Chapter 61 Since the Ministry of Works is so ambitious, then I will let him know...
Before dawn, the Crown Prince's carriage headed towards the Imperial Palace. At the morning court session, the Emperor announced the construction of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project next year, appointing the Crown Prince to oversee the project. He also ordered the Crown Prince to inspect the route planning along the way at the beginning of next month, with the Ministry of Works providing full support.
After leaving the main hall, King Zhao followed King Huan and couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't Father discuss this with us this time, and instead handed it over directly to the Crown Prince?"
Prince Huan glanced at the court officials around him and said in a low voice, "Either Father Emperor had already decided to hand this matter over to the Crown Prince, or the Crown Prince received advance notice and took the initiative to take on the matter."
But regardless of which one it is, they lost the initiative.
King Zhao looked at King Huan walking ahead of him, his lips trembling as he wanted to offer some advice. Last night, when he returned to the palace, he learned from his own secret guards that King Huan had met the Crown Princess at Tianxiang Tower. In his heart, he felt that this Crown Princess would ruin their important plans, but his elder brother was deeply infatuated with her.
He hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't say the words he was about to say. Based on his understanding of King Huan, even if he tried to persuade him in every way, King Huan would still have his own ideas. King Zhao's gaze fell back on the paving stones ahead. Since he couldn't stop King Huan, he had to make other plans as soon as possible.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, rushed to the Ministry of Works as soon as he left the palace. When the Minister of Works, Zhao Tianheng, saw the Crown Prince arrive, he hurriedly led a group of officials to greet him. Because of the deal between Shen Yujiao and Chu Rou, most of the people in the Ministry of Works were his own. However, after spending most of the day getting along with them, the Crown Prince discovered a problem.
As he traveled north, the Ministry of Works would select an official specializing in meticulous brushwork to accompany him. Minister Zhao recommended Xu Zhiyuan, an assistant director of the Ministry of Water Resources, to Jiang Chen, saying that among all officials in the Ministry of Works, no one could surpass him in the skill of meticulous brushwork.
Jiang Chen originally had no particular thoughts. He felt that Minister Zhao should be the person who understood the Ministry of Works officials the most, and he could take the officials recommended by him directly. However, from the first time Jiang Chen met Xu Zhiyuan, he could see the arrogance in him, as if it was a great injustice for him to follow him, the Crown Prince, to draw up river maps.
Noticing the Crown Prince's displeasure, Minister Zhao stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. This Xu Zhiyuan is truly a man of great talent. He was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations two years ago. He could have entered the Hanlin Academy and had a bright future, but he prefers to study drawing blueprints, so he came to the Ministry of Works. People like him are often a bit unruly. Your Highness, please don't take his views too seriously. But if you take him with you, I guarantee that he will draw blueprints in perfect detail."
While listening to Minister Zhao's words, Jiang Chen's eyes remained fixed on Xu Zhiyuan. He looked the man up and down and could tell that he was probably no more than twenty years old. If he was indeed a top scholar in the imperial examination, he was indeed a young talent. Although he was dressed in the uniform of a sixth-rank official, his accessories and overall demeanor made it easy to tell that he was a young master from a noble family.
No wonder he was so arrogant. It turned out that he was from a prestigious family and had passed the imperial examination with top honors. He also possessed talent that others could not match, so he thought he was a genius. Jiang Chen had seen geniuses before, but this was the first time he had seen a genius who thought so highly of himself.
He took a few steps forward, stood in front of Xu Zhiyuan, and asked, "Do you feel wronged that I brought you along when drawing the river engineering maps?"
"Your Highness, I dare not. I will obey Your Highness's command."
Although he said he wouldn't dare, Jiang Chen didn't miss the disdain in Xu Zhiyuan's eyes. He sneered, his meaning unclear. When Minister Zhao, who was standing to the side, saw this, his heart jumped into his throat. He gave Xu Zhiyuan a look from the side, secretly lamenting that they had agreed on this before!
"I heard from Minister Zhao that you are a man of great talent. My father cherishes talent and recruits students from all over the country, and you are one of them. As the Crown Prince, I am not stingy in promoting those with real talent and learning. But looking at you like this, it seems that asking you to draw up river engineering plans is a waste of your great talent?"
Xu Zhiyuan did not answer, but what he was thinking was exactly what the Crown Prince said. There was no need for him to go with him to draw up the construction plans. The Ministry of Works had many projects under its command. He would rather go to the Ministry of Works to participate in the construction of the new city than to draw up the river.
Seeing his attitude, Jiang Chen decided to pour cold water on him: "I never force people to do things against their will, but this trip is on official business. The people I take with me cannot make any mistakes on the road. Since you think that drawing the river is so simple, I would like to see how good your skills are."
"Your Highness is welcome to give it a try." He still had that arrogant air about him, and Jiang Chen didn't bother to look at him again.
"I am not knowledgeable about meticulous brushwork, but the Crown Princess comes from the Shen family of Jiangnan. She has been personally taught by a master of calligraphy and painting since childhood and has excellent painting skills. She was ordered to accompany me on this trip. The Crown Princess has also been interested in learning more about meticulous brushwork techniques. If you, Lord Xu, feel that your painting skills are unmatched, would you like to exchange a few words with the Crown Princess? So that I can see your abilities."
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, not only Xu Zhiyuan, but also most of the officials in the Ministry of Works looked rather displeased.
Most of them were Chu's former subordinates, and even the current Minister Zhao was Chu's close friend. Originally, they joined the Crown Prince's faction because of the Chu family. Consort Chu was Chu's only child, so it was not unreasonable for them to side with her. However, seeing the Crown Prince's attitude towards the Crown Princess, they all felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Several officials who were on good terms with Xu Zhiyuan secretly nudged his waist, signaling him to accept the Crown Prince's challenge. Although Xu Zhiyuan was not a disciple of the Chu family, he had never encountered any rivals in fine brushwork since childhood. Even without his colleagues encouraging him, he was determined to accept the challenge.
“Very well, Your Highness also enjoys exchanging ideas with those skilled in meticulous brushwork. Since Your Highness is proficient in painting, I will take this opportunity to learn a thing or two from you.”
Xu Zhiyuan bowed to the Crown Prince, her eyes fixed on the ground, her disdain evident. Even if a young lady from a noble family was skilled in painting, she could only paint flowers, birds, and scenes of the four seasons on a daily basis, and at most sketch some flower patterns in her spare time. How could the Crown Prince allow such a young lady to compete with him in fine brushwork?
Jiang Chen knew that this man wouldn't shed a tear until he saw the coffin, so he didn't want to say anything more and turned to leave the Ministry of Works.
Since Xu Zhiyuan's ambitions are sky-high, then let him know what it means to be out of reach.
On his way back to the East Palace, Jiang Chen kept thinking about the Ministry of Works. As soon as he got back to the mansion, he rushed to the main courtyard. But when he stood at the gate, he could no longer smile.
Because Shen Yujiao liked the phoenix tree, the East Palace transplanted a century-old phoenix tree in the main courtyard at the beginning of the year. Now it is the golden autumn season, and the phoenix tree canopy is full of golden light as far as the eye can see. There is no autumn rain yet, and the leaves are still hanging on the branches.
It was midday, and sunlight filtered through the leaves onto the stone table beneath the tree, casting a golden glow on the two people playing chess. Two small tables were placed on either side of the stone table, laden with various tea snacks. The sunlight was perfect, the air was clear and still, and just standing here and taking a look was an extremely pleasing scene of beautiful women playing chess under the tree.
"The Crown Princess and the Consort seem to have refined tastes."
Jiang Chen walked into the main courtyard, stopped beside Shen Yujiao, picked up the teacup next to her and drank it all in one gulp. He then handed it to Mu Jin, who refilled his cup, which he again gulped down.
Seeing him like this, Shen Yujiao was a little surprised: "What's wrong with you? Someone outside actually refused to give you tea?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen recalled that he hadn't even had a cup of tea at the Ministry of Works earlier, and felt even more frustrated.
Seeing that the Crown Prince looked unwell upon his return, and noticing his intimate behavior as he sat down next to the Crown Princess, Chu Rou tactfully stood up, curtsied to the two of them, and then prepared to take her leave. However, before she could speak, the Crown Prince stopped her.
“You don’t have to leave. Just come along and listen. It’ll be good for you to think about the Crown Princess.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Rou was somewhat surprised. The Crown Prince had never liked her, yet today he had allowed her to stay. However, after hearing what the Crown Prince said about the Ministry of Works, her heart sank.
"Your Highness, this matter is the fault of my father's former subordinates. Perhaps they did it because..."
Jiang Chen waved to her, and Mu Jin understood, stepping forward to help Liangdi up. Chu Rou heard the Crown Prince say, "Although the Crown Princess had a prior agreement with you, this matter concerning the canal is an official mission. Even if the Ministry of Works isn't under my control, I will still take it with me. Moreover—"
He glanced at Shen Yujiao and said, "How do you know that the Crown Princess is definitely no match for Xu Zhiyuan?"
As the Crown Prince spoke, Chu Rou subconsciously looked at the Crown Princess. Her palms clenched, and she felt a strange mix of emotions. It wasn't that she didn't trust the Crown Princess. She had accompanied the Crown Princess to paint before. Although the Crown Princess's painting skills were already considered divine, Xu Zhiyuan was equally ingenious.
It was before she came of age. At a palace banquet, she witnessed Xu Zhiyuan painting. That day, he first apologized to His Majesty, then put his brush aside and did not paint. Instead, he drank and made merry with the other guests. By the time the banquet was halfway over, he was completely drunk.
Just when everyone thought he was about to fall into a deep sleep, Xu Zhiyuan stood up drunkenly from his seat and staggered to the table. He then wielded his brush and splashed ink on the long scroll, his movements fluid and seamless.
Because he was drunk, no one dared to approach him. Only when he finished his last stroke and fell straight to the ground did everyone see the painting. It depicted the scene of the palace banquet that day, with the emperor, empress, and officials enjoying a spring banquet, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts. The figures and scenery on the painting were all painted with great realism and lifelike detail.
When the emperor saw Xu Zhiyuan's work after drinking, he clapped his hands and laughed, saying that Xu Zhiyuan's brush was worth a thousand pieces of gold. He immediately rewarded him with a thousand taels of gold. Xu Zhiyuan died drunk that day and was unable to perform the ceremony to express his gratitude. However, the day after the banquet, his reputation as Xu the Golden Brush spread far and wide.
For a scion of a prominent family who had not yet entered officialdom to receive such praise from the emperor, Xu Zhiyuan was the envy of countless people at the time, and his fame was unparalleled.
Therefore, Chu Rou couldn't help but worry at the thought of the Crown Princess competing with Xu Zhiyuan in painting. She bit her lip, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Please take me with you when Your Highness goes to the Ministry of Works."
Shen Yujiao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, somewhat surprised: "You think I'm bound to lose? So you're going to get revenge for me?"
"I dare not presume, but most of the officials in the Ministry of Works are elders who have watched me grow up. Today's events may be inextricably linked to me. I thought, if I could serve Your Highness by your side..."
Although she only spoke halfway, Shen Yujiao understood Chu Rou's meaning. Before Jiang Chen could refuse, she raised her head and smiled, "Alright, let's go together then."
With the words stuck in his throat, Jiang Chen turned his head and glared fiercely at Chu Rou.
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A note from the author: I've been very busy lately. Please forgive me if I need to take a break. Thank you!
A deep bow~
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