Two days after the winter solstice, Zhu Yunxuan went to Yuanji Temple. It has become a custom to come to this temple on this day every year since he ascended the throne to perform a ritual for his long deceased mother.

Back then, Liang Zhen was with him, but now he is the only one left.

The sound of the old abbot's chanting reverberated in the hall for a long time. Zhu Yunxuan gently rubbed the string of Buddha beads on his wrist, and worshipped and worshipped in front of the Buddha reverently.

When the sun was down, he got up and performed Buddha salutes with the old abbot. Seeing that his eyebrows were always sullen and unhappy, the old abbot comforted him and said, "Your Majesty is filial and filial, the first empress will be blessed by God, you don't need to worry too much."

Zhu Yunxuan sighed: "Actually, it's not just for the sake of the mother, I came here today, and I also want to light a light for a child to keep him happy and healthy, and year after year."

He handed over the birthday horoscope that he had written a long time ago, and the old abbot looked at it and told him, "If it were this child, someone would have lit the lamp for him three years ago."

Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a moment: "Someone has already lit the lamp? Who is it?"

"It's the benefactor Xiaoliang. Before he left Beijing three years ago, he finally came to this temple and lit a lamp for this child, guiding him on the way to life."

Zhu Yunxuan said: "...it's him."

"It's him."

He came out of the hall in a daze, and Zhu Yunxuan stood blankly under the corridor, the cold wind blowing across his cheeks, but he didn't even notice it.

It turned out that Liang Zhen had already done what he wanted to do three years ago. Although their goals were different, they were all for that child.

At this moment, he suddenly began to regret whether he was too cruel to him for not telling Liang Zhen the truth.

Gao An called him softly from behind: "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Yunxuan suddenly came back to his senses and murmured, "Follow me and walk behind me."

I walked aimlessly among the overlapping pavilions and pavilions in the temple, climbed the steps, climbed to a high place, and glanced around, but could no longer see the comfortable figure playing against others in the pavilion.

Standing on the highest tower in the temple, you can see the whole mountain temple scenery, the mountains and streams in the distance seem to be plated with a layer of golden light in the sunset, and the tired birds have already returned to their nests, coming and going. The monk was in a hurry to pick up the last load of water before nightfall, and everything was in order, only he who stood here watching the scenery was the most out of place.

Farther away, at the foot of the mountain, a large grassland can be seen faintly. In this severe winter, everything is covered with white snow. The scene of him and the man galloping side by side in it that day seems to be still vivid in my mind, but now, it has long been a different person. .

"...The village at the foot of the mountain, to whom does it belong now?"

Gao An was stunned for a while, and then he realized that Zhu Yunxuan was asking about the Tangquan Zhuangzi that once belonged to King Zhao at the foot of the mountain: "After King Zhao was... executed, all the family's property was not in the official position, and that Zhuangzi should have been taken into the emperor's Zhuang, as long as Your Majesty, if you don't give it away, it's yours."

After a long silence, Zhu Yunxuan said calmly, "Keep it."

Not wanting to look any further, he closed his eyes and turned to leave.

Early the next morning, as soon as he returned to the palace, Zhu Yunqiong came to Ganlin Palace to greet him. Zhu Yunxuan left him a piece of lunch. In the afternoon, seeing the child yawning, he asked him to go to the side palace to rest.

Princess Shu and the eldest eldest entered the palace, and when they heard that Zhu Yunqiong was also there, they looked at Zhu Yunxuan with a complicated expression, and after a long hesitation, they asked him, "I heard that His Majesty also sent a master to teach the child to study, right? What exactly are you planning to do? Is it possible... do you really want to lift that child up?"

She was also present when Emperor Zhaoyang died, and she knew very well about the succession turmoil. Even today, there are still so many stubborn or ill-conceived people out there. The edict issued by the cabinet ministers is the real one. But now, Zhu Yunxuan not only does not guard against this little brother, but brings people to his side.

Zhu Yunxuan shook his head slightly: "My aunt is over-hearted, I don't mean it."

"Then you are...?"

"After all, he is the emperor's younger brother, the son of the late emperor, but he was abused by the servants in this palace, he couldn't even eat enough to eat, and he suffered from hunger and suffered from the root of the disease. How can I just sit back and ignore it? They are all descendants of dragons and phoenixes, so we can't make him illiterate, as long as he is good in the future, I will keep him safe for the rest of his life."

The eldest princess sighed: "It's good to know what you have in mind, it's rare that you have such a mind, you and he are both my nephews, I naturally hope you are all well, but if you choose one of you, this old lady It's still headed towards you."

Zhu Yunxuan smiled lightly and comforted her: "I know, I understand my aunt's worries and concerns. It's okay, he would come here every day to accompany me and talk to me, otherwise... I'm really too lonely."

"You, why is it so hard..."

She only vaguely knew that there were some entanglements between Zhu Yunxuan and the executed King Zhao, but she didn't expect that he would not be able to let go of his heart until today. At the beginning, she also persuaded Zhu Yunxuan to fill the harem and spread branches and leaves. Later, seeing that he became more and more indifferent and lost the joys, sorrows and joys of normal people, he did not dare to persuade him any more.

She understands and understands the matter of love better than anyone else. The root cause of all symptoms is only one person, and no matter how many others say it, there is no solution.

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes were stagnant, and he didn't answer any more, the eldest princess sighed: "Forget it, let's not talk about this, I am here today, I have something to tell you, I have always felt that my body has become more and more bones in the past two years. I'm lazy, I'm afraid I won't have a good life for a few years, so I always want to go back to Jiangnan again. When I was a little girl, I went to Jiangnan with your grandfather before I met your uncle. After so many years, it's time to go back and see Look, maybe this trip won't come back."

Zhu Yunxuan was startled: "Aren't you coming back?"

"Yes, just stay in the hometown of the dead ghost to retire. He always said that it is good there. Fulfill this long-cherished wish."

The eyes of the eldest princess were slightly gleaming with water, and only then did Zhu Yunxuan notice her gray hair, and she was a little dazed for a while. In fact, one thing has always been in his heart, and he never dared to tell his aunt. Back then, the late emperor thought it was his mother, the Empress Dowager Qinghui, who killed Liang Zhen's father. The old lady died a few years after the emperor ascended the throne. , Emperor Zhaoyang treated the eldest sister Shu and the eldest princess with courtesy, but is this really the case? Are the death of the concubine and the death of the little princess really just an accident? Although it was just an unfounded guess, Zhu Yunxuan couldn't help but think in a bad direction, but now that it's all in vain, it just adds to sadness and resentment.

"When does Auntie plan to leave?"

The eldest princess looked a little disappointed: "I'm already preparing, and I'll leave after this year's spring. I don't have any other worries in this capital now. The only one who can't worry about it is Your Majesty."

"I will send my aunt there," Zhu Yunxuan blurted out, his heart trembled, but his voice became firmer, "I sent my aunt there, and I also want to... go to Jiangnan to see."

"Your Majesty is going too?"

Zhu Yunxuan nodded: "...I always have to go out for a walk."

He was selfish. He went to Jiangnan, maybe... maybe he could always meet his Xuer. He escaped for three years, and today, he has finally lost to himself.

The eldest princess smiled and said: "Alright, our emperors of Dayan have never liked to be confined to one place. It has been customary to go abroad since our ancestors founded the emperor. You have been on the throne for five years now, so it's time to go out. Look around and go if you want, no one can say anything."

When Zhu Yunqiong woke up, Zhu Yunqiong was calling cabinet officials to discuss the tour, and he issued an imperial decree on the spot. When the officials who were discussing the matter withdrew, Zhu Yunqiong went to Zhu Yunxuan. Seeing his rare expression of relief, he asked him curiously. : "Did the emperor's brother encounter anything happy?"

Zhu Yunxuan smiled at him: "After the New Year's Day next month, I want to send my aunt to Jiangnan, do you want to go with the ninth brother?"

Zhu Yunqiong nodded eagerly: "Can I go too?"

"Go if you want."

Minzhou, the naval headquarters.

Zhu Yunjing held the letter in his hand, whispered to He Huailing about Zhu Yunxuan's upcoming southern tour, smiled and sighed: "He finally figured it out."

On the ground covered with tiger-skin mats, Xu’er and Ming’er were playing around with a bunch of bamboo dolls. The two children happily made up names and stories for these animal-shaped dolls, so that they could play different roles. role, extra investment. The nine-year-old Yuanbao naturally didn't have this interest. Just seeing the fine workmanship of those dolls, he picked one up out of curiosity, looked at it carefully for a moment, and reached out to remove it.

Xu'er, who was thinking about it, stopped, blinked her eyes and looked at Yuanbao. The movement in Yuanbao's hand paused, and said with a smirk: "Xuan'er, you already have so much, so I will give this to my brother, okay?"

The always well-behaved and obedient little doll made a twist this time, he refused to nod his head, his eyes like black grapes kept staring at Yuanbao, tears were shaky, and after a while, Yuanbao was defeated and put the doll back: " I'm afraid of you, why do you cry so much..."

Xu'er held back her tears, and cherished her hand and touched the doll that Yuanbao had just put down.

Zhu Yunjing, who was seeing this scene, shook his head helplessly. He had seen these things in Ganlin Palace back then, and he also inquired about who it was from Gao An. He never thought that three years had passed. threw it away, and even sent it to Xu'er, and Xu'er, this child, doesn't fight for anything else, but loves these inconspicuous and worthless gadgets very much, maybe it really deserves it. father-son nature.

As for Zhu Yunxuan, what is he thinking about, and whether he has really put down all the previous things, who knows.