OBS Chapter 9 You may take it yourself
Chapter 9 You may take it yourself
The sound of the teacup hitting the ground was clearly audible in the room.
Chu Ning stood there, stunned.
The scalding tea had clearly splashed onto her arm, leaving a red mark, but she seemed completely oblivious.
"Father..."
At this moment, even that cold face finally showed a crack.
Chu Ning suddenly stood up from the chair, instinctively wanting to rush out the door to see how her father was doing.
Those were her closest relatives in the world, the people who gave her warmth.
The Chu royal lineage was dwindling, and after so many years, she was the only daughter left in the palace.
Rather than a relationship between ruler and subject, the two were more like a father and daughter in an ordinary family.
Although she had known this day would come, hearing it from someone else still caused her defenses to crumble instantly.
Chu Ning was about to take a step, but then abruptly stopped.
She turned her head to look at Cheng Xiao, who remained as steady as a mountain, a hint of unease in her eyes.
Even now, she still didn't follow her instincts and go to see her father immediately. Instead, she turned her head and waited for the teacher's instructions.
Cheng Xiao saw all of this.
It seems he did a very good job.
He put down the official documents in his hand, stood up from his chair, and walked over to Chu Ning, reaching out to comfort her.
"Let's go see the King together," he said softly.
The King of Chu's lifespan was also within his expectations.
After hearing the teacher's words, Chu Ning's panicked heart finally calmed down.
She took a deep breath, pushed open the door of the Grand Council, and strode quickly toward the palace walls, her steps almost a jog.
Eunuch Li kept chasing after him.
"Your Highness, wait for this old servant, Your Highness..."
......
Since Chu Ning became the crown prince and Cheng Xiao began to interfere in politics, the King of Chu has rarely left his palace.
Although he tried to recover, his health did not improve.
Chu Ning once begged Cheng Xiao to save her father, but Cheng Xiao refused, saying he was "not proficient in medicine."
In the end, the King of Chu could only prolong his life by relying on those precious medicinal herbs.
Until the oil runs out and the lamp goes out.
When Chu Ning and Cheng Xiao entered the palace, only the King of Chu remained inside. He had dismissed the other palace servants who were taking care of him.
He lay on the large royal couch, his once majestic body now reduced to a skeleton, his breathing extremely heavy, each breath feeling like his last.
Seeing her father's body in this state, Chu Ning's tears still fell silently.
She had made up her mind not to cry anymore, but she just couldn't help it.
In Chu Ning's childhood memories, her father was tall and majestic, with the demeanor of an emperor. He was imposing and dignified just by standing there.
But from some point onwards, the king's health deteriorated and showed no signs of improvement.
Just like the once powerful state of Chu, which is now in turmoil.
"Ning'er... Imperial Preceptor..." Hearing the footsteps of the two, the King of Chu opened his eyes with difficulty.
When he saw Chu Ning, who had grown much taller, his lifeless eyes seemed to regain some of their sparkle.
Chu Ning rushed forward, knelt before the bed, and tightly grasped her father's cold, withered hand. Her voice trembled as she said, "Father, Ning'er is here, and the Imperial Advisor is here too. You will definitely get better."
Knowing that there was no way to save her father, she still couldn't help but comfort him.
It was as if this would truly keep their father.
Upon hearing this, the King of Chu forced a smile and said, "I know my own body well. I'm nearing the end of my life... It's only a matter of time before I'm exhausted. I called you here to see you and to see if my Ning'er has truly grown up."
Upon hearing the last words, Chu Ning finally couldn't hold back any longer and threw herself into the arms of the King of Chu, bursting into tears.
Although she has grown a lot during this time, she is still just a teenager.
"Now...now that I see it, my Ning'er...has indeed grown up. I know what has happened to you recently...don't worry about it. What you've done...you've done the right thing. Your father...is very satisfied." Just saying these words was enough for the King of Chu to do his best.
Chu Ning shook his head repeatedly, signaling his father to stop talking.
She still naively believed that as long as she was by her father's side, she would not lose him.
The King of Chu stretched out his hand, which was as stiff as a withered tree: "You will become a better king than me."
He said it without pausing, gritting his teeth, and his eyes seemed to regain some of their sparkle.
"You are the most powerful king of Chu, and the most powerful father in my heart!" After saying these words, Chu Ning was already sobbing.
The King of Chu did not speak; he simply gazed quietly at Chu Ning beside the bed.
It felt like every glance was the last.
In the end, though his eyes were full of reluctance, he still said, "Ning'er, step back... I have something to say to the Grand Preceptor privately."
Chu Ning was equally reluctant to part with it.
But she still nodded obediently and retreated, turning back every few steps.
Chu Ning understood that this was very likely the last time they would see each other.
After she left, the crying in the palace subsided, and silence returned.
"Sir..." The old King of Chu turned his head slightly on the pillow to look at Cheng Xiao's face, which was devoid of any human warmth.
Despite being the ruler of a nation, his intuition before his death told him that the young man in white was not some "old immortal" at all, and might not even be a being of this mortal world.
That gaze was so calm, so calm that it was devoid of any emotion, so calm that it seemed as if there was nothing at all. It was not the gaze of an ordinary person.
He had lived for so many years and seen so many people, but he had never seen such a look in his eyes.
"Throughout my life, I have lived a mediocre and conservative life, but on my deathbed... I have witnessed the true transformation of the Great Chu. You are not only Ning'er's teacher, but also the mastermind behind this chaotic world. Today... not as the king, but as a father... I ask you for a favor."
The King of Chu coughed up a mouthful of black blood, but his expression became unusually clear; this was a final burst of energy before death.
Cheng Xiao stood with his hands behind his back before the couch, looking down at the emperor, and said in a calm tone, "Speak."
With trembling hands, the old King of Chu took out a black talisman engraved with a black tiger pattern from his bosom. It was the core of the four-hundred-year-old royal power of the Great Chu.
"The Great Chu... is entrusted to you, sir. This item can mobilize all the privately guarded troops within the Great Chu territory, including the royal guards of past dynasties. From this day forward, seeing this talisman is like seeing me. Even Ning'er... if she disobeys the national policy, you can use this talisman to deal with her."
Cheng Xiao understood that if this King of Chu had not been physically weak, he would have certainly achieved something in this chaotic world, and even now he still had a backup plan.
The King of Chu also deserves some credit for his ability to kill the Chancellor and the Grand Marshal and their cronies.
Although the State of Chu was teetering on the brink of collapse, it never actually collapsed.
As long as the King of Chu was alive, those people below dared not make any rash moves.
Cheng Xiao knew about the King of Chu's backup plans, and he was still thinking about how to get Chu Ning to take back these forces.
Unexpectedly, the King of Chu has now offered it up with both hands, entrusting his son to the emperor.
This was a genuine entrustment of the orphan, and there were no axemen lying in ambush outside the door.
Cheng Xiao knew that the King of Chu was gambling, gambling that he would help Chu Ning become the ruler of a country, or even the ruler of the world.
"Everything of the Great Chu... is entrusted to you, sir. I hope you will not find it distasteful."