Chapter 13: A Dazzling Array of Rewards

"A set of imperial robes, a jade tree with gold flowers, a gilded orchid-patterned flat pot, and a sandalwood screen depicting a night banquet..."

The eunuch Fu Man was reading the imperial edict aloud; it contained gifts from the emperor to the second prince.

Qi Chengming knelt to receive the imperial decree, listening absentmindedly, letting it go in one ear and out the other. He felt nothing; he even felt a slight urge to laugh.

Do you really think that a little kid like him can get rid of all the grievances he's suffered over the years with just a few material possessions?

Although Chief Steward Song spoke vaguely about the past, he understood the implication. The Emperor had a tragic past with his own mother, which led to the Second Prince being deliberately neglected from childhood, struggling and being manipulated by others until now. He couldn't forgive the original owner of this body for so much suffering; the only recourse was to help him exact revenge.

After the Emperor learned the truth... was this his way of making amends?

Who knew that Eunuch Fuman paused for a moment, and then said the important part: "...I bestow upon him ten thousand taels of silver, grant him the title of Prince 'Rui', and grant him the power to supervise secret memorials."

The plump, kind-faced eunuch smiled and instructed, "Prince Rui, why don't you rise and thank the imperial decree?"

These were weighty matters, naturally beyond the authority of an old eunuch like him; they must have required the Emperor's tacit approval. This showed that the Emperor still cared about the child he had neglected. Eunuch Fu Man remained focused, delivering the decree flawlessly.

"...?!" The eunuchs and palace maids kneeling behind Qi Chengming were all beaming with joy, but since they hadn't received the imperial decree yet, they suppressed their happiness and looked at each other, unable to hold back their smiles.

Qi Chengming rose to receive the imperial decree, but was confused and bewildered. He couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Your Excellency... what does this secret report... this supervisory power mean?"

He was very satisfied with the ten thousand taels of silver he was given.

Xiao Dezi and Chief Steward Song have been going back and forth reconciling accounts lately, worrying about calculating the expenses for the trip to Liuzhou. What use will the several thousand taels of silver from the Imperial Clan Court, given the princely status, be? It'll probably be gone by the time they get to Liuzhou. They'll need to find other ways to earn money to build up the princely residence and maintain the imperial guards. After all, the Second Prince's resources are too meager; he has no maternal family to support him, and no personal savings whatsoever.

Even if Qi Chengming is in dire straits, he cannot rely on the equally struggling Marquis of Weiyong's mansion; that would be too shameless.

Now that we have ten thousand taels of silver, our urgent problem has finally been solved.

He'll probably still have a tight budget in Liuzhou, but at least he won't be so poor that he can't even afford a proper residence—that would be beneath the dignity of a prince.

Moreover—he was promoted from a county prince to a prince, and was finally granted a title:

The character "瑞" (ruì) is extremely auspicious and precious, its common meaning being "good fortune." Qi Chengming recalled what he had learned from Chief Eunuch Song: in the past, the emperor had always considered him unlucky and ignored him, probably because he thought he was a jinx. Now, considering the emperor had specially bestowed the character "瑞" upon him as compensation…

Well, from other people's perspectives, this compensation is naturally a good thing.

Look at Xiao Dezi, his eyes are already red with emotion.

But Qi Chengming, who knew the reason from back then, only found it ironic and laughable—so what? Your own unlucky son, whom you disliked, was tormented for over a decade, and now you're just going to dismiss him with an auspicious title? Don't forget, a prince who normally leaves the palace to take up his fiefdom would normally be granted the title of Prince. He's been promoted from a county prince to a prince, and he's expected to be grateful? Moreover, the Emperor hasn't mentioned changing his fiefdom at all. No matter how good this title is now, he still has to go to Lingnan to take up his fiefdom.

Tsk, PUA.

Therefore, Qi Chengming remained calm when expressing his gratitude, but he was somewhat puzzled by the last point, "the power to supervise secret reports."

He savored the words.

Could it be that His Majesty... wants him to report on the officials in Liuzhou or Lingnan from time to time? What could possibly happen in such harsh places? Does he really need to oversee them?

The moment the plump old man spoke, Qi Chengming realized he had misunderstood. The old man, hands clasped, leaned closer and whispered an explanation in his ear:

"Regarding Consort Hua's matter from back then... His Majesty intends to continue investigating it thoroughly, but fishing requires calming the water before casting bait. His Majesty's meaning is that the Second Prince has been wronged and cannot be allowed to lose heart any further, so he will not hide it from Your Highness and will patiently wait a little longer. This secret report is for Your Highness to contact His Majesty at any time after you go to your fiefdom so that we can continue to supervise this matter!"

Fu Man Gonggong also whispered about several post station officials in Liuzhou Prefecture and the methods for delivering secret memorials. Qi Chengming kept his eyes lowered and memorized them one by one without showing any emotion.

—Of course, Emperor Hongren wouldn't speak so eloquently; these were all words embellished by Eunuch Fuman.

But the underlying meaning is one of remorse and a firm commitment to investigate.

Qi Chengming was somewhat surprised: "..."

He had a very bad impression of Emperor Hongren, feeling that the other party was cold-hearted, irresponsible, and hypocritical afterward.

But now, at least the other party is showing some backbone in investigating the origins of the original owner's birth mother, Consort Hua, and her second son's unfortunate reputation? They didn't continue to feign ignorance and even tried to subtly express their apology using the "right of oversight." Although it's unclear... how much of Emperor Hongren's determination stemmed from his own anger at being deceived for over a decade.

Well, how should I put it?

In short, is he a high-quality scumbag among scumbags?

Qi Chengming chuckled ironically at his own words.

...On the surface, it's better to take advantage of the benefits. Qi Chengming respectfully accepted these instructions, feigning gratitude as he thanked them: "Xiao Dezi, go see the eunuch off."

Xiao Dezi cleverly agreed, touched the pocket containing the silver, and stepped forward to see Eunuch Fuman out, preparing to awkwardly offer a bribe.

Eunuch Fu Man was about to leave, but before he did, he looked around again and shook his head, noticing that there wasn't a single mature and steady old man in the Second Prince's quarters. He could only patiently wait for Xiao Dezi to see him off with a fawning bow, and then gave him a few more words of advice: "...Go back and explain things to His Highness the Second Prince properly, and don't let His Majesty down."

When Xiao Dezi stepped into the Second Prince's residence again, he seemed preoccupied.

All the large and small gifts that were brought in like a flowing stream were placed in the main hall by Qi Chengming, who was opening the boxes to inspect each item and directing the palace servants to arrange them.

The most eye-catching of all is that exquisitely beautiful screen.

Qi Chengming, hands behind his back, admired the twilight-blue banquet scene depicted on the screen. The needlework was incredibly lifelike, portraying a lively scene of people clinking glasses and exchanging toasts before the lamplight at night. Strangely, the men and women at the banquet didn't seem to be seated at separate tables, and there were even children present. Everyone wore smiles, and the flowing ribbons and skirts of their clothes made it seem as if the figures were about to leap out of the painting, eagerly inviting people to join them for drinks.

"It's so exquisite!" he exclaimed. "The painting is beautiful, and the embroidery is exquisite too."

He, a country bumpkin, had finally seen the exquisite handicrafts created by the ancient working people, the culmination of their hard work. Even though he was a layman who knew nothing about art, he could tell that this was probably a masterpiece that perfectly combined painting and embroidery skills of that era, something that would take three to six years to make.

—I heard that these were all allocated to him from the emperor's private treasury, so how could they not be good stuff?

“Your Highness…” Xiao Dezi walked over and, after Qi Chengming had admired the items, spoke in a low voice, “Just now, Eunuch Fuman reminded me of something again. Apart from the prince’s ceremonial robes, the rest of the gifts this time… are all things that Consort Hua used and cherished, especially this screen, which is said to have been painted and embroidered by the Consort herself.”

Qi Chengming was stunned for a moment, as if his brain had been hit by a heavy hammer.

The second prince's birth mother... was an expert in both painting and embroidery.

She's a talented woman.

He had no memories of the original owner of the body, but because he had developed a fondness for the maternal relatives of the Marquis of Weiyong's family, he was willing to treat the original owner's deceased birth mother as his own. Now, Emperor Hongren was willing to give him some of Consort Hua's old belongings, and his intention to curry favor was self-evident.

But Qi Chengming had only one question after learning about it:

"Why...why are my mother's things in Father's private treasury??" Qi Chengming asked, full of doubt.

Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi exchanged a glance. The two young eunuchs were only about ten years old and were usually isolated from the world, living in seclusion in the Second Prince's quarters. When asked, they stammered, sweating profusely, and neither of them could answer.

Bishu silently poured Qi Chengming a cup of warm tea, and boldly replied, "When I was still in the Imperial Household Department, I heard that the things in the palaces of the empresses were all bestowed by the emperor, and they had to be returned to the Imperial Household Department after their deaths. If they were favorite items, they would be left to the princes and princesses they had given birth to, or the Imperial Household Department would handle them in a unified manner."

As for the difference, it all depends on whether one is favored or not.

Qi Chengming fell silent again: "..."

He felt a bit like cursing Emperor Hongren as a real dog.

At least in the Second Prince's quarters, there were no items of such refined style that they resembled those left behind by Consort Hua. He seriously suspected:

Could it be that after Consort Hua's death, Emperor Hongren disliked the original owner of this body, the Second Prince, as bad luck, and hastily sent him to be cared for by someone else in the Second Prince's household? He probably took back some of Consort Hua's imperial gifts, and kept the rest of her cherished possessions in her private treasury?

...They didn't even consider whether Consort Hua's own son needed it or not.

Qi Chengming no longer had time to curse Emperor Hongren.

Considering everything the old emperor offered him today, his apology is genuine, and his continued dislike for him is equally real. This is the best solution an ancient feudal emperor could come up with. Regardless of his thoughts, Qi Chengming won't engage in internal strife; he'll take what he needs to take. His future attention will only be focused on those he cares about—after all, he can't forgive that father on behalf of the original owner of this body.

Qi Chengming anxiously called to Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, "Quickly, come over and help me take a look!"

Several people huddled together in front of the screen, peering in and out. Qi Chengming held his breath and carefully examined the banquet scene inch by inch. He asked in a low voice, "Can you help me look at the people at this banquet? The oldest one, with black hair, doesn't he look like my maternal grandfather?"

"Then this must be the old lady of the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion?" Xiao Chengzi had good eyesight and looked at the middle-aged couple seated at the head of the table.

Their hair wasn't gray yet, their faces were wrinkle-free, and they were full of energy, sitting up surrounded by their children with smiles on their faces... They looked at least twenty years younger! If it weren't for what Xiao Dezi said earlier, and the fact that the figures in the painting had a resemblance to the two elders of the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion, Qi Chengming wouldn't have been able to connect them at all.

"These two must be my uncle and aunt." Qi Chengming identified the unfamiliar man and woman sitting below him one by one.

Then there were two young children, one tall and one short, and a young girl.

The two young children might be the children of Qi Chengming's uncle and aunt, his two deceased older cousins, and Wang Shuo's older brothers. As for the last one…

Qi Chengming's fingers lingered on the last girl, hovering over the screen without touching her.

“She is…” Bi Shu’s voice suddenly softened.

The girl had bright eyes and white teeth, a radiant smile, and was holding a wine glass. She didn't fit the stereotypical image of a "talented woman" or "gentle woman" that Qi Chengming had imagined. With just a few strokes, he captured the girl's temperament and charm, making her so vivid that Qi Chengming couldn't bear to look away.

Just by imagining it, Qi Chengming could picture how carefree and happy Consort Hua was when she was still in her boudoir, how much she was pampered and loved by her father and brothers... That's why she spent so much time and energy creating this picture of a banquet filled with emotion and longing after she entered the palace, and painted it on the screen to accompany her every day.

Now, those people are gone. The lively scene depicted in the banquet painting is now reduced to the lonely old couple and Consort Hua's third nephew, whom she never got to see.

'Mother. '

Qi Chengming closed his eyes, willingly reciting the title silently.

"Don't worry... I will thoroughly investigate what happened back then. If there are any suspicious points or enemies, I will avenge you."

Let's start by observing the movements in the palace this time.

Qi Chengming watched coldly.

—On the second day after the palace was sealed off and searched, restrictions were lifted everywhere, and Emperor Hongren finally announced his verdict on the matter.

A note from the author:

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I've started adding a comment section! I finally found where to do it.

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