Long live Emperor Wu!

Unexpectedly, the emperor was not angry. He sighed, put his hands on his knees, looked at her lovingly and said:

"This resentment is overwhelming. It seems that I can't get over it unless I explain it clearly... Girl, do you still remember when Xizi was here, you and she sat at the same table to eat?"

The emperor said and pointed to the prince Li Shan beside him:

"You are too close to Xizi and Xiaojiu. In my heart, you and them are peers, just like my daughter. Tell me, can I have any thoughts about my daughter?"

The emperor showed rare gentleness and patience, without any airs, and seriously explained to her, a little talented person.

Wu Rou heard this and looked at the emperor's gentle and kind expression, her nose felt sore, she felt moved and aggrieved, her eyes were red and she said:
"But I am not His Majesty's daughter. Without Your Majesty's love, the Wu brothers will still bully us in the future. I never want to go back to the past days."

When the emperor heard this, he looked at the lake next to him, thought for a while and said:

"Then there is nothing we can do. When you first entered the palace, I gave you a title, and no one else knew the inside story. If I turned around and made you the county lord and princess, everyone in the world would laugh at me.

Do you have the heart to let me, who is already old and about to die, bear such an infamy because of you? "

When Wu Rou heard this, she quickly shook her head. In her heart, the emperor was the one who saved her from trouble. He was the best emperor in the world, the most merciful and enthusiastic emperor.

She respected him, especially now that she saw that he looked tired and much older and weaker than when they last met, which made her feel uncomfortable.

Wu Rou knelt down with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were single in front and double in back, and the ends of her eyes were like iris flowers. When she looked up at the person, she looked more and more sobbing. She raised her hands and saluted:
"Your Majesty, Ah Rou doesn't want anything. I just want your Majesty to be healthy and live a long life."

The emperor looked at her, smiled slightly, sighed melancholy, and said:

"Hey... live a long life? No more extravagance."

Prince Li Shan turned away awkwardly, his eyes slightly red.

……

……

One night three days later, Cuiwei Palace.

In order to serve the soup more conveniently, Li Shan stayed next door to the emperor. Suddenly, the servant who was on duty outside ran in, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty suddenly woke up and asked you to come over."

Li Shan looked at the sky outside. The moon was still in the middle. He didn't think too much, put on some clothes and went over.

Outside the door, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were guarding the compartment outside the door at some unknown time, writing the imperial edict.

He felt a thump in his heart and ran inside.

As soon as he turned around the screen, he saw the emperor lying flat on the bed. He did not get up, but opened his eyes and stared blankly at the top of the bed curtain.

He slowly walked over and saw that his breathing was steady, and his heart gradually calmed down. He sat on the edge of the bed and asked in a soft voice:

"Father... what's wrong?"

The emperor just turned his eyes, lit up the light in the bedroom, looked at him and said slowly:
"I just had a dream, and your mother picked me up later. I said, I still have a few words to tell Xiaojiu, don't worry...then I woke up."

After hearing this, Li Shan burst into tears instantly. He was heartbroken with heartache. He lowered his head slightly, held back his sobs, stretched out his hand to pull the quilt for his Aye, and said as calmly as possible. :
"Father, don't think so much. It's just a dream... Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? I'll send the imperial doctor over."

The emperor looked at him and shook his head slightly:

"seen it already."

The hair on his head was completely gray, and his face had changed a lot due to aging and illness. His facial features, which used to be full of energy, but looked majestic and domineering when he was angry, now became relaxed and peaceful.He raised his brows, showed a very comfortable expression, and said with a smile:
"In the dream, your mother was still in her 30s. She reached out and touched my forehead. My head stopped hurting. I feel more relaxed now than ever..."

Seeing him like this, Li Shan cried harder, and his tears fell down.

The emperor looked at him calmly and said:
"While waiting for you to come, I have been thinking about what I want to say to you. A few days ago, I had discussed it with the ministers at Wude Hall.

In terms of government affairs, let your uncle and Chu Suiliang assist you.They have prestige among ministers and are capable, and can help you take over the government smoothly.

In the military, Li Ji is loyal, has military exploits, has little selfishness, and has been your long history, so he can fully support you. In addition, with the friendship between those veteran generals and me, there will be no trouble.

As for the royal relatives... Whether it's King Wu Li Ke or your fourth brother Li Tai, even if they are not convinced, as long as you don't give them a chance, they can't make trouble. "

The emperor frowned slightly sadly and said:

"Hey...but I'm still worried. Son, although Aye told you, if you don't do well, it means that the descendants of our Lao Li family will not have that fate.

But in my heart, my father hopes that you can do a good job and pass on the country of the Tang Dynasty.If you don’t ask for an eternity, at least three or four hundred years, your hard life and mine will not be in vain. "

Li Shan cried so hard that he couldn't straighten up. He grabbed the emperor's arm under the quilt with both hands, as if trying to hold on to something, and said:
"My son knows... Aye, my son will definitely be a good emperor."

Unexpectedly, the emperor looked at him for a while, as if he was still thinking hard about why he was worried, and said:

"I'm not afraid that you won't listen to advice, causing people to betray relatives and friends, and the monarch and ministers to be alienated, and finally end up dead. I'm afraid that you will listen too much to others and blindly give in, and as a result, you will slowly lose the power in your hands."

Li Shan cried and said repeatedly:

"I understand, my son understands."

The emperor looked at him, and suddenly his voice became a little lower, and he said anxiously:
"I know you understand, but I'm afraid you won't be able to remember it when things happen!"

Suddenly his eyes flashed, he reached out and grabbed Li Shan's arm and said:

"You go and kill Wu Cairen!"

Li Shan raised his head suddenly, with tears on his face, and asked in great shock:

"Why?"

"For no reason... call her over, I want to see you kill her with your own hands!" The emperor stared at him and said almost through gritted teeth.

Li Shan looked into his father's eyes. At that moment, he suddenly understood that the emperor had always known his thoughts.

Li Shan's whole heart twitched, and he said anxiously:

"Father, she has done nothing wrong! If I harm the lives of innocent people just to prove to my father that I can be ruthless, how can such an unscrupulous prince be a good emperor?!"

When the emperor heard this, the intense light in his eyes gradually calmed down. He loosened his grip on his son's arm and said:

"Okay, very good... Although my son doesn't like fighting, he is not a master who can be manipulated by others. Remember your mood just now, and don't let it go unknowingly. One day, someone forces you to do it. Kill people you don’t want to kill.”

He looked at the top of the bed tent, took a long breath, and said:

"...That's not the emperor, that's a puppet."

After the emperor said the last words, his eyes gradually dimmed, as if the stars dispersed from his body, and there was no more sound.