To be honest, is Prince Li Zheng's fate good or bad?

In fact, it is difficult to generalize.

He was born to the empress of the previous Emperor Long'an, and was the legitimate son rather than the eldest. He had an ambitious older brother. According to common sense, when he grew up, he would most likely compete with his older brother for the favor of his mother and fight a life-and-death battle to protect the throne.

The prince was gentle and quiet by nature - he inherited his gentleness from his grandfather and his quietness from his mother. Neither of them was a good role model for a ruler. His mother was often worried and sickly, and her family had little power. The prince himself had no ambition and no backbone. He was very much in line with the temperament of Emperor Long'an Li Feng, and was crowned empress because of the emperor's favor.

However, even after being conferred the title, she is still a hopeless case. Compared with the line of the eldest prince and Concubine Lu in the past, she will definitely be cannon fodder in the future.

But fate is always unpredictable. When the young prince Li Zheng was only six or seven years old, peace was broken and the country was in chaos.

Li Zheng, who was in the deep palace, actually did not have a very vivid impression of those difficult years of war. He only remembered that the allowance for that year was exceptionally small. The capital city in early summer of that year was as hot as a boiler, purple mist was steaming in the west sky, and people inside and outside the palace walls were in panic. The palace maids and eunuchs entering and leaving did not smile at all. They were all trembling with fear and came and went in a hurry. His father had not been seen for several days, and the little prince was detained by his mother who was bedridden. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he could always hear the palace servants reporting in a low voice what was happening outside, and every three sentences they talked about were about the war.

The prince was too young to understand what the adults were talking about, but he remembered that this topic was always accompanied by his mother's low sobs.

Later, as the young prince grew up and began to understand the world around him, the situation in Daliang also improved little by little. Later, the court changed drastically, and the party of Concubine Lu, who had been eyeing the throne, fell apart overnight. The Lu family was convicted of treason, Concubine Lu was deposed and sent to the cold palace, and the eldest prince never recovered from the blow.

During that period, the Eastern Palace seemed to have suddenly become a hot commodity, and for the first time, the Crown Prince felt the ups and downs of power without knowing it, but he did not like it. The sage books taught by the Grand Tutor did not mention these dirty things, and he already felt uneasy beyond his age with some kind of innate sensitivity - he always felt that ups and downs meant turbulence, one time the palace was crowded with people, and the next time it was deserted.

Emperor Long'an had few children, the eldest son was of low status, the third prince's mother was of humble origin and was very young, so everyone thought that Crown Prince Li Zheng was the most honorable heir to the throne in Daliang - but before he could share this illusion with everyone else, he saw with his own eyes that his father died in the chaos of war.

That day, the little prince held the hand of the fourth uncle in the chaos of the army. He still treated himself as a child in his heart and witnessed the truth of power with the eyes of a child without any obstruction.

For Daliang, it marks the ascension of the new emperor and the starting point of a new era and new policies.

For the little prince in the deep palace, the whole world seemed to have changed.

The Queen was cowardly by nature and always told him to please his Fourth Uncle, because the lives of this orphan and widow would henceforth hang on his uncle's conscience and promise. None of the ministers could predict how long he could remain the Crown Prince, or how long he could live in the palace where he grew up.

Li Zheng used to like to be close to his uncle Li Min, but during that period, he felt very stressed when facing his fourth uncle. The friendly and knowledgeable little uncle suddenly became the emperor, and even the title had to change. Every day, the little prince listened to the half-understood government affairs, endured all kinds of considerations or meaningful looks from people around him, and went to pay respects to his uncle, and then went back to the East Palace to listen to his mother's endless worries.

His mother was never as good as Concubine Lu. She had no backbone of her own and no definite ideas of her own. She only transferred the pressure to her son, asking him to "do his best" every day in empty words.

But she had no idea what kind of person she wanted him to be, or what kind of person she hoped he would become in the future.

Everyone has his own confusion and difficulties when he is young, for example, Gu Yun’s dilemma is the scattered Xuantie Camp, the dilemma of Emperor Taishi Li Min is the terrible Wuergu and Gu Yun - and the dilemma of the young prince Li Zheng is his uncertain future.

But behind Gu Yun were tens of thousands of wind-cutting blades and the ancestors of the Gu family hanging high in the hall, while beside Chang Geng was a little foster father who was always watching him and guiding him.

But Li Zheng was surrounded by fear and anxiety, and no one could show him a way out.

In the autumn of the fourth year of Taishi, after a frost, Li Zheng's mother died suddenly after suffering endless fear and worry during her lifetime. The emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to bury her with great ceremony.

The fifteen-year-old prince has grown into a teenager and has become silent day after day.

When the coffin was placed, Chang Geng dismissed his attendants, walked in slowly, and gently pressed the shoulder of Li Zheng who was about to salute. Li Zheng did not insist. Under the urging of his mother, he tried his best to guess the likes and dislikes of the fourth uncle every day, and knew that he did not like others to be polite in private.

Li Zheng: "Your Majesty."

Chang Geng glanced at him, and the young man immediately changed his words awkwardly, "Uncle."

"My condolences."

Chang Geng gave instructions and politely paid respect to the emperor's sister-in-law whom he had never met. Just as he straightened up, he heard the little prince beside him say in a voice that was a bit labored due to his voice change: "I have no talent or virtue, and I am not fit for great use. Please ask the emperor's uncle to depose me from the position of crown prince."

Chang Geng frowned and raised his head.

This adopted nephew did not look as dignified and dignified as his father, but rather too handsome. The boy had a pale complexion and a thin body, with a melancholy in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows that had not changed over the years. He did not look like a precious descendant of the emperor.

After Li Zheng finished saying that, he seemed to have scared himself, with a look of trepidation on his face. Somehow, by coincidence, a gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside the mourning hall, which was not closed tightly. The trivial decorations under the steam palace lanterns made a few flickering sounds and hit the spirit tablet on the side. The tablet fell down, and the young prince was startled.

Chang Geng stood up calmly, propped up the spirit tablet respectfully, waved to the eunuchs who rushed in in fear, turned to his nephew, and asked, "I heard from the Master that you are very good at reading. Why do you suddenly think so?"

Li Zheng lowered his head and dared not speak.

Chang Geng paused, and then continued, "When you were little, you always chased me and asked me questions. I even made grass insects for you. How come you are estranged from your fourth uncle now that you are older?"

Li Zheng was speechless and stammered, "There is a difference between the ruler and the subject. The subject... I..."

Thinking about it carefully, Li Zheng had no demands on the little uncle before, he just simply liked him. Although he still lived in the palace all these years, he always felt that he was living under someone else's roof and dependent on him. When facing the uncle, he couldn't help but mix a lot of flattery and caution, which had already changed the nature of the situation.

As soon as Li Zheng saw Chang Geng's eyes, he knew that the Fourth Uncle who had saved the empire from collapse knew everything, and he felt even more ashamed of himself.

"Deposing and enthroning a crown prince is a major matter," Chang Geng replied indifferently, "The country has its own laws, and it is not something you and I can decide at will."

Li Zheng's face flushed, as if he was being too sentimental.

Chang Geng: "If there are some things you feel it is inconvenient to tell me, why not go and talk to Marquis Anding? He will leave Beijing next month to inspect the military affairs of the four borders. If you are interested, you can ask him to take you to see it."

Li Zheng was stunned.

Then Chang Geng laughed and said, "When Fourth Uncle was your age, he was also confused. That year, I had a big fight with my foster father who was ordered to look after me... Marquis Anding, and I insisted on running away from home. I followed Master Liaoran and General Zhong to travel all over Daliang and visited many places. I saw people struggling to make a living, and I also saw unruly people and bandits running rampant. I have seen more separations, joys and sorrows in the world, and sometimes the things that are weighing on your mind seem to become smaller."

No matter how ignorant the little prince was, he knew the importance of Marquis Anding, who held the black iron tiger talisman, in the court and the army. When he was young and ignorant, he was very curious about the legendary hero and had begged him to write calligraphy for him. Later, he didn't dare to do that. When his mother was alive, she kept him strictly confined in the palace and did not allow him to go out and make friends with court officials. She was afraid that her son would do something excessive and offend the new emperor, so he never set foot in the marquis's mansion again.

"Don't be afraid of him. He loved you very much when you were a child. Do you remember?" When Chang Geng mentioned Gu Yun, his eyes changed involuntarily, and he naturally showed a gentle smile.

The prince didn't react for a moment: "Gu...Gu Shuai?"

Chang Geng walked out of the mourning hall. The crown prince was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed. The eunuchs on both sides seemed to know that the uncle and nephew had something to say, and they automatically stepped aside. The young new emperor walked in front with his hands behind his back, and said to Li Zheng without hesitation: "I have no other heirs in mind for the time being. In a few years, I will pass the throne to you, but it will be a different country. When you sit in this position, you may find that the emperor cannot have his own say. The entire court, and even the world, has its own operating rules. There are laws above the heads, and the monarch and the ministers, and the ministers and the people restrict each other... You may even feel like a noble puppet."

These words were unheard of in the world, and Li Zheng was stunned after hearing them.

Chang Geng tilted his head and glanced at him: "I don't know if you can accept it."

Li Zheng: "I..."

"You don't have to reply to me now," Chang Geng smiled and reached out to press the boy's head. "You can go out and see the outside world first, and come back when you have thought it through. If it really doesn't work, I can find a way to adopt other heirs from the royal family. Don't think too much."

After saying this, Chang Geng walked away. He just came to the grave to sign in quickly and then went back to live outside the palace.

"Fourth Uncle," Li Zheng suddenly called out to him, "Why don't you want your own offspring?"

"I have been to the destination of my life. I have no regrets before and after my death. There is no need to leave any bloodline." Chang Geng paused, glanced at Li Zheng's confused face, shook his head and smiled, "You won't understand even if I tell you. You will understand when you grow up."

Li Zheng: “…”

Half a month later, the Emperor Tai Shi skillfully overcame all objections and approved the Crown Prince's request to accompany Marquis Anding on a tour of the four borders. Li Zheng followed Gu Yun and spent three months traveling across the entire territory by air, water, and steam rails. Then, as if he was addicted, he often found excuses to leave the capital, and was away from the palace for half a year out of the year.

Three years later, when Li Zheng turned eighteen, he went to the former Prince Yan's Mansion, now the Emperor's Villa, and chatted with Chang Geng for a whole night, trying to persuade Chang Geng to agree to let him bring enough guards and join the sea caravan led by Master Du to go to wider places overseas.

Although it was called a merchant caravan, it was actually accompanied by dozens of long and short dragon boats. In addition to the leader Mr. Du and others, there were also a number of elite Daliang navy soldiers and Lingshu Academy masters led by Cao Chunhua, Liaoran and others to escort them. In addition to trade goods, they also brought letters from the country and negotiation treaties. They traveled east and west, roaming the four seas, and returned after five years.

After Li Zheng came back, he laughed at himself, saying that with his dull and mediocre qualifications, he could not be ranked among the several generations of the Li family, but he was definitely the one who had gone the furthest into the wild.

In the eighteenth year of Taishi, Gu Yun handed back the Black Iron Tiger Talisman and resigned. A few months later, Crown Prince Li Zheng took over the throne from his uncle, whose words were law. He abolished the reign title and established a new calendar that was applicable to all countries, thus continuing the new era that had been steadily established after eighteen years of trial and error by the predecessors.

At this point, the mountains and rivers remain the same, and the world is peaceful.