"Your Highness, Third Prince!"
When the Imperial Guards saw Xuan Yuan Yu storming into the palace, they quickly followed and tried to stop him.
Zong Jiu rushed back to the Imperial Study and saw this scene. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered that no one be seen. Please don't make things difficult for us servants."
Xuanyuan Yu was unwilling to accept that Xuanyuan Peng was sitting at the table without making any movement. He pushed aside the Imperial Guards and knelt down in front of Xuanyuan Peng with a "plop": "Father, I have something to say to you."
Xuanyuan Peng paused in his vermilion brush, and finally looked up at Xuanyuan Yu.
Seeing that he was a little agitated, I guessed what he wanted to say, which was all things he didn't want to hear!
But what could he do? After all, he was his own son, and he couldn't go too far.
Xuanyuan Peng sighed silently and waved to the Imperial Guards and palace attendants: "All of you, step back."
"Yes." Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards and palace attendants bowed and withdrew.
Xuanyuan Peng raised his chin at Zong Jiu again, and Zong Jiu glanced at Xuanyuan Yu kneeling on the ground, then bowed and withdrew.
When they left, Zong Jiu considerately closed the palace door for the father and son.
Xuanyuan Yu looked at the closed palace door, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Now that only you and I, father and son, are in this hall, speak your mind!" Xuanyuan Peng tossed down the vermilion brush, leaned against the dragon throne, as if waiting to hear what he was about to say.
"Father, am I not your son?" Xuan Yuan Yu knelt on the ground and suddenly blurted out this question with a wronged expression.
...Xuanyuan Peng was speechless: "What do you think!"
What kind of answer did he want from that question?
Not hearing a direct answer from Xuanyuan Peng, Xuanyuan Yu felt even more aggrieved: "Since I am your own son, why do you favor Xuanyuan Zhan so much?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Peng couldn't help but frown: "Are you referring to the disaster relief and bandit suppression in the North?"
He's been kneeling in the Eastern Chu Palace for a whole day and night, and Xuanyuan Zhan has already left with the Xuanwu Sword, yet he's still agonizing over this matter.
"This is just one thing." But his favoritism towards Xuan Yuanzhan is far from limited to just this one thing!
When Xuanyuan Yu started talking about these things, he was full of grievances and kept talking: "Ever since Xuanyuan Zhan returned to the capital, when have you not favored him? You have assigned all the tasks that were originally assigned to me to Xuanyuan Zhan. I can do the things that Xuanyuan Zhan can do very well, but why do you only have eyes for Xuanyuan Zhan?"
Before Xuanyuan Zhan returned to the capital, all of this was his responsibility. But after Xuanyuan Zhan returned, everything changed!
It was all because of that bastard Xuan Yuanzhan who stole everything from him!
Xuanyuan Peng, however, showed no sign of his grievance and raised an eyebrow noncommittally: "Indeed, what he can do, you may also be able to do. But what you cannot do, Xuanyuan Zhan can do very well."
Being able to do something doesn't mean you can do it well.
Those things aren't something only he and Xuanyuan Zhan can do; either the eldest or the second eldest could do them!
Doing something and doing it well are two different things!
He could only say that what he could do, Xuan Yuanzhan could do as well, and even better; and what he couldn't do, Xuan Yuanzhan could do as well, just as well.
That's the difference between him and Xuanyuan Zhan!
Xuanyuan Yu, however, did not understand Xuanyuan Peng's meaning and frowned as he asked, "Are you referring to the disaster relief and bandit suppression in the North? But I did a very good job with the disaster relief in Zhongjing before!"
He didn't think Xuan Yuanzhan could do better than him in disaster relief, nor did he think there was anything he couldn't do that Xuan Yuanzhan could!
"Disaster relief in Zhongjing?" Seeing that he still had the nerve to mention Zhongjing, Xuanyuan Peng scoffed: "What do you think you did that I don't know about?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flickered guiltily before he feigned composure and said, "Your subject went to provide disaster relief."
"Disaster relief?" Xuan Yuanpeng sneered disdainfully, looking at Xuan Yuanyu and reprimanding him: "How many people can a county in Zhongjing have? You submitted memorials asking me to open the granaries three times before and after the disaster relief efforts. Do you know that those three granaries could save three Zhongjing counties, not just one!"
If Xuan Yuan Yu didn't bring up these past events, he wouldn't bother to investigate them. But since Xuan Yuan Yu brought them up himself, he had to question him. Otherwise, he would really think he had made some great contribution!
Xuanyuan Yu's eyes flickered slightly as he argued, "But at that time, one granary was simply not enough. The people of Zhongjing suffered too much from the disaster, and that grain was not enough to relieve their suffering."
Hearing his naive words, Xuanyuan Peng coldly rebuked him again: "Do you know how much grain is stored when the granary is opened once?"
Xuanyuan Yu blinked, unable to answer.
Xuanyuan Peng knew he didn't know; he had nurtured him for so many years, yet he never cared about these things.
"Ten thousand dan, that's the same amount of grain that Xuanyuan Zhan took away this time. And do you even know how many people there are in the entire Northern Lands?"
Xuanyuan Yu still couldn't answer.
“It’s more than ten times that of the entire Central Plains.” Xuan Yuanpeng looked at Xuan Yuanyu with certainty: “Do you believe that Xuan Yuanzhan can relieve the famine of the people in the North with just 10,000 dan of grain?”
Xuanyuan Yu didn't believe him at all: "The matter is not over yet. How can Father be so sure that Xuanyuan Zhan will not come back for grain?"
Since the North has such a large population, Xuanyuan Zhan might need even more grain than he does!
"Because he is not you!" Xuan Yuanpeng rebuked Xuan Yuanyu, then questioned, "Of the 10,000 dan of disaster relief grain sent from the capital, did you check whether 10,000 dan were still left in Zhongjing? Did you inspect them?"
Xuan Yuanpeng's words left Xuan Yuanyu speechless.
It's not that I can't answer, it's that I'm afraid to answer.
Even though Xuanyuan Yu didn't speak, Xuanyuan Peng knew the answer: "You didn't! Otherwise, those ten thousand dan of grain would have been enough."
Xuan Yuanpeng's words were interpreted differently by Xuan Yuanyu. He frowned and said angrily, "What does Father mean by this? Has the national treasury withheld my grain?"
Seeing how stupid Xuanyuan Yu was, Xuanyuan Peng was almost amused by his stupidity: "What a joke! How could the national treasury be short of your grain? If you ask me for 10,000 dan of grain, do you think I would only give you 3,000 dan?"
If he really did that, it means the national treasury was truly overburdened. He would definitely have informed him in advance, instead of giving him only 30% of the grain without saying a word.
If even the emperor is doing such things, then Eastern Chu is in grave danger!
Xuanyuan Yu was somewhat confused by what Xuanyuan Peng said: "Then what does Father mean?"
Seeing how stupid he was, Xuanyuan Peng was completely disappointed in him: "You still don't understand how many cities and counties 10,000 dan of grain has to pass through from the national treasury to Zhongjing, and how many officials are in each city and county!"
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