Wind rises time and space gate

Chapter 554 Who is the Guest and Who is the Host
The news from the northwest was received by all the troops in the capital. The prince was very happy and persuaded the emperor to issue an imperial decree to summon the King of Yue back to the capital.

As a result, after waiting for several days, the official from the Ministry of Rites who was to convey the imperial edict did not leave the capital.

After making arrangements with the palace, I soon received news that the emperor had withdrawn the imperial edict.

The prince was stunned. He sat alone in the study of the East Palace for a long time. Finally, he called his staff to discuss and make some arrangements.

Finally made up my mind.

Yan Jingzhe was not summoned to the meeting.

Yan Jingzhe's heart was beating fast, wondering if the prince knew something. Thinking that the outside world would not know the identity of his uncle, the prince might not know that the teacher of the prince of Yue was from Yunjing Mountain.

Originally, he wanted to pass some news to the northwest, but he was not invited to the important secret meetings recently. Yan Jingzhe could not help but secretly worry and pay attention to the movements of the East Palace.

The Emperor Zhizheng also frequently summoned important civil and military officials to the Imperial Study to discuss matters. The topics of Huihui's discussions were inseparable from the northwest and the King of Yue.

The more the King of Yue did, the more silent the officials in the capital became.

At first, they only thought that the King of Yue had ambitions and the ambition to rebel. But with the emergence of high-yield grain and cotton, the ministers who talked behind his back gradually became silent.

What kind of crown prince does Da Qi need? What kind of person is worthy of being the wise ruler of Da Qi?
Some ministers who had never taken sides gradually became biased.

No matter how different their political views are and how ulterior motives they have, they still hope that the Great Qi will be peaceful and prosperous, and the country will be peaceful and stable forever.

The winter solstice is here in a blink of an eye.

During the winter solstice, people worshipped their ancestors and visited the mausoleums. From the crown prince to the king of Qin to the king of Jin to the other princes, no one wanted to take on the task of visiting the mausoleums.

The prince thought of someone when he thought of the imperial mausoleum. He hated that person so much that he wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. The King of Qin and others did not want to leave the capital at this time.

On the contrary, everyone is vying to go to the Taimiao to worship their ancestors.

Emperor Zhizheng had no choice but to order the royal family to send people to the imperial mausoleum to pay homage, while Emperor Zhizheng himself led a group of princes and grandchildren to the Taimiao to pay homage to the ancestors.

The team was huge and set out before dawn, with the imperial carriage stretching for dozens of miles.

The officials and eunuchs of the Taichang Temple and the Imperial Palace had come to greet the emperor at the Imperial Temple. Zhao Gang also led a group of disciples to greet him.

The Taimiao enshrines the seventeen generations of emperors and empresses, including the founding emperor of the Qi Dynasty, as well as some princes who died young, and some meritorious officials who have made contributions to the country.

After going through all the formalities, Emperor Zhizheng's gaze fell on the seat next to the late emperor.

There was an empty shrine next to the statue of the late emperor, which would be his future shrine. Next to the empty shrine hung a portrait of his first empress, Empress Zhenshun, Lady Lu.

Mrs. Lu had a calm, dignified and generous face, with a faint smile on her lips, as if she was looking at him.

Emperor Zhizheng couldn't help feeling a little dazed.

The Emperor Zhizheng was in a trance for a long time, and the Crown Prince and others who were kneeling behind him did not dare to speak. The Crown Prince raised his head and followed the Emperor Zhizheng's gaze, which also fell on the portrait of Empress Zhenshun.

The portrait of the late crown prince should have been hung next to Empress Zhenshun, but Zhao Guanghuan thought that as long as he was there, the portrait of the late crown prince would never be hung there.

On the other hand, only his portrait can be hung in the future. People like Zhao Guangyuan are not worthy of being enshrined in the Taimiao.

Emperor Zhizheng looked at the portrait of Empress Zhenshun and suddenly had something to say to her. He signaled the eunuch, who called the prince and others out.

In the huge hall, only Emperor Zhizheng was left.

"You've been waiting for a long time, right?" Emperor Zhizheng suddenly asked, looking at the portrait of Empress Zhenshun in a trance. "You miss Guangcong, right? I miss him too..."

Thinking of the things that the late crown prince had done, Emperor Zhizheng felt a little regretful.

He had not expected the former crown prince to commit suicide. He had only wanted to imprison him, and he had not even made up his mind whether to abolish his position as crown prince. He had not intended to kill him.

He did kill many people, and even ordered the execution of the entire Lu family. But the former crown prince was his first child, his eldest son, and he had no intention of taking his life.

"Guanghuan is inferior to Guangcong in many ways. If Guangcong were still alive..." Emperor Zhizheng was unable to continue. Thinking of his son who had been forgotten and buried in the suburbs of Beijing, a trace of guilt rose in his heart.

"Wait a hundred years for me, and I will order him to be reburied in the imperial mausoleum, so that he can stay close to you and keep you company, so that you don't have to suffer from missing your son... I know that you value Guangcong the most, and so do I..."

But there was nothing we could do at that time.

Emperor Zhizheng kept talking about what he had been holding back for the past few days...

"Guangyuan seems to be doing better than Guangcong. Both of your sons are good. But Guangcong has never given me any worries, but Guangyuan... he gives me a headache... since he returned to the capital, he has never called me father... he hates me, he resents me in his heart..."

Outside the hall, the prince looked deep and gloomy as he stood at the steps of the hall.

The fist in the sleeve was clenched tightly.

He didn't know what his father said while he stayed inside, but his father was so absorbed in looking at the portrait of Empress Zhenshun just now that he might have thought of the late Crown Prince and King Yue.

So, considering the relationship between him and Empress Yuan, are you going to let Zhao Guangyuan off the hook for trying to disrupt the dynasty and having bad intentions?

Or do you just want easy storage?
Back then, he was just a concubine's illegitimate son who had never thought about that position, but he managed to elevate himself to the position of crown prince. Now that he has finally secured his position, no matter who wants him to step down, he will not let him down.

I won’t agree!
His eyes narrowed hatefully.

The King of Qin and others beside him saw that he had an expression that made him look unapproachable, and they didn't even want to talk to him. Now all the brothers were just trying to save face, and everyone had their own thoughts about the inner relationship.

The prince's methods of eliminating dissidents are frightening, and no one knows whether they will be the next King of Yue.

The princes and grandchildren of the emperor were not able to wait for Emperor Zhizheng to come out. Instead, it was Eunuch Liu Qi who hurriedly called Zhao Gang into the hall. Everyone's eyes could not help but flash.

Who is Zhao Gang? He is a member of the Zhao clan, a high priest, in charge of the sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Imperial Mausoleum, and good at divination and stargazing. Now the Emperor wants Zhao Gang to come in and talk? The King of Qin glanced at the Crown Prince with a veiled look.

The prince clenched his fists tighter in his sleeves.

"Your Highness, I, Zhao Gang, pay my respects to you."

"No need to be polite, and come closer."

"Yes."

When Zhao Gang approached, Emperor Zhizheng did not speak for a while. Zhao Gang also did not speak, but waited quietly.

After a while, Emperor Zhizheng's eyes moved back from the portrait of Empress Zhenshun. "Last time, I asked you whether the main star is dim and the guest star is bright, whether it is auspicious or ominous. You said that the guest star is the auxiliary star. Do you still insist on this statement now?"

Zhao Gang was silent for a moment. "If I say that the guest star is destined by heaven, and its brilliance will eventually overshadow the main star, what will Your Highness do?"

Emperor Zhizheng was stunned, as if he didn't expect him to say that. He couldn't help but look at him.

But Zhao Gang lowered his head, so he didn't see the expression on his face.

"If the guest star falls, will the main star still shine in the east?"

"What is a main star and what is a guest star? The light is dazzling, and its splendour cannot be concealed in the sea of ​​stars. As the stars move and the constellations change, a guest star can also become a main star."

"How dare you!" Emperor Zhizheng lowered his voice but remained stern.

Zhao Gang bowed and said, "I am only telling the truth and dare not lie." Moreover, the guest star is helped by many auxiliary stars, so it is only a matter of time before the guest star becomes the main star.

Emperor Zhizheng was silent for a long time.

After a while, "You said before that when the Great Qi is passed on to my generation, there will be many twists and turns. If we don't handle it well, the rivers and streams may dry up. How is it now?"

The rivers dried up and the dragon veins disappeared. This was not what Emperor Zhizheng wanted to see.

He didn't want any changes.

I don't want anything to change in his hands.

"I have divined many times, and the predictions have changed. The Great Qi Dynasty will be forever secure. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Emperor Zhizheng looked at him with some surprise. Has the prime minister changed? Will the Great Qi Dynasty be forever secure?

Emperor Zhizheng came out of the palace and did not stay in the Imperial Ancestral Temple for long. He soon returned to the Imperial City. The Crown Prince and others also accompanied him.

Before leaving, the prince deliberately looked at Zhao Gang several times, but Zhao Gang did not meet his eyes. The prince's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

After returning to the capital, he began to make arrangements more actively.

When the prince sent someone to find him, Zhao Gang had already fled to Master Zhiyuan's Zen practice place.

The two of them quietly went to the tomb of Prince Jingde.

After the incense and candles were laid out as offerings, the two of them looked at the smoke rising straight up. "Why did we come to Prince Jingde's tomb?" Zhao Gang asked.

Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, "If you don't come, we won't see each other again."

"Are you going to die?"

Zhiyuan didn't say anything, as if he was accustomed to his tone.

It's not that he is going to die, but that Prince Jingde, who is buried here, will not be here in the future. He has a better place to go. He will not be a lonely ghost who cannot be buried in the imperial mausoleum like he is now.

He will never feel lonely again in the future.

But Zhiyuan didn't tell Zhao Gang these.

But Zhao Gang knew that something must have happened, so Zhiyuan came to pay respect to Prince Jingde. Otherwise, he, a bald man with pure six senses and no feelings, would not come to pay respect to the old people in the mortal world even if he was the descendant of Prince Jingde.

"You also observed the stars, right?" Zhao Gang asked him.

Zhiyuan nodded but didn't answer.

The two were silent again and said, "I hope nothing unexpected will happen this time." It was because of them that the former crown prince was killed, and they still feel deeply guilty.

"You brought me here because you thought that the late crown prince, like the crown prince Jingde, could not be buried in the imperial mausoleum and was left alone in the wild. It would be difficult to pay homage to the late crown prince?"

The two princes died innocently at an early age. But Prince Jingde was lucky, as the late emperor restored his reputation, conferred him a posthumous title, and appointed a tomb keeper. However, the mention of the late prince is still a taboo.

Zhao Gang couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

He looked up at the sky covered with gray clouds, hoping that the bright and clear world would come soon so that he could get rid of the debt in his heart.

Zhao Guangyuan, who was far away in the northwest, was not aware of all this. But he did receive some news, including the emperor Zhizheng's withdrawal of the imperial edict to summon him back to the capital, and the emperor Zhizheng summoned Zhao Gang to the Taimiao and talked with him for half an hour.

"Order someone to keep an eye on the East Palace. If there is any unusual movement, report it immediately."

Zhao Guangyuan also began to make some arrangements.

He had heard rumors earlier that the emperor intended to summon him back to Beijing, so he made some preparations. It was impossible for him to return to Beijing at the moment, but he could not disobey the emperor's order, so he made some arrangements. Unexpectedly, the emperor changed his mind again.

As for what Zhao Gang said to the emperor, Zhao Guangyuan couldn't guess, but he knew Zhao Gang's intention to show goodwill.

If you really say something to the emperor that is beneficial to yourself, you still have to be careful in case the prince does something desperate.