"Father!" Xia Chengxuan stood by the case and shouted respectfully, but he muttered in his heart, "Father rarely talks to me, but I don't know what happened today. It's already midnight, why did I send someone to call me?"
Xia Muchao was reading the folded book when he heard Xia Chengxuan shouting. He raised his head and glanced at his only son, smiled and said warmly, "Here you go, sit down first." After saying that, his eyes quickly glanced over the folded book, and he picked up his pen to make some comments at the end. Just put it aside. After finishing the case, he asked Xia Chengxuan, "How are you getting along with Yuan Chen these days?"
"Of course it's good. The child has had no brothers since he was a child. Now that he has been with me from afar, I really feel very happy in my heart. I have nothing to say to him, and he has nothing to say to me. But I want to spend time with him every day and get to know each other. Love each other like brothers!" Xia Chengxuan didn't want his father to ask this question, but when asked, he answered from the bottom of his heart.
"The Lantern Festival will be in two days, and after the Lantern Festival it will be the time for Huazijian to enter school. Siyuan has already asked Yuanchen to study, and I have made all arrangements to send Siyuan to Huazijian on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month." Xia Muchao has not forgotten it. Entrusted by Mei Siyuan, Mei Yuanchen has obtained admission qualifications under the name of the prince's adopted son. Hua Zijian is different from Wuying University Hall and Dushi Lecture Hall. The admission qualifications are very strict. Either he is a relative of the emperor, heir of an important minister, or he is a talented student with a far-reaching academic reputation. Anyone who can get a job and pass the exam can enter the court as an official. Thirty percent of the high-ranking officials in the court come from here, which is evident. When Mei Siyuan was young, his father, Mei Wanting, was a member of the first rank and had good aptitude, so he was admitted to Huazijian and was a classmate of Xia Muchao, who was the prince and son at the time.
"I'm going too!" Xia Chengxuan said immediately when he heard that his sworn brother's friend was leaving the house to study.
Xia Muren listened to his beloved son's words, looked at his description, his eyes were slightly red, and he breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Xuan'er, you are my only son, and I should treat you differently from others. You are sixteen years old, and now you have so many I’ll let you know about it.”
"Father, please tell me." Xia Chengxuan didn't know why his father's words changed. He just felt that what his father was about to say was by no means a trivial matter, so he immediately listened attentively.
"Twenty-five years ago, my father ascended the throne unexpectedly, which I never expected. Six months later, the third brother, Mu Yang, Mu Yan and I were crowned legitimate princes. My father was 17 years old at the time, more than You are not much older now." Xia Muchao looked solemn and spoke eloquently, "Father Huang Shang has been obsessed with the art of refining medicine since he was young. He often stayed in Taoist temples and never returned for many years. My mother and other female relatives often stayed together, and we Brothers take care of themselves. Since the third brother is the eldest brother, he takes care of the three of me in every possible way. At that time, although the four of us had different mothers, our mutual affection was just as true as today's you and Yuanchen." Nowadays, the three There were many battles overt and covert between the king and the heir apparent. Who in the court knew about this? Xia Chengxuan never thought that his father and the others would have such an intimate incident many years ago. He also heard what Xia Muchao said, "Since my father came to the throne, everything has never been the same as before. The Holy Emperor has already been established, how can he not establish a crown prince? Someone from the ministers in the court advised the father: King Yi, Su Ren, is the eldest son and should be the crown prince; King Zhi A direct general who is good at martial arts can become a prince; the king of Dahua, who is surrounded by enemies, is wise and can govern the country. Up to this point, the three kings have always competed for the throne, and they have not given in to each other. For more than twenty years, we have often been in the same party and opposed to different parties. The protracted disputes have consumed the national strength and damaged the fundamentals. "When talking about this, Xia Muchao looked sad, "How cruel it is for siblings to fight! I don't want to fight, but I have to fight! I will tell you the reason later. I don't want my descendants to be like me. When Yiyi was born Later, your mother and I agreed not to have any more children, and to pass on only one son, and the situation will take its own course."
Once upon a time, Xia Chengxuan thought many times that among the other royal family members in the palace, none of them had numerous heirs. Why was his own family so thin? It turned out to be such a strange reason, and now I looked at my father with even more awe.
"The battle for the throne will not happen overnight. King Zhi is good at martial arts, and the world will take precautions against him; King Yi is benevolent, and the world will think that he is hypocritical; I am known for my wisdom, and the world will be wary of my plans. Now that I know your strengths, I can make plans If you are good at controlling the law, how can you succeed in what you plan? The success of your plan lies in the enemy's unpreparedness." Xia Muchao looked at Xia Chengxuan meaningfully, seeming to be summarizing, as if to be on the alert, "Showing weakness will make others think Confused, just like you were at Ruiyun Tower that day, that’s fine.”
"A child knows that he cannot escape the eyes of his father." That day at Ruiyun Tower, King Zhi went to invite Mei Siyuan in person, and Xia Chengxuan shouted loudly, which was indeed intentional.
"Xuan'er, you and your father's image are just like my rebirth. How could I not know you." Bao, but you don’t know why my father allowed me.”
Born in an imperial family and having been involved in political affairs for a long time, Xia Chengxuan understood the pros and cons far better than ordinary people. Therefore, Mei Siyuan, who was strongly recommended by his father, went to Anxian Salt Transport. Xia Chengxuan always thought that his father had used a trick to turn decay into magic, so that the difficult thing was accomplished. "The kid really doesn't know." Xia Chengxuan replied.
"I made a stern oath to my father. I will never think about ascending the throne in this life. No matter who the new king is in the future, I will do my best to help. I will swear an oath to prove it. This is the price."
"Father!" Xia Chengxuan's voice was urgent and his tone rose sharply.
"My father saw the conflict between the three kings and it was very difficult for me. Even though my father was not happy when I said I wanted to quit, he naturally agreed to give me this second-rank political secretary. Everyone in the world thought that I wanted to fight for the throne, and I wanted to succeed. It's so difficult and dangerous, it's better to retreat." Xia Chengxuan was still trapped in various thoughts, and could only vaguely say Xia Muchao, "I will not fight for the throne, but I don't mean that my son will not fight! What I want to tell you today is that being a father is not yet finished. It’s up to you to complete the matter!”
"Boom~~~" These words were like five thunders, causing Xia Chengxuan to wake up instantly and look up at his father blankly.
"You are the emperor's direct grandson. When the opportunity comes, no one else can say anything. This is the first opportunity. We were born in an emperor's family, and there are many things we can't do ourselves. Fortunately, my son is smart and talented, and he has learned how to understand since he was a child. The principle of keeping a low profile and showing one's weakness is to hide one's talents and avoid the bright light. It's not up to me to plan things, not to God, but it's not up to me to decide what's going to happen. It's just you and my son who encourage each other!" Xia Muchao put his right hand on his beloved son's shoulder and looked at him, as if he was seeing himself.
Xia Chengxuan's thoughts could not calm down for a long time. His father's words lingered in his ears, and every word was like a needle. He thought of all the past and all the future. His blood surged for a moment, and he could not control himself. He knelt down and said decisively, "The child has not been able to replace his father." It is really unfilial to relieve my worries. I don’t know how much my father loves me, and I always complain about it, and I am really stupid. Since my son is so naughty, my father is still planning such a big thing, and I really don’t know how to repay him. My father is in the middle, but today From now on, you should put your heart and soul into your plans, learn and put them into practice! My father is both my father and now my teacher, please accept my three bows!" The words were passionate and smooth, and each of the three rings was sonorous.
