Xu Zhao patted Shen Lingge on the back. Shen Lingge was no longer the child he used to be. She could no longer touch his head like before.

The current Shen Lingge is very different from what she remembered. He has grown a lot and looks much more mature. At first glance, she almost didn't recognize him.

"Okay, okay, it's not appropriate to hold you any longer."

She is an adult, and Shen Lingge is also an adult now. If someone sees them, she doesn't care, but it will damage his reputation.

Xu Zhao let go of Shen Lingge and said, "I haven't seen you for many years. Let me take a good look at you."

Shen Lingge was as obedient as before. He let go of Xu Zhao and took a small step back so that Xu Zhao could see him better.

Xu Zhao looked him up and down, his tone delighted, "Not bad, you've grown a lot taller and stronger, but you're still a little thin. You should eat well and take care of your health."

On days when no one was around, she often saw Shen Lingge not eating well, and even unable to get enough sleep in order to solve people's livelihood problems.

If this goes on, even the strongest body won't be able to withstand his torture.

"Don't worry, I know that the body is the capital of revolution!"

Although Shen Lingge didn't know what revolution meant, he had heard Sister Zhaozhao say that only when one is in good health can one do what he wants.

After Shen Lingge finished speaking, the Xuanzheng Hall fell into silence.

The two looked at each other, and no one spoke.

Running all the way back to Xuan Zheng Hall, Shen Lingge had something on his mind. He didn't know how to tell Xu Zhao about the emperor's uncle. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know where to start.

Xu Zhao was lamenting how time passed so quickly, and for a moment he didn't know what to say to Shen Lingge. As a young emperor, he did a very good job. Compared with Emperor Showa, he could be said to be the wisest of the wise rulers.

Thousands of words, but only one sentence in the end.

Finally, it was Xu Zhao who broke the silence.

She smiled with relief, "Qinghe, you've worked hard."

After much hard work, he finally unified the four kingdoms. Such courage was something no other king had shown in the past hundred years. From then on, the people of this land would no longer have wars and could live and work in peace.

After he ascended the throne, he successively proposed many new policies, worked hard to change the people's thoughts and lives, and tried to allow women to enter schools and courts.

Shen Lingge smiled back, "It's not hard. This is what I should do."

He was as happy as a child who had found a piece of candy.

His efforts over the years have been noticed, so it is all worth it.

"Sister Zhaozhao," Shen Lingge struggled internally before deciding to tell the truth, "The Emperor's uncle has passed away."

Shen Lingge stared at Xu Zhao with a worried look on his face, worried that Xu Zhao would be sad.

He was far away in Zhongjin State and had no idea whether the emperor's uncle had seen Sister Zhaozhao again over the years. When he suddenly received this news, he was worried that Sister Zhaozhao would be heartbroken.

But Xu Zhao's reaction surprised him.

"I know." Xu Zhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "He committed suicide for the people and generals at the border."

All my tears had been shed during the time when Shen Yu passed away. Now my heart has become numb, but every time I think of it, my heart still aches unconsciously.

Xu Zhao roughly recounted what she saw and heard during the soul stage.

Sure enough, Shen Lingge had always believed that the emperor's uncle was not someone who would rebel, and had been content to be a leisurely prince. What had happened that would make him rebel for no reason? Now everything is clear.

There was no so-called rebellion at all. This crime was just imposed on the emperor's uncle by his father just to allow him to succeed to the throne with peace of mind.

"My father has even ordered the history books to be written. It is not easy for me to change the ending of my uncle..." If the history books are easily changed, the ministers in the Censorate will probably spit at me.

Shen Lingge was helpless and hated himself for not being able to do anything.

Whether it was the period of the four-nation split or the current unified period, filial piety is still the most important virtue, and he cannot do anything to change his father's decision.

What's more, it has been two years since this incident, and things and people have changed. The people don't care whether a prince has rebelled or not. They just want to live a good life every day.

Xu Zhao patted Shen Yu's shoulder and comforted him, "You have done very well. This may be your uncle's fate. You can't force it. This is also the same as what I read in the history books."

The history books clearly record the ending of Shen Yu. Given the relationship between Shen Lingge and Shen Yu, if it could be changed, Shen Lingge would definitely change it as soon as possible.

"History books," Shen Lingge murmured. Sister Zhaozhao came from the future to their era. This was the first time he heard her describe the present from the future.

"Sister Zhaozhao, so... you have always known the fate of the emperor's uncle!" Shen Lingge was shocked when he realized what was happening, and felt a little sorry for the emperor's uncle.

It was obvious that the emperor's uncle liked Sister Zhaozhao so much, but Sister Zhaozhao did not give the emperor's uncle any warning at all, and just watched the emperor's uncle being "framed" by his father.

Xu Zhao heard the complaints in Shen Lingge's words, but she had no choice but to explain patiently.

"There is very little information about Shen Yu in historical books. I only know that it states that in the 20th year of Tianyou, his rebellion failed and he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. I know nothing about him."

Xu Zhao didn't even know which year the 20th year of Tianyou was.

"I only guessed after Shen Yu passed away that the 20th year of Tianyou is the 20th year of Showa." Xu Zhao shook his head helplessly and said, "Even if I knew, I'm sorry, I still can't interfere in the affairs of your era. Shen Yu's death is an established fact. No matter how much I don't want to, I can't change this fact. So, I hope you don't blame me."

This was not the first time Sister Zhaozhao had told him that history could not be changed, which was also the reason why she could not allow her own figure to appear in history books.

Emotion and reason were intertwined and constantly switched in Shen Lingge's mind. For a moment, he felt a splitting headache.

After a long pause, he finally sorted out the thoughts in his mind and slowly spoke. He first apologized: "Sister Zhao Zhao, I'm sorry, I was thinking in the wrong direction."

She also explained another doubt to Xu Zhao, "After I went to Zhongjin, my father changed the reign title to Tianyou. I think he probably hoped that God would bless me with smooth sailing in Zhongjin."

Shen Lingge had no idea why his father suddenly changed the reign title. Perhaps the imperial concubine knew, but he had not had the chance to say the last words to her that year, so the explanation he gave to Xu Zhao was just his own rough guess.

It was precisely because of Emperor Showa's actions that blurred Xu Zhao's concept of time, causing her not to immediately think of the time of Shen Yu's death.

As the two were talking, hurried footsteps were suddenly heard outside the door. Xu Zhao looked towards the door curiously.

Xuan Zheng Hall is where the emperor holds meetings and handles state affairs. It should be kept quiet, but there is quite a noise outside the door. I wonder what happened.

The next second, a woman in gorgeous clothes trotted into the Xuan Zheng Hall. Her hair was a little messy, and a lot of it was stuck to her forehead due to sweat.

Chu Ruo hurried to the Xuanzheng Hall and walked in without being informed.

Since Shen Lingge ascended the throne, he has issued an order that as long as there are no ministers in the Xuanzheng Hall, Chu Ruo can enter freely.

Chu Ruo ran into the Xuanzheng Hall, her breathing steady, not even a breath coming out of her chest. Back in the Middle Jin Kingdom, she wasn't valued by her father. The palace was filled with sycophants, and she often didn't have enough to eat. So, she'd sneak into the imperial kitchen to eat, and when she was discovered, she'd run for her life. Gradually, she learned how to quickly regulate her breathing.

"Qinghe, what happened to you just now? Why did you suddenly run back in a hurry?" Chu Ruo was a little worried. He found that there were no guards in the hall. He looked at Xu Zhao with vigilance in his eyes.

At the moment, there were only Shen Lingge and Xu Zhao in the Xuan Zheng Hall. The guards who were originally guarding Xu Zhao left the Xuan Zheng Hall as soon as possible.

She did not forget that Qinghe lost his composure because he heard a name called Xu Chaoxi. She looked at the woman standing in front of Shen Lingge with an inquiring look. This woman was probably the reason why Qinghe lost his composure.

"Ruoruo."

Shen Lingge then realized that he had lost his composure, but he was now the ruler of a country and no one dared to talk about him behind his back.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he walked forward and apologized to Chu Ruo first. Seeing her messy hair, he did not blame her for being dignified as a queen. Instead, he straightened her hair on her forehead and pushed it to the sides.

Then he pulled her in front of Xu Zhao and introduced her, "Sister Zhaoxi, this is Chu Ruo, my wife, you can just call her Ruoruo." Knowing that Sister Zhaozhao didn't want her real name to appear, he specially changed the name.

At the same time, he introduced her to Chu Ruo, "This is Xu Zhaoxi, my uncle's good friend, and also my elder. You can call her Sister Zhaoxi like I do."

Shen Lingge briefly introduced Xu Zhao.

"Sister Chaoxi." Chu Ruo knelt politely to Xu Zhao. At the same time, Shen Lingge's words made her curious. She was curious about Xu Chaoxi in front of her wearing strange clothes and revealing her white arms. If she was seen by others, she would probably be despised.

Besides, she looked about the same age as them, and was actually Qinghe's elder. And when she came in just now, they were chatting and laughing intimately, so this Xu Chaoxi and Qinghe must have a close relationship.

I immediately knew that I couldn't make enemies with such a person.

"You're too polite," Xu Zhao helped Chu Ruo up.

She couldn't bear to have the queen of a country pay her respects.

"You are quite good-looking. Qinghe is so lucky to marry you." Xu Zhao knew that Shen Lingge married the princess of Zhongjin State. It was because of her that Shen Lingge was able to incorporate Zhongjin State into his own territory without any soldiers.

"It is my blessing to marry Qinghe." Chu Ruo looked at Shen Lingge shyly.

Shen Lingge held Chu Ruo's hand with a happy look on his face, "It's my blessing."

"Okay, okay, if you two want to show affection, just do it behind closed doors. I'm still here. Be more restrained. I don't have a partner yet!" Xu Zhao said jokingly.

Shen Lingge felt a pang of pain in her heart when she heard this. Although Sister Zhaozhao was not from this era, if the emperor's uncle had not passed away, maybe Sister Zhaozhao would be her emperor's aunt.

Chu Ruo didn't know the twists and turns involved, but she just thought Xu Zhaoxi looked like someone who was easy to get along with. She said bluntly, "I've never heard Qinghe mention Sister Zhaoxi before, nor have I ever seen her."

Although he is a good friend of the emperor's uncle, the person in front of her does not look very old. What's more, it is common to have three thousand beauties in the harem, so she still has some sense of crisis.

If it were anyone else who was more thoughtful, they would probably be unhappy when they heard this, but Xu Zhao didn't mind at all.

Without waiting for her to explain, Shen Lingge explained directly, "I haven't seen Sister Chaoxi for a long time. It should be twelve years if I count the time."

"So that's how it is." Chu Ruo swallowed his doubts.

She hadn't seen Xu Chaoxi for twelve years. Looking at her appearance, twelve years ago, she could only have just reached the age of marriage. She still didn't understand why she was considered an elder. Could it be that she was older simply because she was friends with Prince Anding?

Chu Ruo had a miserable childhood, and in order to survive, he was meticulous and worried.

In order to prevent Ruoruo from thinking too much, Shen Lingge patiently explained it a little more.

"I didn't mention it to you before because Sister Chaoxi has a special status and I didn't want too many people to know about her, so I chose to keep it a secret."

Xu Zhao had warned him before that since she was not from this era, he should not mention her deliberately and should not leave any trace of her in history books.

This is why so few people know Xu Zhao.

Ever since the two of them decided to get married, Shen Lingge would tell Chu Ruo everything and discuss it with her. He had carefully considered the decision to keep this matter secret.

"Sister Zhaoxi is both a teacher and a friend to me. Many of the policies we are implementing now are based on the stories Sister Zhaozhao told me. I think they are very suitable for our country today."

Even though many policies refer to the future, the national conditions are different after all. What Xu Zhao said is not entirely suitable for the current Dayu Kingdom. Therefore, in the past few years, Shen Lingge has worked hard to govern the country, which can only be said to be a reference. More importantly, the policies to be implemented are promulgated based on the national conditions.

"I understand."

Shen Lingge explained it so clearly that Chu Ruo's doubts were dispelled. At the same time, she looked at Xu Chaoxi with admiration in her eyes.

She knew all the decrees issued by Shen Lingge. Some of them could be said to be very bold, but once successfully implemented, they would definitely be good policies that would benefit the country and the people.

And the source of this policy is actually Xu Chaoxi!

After strolling around the Imperial Garden for a long time and going through so much trouble today, Shen Lingge was worried that Chu Ruo was tired today, so he said with concern, "It's getting late, you should go back and get some rest. I have something to talk to Sister Zhaoxi about, and I'll come to see you later."

Without the previous worries, Chu Ruo felt much more relieved, "I will take my leave."

Even though they were a couple with a very good relationship, Chu Ruo still followed the ancestral customs, bowed to Shen Lingge, and left the Xuan Zheng Hall.

Now that the old relationship was rekindled, Xu Zhao looked at Shen Lingge, ready to explain some serious matters.

During this period of time, Xu Zhao figured out a lot of things. She now has solutions to the problems that have troubled her in the past.

"Qinghe, do you know where your uncle's white jade mandarin duck jade pendant is?"

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like