In his memory, Emperor Yuan had never been so frank. Even that night, it was a true word under drunkenness.
But now, perhaps the Witch Sacrificial Ceremony has passed, and the matter of the crown prince had become a foregone conclusion. Emperor Yuan no longer needed to follow the ancestral instructions and traditions of the Zong family, but clearly put his love for his son in front of him, and was not afraid of being known by others.
“Father Emperor.”
Zong Luo forced himself to shift his attention, so he could ignore the guilt and sin surging in his heart.
After so long, he had been able to skillfully cover up his true feelings. Although numb, he could still behave as usual, like a wooden man with a dull head.
This numbness came from everything Zong Luo had experienced.
He could no longer burst out the anger he had when he fought with Yu Beizhou at Hanmen Pass.
Even the sea, after a storm, would tend to be peaceful, even if the undercurrents hidden underneath were burning and painful, they couldn’t be relieved.
“You plead for the Fourth, indicating that you care about your brothers, which is good. But Zhen has his own plans for this matter. Instead of dividing them to other places, it is better to throw a long line to catch a big fish and wait for them to make their own moves. Whether it is the Dingbei Army or the Sixth Prince’s Mansion, Zhen will clean up one by one.”
“Times of turmoil need tyranny, times of peace need benevolence. Great Yuan needs a benevolent monarch to end the harsh rule, you must work hard in this direction in the future, let Zhen be the bad guy, and be this tyrant to the end.”
Emperor Yuan probably, for the first time, talked about his plans with others so patiently, explaining them bit by bit. If it were usual, who would expect a tyrant to have such leisure.
After he finished speaking, he ordered the servants to remove the table and documents, and casually pulled over a few memorials, pointing at the words on them, and explained in detail to Zong Luo. It wasn’t until the sun gradually moved westward and passed noon that he stopped.
“If you have time, come to Zhang Palace in the afternoon and review the memorials with Zhen.”
The better Emperor Yuan treated him, the more Zong Luo felt guilty.
But this heavy love was indeed only for him.
Zong Luo blamed himself for the days when he had misunderstandings. As an iron-blooded emperor in a feudal era, no one could do better than Emperor Yuan.
“This son understands.”
Emperor Yuan nodded and said, “There is one more thing. Zhen has drafted a decree, you take a look.”
He casually pulled out the written decree on the table and handed it to Zong Luo.
The latter paused for a moment before reaching out to take it.
As expected, it was a marriage decree.
The signature bore the names of Shen Xinyue and Zong Luo at the end, but the place where the jade seal was still empty.
The emperor’s voice seemed very far away. “Zhen has drafted this decree, and it can be directly sealed and issued tomorrow morning, and announced to the world.”
Before, Ting Wei Shen had privately told Emperor Yuan many times. Today’s early morning court, due to the need to deal with the rebellion of Zong Chengsi, it caused Emperor Yuan to have no time to handle it, and he couldn’t even announce a sentence, so he hurriedly informed Ting Wei Shen.
“Once the decree is issued, Feng Chang needs to go to the Witch Temple to calculate a good day and auspicious day. The crown prince’s wedding is a big event, and it must be prepared for at least half a year. It is not too late to proceed after taking down the Wei Country and unifying the world. But the engagement must be settled as soon as possible.”
All in all, the marriage was imperative.
Emperor Yuan was seeking his opinion. If he could come up with a reason to refute, this marriage could be refused. Zong Luo also knew that according to Emperor Yuan’s indulgence towards him, even if he couldn’t come up with a reason, and directly said that he didn’t want to marry, this decree could eventually be withdrawn.
However——
In the endless nagging, Zong Luo heard his own voice, “Okay.”
He acquiesced Emperor Yuan’s marriage.
As the crown prince, a crown prince of a country, naturally couldn’t not marry or have no children. Not to mention the civil and military officials, Emperor Yuan would be the first to disagree.
The only thing Zong Luo could do now was to shoulder the responsibilities of this identity.
Emperor Yuan saw that he was absent-minded, squinted his eyes without a trace, and put the decree back on the table, deliberately placing it in the most conspicuous position.
“If there’s nothing else, then go down and rest well, take care of your health.”
“This son will take his leave.”
The crown prince in white rose from the cushion, bowed with his hands in salute, and slowly walked outside.
Tomorrow, Emperor Yuan would issue the marriage decree.
Once the marriage decree was issued, unless there was a major change, it couldn’t be revoked.
Zong Luo didn’t know what to do.
Although his heart was already dead, he indeed had someone else in his heart. Regardless of morality or self-interest, it involved another innocent woman.
But if he didn’t agree, there really was no reason or room to refuse.
The only thing he could do was to find Shen Xinyue, have an open and honest talk, and give the choice to this lady. Whether to accept or refuse the marriage, Zong Luo could accept it calmly.
As he walked out of the hall, he just heard Yuan Jia, who was guarding by the side, quietly instructing the little eunuch, “Pass His Majesty’s verbal instructions, go to the King of Beining Mansion to announce to the King of Beining to present himself before His Majesty.”
Zong Luo went straight in the opposite direction without pausing.
