Jiang Huiji was shocked upon hearing this. He stared at Zhao Shu for a long time before saying, "Whatever makes you happy."

After saying that, whether he felt he was a failure as a father or that his granddaughter Zhao Shu was too domineering, he stood up and walked away dejectedly.

Zhao Shu saw him to the door, and neither the grandfather nor the grandson said another word. When Jiang Suiji left, he didn't even hear Prince Yong speaking to him.

After leaving the Prince Yong's mansion, he never came back, nor did he return to the Marquis of Yiguang's mansion. He lived in the academy his entire life until his death, never returning.

As a father and a grandfather, he blamed no one but himself for not educating his children well, for letting them make mistakes, and for his children going down the wrong path. It was his fault.

Looking at his lonely figure, Zhao Shu didn't know what to say. She respected this old man.

"Ah Jun, what happened to your maternal grandfather?" Prince Yong asked.

Zhao Shu shook her head. "It's nothing. I just haven't been here for a long time and wanted to come and see you. Why is Father back so early?"

"The Emperor is busy these days, and your grandmother is busy too. They don't have time for me. Come, I have something to tell you." He said mysteriously to Zhao Shu.

Zhao Shu raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "So mysterious, is it something good?"

"It's not a good thing either, let's talk about it when we get back."

As they walked in, they entered the courtyard. Once inside, they found that everyone there was reliable, so Prince Yong had no reservations. He said, “Your uncle, Prince Jin, is in charge of the Imperial Clan Court. He just asked me how to deal with the descendants of the surrendered prince, and he wouldn’t let me answer immediately. He insisted that I go back to the palace and think about it for a few days. I guess he wants you to make a decision for him.”

Zhao Shu scoffed, "Why doesn't he come and ask me himself?"

“He’s concerned about his reputation, why would he come to you, a junior, for advice? I see him looking so worried all day, it’s quite pitiful. You should think of a way to help him.” Prince Yong said casually, clearly indicating that he didn’t care whether Zhao Shu helped him or not.

If you help, you'll have more friends in the future; if you don't help, it's not a big deal, since the Prince of Jin's mansion isn't as favored by the Emperor as the Prince of Yong's mansion.

However, Zhao Shu understood perfectly well that this was Prince Jin's way of showing goodwill to Prince Yong's family and trying to drag Prince Yong's family into trouble. Whether it was showing goodwill or trying to drag them into trouble depended entirely on how one interpreted the matter.

Of all the princes, only the Yong Prince's Mansion and his Jin Prince's Mansion are unaffected. He understands that he cannot compare with the Yong Prince's Mansion, so he came to make friends, indicating that even though he manages the Imperial Clan Court, he dares not interfere with the Yong Prince's Mansion.

However, Prince Jin was always a fence-sitter, and Zhao Shu had no intention of befriending him, especially since it was a sensitive topic among the princes.

"Let's not do things that offend people like this. Let him do it himself, and then we can be the good guys," Zhao Shu said rather unkindly.

Prince Yong, being simple-minded, failed to grasp the implied meaning in Zhao Shu's words and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Look, shouldn't the princes be executed for raising troops in rebellion?" Zhao Shu asked Prince Yong slowly and deliberately, as if she were having a casual conversation, not at all like she was discussing the life and death of hundreds of people.

Prince Yong nodded. "Yes, but the new emperor will grant a general amnesty upon his ascension to the throne, so naturally he will pardon them. How can we be good people then?"

“Father, you don’t understand. Although the new emperor granted a general amnesty upon his ascension to the throne, rebellion is not the same as any other crime. Even if my brother the emperor says he will pardon all the vassal kings, the ministers below will not agree.”

Prince Yong was even more puzzled. "If the princes are pardoned, the new emperor will gain a good reputation for being a capable ruler. Why would anyone disagree?"

"Because the emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people, the princes are naturally no exception, especially for such a serious crime as rebellion. If the princes who rebel are pardoned because of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, wouldn't it lead to chaos if the princes followed suit in the future?"

At this point, Zhao Shu felt inexplicably excited and continued, "It's like the emperor's three attempts to relinquish the throne. The emperor wanted to grant a pardon, and regardless of whether he could ultimately grant it, he was in charge. But the ministers had to resolutely disagree."

"You mean that there will eventually be a pardon, but the process will be somewhat complicated?" Prince Yong finally understood.

Zhao Shu nodded. "Yes, so when Prince Jin's uncle took over the Imperial Clan Court, he knew that the princes would be pardoned, but he still insisted on petitioning for their execution. That's why he asked you to offend someone with him today. We must not be foolish."

“Ah Jun, so you’re so cunning. No wonder he told his father to come home and think about it for a few more days.”

"Is Father praising me?" Zhao Shu asked, somewhat smugly.

Seeing her smugness, Prince Yong deliberately ignored her and changed the subject, "The new emperor has ascended the throne, have you decided what gift to give him?"

"I've already thought it through, Father, don't worry." Before Zhao Yi's coronation ceremony was even held, he gave her so many life-saving treasures all at once, and also granted her six fiefdoms. Meanwhile, the fiefdom of the Prince of Yong's mansion was increased from ten to twelve.

Such a great favor deserves a special return gift.

Prince Yong was quite worried. "Don't give me anything earth-shattering or ghost-weeping. I'm old and frail, and I can't take a fright."

Even if he were naive, he knew the dangers of being too powerful and overshadowing his superiors. These words were a reminder to Zhao Shu that gifts should be lavish and extravagant, and she should never give anything that would steal the spotlight.

Zhao Shu naturally understood this principle: all relationships need to be carefully managed. If you don't know how to manage them, even the closest relationships will fade and eventually lead to resentment.

"I understand, I won't do anything out of line," Zhao Shu said.

Prince Yong thought for a moment, then suddenly had a whimsical idea: "Why don't you embroider something for him as a token of your appreciation?"

Zhao Shu was speechless. The coronation ceremony was meant to be unforgettable, and a meager embroidery gift was hardly appropriate. The whole world was watching, and such a shabby gift would be a slap in the face.

"Father, please don't worry about it. I have my own plans." Zhao Shu had given up all hope for Prince Yong's emotional intelligence.

Prince Yong also realized that his idea was bad, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Okay, just don't go too far. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something."

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