Adoption brings disaster

Speaking of which, the Seventh Prince left this time and returned in the middle of the night. Perhaps something I said today touched Chongguang, or perhaps it was for some other reason. Normally, he would quietly come back and sleep next to me, but today he woke me up.

But Chongguang came back really late and I was already fast asleep. When I was woken up and opened my eyes, I saw that it was Chongguang shaking my hand.

I subconsciously hugged the Seventh Prince, pressed him in my arms, and kept patting his back, just like when we were little, and kept muttering: "I'm here, I'm here, Chongguang, don't be afraid, it's okay, don't be afraid."

I took pictures in a daze for a long time before I realized that the Seventh Prince has grown up now. He is no longer the child who was afraid of the dark, but a man who stands tall and proud.

"You didn't even remind me and just let me get confused, making these servants laugh at me." I said resentfully.

After saying this, I felt the time fly by again. In the blink of an eye, the child back then has grown up so much. I was also very melancholy and said, "In the blink of an eye, Chongguang has grown up so much that he is no longer afraid of the dark. I was also confused in my sleep and didn't react for a while. Your Highness, please don't laugh at me."

Chongguang didn't mind me patting the child like this, and smiled and said, "I remember when I first came to Qianqiu Pavilion, I was very uncomfortable living there. It's not that I was afraid of the dark, but I just wanted Qianqiu to be with me."

"Over the years, you have become more and more adept at saying nice things to make me happy." I chuckled.

When Chongguang heard that I didn't believe him, he quickly said, "I mean all this sincerely. I'm definitely not saying it to please Father."

When Chongguang called me "Father", my heart trembled, and I felt a different kind of emotion. My ears turned red for a moment.

Fortunately, it was dark, and Qianqiu Pavilion had always been frugal, only lighting one lamp at night, so Chongguang did not notice it.

I said nothing. Chongguang leaned over and hugged me as we fell asleep. He said, "Every night I dream that Qianqiu left and went to sleep with the Crown Prince in her arms. I would wake up in shock. That's how Qianqiu would coax me to sleep, with his eyes closed."

"I was extremely strict with you back then. I scolded you quite a bit, and sometimes, when I got angry, I'd even hit you. I couldn't sleep well at night, because I'd always dream about you having a hard time."

After saying that, I looked at the moon outside the window again, sighed, and continued, "At that time, I didn't dare to be nice to you during the day, for fear that you would get angry and the behavioral habits I had worked so hard to cultivate would return to their old ways. So I could only coax you with heartache at night. Fortunately, you later realized your progress, and I no longer had to be like this."

………………

I chatted with Chongguang for a while longer. By this time I was fully awake. I looked outside and saw it was pitch black. Even the sound of the patrolling guards was much quieter. It was already very late.

I was curious and asked, "You woke me up at this hour. Could it be that you've been working all day and suddenly felt like chatting with me about the past?"

"Today, the Emperor summoned me in a hurry because the Ministry of Rites had already drafted the relevant matters for my coronation ceremony. He asked me to see if there was anything that needed to be changed."

"When was it? What title was given?" I asked.

"The time is the middle of next month, and he will be given the title of Prince Yong."

The coronation ceremony is such an important event, and it will take less than a month at most. Could it be that the Ministry of Rites wants to cause trouble to embarrass Chongguang?

When I thought of this, I immediately felt unhappy. I frowned and said, "Why is it so hasty? In less than a month, what good things can the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works come up with?"

Seeing that I was anxious and had my hands stretched out of the quilt, Chongguang covered my hands first and then said slowly, "The time is short, but it's not too hasty. In fact, since the time His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and I entered the cabinet, the various departments have been preparing for our coronation ceremony."

"Really?" I asked, a little unconvinced.

Seeing that I didn't believe him, Chongguang explained, "Just like the palace, it was completed two years ago. All we need to do is decide my title and hang up the plaque inscribed by my father. As for the other necessary items, they are all ready."

After listening to Chongguang's explanation, I felt a little relieved. I also thought that the officials of the Ministry of Rites were not fools and would definitely not do something that would harm themselves.

He didn't care about this matter, but just stood up and sat up, looking at the Seventh Prince carefully.

Speaking of which, His Majesty the Seventh Prince is truly heroic and extraordinary. I can’t get enough of looking at him.

I stared at him like this for a long while, then thought about how difficult it would be to see him like this again if we didn't live together in the future, so I said with some sadness, "I have to take a good look at my Guang'er today. Once Guang'er has his own mansion, it will be difficult to see him again."

Chongguang chuckled after hearing what I said, took the clothes that Ada brought, put them on me, and said, "I have reserved a courtyard for Qianqiu in the palace. It is very close to the main house. Even if we move out of the palace and build a house, we can still live together."

"How can a prince leave the palace to build a mansion, and you still live with him? This is against etiquette." I said, "Besides, when you leave the palace to build a mansion, my work will be completed. I will go out with Liu Shuiqing to explore the world."

"If there wasn't one before, then we'll have it from now on. You're my father, and where there's a son, there's a father. This is the filial piety of our Beishang Kingdom." The Seventh Prince said, "Qianqiu wants to venture out into the martial arts world, so let him go. When he returns to the capital, let him stay in the palace for a while, so that his son can fulfill his filial duty."

Chongguang kept calling me "Dad" so much that I was so confused that I agreed to the fact that we would still live together even if I left the palace and built my own house.

When the Seventh Prince saw that I had accepted the matter, he was very happy and enthusiastically discussed with me how to set up the yard and make all the arrangements for clothes, bedding, tea, and food.

Chongguang took every detail into consideration and told me one by one. I didn't care about these things and responded intermittently, while Ada was busy recording them.

After talking for a long time, I finally gave a general idea.

I was woken up in the middle of the conversation. Although I was very excited about the Seventh Prince being crowned king, I was still very sleepy after chatting for such a long time. I was yawning continuously.

I heard the fourth watch being rung outside. I was a little drowsy and said, "Let's go to bed early. It's very late now."

I lay down on the bed, wrapped in the quilt. After a long while, the Seventh Prince didn't come over. I turned around and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you too excited to sleep? Otherwise, I won't sleep either. Ask the kitchen to make some food so we can have a drink to celebrate."

Chongguang lowered his head, a little nervous. I could clearly see his chest rising and falling with his breathing. Seeing him like this, I became even more curious and asked, "What happened? Did the Ministry of Rites wrong you?"

Seeing that the Seventh Prince still didn't say anything, I looked at Ah Da who had finally memorized the decoration requirements and asked with a stern face, "Ah Da, tell me, what's wrong with the Seventh Prince?"

"Ah." Ah Da was also a little dazed at this time. After a moment, he realized that I was asking him and said quickly, "Your Highness Qianqiu, nothing happened today. Besides, if anyone dares to wrong His Highness the Seventh Prince, we will make him suffer even if we die."

This Ah Da is just a soldier and a scoundrel. Once he makes up his mind to do something, he will stick to it.

Before the Seventh Prince lived with me, A-Da and the others had been causing a lot of trouble in the palace. If anyone dared to bully the Seventh Prince, A-Da might have rushed up to deal with that person in front of the Emperor. Besides, in Beishang, it was the Seventh Prince who bullied others, so who would dare to bully the Seventh Prince?

I understand the logic, and I also know that I'm overthinking it. My tone softened and I said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me. We can figure it out between the two of us. You don't have to be embarrassed. You had a lot of bad things going on when you were a kid. Do you want me to tell you a few?"

Perhaps my teasing tone made His Highness the Seventh Prince feel better. He raised his head, his eyes slightly red as he said, "It's not a big deal. It's just that my father told me today that I need to be with the princess at the coronation ceremony."

After hearing this, I remembered that the Seventh Prince has always been a clean man and has no servants around him.

This is also my fault. Whenever the issue of sleeping in separate rooms is mentioned, the Seventh Prince would say pitifully that I despise him. I really have no choice, so I haven't slept in separate rooms for all these years.

This isn't a difficult matter. I chuckled, patted the Seventh Prince on the head, and said, "It's just a matter of choosing a princess. Which girl do you like, or which girl is suitable? Tomorrow, I will work with the Imperial Concubine to get it done for you. I will definitely not miss your coronation ceremony."

Marriage is a big deal. Thinking that the son I have raised for so long is about to get married makes me happier than seeing my child become king.

I completely ignored Chongguang's expression and just said excitedly to myself, "No, the prince must come back. Ah Da, go and call the prince back. Go now, right away."

"My father said that I can't marry a princess now."

When these words came out, my mind exploded and I cursed, "What does he have?"

Ah Da was so frightened that he ignored the rules and quickly covered my mouth and whispered: "His Highness Qianqiu is here, and all the thunder and rain are military grace. You can't help but say this."

I also knew that I couldn't say this out loud, so I had cursed the emperor in my mind eight hundred times.

Seeing how angry I was, Chongguang was afraid I would say something disastrous, so he quickly explained, "Actually, there's no suitable princess right now. Father is doing this for my own good."

Just when I was about to continue complaining, the Seventh Prince said, "It will be hard for you, Qianqiu."

I finally managed to stop myself from saying anything, looked at the Seventh Prince suspiciously, and said, "How does this matter have anything to do with me? Although we haven't slept in separate rooms for so many years, His Majesty knows it. Even if I made a mistake, it wasn't a big one, was it?"

"In fact, over the years, there have been princes in the Beishang Kingdom who did not marry a princess when they were crowned kings. However, etiquette cannot be abolished, so his ministers always attended on behalf of the princess." The Seventh Prince did not dare to look at me and said with his head down.

"Even if there's a precedent, that doesn't mean I didn't do it well." I took a deep breath and said, "We've been father and son for so many years, so I should have attended your coronation ceremony. As for what capacity I attend, I don't care. As for attending as a princess, other nobles do it, and I did it for the sake of my glory. It's not a big deal."

When His Highness the Seventh Prince saw that I agreed, his eyes lit up immediately, then he said sheepishly, "As a princess, you must wear the princess's clothes."

"Hey, it's just the princess's clothes, it's okay."

I was a little excited to be able to wear women's clothes openly and confidently, but I couldn't say it out loud. I had to act like a good father who was devoted to his son, otherwise they would all know I was a pervert.

The easier it is for me to agree to it now, the more miserable it will be later. It’s not that I have to say anything else, it’s just that large-scale events are really exhausting.

The next half month can be said to be the darkest time of my life in the past few years. The ceremony of crowning a king is a major event for the country. Compared with the promotion to the title of noble father, it is much more important and more rigorous.

I was woken up before dawn every day to train my walking posture, familiarize myself with the procedures of each link, and learn all kinds of strange rules. It would not end until midnight.

Although I knew I had no right to refuse, after a week of torture, I took out my resentment on Chongguang.

Chongguang is also tired. Not only does he have to do the same things as me, but he also cannot be idle about national affairs. But every time I see him, I keep scolding him in my mind, and he can only coax me with kind words.

The day of the coronation ceremony finally arrived, and I was ecstatic.

He set out from the palace early, first went to the Taimiao to worship his ancestors, and then returned to accept the worship of all officials outside the Golden Palace.

Accepting the worship of all the officials gave me an inexplicable feeling of pleasure, but there was one thing that made me feel strange, that was that I had to worship heaven and earth, the emperor and the empress, and even worship each other in front of all the officials, just like getting married.

Finally, I received the royal seal and the consort seal in the Golden Palace. What happened afterwards had nothing to do with me. I just needed to return to Qianqiu Pavilion and wait for the Seventh Prince to come back.

I just didn’t expect that I would just sit in Qianqiu Pavilion and listen to another good show.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yong has been incredibly kind to His Highness Qianqiu. The Imperial Concubine wanted to attend the coronation ceremony with His Highness the Seventh Prince, but His Highness refused. It's said that the Imperial Concubine was so angry she fell ill."

"You don't understand this. No matter how angry the Imperial Concubine is, she is still the biological mother of Prince Yong. How can she not help Prince Yong with all her heart? But Prince Qianqiu is different. She can help him without coaxing him."

"What good is a Qing?"

"Don't underestimate our Prince Qianqiu. He earns tens of thousands of taels of silver annually, and employs thousands of escorts, all veterans of battle and surviving battles. They're also said to be incredibly resourceful. The Seventh Prince's current situation is entirely thanks to Prince Qianqiu."

I was in the pavilion listening to the guards outside talking about this, and I felt very upset.

But I know that most of the words inside the palace walls cannot be trusted. What you hear may very well be what others want you to hear. I silently comforted myself in my heart and decided that I must let King Yong find these people and deal with them properly.

Although I believed in Chongguang, I always felt that I was being cheated by him. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I was so angry that I asked Ada to take out the wine that was buried under the peach tree a few years ago. I must make King Yong vomit by drinking it tonight, otherwise I will never be able to swallow this anger.

I just didn't expect that this wine would actually harm me.

To know how you can harm yourself, please stay tuned for the next episode.