The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 182 Itchy Scalp
After the emperor recovered, he naturally no longer had to worry about contracting smallpox, and he quickly called the queen to have dinner and chat with him.

Jia Rong and the emperor ate while sitting on the bed, while the queen ate alone at a small table below.

It's not that they can't eat together, nor is it that they are avoiding suspicion, it's just that the emperor thinks Jia Rong's status is higher than the queen, and since he recovered from his illness, the emperor doesn't want to see the queen anymore.

The Queen actually had no objection. Jia Rong had seen and touched her whole body, and he held her in his arms and fed her medicine when she was at her weakest. She also walked out with Jia Rong's encouragement. Her heart was already shaken.

The emperor looked at Jia Rong and said, "Brother, how do you think we should handle our father's funeral?"

Jia Rong replied respectfully, "The Emperor has instructed that state affairs should be the most important. Now the princes and nobles have just returned from their trips before the Spring Festival. If we summon them back again, it may harm the foundation of the country."

"I suggest that the remains of the retired emperor be placed in the Zhongxiao Palace and that the funeral be kept secret for the time being. Once the emperor is familiar with state affairs, it will be in time to hold the funeral in the next two years."

Of course, the others had no objection. The emperor also knew that Jia Rong was giving him face and did not mention the fact that the princes were refusing to come to Beijing.

Even if the funeral was held now, those princes refused to come, and they were collectively disobeying the order. If things went wrong, he, the new emperor, would be isolated.

The emperor asked carefully: "It has been delayed for so long, will something happen?"

Jia Rong said, "No, the emperor has said that if the emperor can put state affairs first, it is the greatest filial piety. We must not let the emperor down for his efforts over the years. Everything should proceed according to plan."

There was nothing wrong with Jia Rong's proposal, and the others also wanted to stabilize the situation first.

And that is exactly what the retired emperor said at that time.

Under the suggestion of Jia Rong, the King of Loyalty and Filial Piety, the emperor naturally had a reputation and didn't care about the funeral for the time being.

During this month, people in the capital were in a state of panic.

None of the princes from all over the country want to come to the capital.

There is no need to rebel. With so many things happening over the years, everyone believes that being a foreign prince is much more comfortable than being an emperor.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but say, "Thanks to my brother, otherwise I would have died just like my uncle Gongshun!"

Jia Rong said: "This is my duty. The Emperor has been very kind to me. If something happens to the Emperor, the country will be in danger. How can I face the Emperor?"

The emperor was very grateful to Jia Rong. Before his death, the emperor instructed that Jia Rong could only be conferred the title of prince posthumously.

But now is not that time. The emperor feels that even if the emperor emeritus were still alive, he would still make Jia Rong a prince.

Without Jia Rong, he would be just one of those thousands of people, and the throne of this family would fall into the hands of those indifferent relatives!

No one even dares to inherit the throne, the country will no longer exist!!

The emperor became very angry when he thought of those indifferent relatives.

"The Prince of Loyalty and Filial Piety has made great contributions to the country! He deserves to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! He will be promoted to the Prince of Loyalty and Filial Piety immediately!"

Jia Rong said: "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. I should go home and have a good rest. I am very tired recently. I would like to take a few months off to have a good rest."

The emperor quickly said, "There are still many things to do in the court. Would you like to come to the cabinet to help me?"

Jia Rong said, "I am really tired. Can we wait until the summer is over? Besides, I have always been concerned with medical matters, not the affairs of the court. If there is a need to fight a war, I would like to try."

The emperor did not want Jia Rong to go out to fight, and hurriedly said, "Absolutely not!"

He was not worried about military power, but worried that something might happen to Jia Rong.

The Queen looked at Jia Rong and asked, "Is there any reward that the Emperor would like? I heard that Father always gives you whatever you ask for."

Not only the Emperor, but the Queen also respects Jia Rong very much, unlike the Crown Princess who is always looking for trouble.

Jia Rong lowered his head and was very respectful.

In fact, I didn’t want to go see the pockmarked couple because I was afraid I would burst out laughing.

Hahahahaha!
Jia Rong was trying hard to think about sad things, and it would be disrespectful to the patient if he laughed.

Jia Rong dares to directly scold the emperor and expose his shortcomings, but sometimes he is very professional and respectful.

The emperor smiled and said, "The queen is right. Brother, just tell me what reward you want!"

Jia Rong looked thoughtful, thinking about what he needed.

The emperor and the empress were not in a hurry. They sat face to face with Jia Rong and waited for him to think it over carefully.

"I am already powerful at a young age, and my family has not lacked money over the years because of the rewards from the Emperor. If I think about it carefully, I probably just lack some free time to spend with my family."

Jia Rong still didn't want anything, he just wanted to have some free time.

But the emperor did not want Jia Rong to retire, nor did he want him to leave the capital.

The murderer who killed the retired emperor is still at large. The emperor has been living in fear for the past month and can only sleep in the same hall with Jia Rong before he can rest in peace.

"How about this, I will allow you to return to the palace to rest for a while, but now there are many fewer people inside and outside the court. If you encounter any problems, my brother will come to help as soon as possible."

Jia Rong agreed, "This is my duty, Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. If there is a position, someone will naturally take it. Now that the flowers have temporarily faded, it is not appropriate to mobilize a large army."

"Your Majesty has used the days instead of the months to mourn for the retired emperor and the empress for twenty-seven days. Why not let the princes and nobles in the city also mourn for twenty-seven days instead of several months?"

"Now is a special period, so naturally, special measures must be taken. Even if the emperor knows about this, he would definitely hope to stabilize the country first, and future generations will just have to follow the rules."

"Starting from the day the Emperor passed away, thinking back to the many things that have happened in the past month, I think that no matter the princes and nobles or the common people, they all hope that these days will pass and never come again. Grief for too long will easily lead to serious illness. The people should also be lively and joyful instead of mourning, and not be too harsh."

The Empress showed a look of joy but had to hold it back. The Emperor had been in mourning for 27 days in order to ascend the throne, but as the Empress she would have to do so for more than a year. She could not even watch any plays and had to dress appropriately.

In fact, the Empress observed mourning several times longer than Jia Rong.

The emperor also thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Since my father has asked my brother to take charge of this matter, I will do as my brother says."

Jia Rong didn't care about this matter before, but now that he has been brought into the royal family, in order to live comfortably, he naturally has to use the sky instead of the moon, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable.

Jia Rong renegotiated many unreasonable things.

In order not to appear unfilial, the emperor added that this was a special period and that future generations should abide by the ancestral rules unless there were special circumstances.

The new emperor is much easier to talk to than the old one, but he is also more easily fooled by villains and cannot distinguish between good and bad.

Jia Rong still missed the retired emperor and regretted that he had been too harsh.

Jia Rong couldn't help but regret again. Why did I hit him?

I can’t remember... Never mind.

Jia Rong, who did not like to hold grudges, soon forgot about this incident and participated in the appointment of some court officials and the emperor's pensions to his ministers.

The emperor still did not let Jia Rong leave the palace immediately. He was still busy with the coronation ceremony and rewarding meritorious officials. Only then would he officially announce Jia Rong's identity as the King of Loyalty and Filial Piety.

If Jia Rong had not insisted on leaving, the emperor would really have taken Jia Rong's woman to the palace and kept her there.

The Queen also wanted Jia Rong to live in the palace for the rest of his life so that they could see each other often.

Jia Rong doesn't want anything to happen between him and the pockmarked Queen, and the Emperor has the same idea. He has already begun to distance himself from the pockmarked Queen.

Unable to return home, Jia Rong could only walk around the palace and was often summoned by the emperor to attend meetings.

When there was no meeting, Jia Rong could walk around freely. Not to mention the Queen's bed, he had slept in the Emperor's bed more than a dozen times.

The emperor discussed state affairs with the surviving court officials. Fortunately, the emperor emeritus was very far-sighted and had trained him to handle state affairs a few years ago.

After being educated by the Grand Emperor and no longer believing in the Confucian doctrines, he began to behave like the Grand Emperor in many things.

As Jia Rong listened to these boring things, he suddenly felt his scalp itchy.

After thinking for a few seconds, Jia Rong sat down and said, "Your Majesty, I have a request."

The emperor quickly looked towards Jia Rong and said, "Brother, please speak directly. I am listening."

Several of the emperor's teachers and important officials of the court were looking at the King of Loyalty and Filial Piety.

Although I know that this guy is a heretic, he is indeed a loyal minister.

There is a reason why the emperors of two dynasties valued him. It is not surprising that he was made a king since he was able to turn the tide and save the emperor and empress this time.

If an ordinary imperial physician saves the emperor, he is definitely not qualified to be crowned king, and all the ministers will oppose it.

But Jia Rong was a prince at the beginning. As a prince, he saved the country and served the people, so it was right for him to be conferred the title of prince.

Jia Rong was granted the title of Prince by the retired emperor. Before that, he was a Duke. Seven generations of his family had performed their duties faithfully and were loyal to the court for generations, so it was not excessive to reward them. Anyway, the meritorious nobles all thought that this was a good thing and there was no need to pave the way for future generations.

Jia Rong, whose scalp was itchy, said, "Your Majesty, I have thought over and over again, and I feel that it would not be good for me to do nothing at home while the coffins of the retired emperor and the empress are in the Zhongxiao Palace, so I want to shave my head and practice at home, praying for the retired emperor and the empress. This way, I won't have to mobilize a large number of people, and I can do more things while refining medicine at home."

The emperor was so moved that he almost cried, "Royal brother..."

Seeing the emperor's pockmarked face, Jia Rong could hardly hold back his laughter. He quickly stood up and lowered his head:

"Please grant me your permission! My hair can grow back if it is lost, but I will not be at peace if I don't do something now! I also want to become a monk and practice for you, to help you deal with disasters, and to pray for your Majesty to live long!"

Loyal minister! The emperor quickly clenched his fists, "Please allow the loyal and filial prince to become a monk for me and pray for my father, the emperor and my mother!"

Jia Rong respectfully agreed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The emperor continued to discuss major state affairs.

After the matter was over, Jia Rong, who had shaved his head, went to the Taimiao to worship his ancestors and thank them for protecting the emperor and allowing him to survive.

Although the emperor and Jia Rong both felt that it was Jia Rong's credit, the procedure still had to be followed.

He also sent someone back to tell his family about Jia Rong's matter, in case his family members wouldn't recognize him after he shaved his head.

After personally delivering the coffins of the retired emperor and the empress to Prince Xiaoqin's mansion, Jia Rong, who had been cooped up for more than a month, quickly stayed there for a night and recognized himself as a relative of the lonely Princess Jinling.

I didn't get home until early the next morning.

Although many people on the street looked at the short-haired man strangely, Jia Rong didn't want to pay attention to them.

After suffering a series of blows, not only the emperor and the retired emperor became obedient, but even Jia Rong himself became obedient.

All the officials in the capital and princes from other places also became obedient, and all wanted to live a peaceful life.

I forgot what happened in the first month of the year.

Several princes’ funerals were held in February.

March and April seemed to be uneventful.

It's May now.

For Jia Rong, many things were blurry, and five months seemed like a year.

For those princes who are qualified to inherit the throne, the capital has been particularly weird in recent years, so it is best to take care of the aftermath before coming.

Even the royal relatives and children of meritorious service in the Beijing camp no longer wanted to be promoted.

Military officers die quickly, civil officials die quickly, and as long as they are in the capital, they die quickly.

Not long after Jia Rong left the palace, several ministers came to see the emperor.

"Your Majesty! There is only one foreign prince in the capital, Prince Zhongxiao, and he is the only duke. I ask Your Majesty to summon Prince Fu, Prince Ning, Prince Zhennan, and Prince Donghai to the capital!"

The emperor looked at his masters with an indifferent heart, but nodded and said, "Okay, quickly send an order to have the four uncles come to the capital to take up their posts and receive their rewards!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Several senior officials were happy. It seemed that the emperor did not trust Jia Rong that much and he had to check and balance King Zhongxiao!
The four princes are bored and come here to seek death. When the emperor had something to do, these people ran away overnight.

Do you really think that the fact that thousands of royal relatives in the capital had died can be hidden from the princes in various places?
Why did the three kings die on the same day last year? Why did the three kings die on the same day again this year?

Not to mention becoming a high-ranking official in Beijing, they wouldn't even come to become emperor. These people really don't want to be emperor.

From the former emperor who was frightened to death, to the retired emperor who was beaten so many times that his balls were finally lost and died of disease, to the current emperor who narrowly escaped death from smallpox just after ascending the throne and had countless pits on his face and body.

Over the past decade or so, princes from all over the country have been watching. They are neither blind nor stupid.

The four princes soon collectively claimed to be sick and refused to go. Although the four princes were from different places, they all knew that if they went they would die together, so they tacitly agreed to collectively disobey the order.

The actions of the four princes were not surprising, and the emperor actually knew that this situation would occur.

But after receiving this reply, he was still furious and even hated the ministers who had given him the advice.

(End of this chapter)