Chapter 161 A Small Revenge

In the evening, as Su Peisheng carried the food box into the hall, he saw the father and son inside writing furiously without looking up. Two thick stacks of paper filled with writing were particularly eye-catching, and they were writing the Classic of Filial Piety.

Hongzhao's calligraphy was taught by the Emperor, and now the two of them inevitably have similar styles. In addition, Yinzhen deliberately changed the pauses in his strokes, so it is almost impossible to tell that they were written by two different people without careful examination.

Su Peisheng chuckled to himself. After all, the Emperor doted on his son and couldn't bear to see him suffer such injustice while still having to copy the texts. It seemed like he was doing it from both sides.

"Your Majesty, Aunt Zhuxi from the Empress Dowager's side has arrived, bringing two bowls of soup. She said that Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and the Crown Prince has heavy studies, so drinking some nourishing soup will help him recover."

Yinzhen raised an eyebrow at the two bowls of soup that Su Peisheng had brought over. They were still steaming hot when they were served, and the rising steam made him squint.

He naturally knew what Hongzhao had said and done to the Empress Dowager that day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped Hongzhao write the Classic of Filial Piety. It would be a lie to say he didn't feel sorry for him; he was also quite angry. This kind of bias would have been even more pronounced in his childhood. But as a child, he had never been able to truly ask for the reason like his own child. Later, he developed a temperament that prevented him from showing his emotions, making it even more difficult for him to open his mouth.

Unexpectedly, Hongzhao's straightforward approach actually had some effect. Although he didn't know how long it would last, since the Empress Dowager was willing to preserve their mother-son relationship, he naturally wouldn't let things get too strained.

One bowl of soup is far from enough.

Yinzhen held the soup bowl in his hands to feel the temperature—"Hmm, it's still warm. You'er, stop writing and come to your father. You didn't eat much for dinner, so have a bowl of soup to tide you over."

Without looking up, he said to Su Peisheng beside him, "Go and tell Zhuxi that I will pay my respects to the Empress Dowager after breakfast tomorrow."

Hongzhao took the spoon from Su Peisheng's hand. Hearing his father's words, he couldn't help but raise his eyelids. He always felt that the greeting his father was giving... couldn't be as simple as just a greeting.

“Longkodo formed cliques for personal gain and deceived the emperor. When Nian Gengyao was alive, the two of them conspired to commit more than a dozen serious crimes. I have not wronged him.” Yinzhen got straight to the point, speaking without even looking up before he had even settled in his seat.

He didn't need to look up; as mother and son, he could guess the Empress Dowager's expression without even seeing her. Sure enough, he heard a soft gasp from the other side.

"The emperor still couldn't tolerate him? He wouldn't even allow him a peaceful end in his later years."

“It’s not that his son can’t tolerate Longkodo, but that he can’t tolerate himself.” He already harbored resentment, and mentioning Longkodo only made him more agitated, causing his tone to rise involuntarily. “The ministers have impeached Longkodo for countless crimes.”

The Empress Dowager, however, refused to back down—"Nian Gengyao and Longkodo have been at odds for a long time! In order to keep them safe for the time being, you even gave Nian Gengyao's eldest son to Longkodo as his adopted son. If you say that the two of them colluded, wouldn't the Emperor be the mastermind!"

Yinzhen turned his head and raised an eyebrow at the Empress Dowager. There were few times when the mother and son were at odds like this. Most of the time, it was for the sake of the fourteenth brother. He did not expect that the matter of Longkodo would make the Empress Dowager so indifferent.

"Back when Nian Gengyao was eliminated, the Empress Dowager made arrangements with her son. Why is she now so protective of Longkodo? Is the bond between us from our youth truly so deep?" Yinzhen emphasized the last few words, and one could easily detect a sarcastic tone in his voice.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression suddenly stiffened. Seeing that reasoning had failed, she resorted to emotional appeals. Her brows furrowed, her face grave, and her tone was earnest: "Nian Gengyao and Longkodo were both important ministers who helped the Emperor ascend the throne. Since Nian Gengyao cannot be spared, then Longkodo should be killed even less, lest future generations say, 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked,' or 'The Emperor crosses the river and then burns the bridge.'"

"Longkodo is Empress Xiaoyiren's brother, your nominal uncle! You should at least consider Empress Xiaoyiren's feelings!"

If anyone else had said those words, they might have been thrown into prison long ago. Only the Empress Dowager could sit there calmly. Yinzhen gritted his teeth as he listened, and his temples twitched. There were some things he didn't want to say, but the Empress Dowager pressed him relentlessly until she got what she wanted. Every word she uttered was like a dagger to his throat, and Yinzhen didn't have that much patience.

“Longkodo must die.” He looked at the Empress Dowager with a firm gaze—“This is also to protect the reputation of the Empress Dowager. Childhood sweethearts, innocent and inseparable? There are some things that Father Emperor may not know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know. The Empress Dowager knows better than I what the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the third lunar month is.”

He saw that the Empress Dowager's back slumped as if deflated after hearing this, and she turned her back, unwilling to look at him anymore—"I have prepared everything, and I ask that Your Majesty protect my reputation and honor."

After saying that, he stood up, turned his back to the Empress Dowager, and said again, "I know that Your Majesty is not in good health. Since you don't have the energy, I won't trouble you with Hongzhao's affairs. From the time he was born, I have personally taught him everything, from choosing a study companion, learning to read and write, reading memorials, and attending court. The selection of concubines and the establishment of his own residence will naturally follow the same path. I won't trouble you with that either."

Without even looking at the Empress Dowager's expression, he lifted his foot and walked out. His last words became more and more ethereal with each step he took—"Your Majesty, please take better care of Hongkai. I see his two wives are having quite a lively time."

——

Hongzhao sat alone in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, finally managing to pull himself out of the pile of papers. He put down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and examined the result of his painstaking writing.

What I saw before me was not the Classic of Filial Piety, which I still needed to read dozens of times, but a policy document, a policy document on how to prevent snow disasters and how to manage them afterward.

This summer was undeniably hot for a few days, but that was all. In previous years, this month would have been unbearable. Yet now, at night, you can even feel a cool breeze on your face; the weather is truly unusual.

If he remembered correctly, in the original drama, Yixiu led everyone to Ganlu Temple to pray for blessings, which was for the snow disaster in the south. It would be this winter, so it was better to prepare early.

He was relaxing when a series of steady footsteps came from outside.

"Father is back." He stood up and walked towards the somewhat tired Emperor, casually placing the policy essay he had just written on the desk.

"Hmm, I haven't checked your homework yet. Did you do it diligently?" Yinzhen did feel very tired, but he still patted Hongzhao's back gently, his gaze sweeping over the stacks of Xuan paper behind him. "If you can't finish copying it, just leave it for now. It's not a rush. You're still growing, and if you overwork your wrists, you'll suffer later."

Yinzhen approached Hongzhao's desk and walked towards his own. As he passed by, his gaze fell upon a sheet of Xuan paper, completely different in size from the others. He paused and picked it up to examine it. Hongzhao followed his gaze to his own desk and smiled shyly—"Perhaps I'm worrying unnecessarily."

"This year's climate is abnormal. It's not apparent now, but once it snows in winter, we don't know what the situation will be like. The north is better off, at least there's snow every year, so there's always some food stored and ways to keep warm. The south, on the other hand, rarely sees snow. If something unexpected happens, not only will it affect the grain harvest, but the people will also have a hard time."