Chapter 50: Adjust to the wind
"Boy, do you want to be the emperor?"

The old prince stared at Murong Chao a few steps away and suddenly asked.

As the eldest prince, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his legs trembled, and he was unable to speak.

Murong Ding looked at him and shook his head again: "You look a lot like the late emperor, but you don't have any of his courage."

"Twelve Aung, I."

"A man of Murong Xianbei must be courageous! A man without courage can accomplish nothing."

Murong Chao said "I think" a thousand times in his heart, but he didn't utter a single word. He could only lower his head and remain silent.

After seeing him like this, Murong Ding felt that the eldest prince was a little timid. His original intention of paving the way for him disappeared as he looked at the face that looked so much like his brother.

At present, Murong Ying is in the prime of his life and is an extremely powerful emperor, which also leads to the fact that Murong Chao, as the eldest son, actually has a very difficult life.

As the eldest son, he is not favored. He is neither the heir nor the most talented. Even if he wants to be the successor, he dare not show it.

Instead, he had to show that he had no ambitions in front of Murong Ying, and he was not competitive, friendly, or respectful to his brother.
But how could he not have thoughts about that position? As a prince, and the eldest son at that, how could he not have thoughts?

Today, his uncle revealed what was in his heart, so he was very frightened.

He was afraid that this was just a test that would break his image of being loyal and honest in front of the emperor.

He never dared to imagine that this person would become his helper.

He would never think about what he missed, and whether it was a blessing or a curse for him.

On the other side, amid the scent of sandalwood, in the magnificent hall of the Li residence, eight graceful girls in colorful feathered costumes were dancing and spinning lightly to the sound of stringed instruments.

Murong He, the governor of Yongzhou who was highly trusted by the emperor, sat in the main guest seat, tasting wine, listening to music and watching the beauties dancing. He was so happy and romantic.

The Duke of Tang Li Yuan, who was in the host seat, and the guests Dou Antai, Duke of Su, and Dugu Qi, Duke of Yin, frequently raised their glasses and drank with him.

Li Yuan specially invited Murong He, the matchmaker, to a banquet today, so he called his uncle Dou Antai and cousin Dugu Qi to join him, as they are all family members.

What’s important is that although Dou Antai and Dugu Qi both held high titles, they each held only a few idle official posts and had no real power, so they did not have to worry about being suspected by their superiors.

After the song and dance, Murong He stroked his hand and praised: "As expected of a singer and dancer trained in Pingkangli, she is really good. The two thousand strings of money that Lord Tang spent are really worth it, right? Hahahaha."

Li Yuan took the opportunity to ask, "Does Your Majesty like it? How about giving these singing and dancing girls to Your Majesty?"

"Alas, a gentleman does not take away what others like. How can this be good? Lord Tang, there is no need to be so polite."

"Your Highness, what you said is true. My son Yuan Hui has received your care and attention, and you have found him a great match. It's just a small gift, and Your Highness is still going to refuse it? You still have to accept the matchmaking gift."

"Mr. Tang is so kind, I will not be able to refuse it. I feel ashamed to accept it. Here, I offer this cup to Mr. Tang. Thank you for your kindness today."

"Your Majesty, you are welcome."

Murong He smiled and thought to himself that Li Yuan was indeed a kind person. This gift was exactly what he wanted.

This figure and this appearance show that she has been carefully trained.

He returned home with a few singing and dancing girls, and his sons Murong Wuxiang and Murong Wuji were waiting for him in the hall.

"Father, you never accepted gifts from foreign border commanders in the past. Why did you make an exception today?"

The eldest son, Murong Wuxiang, was already 23 years old and had been serving as a guard in the Chang'an Palace. The youngest son, Murong Wuji, was only 15 years old and served in the Zuo Yulin Guard and had been accompanying the emperor. The second and third sons followed their uncle, the King of Wei, to gain experience in the Jizhou Army.

People from his branch were trusted by the emperor, so they acted quite cautiously. When the eldest son saw him returning from a banquet at Li's house with several singing and dancing girls, he knew that these must be gifts from Lord Tang.

It was normal to give singing and dancing girls as gifts at that time, and even concubines could be given as gifts.

Murong He was lying on the couch, taking the tea from his youngest son. After taking a sip, he looked at his eldest son and asked, "Is Lord Tang a general in the outer garrison?"

Murong Wuxiang said, "You will be sent to Bingzhou after the New Year. Everyone in the government and the public knows this. Why aren't you afraid of being criticized this time? After all, you are the military commander of Yongzhou. If Lord Tang is the military commander of Bingzhou, the saint will not want to see our two families get too close."

Murong He smiled upon hearing this, "You are right, but Lord Tang knew that he was going to be exiled, so why did he invite me to a banquet? And why did he give me such a generous gift?"

"The child doesn't know."

"If you can't figure it out, think about it slowly. I know what I am doing. There are some things you can't know now."

Then Murong He waved his hand, meaning to let his two sons go down.

He entered the palace as a guard as a member of the royal family when he was a teenager. Although his father was the late King Xian of Wei, he was the youngest son and his father died when he was young, so he was raised by his eldest brother and his wife.

His eldest brother, the current King of Wei, told him before he entered the palace that as a brother, he could only help him so much, as he did not have the ability to lead troops in battle or charge into battle, so he arranged a position for him as a palace guard. Your future in the palace will depend on you.

There were probably hundreds of royal family members like him who entered the palace to serve as guards at the same time.

Among these hundreds of people, only a dozen or so can now serve as governors or generals. The rest are mostly just holding titles and waiting to die.

He was the only one who was granted the title of king and appointed as the military commander of a state.

Because those truly valued descendants of the Murong clan were thrown into the army for training since they were in their teens.

As long as he doesn't die, he will definitely be reused.

What did he rely on to climb up from the palace guards?
Change your course according to the wind.
If he had not followed the current saint early on, he would have been a marquis at best, and would have been idle, and would not have had his current status.
"Aye."

Murong He, who had closed his eyes to rest, pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at his youngest son Murong Wuji who had returned. He asked with a smile, "Why did my son return?"

"Aye, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"It's just you and me here, father and son, but you can talk as you please."

Murong Wuji pondered for a moment and said, "Father, I follow the saint and serve as a guard, so every day I can hear the prime ministers discussing state affairs outside the palace, and every day I hear news of civil unrest in various places. On the dragon boats traveling to Zhuo County, I can also see refugees dying of hunger and cold on the official roads on both sides. I have read history books, and such scenes only occurred in the late Han Dynasty and decades ago when my Great Yan replaced Wei. So today, I dare to ask, can my Great Yan's national prosperity last long?"

Murong He heard this, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, but he did not ask him where he heard this as Murong Wuji imagined. Instead, he said solemnly: "Whether the Great Yan Kingdom can last long, I am not a wise man and I don't understand the situation in the world. I can only see people. Some people are very conspicuous in the crowd. They have a unique temperament and you can tell at a glance that they are different. They are invaluable and are born heroes. Saints are such people.

There is another type of person who does not look outstanding, but is thoughtful, kind to others, and always has good luck. He seems mediocre, but can make a splash at a critical moment and is good at listening to opinions, so virtuous people are willing to associate with them. They can make a comeback after setbacks, and such people often win in the end.

Perseverance leads to late success."

Murong Wuji asked: "Do you think Lord Tang is the latter type of person?"

Murong He gave him an ambiguous answer: "Maybe."

"But Aye, we are from the royal family of Dayan."

“Remember, no matter how much treasure is on the ship, it will be meaningless if the ship is sinking. Don’t be reluctant to leave the treasure on the ship and sink with it. Choose a new ship that will not sink and jump on it.”

(End of this chapter)