Ningguo Kyoto.
The backyard of Taiyuan University.
A lonely lamp, a new pot of tea, two people.
Zhonglisu sat opposite Huamanting, with a worried look on his face.
After he heard something said by Li Wenhan on Peach Blossom Mountain in Guangling City, he rushed to Kyoto without stopping and went to Dingguo Hou Mansion.
However, his father Zhongli Po was not at home.
No one knows where he went.
This made Zhongli Su even more uneasy.
He came to Taiyuan University and found Hua Manting.
He took the cup of tea handed over by Hua Manting, but did not take a sip.
"Are you... are you Xi Wei?"
Hua Manting smiled slightly, looked up at Zhongli Su, and asked, "Why do you think I am Xi Wei?"
"Because in March two years ago, my mother quietly returned to Guangling City. I heard that Princess Yun'an was also in Guangling City at that time, and you happened to be there too!"
Hua Manting picked up the tea cup and blew on it, "It doesn't matter whether I am teasing the curtain or not."
He raised his eyes and looked at Zhong Lizu again, "Since you have come to Kyoto, I think Li Wenhan has told you something."
"I would like to know, what is your attitude now?"
Zhonglisu pondered for three breaths. He already understood the meaning of Hua Manting's words, and also understood the meaning of Li Wenhan's obscure words on Peach Blossom Mountain.
But there are still many things he doesn't understand -
"Why did dad do that?"
"This makes no sense!"
"The relationship between father and mother is well known to the world and can be called a legend..."
"Now the Dingguo House is more stable than ever before. Even if Li Chenan is not the emperor and Xiao Wu is the emperor, there is absolutely no way he can do anything to the Dingguo House."
"And Ding Guohou's Mansion itself has no objections!"
"I just want to know why my father... did these things?!"
Hua Manting pondered for three breaths, put down the tea cup and looked at Zhonglisu:
"Emotions are like peach blossoms. They are very beautiful when they are in full bloom, but they are gradually disliked by others when they wither. When all the petals fall to the ground and only the bare branches are left...it no longer attracts attention. He was even disliked by others.”
"So there are very few unbreakable relationships, especially love!"
"And everyone has desires."
"The size of your desire is usually determined by your location or identity."
"The Zhongli Mansion used to be able to rule the country, but now..."
"If a crown is suddenly placed in front of you... you can reach out and pick up the crown and put it on your head. From then on, you will have supreme power and status."
"Can you refuse such a temptation?"
"How many people can be as sane as your mother?"
Zhonglisu was shocked and opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer.
Looking at the world, what is the greatest power?
It's imperial power!
With imperial power, you have control over the world, and you have millions of subjects!
You can put your ideals into practice!
You can easily satisfy all your desires!
What is the reason for the strife in the world?
Isn't it just for the supreme power?
If this crown was really placed in front of him, could he remain indifferent?
It seems not possible!
No, definitely not!
There is only one exception in this world.
He is Li Chenan!
At this moment when Hua Lao Daru asked this question, Zhonglisu had roughly understood it, but he still found it ridiculous:
"You mean...my father, he still wants to rebel and become the emperor?"
"He is already sixty-three years old!"
"The Dingguo Marquis Mansion is also a transcendent existence in Ningguo!"
"President Wen also proposed to appoint my father as general last time, but he refused."
"How come he wants to be an emperor?"
Hua Manting kept looking at Zhongli Su.
He is now convinced that Zhongli Su really doesn't know the origin of Zhongli Mansion.
When Hua Manting slowly told Zhonglisu about the cause and effect, Zhonglisu seemed to be struck by lightning.
He was beyond shocked.
He stared at Hua Manting with his eyes widened in disbelief.
"……This is impossible!"
Hua Manting smiled slightly, "This is indeed impossible, but the authorities are obsessed with it!"
"Your mother tried hard to persuade your father, but what was the result?"
"In the end, instead of looking back, your father actually..."
"Hey..." Hua Manting sighed: "I knew it was too late, otherwise, how could your mother die so unwillingly!"
Zhonglisu's mind was very confused.
He simply didn't believe that Zhongli Mansion was a descendant of the Dali Empire.
This is simply ridiculous!
He also found it hard to believe that his father would kill his mother!
Nearly forty years have passed since I can remember, and there has never been a single quarrel between my father and my mother, not to mention getting physical.
How could the father do this?
"This is impossible!"
"Why isn't it possible?"
"..." Zhonglisu choked, then Hua Manting said again:
"In the past dynasties, in order to become emperor, is it uncommon for fathers and sons to kill each other, and for brothers to turn against each other?"
"Not uncommon!"
"No matter how loving a couple is, they can't resist the temptation from the outside."
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Now that you are here, I still ask you, how do you choose?"
Zhonglisu picked up the tea cup and took a big sip.
He stood up and suddenly laughed: "It's been a thousand years, what kind of nonsense are there still the descendants of the royal family of the Dali Empire!"
"I have been in Guangling City for a long time, and I am used to this kind of life now."
"I only hope that Li Chenan can cure my daughter's illness, and that they can be friends for a hundred years..."
"It would be best if Li Chenan became the emperor of Ning Kingdom. But if he doesn't want to, I won't object."
"As for what you said about my father..."
Zhonglisu raised his head and looked at the peach tree beside the yard.
In the gentle night wind, a piece of peach blossom fell.
By the time I return to the Peach Blossom Villa in Guangling City, I am afraid that all the peach blossoms in the garden will have withered.
"If the flower falls, let it fall."
"I just hope it doesn't bear any bad fruit!"
"Dingguohoufu... Since he is no longer Dingguohoufu, Wen Shoufu can ban him."
"But Zhongli Mansion, I still hope it can exist and exist forever."
Hua Manting also stood up.
He also walked to the peach tree and picked up the fallen peach blossoms.
"It depends on whether Li Chenan can return safely!"
Zhongli froze, and he understood the meaning of Hua Manting's words——
If Li Chenan died in Wangqingtai.
If my father is really in the Wangqingtai.
The father is the culprit!
The crime of killing the regent cannot be exonerated by banning a Dingguo Hou Mansion. Zhongli Mansion will definitely be implicated.
Zhonglisu turned around, looked at Hua Manting, pondered for a moment, and said, "Aren't you worried about the chaos in Shuzhou?"
Hua Manting grinned: "If Li Chenan dies, many people will be sad, including me!"
"If he dies, it won't matter whether Ning Guo exists or not. Do you think anyone will care about whether Shuzhou is in chaos?"
Zhonglisu withdrew his gaze and walked forward after a while, his voice was very lonely in the night wind:
"I see."
Hua Manting looked at Zhongli Su's lonely back and let out a long sigh.
He looked at the peach tree again.
One of his hands fell on the trunk of the peach tree and he murmured:
"When the peach blossom falls, it means that spring is coming to an end..."
"Yang Sixian!"
The door to the cabin creaked open.
An old man with a broken arm came out.
"Hua Lao, what are your orders?"
"Send a letter to Su Muxin for me!"
"In addition... go and invite Cheng Jingting to have a cup of tea. His granddaughter Cheng Yiren is with Zhongli Qiuyang... Guangling Navy, no chaos!"
Yang Sixian bowed and asked:
"Hua Lao... Regent... what should we do if there is really danger?"
Hua Manting pondered for three breaths: "Princess Yun'an will go crazy, and the world will be in chaos!"
"Wen Boyu sent a letter to Emperor Wu."
"Emperor Wu is not a fool. Since he has regained the imperial power, he will definitely do something."
