Chapter 1473
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Chapter 1473 Return
After the palace coup, Lin Hao brought Chen Xi and the second son to a confrontation, and everything came to light.
As for how to handle it, Lin Hao did not overstep his bounds, but left it to the new Chuanzhu to decide.
The new lord was somewhat relieved to see that Lin Hao had not pressured him, even though all the palace guards had been replaced by Lin Hao's men, and everything was under Lin Hao's control.
But Lin Hao's refusal to openly confront him and the respect he showed him served as his last fig leaf.
But the second son is still his son, and the previous actions were only to train him. He would never be able to bring himself to kill someone.
Finally, after much deliberation, the eldest son, Yin Song, was exiled to the border. Lin Hao was speechless at this, thinking, "This is truly a female-oriented novel."
Who sends a prince who has failed in his rebellion to the border? Aren't they afraid of losing control and forming an alliance with a neighboring country to borrow troops to fight back?
In the end, Lin Hao had to help, so he arranged for someone to kill the second brother when he was passing through a forest.
As for the court officials who followed the second son, Yin Song, in forcing the emperor to abdicate, they were all dismissed from their posts and expelled from the court.
As for Zhao Fangru, Lin Hao also kept his promise and let her return to Mochuan. He even helped her cure her infertility caused by drinking infertile water for many years.
As for Hao Jia, Lin Hao gave her a new identity, making her his concubine in a low-key manner.
Shinkawa Palace finally returned to its former tranquility, but everyone could see that undercurrents were surging beneath this calm.
With so many official positions vacant, countless people were eager to advance, so they all became disciples of Lin Hao, and the imperial court was basically filled with Lin Hao's people.
Upon hearing that his second son had been killed in a wolf attack, the new Chuanzhu fell ill. The blood he had vomited in court that day had already drained him of all the energy and spirit he had accumulated over the decades.
Upon learning of his second son's death, he fell seriously ill and could not recover. Imperial physicians came and went, and he was given bowl after bowl of medicine, but his condition did not improve.
Lin Hao entered the palace every day to attend to the ailing patient, rain or shine.
That day, the new lord of the river was feeling slightly better. Leaning back on the soft couch, he looked at Lin Hao sitting by the bed and suddenly spoke:
"Sixth Brother, I have a question for you."
"Father, please speak!"
"Your second brother, is that you?!"
Looking into the eyes of the new Chuanzhu, Lin Hao said without any shame, "Father, do you think I can control those wild and untamed wolves?"
After observing Lin Hao for a while, the new Sichuan Lord gradually relaxed and then chuckled:
"So you've been waiting, waiting for me to say one thing?"
"I'm not in a hurry, I'm only twenty-two this year!" Lin Hao said with a smile, then looked at him calmly.
Xin Chuanzhu gave a wry smile: "You're smarter than your second brother. Smart people never rush for answers; they wait for others to give them to them."
He was silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"Throughout my life, I've schemed against too many people, and in the end, I even schemed against my own son. But it was all for the prosperity of Xinchuan!"
"The second brother hates me, the fourth brother is afraid of me, the third brother avoids me, and the fifth brother... the fifth brother is heartless and doesn't get close to me either."
He looked at Lin Hao, his eyes showing a hint of weariness, and said:
"Only you never ask me for anything, but I know that what you want most is something I can no longer give you."
Lin Hao lowered his eyes and said, "Father, you are overthinking it."
"Don't give me that!" the new Sichuan governor waved his hand and said.
"Although I am ill, I am not confused. I know very well what you are thinking. You are ambitious and want to accomplish great things!"
He took a roll of bright yellow silk from under his pillow and handed it to Lin Hao, saying, "This is what you wanted. You got a good deal!"
Lin Hao unfolded it and saw that it read: "Sixth Young Master Yin Zheng is hereby appointed as the Crown Prince of Xinchuan, to oversee the country immediately, and to inherit the throne upon the Emperor's passing."
"Father!"
"Don't thank me yet!" Shin Chuan interrupted Lin Hao.
"I'm giving this to you not only because you're to my liking, but also because you're the only one capable of continuing the glory of Shinkawa."
He closed his eyes and lowered his voice, saying:
"The second son is no good, the fourth son is even worse, the third son only cares about money, the fifth son doesn't have the brains, the seventh and ninth sons have no interest in this position, the tenth son is too arrogant, and the eleventh son is too young!"
"Only you, with your skill, courage, and ability, can win the respect of those people in the court!"
Lin Hao bowed deeply with both hands and solemnly said, "Your son will certainly not fail your father's expectations!"
The new Chuanzhu opened his eyes, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "I'm not dead yet. If you want to succeed to the throne, I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while."
Lin Hao stood up and put the silk into his sleeve.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the pale face of the new river lord. Gazing at the light, he murmured:
"I've done many wrong things in my life. The only right thing I did was give birth to you."
Lin Hao remained silent, not directly passing the throne to him. What were his true intentions? Having been emperor so many times, how could Lin Hao not know? He simply couldn't be bothered to care.
Otherwise, one day, the ten fingers might suddenly dissolve in water!
The new Chuanzhu waved his hand: "Go on, go and do your work. I'll leave the affairs of the court to you. You don't need to guard this place every day."
Lin Hao left the sleeping quarters, stood under the corridor, looked at the distant sky, and let out a long breath.
Having served as emperor so many times along the way, he didn't really care much for this so-called position of ruler of Sichuan.
However, since transmigrating to this world, he has already obtained what he wanted, and the end of the story is not far away.
······
The news of Lin Hao being named crown prince spread throughout Jiuchuan, but little changed in Jingyuan.
Li Wei still enjoys planting flowers and grass in the yard, but as her belly grows bigger, it becomes less convenient for her to move around.
Yuan Ying is also about to give birth, so all the household affairs can only be handled by Song Wu.
Song Wu and Li Wei were bickering, and Song Wu said, "I don't care to be a housekeeper!", while Song Wu was being disingenuous.
However, he secretly learned housekeeping from Yuan Ying and became quite competitive with Li Wei.
One evening, the three of them were enjoying the cool air in the courtyard.
Li Wei leaned back in her recliner, holding a round fan in her hand, fanning herself intermittently; her belly was already quite noticeable.
Even as Yuan Ying was about to give birth, she remained calm and quiet, reading a book. Song Wu, bored, played with the dog named Li Baifu.
“Sister Yuanying,” Li Wei suddenly spoke.
"Ah."
"What do you think will happen to Jingyuan when we move to the palace?"
Yuan Ying turned a page of the book and said calmly, "Keep it. Come back and stay whenever you want!"
Song Wu interjected, "The palace is so nice, so big and grand, I don't want to come back."
Li Wei rolled her eyes at her and said, "You've lived in the palace for so many years, haven't you had enough yet!"
"How could anyone get tired of living in the palace?" Song Wu asked, puzzled.
Yuan Ying put down her book, watched the two bickering, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
She's been at Jingyuan for so long that she's long been used to this kind of life.
Initially, because the Sixth Young Master wanted to promote Li Wei to the official position, she once thought that she would not fall in love with Lin Hao.
He immediately replanned his life, treating this place as a stepping stone, thinking that he would eventually return to Jinchuan.
But without realizing it, she found herself changing. Not to mention that Lin Hao had taken her on their wedding night, and she had unknowingly fallen in love with him.
With him around, I have nothing to fear or worry about.
Later, she became pregnant, and suddenly felt that those so-called careers and ideals became less important.
She didn't give up anything; rather, she unknowingly found another kind of fulfillment, and she liked that feeling.
"Sister Yuanying, what are you thinking about?" Li Wei asked when she saw her lost in thought.
Yuan Ying snapped out of her reverie and said calmly, "I'm thinking about what to name this child."
Song Wu leaned closer, her eyes wide, and said, "That's called Yin Xiaoliu! Or Yin Xiaozheng!"
Li Wei couldn't help but laugh and said, "How can a son have the same name as his father? My child will definitely be named Yin Xiaowei."
All three of them laughed.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the courtyard. In the distance, Lin Hao, returning from the palace, slowed his pace upon seeing this scene.
He stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching the three women chatting and laughing, and a warm feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
······
Although the new lord of Chuan was ill, he stubbornly persevered, and as time went on, the court became more and more stable.
Meanwhile, the third brother, Yin An, is in a good mood recently because Dong Haitang is pregnant.
Since the ladies moved out, the mansion has become much quieter. With Lin Hao's encouragement, they began to focus their attention on Dong Haitang.
At first, he thought it was useless, but gradually, he found that Haitang had changed.
She no longer had a stern face, no longer spoke to him sarcastically. After dinner that day, he had a sincere conversation with Dong Haitang, and finally asked her if she was willing to live a good life with him.
Haitang remained silent for a long time, then said something that he would never forget for the rest of his life:
"I've been married to you for so many years, and this is exactly what I've been waiting for you to say."
That night, they chatted like newlyweds, and Dong Haitang didn't take any contraceptive pills, and soon she became pregnant.
The third brother was overjoyed and ran to Jingyuan to brag to Lin Hao, only to be chased away by Li Wei with a laugh:
"Third Brother, you come three times a day, more often than other people go back to their parents' home!"
As for the seasonal girls, their Jiuchuan Food Fair did indeed do well at first, with customers lining up across the street to catch the novelty.
However, their good fortune didn't last long. Yuan Ying and Li Wei left, and other restaurants quickly learned their fusion cuisine, offering cheaper and more varied dishes. Jiuchuan Food Plaza's business declined day by day.
They started blaming each other. Some said the location was bad, some said the price was too high, and some said that so-and-so was lazy and unwilling to work. In the past, when they lived in the Third Prince's mansion, with the Third Prince protecting them, they didn't have to worry about anything.
Now that he's in charge of the household, he realizes how difficult it is to manage even the most mundane tasks like cooking and cleaning. Eventually, he annoyed Shangguan Jing so much that she left Jiuchuan Food Club.
At this point, having lost all its backing, Jiuchuan Food Club could barely survive, earning just enough to make ends meet, and life was not as good as they had imagined.
Frost sometimes reminds me of the days when I lived in the Third Prince's mansion. I didn't have to do anything, I had no worries about food or clothing, and I even received gifts during festivals.
Although the third brother is narcissistic and talkative, if you think about it carefully, he is actually really good to them.
But the thought was fleeting, and she was extremely unwilling to admit it. In the end, she told her sisters:
"At least we're free. If things really don't work out, we can just bring women to our restaurant from now on..."
The result almost caused another setback. Only those who have experienced it know whether it is sweet or bitter.
But not everyone agreed with her idea. For example, Da Shu suddenly said, "If I had known, I would have been better off staying in the mansion!"
The room suddenly fell silent. Xiaoman then said, "I heard that Sister Haitang is pregnant, she~!"
At this moment, they vaguely realized that not everyone was as obsessed as Bailu and Shuangjiang.
But at this point, they had no other choice!
When Lin Hao heard about their situation, he didn't say much, nor did he ask anyone to take care of them; he just let them fend for themselves.
They said it themselves: they chose this path, and they won't beg anyone; they'll finish it even if they have to crawl on their knees!
Meanwhile, the lives of the fifth brother, Yin Qi, and Shangguan Jing are getting better and better.
Ever since their last trip to Danchuan, the barrier between them seemed to have melted away.
Yin Qi no longer considered taking a concubine, and Shangguan Jing no longer lost her temper so easily.
The two would occasionally argue, but after the argument, Yin Qi would coax her with a grin, and Shangguan Jing would say "get lost" but couldn't help but smile.
Later, when Shangguan Jing became pregnant, Yin Qi was so happy that he jumped and danced in Jingyuan Garden, almost trampling all the flowers that Li Wei had grown.
"Sixth Brother! I'm going to be a dad!" He grabbed Lin Hao's hand, his eyes reddening. "Did you hear me? I'm going to be a dad!"
Lin Hao helplessly pulled his hand away: "I heard you, I heard you. It's not my doing. Don't pull my sleeve. These are new clothes."
Yin Qi chuckled and ran off to show off to Li Wei.
Looking at his silly expression, Li Wei couldn't help but say to Shangguan Jing, "Jingjing, is he like this every day? You must be exhausted!"
Shangguan Jing rolled her eyes: "You bet. Living with him is more tiring than leading an army into battle."
He said he was disgusted, but the smile on her face never stopped.
Three months later, the new Chuanzhu's health deteriorated day by day.
On this day, the new Chuanzhu finally couldn't hold on any longer and summoned Lin Hao to his bedside.
"Sixth Brother, I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer!" His voice was very soft, as if it were drifting from a great distance.
"Hold on to your position and treat the people of Xinchuan well!"
Lin Hao grasped his withered hand and said, "Father, don't worry, I won't let you down!"
The new lord looked at him, a glimmer of clarity appearing in his cloudy eyes, and finally said:
"In my life, I have wronged many people, I have wronged your mother, I have wronged you brothers, especially you, I have never treated you well."
Lin Hao shook his head: "Father, please stop talking."
"No, let me finish." The new Chuanzhu took a deep breath and said:
"I know about the misunderstanding between you and your mother. She was too young when she gave birth to you; she was just a child herself!"
"Giving birth to you for the first time was so painful, so I blame all the suffering on you..."
“You don’t need to say anything more. My mother has already told me that this matter is over!” A dying man’s words are often kind, so Lin Hao didn’t want to trouble the old man further. Instead, he solemnly said:
"Especially after experiencing Yuan Ying's childbirth, I can understand the grievances my mother suffered back then!"
"Okay, okay, okay~!" Then, the new Chuanzhu stared wide-eyed at Lin Hao and said:
"I know you don't care about this position, but I have no one else to entrust with it. The empire of Xinchuan is now in your hands."
He paused, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips:
"And your wives, treat them well. Although I am a failed father, I can see that they are sincere towards you."
Lin Hao kowtowed: "Your subject will remember."
The new lord closed his eyes and murmured, "Go, summon all the court officials. I will hold one last court session!"
"I want to see you ascend to the position of Chief of the River!"
Soon, the new ruler of Sichuan was carried into the court, where he publicly announced his abdication and appointed Lin Hao as his successor.
All the ceremonies had been prepared long ago. With the new chieftain's command, amidst a chorus of congratulations, the old chieftain smiled and helped Lin Hao to sit in the new chieftain's seat.
After the ceremony was completed, the old Chuanzhu's hand slipped from Lin Hao's, and then the hall fell silent.
Immediately, cries of anguish rang out.
Lin Hao felt rather complicated, because the old Sichuan chief was a complex person, and all his actions were aimed at making the new Sichuan better.
Lin Hao had been emperor several times and understood this mentality. He wanted to be close to his children but dared not, fearing that the foundation of Xinchuan would be destroyed.
Therefore, he seizes every opportunity to cultivate an heir, but the means he uses are completely contrary to his identity as a father, and he is actually in great pain.
Perhaps, this is the destiny of imperial families.
Lin Hao succeeded as the new ruler of the Sichuan region and subsequently implemented several reforms, which greatly increased the strength of the new Sichuan region and made it unparalleled in prestige among the nine Sichuan regions.
He recalled what Li Wei had said: "If you become the chief of Sichuan, you won't be able to stay with us all the time."
He recalled Yuan Ying's words: "This position is not easy to hold."
He recalled what Song Wu had said: "I don't want to be a concubine, but if you become the ruler of the province, I'll reluctantly stay in the palace with you."
Three years later, Li Wei held her two-year-old daughter, sat on the swing, and hummed a song softly.
Yuan Ying was teaching her son to write in the pavilion, while Song Wu, heavily pregnant, was directing the maids to set out snacks.
"Sister Yuanying, Yu'er's handwriting is so ugly."
"That's because you have a bad eye."
"No, that's not it, he just writes badly."
"Song Wu, if you don't want any snacks, I'll have them taken away right now."
"No, no, no... I was wrong, okay?!"
Lin Hao walked out of the house, looked at the scene before him, and smiled.
The steward, Su Shen, followed behind him, carrying a stack of memorials: "My lord, there are still more than a dozen memorials to be submitted today!"
"Just leave it there. It's not important. We can look at it tomorrow. It won't make a difference if we wait a day or two!"
"But~!"
"My words no longer carry weight?"
Helpless, Su Shen had no choice but to carry the memorial into his study.
Lin Hao walked into the yard, took his son from Yuan Ying, and his daughter Yin Xi from Li Wei, holding them high in each hand. The two little ones giggled.
"Come on, how about Daddy takes you horseback riding?"
“Great!” Yu’er, the two-year-old eldest son, immediately exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh my~!" Yin Xi's baby talk is evolving into Chinese, and she speaks somewhat unclearly.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying and Li Wei immediately retorted, "He's only one or two years old, what kind of horse is he riding?"
"Alright, whatever you say. They are indeed too young." Then, seeing Hao Jia's envious look, Lin Hao went over to her.
When Hao Jia first entered the palace, Lin Hao naturally took a liking to this intelligent girl, but at the time, she was only interested in being with the second prince.
After all, the second son will inevitably inherit the position of Chief of the River in the future. Although he was tempted by Lin Hao, he still chose to maximize his own interests.
However, Lin Hao gave her a choice: observe the second brother for a period of time before considering whether she really wanted to be with him.
Lin Hao also gave her calming incense; lighting it would put her in a dazed state.
Hao Jia, having the antidote, was naturally unconcerned. After observing for a period of time, she finally saw through the second brother's true colors.
Just as she was about to leave, Lin Hao instructed her to continue infiltrating the Second Prince's side, to gather information for him, and to try to win over the Second Madam, Zhao Fangru.
"Xin'er, are you being a good girl?" Lin Hao teased with a smile as he looked at his daughter, who was not even a year old and was still babbling in baby talk.
"Eee ...
Upon hearing this, Hao Jia quickly stepped forward and said, "Xin'er must be hungry!"
Hao Jia was overjoyed to see how much Lin Hao liked his daughter Yin Xin.
Lin Hao then comforted Song Wu, who was about to give birth, and gently reassured her.
The wind blew from afar, carrying the fragrance of flowers and the sound of a family's laughter, reaching outside the palace walls.
After three years of Lin Hao's diligent governance, the people of Xinchuan have become visibly wealthier and are living ordinary yet peaceful lives.
The nine rivers are now in harmony, and commerce is thriving; the past disputes and conflicts are gone.
In the stillness of the night, Lin Hao gazed at the dawn of this world and felt that this instance could end.
With a slight upturn of his lips, he then deleted all of the original owner's memories and copied his own, completely replacing the original owner.