As Zhao Hongrun quickly broke into the inner hall of Ganlu Hall, the eunuchs and maids standing along the way saluted him one after another.
Normally, Zhao Hongrun would have nodded and said hello to them, but at this moment, he didn't care about it and walked in quickly with a sullen face.
When they walked to the door of the inner hall, they saw Yan Shun, the commander on the left and Tong Xin, the commander on the right, standing at the entrance. They saw Zhao Hongrun coming towards them and hurriedly greeted them.
"How's it going?"
Zhao Hongrun waved his hand to indicate to Yan Shun and Tong Xin that they walked into the inner hall without paying any courtesy.
As soon as he entered the inner hall and walked towards the inner room, Zhao Hongrun saw a large group of people kneeling beside his father's bed, including Queen Wang, Liu Shuyi, Sun Guiji, Sun Concubine, Wu Guifei, Xu Concubine, and his wife.
Adoptive mother Shen Shufei.
Even Chen Shuai was among them.
The eyes of these concubines were red, and they knelt on the cushions next to the bed, fearing that they were tired from crying. When Zhao Hongrun came in, he saw Concubine Wu Gui lying in the arms of Concubine Shen Shu, who patted her gently with a sad look on her face.
Holding her back.
In addition, Zhao Hongrun also saw Mi Jiang holding his son Zhao Wei.
Mi Jiang obviously noticed him, but she didn't say hello, probably because she felt the occasion was inappropriate.
Although Mi Jiang is a bit surprised to be here, if you think about it carefully, Mi Jiang, as the Crown Princess, is indeed qualified to appear here - although she may not like such a sad occasion.
"The prince is here."
Empress Wang noticed Zhao Hongrun and nodded to the latter. Then, she held the hand of Wei Emperor Zhao Yuancai that was lying on the edge of the bed, and whispered in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the prince is here."
Zhao Hongrun slowly approached the bed and looked at his father on the bed.
He still remembered that when he left Daliang before this war, his father was still very energetic after recuperating for many days, so much so that Zhao Hongrun once teased that his father had transferred the pressure to him, but at this moment, his father was facing
If the eyes are withered and sunken, you can tell at a glance that the oil has run out and the lamp has dried up, and the time will not last long.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Hongrun's heart tightened involuntarily.
Due to Zhao Yuanci's indifference to the two brothers and Concubine Shen Shu when he was young, Zhao Hongrun has always denied any father-son relationship with his father, but at this moment, seeing his father's sad look,
Even he was feeling a little out of breath at this moment.
Under the low voice of Queen Wang, Zhao Yuanci, who was lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. At first, his eyes were a little dull and lifeless, but after looking at Zhao Hongrun for a while, his eyes gradually recovered.
Got brilliance.
Even the look on his face gradually improved a lot.
With the assistance of Queen Wang and the eunuch Tong Xian, Zhao Yuanci sat up and leaned on the bed. His eyes gradually regained their luster, and he looked up and down at the dusty Zhao Hongrun and Zhao Hongjiang, and asked: "Hongrun
, Hongjiang, why are you two back?"
After hearing this, the great eunuch Tong Xian reminded him: "Your Majesty, you have forgotten that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Prince Yan came back because of Prince Yu's affairs..."
"Nonsense! When did I issue this edict?" Zhao Yuanci frowned and said: "When Yuan Ke passed away, he gave many instructions not to affect foreign affairs because of him... Tong Xian, could it be that you are trying to make an edict? You are so bold!
"
Over there, Tong Xian was about to explain when he saw Zhao Hongrun step forward, cupped his hands and said: "Father, the war between Wei and South Korea is over." With that, he signed the "Wei-Han Peace Agreement" and ceded more than a dozen cities to South Korea.
Zhao Yuanxi was told everything about the transfer of the city to Wei. Hearing this, Zhao Yuanxi was very happy and his face turned slightly rosy.
Seeing this scene, the concubines in the palace couldn't help but sob softly again.
Even though they were ignorant, they knew that Zhao Yuansi's current state was a reflection of his past, just because he saw the person he had been waiting for. After this energy passed, it would really...really be separated forever.
"Okay, okay."
Zhao Yuanxi nodded repeatedly and said: "When Yuanji passed away, what he couldn't let go of the most was the war with South Korea. He once said that as long as we, the Wei Dynasty, can overcome this hurdle, then no country in the Central Plains can restrain us, the Wei Dynasty...
..." At this point, he praised Zhao Hongrun and Zhao Hongjiang: "Well done! Hongrun, Hongjiang."
King Yan Zhao Jiang is a straightforward person. Just now he was dumbfounded after seeing his father's depleted appearance. Now he is also speechless and speechless. Apparently he still hasn't recovered from this blow.
God comes.
In contrast, although Zhao Hongrun felt uncomfortable, he was still able to have a normal conversation with his father.
Perhaps his mood was affected by the soft sobs of the concubines in the palace, Zhao Yuanci said angrily: "Cry, cry, cry, why are you crying? I'm not dead yet! ... These days, I've been lying here, and I've heard you crying beside me.
, I am so bored, go, go, go, go out, let me have some time alone with the prince."
After hearing this, Queen Wang seemed to understand something. There was a bit of sadness in her eyes, and she stood up and said: "Sisters, the prince has been away from Daliang for a long time. I believe that your majesty has a lot of things to say to the prince. We are women.
, don't bother me here." After saying that, she glanced at the Crown Princess Mi Jiang who was holding her son Zhao Wei, and said softly: "Ms. Mi, you are coming too."
Mi Jiang nodded, hugged her son Zhao Wei, followed her mother-in-law Concubine Shen Shu, and left together with Queen Wang and the other concubines.
After the girls left, Zhao Yuansi first summoned King Yan Zhao Jiang in front of him. On the one hand, he affirmed the latter's contribution to the country over the years, and on the other hand, he told King Yan Zhao Jiang to change his reckless character.
The mistake of being exploited during the "Three Kings Rebellion" cannot be repeated again. I heard that King Zhao Jiang of Yan, a general who was over thirty years old and was extremely brave on the battlefield, acted like a child at this moment, frequently wiping tears with his sleeves.
, burst into tears and said, "My son, I obey my order," "My son, I obey my order."
After a while, with the support of two young eunuchs, King Yan Zhao Jiang reluctantly left the inner hall.
Looking at the retreating figure of this reckless son, Zhao Yuanci smiled and said to Zhao Hongrun: "This Hongjiang is not progressing. He is still crying like a woman in his thirties..."
Zhao Hongrun forced out a smile.
Patting the edge of the bed and gesturing for Zhao Hongrun to sit down, Zhao Yuancai asked: "Hongrun, what are your plans after this battle?"
"We can only rest and recuperate." Zhao Hongrun said: "We, the Wei Dynasty, have never had time to fully develop the territory we have opened up over the years..."
Zhao Yuanci nodded and asked: "In your opinion, among the countries in the Central Plains, which country can pose a threat to our great Wei Dynasty?"
Zhao Hongrun chuckled and analyzed: "South Korea is newly defeated and it will be difficult to recover for at least ten years. Not to mention that the Qin State has not terminated the war with South Korea. I think South Korea should be unable to do so in the next ten or twenty years."
We are competing with Wei for supremacy... Qi is the same. In contrast, Chu is a little bit of a threat, but not a big threat. It is no exaggeration to say that I am the most powerful Wei in the world!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay!"
Zhao Yuanxi said three good words in a row, then took a long breath and said melancholy: "Hongrun, you must also know that my position has a bad origin. When I was persecuting the late king, your grandfather, your grandfather
once cursed
As a father, saying that being a father will lead me to the end of the Wei Dynasty... Because of the words of the old man (old thing), I have been working hard these years, and I dare not slack off in the slightest, lest I be killed by the old man.
That’s right…”
Listening to his father's words, Zhao Hongrun's expression was very strange. He never expected that even after so many years, his father's resentment towards his grandfather would still be so great, and he would never die.
"...In the early years, I was young and competitive, and I did a lot of wrong things. The same was true for the Xiao family, and so was Song County... Later, I thought about it carefully, and maybe I didn't have that talent, either King Xi of Qi or King Jian of Han.
Forget it, even King Xiong Xu of Chu, maybe I don’t have the talent to compete with these heroes of the world..." Zhao Yuanci said mockingly to himself.
"No, father, in the eyes of my sons, you are not much inferior to King Jian of Han and King Xi of Qi." Zhao Hongrun said sternly.
In fact, this is not just a compliment paid by Zhao Hongrun to his father.
In his opinion, his father just had a bad life and was born when his Wei State was at its weakest - at that time, the Wei State was almost completely defeated by his grandfather "Zhao Kang" and lost the "Wei Han Shangdang Battle"
”, not only the “(first generation) Wei Wujun” was completely annihilated
No, even Shangdang was completely lost. Then, Yinrong, who "shacked up" in Sanchuan, saw that Wei was weak and took the opportunity to occupy Sanchuan, making Wei, which was once a first-rate power, suddenly become
It was riddled with holes and was extremely weak.
Under such circumstances, the previous king of Wei, Zhao Kang, actually left a powerful leader like his fourth son Zhao Si unused. He wanted to pass on the throne to his eldest son Zhao Nian, who was far less talented than Zhao Si, and even secretly squeezed out Zhao Si.
——Why? Just because Zhao Si pointed out various shortcomings in his governance, which made Zhao Kang very unhappy.
Zhao Hongrun even suspected that although Prince Jing (Nan Liang) Zhao Yuanzuo was the one who hindered the incident of "Xiao's Daughter", this was partly due to Zhao Kang's dislike of Zhao Si - Zhao Kang had always disliked Zhao Si
,born
Fearing that Zhao Si would seriously threaten his status after receiving the support of the Xiao family of Nanyan, he broke up the marriage between Zhao Si and Xiao Qing, the daughter of the Xiao family, and this led to the follow-up in Wei State.
A series of civil unrest.
On the other hand, if Zhao Kang had had the courage to pass the throne to Zhao Si, perhaps the Wei Kingdom would not have to wait for Zhao Hongrun's generation to rise.
At that time, the Wei State had Zhao Yuanzuo, King of Jing, and Zhao Yuanke, King of Yu. The former is still the top commander in Wei State, and the latter is even more incredible. His literary ability can bring order to the world with his pen, and his military ability can be used to settle the world. This is simply a rare feat in a hundred years.
I believe it is up to Prince Yu to choose any genius, whether he is a prime minister or a lieutenant.
Coupled with the Xiao family of Nanyan, although Nanyan Marquis Xiao Boyuan is indeed not very good, his father, veteran Xiao Yan, and especially his son Xiao Luan, how can they be ordinary people? - Look at how many people there have been in the Wei State over the years.
The civil strife was caused by Xiao Luan, so you know how capable this guy is.
If there hadn't been that kind of thing back then, if Xiao Luan had been the general of Wei from beginning to end, why would Wei be afraid of South Korea and Chu?
There is also Zhao Hongrun's sixth uncle, Zhao Yuanli, who is known to have guests and friends all over the world, and has such a wide network of contacts that even Zhao Hongrun finds it incredible.
Coupled with Sima An, Pang Huan, Meng Lu, Shao Hu, Long Ji, Yi Gu, Zhao Bao, Li Zheng, etc., Zhao Hongrun really didn't dare to think about how Wei could have risen at that time if those things hadn't happened.
To what extent.
It is simply a golden generation, full of talents.
It is a pity that two consecutive doomed civil strife caused the Wei State to miss the opportunity to rise up. It was not until thirty years later that it became strong again in the hands of people like Zhao Hongrun.
I have to say that this is indeed a very regrettable thing.
"Isn't it much inferior to King Xi of Qi, King Jian of Han, and King Xu of Chu? Hahahaha."
After hearing Zhao Hongrun's words, Zhao Yuanxi smiled happily.
To be honest, he is self-deprecating, but Zhao Yuansi does not think that his contribution to the Wei State is as good as that of King Jian of Han to South Korea, King Xi of Qi to Qi State, and King Xu of Chu to Chu State. Just say one thing, and he thinks that
The three wise kings at that time were far inferior to him: heirs!
He has a son Zhao Run who is better than him, but what about the other three kings of other countries? Are there any? In other words, are they as good as his son Zhao Run?
The more Zhao Yuanci thought about it, the more pleased he became, and the more he thought about it, the happier he became.
As Zhao Hongrun said, even he could not imagine how he had survived the past twenty years in the corner of Chui Gong Hall, handling government affairs for the country conscientiously and not daring to slack off in the slightest.
However, his efforts were worthwhile and meaningful: without his hard work for more than 20 years, the Wei State would not have been able to afford the expenses of his son Zhao Run in the southern and northern wars over the years.
Zhao Yuanxi has never mentioned these things to anyone. For example, he often reads the good news of his son Zhao Hongrun over the years, and repeatedly appreciates the map of the Wei Kingdom with its increasingly vast territory - although these opened territories were the result of his son Zhao Hongrun's success.
He did it with dignity, but he also had some residual glory in his heart.
For example, he placed his long-cherished wish, which he was unable to fulfill, on the son in front of him.
The only regret is that this son was so outstanding that even on his deathbed, he didn't know what to say.
Shaking his head, Zhao Si patted the back of his son's hand and said, "Hongrun, come with me for a walk out of the palace."
Logically speaking, Zhao Yuancai's current condition is not conducive to walking around, but at this time, neither Zhao Hongrun nor the eunuch Tong Xian stopped him. The two stepped forward and worked together to put on Zhao Yuancai's robe. Then, Zhao Hongrun
With support, he walked out of the Manna Hall aimlessly.
"...I have already given instructions to the concubines in the harem. After I leave, the Internal Affairs Supervisory Committee will build a temple in the north of the city to house the concubines in the harem. If there are any among them who want to defect to their son, let them
Go. The other women... If you like it, stay. If you don't like it, send it away." The "other women" in Zhao Yuansi's mouth refer to those women who have not been blessed.
Zhao Hongrun rolled his eyes when he heard this: If you tell him this now, you are really your own father.
Walking around the palace square, gardens, and corridors, Zhao Yuanci held his son Zhao Hongrun's hand while chattering about family matters - thinking about it, he could only tell about family matters, because in state affairs, there was no such thing.
He doesn't need to worry, his son is better than him.
Behind these two most noble people in Wei, there are the eunuch Tong Xian, the eunuchs Gao Li and Gao He around Zhao Hongrun, Yan Shun and Tong Xin from the Imperial Guards, Li Zheng and Wei Jiao from the Imperial Guards, and many more.
There was a large group of people following behind, not daring to speak loudly for fear of disturbing the last time the father and son spent together in front of him.
The father and son came to Wende Hall first.
Zhao Yuancai pointed to the empty Wende Hall, smiled and said to his son: "At that time, I really wanted to send you, a scoundrel, to the meditation room of the clan. Thanks to you, Hongzhao, for defending you."
Joking aside, Zhao Yuanci also sighed secretly. He lamented that he was so diligent in government affairs and neglected to pay attention to his sons that he never thought that the 'little bully' Zhao Run, who was notorious in the palace, actually had
No less talented than the sixth son Zhao Zhao.
In fact, the little bully in the palace back then was about to inherit his mantle and become the king of Wei.
"It's been eleven years, right?" Zhao Yuanci suddenly said.
Zhao Hongrun thought for a while and replied: "Eleven years, six months and four days."
"..." Zhao Yuanxi opened his mouth and asked in surprise: "Do you remember it so clearly?" At this point, he seemed to suddenly think of something, nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, it is said that you have a photographic memory.
The ability to read monuments on horseback, hahaha, I still remember that you were the one who interfered with Hong Li’s speech in the Hall of Wende..."
"My son and I were busy at that time."
Zhao Hongrun said a little shyly.
In fact, now that I think about it carefully, the eldest prince Zhao Hongli is not that disgusting. It can only be said that Zhao Hongrun was full of prejudice against Zhao Hongli because the impression they had when they first met was not very good.
Zhao Yuanxi took a deep look at Zhao Hongrun, suddenly shook his head and said: "Hongli is not the master of troubled times, and he is definitely not the opponent of Han Ran, Xiong Tuo, Wei Yu and... your sixth brother Hongzhao. I, the great Wei, will leave it in his hands.
I am also uneasy in my heart. In contrast, Hongyu was originally a malleable talent, but it was a pity that he was ruined by two women..."
At the end, Zhao Yuansi sighed with regret and walked out of Wende Hall without interest.
Zhao Hongrun followed immediately.
Of course he knew who the "two women" his father was referring to were Empress Wang and Concubine Shi, but he was not in a good position to say anything about this matter.
"I was too negligent in treating your brothers back then."
Standing outside the Hall of Wende, Zhao Yuansi said with a bitter look on his face.
If the sudden rise of Zhao Run gave the king of Wei the joy of making a fortune, then the incident of King Yong Zhao Yu was a thorn in his heart that he could never remove.
You must know that Zhao Yuanxi was very fond of Yong Wang Zhao Yu at first. If Zhao Run had not appeared, Zhao Yuan would definitely pass the throne to Zhao Yu, and the latter's ability and talent were enough to inherit the entire Wei Kingdom.
"You are also a father now, so you can't follow my old path..."
Holding Zhao Hongrun's hand, Zhao Yuanci warned: "Back then, you and Hongxuan hated me for not being close to our brothers, so now, you must not repeat my mistakes and be hated by your children... As for Li Li
I believe there is no need for me to say more about the matter of Chu. We, the Wei Dynasty, have all "established leaders", but I am the only one who "establishes virtuous people." This makes your brothers fight openly and secretly. This is not good. You can judge it yourself in the future.
"
Zhao Hongrun nodded and said he would keep these words in mind.
Gradually, Zhao Yuanci and Zhao Hongrun, father and son, walked to the imperial garden in the palace.
Immediately, Zhao Yuansi pointed at the garden and said with a smile: "Do you still remember your evil deeds in this garden?"
Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but smile and said with a rare compliment: "My father is very generous. If he were a son, if he had a son who behaved so wantonly, he would not take it lightly."
"You also know how wantonly you were back then?" Zhao Yuansi cast a sidelong glance at his son and teased.
After walking for a while, Zhao Yuancai stopped at the area where Zhao Hongrun's "Burning Bamboo and Grilled Fish" was, and said, "Hongrun, I'm tired, let's take a rest here."
"..." Zhao Hongrun seemed to understand something, forced out a smile and nodded.
Sitting on a stone, next to his son Zhao Run, Zhao Yuansi put his hands on his knees and looked at the fish pond in front of him with his slightly cloudy eyes.
This fish viewing pond left many memories for Zhao Yuansi.
Here, for the first time, he met Xiao Qing, the daughter of the Xiao family of Nanyan, who was supposed to be his fiancée at first, and he, the future king of Yu, Zhao Yuandai, and the three brothers of Yi, Zhao Yuanli, came up to chat...
Here, he also saw for the first time the "badness" of his son Zhao Run, who burned bamboos and grilled fish, and destroyed the flowers he cultivated by his own hands. He was so angry that his veins tightened.
Suddenly, a pair of hands rested on Zhao Yuanci's shoulders.
Zhao Yuanxi subconsciously looked up and saw Yu Wang Zhao Yuanji and Yi Wang Zhao Yuanli standing beside him, looking at him with a smile.
“Brother Si Wang, look over there——”
Following the direction pointed by the finger of King Yu Zhao Yuancai, Zhao Yuancai looked up and saw a woman wearing a skirt on the other side of the pond, holding a paper umbrella and sitting by the pond, looking at their brothers with a pair of beautiful eyes.
Three people.
"Come over and take a look?"
King Yu Zhao Yuanke asked with a smile.
"It's really... it's been too long..."
A few traces of memories appeared in his eyes, Zhao Yuanci stood up with a smile: "Okay, let's go together."
…
…
"..."
Glancing at his father, he saw him sitting on the rock, his head hanging down weakly. Zhao Hongrun raised his head and tried not to let the tears in his eyes flow down.
He had never thought that one day his father would pass away, and the sadness in his heart would be no less than the loss of his sixth uncle Zhao Yuanli.
The ground was brushed together, and behind Zhao Yuanci and Zhao Hongrun, led by the eunuch Tong Xian, the commander of the imperial guards Li Zheng and others, a large group of people knelt on the ground with tears in their eyes.
"Your Majesty... Long Yu Bintian."
After that, there were cries one after another, resounding throughout the garden for a long time.
On August 23, the twenty-seventh year of Hong De, less than 20 days after the death of "King Yu Zhao Ke", King Zhao Si of Wei passed away.
After that, the Wei State was succeeded by Prince Zhao Run.