"Have you heard? A year after the former crown prince was deposed, Nanning is finally going to establish a new crown prince."

The storyteller in the teahouse spoke with an air of mystery, and the onlookers listened intently, afraid they might have misheard.

"Tell me quickly, sir, what exactly is the story? Wasn't it originally said that the Second Prince was the best candidate for Crown Prince? Why has it changed to the Third Prince now?"

Did some bloody power struggle or dramatic battle for the throne among the nine princes occur here?

People are often curious about matters concerning the royal family, as they sometimes hear these great scholars talk about them.

The storyteller opened his fan, shook his head, and then took a sip of tea to whet the audience's appetite before beginning his story.

"There's a lot more to this than meets the eye, let me tell you all about it."

"I heard that the Second Prince is brave and resourceful, but unfortunately, he was envied by the heavens and suffered from hysteria at a young age."

The Second Prince's wife was already in poor health, and her constant worry caused her to grow increasingly thin. One day, she could no longer bear it and passed away.

Everyone's faces showed sympathy. A woman's pillar of support is her husband. If her husband goes mad, how can she not get sick?

It seems the Second Prince's wife is also a pitiful person.

The storyteller continued, "Because of his madness, the Second Prince accidentally killed the Northern Liang princess who was sent to marry him, which led to this tragedy."

However, Nanning is a vast country with strict laws. Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. Even if he was the second prince, he could not escape punishment for such a grave mistake.

Su Luo heard this storytelling while passing by a teahouse. It was about how Nanning and Beiliang were at war again, and that if Nangong Jingyao did not die, it would be difficult to quell the people's anger.

Although the storyteller embellished Nangong Jingyao a bit, the outcome remained the same, which was a satisfactory explanation to the people.

In times of national turmoil, only by selecting a suitable heir can the people's hearts be at ease, and the only one who fits this description is Nangong Qing.

...

Mid-September! The Crown Prince's investiture ceremony.

This can be said to be the simplest investiture ceremony in Nanning's history.

There was no grand celebration, no elaborate rituals or music; only a red cloth stretched from the palace gate to the main hall.

Wearing a python robe, Nangong Qing passed by all the officials and knelt before the emperor to receive the imperial seal.

The process was extremely simple. Only after receiving the Crown Prince's seal did he turn to the officials, and all the ministers knelt down.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, may Your Highness live a thousand years..."

"No need for formalities!"

Nangong Qing glanced at Su Luo in the crowd. He had never wanted to be the crown prince; he had never deigned to be one.

Once he sits in this position, he will have no control over his own affairs and will become nothing more than a tool constantly operating for the country.

"Your Highness, the national situation does not allow it; I'm sorry to have wronged you."

When the emperor spoke, this event was simply incomparable to the time when the eldest prince was appointed crown prince.

Nangong Qing knelt down and said, "Father, I believe that saving these unnecessary expenses for the people is the most worthwhile thing."

"Good! You truly are my son."

After the investiture ceremony was completed in the main hall, Nangong Qing went to pay her respects to the Empress, then burned incense at her mother's memorial tablet before the ceremony was finally finished.

After being named Crown Prince, he lived in the Eastern Palace, and the former residence of the Second Prince was now deserted.

"Vice Minister of Agriculture, you haven't left yet?"

Su Luo waited for him outside the East Palace Gate. Although Nangong Qing's status was different now, they were still good friends.

"Congratulations, Your Highness."

Nangong Qing walked up to Su Luo with a faint smile on his face, but it wasn't a happy smile; it was just a polite one.

"There's nothing to congratulate about."

"This is great joy, of course we should be happy. Now that you have become the crown prince, I should send you a gift."

As she spoke, Su Luo took out a small box from her sleeve and handed it to Nangong Qing with one hand.

"Open it and take a look. This is a treasure I've collected. There are only two of them in the whole world, and I'm giving this one to you."

Nangong Qing took it. Since Su Luo said it was a good thing, it must be extraordinary.

Gently open the box; inside is a round object about an inch wide, covered by a transparent layer.

The circle has many dots on its edge and a moving pointer, much like the sundial outside the main hall.

"Vice Minister of Agriculture, is this a sundial that you hold in your hand? How can it move by itself?"

Su Luo noticed his curiosity; it was just a mechanical pocket watch.

"Almost, but it's mechanical and never stops. It represents time. Now that you've become the Crown Prince, your time belongs to the people of Nanning. I'm giving you my time in the hope that you'll also have your own time in the future."

Nangong Qing took out his pocket watch, which had a long chain attached to it. The chain was exquisitely designed and could completely replace the jade pendant at his waist.

"time?"

“Vice Minister of Agriculture, I really like this gift.”

Su Luo set the time to match the sundial in the palace hall, and then showed Nangong Qing how to use it. He understood it after watching it once more.

With this pocket watch, he could keep track of time no matter where he was.

"Come in and sit for a while!"

"good!"

A palace maid brought in tea for the two of them, and Nangong Qing pointed to a chair and asked Su Luo to sit down.

"Vice Minister of Agriculture, I heard you had Ji'an Hall send a batch of anti-inflammatory medicine to Beichuan City?"

Su Luo took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said, "Mmm!"

"This was an oversight by the imperial court, but once the court recovers, it will definitely fund the purchase of anti-inflammatory drugs."

"good!"

The imperial court needed to spend a lot of money to build reservoirs, and the donations from merchants alone were simply not enough. In many places, the imperial court had to pay for the projects itself.

Adding to the unexpected event of war, the need to compensate the people with provisions and the ongoing imperial examinations in the prefectures and counties also added another considerable expense.

"How's the reservoir project going?"

"With the help of the Ministry of Works and professional river embankment workers, everything is proceeding as usual."

"That's good. However, after the reservoir is completed, it must wait a month before it can release water. During the water release period, the people need to be evacuated to prevent flooding accidents."

Even the most sturdy reservoirs can have unexpected problems. If these precautions aren't taken in advance, it could lead to another disaster.

"That's natural."

Realizing that Su Luo's words seemed to be giving him instructions, Nangong Qing put down his teacup, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Vice Minister of Agriculture, do you have any other plans?"

After being given the title of Crown Prince, Nangong Qing found it difficult to even call Su Luo by her name. He also had an unmarried Crown Princess, completely separating him from Su Luo.

Su Luo smiled. She did have plans, and she wanted to say goodbye to Nangong Qing today.

"You noticed that."

Su Luo said it jokingly, then paused and said, "With you all in the capital, I plan to go back to Changping Village. Lord Qi is here to purchase grain, and I will be in charge of the Changping Village area. Working together will be more efficient."

Once Su Luo left, it was unknown when she would return. Although Nangong Qing had long known that he and Su Luo would not walk the same path, he still couldn't bear to part with her.

"Is it because Prince Yu is not in the capital?"