Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Emperor Xingwu's imperial mausoleum had been completed when the little princess was just nine years old.

When she turned eleven, Duke of Cheng, Lü Guangzu, passed away. Emperor Xingwu decreed that Lü Guangzu be interred beside the imperial mausoleum, and at the same time, designated a large adjacent plot of land specifically for the burial of his founding meritorious officials.

By the time the little princess was sixteen, Duke of Ding, Deng Chong, had also passed. His tomb was placed even closer to the imperial mausoleum than Lü Guangzu's—so close that no new tomb could possibly fit between his and the emperor's, and so close that Prince Yong wept and railed, lamenting that he, the emperor's own brother, was not as favored as Deng Chong. This clearly demonstrated Emperor Xingwu's profound affection for Deng Chong.

The area around the imperial mausoleum was already remote and sparsely populated. In the harsh winter, even the surrounding trees had shed their leaves, leaving behind a scene of desolate barrenness.

The accompanying Imperial Guards and Imperial Army maintained their distance, protecting the emperor, while only Fan Zhong and the two Deng brothers accompanied Emperor Xingwu to Deng Chong's tombstone.

After sweeping away the dust and withered leaves from the tomb, Fan Zhong brought over a low table, placed two jars of potent liquor and four wine bowls on it, and then spread a silk-covered cushion to the east of the table. He then silently retreated, standing guard several dozen paces away.

Emperor Xingwu, draped in a heavy cloak, sat cross-legged on the cushion. He gestured to the west and south, indicating for Deng Kun and Deng Tai to sit there, and placed a wine bowl to the north. As he poured wine from a jar, he chuckled, "Your father loved drinking more than anything. Today, the three of us—uncle and nephews—will tempt him with a drink."

Deng Kun, sitting directly on the ground, stared blankly at the bowl as it steadily filled with wine.

Deng Tai sat beside him, head bowed, as two silent tears fell.

When the wine overflowed, Emperor Xingwu was about to pour for Deng Kun, but Deng Kun quickly took the jar and poured for the emperor first.

Emperor Xingwu observed Deng Kun's features and sighed, "Kun'er still resembles your father more, though not as handsome."

Deng Kun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Your Majesty is simply biased towards my father. Everyone else says my brother and I are more handsome than him."

Emperor Xingwu replied, "That may be so. Even if you two were as handsome as immortals, in my eyes, you still wouldn't compare to your father."

Once all four bowls were filled, Emperor Xingwu raised his bowl, and the three of them drained their cups in one gulp.

The strong liquor ignited a fiery warmth from their throats to their stomachs, making the relentless cold wind feel less biting.

Deng Kun was about to pour more wine for the emperor, but Emperor Xingwu directly picked up the bowl from the north. "Since your father can't drink it anyway, I'll drink it for him."

After three bowls of wine, Deng Kun and Deng Tai dared not let the emperor drink any more. He was already sickly, had endured a long journey, and was now exposed to the cold wind. What if something happened from drinking too much?

Unable to drink more, Emperor Xingwu began reminiscing with the brothers about Deng Chong's embarrassing youthful antics—stories like scaling walls to steal chickens, being dragged into a widow's courtyard, and drunkenly challenging Old Master Deng with a flushed face. None of these tales were particularly glorious, yet Emperor Xingwu laughed heartily throughout.

If anyone else had dared to speak of their father in such a way, Deng Kun and his brother would have long since resorted to blows. But they understood the deep bond between the emperor and their father, and could discern the hidden grief beneath the emperor's laughter. Their hearts ached. Deng Tai simply wiped his eyes, while Deng Kun, not wanting the emperor to wallow in sorrow, tried to divert his attention. "Your Majesty, don't just pick on my father. Weren't you two equally mischievous back then? Otherwise, how would you have become sworn brothers?"

Emperor Xingwu scoffed, "I never stooped to petty theft. It was precisely because I disdained to stoop to your father's level that he brought his gang to beat me up. Instead, I laid him out, and with that one fight, I earned his respect. He stuck to me like glue, insisting on becoming my right-hand man…"

Deng Kun and Deng Tai didn't believe it, but they were content to listen to the emperor's self-aggrandizement.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, causing all three to tilt their heads to avoid it. When they turned back, Emperor Xingwu glanced at the tombstone and smiled. "Alright, alright, your father doesn't like hearing this. I'll save some face for him."

Emperor Xingwu had Deng Kun pour another round of wine.

This time, he drank slowly. As he drank, he abruptly asked, "Do you still feel displeased that I made Lin'er the Crown Princess?"

Deng Kun and Deng Tai had lived as noble young masters of the ducal estate since arriving in the capital. Their father was a founding meritorious official, and the emperor treated them like his own nephews, showering them with care and affection. The brothers were accustomed to their privileged status and saw no need to engage in scheming, so they were not skilled at concealing their thoughts. At this moment, both were stunned by the emperor's question, and their shifty eyes betrayed their guilt.

Deng Tai, as the younger brother, always followed his elder brother's lead. Moreover, the emperor clearly favored the elder brother more, so he honestly waited for his brother to speak.

Deng Kun had no intention of hiding the truth. He said solemnly, "I am displeased, but not for my own sake. It is for Your Majesty and for the imperial family."

Emperor Xingwu replied, "I know what you're thinking. It all comes down to the old Qin family lineage, the old Zhang family lineage, and all that."

Some deeply ingrained beliefs cannot be changed by others, and some truths, no matter how reasonable, are not accepted by everyone.

Emperor Xingwu had no intention of wasting more words on this topic with Deng Kun and his brother. He simply asked, "The Crown Princess was named by me. You would not, or dare not, defy my decree. But I don't have much time left. I just want to know, after I'm gone and Lin'er ascends the throne, will you two hotheads openly challenge her and follow in Yuan Zhaoxiong's footsteps by plotting a rebellion?"

Deng Kun and Deng Tai turned pale with shock and immediately knelt side by side, kowtowing and vowing they would never dream of it.

Emperor Xingwu adjusted his cloak and said evenly, "Raise your heads. Look at your father's tombstone and see what is written on it."

The brothers obediently raised their heads, their gazes falling on the tombstone opposite.

The tombstone was engraved with their father's life's accomplishments: following Emperor Xingwu on southern and northern campaigns to establish Great Qi, leading northern expeditions against West Hu and southern campaigns against Biao State, and being enfeoffed as the Great General Under Heaven.

As they looked at the tombstone, Emperor Xingwu watched them. "I considered your father my own brother. Today, I will speak to you from the heart."

When the brothers turned to look at him, Emperor Xingwu pointed to his own head. "Do you know why my hair has turned white so quickly?"

The brothers couldn't say for sure, nor did they need to.

Emperor Xingwu continued, "Half was spent selecting the most suitable heir for Great Qi, and the other half was spent worrying about you hotheads. Whether you accept it or not, Lin'er is my Crown Princess and will be the next wise ruler of Great Qi. I trust Lin'er, so after appointing her as Crown Princess, I no longer need to worry about her. What worries me is you!"

"I know you don't accept Lin'er, so I always fear that after she ascends the throne, you two will do something foolish. But what I fear is not you pulling Lin'er off the throne. What I fear is that if you take action, you will become traitors and villains of Great Qi. Even if you succeed in usurping the throne, you will be cursed by the people for disloyalty to me and the Qin imperial house. Your names will be recorded in history as traitors, and my brother Chong will be disgraced for eternity because of his two rebellious sons!"

Deng Kun trembled all over. Almost as soon as Emperor Xingwu finished speaking, he raised a hand to the sky and angrily declared, "If my brother and I ever harbor intentions of usurping the throne, may we be struck by lightning, die horribly, and be condemned to the eighteenth level of hell with no chance of rebirth!"

Deng Tai's face flushed with anger. "Your Majesty may think us reckless, but the Deng family would never produce traitors!"

Emperor Xingwu said, "Killing the emperor to take the throne is rebellion. Killing the emperor and installing someone else is also rebellion. I believe you have no intention of betraying the Qin family, but can you guarantee you won't support someone else to replace Lin'er? Don't say you dare. I have three sons, and I can't even guarantee that none of them are plotting to find an opportunity to replace Lin'er."

Deng Kun, who had just thought of Prince Yong and his son upon hearing the first part of the emperor's words, turned pale. Then, upon hearing the second part, his eyes widened in shock.

The emperor... the emperor actually suspected that his three sons might rebel?

Prince An Qin Hong had voluntarily resigned as Crown Prince, so he certainly wouldn't rebel. Prince Xian Qin Ren was both the Crown Princess's elder brother and a useless fool, so he wouldn't rebel either. Prince Jing Qin Bing...

Now that he thought about it, Qin Bing's reckless demeanor did make him suspicious!

So, if Qin Bing really were to rebel and come to win him over, would he agree?

As soon as this thought crossed Deng Kun's mind, he met Emperor Xingwu's piercing gaze, which seemed to see right through him, and the icy smile on the emperor's lips.

Deng Kun shuddered and hurriedly declared his loyalty to the emperor. "My brother and I have no intention of replacing the Crown Princess, nor would we ever support anyone else in usurping the throne or plotting rebellion. I implore Your Majesty to believe us!"

Emperor Xingwu said, "Don't say it to me. Say it to your father. If you ever usurp the throne or plot rebellion, you will tarnish your father's legacy as a loyal founding meritorious official of Great Qi and cut off the roots of your Deng family line."

He had never worried that his daughter would be overthrown by these hotheads. What worried him was that these hotheads would get themselves killed by his daughter!

.

After escorting Emperor Xingwu back to the palace, Deng Kun and Deng Tai rode straight home.

Neither brother was fond of reading, so their study was largely for show. Yet now, the two sat facing each other in the study.

Deng Tai asked anxiously, "What did the emperor mean? Is he afraid we'll rebel? Will he move against us first?"

Deng Kun lowered his eyes, his face tense. After a long moment, he said, "No. We haven't plotted a rebellion. Without evidence, what grounds would the emperor have to punish us? Unless he wants to taint his legacy by executing the sons of a meritorious official. Those words were likely just a warning to us."

Deng Tai rubbed his nose and lowered his voice. "After Father passed, Qin Liang often hinted that we should be wary of the emperor stripping us of our military power. After the Crown Princess was appointed, he came again to warn us to hide our thoughts to avoid giving the emperor and the Crown Princess any ammunition. He didn't say these things just because of our cousin relationship, did he?"

The emperor was warning them, yet Qin Liang was much more likely to have ambitions of usurpation than they were. After all, they were surnamed Deng—any rebellion would lack legitimacy. Qin Liang, at least, was surnamed Qin and belonged to the old Qin family.

Deng Kun understood Qin Liang's intentions better than his brother. "Don't overthink it. Let's wait and see."

As long as the emperor lived, the palace and the capital would remain stable. But after the emperor was gone, would all the civil and military officials who had accepted the Crown Princess out of fear of the emperor's authority truly accept a woman sitting on the throne and giving orders?

Deng Kun indeed did not accept the Crown Princess, but he was not foolish enough to make the first move and become a traitor.