There was a knock on the door.

"Is it midnight yet?" Sima Liang's confused voice came from the room.

"No, Your Highness, there are other matters." Xiao Shunzi's trembling voice came from outside the house.

"Okay, wait for me."

There was the sound of two people getting out of bed.

After a while, the light came on.

A slightly lighter step, walking back and forth in the room.

After a while, the door opened.

Sima Liang, dressed in regular clothes and unable to open his eyes, walked out.

Looking at the horizon where the sun had not yet come out, he felt a little confused.

"It's not time to leave yet, what can I do?"

Xiao Shunzi's expression was a little abnormal. When he was about to say something, a person came out from behind.

This man was dressed in palace attire, but he had a beautiful beard.

An old face, obviously smiling. But in the eyes of others, there is no trace of kindness.

"Father?"

Sima Liang's eyes widened, astonishing the person in front of him.

The moment he saw this person, his sleepiness disappeared completely because the person in front of him was his father.

The emperor said nothing and made a hissing gesture.

Seeing this, Sima Liang also understood.

"Wait for me inside the house, I'll be back soon." He said towards the house.

Later, accompanied by Xiao Shunzi carrying a lantern, he followed the emperor's father and walked out of the courtyard.

After confirming that no one was around, the emperor sent Xiao Shunzi away and decided to chat with Sima Liang alone.

"Xiao Liu, you don't blame me for neglecting you these years."

These words surprised Sima Liang. For this reason, he raised his head and looked at his father carefully.

It can only be said that time is really a butcher's knife. In Sima Liang's memory, his father always had a straight face, showing no anger and no emotion.

Now, the other party's face was full of wrinkles, and his long black hair also had a lot of silver threads. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but think to himself: The emperor is also a human being, and he will eventually grow old.

"Father is the emperor and the lord of the world. It is normal to ignore a small family. Why should I care."

These words were false, but Sima Liang did not dare to tell the truth about his father.

At the moment when he didn't notice, a trace of sadness flashed in the emperor's eyes. This kind of half-hearted lie could not escape the eyes of the other party.

Maybe he wanted to bring the two of them closer together.

The emperor raised his hand and wanted to pat him on the shoulder. But when he reached halfway, he hesitated, then retracted his hand. He turned his back and was silent for a while.

"I don't blame you, this is my own fault. I'm very sorry about your mother and grandfather. Because of this, maybe it's your mother's blessing that you don't participate in this court." The emperor sighed.

When Sima Liang heard the mention of his grandfather and mother, his eyes became complicated when he looked at each other.

Strictly speaking, the murderer of his mother and grandfather's entire family was the emperor in front of him. He had been lonely and helpless for so many years because of this.

Due to his experiences over the years, Sima Liang never thought that the other party would apologize.

All kinds of thoughts came to my mind for a while, and I didn’t know how to answer them. I wanted to say something beautiful, but when the words came to my lips, I couldn’t say them out. This is probably because of the resentment in my heart.

The silent atmosphere gradually became tense.

What broke this situation was the first ray of sunshine in the morning.

Light without much warmth shone on the faces of the father and son.

The two faces facing the same direction can be seen to be somewhat similar. The two people are actually very close to each other, but their very different temperaments widen the distance between them.

However, the things contained in the eyes of the two people at this moment were surprisingly consistent, they were sad and confused eyes.

"well."

The emperor turned around and looked at his son's young face. He was in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a while, the emperor walked up to the other party and patted the other party on the shoulder.

"After the crowning, you are now an adult. If you go to Yancheng, you can write to me if you need anything. I will try my best to find a way to compensate you." There was some relief in the voice.

Being able to see his son grow up makes him a very happy father.

This gentle pat was extremely heavy for Sima Liang. He didn't know how to respond to him.

Even if he knew that the other party had good intentions, Sima Liang still found it difficult to calm down.

Only he himself knows the pain of these twenty years.

The person who caused this said these words lightly the day before Sima Liang was to leave.

If the other party is not an emperor, he will definitely cry or insult him.

But if the other party is the emperor, all Sima Liang's words can only be swallowed in his stomach

Unconsciously, his fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deeply into his flesh.

The emperor noticed these changes and felt very uncomfortable.

He withdrew the hand that was originally placed on the opponent's shoulder. He also deliberately put his trembling hands behind his back to cover up his emotions.

The emperor is the emperor after all, and he quickly calmed down.

"It's almost time. It's time to hit the road. I believe the prince will take care of the ceremony. It's time for me to prepare for going to court. Today, just pretend that I haven't been here."

After saying this, Sima Liang still did not speak. The emperor was about to say something, but when he tried to speak several times, he closed his mouth again.

Looking at the silent opponent, the emperor felt a little disappointed.

"I'm leaving first. Pay attention to the time and don't delay."

Finally, after taking a deep look at Sima Liang, the emperor turned and left.

The moment after they crossed each other, the two people with their backs facing each other cried silently.

As a father, the emperor's tears were filled with reluctance, but more importantly, he was happy. He knew that leaving this deep palace was a good thing. The only price might be that he would never see his son again.

As a son, Sima Liang is full of grievances and reluctance. Even though he has experienced two lives, his family is still a part of him that he cannot let go of.

Just now, for a moment, he wanted to rush into the other person's arms and cry out about his experiences over the years. In the end, he endured it.

What Sima Liang didn't know was that he missed his first and last chance to get close to his father.

Looking at the rising sun, he sighed.

"It's time to hit the road."

Some things are destined to be unchangeable.

Sima Liang gathered his mood and walked towards his yard.

When he returned to it, it was already brightly lit. The palace maids and eunuchs were coming and going, busy preparing.

Xiao Shunzi, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately came over to greet him.

"Your Highness, it's time to clean up."

"Okay."

Sima Liang cooperated and sat in the center of the hall, letting others change his clothes.

He is the protagonist today, but every servant in the palace is much happier than him.

"Your Highness, is there anything that's bothering you?" Xiao Shunzi noticed something unusual.

"It's okay, nothing will happen today." Sima Liang didn't want to say too much.

Xiao Shunzi understands his master's thoughts well and is very cooperative.

"Everything goes well today and nothing will happen."

Today is the crowning ceremony, and Sima Liang can wear the python robe. The first time he wears it, someone from the Ministry of Etiquette does it for him. The subsequent dressing is done by Xiao Shunzi who is watching from the side, and then handed over to the person who specializes in serving.

Because of this, a group of palace maids had nothing to do and gathered in a corner to discuss.

"Sister Xiaoyao, are we going to Yancheng tomorrow? I heard that the environment there is much better than in China."

"Yes, it seems that the princess is also there. I wonder what kind of person she is?"

"Your Highness looks more and more handsome..."

…

The other maids talked and laughed, but Xiaoyao could only force a smile and deal with it.

Looking at Sima Liang in the hall, who was wearing a python robe, she wished so much that she could stay with him in this deep palace forever. In this way, he would belong to her alone.
To be continued...