Netizen uploaded episode 68

  After waiting for a thousand years and ten thousand years, the Eighth King, who was eagerly anticipated by people all over the country, finally arrived in a flurry of dust. The old emperor, who had not seen him for almost ten years, and the Eighth King, were reunited with great affection, without any estrangement. The old man shook his arm and asked about his son's hardships on the border of Shu. His son was moved to tears and repeatedly said that it was his father's daily worries and accumulated fatigue that were truly hard. Standing beside them was a completely out-of-it Empress Li, who seemed very old and was at a loss for words. What a harmonious family of three!

  Below, a group of civil and military officials also cooperated with the atmosphere, each wiping away tears with their sleeves, moved by the deep father-son relationship between the imperial family. No wonder our dynasty is prosperous and peaceful, with all things going well. It turns out that it's all because of this exemplary labor! After the father and son finished recognizing each other, the old emperor held his son's hand, trembling as he introduced the officials: Come, come, come, this is the prime minister who escaped death, that one is the hardworking Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Chamber, those several are the five high-ranking officials, and the ones in the back are... there were too many names, Minglan didn't remember any of them at all.

  "Father, what does the Eighth King look like?" Like Orchid, she was straightforward and quick-witted. In fact, she was also asking on behalf of the other women present.

  His Majesty is indeed a dragon among men, with the eyes of a phoenix, refined in literature and martial arts, and extraordinary in demeanor.

  The women all believed that the next generation of national leaders would be more handsome, and Zhang Bai stole a glance at his father, maintaining an expressionless silence. In fact, the eighth king was square-headed and big-eared, at most considered dignified. It is said that Emperor Fang Xian, a hero of a chaotic era, was also a ugly man of his generation, whose ugly gene was so tenacious that it had not been improved after several generations of beauties. However, as the saying goes, a monarch should have this kind of safe appearance.

  The old emperor was estimated to be really unable to hold on, so the kindly and understanding head of the Imperial Observatory immediately calculated the nearest auspicious day. He then proceeded with the ceremony of establishing the crown prince, and all officials presented congratulatory memorials. The Ministry of Rites and the officials of the Taichang Temple had their moment to shine. On the auspicious day, early in the morning before dawn, the Sheng family father and son felt their way out of the door, went to the Fengtian Hall to pay respects, knelt repeatedly, stood up and bowed down for a whole day. Finally, the crown prince received the imperial seal, went to the central palace to thank the empress, then paid his respects at the ancestral temple, reported to his ancestors, and only then was the ceremony considered complete. Despite this, Sheng Xuan said that due to the great chaos at the beginning of the year, the old emperor's heart and strength were exhausted, and the ceremony had been simplified a lot.

  The people of the capital are very aware and know what the imperial family likes, so that night they lit a lot of fireworks. Rich families even set off firecrackers and distributed alms to poor people to celebrate universally. Xiao Changzheng was also very happy because the ceremony of establishing the crown prince had given them several days off from school. When he returned on the day after the holiday, he secretly told Minglan that he heard those beggars who went to receive rice and porridge saying "It's been twice in a few months, it would be great if they established a crown prince every day", etc., Minglan couldn't help but smile.

  Chang Dong is eleven years old, and his childish appearance has gradually lengthened. He is usually very respectful in front of his father and brothers, but when he sees Ming Lan, he still acts mischievously. Ming Lan encourages Chang Dong to show the article praised by the teacher to Sheng Hui, who also praises it several times. Chang Dong becomes even more diligent and hardworking in his studies, using every spare moment from dawn till dusk, and even stares blankly when speaking to others.

  Minglan was afraid that he would become foolish from reading too much, so she often comforted him not to be too obsessed: "Learning literature and martial arts, goods for the imperial family, out of ten people who read books, nine and a half are for the sake of becoming officials; but can those who read well necessarily become good officials? You're already doing very well in your studies, even if you don't get a prominent ranking, it's still possible to pass with a high grade; what's important is to learn more about reason and worldly affairs, so that in the future when interacting with teachers and colleagues, you can be harmonious, and if you become an official, you can bring good fortune to the people. In the end, Zhang Chang didn't have as good of a natural talent as Zhang Bo, he relied solely on his stubborn persistence.

  The young boy's face floated with a bitter smile: "I just wanted Auntie to live a little better."

  Minglan looked at him for a while, then gently stroked his head and let out a soft sigh.

  After the grand ceremony, the old emperor originally wanted to hand over state affairs to the crown prince and take good care of his illness. However, the crown prince was extremely filial and didn't care about meeting with officials or attending various ceremonies, only focusing on serving the old emperor day and night. He would personally taste every medicine before giving it to the old emperor, and at night he would lie down beside him in the imperial bedchamber, sleeping lightly for ten days straight without rest. As a result, the newly appointed crown prince had already lost a circle of flesh, his loose robes fluttering about.

  The old emperor sighed: "My son is very filial, I am very pleased. You are the current crown prince, you should prioritize state affairs."

  The crown prince shed tears and said: "All of us brothers can become crown princes, but there is only one father."

  The old emperor was moved to tears, and he and his son wept bitterly; the officials inside and outside the court heard about it and all sighed in admiration.

  The Right Grand Commander of the Five Armies, Bó Tiān Wèi, was already advanced in years and had been recuperating from illness at home since last year. It is said that one cannot wait for their child to care for them when they are old, but the Crown Prince was indeed a filial and virtuous person. Later that night, he received an imperial edict and entered the palace, handing over the military seal to the Crown Prince.

  Minglan listened to Changdong's news and slightly curled up the corners of her mouth.

  Half a month passed, one deep night in the capital city, the mourning bell tolled loudly, the cloud board knocked, Minglan carefully counted, four; then outside footsteps were chaotic and disordered, after a moment, Danju rushed in and said: "The Emperor has passed away."

  Minglan was not yet aware, and did not feel particularly sad. The death of the old emperor was like a second boot on the roof, everyone gritted their teeth and waited, but it kept delaying, and instead became anxious, for which many cannon ashes were filled.

  Everything was already prepared, and the new emperor ascended the throne the next day, and then granted a general amnesty to the whole country.

  The funeral rites of the former emperor were proceeding in an orderly manner, and the palace decreed to the world that all families with titles and officials above the sixth rank would not hold banquets or make music for a year, would not get married for a year, and the common people would suspend their festivities for half a year. All imperial edicts would be issued according to the usual protocol. The ministers were also busy, besides going to mourn at regular times, they also drafted the posthumous title of the former emperor as "Ren".

  Immediately, the new emperor issued an edict, posthumously honoring Empress Li as Holy and Peaceful Grand Empress Dowager, and Imperial Noble Consort as Holy Virtue Grand Empress Dowager. The other consorts were also honored according to their ranks. At the same time, Crown Princess Shen was formally installed as empress, becoming the mother of the nation. Meanwhile, the entire population sank into a sea of sorrow.

  During this time, a small episode occurred. Taifu Temple Zuo saw that the new empress's palace was desolate and there were few beauties, so he guessed the emperor's intention and petitioned to select talented and virtuous women to fill the harem, in preparation for the continuation of the imperial family line. As a result, he was severely scolded by the new emperor, who also removed his official hat. The new emperor solemnly declared: "I already have an heir, I will observe three years of mourning for my late father."

  This edict came out, and several families were happy and worried. Some powerful eunuch families in the capital had been waiting to send their daughters into the palace, but now they would have to wait three years, and many young ladies would miss their best marriageable age; however, there were also many who were relieved, and Minglan let out a sigh of relief, after all, she should be married by then.

  The funeral rites for the late emperor have been going on for nearly half a month, and finally the coffin has been sent to the mausoleum. This marks the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

  As Orchid hastily took off the plain clothes she had been wearing for many days and quickly changed into her favorite bright-colored dress to adorn herself; Mo Lan continued to compose her "Lamentation Poems", occasionally wiping away two tears, while the maids in Wang's room secretly ridiculed Mo Lan's behavior, saying "Doesn't she think she's lost her husband or something?"; Ming Lan continued her "Back-to-Back Mountain" embroidery series. To be honest, she wasn't a rotten girl, but after coming to this restrictive world, she had no choice but to indulge in such activities to dispel the increasingly distorted emotions that came with each passing day.

  At this time, the Qi State Duke's mansion was also removing mourning decorations. The servants quietly and efficiently took down white lanterns, white silk banners and other items. However, inside the house, it was a mess. Outside the door, Ping An County's main servant woman and maids were guarding, only allowing the mother and son to speak.

  "Despicable! What did you just say?!" Princess Pingning's anger caused her entire body to tremble.

  Qī Huò's cold and sarcastic smile: "I say, now that I've entered the Hanlin Academy, if there's a better marriage in the future, would Mother change her mind again? Why fix it so early?"

  With a "slap", Qi Heng's face turned aside, and his fair and beautiful face was red with several finger prints. The county lord shouted: "You disobedient and unfilial thing, how dare you!"

  Qī héng mù jìn yǐn yǒu shuǐ guāng, xiào shēng hán bēi: "mǔ qīn míng míng zhī dào ér zǐ xīn yì, bú guò yī bù zhī yáo, què zhè bān hěn xīn."

  Translation:

  The eyes are close to tears with a hint of water light, the laughter contains sorrow: "Mother clearly knows her son's intentions, yet just one step away, but is so heartless."

  Ping Ning Jun Zhu looked at her palm, feeling a dull ache in her heart. She took a few steps back, then stood still again, saying in a low voice: "That day when we were having dinner together, the three of us sat together, I was thinking of probing and asking Wang Furen to see how she would react, but before I could say two sentences, Yong Chang Hou Furen interrupted and said that they had already chosen Ming Lan. They even specified the date and the person, what can I say as her mother? Should I go and compete with others?"

  Zhi Heng knew that his mother was naturally proud, and if it were not for the usual softness, she would have been furious today. He coldly smiled and said: "Mother has always been quick-witted, so at that time you must have thought of forming an alliance with the Yongchang Hou Mansion as well; besides, your daughter-in-law is a legitimate one, which makes her even more superior!"

  The young master was taken aback, she had never thought that her gentle and obedient son would behave like this. Since learning about the matter, he had been cold-faced and refused to acknowledge her. The young mistress let out a sigh and said with difficulty: "I only discussed it with the princess of the Wang family, we didn't make any promises; if you really don't like it, then forget it; but...you'll never see her again."

  These words stunned Zhi Heng, his heart surged like a wave, a pang of sadness, and he couldn't help but tear up.

  The princess saw her son like this, and couldn't help but shed tears: "Don't blame your mother for being greedy for power. You've been pampered and spoiled by everyone since you were young, never having to suffer any hardships. But after the 'Shen Chen Rebellion', you also saw those selfish faces, and there are still people who secretly mock us behind our backs..."

  Zhi Heng recalled the scene from last year, his face turned pale, and his slender eyebrows furrowed.

  The county master's heart ached as he pulled his son, softly saying: "Nowadays, isn't everything because of those two words 'power and influence'? If you had an uncle who was close to the emperor, if your father were the eldest son, if we had enough power and endurance, you could marry whoever you wanted, and I would have no objection. Even if it meant asking the Sheng family to send a concubine over for you as a secondary wife, it wouldn't be impossible. However... Heng'er, nowadays we can only look at the glory from afar. After your grandfather passes away, the Xiangyang Hou Mansion will belong to someone else, and your uncle's wife has always had disagreements with our branch of the family. We are not supported by either side. With the new emperor on the throne, it is said that 'one day a king, one day a minister', how can we know what will happen to your father? These years in the salt industry, who knows how many people have been waiting for an opportunity to bring him down?"

  As she spoke, she burst into mournful sobs.

  Qiheng's eyes blurred, and in a daze, he suddenly remembered something from Minglan's childhood. Little Minglan had crouched on the ground, using a twig to draw two parallel lines in the mud, saying they were parallel lines that would never intersect no matter how close they seemed.

  He deliberately teased her, so he picked up a caterpillar and put it on her skirt. The little girl was frightened and kicked her feet to shake off the caterpillar. He laughed loudly and pointed at the two lines trampled together by his footprints on the ground, saying: "Isn't this a coincidence?"

  The little girl doll is generally delicate and beautiful, obviously very angry, with a bright complexion on her fine white skin, making people can't help but want to touch her, he hurriedly apologized, the little girl refused to forgive easily, picked up a piece of mud and threw it at him, then turned around and ran away.

  He wanted to chase after her, but was held back by his personal attendant who had come running at the sound.