Chapter 472 – Extra: Affection and Loyalty

Chapter 472 - Extra: Affection and Loyalty

Well now, this girl is truly no less impressive than that one.

This girl likes to disguise herself as a boy.

Deceiving people all around the world; it was forgivable when she was young. But still dressing up like this in her teens...

She's been doing it since she was little, so naturally she's become quite convincing. Thus, she caught the eye of a young lady. The girl comes from the family of the Minister of Rites, insisting on marrying her no matter what.

After much persuasion, realizing that she was a woman, he directly left her face disfigured.

No princess can compare to you, does this not deceive this old lady's feelings?

Prince Duan dragged his wayward daughter to the residence of the Minister of Rites to apologize, causing such fright in the minister that he could hardly refrain from kneeling before the prince right then and there. "Your Highness, please don't do this, my daughter has committed an unforgivable offense..."

The princess could no longer endure and declared that if he were to neglect their daughter, she would take vows and become a nun.

Though not passionately in love, the Duchess was a fine woman, and he had always held her in high regard.

Looking back, one might say this young lady has been... rather ill-mannered.

Let it be, then.

Unexpectedly, the youngest son with his muddled accent caught the eye of Princess Duan from the Royal House of Great Jin during their trip. She was determined to marry him, come what may.

Prince Duan was also angered to the point of feeling heartache.

"Given your father's standing, is it necessary for you to marry for political alliance? Huh?"

The lady argued convincingly, "Has His Imperial Uncle not treated you well? What status do you hold in the court now? And what about me? Even the princesses shower me with affection when I'm in the palace. With the favor we've received from His Majesty, shouldn't we show gratitude?"

Duan Wang pointed at his daughter, trembling with anger, "Stop trying to justify your actions with these words. You must have fallen for that young prince, isn't that right?"

The eldest princess raised her head proudly, "Indeed!"

This daughter was becoming unmanageable...

However, the marriage alliance with Yuan Zheng was not an unbearable task. After the queen had shed her tears and saw how genuinely her daughter cherished this, there was nothing more to be said.

The prince consort was the youngest son of Emperor Yuanzheng, and he wasn't bad... how could that be true?

It was all because their daughter had been blinded by love.

Anyway, since the marriage was settled and it was the children's wish, they found out that the young prince was quite a fun-loving person. The eldest princess thought it wouldn't be bad to live in Yuanzheng, where she could ride horses and hunt every day, which would bring her joy.

However, the prince consort believed that life in Great Jin was also pleasant, with its abundance of delicious food and drink.

As a result, after their wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Duan were far from heartbroken. Why? Because these two wayward children returned home for half a year each year, residing in the princely mansion...

The Duan Prince's senior maid was wayward, and the Crown Prince also had a touch of eccentricity.

The Duan Prince constantly aimed to guide them right, ensuring they wouldn't veer off course.

Surprisingly, they didn't go astray; instead, they became too straight-laced.

Even when father and son conversed, the prince would have to rise to his feet, adhering strictly to etiquette with each response.

It wasn't that they lacked affection, but their adherence to rules had become excessive.

Prince Duan gazed at his legitimate offspring and often sighed to the princess consort, wishing their personalities could have been more balanced.

The princess consort felt even more regretful about her two wayward children. Could balance really solve the problem? Perhaps complete harmony was needed.

Alas, such matters were beyond human control.

Aside from the sources of distress, everything else was worry-free.

After Prince Qin passed away, Prince Duan was the first to rush to the south.

In the prince's mausoleum, only his attire was enshrined – a fact well-known to many.

Yet, no one bothered to visit in person. The reason behind this was even more chilling.

Prince Qin had no wife or son. Upon his death, his title was severed...

No one cared anymore.

Only Prince Duan, in that winter, hurried to the south, determined to see his younger brother with his own eyes.

He was the Duke of Duan, bidding farewell to both the Qin Prince and his devoted guard. The Duke had only one true confidant in his entire life, and upon his departure, that person chose to end their own life in grief.

What else could there be in the aftermath but to bury the two together? But who was fit to carry out such a task?

It had to be him. It was merely a matter of interring two mortal bodies under one mound of earth.

At that time, he realized that the person he admired most in his life was not the emperor, but the Qin Prince. How free and unfettered he lived! He forever bid adieu to the Qin Prince in that snowy southern land; it was also his last journey southward.

As time went on, the Duke of Duan gradually grew old.

But his temper only became more explosive.

Even the young crown prince feared him the most. Upon seeing Duke Duan, he would run away. Yet, Duke Duan would always stop him to inquire about his studies, leaving no room for inadequate answers.

While the emperor maintained a stern expression, Duke Duan might take the young prince to the training grounds for drills.

And when it came to the imperial princes, who among them did not both fear and respect Duke Duan?

Despite this, Prince Duan had become more reasonable over time. Or perhaps he had come to embrace the universal principles of justice in this world.

Even the convicted criminal locked away in the Zhao Prison was dispatched by Prince Duan with a cup of poison.

When the Emperor flew into a rage, Prince Duan would simply inquire, "When will it end? On which day will Your Majesty's anger subside? If Father were still here, what choice would he make today? We are all brothers—why has it come to this?"

The Emperor's anger would last only a few days before he would summon his brother back to the palace.

Later on, when the imperial clan's young scions caused trouble, they wouldn't think of seeking the Emperor's intervention for trivial matters, as he had no interest in such trifles.

But they could always invite Prince Duan. No one dared to defy his judgments. If you disagreed, you kept it to yourself. Many of the undisciplined younglings in the clan had felt the sting of Prince Duan's punishment.

Nowadays, who still remembered that Prince Duan was once an ignorant, reckless brat who knew no bounds?

When Prince Duan passed away at the age of sixty-eight, the newly enthroned Emperor, who had been on the throne for only half a year, skipped court to pay his respects.

He called out for Uncle Wang to accompany him on his final journey.

His descendants knelt before him, and the queen consort wept as she gazed at him.

As Duke Duan lay on his deathbed, his mind was clear. He smiled as he instructed those around him about his final wishes, leaving the new emperor with a single message: "Our Emperor Hua has always been a good ruler. You must also strive to be a good one, don't let the family name falter."

And then, he closed his eyes with a smile.

Duke Duan's funeral was an extravagant affair, with the new emperor and crown prince personally bearing the casket.

The grandeur of the royal family was too distant for the common people.

In the backstage of a theater troupe, a young apprentice sat listening to the old troupe leader, his head full of white hair, telling stories.

"The Duke Duan when he was young had a tough life. His birth mother, she was a wicked one. After her death, he fell out of favor with the previous emperor. So they gave him another mother. She was no better. That's why Duke Duan grew up astray. He lived each day filled with hatred, hating this and that. He was never happy."

"Oh, he'd get angry with one person, then another. Anyway, he just couldn't keep still."

"If things had continued like that, he wouldn't have even been able to marry."

"Nonsense! Duke Duan wasn't like that."

"Indeed, indeed, Duke Duan is the best duke there is. I've heard he even built shelters for the poor."

"Right, right, they say the Emperor was once spanked by Duke Duan when they were young."

"Not at all, our troupe leader is just joking. Duke Duan must have been an exceptionally well-behaved child."

The troupe leader chuckled. "Yes, yes, I was just teasing you. Go on now, enjoy your fruits."

The children scattered in a flurry of excitement.

The old troupe leader, basking in the sun, chuckled to himself, "Look around, this is how people are. They won't let a good person have a single flaw. You're a good man, so you must live your whole life without doing any wrong."

"The moment a bad person does something good, it's a big deal, right? Father, it's time to eat." The middle-aged actor approached with a smile, assisting the old man to his feet.

"Ahh, already? Didn't we just eat?"

"Again, I cooked soybeans for you, didn't you want them? What if you break a tooth?"

"Oh, it's no bother. Give me the wine, soybeans aren't the same without it."

Common folk, they're like a dish of fried soybeans, accompanied by a couple of ounces of liquor distilled from sorghum. They can reveal the intimate details of the emperor, his relatives, and their secrets, which even they themselves might not be fully aware of.

You say it's all false?

Well, who cares!