kvmb Chapter 399: Flat life
Chapter 399: Flat life
At present, the fate of the King of Nanyue is unknown. Even if the King of Nanyue dies, according to the tradition of succession by sons after fathers die, the Queen and her two sons and one daughter are all alive and well.
Even if the child is still young and it is inconvenient for the Empress to rule, isn't there still Xu Sheng? Xu Sheng is the rightful son of the late Emperor, and no matter what, the position of Crown Prince will not be given to him, a newcomer from another family.
Are all the officials in the court so muddle-headed that no one dares to voice their opinions on this matter, and they just kneel there like a dark mass? How can such a group of officials hold up a country?
Xu Sheng just left him here and doesn't plan to come back? Since Xu Sheng doesn't care, what is he still standing here for? What's it to him?
Luo An gripped the imperial edict so tightly it warped, and he made up his mind to leave. Before he could even lift his foot, Wei Gonggong grabbed his leg.
Seeing the elderly Eunuch Wei in such a state, Eunuch Li on the left crawled over on his knees and grabbed Luo An's other leg, making it impossible for Luo An to move.
Luo An has never liked being close to others, and he felt very uncomfortable being hugged: how are they any different from hooligans?
Luo An couldn't simply kick his two fathers away. Eunuch Wei looked older than his father and had most likely served the late emperor, or even the founding emperor. Even the late emperor had to show him respect, and Luo An, as a junior, couldn't do such a thing to an elder.
Luo An was right. Eunuch Wei had entered the palace at a young age and was indeed a veteran of three reigns. He was loyal to Nan Yue and was familiar with the past and the situation in Nan Yue.
Eunuch Wei hugged Luo An's legs, tilted his head back, tears welling in his eyes, and said softly, "When the late Emperor was alive, he was always thinking of His Highness and often couldn't sleep at night. After the late Emperor passed away, this old servant always thought that I would never be able to see the late Emperor's son in this life, and I don't know what he looks like. It is truly a pity."
Heaven rewards those who persevere. This old servant has waited so many years, and finally, His Highness has arrived. When this old servant dies and meets the late Emperor, he can tell him, "Your Highness truly possesses the likeness of the late Emperor, Your Highness..."
Eunuch Wei kowtowed, his head resting on Luo An's shoes. Tears soaked Luo An's shoes. His deep affection was beyond question, and all the civil and military officials in the court were moved.
Luo An blinked, never looking down at Eunuch Wei. He stood on the high platform, seemingly looking at the kneeling civil and military officials in the hall, but his eyes were unfocused.
The officials had been kneeling for a long time, and the old tutor Xiang Ru at the front swayed as if he was about to fall. Xue Longpan, with his sharp eyes, raised his hand to support him.
He had taught the late emperor, the current emperor, and now the prince. The late emperor had granted him a special pardon, forbidding him from kneeling before anyone, and he had never knelt before the current emperor either. Now, he truly could not kneel any longer.
Some might say, "Rise! Even at a grand ceremony to worship Heaven, officials wouldn't kneel for this long." No matter how proud Luo An was, he dared not compare himself to Heaven.
Luo An knew that once he uttered the words "Rise," it would mean that he acknowledged the imperial edict, his own lineage, his position as crown prince, and that the former emperor of Nan Yue was his biological mother.
Having lived in Dongyang for so many years, he had never acknowledged these things. Luo An considered himself to be cautious and intelligent, but he never expected that once he entered the Southern Yue palace, he would fall into this deep and unfathomable conspiracy.
On the stage, Eunuch Wei did not rise, and below the stage, Grand Tutor Xiang Ru and General Xue remained unmoved; how could anyone else dare to move an inch? Everyone knelt obediently, as if they could remain kneeling indefinitely unless Luo An ordered them to rise.
Luo An bent down to help Eunuch Wei up.
Eunuch Wei did not rise: "Your Highness, the late Emperor has always longed for your return, and this old servant and the ministers have all seen it. Now that Your Highness is willing to return, it is enough to comfort the spirit of the late Emperor in heaven. This old servant thanks Your Highness."
Eunuch Wei kowtowed again. The ministers followed suit, saying in unison, "Your Highness, we, your humble servants, thank you!"
The phrase "forced by circumstances" perfectly describes this situation. The situation itself doesn't compel us, but the circumstances force us to act.
Luo An tried to say in the calmest, most even voice, "Rise."
The trembling sound escaping his throat broke Luo An's composure; his apparent calm was ultimately just an act. Those people who had followed the late emperor through thick and thin, people he had never met, trusted and respected him so much because of the late emperor and because of an imperial edict.
Eunuch Wei and the ministers said in unison, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Ignoring the assembled officials, Luo An slipped behind the dragon pillar and was about to open the back door when he heard an excited, familiar voice: "Your...Your Highness..."
Zhang Mingzhi stood on the steps, his face filled with disbelief: the mute doctor who couldn't speak had suddenly transformed into the talking prince of Nanyue.
The dignified Crown Prince of Nanyue, Xu Sheng's own brother, served as their family's free clinic doctor for three years? What merits did the Zhang family possess?
The Zhang family has been very kind to Luo An and Nan Fei over the past three years of free medical consultations, and Luo An cannot afford to make Zhang Mingzhi lose face.
When Luo An turned around and walked up to him, Zhang Mingzhi stammered, "Your subject, your subject Zhang Mingzhi, is the son of Zhang Ren of Zhongjing Hall in Wudong County."
Luo An nodded: "Brother Zhang."
Zhang Mingzhi repeatedly said, "No, no, no. Your Highness, since you left, my parents, Aunt Wu, and... they have been heartbroken."
Every month for the past few years, they would always ask, "How is Your Highness... Your Highness? You've changed a lot, and you've lost weight."
Zhang Mingyue learned that Luo An had left Chongming Island and even fell ill, but Zhang Mingzhi dared not tell her about it.
Luo An asked politely, "Are they all alright?"
Zhang Mingzhi said, "Good, good, everything is fine. We've moved to Qinzhou. We bought a house on Wutong Road last year. My dad opened a pharmacy in Qinzhou, my mom mainly takes care of her grandson, and Aunt Wu is in good health..."
Zhang Mingzhi recounted his family situation in detail, and finally mentioned Zhang Mingyue: "After my parents settled in Qinzhou, Mingyue ran a pharmacy in Wudong County by herself, and the business was quite good."
We were still worried about her being alone in Wudong County. So at the end of last year, when we went back to our hometown, we closed the pharmacy in Wudong County.
My sister also came to Qinzhou at the beginning of this year. Young Master…Your Highness, Mingyue…she’s not married yet. My mother has been working on her marriage for the past few years…”
This grown man is surprisingly good at chatting about everyday things, as if he wanted to tell Luo An about every litter his dog had.
Luo An listened in silence, his thoughts already wandering far away. He had already wasted so much time, what difference would it make if he delayed any longer?
In Zhang Mingzhi's memory, Luo An always listened to others chatter without saying a word, and he didn't think anything was wrong with it.
After Zhang Mingzhi finally finished chatting about family matters, all the officials except for the two eunuchs left.
Eunuch Wei thoughtfully opened the back door for Luo An, led him through the back room and down the corridor, and took him all the way to Ciming Palace.
Luo An immediately spotted two children in the hall: the boy, about ten years old, wore a light blue robe with delicate features and looked quite clever; the girl, around three years old, wore a pink dress and had a chubby, rosy face that was very cute.