"Changan"
Under Chen An's careful care, Cheng Zheng's condition gradually improved.
He seemed to have returned to normal, and his overall condition had improved a lot.
The effect was quite apparent.
Previously, he couldn't speak at all, but now he could speak fluently in the blink of an eye. Wasn't the effect good enough?
If other doctors had this level of skill, they would probably cry.
Cheng Zheng's condition gradually returned to normal. Although he still looked like he was at death's door, at least he seemed much more articulate.
For Cheng Zheng, this was already good enough.
By the bedside, he tightly held Chen An's hand. "I may be leaving soon."
He seemed to have a lot of things he wanted to say, but in the end, he could only manage to say this one sentence.
Chen An could feel Cheng Zheng's complex emotions, a mixture of fear and worry.
This was the first time he had experienced this.
The few old friends he had seen before all left peacefully.
Fourth Princess and Teacher Dong Heng left peacefully, without any struggle, always calm.
As for his grandfather Chen Hua, it was Chen An himself who bid him farewell.
They all left peacefully, perhaps because they were already content with life, or perhaps because they had a detached outlook on life and death, so they were not afraid of the end.
Cheng Zheng before him was not actually afraid of death.
He was just worried.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Looking at Cheng Zheng in front of him, Chen An could only speak softly to console him.
Seemingly comforted, Cheng Zheng's emotions gradually calmed down.
That night, he seemed to have endless words to say, constantly talking to Chen An.
However, unlike other people before him, when Cheng Zheng, a workaholic, was on his deathbed, he was giving instructions on various political matters.
His workaholism was real.
He called his grandson, Cheng Qi, over to listen, as if he was about to give his last instructions.
From the outside, this was basically the basic steps of passing on the throne.
Cheng Qi, who was Cheng Zheng's grandson, was named with the meaning of "continuing the previous and starting the next."
Cheng Qi was Cheng Zheng's grandson, the legitimate son of the Crown Prince, and now the Crown Prince.
As for why his grandson was brought over instead of the Crown Prince, it was naturally because the Crown Prince had already passed away.
Yes, the Crown Prince had passed away several years ago.
Chen An still remembered the scene at that time, such a strong man, blinked and he was gone.
The successor Cheng Zheng had carefully nurtured for many years died because of a serious illness, at the age of just fifty.
Well, that age didn't seem too short.
The average lifespan of emperors in history might not have been longer than this.
The main issue was that Cheng Zheng was too tough and continued to stand upright even in his seventies, and he managed to torture his own Crown Prince to death.
If the Crown Prince were still alive, Cheng Zheng wouldn't be so worried.
The Crown Prince was his carefully nurtured successor, with prestige within Da Hua, so there should have been no problem after he succeeded the throne.
But now that the Crown Prince had passed away, the only legitimate heir left was just a teenager.
So young and already worrying, could he really carry on his expectations and lead Da Hua forward?
Cheng Zheng was not sure, his heart was full of worries.
For an ordinary king, perhaps he wouldn't be too worried about this issue.
But Cheng Zheng was too serious and too responsible.
He was always busy, wanting to do more practical things, even at the moment of his death, he was thinking about the future of the country, not wanting his decades of achievements to be in vain after his death.
But it seemed like he had no other choice but to trust the child in front of him.
That night, he entrusted many things.
Finally, he looked at Chen An and said with some difficulty, "Changan, this child is dull, I want him to stay with you for a while, do you mind taking in this student?"
He finally revealed his intentions.
Chen An sighed.
He understood Cheng Zheng's intentions.
Compared to the deceased Crown Prince, Cheng Qi was too young and lacked prestige. Even if he forcefully ascended the throne, he probably wouldn't have the ability to command the world.
Originally, if Cheng Zheng had more time, and if Cheng Qi was a bit older, there would have been many other ways.
But now, everything was rushed.
The only safest option seemed to be Chen An.
As the King of Da Hua, the pillar of the entire Da Hua, and the only Tian of the Central Plains today, Chen An was undeniably more important to the entire Da Hua than even Cheng Zheng.
If he was willing to help Cheng Qi, then there would be no problems afterwards.
And Cheng Qi's identity as the student of the King was enough to stabilize his position, and no one would dare to oppose him no matter what.
Honestly, Chen An wasn't very keen on taking in another student.
He lived a carefree life alone, why bother adding another student to cause trouble?
If he had truly wanted to take in students, he wouldn't have gone this long without any.
But faced with Cheng Zheng's pleading eyes, he couldn't help but sigh and reluctantly agreed, "If you don't mind me leading this child astray, then let's give it a try."
"But if I do lead this child astray, I won't take responsibility."
He smiled and said so.
Seeing Chen An agree, Cheng Zheng seemed to relax a bit, "Don't worry."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"This kid is not talented in the first place. Even if he's delayed a bit, it won't matter."
Cheng Zheng did not agree with Chen An's notion of leading astray.
It was a joke.
Others might not know, but Cheng Zheng knew Chen An very well.
He was not only exceptional in martial arts, but also in other aspects. Even in medical skills, he could surpass many so-called miracle doctors.
With such a person being his grandson's teacher, what was there to be unsatisfied about?
Afraid of leading astray?
How many people wouldn't want to be lead astray by him?
"After I'm gone, Chenn An, don't hide away anymore."
Holding Chen An's hand, Cheng Zheng pointed towards Cheng Qi and said somewhat pleadingly, "Help this child, look after him for me."
"I understand."
Chen An glanced at Cheng Zheng and said, somewhat speechless, "I'm not a fool, I understand what you mean."
"Don't worry."
He whispered, "After you're gone, this child will ascend safely, and there will be no problems."
"That's good."
Cheng Zheng nodded.
If it were someone else saying this, he might still have some concerns.
Whether it was about ability or motive.
Will he end up unintentionally helping his way into the throne?
But when it came to Chen An, he was always one hundred percent confident.
Considering their friendship, even when Cheng Zheng was still alive, if Chen An wanted to ascend the throne, it probably wouldn't have been difficult.
Unsurprisingly, Chen An was not very enthusiastic about taking on another student.
He had led a carefree life on his own, so why bother taking in another student to cause trouble?
If he truly wanted to accept students, he wouldn't have gone this long without any.
But faced with Cheng Zheng's pleading eyes, he couldn't help but exhale a sigh and reluctantly agree, "If you don't mind me leading this child astray, then let's give it a try."
"But if I do lead this child astray, I won't take responsibility."
He smiled and said so.
Seeing Chen An agree, Cheng Zheng seemed to relax a bit, "Don't worry."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"That's alright."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"Chen An, after I'm gone, don't hide away anymore."
Holding Chen An's hand, Cheng Zheng pointed towards Cheng Qi and said somewhat pleadingly, "Help this child, look after him for me."
"I understand."
Chen An glanced at Cheng Zheng and said, somewhat speechless, "I'm not a fool, I understand what you mean."
"Don't worry."
He whispered, "After you're gone, this child will ascend safely, and there will be no problems."
"That's good."
Cheng Zheng nodded.
If it were someone else saying this, he might still have some concerns.
Whether it was about ability or motive.
Will he end up unintentionally helping his way into the throne?
But when it came to Chen An, he was always one hundred percent confident.
Considering their friendship, even when Cheng Zheng was still alive, if Chen An wanted to ascend the throne, it probably wouldn't have been difficult.
In the following half month, Chen An stayed in the palace.
He talked to Cheng Zheng while also fulfilling his duties as a teacher.
To his surprise, Cheng Qi's talent was quite good. Not only in academics, but even in martial arts, he showed great potential.
Of course, this 'good' was only in comparison to the royal family members like Cheng Zheng; if compared to the outside world, he was only at the level of an ordinary genius.
But it was still quite good.
It was really heaven's blessing!
Previously, Cheng Zheng had wanted his children to learn martial arts, even wanting the Crown Prince to become Chen An's disciple.
Unfortunately, neither Cheng Zheng nor his children had the aptitude for martial arts. Although they weren't considered useless, they weren't much better than useless.
It was a toss-up between the two.
It was a toss-up between the two.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince was a martial arts failure, while his son showed good talent.
Did this count as genetic mutation?
Chen An finally understood why Cheng Zheng had chosen Cheng Qi out of all his children.
In theory, Cheng Zheng had more than one child, and even if the Crown Prince was gone, he could have chosen another child from his remaining children to avoid the embarrassment of lacking an heir.
Moreover, the Crown Prince had more than one child, so why was it only Cheng Qi that was chosen?
Now, it seemed that Cheng Qi was not chosen at random, but was selected from a pool of talents.
After confirming Cheng Qi's decent martial arts talent, Chen An began to teach him martial arts in addition to his studies.
Although he had not taught students much before, to his surprise, once he started, he found that his teaching skills were not bad.
Of course, this might also have had something to do with his student.
After all, Cheng Qi was such a smart student that he didn't need an exceptionally skilled teacher to learn from.
Let's not mention the interaction between Chen An and Cheng Qi for now.
In the palace, after more than half a month, Cheng Zheng finally passed away one night amidst fierce wind and rain, thunder and lightning.
That night, outside, the wind and rain raged, and thunder roared.
Cheng Qi held Cheng Zheng's body and cried loudly.
Chen An just stood there, a little silent.
Next to him, a figure leaned over and walked up to Chen An, whispering, "The Crown Princess wants to talk to you, to discuss the matter of the Crown Prince's inheritance."
This sounded normal, but Chen An's expression was cold, "Discuss? Discuss what?"
"After the monarch's passing, it was agreed that the Crown Prince Cheng Qi would ascend to the throne. This was what the monarch had decided before his death."
"Go back and tell the Crown Princess to stay in her place quietly and be a proper Empress Dowager."
Chen An brushed past them and paid no attention to these people.
Far away, Cheng Qi, who had been crying, finally heard the news and finally relaxed.
He knew, with Chen An's stance, his ascension would now be smooth and without any problems.
Although Cheng Qi was the Crown Prince's child, he was not born to the Crown Princess.
And the Crown Princess herself also had children.
That was the problem.
As a mother, who wouldn't want the best for their children?
Although her own child should have had the best chance to inherit that position.
It was the discontent that led to these unnecessary thoughts.
Perhaps Cheng Zheng had thought of this, so he had specifically asked Chen An to come back and protect Cheng Qi.
Otherwise, even if Cheng Qi eventually ascended to the throne, he would likely be suppressed for a long time, with constraints he couldn't shake off.
After all, in name, the Crown Princess was still his birth mother. After he ascended, she would become the Empress Dowager, naturally imposing restrictions on the young sovereign.
But with Chen An there, everything went much more smoothly.
Although Chen An didn't like to meddle, he never shied away when needed.
Because there was no need to shy away.
Before, he might have been weak, but at this point, with his current status and strength, it was as simple as saying a few words.
No trouble.
After saying a few words, Chen An thought the matter was settled.
However, there were still more troubles to come.
Trouble originated from that Crown Princess, the current Empress Dowager.
After being directly rejected by Chen An, it seemed like she hadn't given up on her other schemes, trying to manipulate politics and take control behind the scenes.
At first, Chen An didn't think much of it.
After all, Cheng Qi was still young, only in his teens.
Although he had extraordinary talent, his experience and knowledge were lacking. Some time for experience and maturity under the Empress Dowager's rule didn't seem like a bad idea.
With Chen An there, there was nothing to fear.
And then the unexpected happened.
Seemingly emboldened by Chen An's lack of opposition, the Empress Dowager's audacity grew.
Being bold was fine, but you had better know what you're doing.
However, such hope was destined to be dashed.
In Chen An's view, although the Empress Dowager was in her thirties or forties, her skill level might not even match the teenaged Cheng Qi.
The various schemes carried out by the Empress Dowager left Chen An dizzy and fed up.
In the end, unable to bear it anymore, he had to get involved and force the Empress Dowager to relinquish power ahead of time, handing it over to Cheng Qi.
There was no other way.
Although the Da Hua Dynasty was left by Cheng Zheng, it had also benefited from Chen An's efforts.
Chen An naturally didn't want to see all his efforts wasted on useless people.
After Cheng Qi ascended the throne, his performance was not disappointing. Everything was done decently, although not outstanding, it wasn't mediocre.
Although it was mediocre compared to Cheng Zheng, it was a respectable performance compared to the previous Empress Dowager.
Ten years passed after Cheng Qi ascended the throne, and Chen An remained in the court.
He had only held a nominal position and didn't handle official affairs, strictly speaking, his position in the court was not even higher than his own two children.
But it didn't matter.
With his reputation and status, even if he did nothing but stand there, it was enough to hold all the power.
Few people in the court were fools. They naturally understood the implications.
It was essentially supporting the current sovereign.
After spending a full decade in the court, confirming that Cheng Qi's prestige and health were not a problem, Chen An turned and left, once again entering a state of seclusion.
In reality, a secluded life was not as ideal as it might seem.
This was natural.
Without modern conveniences like electricity or entertainment like novels, games, or movies, what kind of life could one live alone in the remote wilderness?
It was fortunate that Chen An had already risen to the realm of Tian, with a body different from ordinary people.
Otherwise, the bugs alone would be enough to drive a person mad.
This was another benefit of ascending to Tian.
After ascending to Tian, one could directly draw on the power of the world with each move, and control a portion of the innate power.
Invisible to others, as long as Chen An wished it, nothing external could approach him.
Even those bugs, invisible to the naked eye, would be immediately detected and crushed by his energy.
This could be considered a practical application of Tian energy in daily life.
If Chen An had had such abilities in his previous life, his days would have been even more carefree.
Unfortunately, the threshold was quite high.
In any case, Chen An's secluded life might sound nice, but in reality, it was quite boring.
He spent his days in the mountains, apart from admiring the scenery, he also practiced his cultivation and occasionally went out to socialize.
When he had nothing to do, he even went to farm, gaining a new understanding of the difficulty of farming.
From the initial discomfort to gradual habituation, time was quickly slipping away.
In the blink of an eye, several decades had passed.
In these few decades, Chen An had bid farewell to many people.
Like his two children, and old friends like Liu Chu.
Liu Chu was the first to leave, passing away just a few years after Cheng Zheng, wishing to see a dance performance before his death, dying content.
As for his two children, they died peacefully without suffering.
Chen An felt a bit sad about the passing of these loved ones, but by now, he had somewhat adapted.
To be exact, he had learned to let go.
Everyone had to die.
Compared to others, at least his children and friends had been able to live a happy life to the fullest because of him, which was quite good.
How many people wished for such good fortune?
Chen An was finally free of worries.
After his two children had passed away, he still had descendants, but he didn't have much of a deep connection with them.
That's just how people are sometimes.
Even with blood ties, if you don't spend much time together, there's still no emotional bond.
Compared to his two sons, Chen An's grandchildren mostly looked up to him with awe, rather than seeing him as their own relative.
Chen An had no intention of interfering too much in their lives, so he simply closed himself off and let everyone live their own lives.
The only person he still had a connection with was Cheng Qi.
In name, he was Chen An's student, and although he was still young, he should be able to survive for quite a few years.
But in Chen An's eyes, it was still quite precarious.
Although Cheng Qi was not too old, his health was not great.
Although he had good talent, years of being busy with politics had hindered his cultivation progress, and he had only barely reached the realm of internal energy, unable to progress further.
Although his health was not bad, he may not live too long.
"Changan"
Under Chen An's careful care, Cheng Zheng's condition gradually improved.
He seemed to have returned to normal, and his overall condition had improved a lot.
The effect was quite apparent.
Previously, he couldn't speak at all, but now he could speak fluently in the blink of an eye. Wasn't the effect good enough?
If other doctors had this level of skill, they would probably cry.
Cheng Zheng's condition gradually returned to normal. Although he still looked like he was at death's door, at least he seemed much more articulate.
For Cheng Zheng, this was already good enough.
By the bedside, he tightly held Chen An's hand. "I may be leaving soon."
He seemed to have a lot of things he wanted to say, but in the end, he could only manage to say this one sentence.
Chen An could feel Cheng Zheng's complex emotions, a mixture of fear and worry.
This was the first time he had experienced this.
The few old friends he had seen before all left peacefully.
Fourth Princess and Teacher Dong Heng left peacefully, without any struggle, always calm.
As for his grandfather Chen Hua, it was Chen An himself who bid him farewell.
They all left peacefully, perhaps because they were already content with life, or perhaps because they had a detached outlook on life and death, so they were not afraid of the end.
Cheng Zheng before him was not actually afraid of death.
He was just worried.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Looking at Cheng Zheng in front of him, Chen An could only speak softly to console him.
Seemingly comforted, Cheng Zheng's emotions gradually calmed down.
That night, he seemed to have endless words to say, constantly talking to Chen An.
However, unlike other people before him, when Cheng Zheng, a workaholic, was on his deathbed, he was giving instructions on various political matters.
His workaholism was real.
He called his grandson, Cheng Qi, over to listen, as if he was about to give his last instructions.
From the outside, this was basically the basic steps of passing on the throne.
Cheng Qi, who was Cheng Zheng's grandson, was named with the meaning of "continuing the previous and starting the next."
Cheng Qi was Cheng Zheng's grandson, the legitimate son of the Crown Prince, and now the Crown Prince.
As for why his grandson was brought over instead of the Crown Prince, it was naturally because the Crown Prince had already passed away.
Yes, the Crown Prince had passed away several years ago.
Chen An still remembered the scene at that time, such a strong man, blinked and he was gone.
The successor Cheng Zheng had carefully nurtured for many years died because of a serious illness, at the age of just fifty.
Well, that age didn't seem too short.
The average lifespan of emperors in history might not have been longer than this.
The main issue was that Cheng Zheng was too tough and continued to stand upright even in his seventies, and he managed to torture his own Crown Prince to death.
If the Crown Prince were still alive, Cheng Zheng wouldn't be so worried.
The Crown Prince was his carefully nurtured successor, with prestige within Da Hua, so there should have been no problem after he succeeded the throne.
But now that the Crown Prince had passed away, the only legitimate heir left was just a teenager.
So young and already worrying, could he really carry on his expectations and lead Da Hua forward?
Cheng Zheng was not sure, his heart was full of worries.
For an ordinary king, perhaps he wouldn't be too worried about this issue.
But Cheng Zheng was too serious and too responsible.
He was always busy, wanting to do more practical things, even at the moment of his death, he was thinking about the future of the country, not wanting his decades of achievements to be in vain after his death.
But it seemed like he had no other choice but to trust the child in front of him.
That night, he entrusted many things.
Finally, he looked at Chen An and said with some difficulty, "Changan, this child is dull, I want him to stay with you for a while, do you mind taking in this student?"
He finally revealed his intentions.
Chen An sighed.
He understood Cheng Zheng's intentions.
Compared to the deceased Crown Prince, Cheng Qi was too young and lacked prestige. Even if he forcefully ascended the throne, he probably wouldn't have the ability to command the world.
Originally, if Cheng Zheng had more time, and if Cheng Qi was a bit older, there would have been many other ways.
But now, everything was rushed.
The only safest option seemed to be Chen An.
As the King of Da Hua, the pillar of the entire Da Hua, and the only Tian of the Central Plains today, Chen An was undeniably more important to the entire Da Hua than even Cheng Zheng.
If he was willing to help Cheng Qi, then there would be no problems afterwards.
And Cheng Qi's identity as the student of the King was enough to stabilize his position, and no one would dare to oppose him no matter what.
Honestly, Chen An wasn't very keen on taking in another student.
He lived a carefree life alone, why bother adding another student to cause trouble?
If he had truly wanted to take in students, he wouldn't have gone this long without any.
But faced with Cheng Zheng's pleading eyes, he couldn't help but sigh and reluctantly agreed, "If you don't mind me leading this child astray, then let's give it a try."
"But if I do lead this child astray, I won't take responsibility."
He smiled and said so.
Seeing Chen An agree, Cheng Zheng seemed to relax a bit, "Don't worry."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"This kid is not talented in the first place. Even if he's delayed a bit, it won't matter."
Cheng Zheng did not agree with Chen An's notion of leading astray.
It was a joke.
Others might not know, but Cheng Zheng knew Chen An very well.
He was not only exceptional in martial arts, but also in other aspects. Even in medical skills, he could surpass many so-called miracle doctors.
With such a person being his grandson's teacher, what was there to be unsatisfied about?
Afraid of leading astray?
How many people wouldn't want to be lead astray by him?
"After I'm gone, Chenn An, don't hide away anymore."
Holding Chen An's hand, Cheng Zheng pointed towards Cheng Qi and said somewhat pleadingly, "Help this child, look after him for me."
"I understand."
Chen An glanced at Cheng Zheng and said, somewhat speechless, "I'm not a fool, I understand what you mean."
"Don't worry."
He whispered, "After you're gone, this child will ascend safely, and there will be no problems."
"That's good."
Cheng Zheng nodded.
If it were someone else saying this, he might still have some concerns.
Whether it was about ability or motive.
Will he end up unintentionally helping his way into the throne?
But when it came to Chen An, he was always one hundred percent confident.
Considering their friendship, even when Cheng Zheng was still alive, if Chen An wanted to ascend the throne, it probably wouldn't have been difficult.
Unsurprisingly, Chen An was not very enthusiastic about taking on another student.
He had led a carefree life on his own, so why bother taking in another student to cause trouble?
If he truly wanted to accept students, he wouldn't have gone this long without any.
But faced with Cheng Zheng's pleading eyes, he couldn't help but exhale a sigh and reluctantly agree, "If you don't mind me leading this child astray, then let's give it a try."
"But if I do lead this child astray, I won't take responsibility."
He smiled and said so.
Seeing Chen An agree, Cheng Zheng seemed to relax a bit, "Don't worry."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"That's alright."
He also smiled, "There are countless talents in this world. Even if he's delayed a bit by the King, he hasn't had the chance to be delayed yet."
"Chen An, after I'm gone, don't hide away anymore."
Holding Chen An's hand, Cheng Zheng pointed towards Cheng Qi and said somewhat pleadingly, "Help this child, look after him for me."
"I understand."
Chen An glanced at Cheng Zheng and said, somewhat speechless, "I'm not a fool, I understand what you mean."
"Don't worry."
He whispered, "After you're gone, this child will ascend safely, and there will be no problems."
"That's good."
Cheng Zheng nodded.
If it were someone else saying this, he might still have some concerns.
Whether it was about ability or motive.
Will he end up unintentionally helping his way into the throne?
But when it came to Chen An, he was always one hundred percent confident.
Considering their friendship, even when Cheng Zheng was still alive, if Chen An wanted to ascend the throne, it probably wouldn't have been difficult.
In the following half month, Chen An stayed in the palace.
He talked to Cheng Zheng while also fulfilling his duties as a teacher.
To his surprise, Cheng Qi's talent was quite good. Not only in academics, but even in martial arts, he showed great potential.
Of course, this 'good' was only in comparison to the royal family members like Cheng Zheng; if compared to the outside world, he was only at the level of an ordinary genius.
But it was still quite good.
It was really heaven's blessing!
Previously, Cheng Zheng had wanted his children to learn martial arts, even wanting the Crown Prince to become Chen An's disciple.
Unfortunately, neither Cheng Zheng nor his children had the aptitude for martial arts. Although they weren't considered useless, they weren't much better than useless.
It was a toss-up between the two.
It was a toss-up between the two.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince was a martial arts failure, while his son showed good talent.
Did this count as genetic mutation?
Chen An finally understood why Cheng Zheng had chosen Cheng Qi out of all his children.
In theory, Cheng Zheng had more than one child, and even if the Crown Prince was gone, he could have chosen another child from his remaining children to avoid the embarrassment of lacking an heir.
Moreover, the Crown Prince had more than one child, so why was it only Cheng Qi that was chosen?
Now, it seemed that Cheng Qi was not chosen at random, but was selected from a pool of talents.
After confirming Cheng Qi's decent martial arts talent, Chen An began to teach him martial arts in addition to his studies.
Although he had not taught students much before, to his surprise, once he started, he found that his teaching skills were not bad.
Of course, this might also have had something to do with his student.
After all, Cheng Qi was such a smart student that he didn't need an exceptionally skilled teacher to learn from.
Let's not mention the interaction between Chen An and Cheng Qi for now.
In the palace, after more than half a month, Cheng Zheng finally passed away one night amidst fierce wind and rain, thunder and lightning.
That night, outside, the wind and rain raged, and thunder roared.
Cheng Qi held Cheng Zheng's body and cried loudly.
Chen An just stood there, a little silent.
Next to him, a figure leaned over and walked up to Chen An, whispering, "The Crown Princess wants to talk to you, to discuss the matter of the Crown Prince's inheritance."
This sounded normal, but Chen An's expression was cold, "Discuss? Discuss what?"
"After the monarch's passing, it was agreed that the Crown Prince Cheng Qi would ascend to the throne. This was what the monarch had decided before his death."
"Go back and tell the Crown Princess to stay in her place quietly and be a proper Empress Dowager."
Chen An brushed past them and paid no attention to these people.
Far away, Cheng Qi, who had been crying, finally heard the news and finally relaxed.
He knew, with Chen An's stance, his ascension would now be smooth and without any problems.
Although Cheng Qi was the Crown Prince's child, he was not born to the Crown Princess.
And the Crown Princess herself also had children.
That was the problem.
As a mother, who wouldn't want the best for their children?
Although her own child should have had the best chance to inherit that position.
It was the discontent that led to these unnecessary thoughts.
Perhaps Cheng Zheng had thought of this, so he had specifically asked Chen An to come back and protect Cheng Qi.
Otherwise, even if Cheng Qi eventually ascended to the throne, he would likely be suppressed for a long time, with constraints he couldn't shake off.
After all, in name, the Crown Princess was still his birth mother. After he ascended, she would become the Empress Dowager, naturally imposing restrictions on the young sovereign.
But with Chen An there, everything went much more smoothly.
Although Chen An didn't like to meddle, he never shied away when needed.
Because there was no need to shy away.
Before, he might have been weak, but at this point, with his current status and strength, it was as simple as saying a few words.
No trouble.
After saying a few words, Chen An thought the matter was settled.
However, there were still more troubles to come.
Trouble originated from that Crown Princess, the current Empress Dowager.
After being directly rejected by Chen An, it seemed like she hadn't given up on her other schemes, trying to manipulate politics and take control behind the scenes.
At first, Chen An didn't think much of it.
After all, Cheng Qi was still young, only in his teens.
Although he had extraordinary talent, his experience and knowledge were lacking. Some time for experience and maturity under the Empress Dowager's rule didn't seem like a bad idea.
With Chen An there, there was nothing to fear.
And then the unexpected happened.
Seemingly emboldened by Chen An's lack of opposition, the Empress Dowager's audacity grew.
Being bold was fine, but you had better know what you're doing.
However, such hope was destined to be dashed.
In Chen An's view, although the Empress Dowager was in her thirties or forties, her skill level might not even match the teenaged Cheng Qi.
The various schemes carried out by the Empress Dowager left Chen An dizzy and fed up.
In the end, unable to bear it anymore, he had to get involved and force the Empress Dowager to relinquish power ahead of time, handing it over to Cheng Qi.
There was no other way.
Although the Da Hua Dynasty was left by Cheng Zheng, it had also benefited from Chen An's efforts.
Chen An naturally didn't want to see all his efforts wasted on useless people.
After Cheng Qi ascended the throne, his performance was not disappointing. Everything was done decently, although not outstanding, it wasn't mediocre.
Although it was mediocre compared to Cheng Zheng, it was a respectable performance compared to the previous Empress Dowager.
Ten years passed after Cheng Qi ascended the throne, and Chen An remained in the court.
He had only held a nominal position and didn't handle official affairs, strictly speaking, his position in the court was not even higher than his own two children.
But it didn't matter.
With his reputation and status, even if he did nothing but stand there, it was enough to hold all the power.
Few people in the court were fools. They naturally understood the implications.
It was essentially supporting the current sovereign.
After spending a full decade in the court, confirming that Cheng Qi's prestige and health were not a problem, Chen An turned and left, once again entering a state of seclusion.
In reality, a secluded life was not as ideal as it might seem.
This was natural.
Without modern conveniences like electricity or entertainment like novels, games, or movies, what kind of life could one live alone in the remote wilderness?
It was fortunate that Chen An had already risen to the realm of Tian, with a body different from ordinary people.
Otherwise, the bugs alone would be enough to drive a person mad.
This was another benefit of ascending to Tian.
After ascending to Tian, one could directly draw on the power of the world with each move, and control a portion of the innate power.
Invisible to others, as long as Chen An wished it, nothing external could approach him.
Even those bugs, invisible to the naked eye, would be immediately detected and crushed by his energy.
This could be considered a practical application of Tian energy in daily life.
If Chen An had had such abilities in his previous life, his days would have been even more carefree.
Unfortunately, the threshold was quite high.
In any case, Chen An's secluded life might sound nice, but in reality, it was quite boring.
He spent his days in the mountains, apart from admiring the scenery, he also practiced his cultivation and occasionally went out to socialize.
When he had nothing to do, he even went to farm, gaining a new understanding of the difficulty of farming.
From the initial discomfort to gradual habituation, time was quickly slipping away.
In the blink of an eye, several decades had passed.
In these few decades, Chen An had bid farewell to many people.
Like his two children, and old friends like Liu Chu.
Liu Chu was the first to leave, passing away just a few years after Cheng Zheng, wishing to see a dance performance before his death, dying content.
As for his two children, they died peacefully without suffering.
Chen An felt a bit sad about the passing of these loved ones, but by now, he had somewhat adapted.
To be exact, he had learned to let go.
Everyone had to die.
Compared to others, at least his children and friends had been able to live a happy life to the fullest because of him, which was quite good.
How many people wished for such good fortune?
Chen An was finally free of worries.
After his two children had passed away, he still had descendants, but he didn't have much of a deep connection with them.
That's just how people are sometimes.
Even with blood ties, if you don't spend much time together, there's still no emotional bond.
Compared to his two sons, Chen An's grandchildren mostly looked up to him with awe, rather than seeing him as their own relative.
Chen An had no intention of interfering too much in their lives, so he simply closed himself off and let everyone live their own lives.
The only person he still had a connection with was Cheng Qi.
In name, he was Chen An's student, and although he was still young, he should be able to survive for quite a few years.
But in Chen An's eyes, it was still quite precarious.
Although Cheng Qi was not too old, his health was not great.
Although he had good talent, years of being busy with politics had hindered his cultivation progress, and he had only barely reached the realm of internal energy, unable to progress further.
Although his health was not bad, he may not live too long.
