Would You Like to Have a Drink

It was said that accompanying a monarch was like accompanying a tiger, who knew when a wrong sentence would step into the abyss.

 

Just like Emperor Yuan, he had just offered the Shenlong Jade he had carved by himself, and the atmosphere had just become harmonious, and suddenly it fell because of this topic.

 

“Why are you kneeling?”

 

Emperor Yuan put down his pen, frowning openly. “Zhen didn’t criticize you. Having ambition is not necessarily a bad thing.”

 

Huh?

 

Zong Luo’s mind didn’t turn around because of his father’s attitude for a while.

 

But listening to the meaning of Emperor Yuan’s words, there was indeed no sign of anger.

 

Emperor Yuan beckoned him to come over. “Come and grind ink for Zhen.”

 

At some point, the huge palace was extremely quiet, even Yuan Jia who was waiting on the side quietly retreated, only the noisy hustle and bustle from the farther Imperial City could be heard.

 

It was now close to midnight, and the sky was dark.

 

When it was time, there would be countless Kongming lanterns flying to the sky from the Quartet Witch Temple, spreading out to illuminate almost the entire Imperial City.

 

Zong Luo got up in surprise, picked up the well-compressed ink stick, and added water to grind.

 

“You used to lack ambition.”

 

Emperor Yuan commented with his head down, and said calmly. “Kindness is not a bad thing, but it is absolutely impossible without ambition.”

 

The emperor’s tone was casual, as if he was chatting with him casually. “But what do you think? Cooperating with the Fourth, luckily you can think of it.”

 

Zong Luo didn’t know what to say, he could only nod his head in a hurry, saying that the father emperor’s teaching was right.

 

It seemed not so good to talk about this topic on New Year’s Eve, it seemed to scare people, Emperor Yuan just mentioned it, stopped when he touched it, and said no more.

 

“Okay, Zhen will recite, you spread these things out and put them aside, sort and categorize them properly.”

 

So Zong Luo hurriedly clumsily spread out the memorials on the side, and was glad in his heart that he was still pretending to be blind, and quickly sorted them out according to the content.

 

Even Yuan Jia had never received this honor in the past.

 

Emperor Yuan would rather spend a little more time reviewing, and would not want others to move these documents directly submitted by the ministers, let alone read them condescendingly.

 

With someone helping to do the work, the efficiency suddenly improved a lot.

 

Emperor Yuan saved a lot of effort, and the eyebrows that had been tightened all the way also slightly loosened.

 

Zong Luo, on the other hand, quietly raised his eyes, a little lost.

 

The warm-colored palace lamp was placed on the desk, covering the emperor’s cold face, and the eyebrows that were usually sharp as a cold knife out of its sheath were slightly softer.

 

The deep and shallow vertical and horizontal projections of the Mian Diao’s strings of beads made the facial features more profound.

 

Although there was no rule that one couldn’t face the holy face directly, few people dared to look at Emperor Yuan, let alone look at it carefully like Zong Luo.

 

It’s precisely because Zong Luo didn’t dare to before, that he was now somewhat entranced.

 

In modern times, fifty years old was just the prime of life, but in ancient times, it was already considered old age.

 

At least Zong Luo had never noticed before that his father had reached the age where white spots began to appear on his temples.

 

In his memory, Emperor Yuan was always tall, majestic, and mysterious, like a mountain that could never be surpassed, a god who could command the wind and rain.

 

That’s why, in his previous life, when he heard the news that Emperor Yuan had suddenly fallen ill and was unconscious, he couldn’t believe it.

 

It’s not until now that Zong Luo suddenly realized.

 

Candles would burn out, and the sea would eventually become a mulberry field.

 

Even the Yunmeng Daze on the Jianghan Plain recorded in [Huainanzi] would dry up and leave no trace after thousands of years.

 

(t/n: Yunmeng Ze, also known as Yunmeng Daze, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Chinese history. Located in today’s Jianghan Plain in Hubei Province, China.)

 

Even mountains would age.

 

What in the world will not change?

 

When the heavy bell rang from the Great Witch Temple, Emperor Yuan just finished the last stroke on the memorial.

 

He got up from behind the desk and walked out of the Zhang Palace.

 

Zong Luo followed behind the monarch, stepping over the deep red threshold of the palace.

 

In the distance, one by one, Kongming lanterns flew to the sky, clustering together, filling the night sky with stars.

 

The scene was picturesque, and the rivers and mountains were peaceful.

 

This grand occasion lasted for about the time of an incense stick.

 

When the lanterns and the shouts of the people gradually diminished, Emperor Yuan turned his body. “What? You’re not going back to rest, are you waiting for Zhen to give you New Year’s money?”

 

The Great Yuan also had the custom of giving New Year’s money during the New Year’s Eve, but that’s for children.

 

Zong Luo was greatly embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Emperor Yuan’s order.

 

“Yuan Jia, send the Third Prince back to the palace.”

 

The old eunuch hurriedly took the palace lamp from the servant’s hand, “Third Highness, please follow this old slave.”

 

The prince holding the heater hurriedly bowed his head and saluted, “Father Emperor, have a good night at the New Year, this son will retire now.”

 

After saying that, he followed behind Yuan Jia and headed towards Yuchun Palace.

 

Behind him, the always cold emperor stood with his hands behind his back, until the figure of the prince shrouded under the palace lamp could no longer be seen, then he slowly withdrew his gaze and turned back to the Zhang Palace.