Chapter 53 No Sitting Allowed

Although it was a family banquet, Nian Gengyao still had to pay his respects to the Emperor before entering the palace. Hongzhao naturally did not want to miss such a fun occasion. He finished his homework assigned by his teacher early today and walked excitedly towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He had already prepared a reason for himself. As he got closer, he immediately saw a burly man standing with his hands behind his back and his head held high in the center of the Yangxin Hall gate. Su Peisheng was bowing and smiling broadly as he spoke to him.

This man, who keeps his eyes straight ahead, must be the famous Nian Gengyao.

Hongzhao straightened his clothes and stepped forward, just as Xiazi was carrying a stool from behind and placing it on the side of the main hall.

Seeing that Nian Gengyao was pretending not to see, Su Peisheng gritted his teeth and was about to instruct Xiao Xiazi to move the stool forward when he turned his head and saw the Fifth Prince, dressed in a light blue casual robe, walking over unhurriedly.

"Oh, what brings you here, Fifth Prince?" His smile suddenly became much more sincere, and he lowered his stance even further.

When Nian Gengyao heard him call him Fifth Prince, he turned his head and glanced at him sideways.

Hongzhao smiled gently and said, “Eunuch Su, I made an appointment with my seventeenth uncle to go to Ruyi Pavilion to teach me how to appreciate paintings, but he has not come after a long wait. I heard that he came to see Father Emperor, so I have come to pay my respects to Father Emperor as well.”

Su Peisheng smiled knowingly, "I'm afraid the prince will have to wait a while. Prince Guo and the emperor are playing chess and have instructed that no one be allowed to enter."

"It's alright." Hongzhao waved his hand dismissively.

Seeing that Nian Gengyao showed no intention of greeting him, Hongzhao did not look in his direction, but turned his head to the left. When his gaze fell on the stool that Xiazi had just set out, his expression suddenly changed.

"Foolish thing!"

This rebuke stunned Su Peisheng. Although he didn't know why, Xiazi reacted quickly and knelt down on the ground with a "thump".

Hongzhao's face hardened, his eyes filled with heartache—"Waiting for the emperor's summons is a matter of course, even kneeling in wait. When did I ever say I wanted to bring a stool? How dare you make such wild guesses? Are you trying to make me appear disloyal and unfilial!"

His voice was not low; children's voices tend to be higher. Every word he said reached the ears of the Emperor and Prince Guo in the Hall of Mental Cultivation without being missed.

Just as Yinzhen was about to place a chess piece, he suddenly heard a very familiar voice and his finger paused.

Prince Guo smiled enigmatically. Hongzhao was not usually a fiery person who would readily reprimand others, so his words today must have been meant for others to hear. He looked at the Emperor opposite him with a smile and an approving gaze—"Brother, you truly are a tiger father like a dog son."

Although Yinzhen didn't know what was going on outside, he could guess a bit from Hongzhao's words. Hearing this, he smiled and the tense atmosphere in the room was swept away.

Yinzhen put down the chess piece and leaned back lazily—"It's just childish talk, don't take it seriously."

Even as he said this, he clearly couldn't stop smiling.

Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Su Peisheng's eyes darted around and he immediately understood why Hongzhao had suddenly made trouble today. He tilted his head awkwardly and said, "Brother, this stool... is not for you, it is for General Nian."

As he spoke, he gently pulled his hand to the side, and Hongzhao turned his head to see Nian Gengyao looking down at him with an unfriendly expression.

He remained calm, genuinely feigning surprise at having just discovered someone there—"So this is General Nian? I must have been blind. General Nian hadn't uttered a sound, so I thought he wasn't even here. But I've been talking the whole time, didn't General Nian notice me?"

The implication is that you should send my regards.

Hongzhao followed his example, putting his hands behind his back and meeting his sharp eyes, which seemed to have traversed mountains of knives and seas of blood, without flinching.

Nian Gengyao's face grew increasingly stiff. His cheeks twitched, and after a moment of eye contact, he still gave a symbolic nod to the young prince in front of him. "I hope you are well, Fifth Prince. I have been in the Northwest for longer than you are. My foot ailment flares up when it gets cold, which is why I have to wait."

Hongzhao nodded thoughtfully. "The General has fought for Father Emperor and has made great contributions. However, I have never been to the Northwest and do not know whether it is colder in the capital or the Northwest."

Nian Gengyao didn't want to argue with this immature child and went straight to sit down on the stool. Unexpectedly, Hongzhao stood squarely in the middle, completely blocking the stool.

He had to give a somewhat perfunctory reply: "Naturally, the Northwest is colder."

“So that’s how it is.” Hongzhao looked like he had learned something. “General Nian suffers from a foot ailment. In the frigid northwest, he can ride a warhorse to quell a rebellion, but in the warm and clear autumn of the capital, he has difficulty even standing up. This disease is truly strange.”

After saying that, he ignored Nian Gengyao's eyes, which were almost spitting fire, and asked sincerely, "Zhang Mi, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, is a very capable physician. Should I summon him over so that General Nian can take a look at him?"

These were extremely sharp words, yet they came from the mouth of a four-year-old child, leaving one speechless and unable to truly retaliate. This caused Nian Gengyao's sun-baked face to flush red with suppressed anger.

The two men inside listened intently, their ears perked up. Prince Guo glanced at the Emperor, who had been silent since the beginning, and saw that the Emperor's mind had already wandered outside, even though he was still there. He chuckled to himself, "Then I'll take my leave first. We can continue this game another day."

He stood up, bowed, and strode out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Hearing the sound of the door being opened, the tense group of people in front of the door all turned their heads to look.

"Hello, Seventeenth Uncle." Hongzhao was the first to react, and greeted him in a completely different tone from his previous sharp one.

Prince Guo strolled forward, seemingly oblivious to what was happening outside, and patted Hongzhao on the back with a smile—"Didn't we agree to meet at Ruyi Pavilion? Why did you come here first?"

Nian Gengyao, still with his usual indifferent demeanor, casually greeted, "Greetings, Seventeenth Prince."

He was in a bad mood, so he was extremely perfunctory in his greetings, only nodding slightly as if he had seen him.

Prince Guo glanced at him, his smile fading slightly – “General Nian has come to see my brother, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Nian Gengyao did not want to say more to him, so he simply kept quiet and did not respond.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal for the day, Hongzhao turned around and said to Xiazi, who was still kneeling on the ground, "Get up. I wronged you today. When we get back, I'll call Xiaodezi and send him some good things."

After saying that, he turned to Su Peisheng and said, “Eunuch Su, please tell Father Emperor that I have paid my respects to him. I think Father Emperor has important matters to attend to, so I will not disturb him any longer.”

Su Peisheng agreed, "Yes, this servant will definitely convey the message to the Fifth Prince."

Amidst Xia Zi's profuse thanks, Hong Zhao led Prince Guo away from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the two chatting and laughing as they walked into the distance.

As Su Peisheng watched the Fifth Prince, whose face beamed with joy as he spoke, he also glanced at General Nian beside him, who had been summoned by the Emperor and was about to walk inside. He thought to himself, "Given time, this Fifth Prince will surely become a remarkable figure. He is so young yet already shows such promise. His future is bound to be limitless."

——

Before the family banquet, Nian Gengyao requested an audience with the Emperor regarding Zhao Zhiyuan's matter. Previously, it was Nian Gengyao who had advised the Emperor to dismiss Zhao Zhiyuan from his post. Now that Zhao Zhiyuan had used money to bribe officials, Nian Gengyao naturally had to come and ask the Emperor to reinstate him.

After the unpleasant conversation, Yinzhen sat alone in the room, feeling stifled. Su Peisheng, carrying a teacup, slowly and quietly approached, glanced at the Emperor's expression, and cautiously said, "When General Nian arrived just now, Your Majesty was playing chess with the Seventeenth Prince. So... he had to wait outside for a while."

Yinzhen glanced at him and asked in a cold voice, "Is he going to wait? I just heard that Hongzhao has also come."

When this was mentioned, Su Peisheng perked up and spoke faster: "Yes, the Fifth Prince also came just now. It was the Fifth Prince, a small man, who stood in front of the stool and said that Your Majesty is the sovereign and father, and it is acceptable for you to kneel and wait. He also compared the autumn in the capital to the cold winter in the northwest, which left General Nian speechless."

His eyes darted around, and then he said, "The Fifth Prince also instructed me to make sure he greets you on his behalf, saying that you are too busy with official duties to bother you, but he will personally greet you tonight."

After hearing this, Yinzhen chuckled, and his previously gloomy mood improved slightly. "My Fifth Prince's mouth is exactly like his mother's; they are both unforgiving."