GDT (bl)

81-85

Green Dragon Totem_Chapter 81_NovelHi

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     In the second year of Xianqing, the current Emperor designated Luoyang as the Eastern Capital. He wantonly renovated the Luoyang Palace, to the point that the palaces and pavilions within the palace stood in great numbers. It was magnificent and solemn, no less than Chang An.

The river produced pictures, the luo produced books, and the saints followed.

The three generations lived in Heluo. The older the Emperor was, the more he liked to live in the Luoyang Palace. However, it was the first time in many years that he took the Crown Prince on an excursion.

The Crown Prince was more miserable. His sweetheart was dead, and his palace was burned down. His dear Big Brother Shan, who he had entrusted his life to, now had a straight face. He ordered the Yulin Royal Guards to protect him all day long, so he could not take a single step. He could not help but feel dispirited and suffocated.

Thus, when he came to the luxurious Luoyang Palace, he felt refreshed. Even the intermittent coughing of blood throughout the winter had lessened.

The Emperor was very happy to see this. That night, he held a banquet in Lin Zhi Palace. The Emperor and his officials enjoyed themselves together, happy and harmonious.

However, the officials were not fools. They knew why the Emperor was so happy. Once the Crown Prince recovered, he could abdicate.

The current Emperor could not be said to not be a benevolent ruler, but he was a bit too benevolent. In the early years, he relied on the Empress's help to clear out the old Guanlong clans. Later, the court was gradually controlled by the Empress and could not be taken back. Later on, he stayed in Luoyang for a long time and ordered the Crown Prince to be in charge of the country. The Crown Prince was weak and often ill, so he did not care about worldly affairs. All the court affairs, big and small, fell into the hands of Dai Zhide, Zhang Wenguan, and other important officials of the Eastern Palace.

Thus, all the political affairs were entangled by the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, and other forces. The efficiency was very slow, and they often made decisions that went south and north.

The Emperor had a headache over this. He wanted to clean up the court, but his head and eye problems were getting worse day by day. In the end, he could only give up. He was waiting for the Crown Prince to recover so he could abdicate and become a noble and leisurely retired Emperor.

The Crown Prince put the wine cup on the table and said, "Reward!"

Shan Chao could not help but pat the Crown Prince's shoulder. "Your Highness, drink less."

The Crown Prince did not drink too much, but it was not the wine that made him drunk. At this point, his face was flushed red. He waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. He then turned to ask the eunuch, "Who was the woman playing the pipa?"

The singers and dancers at the banquet were all offered by Luoyang's local officials and rich families. The pipa woman was dressed in plain clothes and wore a veil over her face. Her eyes seemed to be filled with endless gentleness. The Crown Prince had already ordered people to reward her twice, but Shan Chao really couldn't tell how exquisite her pipa playing was. He only felt that it couldn't compare to the little tune Xie Yun played when she rolled up the leaves in the desert.