Upon hearing Xiao Yiming's words, Prince Qing leaned back in his chair, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.
"Kid, you know how to talk a good game."
"But you and I are still somewhat different."
"What you're saying now may truly reflect your thoughts, but a lifetime isn't just five or ten years."
Xiao Yiming lowered his hand and stared blankly at Prince Qing.
Prince Qing pursed his lips and chuckled, "In a few years, when people your age but not as good as you have all made their mark and achieved fame, while you are still unknown, then... hehe, you won't feel comfortable."
As he spoke, Prince Qing bent down, took out a rice box, grabbed a handful of medicinal rice, and threw it into the water.
Looking at the lotus flowers swaying slightly on the water, Xiao Yiming calmly said, "No, Your Highness."
"I already said before that I would repay Your Highness's kindness with my life, and follow Your Highness for the rest of my life. No matter when or where, my mind will never change."
Prince Qing lowered his head to clean the grains of rice stuck between his fingers and said calmly, "Everyone changes eventually."
"Even I was the same. When I was a teenager, I aspired to become the ruler of the world, to lead a mighty army that would be invincible, to expand our territory abroad and to quell internal strife."
"I don't even have that idea anymore. Peace and tranquility are already a luxury, let alone taking things a step further and expanding our territory. That would be as difficult as climbing to the sky."
Xiao Yiming turned to look at Prince Qing: "Human determination can overcome nature. As long as we keep striving towards this goal, no matter how difficult the task, it is not a problem."
He added, "Of course, this is just my opinion." Xiao Yiming smiled.
Prince Qing nodded slightly and smiled, "Young people all think like that."
“Jianren often talks to me about wanting more soldiers and making great contributions on the battlefield. I can tell he’s got a strong competitive spirit and doesn’t want to see Qin Haotian be better than him.”
"Look, he just wants to soar to the top. In another 10 or 20 years, when I'm old, this kid probably won't even care about me."
Xiao Yiming shook his head: "No, Your Highness. The eldest young master has the ambition to achieve great things, which is a good thing. It's better than..."
Before he could finish speaking, Prince Qing scoffed, "You're better than Jianzhong, aren't you? He's just idle and good-for-nothing."
“No…” Xiao Yiming lowered his head.
Prince Qing didn't care and continued, "Jianren is eager to make a name for himself now. Once he has enough merit and a high enough official position, he will start thinking about the throne. If he gets the throne, that's fine. But if he doesn't, won't that cause trouble?"
"But who can say for sure? Maybe after suffering a few hardships on the battlefield, he'll lose his competitive spirit and become just like me, haha."
"In the end, when we are young and full of vigor, we all have ambitions in our hearts, but how many of us can actually live up to them for a lifetime?"
“It’s difficult for ordinary people to do this, let alone for us royals. His Majesty’s criticism of me for being unambitious and for always being perfunctory is not without reason, so I never argue back.”
He chuckled and continued, "Fortunately, I haven't reached the point of indulging in sensual pleasures and material gain, living a life of debauchery."
Xiao Yiming said, "Your Highness is not a fool; Your Highness sees things clearly."
"I love that flattery, hahaha." Prince Qing laughed as he looked at Xiao Yiming. Xiao Yiming blushed and was about to speak when Prince Qing continued:
"That's just how I am, and I don't have the will to do those things."
"Just leave it to those who are ambitious, such as Jianren, Qin Haotian... um, we should also add Xiong Yong, he's alright too."
"Huang Long isn't much better... that big fool. But you know what, he's really lucky. With such limited skills, he always manages to escape unscathed on the battlefield and even manages to rack up some merits, big and small. Haha." Thinking of Huang Long, Prince Qing's eyes narrowed with laughter.
Xiao Yiming replied, "General Huang is a lucky general."
"Huh? Lucky General? When did you get this title?" Prince Qing looked at Xiao Yiming with an incredulous smile.
Xiao Yiming chuckled and said, "A few days ago, the Shadow Guards delivered a secret document. General Huang returned to the capital a few days ago, and Lord Wang hosted a banquet at his home. During the banquet, Lord Wang kept calling him 'Good Fortune General,' which made General Huang very happy. Afterward, he got so drunk that he was unconscious and even stayed at Lord Wang's residence that night."
"Hahaha." Prince Qing burst into laughter.
"These two are cut from the same cloth; one spares no effort to amass wealth, while the other tries every means to seize military merits."
“Especially Wang Yong, he’s so rich he’s practically rolling in money. Fortunately, the national treasury is well-stocked. If the national treasury ever runs out of money, we’ll make him spit it out to replenish it.”
Xiao Yiming nodded and said with a smile, "That night, Lord Wang also gave General Huang quite a few things."
Prince Qing sneered, "No matter how much you send it back and forth, it will all have to be spit out in the end."
"But speaking of which, Huanglong has become increasingly bold."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiming's expression changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, have you received other information? We have been investigating until now, but we have not found any suspicious intentions from General Huang, except... accepting some money."
Seeing Xiao Yiming's solemn expression, Prince Qing laughed even harder.
"I mean he's so daring that he doesn't even come home at night."
"Isn't his wife very strict? Everyone knows that Huang Long is afraid of his wife. He's staying out all night. I think he's in for a beating."
Xiao Yiming's serious expression faltered, and he immediately burst into laughter:
"Yes, General Huang was stopped from going to his room the next day after he returned. The day before, General Huang kept saying that he was about to leave Jinling and was so anxious that he waited at the door of his room until midnight."
Prince Qing shook his head with a smile: "What a spineless fellow, he has no manly qualities whatsoever."
Xiao Yiming replied, "Your Highness, General Huang doesn't seem to be afraid of his wife; rather, he respects her. They get along very well, and General Huang hasn't taken a concubine yet."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to think more highly of him." Prince Qing stroked his chin and suddenly asked, "What about the Qin residence?"
Upon hearing the words "Qin Mansion," Xiao Yiming's smile vanished, and he said seriously:
"We can't infiltrate the inner quarters. The Qin family uses people we know well. We can only monitor the outer quarters and outside the mansion, but everything is normal."
"There was no act of forming cliques for personal gain, or accepting bribes for power."
The smile on Prince Qing's face slowly disappeared. He crossed his arms, put his legs back, and gently tapped the back of his left hand with his right index finger.
“But every time he returned to Beijing, many of the generals there would go to see him.”
"Yes, Your Highness. Most of them are brothers made by General Qin. However, General Qin spends most of his time fighting on the front lines and rarely returns to the capital. Therefore, the number of times we get together is very limited. When we do get together, we just drink and don't talk about anything out of line."
Prince Qing nodded and said:
"Qin Haotian led the Chiyan Army to victory after victory, accumulating more and more military achievements. No one in the court or the public could compare to him, and his reputation was exceptionally good. After being under surveillance for so long, he really does seem to be a capable and loyal person."
"What do you think?" he suddenly asked, looking at Xiao Yiming.
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