Chapter 524 - Many Lives Got At Stake
Sheng Li stopped practicing sword fighting. He panted because of the long hour of practice. After meeting his father, he came straight to the practice ground and kept practicing… did not know for how long! His entire body was covered in sweat. The words of his father were ringing in his ears like a bell in the temple.
Wang Hao came near him and took the sword from him. He wiped the sweat from Sheng Li's forehead, followed by the face. "The Crown Prince shall not be hard on himself. You even injured your hands," Wang Hao worriedly said as he looked down at the hands of Sheng Li.
The breathings of Sheng Li turned normal. "It is the only way I can put my mind off of the things that have already started to trouble me." Sheng Li took the handkerchief from Wang Hao and wiped his neck, and then nape.
He turned and went to his chamber, followed by Wang Hao. "Does his highness want to go to the public bathhouse with me?" Wang Hao asked. "It has been long since the Crown Prince, and I went to a public bathhouse," Wang Hao then said.
"But, now people know me. Those childhood days cannot be brought back," Sheng Li asserted.
"What about the Waterfall in the mountains?" Wang Hao suggested and looked towards the hills, which were standing tall, surrounding the Eastern and Northern Palace. "Let's go, Crown Prince. It will be fun," Wang Hao requested. Sheng Li nodded his head though he did not want to go. However, for Wang Hao, Sheng Li agreed.
They both left for the mountains. After half an hour they reached the waterfall. The splashing of water, hitting the large rocks beneath the waterfall was soothing to ears. They both walked and soon arrived at the waterfall.
"Your Highness, please remove your shoes and the upper garments," Wang Hao told Sheng Li. He did so but did not remove the crown as it was considered inauspicious to remove the Crown apart from his chamber.
They kept their pants on and got into the water, near the waterfall. The height of the fall was not large, so the water body was not deep. They both dipped into the water and came out.
"Your Highness, do you remember the first time when we both came here?" Wang Hao excitedly asked.
"Yes. I got scolded by all of my teachers," Sheng Li replied and chuckled. "Useless teachers!" Sheng Li mumbled.
"Crown Prince, there was one other reason too," Wang Hao stated. The tiny smile also disappeared from Sheng Li's lips.
"I had the fear that I would lose everything. That was the first time I got that feeling," Sheng Li answered. Wang Hao wiped his face and hummed at the response of Sheng Li.
"Does the Crown Prince remember what I had told him that time at this same place?" Wang Hao asked.
Sheng Li tilted his head and peered at him. "Until I face the problem, it will keep scaring me. It is similar to this waterbody. Until I get into the water, I cannot tell how deep it is!" Sheng Li answered.
"But this time problem is something which I can never tackle. My Father has told me that he would not be able to survive anymore. This problem has no solution. If the thing about his illness goes out, I do not know what will happen. I am still not ready...not because I lack capabilities but because the wives of the father think I could become a threat to them. If I had been alone, I would have usurped the throne without even thinking for a second, but now I have someone whose life is above mine," Sheng Li explained to Wang Hao.
He again took a dip and took heavy breathing as soon as came out of the water.
"Crown Prince, you cannot let the throne fall into the wrong hands," Wang Hao advised him.
"Brother Nianzu is not a wrong person. Since the current Empress is the mother of Brother Nianzu, he shall become the next Emperor," Sheng Li told Wang Hao with a menacing expression.
"Prince Nianzu does not hold the qualities to become an Emperor. He ran away from the Palace when he fell in love with a commoner. People do not need a king, who cannot control his emotions and cannot consider his duty above all. Also, he never led a war," Wang Hao pronounced.
Sheng Li swam a little far into the water while Wang Hao followed him.
"Leading a war does not mean that the person is not capable of leading the nation. I will give him protection. At least, I can end the bitterness in the hearts of the wives of my father. Father wants me to keep the Royal Family intact and it is the best way," Sheng Li stated and stopped swimming.
"Does the Crown Prince really think that if the Fourth Prince usurps the throne, the problems will be solved? His wife is weak and also she has not listened to the orders of the Emperor. She made an irrational decision by accepting the feelings of Prince Nianzu. I might sound rude, but it's the truth. Many lives got at stake when the Fourth Prince left the Palace," Wang Hao argued with Sheng Li.
"I happened to know about that and prevented all the mishaps," Sheng Li replied.
"For how long will the Crown Prince be lucky? Last time, we lost two of your friends because of overconfidence," Wang Hao reminded Sheng Li, who knitted his brows. Guilt struck him again.
"Your Highness, you need to think as a leader. Nothing is permanent in this world. The Emperor has to go away one day too but you need to fulfill your duties. You cannot let the throne get away just because your family thinks of you as a threat. Also, we are not sure if the Empress has indeed stopped or not because after that incident she might make plots in silence.
Let's suppose you tell the Emperor to make Prince Nianzu the next Emperor. Then, what will happen? Forgive me, if the Emperor passes away, the Empress will become Empress Dowager, whose powers are supreme even more than the Emperor. If Empress Hui can become evil as soon as she gets into power then what will happen when she becomes Empress Dowager? She was trained by Gu Zhenya. They both planned for all this for a long time."
Wang Hao was right at his stance. The throne should not get into the wrong hands.
"The Royal Physician has told me that there's still time for Father's condition to get worse. I need to do everything before that period. And the first thing I need to do is bring back Prince Nianzu to the Palace," Sheng Li affirmed. Wang Hao was glad that Sheng Li understood his words.
"Your Highness, let's swim," Wang Hao told Sheng Li and started to swim. Sheng Li followed him, and the two swam for some time. They both got out of the water and sat at the top of the large rock.
"We had a lot of fun after a long time. There were a lot of things going on in my mind. Thank you, Wang Hao. You are a great friend," Sheng Li stated and patted his shoulder.
"You are also a great friend, Crown Prince," Wang Hao pronounced.