Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2419: Chapter 2420: Strange Rules

This, this Emperor looks just like someone!

Bai Ruozhu quickly glanced at Jiang Yichun and the others, and indeed everyone looked somewhat surprised because the Emperor’s brows and eyes bore some resemblance to Fang Luo!

Especially those eyes, the Emperor’s eyes were not as wide apart as Lingzi’s, the distance between his eyes was similar to people from Zhongyuan. But the indentation above his eyelids was exactly like Fang Luo’s!

No, more precisely, he resembled Fang Luo’s father, Fang Qing, even more.

Others weren’t as shocked as Bai Ruozhu because they hadn’t seen Fang Qing multiple times in the Illusory Realm like Bai Ruozhu had.

Jiang Yichun had also seen Fang Qing, but he was used to keeping a cold face, so there wasn’t much change in his expression.

Bai Ruozhu quickly calculated in her mind, could there be a connection between the Emperor and the Merfolk?

It’s not impossible, Fang Qing could go from Merfolk Island to Danliang Country, so Merfolk could also go to Fusang Country. Perhaps the Emperor’s ancestors were related to Fang Qing by blood.

Luckily, Fang Luo hasn’t appeared in the last couple of days, otherwise, if they were to face the Emperor, things would become rather unclear.

Everyone paid respects to the Emperor, who politely told them there was no need for formalities. The Emperor could also speak Chinese, better than General Chisong, but not comparable to She Zongyi’s Chinese pronunciation.

”You’ve come a long way, hard work indeed,” the Emperor said politely.

The Crown Prince beside him snorted coldly and said, ”Father is too kind, they should be properly punished for not understanding etiquette and rules.”

The Emperor’s face slightly darkened, ”All who come are guests, their lack of understanding is normal, let’s not mention this again.”

”Father!” The Crown Prince exclaimed, ”In their eyes, is there even a Father? They went to see General Chisong first. Such envoys should consider it courteous not being executed directly.”

Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes, this Crown Prince hasn’t ascended yet and is already this arrogant, even daring to contradict the current Emperor, really a fortress.

In contrast, the Emperor seemed kind-eyed and didn’t appear like a bad-tempered person, probably because of this, he was easy to bully.

But in Danliang Country, isn’t it the case that only when the previous Emperor passes away can a prince succeed?

Looking at the Emperor, he seemed in good health, with good spirits, aged not even fifty, why pass the throne to the Crown Prince so soon?

”Huairen, you will ascend as Emperor next month, about to grant amnesty to the world, why not show mercy to guests from Zhongyuan’s Danliang Country, and display your kindness?” The Emperor said gently.

The Crown Prince finally nodded in agreement, but his gaze at Bai Ruozhu and the others was quite unfriendly.

Bai Ruozhu secretly observed the Crown Prince several times, during which he didn’t utter a word, keeping his head lowered, appearing very low-key, but Bai Ruozhu noticed, his eyes were wandering, his mind completely absent from the conversations between the Emperor and Crown Prince.

Fusang Palace is indeed complex; it’s better if they keep their distance.

Then Li Jin handed over the gift list, also saying some congratulatory words, the Emperor was delighted to find Buddhist scriptures on the list and immediately ordered them to be taken out, not even looking at anything else.

At this moment, the Crown Prince suddenly raised his head, smiling warmly, ”After Father abdicates next month, he intends to convert to Buddhism, his usual favorite is Buddhist scriptures, thank you.”

The Crown Prince showed a disdainful expression, murmured something under his breath, Bai Ruozhu had good hearing, she heard a sentence in Fusang Language she couldn’t understand, but silently noted it down, intending to ask Lingzi about it later.

The Emperor seemed somewhat reclusive, after thanking everyone, he didn’t invite them to join him for a meal, instead saying arrangements would be made to discuss the details of commerce.

Several people bid farewell and left the palace, halfway through they were chased by the Crown Prince from behind.

”Please wait, gentlemen!” The Crown Prince’s Chinese was also quite good.

Bai Ruozhu and the others stopped, turned, and looked at him.

”What’s the matter with the Crown Prince?” Jiang Yichun asked.

The Crown Prince hastily approached, his cheeks slightly flushed, a bit out of breath.

”I just want to ask boldly, earlier when you saw my Father, why did you look surprised? Is it because there is something wrong with my Father’s health?” The Crown Prince asked nervously.

Bai Ruozhu squinted her eyes, ”Why does the Crown Prince think so?”

The Crown Prince smiled somewhat shyly, ”To be honest, before you arrived, my younger brother had already reported your situation, mentioning one of you was responsible for medical affairs in Danliang Country’s Imperial Palace. I’ve heard Zhongyuan’s medical skills are formidable, so I couldn’t help but worry.”

This explanation wasn’t problematic, indeed Jiang Yichun introduced Bai Ruozhu this way yesterday at General Chisong’s banquet.

Quite a few dignitaries were present then, it was naturally going to spread.

”The Crown Prince has misunderstood, in our Danliang Country, only when the Emperor is aged or passes away do princes ascend. Because we heard the Crown Prince will ascend next month, we were surprised to see the Emperor still so young,” Bai Ruozhu explained.

The Crown Prince sighed in great relief, his smile relaxed significantly, ”There is a rule in Fusang Country, the Emperor must abdicate before fifty. Although my Father is forty-five this year, he is deeply devoted to Buddhism, seeing my younger brother capable, he wishes to retire early and embrace Buddhism.”

Unexpectedly, Fusang Country has such a rule, Li Jin and Mo Beishan were quite shocked, yet Bai Ruozhu and Tang Feng could understand, after all, in modern times, leaders retire at a certain age too.

As for Jiang Yichun, having spent much time with Bai Ruozhu, his thinking also progressed significantly, understanding this well.

The Crown Prince bowed to everyone, ”Apologies for the disturbance, it was my overthinking.”

Bai Ruozhu and the others returned the greeting before leaving the Imperial Palace.

En route, everyone was discussing Fusang Country’s rule, Li Jin shook his head saying, ”The Emperor is forty-five, indeed vigorous, retiring would be a grievance, the rule is not favorable.”

Bai Ruozhu glared at him, saying, ”There’s nothing bad about it, as people age, their bodies and energy falter, holding on to a position might not be beneficial. Historically, many emperors were elderly and sickly, leading to succession struggles among heirs or having external relatives and eunuchs seize control, which ultimately isn’t good for the nation or people.”

Li Jin opened his mouth wide, looking at her in shock, probably wondering how she could express such rebellious words?

Bai Ruozhu shrugged, with the Emperor far away, she would speak her mind freely, who could manage it?

”In our Wulin family, there’s a similar rule, the patriarch must retire before fifty and hide away in the secret realm of the clan, without further involvement in family affairs,” Mo Beishan suddenly said, ”Though that family isn’t ranked in the top three in River Jiang, it remains enduring, one of the oldest families. Initially, I felt their rule was odd, having the patriarch retreat before fifty meant they might not hold grandchildren for long, but now I understand their intention.”