After the enfeoffment ceremony, Xin Zizhao, as the new crown prince, became extremely busy. A crown prince was different from an ordinary prince; there were far more things for him to learn. Wei Shuxuan saw that he left early and returned late every day, and every time he came back, he looked utterly exhausted.
"Xin Zizhao, are you okay? You seem so tired. You have classes every day without enough time to rest. What if you fall ill?" Wei Shuxuan asked worriedly.
Seeing Wei Shuxuan looking at him with concern, Xin Zizhao smiled. The fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day vanished in an instant. "Xuan'er, are you worried about me?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Wei Shuxuan rolled her eyes at him.
"You're quite straightforward now. In the past, when I said something like this, you'd either stay silent or just run away without paying me any heed."
"I've already confessed my feelings for you. What else do I have to hide? Do you think I'd still be coy at this stage?"
"I still think your previous reactions were cuter. You're not as cute now."
Xin Zizhao felt a bit regretful. He thought he should have teased Wei Shuxuan more when she hadn't yet openly admitted her feelings.
"I feel like you're quite regretful," Wei Shuxuan said, looking at Xin Zizhao in confusion.
"No, you're mistaken."
Wei Shuxuan immediately noticed the expression on Xin Zizhao's face, but she couldn't guess what was on his mind. And Xin Zizhao had no intention of telling her. If she knew, she'd surely get angry.
Wei Shuxuan felt that this man must be hiding something from her; he just didn't want to tell her. "I feel like you're hiding something."
"You're just overthinking."
After Xin Zizhao was established as the new crown prince, Emperor Jinzheng seemed to completely relax. He didn't even want to attend the morning court anymore. Instead, he spent his days in his backyard, teasing birds and listening to opera. His life was extremely leisurely. Since Xin Zizhao would take over, he didn't need to do anything. Why should he bother going to the morning court?
After some time like this, Xin Zizhao finally lost his temper. He stormed into the Qianyu Palace to talk to his father.
"Father, have you made up your mind not to attend the morning court anymore?" Xin Zizhao questioned his father as soon as he saw Emperor Jinzheng, not even using polite language.
"I've even made up my mind to abdicate. I'm already planning to step down from the throne and pass it on to you formally so that you can get used to handling the state affairs earlier. I'm getting old. If I don't step down to enjoy life for a few more years, I might not have the chance. It's time for me to hand over the country of Yulong to you. I believe you'll be a good emperor. Do your best."
"Father..." Xin Zizhao wanted to say something more, but he found himself speechless. Looking at the wrinkles on Emperor Jinzheng's face and the white hair at his temples, he realized that his father had indeed reached a certain age. Getting up early for the morning court every day and worrying about various domestic and foreign affairs of Yulong was really beyond his strength.
"Alright, stop talking. Father has made up his mind. I'll ask the astrologer to choose another auspicious day for me to abdicate, and then you'll ascend the throne as the new emperor of Yulong."
Although Xin Zizhao hesitated a bit, he still said honestly, "Father, I actually don't want to ascend the throne so soon."
This surprised Emperor Jinzheng. Other princes were eager to ascend the throne as soon as possible, but his fifth son thought differently.
"Why don't you want to ascend the throne so early?" Emperor Jinzheng's face, which had been smiling, suddenly turned serious.
"Father, do you want to hear the truth or a lie from me?"
"Of course..." Emperor Jinzheng suddenly realized that there was something strange about Xin Zizhao's words. After a moment's thought, he said, "Don't tell me you don't want to ascend the throne so early because of Shuxuan?"
Xin Zizhao was caught off guard by Emperor Jinzheng's words and didn't reply. But from his expression, it was clear that, just as Emperor Jinzheng had said, he didn't want to ascend the throne so early because of Wei Shuxuan. Once he became the new emperor, he would become even busier and have less time to accompany Wei Shuxuan.
"Zizhao, a real man should prioritize the country and then his family. How can I hand over Yulong to you like this?"
"I've never been interested in your position. Maybe it's because of family affection that I agreed to come back to the palace for the coming - of - age ceremony of a prince. My heart is the same as Xuan'er's. We both yearn for a free and unfettered life and don't want to be restricted."
Emperor Jinzheng smiled helplessly. "Zizhao, are you complaining about my decision?"
"Father, Zizhao definitely has no such intention. But my master once told me that in life, nine times out of ten things go against our wishes. This is probably the thing that goes against Zizhao's wishes in his life."
"Hahaha..." Emperor Jinzheng threw his head back and laughed. "You're really the most untainted by power I've ever seen! But I never said you had to stay in this position until you're old. If you can find a suitable heir in our family and abdicate in his favor, won't you be free?"
Xin Zizhao was stunned. He didn't expect Emperor Jinzheng to say such a thing. But then Emperor Jinzheng added, "The premise is that you find one. If you just pick someone randomly, our country of Yulong will really be in trouble. Zizhao, you're a smart boy. You should understand what I mean."
Xin Zizhao tightened his lips and said nothing. He was indeed tempted by Emperor Jinzheng's words. If he could really find a suitable person to inherit the throne in their family, he could be a care - free person and then wander the world with Xuan'er, living a free life.
"Alright, Zizhao, go back first. I'm feeling a bit tired after talking to you for so long. I need to rest."
"Yes, Father. Zizhao will take his leave."
When Wei Shuxuan saw Xin Zizhao come back, she asked him, "Where did you go? Why did you take so long?"
"I just went to talk to my father about something. Do you need me for something?"
"Nothing. I just wondered why you took so long to come back."
Not long after that, Emperor Jinzheng really announced his abdication and let the new crown prince, Xin Zizhao, ascend the throne. The astrologer had already chosen an auspicious day for the coronation.
Wei Shuxuan didn't expect that Xin Zizhao would become the emperor so soon after becoming the crown prince. It seemed that the emperor's health was not very good; otherwise, he wouldn't have abdicated so early.