Chapter 795 - 380
The Grand Princess shook her head softly, speaking tenderly, "Let’s play ’house’ again, but I don’t want to be your Little Empress Dowager anymore, I want to be your Little Princess."
Emperor Qianwu was cautious and never ate food from outside the palace. But he drank the Calming Soup nonetheless. Although it was of no real use, it still sweetened his heart.
The roads were sealed by heavy snow, making travel difficult. Liang Jinzhao, accompanied by the Old Fairy and Hongji, hastened back to the Capital City; by the time they arrived, it was already the twentieth day of the first month in the new year.
When the Old Fairy entered the palace, Emperor Qianwu had already been tormented by nightmares for more than two months, having lost so much weight that he was unrecognizable.
Emperor Qianwu was currently leaning against the dragon bed. Seeing Master Beikong arriving, he spoke anxiously, "Old Fairy, I dare not sleep, for whenever I do, I dream of Great Qian suffering disasters, rebellions rising in all places. It has been over a hundred years, and my Zhu family has built Great Qian into a prosperous and powerful kingdom. I cannot let it be ruined in my hands..."
As he spoke, tears began to flow.
Master Beikong clasped his hands together in prayer and said, "Amitabha, the situation the Emperor speaks of may exist or may not exist; everything depends on a single thought."
Emperor Qianwu said, "What do you mean? Please enlighten me. If the scenes from my dreams could be made nonexistent, and the Zhu dynasty could be passed down through generations, I would willingly lay down my life and die without regret."
Master Beikong replied, "Your Majesty is a person of rare determination and someone who can both grasp and let go. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made that vow. In fact, people often have a much broader perspective when they are outside of a situation. It is said that whoever ties the bell on the tiger’s neck must also untie it. Me has said all that need be said; Your Majesty, please ponder this carefully."
Having said this, he rose and left.
Watching the Old Fairy’s vanishing figure, Emperor Qianwu remembered. He disliked making promises, but once he had given his word, he had to fulfill it. There was just one vow, yet to expire, he was already preparing to break. It wasn’t that he intentionally wanted to breach his promise; it was because he was worried about Jinjin, who was far too kind and benevolent. He wanted to build the realm even more solidly before passing it on.