bayedsolid Chapter 417 Acting as Government Official!
Chapter 417 Acting as Government Official!
The crown prince stiffened and immediately knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, my fourth brother and I have been close since childhood. He would not hide most of his thoughts from me. He is also the brother I trust the most."
The emperor remained silent, squinting as he stared at the man's scalp for a long time without moving.
The Crown Prince also felt the Emperor's scrutiny, and his scalp tingled. He dared not raise his head or move an inch!
"Alright, get up. I know you two brothers have a deep bond, and I know he has always been mostly grateful to you. He is a good boy. There are naturally my reasons for assigning the Yan region to him."
As the Emperor spoke, he walked to the wall a few steps behind the dragon desk, looked at the huge map, put his hands behind his back, and slowly scanned it. Then he beckoned to the Crown Prince, "Come and see for yourself."
The Crown Prince approached as instructed, “The Ming King’s fiefdom is to his south. If the Ming King intends to rebel, he will inevitably have to pass through the Fourth Prince’s fiefdom. Moreover, the first one to notice will naturally be the Fourth Prince! The Fourth Prince is wholeheartedly devoted to you, so he will certainly not sit idly by.”
The crown prince's eyes lit up, and he bowed his head, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I am far less far-sighted than you."
The Emperor shook his head. “It’s not that you are inferior to me, but that you have also seen it, yet you are unwilling to say it. I only hope that after I pass away, you can smoothly ascend the throne. And after you ascend the throne, you must treat your younger brothers and sisters well.”
"Your subject will certainly obey Your Majesty's command."
"My original intention was to use the fourth prince to suppress him. Each of you has 300,000 troops, but the fourth prince has personally experienced the battlefield, and with his reputation, even if the second prince is willing to oppose you, he will have to think about whether he has a legitimate reason to do so, as long as he doesn't go too far."
The Emperor turned to the Crown Prince, his gaze piercing. "You must promise me that as long as he does not plot a rebellion, you must not take his life or revoke his title and fiefdom. Even if he rebels one day and falls into your hands, you should be magnanimous and spare his life."
The Crown Prince understood what was happening and immediately knelt down. "Yes, Your Majesty, I hereby swear that I will treat my younger brothers and sisters well in the future. Even if they are disloyal to me, I will never kill them! As for my fourth brother, I have only trust in him and no doubt about him! If I break this oath, I will be restless day and night and suffer divine retribution!"
"Alright, I understand your intentions. There's no need for that. I'm tired, you may leave now."
"Yes, Father."
Upon leaving the imperial study, the Crown Prince realized that his entire back was soaked, and the cold wind outside made him shiver.
He glanced back at the Imperial Study, took a deep breath, and realized that his father still cared about their blood ties.
Yanzhou, Chang Le Prince's Mansion.
Mu Xin Nuan was practicing calligraphy in the backyard when De An came in and said that the prince had invited her to Qinghui Pavilion.
Mu Xin Nuan was slightly surprised. The Council of State was not yet fully repaired, and Qinghui Pavilion was basically filled with officials all day long. Why would they think of sending her there today?
Upon arriving at Qinghui Pavilion and being led into the East Warm Pavilion, Mu Xin Nuan noticed that there weren't many people in the room. At least, Prefect He wasn't among them.
"Greetings to the princess."
"Gentlemen, please dispense with the formalities."
"What business does Your Highness have with me?"
"It's nothing, just letting you meet a few people. Come here. You've already met Lu Shaofeng. You also know Zi Yi. This is Xu Hai, mainly in charge of our Prince's mansion's finances. And this is Wang Zhao, my capable deputy general."
Mu Xin Nuan looked them up and down. "Xu Hai? Xu Jin Ji from Beijing?"
"Your Highness, it is the Prince's property. However, on the surface, it is subordinates who act as the master. This is also to avoid attracting attention."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. "And this one? Judging from your extraordinary bearing, could you be from the Wang family in the capital?"
"Your Highness, I am a half-brother of Prince Yu, born of a concubine." The last sentence, though lacking humility, revealed a hint of bitterness.
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. In a large family, a son born out of wedlock, if outstanding, would naturally become a valuable asset for the direct line. But what if he wasn't capable?
Wang Zhao said with a complicated expression, "Your Highness, I have long since left the Wang family. In fact, Wang Ziyu's half-brother died many years ago."
Mu Xin Nuan was speechless, looking at Duanmu Chu Ze with confusion.
“He was Wang Ziyu’s half-brother, so he was framed and killed by Madam Wang. Because of this, he harbored resentment towards the Wang family and refused to go back. When I found him, he was already barely breathing.”
Mu Xin Nuan finally understood, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. However, seeing his heroic spirit now, he was no less than that of Prince Yu.
"Does the Wang family know anything about him?"
Duanmu Chuze shook his head. "I don't know! His real name was Wang Zixiao. I saved him, so he changed his name and swore that he would only be loyal to me for the rest of his life and would no longer recognize the Wang family lineage."
Mu Xin Nuan was slightly taken aback, then asked, "You asked me to come here just to see them?"
"I'll be going out in a few days. There's still someone to take care of things here in Yanzhou City. The rest of them will stay behind; I'll only be taking Zi Yi and Lu Shaofeng with me. If anything comes up, have them come to Qinghui Pavilion and let you decide."
Mu Xin Nuan was immediately startled. "Isn't this inappropriate? I am a woman."
"So what? Besides, I trust you. You are my queen, do you think I don't know how capable you are? I'll only be gone for three to five days, I'll be back as soon as possible. You can just pretend to be me and stay here to oversee things."
"You mean you're going on a secret trip?"
"Hmm. Most of the reports submitted by officials in Yan are false. I have to find out how much of it is fabricated. Otherwise, if I distribute the silver and grain, won't it all be a waste?"
"Alright. Just be careful and don't let anyone find out."
"Don't worry. If there is someone I absolutely must see, Wang Zhao and Xu Hai are here. They are both my right-hand men. When the people under me see them, they will know that I am in the mansion. It's just that I am not feeling well, so they are temporarily handling the government affairs."
"You're going there just to find out if those reports are true or false?" Mu Xin Nuan became suspicious, feeling that things weren't as simple as he made them out to be.
Duanmu Chuze chuckled and reached out to pat her head. "I knew you were smart! You saw through me so quickly!"
As he spoke, his expression became more solemn. "A large amount of coal has been discovered in a mountain within Qi County. If it can be mined out as soon as possible, it will naturally help the people get through this year's cold winter."