The Imperial Family (Part One)

Jiankang, the Forbidden City, outside the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

A young man dressed in a red prince's robe knelt silently at the front.

Behind Him, princes of the imperial family, civil and military officials, meritorious nobles from the founding and Jingnan campaigns, eunuchs and palace maids lined up in order, kneeling densely in front of the palace.

No one dared to raise their head, and no one dared to utter a sound.

After a long while, the doors of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which had been tightly closed for so long, finally creaked open slowly.

A white-haired eunuch walked out from inside the door, his gaze falling on the Crown Prince at the front. He sighed inwardly, "In the end, there are no fathers and sons in the imperial family."

But he said nothing in the end, only gently flicked his whisk, turned to the crowd, and said loudly:

"His Majesty's imperial decree!"

The people kneeling outside the hall all lowered their bodies even further.

"I am still well, you need not wait here. Except for the Crown Prince, all of you shall return to your respective offices and perform your duties."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.

Whether His Majesty is truly "well-rested" is something everyone kneeling here knows in their hearts.

But since His Majesty has said so, whoever he wants to leave must leave, and whoever he wants to stay must stay.

The princes of the royal family were the first to rise, followed closely by the civil and military officials. The two groups of nobles looked at each other for a moment, and then had no choice but to retreat.

In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the square in front of the palace, which had been packed with kneeling people just moments before, was completely cleared away.

The eunuch then turned to the crown prince and whispered:

"Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince slowly rose, nodded slightly to the eunuch, then stepped over the Daoist Gate and disappeared behind the deep gates of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

The temple doors closed behind Him, shutting out the sunlight and all eyes.

Upon entering the hall, He did not linger but went straight to the warm pavilion.

Upon arriving outside the warm pavilion, the first thing He heard was the wails of a man and the weeping of a woman. His heart ached, and He paused for a moment outside the pavilion.

The wailing was intermittent, and after a long struggle, a few words were finally squeezed out:

"The mother of a nation... why are you crying...?"

Upon hearing this, the woman cried even louder.

Inside the warm chamber, the sound rang out again, softer than before, as if squeezed out from the chest with all its might:

"I am dying. From now on, you will be the Empress Dowager..."

He coughed violently a few times. Seeing this, the woman quickly helped him up, gently patted his back, and channeled her Law Power into him to soothe the blockage within his body.

We've been husband and wife for over 30,000 years, why talk about these things?

He chuckled softly upon hearing this, but didn't reply. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and placed it on the back of her hand. After a moment, he spoke again:

"Do you remember when I was still the Prince of Yan, Taizu bestowed a marriage upon me, making you my Crown Princess? At that time, my father had just attained the Remaining Rank of the Li Fire Realm, and I was reliant on him, becoming a Human Immortal. You, with your exceptional talent, became Heavenly Immortal. Later, when my father ascended the Emperor Position, I became the Crown Prince, and you became the Crown Princess, again reliant on the Immortal Kingdom. Now that I am no longer alive, you must be the Empress Dowager. From Prince of Yan to Empress, and then to Empress Dowager, since the Three Sovereigns, who has had such good fortune as you?"

He paused, and without waiting for her reply, turned his gaze to the outside of the pavilion, his voice growing even deeper:

"Ji'er, come in."

Outside the warm pavilion, He bowed and responded, then raised his hand to part the beaded curtain.

The beaded curtain cascaded down behind him as he entered the warm chamber. Although he had somewhat anticipated it, he still stopped in his tracks when he actually saw what was before him.

His father, the emperor who had reigned over the world for eight thousand years, was now reclining on the dragon bed, his body so bloated that he was almost unrecognizable.

Each breath felt like a tug at his entire body; his chest heaved with difficulty, as if something heavy Orthodox Unity pressing into his lungs.

He looked at his eldest son, who still looked like a young boy, and smiled:

"You are more outstanding than me. My talent is lacking, and I barely managed to become a Human Immortal by relying on your imperial grandfather. But you cultivated yourself to become Heavenly Immortal. If your imperial grandfather passes away in the future, you can naturally ascend to Fruition Position and become the Lord of Human Dao..."

He paused, and without waiting for the boy's reply, continued:

"Ji'er, come here!"

The boy did as he was told and knelt down beside the bed.

The emperor tried to reach out, but several times he raised his arm and could not muster any strength. His palm hung in mid-air, trembling slightly.

The woman saw this, supported his wrist, and gently lowered it.

The boy then grasped His hand, but before he could speak, He said:

"Ji'er, in the future, do not make things difficult for your second and third uncles. They were born into the royal family and their fates are not their own. I am aware of the struggle for the throne, and so are they. Letting them live peacefully as idle princes is the greatest act of kindness you can show."

At this point, as if remembering something, his eyes suddenly turned red, his teeth clenched, and his voice abruptly rose several decibels:

"But Yongping and Anning! You two aunts have dared to speak out against the court and interfere in the struggle for the throne; you must not be let off lightly!"

Upon hearing this, the boy lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes, and whispered:

"Your subject understands."

The emperor looked at the boy, his gaze gradually softening. The fierce aura he had just displayed receded like a tide, leaving only a faint trace of weariness.

He spoke slowly, his tone less stern than before, but still a few degrees deeper:

"Learn from Taizu. Taizu from humble beginnings and knew the hardships of the common people. Therefore, he established laws and regulations, equalized corvée labor, and improved people's livelihoods, nurturing the spirit of the people with benevolence. However, he never tolerated corrupt and domineering officials. He killed or dismissed those who deserved it without hesitation. Benevolence without losing decisiveness is the proper demeanor of a ruler."

He paused, his breath growing weaker, but he still managed to finish his sentence: "Your imperial grandfather... was good in every way, except he was too rigid. After the Jingnan Rebellion, all the civil and military officials trembled in fear before him; those who dared to offer advice dared not speak frankly, and those who dared not express their opinions dared not speak out. In all these years since I ascended the throne, I have always wanted to transform the frost and snow that fills the palace into spring rain, but unfortunately, time is not enough, and my body is failing me..."

"When I was young, my Taizu Emperor Gao, spoke with me, the Jianyan, and the princes of Qin and Jin about the rise and fall of the three dynasties. During the reign of Jie of Xia, Guan Longpang died for his outspoken remonstrance, but Jie did not heed his advice, and Xia perished. During the reign of Zhou of Shang, Bi Gan his heart cut out, Jizi feigned madness, Weizi left the country, but Zhou did not repent, and Shang fell. Only King Wen and King Wu of Zhou were open to advice. King Wen Taigong at the Wei River, and King Wu used Duke of Zhou of Zhou to pacify the world. Both were emperors, but the fall of Xia and Shang was not due to enemies, but to their inability to tolerate others; the rise of Zhou was not due to war, but to its ability to accept the opinions of the people. But in his later years, your great-grandfather had only one voice left in the court. No matter how right that voice was, it was still a lone tree; a single tree cannot make a forest, a single yang cannot grow, and a single yin cannot flourish."

He gripped the boy's hand tightly, his gaze fixed on the young face:

"Ji'er, though thunder can destroy grass and trees, only rain and dew can nourish roots and seedlings. Power inspires awe, but virtue inspires loyalty. Those who fear their ruler scatter when the wind rises; those who cherish their ruler remain steadfast through wind and rain. Your grandfather was an emperor worthy of reverence; I aspire to be an emperor worthy of admiration, but alas, I cannot finish. You will carry on my legacy."

As soon as he finished speaking, he coughed up blood.