The Story of Leaping from the Dragon Gate

The emperor's expression remained unchanged, and he said with a look of expectation, "You object? Why do you object? You think the sixth prince cannot be the crown prince, so you have to give a reason."

Dugu's mind was in chaos: "Chen..."

"Could it be that the ability of the sixth child is too low?" The emperor was full of aura, looking straight at him and asking.

Xianhou tried his best to resist the emperor's prestige, and shook his head with difficulty: "No..."

"Is that because of his poor conduct?"

"Do not……"

"The ability is not low, and the character is not bad. Tell me, how can the sixth prince not be a prince?"

A drop of cold sweat flowed into the eye sockets, and the eyes suddenly ached.Dugu Xie took a deep breath and kowtowed to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I cannot agree to changing the sixth prince to be the crown prince. It is not about ability and character, but about temperament and will. Your majesty must be clear that the sixth prince...Xiaoyin will definitely not like it." .Chen... I have forced him to do many things that he doesn't like. If I agree with His Majesty's proposal, it will be tantamount to embarrassing him to the point of desperation. The position of crown prince is not only for the sixth prince. Until now...I only hope that he... Be happy, be more comfortable, be carefree, be free from disasters..."

The emperor suddenly sneered: "Runze, are you accusing me?"

Dugu Mian bowed his head and did not move: "I dare not."

The emperor snorted, "Don't you dare? Why don't you dare?" Even my son dared to go up.After a moment of resentment, remembering that today's intention is not here, he slowed down his tone: "You mean, you object because you know he will not want to?"

"Your Majesty can explain it this way."

"Runze, raise your head and look at me."

Dugu looked up, and saw the emperor staring at him fiercely.

"Xianhou, tell me that you don't agree with changing the sixth prince to be the crown prince, so after the new emperor ascends the throne, I just asked you those three questions, do you have an answer?"

——What if the new emperor sent someone to successfully assassinate the sixth prince?

——What if the new emperor uses Dugu Mansion as a hostage to force Marquis Xian to return to Beijing?

——What if the new emperor suspects that the sixth prince and the Marquis of Xian are connected with foreign clans and treason to the enemy?

Dugu wanted to say that it might not be that far.He also wanted to say, I always have a way to protect him.However, neither experience nor reason allowed him to be so naive.

Before he could speak, the emperor added coolly: "When that day really comes... you, Marquis Xian Dugu, will you be disloyal to the new emperor for the sake of the sixth prince?"

After Dugu was shocked, he was sweating profusely.He knew that he had to give the emperor a definite negative answer immediately, immediately, without hesitation, but it seemed that a heavy lead was blocked in his throat, and he could not make a sound.The neck is also like a stuck door hinge, unable to turn and shake his head.

The emperor just watched him quietly, waiting for him to calm down from his nervous agitation.

Dugu Mian was finally able to speak, stabilized his mind, and paused word by word: "Your Majesty, if you are a minister for a day, you will be loyal to the emperor for a day. If you are born as a citizen of the Great Xia, you will die as a citizen of the Great Xia. If... that day really comes... I will take Xiaoyin away. I will protect him—life and death.”

The emperor seemed to be pondering.After a while, he sighed: "So, for him, you are willing to abandon your family and business, hide your name, and flee from the rivers and lakes, wandering the world?"

Dugu was silent for a while, then nodded slowly: "Yes."

The emperor patted the edge of the bed, his eyebrows were erected, his face was livid, and he scolded angrily: "Fart! You really have such a heart, what did you do earlier?!"

After Dugu said nothing.The emperor was nothing more than venting his anger.Many things, unless there is a last resort, cannot become choices at all.

The emperor continued to be furious: "When that day really comes, do you think you can leave if you want? In the whole world, could it be that the king's land, where can you go? You are always worried and frightened everywhere. I am afraid that you will not be able to take care of yourself. Not to mention protecting him! How about being happy and comfortable, carefree, free from disasters and disasters! After Dugu, you can see clearly that what you couldn't do for Xiaoyin back then, you still can't do it now, and you won't be able to do it in the future! "

"Your Majesty, I..." Facing the emperor's stormy questioning, Dugu found to his dismay that he was completely powerless to defend himself.

The emperor was tired from shouting, his mouth was parched, he turned his head and didn't find anyone, so he rushed to the one kneeling on the ground and said, "Pour tea for me!"

Dugu Mian was taken aback for a moment, hurriedly got up and poured tea, and carefully brought it to the emperor.It's not good to kneel down again, and stand with hands down and head bowed.

The emperor took a sip of tea and gasped against the pillow.The breath coming from the heart is cloudy and heavy, like an old bellows.

Dugu Mian hesitated for a while, knelt down on one knee, stretched out his hand to comfort the emperor: "Your Majesty... please take care."

The emperor rested for a long time and called out his name in a low voice: "Runze."

"The minister is here."

"You are the Marquis of Xian. The Marquis of Xian is the head of the five marquises. When Gaozu founded the country, he bestowed the title of Marquis of Xian to the Dugu family. Let me ask you, what are the four characters on the golden seal of the title?"

The golden seal mentioned by the emperor was the stolen property that the little prince had turned the sixth prince, whose background was unknown, into a thief and tied it to his side.

"Returning to Your Majesty, the words 'Wei Sheng Shi Xian' were written by Gao Zu himself."

"Tell me, what do these four words mean?"

The origin of the Marquis Xian is the first lesson that the successors of the Dugu family have learned since they became sensible, and the answer comes out immediately.But Dugu Xian couldn't answer right away.He knew why the emperor asked this question at this moment.In fact, he felt deep fear the moment he uttered the inscription written by Emperor Gaozu's imperial pen.This fear stems from the impending, most impotent, disappointment in oneself.How much he wished that he could persevere to the end without wavering, but he had already predicted in his heart that he would definitely waver.

The elder in front of him is the king of a country who is ordered by heaven, and he has no plans to spare.

Dugu Xian felt that every word he uttered was like a knife stabbing hard into his heart.

"These four characters come from the Book of Books. The Book says: 'Only the sky is wise, only the sage is the constitution, only the ministers are respectful, and only the people are obedient'. It means: God sees everything and grasps the truth; The master imitates the way of heaven and rules the world; the ministers respect and obey the monarch and inherit the great transformation; the people follow the monarch and ministers, and they are peaceful and stable. "

Dugu's throat choked.

The emperor continued coldly: "Among the five lords, he is the only one who shares the responsibility with the three princes and urges the emperor to do the things of the emperor. When necessary, he can remonstrate with the lord with swords, and the king of Wu Daoqin! These words must have been spoken by your father before the ceremony of accepting the title. I explained it very clearly to you. I thought that you understood somewhat. As you get older, you will only understand more and more. Xianhou is worthy of his name, and it is just around the corner. Looking at it today...you are...not at all I want to understand."

After Dugu heard the last sentence, his whole body was stiff, his complexion was pale, he was speechless, speechless.

The emperor paused for a while, looked into the infinite distance, and said slowly: "Runze, you are a majestic Xianhou, the general of the country. Above you are the father, in the middle are the robes, and below are the people. You were born with outstanding talents and shouldered important responsibilities. Opening up the territory, calming down the chaos, defending the home and defending the country, this is what you Xianhou Dugu should do. If you want to accompany the old six in fleeing and wandering in the world, don't say you can't do it, you can Do it, do you think that with me, it is possible to allow you to be so absurd?"

The emperor sneered: "The new emperor came to the throne, and Marquis Xian took the six princes to escape all over the world—if I agree, what is the difference from destroying the Great Wall of the country and the cornerstone of the country? What face will I have to meet my ancestors?" After a pause, he added softly, "There really will be a day when Marquis Xian and King Xiu will become traitors. Runze, do you want Xiaoyin to be accused of eternal crimes for this?"

Seeing the young Xianhou covered in cold sweat, his face trembling, but unable to say a word, the emperor let out a long sigh, his tone full of compassion and helplessness: "Xiao Yin is the prince. It is destined by heaven, there is no doubt about it. It is a pity that he still does not understand, Or...he is unwilling to understand what it means to be a prince. But Runze, you are nine years older than Xiaoyin. If you finally understand what I said today, then how do you know that Xiaoyin At your age, don't you understand what he should understand?"

Dugu was stunned.He suddenly realized that he had never thought about it like the emperor.When you have to, you force him.When you can't bear it, indulge him.He has never thought deeply and long-term like the emperor.

"I want to change the sixth prince to the crown prince, because I believe that Xiaoyin will not be a bad emperor—even if he is unhappy or unwilling. And you, Xianhou Dugu, I also believe that you will give it your all. , fulfill your duties, assist him, protect him, encourage him, and spur him; not only that, but you will also accompany him, comfort him, love him, and feel sorry for him... Run Ze, you know him earlier than my father, you know him Deeper. Even though I am often surprised by him, why don’t you want to give it a try and see, how high and far can he... go?"

Dugu Mian was completely bewitched by the emperor, his eyes widened, and he almost nodded.

The emperor finally sighed and said: "Runze, I beg you, don't pamper him. Pampering... is the deeper disappointment."

Dugu Mian knelt in front of the emperor's bed for a long time, finally gathered his mind, forcibly calmed down, his mind returned to logic, and said: "Your Majesty wants to change the crown prince, which is related to the country. Among the three princes and five princes, two princes and three military princes need to agree. , before it can be implemented. I don’t know..."

The emperor showed a look of approval, and said: "Don't worry. The Xiangguo government is inconvenient, but Ming Guogong and Cheng Guogong have no objection. Yihou admired the sixth child early in the morning. Zhaohou and Weihou have never been willing to take it easy. I will not force you to express your opinion. Thanks to the fact that there is still one Yinghou left."

Seeing that Dugu Mian didn't quite understand, the emperor smiled: "The eldest son of Marquis Ying married the only daughter of Ouyang Minzhong, Minister of the Ministry of Industry. At the beginning of this marriage, Ouyang Minzhong was only a fourth-rank servant. Xu Shixiao valued his integrity, He offered to marry his sons and daughters as in-laws. I have heard Ouyang Minzhong's tone, and I admire the sixth prince very much. I plan to ask him to write a letter to Yinghou. Xu Shixiao probably won't tear down my platform for the sake of his in-laws. So , Runze, the success or failure of this matter depends only on your words."

Dugu thought that the emperor was the first to ask him, but unexpectedly, he quietly won the support of the two princes and princes.How Xianhou expressed his position became the final decisive factor.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, the emperor sighed: "Runze, my time...is running out...I just want to leave the best situation for future generations. Changing the crown prince in a hurry is a national taboo. However, you Have you ever wondered why Ming Guogong and Cheng Guogong agree with me? It's just because they think the same as me and hope to see the best situation in the future and in the long run. Even Yu Xiaoyin himself, This is also...the best...even if he doesn't want to right now."

The emperor stared fixedly at Dugu, his eyes heavy and sharp, and with every word he uttered, he slammed into his heart: "Xianhou, tell me, you will assist the sixth prince, help him inherit the great rule, and take the position of emperor." Sovereign, become a generation of Mingjun."

Dugu and the emperor looked at each other silently.This is the lord of the world, the emperor of the empire.So old, so weak, yet so wise, so strong.The broad-minded wisdom that competes day and night for the long-term planning of the world is enough to make people sacrifice their lives and follow them faithfully.

Dugu Mian knelt down on both knees, straightened his waist, placed the Qingshuang sword horizontally in front of his knees, pointed to the sky with his right hand, and touched the ground with his left hand: "I, Xianhou Dugu Mian, vowed to assist the sixth prince and help him inherit the great rule, and to be the supreme one. Become a generation of Mingjun. I promise."

After hearing his words, the emperor became discouraged and collapsed on the dragon bed.

Dugu was about to call out in panic, but the emperor stopped him: "No...no need, Runze, I'm fine, it's fine...you help me up."

The emperor sat up with his strength, drank some tea slowly, and said: "In your left hand, in the small drawer above the imperial case, there is a box of pills, fetch it for me."

Dugu quickly followed the order and took out the medicine box.The emperor took out one and swallowed it with water.After a while, his spirit improved, and he said: "Sit down, I have something else to explain clearly to you face to face."

Dugu's heart skipped a beat.He already had a premonition of what the emperor was going to say.Mu Mu sat on the chair, the kind of fear and disappointment that came from the depths of his bone marrow welled up again.He knew that no amount of determination, no amount of ambition, could fill the void created by it.

The emperor said: "If Xiaoyin wants to be a prince, the first thing is to marry a wife and establish a concubine."

"I... understand."

"Whether it's a prince or a concubine, I will mention it to him. But more importantly, Runze, you have to say it. In front of him, you say it yourself."

Dugu raised his head suddenly, his eyes were full of pleading: "Your Majesty!"

The emperor fully demonstrated the strength and cruelty that belonged to an emperor: "Run Ze, I want him—to give up on you completely."

Dugu's heart was full of panic.He heard the emperor say word by word: "If he doesn't give up on you, how can he be willing to be the prince? How can he be willing... to marry and get a wife?"