No matter how naughty and naughty the child is, in the eyes of parents, it is a cherished child. They are afraid of losing it when holding it in their hands, and they are afraid of melting when they are held in their mouth. What's more, Zhu Ping has always been extremely intelligent, resolute and heroic, but now he has become so stupid, confused and wanton, which makes Lao Zhu and Queen Ma feel sad and puzzled.
Now that Han Du mentioned it, he immediately wanted to ask clearly.
"Do you know why?" Lao Zhu looked a little confused and asked with full curiosity.
Han Du nodded his head in an exaggerated manner, and then said with admiration: "The emperor is wise and powerful. King Qin has been carefully taught by the emperor since he was a child, so naturally he is not bad. But sometimes, the worst thing is his intelligence."
"Why is this?" Lao Zhu's brows slowly wrinkled, a little confused.
In Lao Zhu's impression, his son was smart and promising, but why did something that many people wanted to do turn out to be a bad thing when it came to Han Du?
Han Du glanced at Zhu Biao and saw him slightly nodding towards him before continuing: "Your Majesty, if His Highness the King of Qin is an ordinary person, then intelligence will naturally be very important and very good to him. But he is the King of Qin, and he has been the King of Qin since he was still young. Even he can know now that when he dies, he will still be the King of Qin."
Lao Zhu's expression changed instantly when he heard this, and he looked at Han Du with a bit of madness and violence, but he did not stop Han Du from continuing to speak.
"Perhaps for a person who is dedicated to his duties, this is a good thing that he dreams of. But for a person who is extremely intelligent, enterprising, and wants to do something personally, such an identity is a shackle. A yoke that trapped him."
"That's nonsense!" Lao Zhu suddenly slapped his palm on the table, his eyes were red and his face was furious, "I will make him a king when he comes of age. He will be given great power, rich clothes, fine food, and a royal flag. What's missing? He? He was asked to command the Six Guards. Is there anything the higher-ups are dissatisfied with?"
Han Du didn't know how to answer for a moment. What Lao Zhu did was actually the same as many parents. He always thought that what he prepared for his son was the best, but he never asked, "Does my son like it?" like."
Whether he likes it or not, he stuffs everything into King Qin's arms without thinking that sometimes it will be counterproductive.
As the violent breath swept through the air quickly, Han Du suddenly stopped speaking. It was not until Lao Zhu looked away from himself impatiently that he swallowed and looked up at Lao Zhu without daring to speak.
"Your Majesty, calm down, Han Du is just telling the second child his thoughts." Empress Ma took Lao Zhu's arm and comforted her, then turned to look at Han Du: "You continue."
Han Du was trembling faintly and trying to calm down. After a pause, he said: "Many smart people like King Qin like challenges and fight with others, and a calm life is a kind of torture for him.
Although Deng was naughty and often went out of her way to do things, she was able to bring ripples and new ideas to King Qin's uneventful life. If the emperor severely punished Deng, His Highness the King of Qin's spirit might be broken. "
Deng was just the second concubine of King Qin. In order to give an explanation to the world, Lao Zhu had no problem in wanting her to die. Deng can die, but Zhu Xi must not be implicated.
If Deng's death really had such a big blow to Zhu Ping, Lao Zhu would have to be cautious.
"Is it really as serious as you say?"
Han Du took a deep breath and sighed solemnly: "Your Majesty, people live by their energy. If Deng is gone, no one knows whether King Qin can wake up from such a blow. If he can If you wake up in time, everyone will naturally be happy. But I am afraid that everything will always go against your wishes~
If King Qin cannot withstand such a blow, the rest of his life will be over. "
Lao Zhu felt even more angry, and his face suddenly turned red. But it was related to Zhu Xi, even if it was just a possibility, he had to be cautious.
"This matter... let me think about it for a long time..." Lao Zhu's eyes were a little hollow, looking at the void without focus, and flicked his fingers towards Han Du and Zhu Biao.
"My lord, please leave." Han Du was eager to leave. Understanding what Lao Zhu meant, he quickly bowed and took a few steps back.
When Zhu Biao saw that his father did not agree, he couldn't help but worry that something might happen to Zhu Xiang's affairs. But at this time, it would be useless for him to stay here, so he had no choice but to leave with Han Du.
That night, Lao Zhu tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. As soon as it was light the next day, Lao Zhu ordered: "Come here, go find that traitor!"
Seeing that Lao Zhu was angry, the old eunuch quickly arranged for someone to bring King Qin into the palace.
As soon as King Qin saw Lao Zhu, he knelt down and cried bitterly. He knelt down in front of Lao Zhu, hugged Lao Zhu's legs and cried loudly: "Father, I am wrong, I know it." Wrong, please spare my son and come back this time."
Lao Zhu suddenly became furious, kicked Zhu Xi on the shoulder, and cursed angrily: "Idiot, you still know your mistake? You plundered people's wealth, built a lot of construction projects, made the queen's clothes, and built a five-claw dragon bed. What do you think?" Do you want to replace me?"
Zhu Chen was kicked by Lao Zhu and rolled around on the ground twice before he stopped. When he heard these words, his voice suddenly changed with fright. He was helpless and panicked and explained: "My son, I never meant this, I never meant this. My son, I never meant this." It was just out of confusion that I did such a thing, I beg my father to spare me for once..."
When Lao Zhu saw Zhu Ping rolling on the ground, his face paused slightly, feeling a little unbearable. Although Zhu Xi is a bastard, he is his biological son after all.
"Spare you? If I spare you, how will I explain to the people who were forced to sell their sons and daughters by you, how to explain to the palace officials who were bullied and tortured by you, and how to explain to the people of the world?" Lao Zhu sat on a chair. He was so angry that his whole body was trembling. He pointed at Zhu Ming and cursed: "How could I have a son like you? How could you do such a stupid thing?"
Zhu Xi knelt in front of Lao Zhu and kowtowed repeatedly, and kept begging for mercy: "I know I was wrong, and I beg my father for mercy... I know I was wrong, and I beg my father for mercy..."
Lao Zhu looked at Zhu Ming, who was kneeling down and begging for mercy. Seeing that the fire was almost done, he said, "It's not impossible to spare you."
Hearing that his father was willing to forgive him, Zhu Xi was overjoyed. He raised his head and looked at Lao Zhu eagerly, and said happily: "Thank you, father, thank you so much."
However, Lao Zhu's face was solemn. He raised his hand to stop Zhu Ping's words and said in a deep voice: "You made a huge mistake this time. If you are not severely punished, I will not be able to explain it to the people of the world."
When Zhu Xi heard this, he suddenly felt confused. He had promised to spare him just now. What did his father mean by saying this now?
Lao Zhu ignored Zhu Xi's slander and said calmly: "Fortunately, this incident was mainly caused by Deng. Every injustice has its owner, and every debt has its owner. Since it was her who caused the trouble, she will naturally bear it. I am going to give her death to thank the world!"
Give death...give death...
Zhu Xi was stunned and lost the ability to think for a moment. These two words were all that echoed in his mind.
Suddenly, Zhu Ping woke up, with a strong fear in his eyes. He hugged his father's legs tightly and cried for mercy: "Father, it's none of Deng's business. Please spare her." ..."
Lao Zhu angrily waved his sleeves and asked sternly: "Don't think that I don't know that all the large-scale construction projects, the purchase of pearls and jade, and the expropriation of people's wealth are all for her. How come it has nothing to do with her?"
"Father, these... these are all things I am willing to give to her. It really has nothing to do with her. I beg your father to spare her." The expression of crying and begging for mercy disappeared from Zhu Ping's face. , surprisingly calmed down a lot, but a bit of his tenacity can be seen in the action of secretly gritting his teeth.
Lao Zhu looked at Zhu Xi. At this moment, he couldn't find the words to respond. After a while, he sighed: "Do you know what you are talking about? This matter has reached such an extent that if it is not severely punished, I will not be able to explain it to the world. If you ask me to spare Deng, who will Come and take the blame, will you?"
Zhu Xi did not answer directly, but lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised his head to look at his father: "My son, I am willing to bear the responsibility."
Lao Zhu looked at Zhu Xi's unflinching eyes, and secretly tightened his fingers in his sleeves until his knuckles turned white. He looked a little nervous and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"My son is willing to bear all the burden. I only ask my father to spare the Deng family." Zhu Xi responded to his father without hesitation.
Lao Zhu looked at Zhu Xi carefully for a moment, and suddenly said with a sneer: "What? Do you think I can't do anything to you, so you dare to be so unscrupulous in front of me?"
Zhu Xiang quickly lowered his head and repented seriously and said: "I don't dare, I sincerely regret it. Even if I was demoted to a commoner because of this, I have no regrets. I just ask my father to spare Deng." One life.”
After saying that, Zhu Xi bowed down with all his might.
Lao Zhu couldn't help but feel a little moved when he saw that Zhu Xi didn't show any deception. Sighing and slowly closing his eyes, he opened them after a moment, looked at Zhu Xi who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Even if you are demoted to a commoner, you have to protect Mrs. Deng. Is she really that important to you?"
Zhu Ming was silent for a while, and finally uttered a few words, "When I was at my most confused, she was the one who gave him hope to live."
"You bastard, didn't I give it to you? Titles, kingdoms, soldiers and horses... What else did I not give you? Tell me!" Old Zhu suddenly threw the tea cup in his hand in anger. When he got out, the treasure that Han Du had been coveting many times and wondering how to get his hands on was instantly shattered to pieces.
Zhu Ping's heart, which had been suppressed for too long, gradually became angry. He raised his head, squeezed out a smile that seemed to be both joyful and crying, and said: "My father has indeed given a lot to my son, but is there something that my father can also give to my son?"
"Is there anything else that I haven't given you? What else do you want? Tell me!" Lao Zhu became irritable, stood up and walked to Zhu Ping, pointing at his nose and asked.
Facing his father's rage, Zhu Ping just responded with a sneer, staring at his father with blank eyes without blinking.
Lao Zhu's heart suddenly moved, and he couldn't help taking a step back, pointing at Zhu Ping and gasping angrily: "You, you want..."
"I don't want to," Zhu Ming responded indifferently.
But there are some things that Zhu Xi cannot mention. Once he mentions them, it is not so easy to get Lao Zhu to trust him again.
Lao Zhu now looked at Zhu Xi with cold eyes, obviously not believing what he said.
"My son, I have indeed not thought about it." Zhu Xi repeated it again, and then continued, regardless of whether his father believed it or not, "Brother Huang, regardless of his wisdom, talent, skills, experience... .Everything is better than me, I am convinced.”
Only then did Lao Zhu believe Zhu Xi's words, and the solemn look on his face slowly faded away. At the same time, he asked in confusion: "Since you are convinced by Zhu Biao, why do you have such treasonous delusions?"
Zhu Ming looked at his father in bewilderment and responded in a deep voice: "Father, I admire your brother and have no objection to his future succession, but that doesn't mean that I am convinced of you, my father."
When Lao Zhu heard this, he laughed twice, and looked at Zhu Xi as if he had seen him punching himself when he was three years old.
He sneered and said: "Since you have such a deep prejudice against me, then I will give you a chance. Just tell me where you are not convinced by me, right?"
Zhu Xi seemed to have given up completely and had no scruples in his words. Since his father wanted to know, he told him: "The emperor was born a few months earlier than his son, and he has outstanding talents. My father wants to bring the country to the country." I have no objection to leaving it to him. But can my father be considerate of me? I don’t want to go to Xi’an, let alone work for my brother to open up new territories.
Since the father let the emperor's brother inherit the throne, he should let the emperor's brother expand the territory by himself, because the world will belong to him in the future. Why should I let my sons and ministers go to work for their lives and let the emperor sit back and enjoy his success in the capital? The son and minister are also the sons of the emperor, so why should all the benefits belong to the emperor's brother and all the hardships must be suffered by the son and minister? Father, do you think this is fair? "
Zhu Xiang was filled with resentment, and as soon as he vented it out, he suddenly felt that his whole body came to life.
Lao Zhu's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He looked at Zhu Ping with cold eyes and said sternly: "Brothers working together can break through gold. I put you at the border because I think you can help Biao'er and stabilize the country." . This is for our Zhu family’s country, country, country, what’s wrong with that?”
Zhu Cang did not hesitate and looked up at Lao Zhu who was standing in front of him: "Father, this country now belongs to the Zhu family, so the father sent his son to Xi'an, and he went without saying anything. But from now on, This country belongs to the emperor's brother, why should I guard the border for him?
Whoever owns the land, the country, and the country will keep it by himself, and his sons and ministers will quit. "
Lao Zhu was so angry that he wanted to scold Zhu Xi, but suddenly he didn't know how to speak.
Zhu Xi stood up, his body still upright, and said slowly: "I don't think about anything now. I just want to spend the rest of my life with the Deng family in peace and tranquility. My father can take away my feudal kingdom, and I can If I take the prince's palace away, I can take away the six guards and horses. I don't want anything, just the Deng family."
"You bastard, do you want to pamper your concubine and destroy your wife? No matter what Mrs. Deng does, she is only your side concubine, and your main concubine is Wang." Old Zhu was furious. He had seen useless people, but he never personally His own son would be so hopeless after experiencing this.
However, this son is not an incompetent person. Zhu Ping is indeed a brave and resourceful person.
If the descendants of an ordinary family had Zhu Ping's talents, it would be difficult for the family not to prosper. However, Zhu Biao always suppressed him.
This made Zhu Feng extremely angry, but he also had to lament his bad luck, and deeply felt that "there is no way to be brilliant when you are good".
Although Lao Zhu was furious, he didn't do anything to Zhu Ping. There is no way, Zhu Xi's words are not unreasonable. There is only one high-ranking official, but Lao Zhu has more than one outstanding son, Zhu Biao.
Zhu Biao only had the advantage because he was born a few months earlier.
"My son wants the Deng family."
"You want to piss me off to death, so you're happy, right?" Lao Zhu immediately opened his teeth and claws, looking for someone who could take advantage of him, but he couldn't find anything after searching for a while. I had no choice but to angrily throw the memorials on the chief's desk and other messy things such as pens, inks, papers, and inkstones at Zhu Ping, and cursed angrily: "As long as I am alive for one day, Mrs. Wang will be your princess. I want to If you want to spoil your concubine and destroy your wife, you have given up on me.
roll roll roll! "
Seeing this, Zhu Xi had no choice but to dodge a few times and retreat. Looking at the torn inkstone on the ground, Zhu Xiang felt sad. Fortunately, he had escaped in time. Otherwise, if he was hit by this thing, his bones and tendons would not be broken?
Queen Ma and Zhu Biao came at the beginning, but they hid behind the screen and did not come out.
Originally, Zhu Biao was planning to wait for the right time and take the opportunity to step forward to persuade the emperor. But I didn't expect that things would turn out like this.
Zhu Biao's face was filled with embarrassment and apologies when he heard Zhu Fang say he didn't want to guard the border for Zhu Biao. At this time, he was even more unable to stand up. If he stood up to speak for Zhu Ping, it would be suspected of deliberately showing his face in front of Zhu Ping.
Therefore, Zhu Biao only waited until Zhu Ping left before he stood up.
The same goes for Queen Ma. Her palms and backs are all flesh. Her two sons are at odds with each other, and it's not appropriate for her to help either of them. She might as well not say anything at all.
"Father, please calm down." Empress Ma kept rubbing Lao Zhu's back, and Zhu Biao smiled reluctantly and embarrassedly, and comforted him.
Lao Zhu sat on a chair, looked at Zhu Biao with squinting eyes, and said, "How can I calm down? I consider him the eldest among all the princes except you, and I was the first to confer him the title of King of Qin. Does he know Do you know what I mean by making him King of Qin?"
The title of King Qin is indeed the best among the princes. It can be said that Lao Zhu gave the best things to Zhu Ping the most, except Zhu Biao. What I didn't expect was that in the end, Zhu Ping didn't appreciate it at all. They were not even willing to follow Lao Zhu's original intention and use the vassal king as a barrier to defend Zhu Biao.
No wonder Lao Zhu is angry.
Zhu Biao lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly knelt down and worshiped.
"What? Even you think what I did was wrong?" Lao Zhu's face suddenly darkened, and his eyes glanced back and forth at Zhu Biao like a knife.
Lao Zhu did all this for Zhu Biao, so he absolutely did not want to see even Zhu Biao oppose him. Because in that case, wouldn't it mean that what he did was just wishful thinking, and no one would be grateful to him?
In that case, Lao Zhu would probably faint from anger on the spot.
Zhu Biao said sternly: "I would like to thank my father for your love. I will be diligent in government affairs and be strict with myself in order to live up to my father's high expectations."
Seeing Zhu Biao taking the responsibility so calmly, Lao Zhu suddenly laughed and said: "Okay, okay..."
Even his own praise was not enough. He turned back to Queen Ma and said, "Sister, do you see that our Biao'er has grown up and has become more responsible?"
"Go back to the emperor, I have seen it." Empress Ma was also excited with tears in her eyes. She nodded in agreement with the emperor and wiped her tears herself.
Zhu Biao looked at his father's old face and looked at it seriously for a few seconds, feeling a little emotional in his heart. Then he showed a smile and said: "But Father, I think what my second brother said is not unreasonable..."
"Don't speak for him anymore." Lao Zhu shook his head, waved his hand to interrupt Zhu Biao, and then spoke again: "He is just jealous that you are the prince."
Zhu Biao sighed inwardly after hearing this, was he really jealous of himself? Zhu Biao had no answer for a while.
However, judging from the usual situation, Zhu Ping was quite convinced of himself, and he was full of goodwill towards himself, without the slightest evildoing.
Rather than being jealous of himself, Zhu Biao was more willing to believe that what Zhu Ping just said was what he meant. Indeed, it would indeed be a bit too much if he could not defend his country and country, but instead push it all to the emperor's younger brothers.
Who would be willing to go to a bitter and cold place on the frontier? I'm afraid no matter who it is, they will choose the capital city with blooming flowers instead of going to the frontier to eat the wind and drink the dew, right?
In addition, he was enjoying himself in the capital, but his imperial brothers were suffering at the border. It's also difficult for the second brother to be aggrieved just now. It's really unfair!
However, these were all major policies formulated by his father, and Zhu Biao could not change them.
No matter what Zhu Biao does to his second brother, he will help him plead for mercy in this matter no matter what. After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Biao asked: "Father, it seems that Deng is indeed very important to the second brother. Why not, for the sake of the second brother, let her be spared for now?"
When Lao Zhu heard Zhu Biao mentioning this matter, he felt an inexplicable headache. He couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his forehead, feeling that he had nowhere to vent his anger.
"I'll wait until I think about this matter carefully before talking about it."
When Queen Ma saw this, she quickly stepped forward to massage the emperor. At the same time, she looked at Zhu Biao to indicate that he should go back first.
Zhu Biao listened to his father's words and noticed his hesitation, so he bowed and retreated at his mother's signal.
Zhu Biao walked out of the palace, took a long breath, looked back at where his father was, and then walked away. Zhu Biao did not return to his East Palace, but went straight out of the palace gate and headed towards Han Du's Zhenhaihou Mansion.
