The ancestral grave of the Cao family is located in a forest. The tall trees in the western Zhou Dynasty of the cemetery block the scorching sun and block part of the heat.
The queen and Yu Cheng walked to Grand Master Cao's tomb and knelt down in the shadow cast by the trees.
Looking at the tombstone of Master Cao, the queen was filled with grief, her eyes were red, and she shed tears of guilt.
Father, forgive your daughter for being unfilial and coming to worship her today.
The queen kowtowed in shame.
Yu Cheng lit paper money, incense candles, and paid homage.
After burning the paper money, he saw that the queen was still crying at the tombstone of Grand Master Cao. Yu Cheng frowned and advised, "Don't be too sad, mother. My grandfather has been on the sickbed for many years. It's great that he passed away peacefully in his sleep."
The queen remained silent.
Everyone thought that Master Cao died in his sleep without any pain. But in fact, Master Cao died suddenly and violently, and his face was hideous when he died.
And for the sake of the Cao family and Yu Cheng, Grand Master Cao even chose the wrong date for his death.
Thinking of this, the queen felt more and more pain in her heart, and she clenched her fists and beat lightly in pain.
Yu Cheng thought she was overly sad, so he held her shoulders and patted her back to persuade her.
"Queen mother, grandpa will feel very sad to see you like this."
Everyone is bound to die, and Grand Master Cao passed away peacefully like this. I am extremely lucky.
Therefore, Yu Cheng was a little puzzled, wondering why the queen was so sad.
The queen couldn't express her pain, so she could only calm down her mood.
It was not easy to leave the palace. Before leaving, the queen kowtowed a few more times.
When Yu Cheng saw this, he kowtowed a few more times.
After kowtowing, Yu Cheng helped the queen stand up and was about to leave, when the queen suddenly turned her head and looked at him: "Cheng'er."
"Your grandfather's last wish was for you to ascend to a high position and to ensure the prosperity of the Cao family. You must not disappoint him."
Hearing this, Yu Cheng frowned.
He is the prince, and it will be natural for him to ascend the throne after the emperor abdicates in the future. But Bao Cao’s family is still prosperous...
Having been immersed in the court and involved in government affairs for many years, Yu Cheng is no longer an ignorant boy. He knew the ambitions of the Cao family and Cao Qian's way of serving as a minister.
He didn't agree, so he couldn't make a promise.
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, the queen looked annoyed and said: "Cheng'er, do you want your grandfather to die in peace?"
In order to allow him to ascend the throne as soon as possible, Grand Master Cao took his own life and left in an unknown manner. In this life, he was unable to reveal the real anniversary of his death to the world, and suffered the humiliation of digging his grave and digging his coffin.
As for Yu Cheng, he refused to even say a word!
The longer Yu Cheng remained silent, the more angry the queen felt. She pointed at Grand Master Cao's tombstone and said, "Look at your grandfather, are you worthy of him?"
Seeing that the queen persisted in pushing her and refused to give up, Yu Cheng could only say in a deep voice: "Mother, if it's just a family matter, I can handle it. But if it's a matter involving the court and the world, I can't handle it."
Compared with the people of Sheji and the Cao family, Yu Cheng knew clearly in his heart which one was more important.
The Queen is confused, he cannot be confused.
"What did you say? Your grandfather and your uncle have worked hard for Da Zhao for so many years. What's wrong with that?" the queen asked.
Yu Chengdao: "How my grandfather and uncle are doing, I know in my heart. If the Cao family has no ulterior motives and is just a pure minister, I should protect them. On the contrary, I can't be partial."
The queen brought it up in front of Taishi Cao's tomb today and pressed her hard. Yu Cheng understood that the queen would not rest until she made it clear.
Therefore, Yu Cheng, who had been avoiding him for many years, made up his mind to speak out.
"You, you..." The queen's chest heaved violently with anger, and she said with anger: "You say this, are you worthy of your grandfather and uncle!"
It was this kind of thing again, mentioned many times over the years, and Yu Cheng had really heard enough.
Yu Cheng looked into the queen's eyes and retorted for the first time: "I never asked them to do anything for me, and they never informed me before doing anything. Everything was forced on me by you. I don't need it, and I don't need it. Do not appreciate!"
If you don't appreciate it, you won't repay it.
"Pah!" The queen angrily raised her hand and slapped Yu Cheng.
Yu Cheng was hit on the side of the head, and the left side of his face turned red.
The queen said with an angry face: "It's a waste that you have been in the court for so many years, and you have grown so many years, and you can't even tell who is loyal to you. If it weren't for the Cao family, do you think your position as crown prince would be as stable as a rock!"
"The auxiliary vehicles are dependent on each other. If one is prosperous, both will be prosperous, and if one is damaged, both will suffer. Don't you understand such a simple truth?"
"Mother, do you think that my prince feels comfortable doing this?" Yu Cheng met the queen's angry gaze without flinching.
He kept saying that he was supported by the Cao family so that he could securely hold the position of crown prince, but did the Cao family really have no selfish motives?
In the past few years, have they used both soft and hard tactics to force him?
In the final analysis, the Cao family just wanted to use him to stabilize their position.
If that's the case, why bother saying so high-sounding, honest and selfless!
The queen was shocked by Yu Cheng's unwavering anger, even with a look of resentment in his eyes.
She didn't understand why Yu Cheng went to Duanzhou and came back as a changed person.
In the past, he didn't want to hear anything she said, nor did he want to do it, and he would never be so rebellious.
But today, in front of Grand Master Cao's tomb, Yu Cheng was so disobedient to her. Why?
"Do you blame the Cao family for your unhappiness as the prince? It's your father who is partial! If it weren't for the Cao family, I'm afraid your position as the prince would have been taken away by someone long ago." The queen calmed down her anger a little and tried to talk to Yu Cheng. reason.
Yu Cheng said with a bit of sarcasm: "Why is my father so partial? My mother knows best, doesn't she?"
Everything has a cause and an effect. When the Cao family was persecuted back then, they should have expected this consequence.
He did not blame the emperor, because he also took the same path as the emperor.
Yu Cheng's words were like a sharp knife piercing the queen's heart. She clutched her chest in disappointment and pain and said, "You want to make me angry to death today! How much I have paid and how much I have sacrificed for your position as prince." , do you know how much you have endured?”
Yu Cheng felt very tired, and said with exhaustion: "This prince, son and minister do not have to do this."
"Do you know what you are talking about!" The queen was shocked and couldn't believe it.
The prince, the future emperor, the supreme position that so many people dream of, he actually said he didn't want to do it?
Yu Cheng raised his head, looked at the scorching sun above his head and said, "I just want to live upright and unfettered. Is it really that important whether I can sit in that high position?"
If he hadn't been born as a prince and shouldered the responsibility of the people's livelihood of Dazhao, he would have really wanted to be an idle prince like Prince Rui and the others. Or, like Yu Zheng, be a wise king.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.
The queen gritted her teeth and said angrily: "How could you have such an idea? Who else in the world is more free and free to do whatever you want, the supreme being?"
"Does the Queen Mother think that the Emperor is free and free to do as he pleases?" Yu Cheng asked in return.
The queen snorted coldly: "He only favors Concubine Yu, favors Yu Zheng, and favors Yu Lan. He doesn't care about our feelings and face at all. Isn't he enough to do whatever he wants?"
After hearing this, Yu Cheng realized that he couldn't explain to the queen and gave up the conversation.
"It's getting late and the sun is getting louder. Come back to the palace, mother." Yu Cheng turned around and walked towards the carriage outside the forest.
