We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Huang Jin, what do you think of the name I gave my grandson?"

Huang Jin quickly moved over and looked at him seriously for a long time, not daring to say anything bad:

"Your Majesty's handwriting is of course excellent."

Emperor Qing laughed heartily and silently chewed on the name between his lips and teeth. The more he read it, the more appropriate it seemed to him, and the more profound its meaning seemed to him.

Then he put away the copybook, and with a satisfied smile, his eyes fell on the letter again.

However, this time, after reading only a few lines of text, the smile on his face froze instantly and his brows were tightly furrowed.

"Father, I was shocked to hear from my fourth brother about the dramatic changes in the capital. This news was like a bolt from the blue. I was utterly shocked. After pondering it over and over again, I still find it hard to believe."

"Your Majesty, I have always remembered my seventh brother as someone who is devoted to his duties, gentle, and extremely filial to you."

"I am completely baffled. Given your Seventh Brother's character, how could he suddenly do something so utterly unethical and renounce his royal family?"

"It's really unbelievable and full of doubts!"

"I dare to speak frankly. Is there any hidden reason behind this?"

"Your Majesty, I see everything clearly. I hope you will conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that no innocent people are wrongly accused, nor that the true culprit remains unpunished..."

Emperor Qing slammed the letter onto the imperial desk, causing the candlelight to flicker.

"Ridiculous! Such a soft heart!"

His face was filled with disappointment, and he scolded Huang Jin, who dared not even breathe:

"Listen to what Old Six is ​​saying! He's actually speaking up for that rebellious son, Li Huan?!"

"It's so unbelievable and full of doubts. I think he's just incredibly foolish and too soft-hearted!"

Emperor Qing became increasingly angry as he spoke, his chest heaving:

"Two years ago in the winter, he and the Prince of Yan were attacked in the capital and nearly died. Wasn't that the work of that rebellious son, Li Huan?"

"He's so good! Now he's pleading for the jackal!"

"I, the King of Daqing, the Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy, the Chief of the Kings, the Heavenly Khan, the figure that all the northern tribes tremble in fear, when did I become a saint?"

Emperor Qing was so angry that he was speechless, and was obviously extremely dissatisfied with Li Che's plea.

But no matter how angry he was, Li Che was not around, so he could only watch patiently:

"Although I do not believe that my seventh brother would intentionally commit such a heinous act, since this has already occurred, there must be a monstrous traitor behind the scenes manipulating it."

"It is impossible for my Seventh Brother to carry out such a meticulous and sinister plan alone."

"I think that those who possess such energy and courage, whether in the government or in public, are only those from the aristocratic families who regard state assets as their own private property."

"Those aristocratic families are extremely greedy and ambitious, often resorting to such tactics to gain advantage in order to consolidate their superior status."

"Seventh brother may have already fallen deeply into their web, becoming a puppet without even realizing it, or perhaps he is being held hostage and has no control over his actions."

Seeing this, Emperor Qing’s angry expression froze, and the disappointment on his face quickly receded like the tide.

Good old six!

This is when the real purpose is revealed and the firewood is removed from under the cauldron.

Emperor Qing's expression grew complicated. "I've been fooled by him. What about womanly kindness, pleading for mercy... This rebellious son is pretending to speak up for Li Huan, but it's just laying the groundwork for this killer move."

"Kicking someone when they're down and killing someone with someone else's knife is his true nature!"

Only at this moment did Emperor Qing fully understand Li Che's intention.

How could Li Che believe that the King of Shu was innocent?

He was telling Emperor Qing: The King of Shu cannot do this alone, he doesn't have the courage nor the ability, there must be someone behind him!

And who has the ability to control the prince?

The answer is ready to come out -

Aristocratic family!

"I was fooled by him." Emperor Qing shook his head and laughed, but his eyes became extremely sharp.

He continued reading:

“How can a noble family feel at ease when they commit such a serious crime of treason?

He must be like a frightened bird, worrying day and night that his crime will be exposed.

In order to protect themselves and dispel their father's suspicion, they will certainly use all their tricks and flatter him in every possible way.

Some generously donated money and grain to show their loyalty; some took the initiative to make concessions to show their goodwill to the court and show their obedience; some cleverly created excuses to offer auspicious signs to sing the praises of the emperor's virtues.

Father, please just pay a little attention. In recent days, has any aristocratic family suddenly changed their behavior and shown unusual loyalty to you, Father?

If so, the suspicion is self-evident!"

The letter ends here.

Emperor Qing held the letter in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

The only sound in the imperial study was the crackling of the burning candle.

Li Che's last words, like a poisonous sting with barbs, pierced into Emperor Qing's mind.

With Li Che's personality, how could he possibly plead for Li Huan?

He wished this guy would die in the East Palace!

The reason for bringing this up was because Wang Yongnian had learned about the scandal of Li Huan's collusion with the aristocratic families.

The Wang family has been involved in a lot of human trafficking, but they are just a small pawn in this interest group. God knows what kind of things this group of people have done that are so infuriating that they are hated by everyone?

After receiving Li Che's reminder, Emperor Qing also began to recall several events that had occurred in the court in the past few days:

Zheng Xuan, the head of the Zheng family in Xingyang, suddenly submitted a petition three days ago, expressing his gratitude to Your Majesty for his virtue and his willingness to donate a hundred acres of high-quality paddy fields in the western suburbs of the capital to the court free of charge to establish official schools and educate the people!

The manager of the Hedong Salt Field controlled by the Cui family of Boling suddenly came to Beijing and offered to give 30% of the salt field's profits to the court, euphemistically calling it "joining in the cause and sharing the country's worries." The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were very happy about this.

And the Lu family of Fanyang...

These actions, which Emperor Qing originally regarded as gestures of goodwill from the aristocratic families, instantly changed their meaning after Li Che's reminder.

A chill rushed straight to Emperor Qing's head.

What a guilty conscience! What a cover-up!

I thought that these noble families acted like this because I knew about the remnants of the prince and the King of Shu, and they were afraid and began to move closer to me.

Now it seems that this is not the case at all.

This was clearly a clumsy performance by the aristocratic families who were frightened and eager to distance themselves from the matter and flatter me in order to protect themselves!

Emperor Qing slowly raised his head, his eyes like lightning shooting towards Huang Jin who was standing with his head bowed.

"Huang Jin!"

Huang Jin trembled all over when she saw that look: "Slave...slave girl is here!"

"Send an order! Command the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to come to me immediately!"

"As...as ordered!"

Huang Jin turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing picked up a piece of calligraphy and said, "Send this to Prince Feng by express horseback. Tell him not to worry about the affairs in the capital, but to focus on guarding Feng State."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Huang Jin respectfully put away the calligraphy and walked out the door, feeling a chill in his heart.

I don’t know what His Royal Highness Prince Feng said in the letter, but just a few words caused His Majesty’s emotions to fluctuate so much.

You know, Emperor Qing hasn't shown any emotion for a long time since the incident with the King of Shu.

Huang Jin shuddered and couldn't help but look at the calligraphy. He felt that the name His Majesty had given to this grandson of the emperor had a deeper and more profound meaning the more he read it.

. . . . . .

Fengwang Palace.

Li Che gently flipped through the calligraphy, and a large, flamboyantly written character caught his eye:

承！

Receive the blessing from heaven and inherit the ancestral heritage.

Li Che's pupils shrank slightly, and he instantly understood Emperor Qing's intention.

The word "Cheng" is as heavy as a mountain, yet it contains endless possibilities.

It is not ostentatious, but has a tremendous power, representing a responsibility, a mission, the continuation of bloodline and the transmission of foundation.

Isn't everything I have done in Fengguo laying the foundation for future generations to inherit and establish their careers?

This child was born with the responsibility of carrying on his father's business and protecting the people.

The emperor’s expectations for this grandson are extremely high.

"Cheng... Li Cheng..."

His eyes moved away from the words and fell on the little person who was sleeping soundly in the cradle.

Little Li Cheng was wrapped in a swaddle, his little face rosy from sleep, his pink lips slightly pouting, and he was breathing evenly and softly.

The little fist was unconsciously clenched and placed next to the cheek, looking very cute.

Looking at this little face that looked somewhat like his own, Li Che felt an unprecedented tenderness in his heart.

This feeling is even deeper and more solid than any achievement he has made.

Ever since this little life was born, Li Che clearly felt that his connection with the world had undergone some qualitative change.

I am no longer the "stranger" who carries the memories of my past life and intends to change everything.

The primal bond stemming from deep within his blood anchored him firmly to this land.

This little life is the continuation of his life and his deepest mark in this world.

This bond not only connects him and Li Cheng, but also quietly connects him to Emperor Qing who is far away in the capital.

Before this, the father-son relationship between the two was more like that of a monarch and his subject, a game of chess, and mutual testing.

Now, with the birth of this little life, a warmth belonging to three generations of grandparents and grandchildren has been added.

Li Che could feel the grandfather's love and expectations from the word "Cheng" written by Emperor Qing. It was a sincere emotion that transcended politics and power.

"The power of blood...is truly amazing." Li Che sighed in his heart.

Because of this, he could not sit idly by and watch those aristocratic families keep Emperor Qing in the dark and undermine the foundation of Daqing.

Looking at his son's sleeping face in the cradle, Li Che's eyes became extremely firm.

In order for this little guy to grow up safely in a strong country, he must do something.

At this moment, a burst of hurried and slightly panicked footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Qiu Bai almost broke down the palace door, with obvious anxiety on his face and his breathing was a little rapid.

Li Che frowned slightly, quickly and carefully rolled up the silk cloth that Emperor Qing had written, and asked in a deep voice:

"Why are you so panicked?"

Qiu Bai rushed to Li Che in a few steps, not even bothering to salute, and said hurriedly:

"Your Highness! Princess Yelu... Princess Yelu was walking in the garden just now when she suddenly felt unbearable abdominal pain! The maids have already helped her back to Qingyi Courtyard. Doctor Hua rushed over upon hearing the news and just sent someone to report that the princess's pulse is strong and the fetus is moving rapidly. She is about to give birth!"

"what?!"

Li Che stood up suddenly, his face instantly filled with great surprise.

Cheng'er was born not long ago, and Xian'er... is about to give birth too?!

This is a double happiness... no, Xian'er is pregnant with twins, this is a triple happiness!