Emperor of the Red Chamber

Chapter 148 Uncle Jiu's Farsightedness

At this moment, Yuan Qingsong heard a deeper meaning in Yuan Qingshu's words, but found it unbelievable.

Yuan Qingsong looked directly at Yuan Qingshu and asked in a low voice, "Fifth brother, from what you said, it seems that you enjoy yourself and act willfully. Are you doing this on purpose?"

Yuan Qingshu sneered and said, "I indulge in pleasure and self-willedness because I am used to it and I do it on purpose. This is how I am, so that my third brother won't be on guard against me coveting power or even that position."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qingsong sighed again, this fifth brother really did have such deep intentions!
Yuan Qingshu stood up suddenly and said with a smile, "Let me borrow Fourth Brother's writing brush and ink for a while."

Yuan Qingsong was puzzled: "What are you going to do?"

Yuan Qingshu said, "I wrote a poem and presented it to my fourth brother for his appreciation."

Yuan Qingsong knew that among his three brothers, he was the most fond of poetry. His third brother Qingbai also liked poetry. However, his fifth brother Qingshu, who was more indulged in pleasure, had written some poems and even prefaces, essays, fu and miscellaneous articles, but most of them were done passively. Qingshu could not be said to be fond of writing poems and essays.

When Yuan Qingsong saw Yuan Qingshu approaching the desk, he did not question him immediately. Instead, he followed him and stood aside to watch. He watched Yuan Qingshu pick up the pen, dip it in ink, and write a poem in an instant:

"Golden Cup Song"

The world is unpredictable, and the man indulges in golden cups, and drinks every cup to get drunk in the world.

It is rare to have a true friend in life, with whom we can drink and talk about the past and present.

Although Yuan Qingsong was devoted to poetry, his poetry writing skills were not high, but his appreciation of poetry was not low. In his opinion, the poem written by Yuan Qingshu was not a good poem, but what Yuan Qingshu said after writing the poem made him stunned again.

Yuan Qingshu sneered and said, "One day last year, I accompanied my third brother to drink, and I wrote this poem on the spot. I used this poem to express my feelings to my third brother. I also told my third brother that I have the great blessing of being the son of my father and the younger brother of my third brother in this life. In this life, I don't have any lofty ambitions, nor do I seek to become anything great. I just hope to be rich, honored and enjoy happiness."

Yuan Qingsong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and responded: "Good poem!"

"Song of the Golden Cup", which was not originally a good poem, can be called a good poem when paired with Yuan Qingshu's words.

This is because this poem implies that Yuan Qingshu expressed to Yuan Qingbai that he was not interested in power or even the throne, and had no desire for it, but only wanted to enjoy a life of wealth and honor.

Under this premise, even if Yuan Qingshu acted willfully, as long as he truly respected Yuan Qingbai and did not cause any major trouble, Yuan Qingbai would be able to tolerate him.

After all, Yuan Qingshu is a brother who grew up with Yuan Qingbai. Emperor Chengtai also specifically instructed Yuan Qingbai to be sincere and friendly with Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu in his will, and to share weal and woe with them.

In this light, it is not an exaggeration to call "Jinzun Yin" Yuan Qingshu's "life-saving poem".

After sitting down again, Yuan Qingsong took two sips of tea from the cup. After putting it down, he couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect that my fifth brother would be so far-sighted!"

Yuan Qingshu was only nineteen years old last year and had no talent. It was beyond Yuan Qingsong's expectation that he could have such deep intentions.

Yuan Qingshu smiled and said, "To be honest with you, Fourth Brother, this foresight was not something I came up with on my own. It was taught to me by Uncle Nine. Last year, Uncle Nine became ill from overwork and passed away suddenly. Before he died, he summoned me to his bedside and gave me some instructions."

"Uncle Jiu said that the next emperor of our Great Zhou will be my third brother, and he will surely become a great ruler. He also said that my ability is very limited and I indulge in pleasure. In this case, let me tell my third brother that I only wish to live a life of wealth, honor and pleasure. I have made this clear, and as long as I don't commit any serious mistakes, I will be a rich and idle king in the future, and I will also be able to preserve the glory of my wife, concubines and children. Such a life is a great blessing."

Yuan Qingsong suddenly understood.

So that's how it is. Such profound intentions were actually passed on to my fifth brother by Uncle Nine before his death!

In fact, before his death, Uncle Jiu specially summoned Yuan Qingsong to the side of the bed and gave him some advice. At that time, Uncle Jiu was deeply moved by the cruel struggle of his generation of brothers, and warned Yuan Qingsong to be sincere and friendly with Yuan Qingbai, not to repeat the past mistakes, and not to make trouble in the family, so as to maintain the harmony of the royal family.

Yuan Qingsong thought that before his death, his uncle must have summoned his third brother Yuan Qingbai alone and must have given him some instructions, but he didn't know what these instructions were.

"Uncle Nine truly has good intentions, deep and far-reaching! He is also truly loyal and respectful to the Emperor!"

"He worked so hard for our father that he became ill and died with great ambition. Before he died, he still taught us brothers earnestly, fearing that we would also kill each other and repeat the same mistakes!"

"No wonder. Considering the generation of my father and my ninth uncle, the family quarrels were too serious. My father also specifically ordered my third brother to be sincere and friendly with me and my fifth brother in his will, and to share weal and woe."

Yuan Qingsong sighed in his heart.

At this time, Yuan Qingshu could not help but say to Yuan Qingsong, "Fourth brother, you have been traveling outside Beijing for more than half a year, investigating and promoting potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn. You have really suffered a lot. You often go up the mountain and down the field. You have become tanned and even have wrinkles on your forehead."

"That's not all. After the first month of the lunar year, you will have to leave Beijing to continue this mission. Given how difficult this mission is, I don't know how much time and effort you will have to put in. You will have to put in all your effort to complete it."

"You don't feel bad for yourself, but I feel bad for you. And, forgive me for being so bold, with your mother's incident, the more you show off your talents, the more Third Brother will be wary of you."

Yuan Qingsong fell silent after hearing this.

What Yuan Qingshu said to him today were sincere and candid words from the heart.

After a moment of silence, Yuan Qingsong raised his head again, stared at Yuan Qingshu, and said frankly: "Fifth brother, I am different from you. Third brother can tolerate you being a free and idle king for a lifetime, but he may not tolerate me." "Besides, I swore to third brother in person to plead for my mother. I vowed to serve third brother through fire and water and to be loyal to him."

"I thought that as long as I was determined to do it, even if my third brother had some grudges against me and was wary of me, he would probably be able to tolerate me. I also wanted to make some achievements, so that I might be able to visit my mother in the future."

Yuan Qingshu also fell silent. In silence, he picked up the snuff bottle again, fiddled with it for a while, took a deep puff, and sighed, "Fourth brother does have a point. I hope third brother can treat you well."

……

……

That night, the moon was like a silver plate, and the moonlight was like water, sprinkling down on the earth.

The imperial garden in the inner court of the imperial palace was decorated with lights and was brightly lit.

The brilliance of the moon and the light of the lamp complement each other, making the night particularly enchanting.

In the garden, peacock screens are spread out and lotus beds are spread out.

Empress Dowager He, Yuan Qingbai, Yuanchun, Yuan Qingsong, Yuan Qingshu, as well as Yuan Qingbai's eldest son Yuan Yanxiang, second son Yuan Yanhui, third son Yuan Yanchen, and others, reunited together.

Empress Yuanchun arrived, but Yuan Qingbai's concubines avoided the banquet and did not show up, because Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu were present and it was inconvenient for them to meet.

This is a special family dinner.

This family dinner was proposed by Yuan Qingbai, and its main purpose was to show filial piety. He brought Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu to serve Empress Dowager He, drink wine, appreciate the moon, and enjoy family time.

Yuan Qingshu was quite happy, not only because he enjoyed the scene, but also because he had obtained Yuan Qingbai's permission to go to the palace tomorrow to reunite with his biological mother and spend the Lantern Festival together.

Yuan Qingshu's biological mother was Ge. During the reign of Emperor Chengtai, Ge was first named a concubine. In the eighth year of Chengtai, she was promoted to consort. If nothing unexpected happened, Yuan Qingbai would honor her as the Imperial Father's Noble Consort in the future.

Yuan Qingsong felt sad. He also wanted to reunite with his biological mother, Mrs. Du, tomorrow, but he knew it was inconvenient for him to ask Yuan Qingbai for mercy. Yuan Qingshu wanted to ask for mercy for him, but he stopped him. He knew that only when he made great contributions would he have the hope of visiting Mrs. Du, who was permanently imprisoned.

Yuan Qingsong hid this sad mood deep in his heart, not showing it outwardly, so as not to affect this special family dinner tonight.

Empress Dowager He hoped that Yuan Qingbai could get along well with his two younger brothers, Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu, as Emperor Chengtai had instructed in his will. Therefore, she was in a particularly good mood tonight and chatted with the three brothers about their past.

This family dinner was warm, peaceful and full of joy.

Taking advantage of Empress Dowager He's happiness, Yuan Qingbai smiled and said to her, "Last year, when I ascended the throne, I conferred titles on my fourth and fifth brothers as princes. Your Majesty discussed with me the matter of promoting them to princes. I think now that my fourth brother is already 21 years old, and my fifth brother is already 20, it's time to promote them. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"This is a good thing." Empress Dowager He was even more delighted. "When are you going to promote them?"

Yuan Qingbai responded: "After the first month, the decree will be issued at the beginning of February."

Empress Dowager He smiled and nodded, and said to Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu, "Why don't you two brothers thank me quickly?"

Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu hurriedly stood up and walked to Yuan Qingbai, kneeling down and thanking him sincerely: "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace!"

Because Yuan Qingsong's mother Du committed a serious crime, and Yuan Qingshu indulged in pleasure and acted recklessly, the two of them originally thought that they might not be able to be promoted to princes, and even if they could be promoted, they might have to wait for a few years. Tonight, Yuan Qingbai suddenly asked to promote them, which was a surprise to them.

Yuan Qingbai did this mainly out of rationality, not emotion, and this move is good for him...

Yuan Qingbai has another important thing on his mind tonight. To him, this important thing is much more important than promoting Yuan Qingsong and Yuan Qingshu to the rank of princes.

The family dinner ended at the end of the first watch.

Yuan Qingbai personally escorted Empress Dowager He back to Jingren Palace.

Since Jingren Palace was the sleeping palace of Empress Dowager He in the imperial palace, it was meticulously decorated. The palace has carved beams and painted buildings, and eaves and corners that look like flying phoenixes and dancing dragons. Auspicious beasts are perched on the lintels to indicate auspiciousness. The palace is filled with antiques and rare treasures, which are dazzling and show the nobility.

When they arrived at Jingren Palace and entered the warm room, Yuan Qingbai dismissed all the maids, palace servants and eunuchs.

Empress Dowager He asked curiously, "Emperor, you said you have something else to discuss with me alone, what is it?"

Yuan Qingbai stared at Empress Dowager He and said solemnly, "Mother, I am going to secretly appoint a crown prince."

Empress Dowager He was shocked when she heard this: "..."

(End of this chapter)