Chapter 174 – Vow and Life

The sky was overcast and it was snowing heavily. Snowflakes fluttered across the sky and earth, obscuring the view.

The carriage stopped outside the main gate of the Imperial Temple, Su Yan, clad in a cloak, covering his hood over his head and face, stepped out of the carriage and head.

Zhu Hailin sidled over and hugged Su Yan tightly, burying his face into the crook of his neck, “Qinghe, it’s hard in my heart ……”

“I know.” Su Yan patted and stroked the crown prince’s back.

“I have a hard time in my heart, not only because of the loss of the palace where my mother lived with all the relics …… but also because I am not a competent prince, letting down my mother’s spirit in heaven.”

Zhu Helin’s body trembled terribly, Su Yan embraced this teenager who was fifteen years old, and for the first time felt the loneliness and trepidation that was deep in the other party’s heart.

Anorexia fun, willful and wanton, do not abide by the rules, these faults in fact Zhu He Lin himself are clear, but he did not want to change, do not want to be bound by the rules and regulations of the system, do not want to learn from his father as strict as self-discipline. He was in the position of the Prince, but do not like to call the widow, even after the assassination of the near death, the mind and act matured a lot, the nature is still jumping and uninhibited.

On the one hand, know that as a prince, every move not only on behalf of their own, but also on behalf of the royal family’s prestige and decency, on the other hand, do not want to let the real themselves, was heavily suppressed in the prestige and decency under the yoke, and for this reason the contradictions and annoyance, covered in the flying arrogant temperament, easily refused to show people.

At this moment, in Su Yan’s arms, he unloaded the strength and pride that belonged to the Crown Prince and acted like an ordinary teenager, pouring out his deepest pain.

Su Yan stroked the gradually plumping and firming muscles on the back of the teenager’s shoulders and said sincerely, ”If we take the ‘Crown Prince’ as a position, it is true that you are not perfect, not even good enough to meet the standards of a virtuous man, but you are more real, more flesh and blood than any Crown Prince who has worked hard to run a reputation of being a virtuous man.

“The late Empress Holy Spirit, I cannot guess what is in her heart. But I can tell you, Zhu Helin, I have never been disappointed in you. I chose to board your ship not only because of personal friendship, but also because I recognized that you are the next bright ruler who can continue to create a great Ming dynasty. You have vision, talent, and courage, but all you lack is the polishing of your heart and the experience to handle things.

“Just because I’m betting my life on you doesn’t mean I’m a desperate gambler, but rather trust my own vision – and by the way, cheekily, I’ve always been a good judge of character.”

Zhu Hailin eyes moist, all the muscles because of these words and tense, tense hot and swollen, lungs and blood even with a fiery teenage heart, are alive to jump out of the cavity, fell on the other side of the chest close to their own. “Qinghe ……” he choked, “do you really believe that I …… can achieve the peace and prosperity in your mind?”

“Of course!” Su Yan replied without hesitation.

Zhu Hailin kept huffing and puffing, and finally pushed him away lightly, wiping his face vigorously a few times with his cuffs, and said solemnly, “Kneel down and face my mother.”

Su Yan was unsure, but still complied, kneeling upright towards the first Empress’s divine tablet.

Zhu Hailin straightened his crown, hat and clothes, knelt side by side with Su Yan, and said reverently to the divine tablet: “Mother, do you see the person beside me, his name is Su Yan, he is the most important person in this world, besides my father. He trusts me, cares for me, and is willing to trust me with his life and future; and I also trust him, like him, and want to do my best to fulfill his wishes. I vowed to never be disappointed with him for a lifetime, and to keep my white hair on my head for the rest of my life, so please be my mother’s witness!”

He turned his head and ordered Su Yan, “Kowtow to my mother, kowtow three times.”

Su Yan felt that the Prince’s wish, everything else is good to say, only “a lifetime of white hair will not leave” sentence seems inappropriate, like a man and a woman in love with the oath of alliance.

Annoyed by his hesitation, Zhu Hailin glared, “Hurry up and kowtow!”

Su Yan was unable to be pushed, pressed his hands on the ground and kowtowed to the divine sign.

Zhu Helin’s face was serious and solemn, he kowtowed three times with him, and then held Su Yan’s hand and looked at him without a moment’s hesitation, “Qinghe, from now on, you and I are one in nature and one in life, and I will not hide anything from you, and you can say whatever you want to me, without having to avoid anything.”

Su Yan nodded, ”Then I’ll be blunt. Last night you killed three palace people in the fire with your own hands, by no means a wise move, but extenuating circumstances. Since things have already happened, there is no point in pursuing regrets, what we need to consider now is what consequences it may cause, try to do the worst possible thing in order to plan the best response.”

Zhu Helin said: ”Father also said last night that killing a few errant subordinates is a small matter, but breaking the heart . It’s a big deal. In case someone uses this to make a big deal out of it, saying that I’m brutal and unethical, unworthy of the position of the crown prince, it’s inevitable that all the people will shake up the Eastern Palace.”

“Three feet of ice is not a day’s cold, want to bring you down, just take this incident is not enough. The other side knows this as well, and it’s more likely that they’re trying to build momentum.”

“Building momentum?”

Su Yan’s knees stung from kneeling on the futon, and he couldn’t help but move away. Zhu Hailin was busy pulling him to sit down cross-legged, listening to him continue, “Right. I think ah, the civil officials, especially a few of the great masters, you have not a day or two, said that you are stubborn and do not like to study, for fear that it will be difficult to take on important responsibilities, is not it?”

Zhu Hailin nodded and was a bit upset again, “Those Taifu lectures, they are indeed boring ah, I can’t be blamed for all of it.”

“The key is not here, is that they are worried that you are difficult to bear the heavy responsibility, in other words, this heavy responsibility, they have long been defaulted you will have to bear, just want to further correct you, transform you. Especially the Crown Princes and Princesses, the Imperial Master chose for you the Ministry of Appointments, Li Chengfeng, Li Shangshu, the Ministry of Rites, Yan Xing, Yan Shangshu, and the Cabinet University Scholar, Yang Ting, which is really well-intentioned.”

“What’s the point?”

“Ministry of mandarin real power first, the Ministry of Rites is the most noble, Yang Daoshi is the backbone of the cabinet, and close to Li Shangshu, these three are half of the important ministers in the court ah! These people are now serving as the Crown Prince’s Crown Prince, when you ascend the throne in the future, they will be the Crown Prince, ranked in the three dukes, even for the sake of their own future, they will also strive to protect your position as the Crown Prince.”

Zhu Helin pondered and nodded again, “Indeed, Tai Fu Li and Tai Fu Yan scolded me the hardest, but I can hear that it was all hatred. Unlike certain speech officials and royal historians, who listen to a few light sentences, but are putting me down in the shit.”

“So ah, little master nowadays should be more worried about is outside the courtroom, is the people’s heart. I returned to the capital this time, in the marketplace heard a lot of rumors, like someone deliberately spread, intended to create momentum, bad small master of the people’s heart foundation. Last night, if this matter, if again by the intention of people to use, afraid of blackmail, the more rumors the more outrageous, not only to kill three mistakes of the Palace, but to kill thirty, three hundred, abusive, first rape and then kill, how to hunt how to come.”

Zhu Hailin was shocked, “The people aren’t brainless, could they believe such an outrageous rumor?”

Su Yan laughed: “The young master overestimated the public’s power of discrimination and judgment, and underestimated people’s love of gossip and hunting.”

Later generations are not the same, are at least nine years of compulsory education, a large part of the still highly educated, as usual, listen to the wind is the rain, the lack of independent thinking, the herd mentality is no more than that.

But it’s also true that in later times, because of the bombardment of information on the internet, the chaos makes it even more difficult to distinguish between right and wrong.

And in this day and age, it’s easy to ruin a person’s reputation by creating rumors, and it’s not that hard to whitewash a reputation by dispelling them. If they have a navy, don’t we have a mouthpiece?

Su Yan asked, “If the rumors among the people get worse and worse, and some of the officials in the court are encouraged by clever words and driven by interests to attack the crown prince, or even ask His Majesty to choose a wise man, how should I respond?”

Zhu Hailin slammed the floor and said angrily, “They have such big guts! If they are not afraid of my lord, are they not afraid of angering my father and giving one hundred canes to each of them to beat them to death?”

“But some of the magistrates are so hard-headed that they can’t wait for a caning so that they can go down in history.”

“…… Establishing the eldest and not the youngest, establishing the first wife and not the concubine, this is the custom, how could it be easily changed!”

“Yes, it won’t change easily, but it doesn’t mean absolutely unchanged. They can’t bring you down once, so they grab your handle again and again, three or two days to make trouble, won’t the emperor be annoyed? Won’t it be too much for you? In case the Queen Mother comes to play a part, who do you think she will support? Is it the eldest grandson born to her unpopular daughter-in-law, or the second grandson born to her own niece?”

Fubao in the corner listening to the heart jumping, hate to rush over to cover Su Yan’s mouth, secretly stomped his feet and said: Su adults na! The young master let you speak freely, you really do not have anything to avoid! This kind of words can be said? I don’t want to say anything that will make him angry. If someone hears it and passes it in front of the Empress Dowager, you have a few heads to chop!

The empress dowager’s partiality was Zhu Helin’s embarrassment, and for a moment he turned red, almost going cross-eyed, but in the end he just leaned over, covered Su Yan’s mouth, and said in a low voice, “I know the seriousness, Qinghe, good Qinghe, don’t you ever risk your own life to enlighten me in the future, I’m truly afraid of you!”

Su Yan grabbed the back of his hand and moved it away, gasping, “It’s good to be enlightened.”

Zhu Hailin was panting as well, nervous for him, “You tell me, you tell me what I should do, I’ll listen to you.”

“I’m just projecting along this line, saying the worst possible outcome, but right now the situation hasn’t gotten to that point.” As Su Yan was speaking, an idea grew in his mind, and he smiled slightly, “They want to make an article on the word ‘storm’, let’s do the same on the other word, and see who’s article is more flowery and impresses the people.”

He leaned close to Zhu Hailin’s ear and whispered ……

Zhu Hailin’s eyes widened as he listened, nodding his head repeatedly.

At the end, Su Yan said, “Soldiers come to block water to cover earth, even if I block it, I am too passive. First, let’s settle this matter, and then later find the opportunity, we also take the initiative to attack, and ruthlessly screw them a bit!”

Zhu Hailin was extremely close to him, smelling the dark fragrance emanating from the collar of his coat, feeling the hot air spilling over his temples and ears, he couldn’t help but feel his cheeks heat up, and sent tiny shivers, sending a tingling sensation like a spark of electricity all the way to his abdomen.

But when Su Yan said, “screw them hard”, she slapped her palm on his thigh to emphasize her tone.

“With a crunching sound, Zhu Hailin pulled the hem of his shirt between his legs as if he were on fire, piling the fabric into a false, wrinkled mass to cover his vitals.

He darted a glance down and saw that Su Yan did not notice, only then did he secretly sigh in relief, sitting stiffly and waiting for the tide to ebb.

Dissatisfied with his lack of response, Su Yan asked, “What do you think?”

“Huh?” Zhu Herrin was a bit flustered.

“Take the initiative!”

“Strike …… Of course the little master wants to strike, only worried that you won’t, then beat and scold ……”

Su Yan frowned at him, “I suggested it ah, how could I refuse. Were you lost in thought and didn’t listen to me at all?”

“Hear hear,” Zhu Hailin replied busily, “I know what to do next, don’t worry, Little Master can write and fight, and can attack strongly as well as sell misery.”

Su Yan was then relieved, getting up and rubbing his knees, “Then I’ll leave first, you continue kneeling.”

He walked to the corner of the temple and took the cloak from Fubo, draping it back over his body.

Zhu Hailin stared at the cloak, the more he looked at it, the more familiar it looked, and suddenly remembered that it was the same collar that his father had covered him from head to toe on the city tower last night. Two people wrapped in it twisted around to do what good thing, he has not asked clearly!

Immediately, he jumped up and approached in a rage, “Su Qinghe! What were you and Father doing on the city tower last night!”

Su Yan was weak for a moment and replied, “The emperor summoned me to accompany him and watch the fireworks.”

Zhu Hailin’s heart was sour to the point of bitterness, and he glared angrily, “What kind of fireworks do you need to cover the same cloak to watch? What kind of fish are kept inside the cloak, and what kind of waves are turned over?”

Su Yan also thought that the city building is high and dark, the square below can not see, the opposite side of the city building is separated by dozens of feet, it is even more difficult to see. Who expected Zhu Hailin open hanging, took a Galileo telescope just imported into the Daming, the opposite movement to see a clear. Can not help but secretly complained bitter: if I had known that I do not figure the cloak with hood, wearing a snow blocking, in vain to cause this out.

This brand new cloak has never seen the emperor worn before, and no embroidered dragon pattern on it, he thought that no one would recognize it, who thought that the crown prince’s eyes bright nose, staring can be tight, miscalculation miscalculation!

Zhu Hailin saw that his heart was weak, but also overturned the vinegar tank, pounced on him and pulled the tie at his collar: “Take it off! Don’t wear it! Give my master pad futon, my master kneeling knees to grow thorns.”

Su Yan’s hand covered the belt: “The imperial gift, damaged or lost is a capital offense! If you don’t like the hardness of the futon, I’ll go out and ask the attendant to send you two thick mattresses.”

Seeing him cover up again and again, Zhu Hailin burst into flames, saying: ”Bah! You are not concerned about the little master, you are unable to give up the cloak! Wandering disciple, dead heartless crooked goods, waste of small master pull you a lifetime, you miles, put the tender cabbage do not eat, but rushed to lick the old bacon.”

Fubao straight stomped his foot: “Little master hey, those marketplace obscene words can not say! More importantly, you can’t say anything bad to the emperor …….”

Zhu Hailin was unforgiving and insisted on pulling Su Yan’s overcoat.

Su Yan was his head two big, suddenly remembered just back to the capital to go to the East Palace, Prince pestered him to kiss, and forced him to sleep in the same temple. Forced but kissed for a while, the Prince on the lost soul, will only hold the face of the silly smile, even if he left also can not care about pulling.

In desperation, Su Yan said to Fubo, “Eunuch Fubo, please turn around and look there–“

Fubo followed his line of sight and turned to look over – what was so fishy about the walls?

Su Yan took the opportunity to probe his head and gave the crown prince a quick peck on the mouth.

Zhu Hailin stupid, frozen in place will only blink, cheeks a red. When he reacted, intended to hold Su Yan kiss again, the other party has long been covered with a wind hat out of the temple door, holding an umbrella are almost through the square.

And Fubo, still scrutinizing the walls, muttered, “Lord Su is so smart, he can’t be wrong, there must be something fishy ……”

Zhu Hailin wanted to be angry and laugh again, covering his mouth with his palm, he pressed the heart that was beating randomly back into his chest, secretly saying: counting you still have some conscience! Next time, if you don’t kiss for a full quarter of an hour, you won’t be able to leave.

He retraced his steps back to the throne of God, knelt on the bushel, and prayed to the late Empress, “Mother, can you in heaven send a divine power to send a dream to Father, just say …… say …… right, just say that you found me a daughter-in-law, so that he, the when the father-in-law to point the face, don’t pick the dust.”

Fubao turned around in shock, with a face struck by lightning, his eyes were about to stare off, and only after a long time did he come back to his senses and cried: ”Little Master Ancestor! Pro grandfather! But must not be called to hear ……”

Zhu Helin sank his face and said, “Little master ordered you to find Su Yan to come here, wouldn’t you have arranged for it beforehand? Long ago, I ordered the East Palace guards to completely clear this center hall in the name of preventing an assassination, so that not a single mouse could be hidden.”

Fubo breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“As soon as he enters the hall, the guards will guard the perimeter of the center hall to ensure that no one can get close enough to eavesdrop.” Zhu Hailin added, “Moreover, if I make such a mess, he will inevitably have to weigh more when he is not clear with his father in the future, in case I am also so reckless in front of his father, can he handle it? If he can’t, then he will have to restrain himself and be wary of Little Master’s reaction.”

Fubo then realized that the Prince’s words and actions just now were half from his true nature, and half were made to blackmail Lord Su.

He began to enter the East Palace to serve at the age of six, and for the first time in eight years, he felt that he did not fully understand the young master – or rather, the young master had grown up so fast that he had left him, his childhood playmate, behind.

…… My mind has to catch up with the little master to be able to do so. Fubo secretly admonished himself, otherwise sooner or later, the little master will not see me, and then find a more agreeable service to serve the left and right.