Chapter 605 - 605 His Daughter
605 His Daughter
Recently, troubles in Nanzhao have been frequent. First, the Queen had been embarrassed in public and lost all her face. Then, the holy artifact had been stolen and the Queen had neglected her duty. Then, the matter of the Prince Consort being Prince Yan of the Great Zhou had been exposed. All of this made the Emperor feel deeply tired.
What was even more tiring was that the daughter he had raised had become such a ruthless person. He had deposed his daughter’s position as the Queen.
Didn’t his heart ache?
Of course his heart ached!!!
However, as the Emperor, he could not only have personal feelings in his heart. He had to think about the world first. He did not think that he was an Emperor who was perfect. He had made many mistakes when he was young, but he understood the right and wrong.
However, it was precisely because he understood that he felt even more bitter.
In order to avoid the intrusion of the ministers and the Queen Manor, he brought the Empress out of the palace and stayed in the house.
The Little Princess was the Empress’s flesh and blood. He could not hide the fact that he had deposed the Little Princess from the Empress. After the Empress heard the news, she did not reprimand him, but she sat in the room and cried.
The Emperor felt suffocated. In the afternoon, he took a carriage to the Gu Hall.
The Gu Hall was equally famous as the State Preceptor Hall and was known as the two top factions of Nanzhao. The difference was that the Gu Hall was located in a corner, and the State Preceptor Hall was closer to the Emperor.
However, only the Emperor understood that he did not indiscriminate between the Gu Hall and the State Preceptor Hall. In fact, after the old State Preceptor passed away, the only person who could be sincere with him was Gu Elder Kong from the Gu Hall.
Gu Elder Kong was many years older than the Emperor and was already in his eighties. He had long stopped worrying about the world and stayed in the Gu Hall to retire. He had a secluded courtyard. During the day, someone would come and clean it and prepare a day’s meal for him. Other than that, he was the only one in the courtyard. His body was still strong, and he had sharp ears and eyes. He was not worried about falling.
When the Emperor came to see him, he was plowing the backyard.
“Just leave such a thing to the servants. How can the dignified Gu Hall lack a mouthful of food for you?” As the Emperor spoke, he walked forward and reached out to take the hoe in his hand to help him back.
Gu Elder Kong smiled and handed the hoe to him. His hands were covered in mud, afraid of dirtying the Emperor’s body.
Gu Elder Kong smiled and waved his hand, indicating for the Emperor to walk first.
The Emperor did not insist on helping him. He took the hoe and walked out of the backyard. He placed the hoe in the corner and did not forget to look back at Gu Elder Kong who was slowly walking over.
Gu Elder Kong was old after all and was not as steady as young people. He walked extremely slowly and staggered slightly.
He walked to the water vat and reached out his thin hand. He grabbed the ladle hanging from the branch and fetched half a bucket of water. After carefully washing his hands, he invited the Emperor to his tea room.
The window of the tea room was wide open and the light was bright. There was no extra furniture in the tea room. There was only a cabinet against the wall and a short table in the center.
The floor was spotless.
The two of them took off their shoes and walked into the tea room.
Gu Elder Kong staggered to the cabinet, opened it, and took out a cushion to hand to the Emperor. He did not often entertain guests here. There was only a cushion where he usually sat. The Emperor took the cushion and sat down opposite him.
Gu Elder Kong held the short table with both hands and slowly sat down.
The Emperor saw that he was a little powerless and sighed. “Do servants only come when they’re cleaning and cooking? Do you usually not leave anyone by your side to serve you?”
Gu Elder Kong had never liked hot tea since he was young. The tea here was cold. He picked up the teapot and poured a bowl of cold tea for the Emperor. In an old but energetic voice, he said, “I can still walk. When I can’t move one day, I’ll hire someone to take care of me.”
This was not the first time the Emperor persuaded him. The answers he received were always the same. The Emperor did not waste his breath anymore.
Gu Elder Kong took out a food box from under the low table and slowly opened it with his not-so-flexible hands. “Your Majesty is lucky. Someone just sent a box of osmanthus cake this morning. I remember that Your Majesty liked to eat this when you’re young. I wonder if you still like it.”
“Not anymore,” the Emperor said. After he was old, the imperial physicians did not let him eat sweet food. A few years ago, he was still thinking about it, but now he has quit.
“Ah, I think you said that last time. It seems my memory is getting worse.” Gu Elder Kong took a piece himself and ate it with interest. The osmanthus cake was soft and melted in his mouth. He liked it very much.
The Emperor drank his tea slowly.
The two of them did not speak. But there was no awkwardness in the air.
The Emperor felt a long-lost peace in his heart.
After finishing the osmanthus cake, Gu Elder Kong asked the Emperor, “Has the matter weighing on Your Majesty’s heart settled?”
In the past, the Emperor would sometimes be free without saying a word. However, today, he shook his head. “Not yet.”
Gu Elder Kong stretched his arm and said, “Has anything new happened in the Capital recently?”
The Emperor lowered his eyes and said with difficulty after a while, “I have no children in my life. I accept this fate. In order to protect the fate of Nanzhao, I also accept sending my biological child out of Nanzhao. But why did the child that I raised with all my heart still disappoint me?”
Gu Elder Kong took a sip of tea. “If you’re disappointed with this one. Isn’t there another one? When that one disappoints you too, you can act so desperate.”
“…” I can’t reply.
The Emperor sighed and said, “Back then, the Old State Preceptor predicted, ‘Nanzhao’s fate was about to end. Fortune and misfortune come together, seek fortune and avoid misfortune. Perhaps, there will be a turning point.’ From the looks of it, it’s indeed just ‘perhaps’.”
Gu Elder Kong did not reply.
The Emperor did not really come to him to ask for any opinions. They sat quietly for a while more.
The Emperor said, “Are you telling me to find that child from back then?”
Gu Elder Kong took a sip of tea. “You can’t find her anymore.”
The Emperor paused.
Gu Elder Kong said, “See if you can invite her back.”
The Emperor frowned and was about to flare up when Gu Elder Kong said with a sigh, “People are not plants. How can they be heartless? Their hearts are made of flesh. You didn’t want her back then, but now you expect her to want you?”
“…” Can you stop choking me like this?
The Emperor said coldly, “I didn’t say I wanted to acknowledge her!”
“Oh.” Gu Elder Kong took another sip of tea.
At this point in the conversation, the Emperor finally felt a trace of awkwardness. However, he was the only one who was embarrassed. Gu Elder Kong was no longer disturbed by the mortal world. He was very comfortable.
The Emperor felt a little stifled. “She grew up in the countryside. Who knows what she looks like? I still have a nephew from the collateral family who’s not inferior to the Princess.”
Gu Elder Kong continued to drink his tea.
The Emperor sat up straight and said, “She’s the destined jinx. Will I bring this little jinx back to harm the common people?”
Gu Elder Kong said, “Your Majesty is not a jinx. But I didn’t see Your Majesty have many children and luck.”
He was really, really going to be angered to death by this old fellow.
Gu Elder Kong continued, “Back then, the Old State Preceptor said that fortune and misfortune came together. Your Majesty, don’t forget, good fortune follows upon disaster; disaster lurks within good fortune. The matters of the heavens are not something that you and I can understand. Since this person with blessings can’t bless the common people, then how can Your Majesty be sure that she will definitely bring disaster to the world?”
The Emperor could not say a word.
Back then, when he sent the swaddled Eldest Princess out of Nanzhao, he had encountered the objections of many ministers. Bull Egg was the one who caused the most trouble. He said that if the world was in chaos, he would pacify it. If there was going to be a war, he would fight it. Why did he blame a swaddled child?
He didn’t listen to Bull Egg. Although Gu Elder Kong did not stop him, his gaze clearly did not agree. However, after that, Gu Elder Kong seemed to have forgotten about this matter and did not mention it again until he retired. He thought that Gu Elder Kong had long forgotten about that child.
“Do you always remember her?” The Emperor asked. “Do you also think I did something wrong back then?”
Gu Elder Kong did not answer his question. Instead, he said, “Before the Old State Preceptor died, he came to the Gu Hall to look for me. Does Your Majesty know what he said to me?”
“What did he say?”
“He said one word.”
“What word?” The Emperor asked.
“Strange,” Kong Gu said.
“Strange?”
Gu Elder Kong nodded. “Yes, strange, but he didn’t say what he was strange about.”
The Emperor fell into deep thought.
Gu Elder Kong changed the topic. “That child grew up among the commoners. I’m afraid she suffered a lot. Her parents don’t want her either.”
It had been more than thirty years, and the Emperor had long forgotten what the child looked like. He could not even remember if he had carried her when she was born.
But he remembered the snow.
It had never snowed in Nanzhao. The night she was sent away, it snowed heavily. Consort Yun cried and told them to send her away later. It was a snowing day and the child would freeze to death.
The child looked at him with wide curious eyes. Perhaps she did not know that she was about to be abandoned. Thinking that she was going out to play, she kicked her legs vigorously.
He turned.
The palace door closed coldly.
Outside the palace door, the child’s heart-wrenching cries came.
He did not look back once.