Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 176: Already Biased

"Royal brother, Ning'er's choice of Jiang Xun was indeed orchestrated by my sister."

The eldest princess spoke softly and admitted it on the spot, but as a mother, she first defended Tuoba Ning.

"Your Majesty, Ning'er is a filial child. She couldn't bear to disappoint me, so she reluctantly agreed. She definitely didn't intend to deceive you."

"I beg you, my brother, not to blame Ning'er."

The eldest princess said this and knelt again.

She is now the Queen Mother of Yue State and has a noble status. She really doesn't need to be so cautious in front of Emperor Sheng.

But after she returned to Yue, Concubine Rong and Tuoba Ning still stayed in Sheng. That was why the princess was so cautious and afraid to act rashly.

Emperor Sheng frowned, feeling impatient.

He knew Ning'er's temperament. Without the imperial sister's instruction, she would never joke about her own lifelong event.

"Ning'er is innocent and naive. I certainly don't blame her."

When the princess heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued frankly:

"I don't know why my brother mentioned the Imperial Tutor so many times today."

"I have indeed long admired the Imperial Master and hold him in high esteem. However, I have only met him a few times at banquets, and I cannot even call myself an acquaintance."

"As for why your humble sister gave Ning'er such instructions..."

The eldest princess paused, and when she looked up again, her face showed sadness.

"Brother Emperor, I have been married to the Kingdom of Yue for over twenty years, and I miss my homeland day and night—"

Emperor Sheng thought that the princess was going to use her feelings to threaten him again, so he immediately waved his sleeves impatiently and was about to interrupt her, but suddenly his whole body froze.

The eldest princess spoke in a trembling voice, filled with sorrow, "When Ji'er was ten years old, he began to write letters for the emperor and exchange letters with me."

"Without formalities or pretense, Ji'er has visited Mother and Consort, seen the scenery of the capital, and journeyed across the mountains and rivers beyond. Every word comes from the heart, making me feel as if I were there myself."

"Ten years..."

"My Royal Brother, you don't know the pain of leaving your homeland where everything is different. The familiar palaces and the smiling faces of your loved ones have become blurred. In the dead of night, the loneliness and longing that follow you like a shadow surge back like a tide."

"The accent and appearance of my hometown have become so far away that it's out of reach. It's a pain of leaving home that goes deep into my bones. Only Ji'er's letters can bring me some comfort."

"Brother Emperor, do you know how much Ji'er means to me? These letters carry not only my longing for my homeland, but also my love for Ji'er, whom I cherish as my own child."

"Three years ago, when I was far away in Yue State, the moment I received the news of the death, my heart was broken, as if I had lost my own son."

"It's so hard to go through mountains and rivers, and we're thousands of miles apart. I can't even see Ji'er for the last time."

At this point, the eldest princess was already crying profusely, and was so grief-stricken that she was on the verge of collapse.

When Fushun saw this, he hurried forward to help. When he looked up, he saw that Emperor Sheng looked dazed and his eyes were wet.

The princess shook her head, pushed Fushun away, and said tearfully, "Now that you've opened the conversation, I'm no longer afraid."

"Royal brother, why is that? Ji'er is only twenty years old, he is still so young, why didn't you take good care of him!"

"There are all the best doctors in the world in the palace, why can't Ji'er be kept here?"

The princess was truly desperate. She leaned forward and, in her grief, grabbed the emperor's wide sleeves. Fu Shun was so frightened that he quickly whispered:

"Your Highness, no!"

At this time, Old Lin also stepped forward quickly and hurried to support Emperor Sheng.

But Emperor Sheng looked dazed and allowed the eldest princess to pull him so hard that he staggered.

Perhaps it was because the noise in the hall was too loud, Wen Chengye, who was waiting outside, heard the noise and raised his voice to ask respectfully:

"Your Majesty, do you require me to enter the palace?"

This powerful remark brought the princess back to her senses.

She suddenly let go of his hand and took a few steps back dejectedly.

Fushun hurried to see Emperor Sheng, and when he saw him shaking his head, he said loudly, "No need to come in."

The princess took a breath, looked at Emperor Sheng with red eyes, and said sadly:

"When I returned to the capital, I learned that the battle for the throne had reached a crescendo, with tensions flaring. My sister, married into a foreign family, shouldn't have gotten involved, but because I love the family, I've become biased and inclined toward the other side."

"So on the way back, I heard that Jiang Xun was the most capable person beside Ye'er, so I instructed Ning'er to choose him as her son-in-law."

"If Ning'er and Jiang Xun can succeed, Jiang Xun, as a minister, has long been known to me, and he would be a good match for Ning'er. If not..."

"If that doesn't work, then let my brother see how these two sons will go to any lengths to secure the throne."

Having said this, the eldest princess suddenly lost her strength and shook her head helplessly.

"Your sister is guilty of interfering in state affairs and intervening in the battle for the crown prince. From today on, I will voluntarily leave my homeland and return to Yue."

"I beg your Majesty to understand this. I swear to heaven that my only wish in this life is for the peace of the royal family and the prosperity of the country. In all matters, I have no other concerns except to favor Ji'er and Ye'er."

"If I tell you even a single lie, I will be punished by Heaven."

As the princess spoke, she bowed deeply to Emperor Sheng.

The ancients respected ghosts and gods, so this statement is already quite serious.

Emperor Sheng's expression changed several times. Looking at the eldest princess who was kneeling down in worship, he felt mixed emotions.

Back then, it was indeed a spur-of-the-moment decision on his part to have Ji'er write letters for him and his sister, in order to maintain their relationship and for the sake of friendly relations between the two countries.

Later, this matter was always done by Ji'er. He also heard Ji'er mention that his aunt who was far away in Yue State missed her hometown very much and had a hard time living.

The letters sent back by the imperial sister are still kept in the inner treasury and can be accessed at any time.

At this point, Emperor Sheng believed the eldest princess's words about 60% to 70%.

Before the eldest princess arrived, Emperor Sheng had already questioned Mr. Lin.

In stark contrast to the eldest princess's answer, Mr. Lin admitted his past affair with Concubine Rong, but he simply said that he had no knowledge of Princess An Ning's choice of a husband.

Both of their answers were reasonable. Could it be that all this was just Cui Daoyuan's groundless conjecture?

Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The imperial sister mentioned Ji'er without any warning just now, which really made him very confused.

In any case, the emperor's sister was involved in the fight for the throne and added fuel to the fire. Even if she had no ulterior motives, it was something he, as the emperor, could not tolerate.

As for the Imperial Master...

Emperor Sheng turned his head to look at Mr. Lin who was still supporting him. The once elegant, knowledgeable and brilliant Confucian teacher now had white hair.

When his father was choosing teachers for the princes, he had long admired Mr. Lin, but with his most favored younger brother ahead of him, he did not dare to have any extravagant hopes.

Unexpectedly, the emperor's younger brother chose a scholar who was related to the Concubine Chen, which gave him an advantage and made him become a student of Scholar Lin.

He was originally worried that his teacher had already favored the emperor's younger brother and looked down on him, the unfavored prince.

Who would have thought that the teacher had taught him meticulously for years, always guiding him step by step and imparting everything he knew.

Therefore, even though his teacher had never helped him in the dispute that year, he was always grateful and respectful to him.

It was also for this reason that when he learned from Cui Daoyuan that his teacher was very likely to be conspiring with the imperial sister, he was so shocked and angry that he urgently summoned his teacher into the palace.

The emperor's younger sister's status is different now. To put it mildly, she is interfering in the fight for the crown prince. To put it seriously, what if she is - stealing the country?

This is the caution and consideration he should have as an emperor.

Elder Lin seemed to notice Emperor Sheng's gaze and looked up.

Seeing Emperor Sheng staring at him intently, Elder Lin couldn't help but show panic on his face. He loosened his grip on Emperor Sheng's hand, took two steps back, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, I have been with you for decades, and through the years, we have grown deeply connected. Now that I am old, I have only one sincere heart left, and I am completely devoted to you, Your Majesty."

"Every word I have just said is true. I hope Your Majesty will investigate it."