Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Outside the palace gate, the crowd rubbed their bottoms, watching the broken cart leave.

The eunuch at the gate hurried forward to greet him: “This servant respectfully welcomes His Majesty back to the palace, please enter the sedan.”

Li Yuanzhao waved his hand casually, and stepped forward to get into the sedan.

The eunuch quickly added: “The Supreme Emperor ordered Marquis Jianye and Prince Wu to go to Taoyuan County.”

Li Yuanzhao turned his head: “Taoyuan County? Father is not in the palace, why did he run to Taoyuan County? Also, I just came back, what does it mean to call them two alone?”

The eunuch said awkwardly: “The Supreme Emperor has been living in Taoyuan County for more than two months. This servant just received the order not long ago. The Supreme Emperor said to let His Majesty enter the palace as soon as possible to preside over the overall situation, and there must be no delay.”

“He wants to see Marquis Jianye and Prince Wu alone.”

Li Yuanzhao looked at Fang Zheng Yi, Fang Zheng Yi nodded and said: “Your Majesty, national affairs are important, everything else is trivial, you go and get busy first.”

Li Yuanzhao sighed: “Oh... okay, I really don’t know what Father is thinking, he didn’t even call me when I came home! Go and come back quickly, I definitely can’t handle it alone.”

......

After some twists and turns, they returned to Taoyuan County.

Outside the Jing Emperor’s palace, Prince Wu’s breathing quickened slightly.

Seeing an old friend again, this was his peer, his brother, and even more so, his enemy.

As a complete loser, the complexity of his mood was hard to express...

“Let’s go.”

Fang Zheng Yi took the lead and walked in. After a few turns, he arrived outside the Jing Emperor’s study.

Besides the guards at the door, Guo Tianyang was also there.

He was lying on a rocking chair at the door, covered with a thin blanket, and had fallen asleep.

The whole person was much fatter than a year ago, old and fat.

Fang Zheng Yi stepped forward and pushed him.

Guo Tianyang opened his eyes, and his eyes suddenly burst out with joy: “Brother Xian is back!”

Immediately, he was about to get up, but he couldn’t get up after trying twice.

The rocking chair shook instead.

Guo Tianyang struggled hard: “Brother Xian, help me up.”

Fang Zheng Yi smiled and said: “Lie down, Brother Guo, I’ll go knock on the door.”

“Hey, okay.” Guo Tianyang had just agreed when he saw Prince Wu behind him and was immediately terrified.

He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how to address him for a while.

Prince Wu looked down at him and said lightly: “You’re not dead yet?”

“I....”

Being asked by a rebel like this, Guo Tianyang instinctively wanted to curse, but when he thought that he was a member of the imperial family, he endured the humiliation.

Fang Zheng Yi stepped forward and knocked on the door: “Father, it’s me, Fang Zheng Yi.”

The Jing Emperor’s voice came from inside the room: “Zheng Yi is back... let Lao Si come in to see me, you wait a moment.”

Fang Zheng Yi signaled Prince Wu with a look, opened the door and made way for him.

After Prince Wu entered the room, Guo Tianyang immediately became anxious.

“Brother Xian! There’s only His Majesty alone inside, it’s not safe! That rebel is very hateful!”

“Don’t worry, Brother Guo, nothing will happen.”

......

Inside the room, the two brothers looked at each other.

The Jing Emperor spoke first: “Lao Si, you’re old.”

“Royal Brother is also old.”

The Jing Emperor gestured for him to sit down.

“How is the taste of being an emperor?”

Prince Wu closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

“Why did it come to this... Father was very harsh on you back then, but you shouldn’t hold a grudge for a lifetime. I let you stay in the capital, giving you whatever you wanted, but you insisted on establishing yourself as king and even sent someone to assassinate me.”

Prince Wu opened his eyes, with tears in his eyes.

“Royal Brother, was I wrong? Father insulted me and punished me just because I liked ingenious and intricate crafts. Look at this world, would anyone still say such things now?”

“I built my own fief, but you took it away. Was I wrong? I just wanted to prove myself and take back what belonged to me... I did nothing wrong.”

The Jing Emperor was speechless.

As an emperor, the world belonged to him, consolidating his strength and taking back the lands of the vassal kings.

He also felt that he had never been wrong, although it was not justified and the methods were a bit despicable.

“If Royal Brother called me here just to humiliate me, then there’s no need. This subject is ready to die.”

“If I were in power, you would surely die.” The Jing Emperor’s tone was as if he were talking about household matters, “But after I learned about the situation on the Western Front, I didn’t want you to die.”

“Yuanzhao is a good emperor, he will surpass me, he will surely surpass me! What he faces is the real world. I want the world to know that he can launch large-scale wars to conquer rebels, and he can also forgive everything the rebels have done.”

“He must have the universe in his heart to become the master of the world.”

“I want you to live, and I want the world to know that you are alive. Starting tomorrow, return to your palace. I will send servants and laborers to you. From now on, you must not step out of the capital.”

Prince Wu smiled dejectedly: “You still want me to be your pawn?”

“I only care about my son, I don’t care about anything else about you.” The Jing Emperor said lightly, “The capital is wonderful, go live your own life, just consider it me compensating you on behalf of Father...”

.....

Outside the door, Fang Zheng Yi stood beside Guo Tianyang, chatting idly.

“Brother Xian, your memorial was amazing, I swear! I have never admired anyone in my life, you are the first. I think His Majesty is living off your memorial.”

“Don’t mention that, the Crown Prince is supervising the country, why isn’t the Supreme Emperor watching in the palace, why did he run to Taoyuan County?”

Guo Tianyang suddenly sighed: “His Majesty... is ill, that’s why he moved here.”

“What illness?” Fang Zheng Yi asked nervously.

“It’s not a serious illness.” Guo Tianyang smacked his lips and said, “He’s getting forgetful, always sleepy, and his physical strength is also poor... He’s made a few embarrassing mistakes, and the imperial physicians have examined him a few times but couldn’t find anything wrong. They prescribed some soothing soup, but it didn’t help. His Majesty felt that he might make more embarrassing mistakes in the palace, so he moved here.”

Alzheimer’s disease?

This thought struck Fang Zheng Yi like a bolt from the blue.

The Jing Emperor was clearly very healthy when he left, how could such a thing suddenly happen after more than a year?

If it’s really this disease... it can’t be solved at all...

“Brother Xian, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious! Everyone gets like this when they get old.”

“I’ll observe him.” Fang Zheng Yi frowned.

At this time, the door of the study opened, and Prince Wu walked out, looking a little tired.

He pointed to the door for Fang Zheng Yi.

Fang Zheng Yi quickly ordered the guards at the door to watch Prince Wu and went straight into the study.

As soon as he entered the study, he was greeted by the Jing Emperor’s smiling face.

“Sit down.”

Fang Zheng Yi sat down and saw teacups and teapots on the table, and quickly poured a cup of tea for the Jing Emperor.

His eyes intentionally or unintentionally stared at his hand.

“Father, drink tea.”

The Jing Emperor happily said okay, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The hand holding the tea trembled slightly.

This should never have been the hand of a warrior...

A sense of sadness suddenly welled up in Fang Zheng Yi’s heart.

The hero is old, and ultimately cannot defeat the swift knife of time.

After the Jing Emperor finished drinking the tea, he said: “You have a heart, Zheng Yi, those greeting memorials of yours...”

“That’s nothing, this son relies on filial piety to live!”

The Jing Emperor laughed and waved his hand: “I wanted to ask you, how did you write these memorials, they are never the same, and you even add two wonderful lines of poetry on holidays.”

“I had a dream before, dreaming that the Star of Literature descended to earth. I see that you don’t seem to study much, but your literary talent is so outstanding, it seems that you really might be the Star of Literature in your previous life.”

“It seems that my secret has been discovered by Father.” Fang Zheng Yi smiled.

The Jing Emperor was stunned: “I said you are the Star of Literature descending to earth, aren’t you being too immodest?”

“Who said I’m not?”

“You... what do you mean? Tell me quickly!”

“I’m just kidding, Father, how could this son be the Star of Literature descending to earth, I just have a richer life experience, I’ll tell you when I have time. By the way, Father, why don’t you ask about the situation on the Western Front?”

“Yes... on the battlefield, the reports are too brief, tell me in detail.”

......