Chapter 32: The Heart is Settled (1)
When taking Menghan to where he was going, Zhao Ziyin's mind still flashed back to the conversation he had with Zhao Ziheng not long ago...
--remember--
"The Emperor doesn't want to marry a princess, does he?"
Zhao Ziheng, who had just finished the morning court, was on his way back to the imperial study when he was stopped by Zhao Ziyin. Then the two of them walked forward together...
"How do you know?"
"I can see it on your face."
Zhao Ziheng didn't say anything.
"You don't want the princess to suffer the same fate as Queen Lin, do you?"
Zhao Ziyan's words hit the nail on the head for Zhao Ziheng, which had become an untouchable pain in his heart.
"It's too early to make a conclusion about the dancer. It's too hasty to let you marry the princess now. It's fine if the dancer stays like this, but what if she wakes up again? Can you make sure that they won't be hurt? If Princess Quan does something because of this, I'm afraid you will be the only one who regrets it then, right?"
It is undeniable and cannot be denied that if Yin Yin wakes up, Zhao Ziheng will of course return to Yin Yin without saying a word. This will be the same as what he did to Lin Wei. Moreover, Lin Wei's thoughtfulness and understanding make him feel guilty towards her. Although Meng Han is still unclear, she will never be able to get his love anyway, and will be placed in a lonely position by him like Lin Wei, which is too cruel.
"If it really develops to the point where both sides suffer, you will be the one who suffers the most, right? Not only that, what will the dancer think?"
Zhao Ziheng stopped. Yes, he had been carrying everything on his own shoulders all this time, without considering others at all, whether it was Yinyin or Lin Wei. Perhaps he had considered Yinyin's thoughts to some extent, but he had always ignored the thoughts of third parties, which led to Lin Wei's death. This made him feel very painful and unable to sleep or eat.
"It's better to refuse from the beginning, so that you can bear less pain. As for Princess Quan, I still haven't married yet. If you think it's okay, you can marry her to me--"
"Well!?"
Hearing Zhao Ziyin's words, Zhao Ziheng opened his eyes wide and looked at Zhao Ziyin...
"A political marriage is fine. Besides, I don't care about my marriage in the first place. I even guessed that my marriage would be related to a political marriage. Since it is a matter of time, it is not a bad idea to accept it now."
"you--"
"emperor--"
Just when Zhao Ziheng wanted to say something, Zhao Ziyin interrupted him...
"I have my own awareness. Feelings can be cultivated slowly. There may be many people who can replace me, but you are different. Please be more self-aware. It is not something that can be solved by your willingness to bear it. And you don't have to bear all this, for the sake of the country. If you marry Princess Quan, it will only make you feel more ashamed of Queen Lin. I don't know what kind of person the dancer is, but she can make you willing to give up everything to cherish her. So let it be, you don't have to bear such a heavy burden, leave me——"
Maybe Zhao Ziyin didn't know Zhao Ziheng very well, but he knew a little about his feelings for Yinyin. Lin Wei alone had hurt him a lot, and if Menghan was added, it was conceivable. Zhao Ziyin could guess that when that time came, the pain Zhao Ziheng would have to bear would be enough to completely break Zhao Ziheng, who had been holding on all the time, and he would never recover. As a minister and a citizen of the Great Zhao, Zhao Ziyin had to avoid these things. Since he could do it, why didn't he bear some of it? Let the hatred be transferred to him, or he just wanted to share some of the pain for Zhao Ziheng, who had been tortured by this emotional entanglement. Since he knew Zhao Ziheng's feelings, he did resent Zhao Ziheng at first, and never thought of working for Zhao Ziheng, who was shaken by his children's love, but since such a long contact, he has completely changed his mind, and is even willing to work hard for him until his death. This is the awareness of a loyal minister dedicating himself to the monarch he recognizes.
"……Thank you--"
Zhao Ziheng admitted that his thoughts were too naive, and that no amount of words could express his gratitude to Zhao Ziyan for his long-term dedication to him, but he still said it.
"Don't push yourself too hard. From the moment you chose your country, don't shoulder everything by yourself. Zhao needs you more than you think. The problem we are solving now is only temporary. There will be greater disasters waiting for us later, so please take good care of yourself."
“… Okay, I understand!”
Regarding the last sentence, was Zhao Ziyin trying to comfort him as a subject or to show his concern as a relative? Zhao Ziheng seemed to have sensed Zhao Ziyin's intentions and did not speak in the usual way, and his tone was indeed much more relaxed?
——End of memories——
After Zhao Ziyan brought Menghan back to the palace, they came to a tower where the deceased members of the royal family of all dynasties were enshrined. It was a very magnificent and sacred place. The tower had a total of nine floors, which were differentiated according to royal bloodline, rank, and era. Of course, the founding emperor was enshrined at the highest point of the tower. The fifth to eighth floors were enshrined for emperors of all dynasties. The third and fourth floors were enshrined for the emperor’s direct relatives. The first and second floors were enshrined for qualified royal members who were differentiated according to their achievements.
"Where is this place?"
Looking at Meng Han with the words "Holy Spirit Temple" engraved above the main entrance of the tower, she wondered why Zhao Ziyan brought her here. The defenses here were relatively lax, and the number of people coming and going was very small.
"This is where the royal spirits are enshrined!"
"What?"
After listening to Zhao Ziyan's explanation, Meng Han was stunned and had no idea why Zhao Ziyan brought her here.
"This is the place where the emperor has come every day for more than a month—"
Looking at the tower in front of him, although it was majestic, it was also a little desolate. Why would Zhao Ziheng, a king, come here? Meng Han was a little interested.
"Why would he come here? Is being an emperor very free? Shouldn't Zhao be very busy during the recovery phase?"
At this moment, perhaps even Meng Han didn't know why she was interested in Zhao Ziheng? And it was so natural that she couldn't even imagine it.
"…If you want to know, come at midnight!"
Zhao Ziyin was more or less aware of Meng Han's interest in Zhao Ziheng, but he thought it was necessary. For Zhao Ziheng, he had to remove all obstacles that would stand in his way. Meng Han was not a problem, and even Yin Yin, he might think that he would kill her if she got in the way of Zhao Ziheng? He sincerely prayed that that moment would not come...
