Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 113 Shopping

The Qianqing Palace is filled with the scent of sandalwood, and the atmosphere is quiet and solemn.

Emperor Shengzhi wore a ochre-yellow round-necked dragon robe and sat in front of a small chessboard table. He frowned and thought for a long time before placing a white piece onto the board.

"My royal brother has won again."

Chen Ye casually threw a few black chess pieces in his hand into the jar.

"Your Majesty was preoccupied, and I was lucky enough to win a few games."

Emperor Shengzhi sighed lightly, thinking about what had happened during this period of time, including Guozhou's death yesterday, and it took him a long time before he spoke.

"The previous emperor passed away and passed the throne to me. For the past twenty years, I have worked diligently and diligently, not daring to slack off even for a moment. I have devoted my heart and soul to this country, but the world remains unpeaceful. The people live in hardship, and wars are constant on the borders."

"Ministers formed cliques for personal gain and persecuted loyal officials, while my descendants fought openly and secretly for the position of crown prince, completely disregarding brotherhood."

"Everyone else only sees the glory and majesty of the throne, but who can understand the helplessness in my heart? Being an emperor is difficult."

He shifted his gaze from the chessboard to Chen Ye's face, "To be honest, my brother is more suitable for the throne than I am."

Chen Ye's eyes softened as he soothed, "Your Majesty, I understand your feelings, but the rise and fall of the nation, its honor and disgrace, is the heavy responsibility of every monarch throughout the ages. Every monarch faces many difficulties and pressures while on the throne."

"Your Majesty knows that the weight of the throne lies not only in its glory and majesty, but also in the responsibility and commitment that comes with it. You are a role model for the people of the world, and every decision you make concerns the well-being of all people. Since ancient times, it has been easy to conquer an empire, but difficult to maintain it."

He continued, "Father has only three of us brothers. Back then, my eldest brother gave up the throne and resolutely chose to travel the world. Now that Father has passed the throne to you, as your elder brother, I will certainly assist you wholeheartedly and protect the Chen royal family's territory. However..."

Chen Ye nodded with emotion.

"We are both old now. I cannot go to the palace often. Your Majesty should take care of your health. Jing'er is the crown prince, and many things should be left to him to experience. You should take care of yourself."

Emperor Shengzhi couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Since ancient times, the princes in the royal family have always fought openly and secretly for the throne, and it has always been a life-and-death struggle, including for their own sons.

Only the three brothers are different.

At that time, the eldest brother Chen Yan was obsessed with cultivating immortals and asking for the way of Taoism, and he didn't care about the throne at all. He was willing to give up the throne and choose the path of debut.

The second son Chen Ye and Emperor Shengzhi Chen Li were both equally talented and virtuous, and were the candidates for the crown prince that Emperor Taizong was satisfied with.

Perhaps it was because Chen Liping was emotionally closer to Emperor Taizong, so he was chosen in the end.

But whether in childhood or adulthood, even when Chen Li became emperor.

He felt that the relationship between the three brothers was not like that of other brothers who killed each other. He was relieved and it was a rare thing.

Emperor Shengzhi smiled, patted Chen Ye's arm gently, and changed the subject.

"By the way, it's rare for Xining to come to Beijing, so you can spend more time there."

"This girl loves to eat and have fun. She's really looking forward to it." Chen Ye smiled kindly. "I don't know what fun things she went out to find today."

"She's been spoiled by the Emperor. Look at her at the birthday banquet the other night. She was dressed like that and showed up in public. It was so embarrassing for the ministers to see her."

When Xining was born, Emperor Shengzhi only had sons and no daughters.

Therefore, he doted on Xining especially, like his own daughter, and conferred the title of princess on her.

Emperor Shengzhi chuckled and shook his head, "Xining also wanted to congratulate me on my birthday. She's filial, so don't blame her."

Jingu Street is close to Xiling River and is one of the prosperous streets in Beijing. Many dignitaries and wealthy businessmen love to come here for shopping.

Xiao Yan was resting today and did not wear armor. He wore a dark blue waist-cinching, cross-collared straight-legged robe inside and a silk indigo robe outside.

The long robe flutters, shining brightly under the natural light, and is very lively and elegant.

The streets were bustling with people and laughter, but he alone had a gloomy look on his face.

The case of the military defeat that year and the explosion case six years ago, I thought that as long as Guo Zhou was caught, everything would be solved.

But after several discoveries, he found that the person behind the scenes always managed to silence the witness before him.

And those assassins who were silenced, including the two men in black yesterday, all had star totems on their bodies.

The Yan family, the Wan family, the King of Zhao, the King of Wu...

Who exactly owns such a huge organization of death squads?

Once Guo Zhou dies, when will the confusion in my mind be resolved?

He stood with his hands behind his back and looked into the distance. A few birds landed on the eaves of the attic, stayed for a while, and then flew away.

"What are you thinking about? You seem absent-minded."

Xiao Yan was distracted when he heard Lang Si suddenly speak. He glanced sideways and said casually.

"Nothing, what on earth are you bringing me to the street for?"

Lang Si also changed into an apricot-colored gentleman's casual suit today. He wore a jade crown and tied his hair up, looking elegant and noble, which was very different from his usual capable and unrestrained appearance.

Although he didn't bring a sword, he also imitated the literati and pretended to wave a folding fan in his hand. It was a rare day off to stroll around, so he was very happy and looked around to respond.

"Let's take a walk first. Look how lively it is."

Xiao Yan saw that he was in high spirits, as if he had completely forgotten that he had called him out on the pretext of asking for something.

He suddenly stopped and asked, "You don't just want me to go shopping with you, do you?"

Lang Si turned his face back and said with a smile: "If I don't pull you out, are you going to stay in your herb garden and tend to the flowers and plants again? Or hide in the study? Hey, I'm really curious..."

He folded up his folding fan and tapped it in his hand, then pointed at Xiao Yan's clothes.

"You're such a handsome and elegant man, known as the top figure among the nobles in Beijing. But apart from your duties, why do you spend all day doing the work of a gardener? Look at that Yan Qian, huh..."

Lang Si imitated others, opened his folding fan with a "swish", and walked with his hands behind his back.

"See? They're all like this. They sit in the Wangjiang Tower and smile elegantly. That style is enough to drive all the noble ladies in the capital crazy."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I have to say, you imitated it quite well."

With this subtle and ordinary expression, Lang Si suddenly said "eh" and asked with a smile.

"You can actually laugh? I've known you for so many years, and it's really rare. Right, smile more."

He thought about it and said, "It doesn't seem so. I see you smile a lot when you are with Lu Ziqing."

Have it?

Xiao Yan seemed to have never noticed it. It was a bit strange for others to talk about such an inconspicuous change.

He coughed lightly, "Why don't I know?"

"Because bystanders see things more clearly, but..." Lang Si said casually, "Ever since I found out you brought someone back to the capital and even had them stay at your house, I've been very curious. Where did you find this person? We haven't known each other for long, but you seem to have a good relationship."

Xiao Yan walked past the jade shop with his hands behind his back, with tenderness in his eyes, as if he was telling a beautiful story, calmly and peacefully.

"He enlisted as a military doctor in Yongzhou. We experienced the Northern Expedition together. He nearly died in the mountains for the sake of herbs for the soldiers. Later, we were attacked by the Di people. If it weren't for him, I might have been poisoned and died in another country. You know what happened next."

As he spoke, a smile unconsciously appeared on the corners of his mouth.

"Ziqing is humble, kind-hearted, and indifferent to fame and fortune. He is very different from the people we see around us, and I admire him very much."