard the little prince next to him say in a voice that was a bit difficult when his voice changed: "I have no talent or virtue, I can't use it, please The emperor's uncle abolished the minister's position as the crown prince."

Chang Geng frowned and raised his head.

The appearance of this cheap nephew is not as upright and majestic as his father's, but he is a bit too handsome. The young man is pale and thin, with a melancholy in the corners of his eyes and brows that has not changed for many years. He really does not look like a noble man. Phoenix son and grandson.

After Li Zheng said those words, he seemed to have frightened himself, with a look of apprehension. Somehow, a gust of wind suddenly blew outside the open mourning hall, and the trivial decorations under the steam palace lanterns flickered. After a few strokes, it bumped into the spiritual tablet on one side, and the spiritual tablet fell down in response, and the young prince was shocked violently.

Chang Geng stood up calmly, lifted up the coffin respectfully, waved at the servants who rushed in fearfully, turned to his nephew, and asked, "I heard the Taifu said that you read very well, why do you suddenly do so?" think?"

Li Zheng lowered his head and dared not speak.

Chang Geng paused, and then said: "When you were young, you often chased me to ask questions, and I even made up grass and insects for you, why now that you are older, you have a relationship with Fourth Uncle?"

Li Zheng was speechless, and murmured: "There is a difference between a monarch and a minister, a minister...I..."

Thinking about it carefully, Li Zheng didn't ask for anything from the little emperor uncle before, but simply liked him. Although he was still living in the palace these years, he always felt that he was depending on others, and he couldn't help being mixed with him when facing the emperor uncle. A lot of flattery and cautiousness have already changed their taste.

When Li Zheng looked into Chang Geng's eyes, he knew that this fourth uncle who was trying to save the building was like a mirror in his heart. He knew everything, so he felt more and more ashamed of himself.

"Abolishing and establishing the crown prince is a major event," Chang Geng replied nonchalantly, "State-owned state laws are not something you and I can decide at will."

Li Zheng's face flushed, as if he was being self-indulgent.

Chang Geng: "If you find it inconvenient to say something to me, you might as well talk to Marquis Anding. He will leave Beijing next month to inspect military affairs in the four regions. If you are interested, you can ask him to take you to have a look."

Li Zheng was taken aback.

Then Chang Geng said with a smile: "When my fourth uncle was your age, he was also full of confusion. Back then, I had a big fight with my adoptive father who was ordered to take care of me... that was Marquis An Ding, and he insisted on running away from home. Master Liaoran and General Zhong Lao traveled all over Daliang, went to many places, saw all beings running around to make a living, and also saw unscrupulous people and bandits running rampant. You can see more about life and death in the world. Can be smaller."

No matter how ignorant the little prince is, he still knows the importance of the Marquis of Anding holding the Black Iron Tiger Talisman in the court and the army. When he was young and ignorant, he was very curious about the legendary hero, and begged him to write a copybook Later, he didn't dare. His mother tightly detained him in the palace during her lifetime, not allowing him to go out to make friends with courtiers. She was afraid that her son would go too far and hinder the eyes of the new emperor, so she never set foot in the Hou's mansion again.

"Don't be afraid of him, he loved you very much when you were young, remember?" Chang Geng mentioned Gu Yun, his eyes changed involuntarily, and a gentle smile appeared naturally.

The prince didn't react for a moment: "Gu... Gu Shuai?"

Chang Geng walked out of the mourning hall, the crown prince was stunned for a moment, and quickly followed, the servants on both sides seemed to know that the uncle and nephew had something to say, so they automatically backed away to the two sides, the young new emperor walked in front with his hands behind his back, without hesitation He said to Li Zheng: "I have no interest in other heirs for the time being. After a few years, the throne will be passed on to you, but that will be a different country. When you sit in this position, you may find that the Ninth Five-Year King is also You can’t keep your promises. The entire court, and even the world, has its own rules of operation, and the law is on top of the head, and the ruler and ministers, and the ministers and the people are mutually restricted... You may even feel like a noble puppet.”

These words were unheard of by the world, and Li Zheng was stunned when he heard them.

Chang Geng turned his head and glanced at him: "I don't know if you can accept it."

Li Zheng: "I..."

"You don't need to reply to me now." Chang Geng smiled, stretched out his hand and pressed the boy's head, "You can go out and see the outside world first, and then come back after thinking about it. Don't think too much about adopting other heirs."

After finishing speaking, Chang Geng left, and he just came to the grave in a hurry to make an appointment, and then went back to live outside the palace.

"Huang...fourth uncle," Li Zheng called him suddenly, "why don't you want your own heir?"

"I have been to the destination of my life, and I have no regrets before and after my life. I don't need to leave any blood." Chang Geng paused, saw Li Zheng's bewildered face, shook his head and smiled, "I don't understand it when I tell you, but I understand it when I grow up. .”

Li Zheng: "..."

Half a month later, Emperor Taishi defied all opinions with superb skills, and approved the prince's request to accompany Marquis Anding to inspect the four realms. Li Zheng followed Gu Yun for three months, stepping across the air, water, and steam rails. After visiting the three mountains and six rivers in the whole territory, he seemed to be addicted to it. He often found excuses to leave Beijing, and he was away from the palace for half a year.

Another three years later, when Li Zheng turned eighteen, he went to the former Yanwang Mansion - now the Emperor's Biezhuang and chatted with Chang Geng all night. Chang Geng agreed with him to bring his bodyguards and join the sea caravan led by Mr. Du. Go to wider places overseas.

It was said to be a caravan, but in fact it was accompanied by dozens of long and short dragon boats. In addition to Mr. Du and others who led the ship, there were also some elite soldiers from the Daliang Navy and experts from the Lingshu Academy headed by Cao Chunhua and Liao Ran. In addition to trading goods, they also brought credentials and negotiated treaties, roaming east and west, wandering around the world, and returning after five years.

After Li Zheng came back, he laughed at himself. With his dull and mediocre qualifications, he could not be ranked among the generations of the Li family, but he must be the one who went the farthest.

In the 18th year of Taishi, Gu Yun handed back the Xuantiehu Talisman and put up a seal to resign. The accurate new calendar continues the new era that the predecessors have been stumbling and fumbling for 18 years.

So far, the mountains and rivers remain the same, and the world is peaceful.