Free Web NovelChapter 1230: Chapter 193: The Era Name Tianyou
The night before the coronation, Zhao Yao still stayed at the Prince Han’s Mansion.
In the courtyard of the Prince Han’s Mansion, Zhao Yao, Prince Chu, and Prince Wei, the three brothers, sat together drinking and chatting. Of course, they were drinking fruit wine. Even if they drank all night, they wouldn’t get drunk.
Both Prince Chu and Prince Wei could see that Zhao Yao wasn’t joyous about his imminent coronation. Not only was Zhao Yao not happy, but he was also worried. They thought Zhao Yao was unhappy because he didn’t want to be emperor and was forced by reality to do so. In fact, Zhao Yao’s unhappiness wasn’t about becoming emperor officially, but because Prince Wei only had a few days left to live. Additionally, the heavy responsibilities of Great Zhou and its people weighed on his shoulders.
Prince Wei reached out to stop Zhao Yao from picking up the wine jug, gently advising, "Tenth brother, you have to wake up before dawn for the coronation tomorrow, better not drink anymore, lest you miss the auspicious hour."
Prince Chu also advised, "Tenth brother, you’ve had enough to drink."
Zhao Yao listened and didn’t reach for the wine jug again.
"Eighth brother, what were you thinking before your coronation?"
Prince Wei thought for a moment and said, "Not much. If I must say, it was that my lifelong dream was finally coming true."
Zhao Yao asked, "Were you happy then?"
Prince Wei shook his head and said, "Not really." He too thought he would be excited since his long-held wish was finally coming true. "I wasn’t happy nor nervous, my heart was very calm," calm to a point that he found it incredible.
"Ah, not happy? Why?" Not only Zhao Yao was surprised, but Prince Chu was also shocked.
"Perhaps because before the coronation, I served as a regent for a while, and lost the thrill, so I was calm the night before and on the day of the coronation," Prince Wei smiled, "And maybe it’s because I always knew I would become emperor, so I wasn’t very excited."
"Weren’t you nervous, weren’t you afraid you might be a bad emperor?" Since returning to the capital, Zhao Yao had been acting as regent, handling state affairs, yet didn’t feel nervous at all. But tonight, he suddenly felt the pressure and felt constrained.
Prince Wei smiled and said, "No fear, because I know you are there."
Zhao Yao was slightly taken aback by these words.
Prince Wei continued, "I know that no matter what I do, even if I really cause chaos in the court, throwing the world into turmoil, you will be there to restore order and bring peace to the world."
Seeing this trust from Prince Wei, Zhao Yao couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Eighth brother, you really have faith in me."
"I believe you have that ability," Prince Wei added, "Besides, you can’t bear to see the people suffer."
Listening to Zhao Yao and Prince Wei’s conversation, Prince Chu understood what Zhao Yao was thinking at this moment.
"Tenth brother, believe in yourself."
Prince Wei glanced at Prince Chu, understanding his signal. He stood up, patting Zhao Yao’s shoulder, "Tenth brother, it’s getting late, you should go to sleep early." With that said, he walked behind Prince Wei and pushed him away.
Zhao Yao did not follow. He watched the backs of Prince Chu and Prince Wei as they left, feeling a bit of an ache in his eyes, thinking how wonderful it would be if things could always be this way. But, fate was not on their side; Prince Wei had only ten days left to live, and Prince Chu only a few years more.
Sitting in the courtyard, Zhao Yao cupped his face in his hands, staring at the bright and beautiful moon in the night sky. After a while, he collected his thoughts, stood up, dusted himself off, and headed to his bedroom.
At this point, it was no use in being sentimental or unwilling. Starting tomorrow, he would be the emperor and had to be responsible for the people of Great Zhou.
Meanwhile, in Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager sat leaning against the Supreme Emperor, chatting with him.
The upper half of the Supreme Emperor’s body had mobility, but the lower half remained paralyzed. His mind had regained clarity, though his speech was still not as clear. However, it was much better than before.
"I never thought I’d live to see the day that brat got crowned," to the Supreme Emperor, being alive to witness Zhao Yao’s coronation was an unbelievable thing.
The Empress Dowager taunted the Supreme Emperor, "How could you not have known? You’ve calculated everything; how could you have not foreseen tomorrow?"
The Supreme Emperor felt a bit guilty from the implication. He offered a sycophantic smile to the Empress Dowager, "I truly didn’t foresee this day."
The Empress Dowager doubted the Supreme Emperor’s words, her gaze suspiciously falling on him.
The Supreme Emperor quickly changed the topic, "There is something I haven’t told you all along."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s attention immediately shifted, eagerly asking, "What else have you been hiding from me?"
"That year when you were pregnant with our tenth child, I had a dream."
