Chapter 100 How to take up a fief?
These are turbulent times, and the issue of succession has become turbulent. To avoid future troubles, many insightful and capable ministers agree that Prince Duan should go to his fiefdom as soon as possible.
But the emperor suppressed it, and when Chu Heng submitted another memorial, he delayed, telling Chu Heng to deal with his current affairs first. By the time Chu Heng had learned to crawl, Chu Heng had still not been granted permission to take up his fief.
It was July, and several floods were reported from the south. The emperor and his ministers discussed exempting several counties from taxes. Unexpectedly, an imperial censor came directly to the emperor, saying that some places had falsely reported the disaster and that local officials had embezzled disaster relief funds.
Since there was something fishy going on, the emperor naturally sent people to investigate. Because taxes were related to the Ministry of Revenue, he ordered Chu Heng to lead a group of people to the south.
For the past six months, Chu Heng had only been thinking about how to request an imperial decree to take up his fiefdom and did not want to get involved in the major and minor affairs of the court anymore, so he immediately recommended someone else.
The emperor ignored him and directly ordered someone to draft an edict, which Chu Heng had no choice but to obey.
After the meeting concluded, the officials withdrew, but the emperor ordered Chu Heng to remain.
"Sit down," the emperor said expressionlessly.
Chu Heng bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, I dare not. Please calm your anger."
The emperor sneered, "You knew I would be angry, yet you kept making excuses just now. It's clear you were deliberately trying to make things difficult for me!"
Chu Heng had no choice but to kneel down: "Your subject dares not."
Seeing his behavior, the emperor grew even angrier, slamming his hand on the table: "It's been months, what nonsense are you still spouting? I value you so much, yet you don't understand my good intentions at all, it's really... really... outrageous!"
Chu Heng could only repeat, "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
The emperor was so angry that he had a headache. At this moment, his little conscience suddenly felt a little sorry for the empress dowager. After all, he had never been so angry. Was this how the empress dowager felt when he made her sick?
Taking a few deep breaths, the emperor told himself that he could not repeat the mistakes of the empress dowager.
"Get up," the emperor said, his voice sounding weak.
Chu Heng was afraid of upsetting the emperor, so he quickly got up and secretly glanced at the emperor's face.
Youth makes all the difference; the emperor doesn't look like he'd faint from anger.
Chu Heng was relieved.
The emperor then said, "Tell me honestly, what exactly do you want?"
Chu Heng paused, then said with difficulty, "If I tell you, Your Majesty will get angry again."
emperor:"……"
The emperor rubbed his temples: "The saying goes, 'Those who excel in learning will become officials.' Now that everyone has studied, they all want to realize their ambitions. You have the ability, and even though your status has many inconveniences, I will not let your talent go to waste. I believe that even setting aside our brotherly relationship, we should be a model of ruler and subject. Yet you only think about resigning from your post. I... I really don't understand what you are thinking."
For the emperor, there were many capable ministers. From the beginning, Chu Heng was not someone he intended to rely on for a long time. After all, his identity was indeed a potential threat. Initially, the emperor only wanted to use him to deal with the Fang family, but...
When Chu Heng resigned, the emperor had a new idea. Since Chu Heng was capable and could not escape his grasp, why not make the best use of him?
All of Chu Heng's power comes from the emperor. The emperor can use him with confidence. When the emperor no longer wants to use him, he can take away his power, and Chu Heng will be powerless to resist.
The emperor's plan was excellent, but unfortunately, Chu Heng completely failed to understand the emperor's intentions this time. Instead, he submitted memorials one after another, requesting to be enfeoffed as a prince.
Despite many times thinking that Chu Heng was ungrateful, the emperor still suppressed his memorials. No matter what Chu Heng was planning, he would eventually have to submit to him.
The emperor and empress dowager were mother and son, and they really had many similarities.
Chu Heng lowered his head and said, "I have never had any great ambitions since I was a child. I only wish to be with my wife and children. I hope my royal brother can understand."
The emperor thought for a while and said, "Here's what we'll do: once you've finished this mission, I'll grant you permission to go to your fief after the New Year."
Chu Heng didn't really believe the emperor's words, but he still thanked him with a smile.
The emperor waved his hand dismissively, but it was just a perfunctory gesture. It wasn't in front of everyone, so how could Chu Heng dare to accuse him of breaking his promise?
The emperor was full of confidence, and Chu Heng would just have to suffer in silence, as he would still have to do things for him.
...
Daiyu usually wouldn't get angry, but this time she really wanted to disregard the rules and etiquette and curse the emperor as a scoundrel!
Chu Heng patted her shoulder to comfort her, "Getting angry is bad for your health. Don't be angry. At least I got a promise. Whether I keep it or not, it's a promise. I'll have my own way of dealing with it when the time comes."
Daiyu clutched her chest and took a long time to catch her breath before saying, "If His Majesty is shameless, we'll risk a complete falling out with him. Humph, the worst that can happen is that he'll kill all three of us in a fit of anger. So what?"
Hearing this, Chu Heng couldn't help but laugh: "Hearing you say such things is really refreshing. Have you been listening to too many plays about the heroes of Liangshan lately? They are truly heroic!"
Daiyu patted his hand that was patting her chest: "I'm angry right now, you're not allowed to be improper."
"I'm serious, I'm really serious." Chu Heng smiled and bent down, taking the opportunity to kiss Daiyu's cheek. "Trust me, I'll definitely think of a way to stop him from dragging this on any longer."
Delay can lead to unforeseen changes. The past six months have seemed calm and peaceful because the Empress Dowager has been conserving her energy.
Once they start fighting for real, it won't be so easy for Chu Heng and Daiyu to leave.
Just as Daiyu was about to speak, Xiao Chuyang, who was crawling around on the bed, saw that his parents were ignoring him, so he reached out and grabbed his mother's sleeve, humming and grumbling as if to express his dissatisfaction.
Chu Heng reached out and picked him up, pinching his chubby cheeks: "You've been clinging to your mother all day, let her rest a bit."
The little boy couldn't understand his father's words and reached out to grab Chu Heng while babbling. Daiyu quickly grabbed his little hand: "He doesn't know his own strength. He scratched the wet nurse today and made her face red."
"Hmm?" Chu Heng turned his head to look at Daiyu. "They didn't arrest you, did they?"
Daiyu squeezed the little guy's hand: "No, I cut his nails afterward. He was crying and fussing before, so I thought I'd cut them in a couple of days. I should have known better than to be so lenient with him."
Chu Heng smiled and said, "We're still kids, so it's inevitable that we'll be naughty sometimes."
“Precisely because he is a child, he should not be spoiled. Temperament is formed from childhood,” Daiyu said. “We must teach him now.”
Chu Heng then put on a stern face: "How do you suggest I teach him? How about I spank his hand instead..."
Before he could finish speaking, Daiyu slapped his hand twice: "Speak properly, or you'll cause more trouble for me in the future."
Chu Heng immediately stopped joking: "Yes, we should correct these bad habits of his, and also tell the wet nurse and maids not to spoil him."
As he spoke, he held the little one close to his chest with one hand and took Daiyu's hand with the other: "I'll be gone for at least a month or two, and you'll have to work hard on Yang'er and the affairs of the family."
They had never been apart since their marriage, and Daiyu was very reluctant to part with him when she mentioned this. However, she was even more worried about Chuheng who was away from home, so she said, "You don't need to worry about home. I'm not alone. There are plenty of maids and nannies, so I don't need to worry about anything. You need to be careful when you're away. There was a flood in the south, so you need to be careful of the epidemic. You also need to be careful on the road. Whenever there is a natural disaster, there will be bandits."
"His Majesty has sent guards to accompany you, so nothing will happen," Chu Heng reassured her, but did not forget to remind her, "As for you, you must be careful in the palace. Since I am entrusted with His Majesty's duties, if the Empress Dowager makes things difficult for you, just go to His Majesty and don't worry about anything."
Daiyu nodded, and the two of them exchanged many heartfelt words and repeated their instructions to each other several times. Little Chu Yang in Chu Heng's arms started to fuss impatiently, and they finally stopped talking.
Starting the next day, Daiyu led her maids and nannies to pack Chu Heng's luggage for his journey south. This mission could not be delayed, and Chu Heng would be leaving the day after tomorrow.
Thinking back on her own experiences of going out when she was young, Daiyu carefully considered the matter and finally packed Chu Heng's luggage for his trip.
On the day of his departure, Chu Heng did not allow Daiyu to see him off.
...
Before they knew it, it was the end of July. Daiyu was playing with little Chuyang in the courtyard when he was attracted by a flower and cried out to grab it. Daiyu asked a maid to cut a flower and hand it to him.
"You're having so much fun, but I wonder where your father is right now..." Daiyu patted the little guy's back, gazing south in a daze.
Little Chu Yang couldn't understand his mother's words. He only knew that his mother was ignoring him, so he started babbling to attract his mother's attention.
Seeing this, the wet nurse quickly said, "The boy has gained some weight recently. The princess must be tired from carrying him. Please give him to me."
When Daiyu came to her senses, she did not give the child to the wet nurse, but instead placed him on the soft couch. The wet nurse quickly brought soft pillows for the young master to lean on.
An old woman walked in from outside: "Your Highness, the Prince has sent someone back."
Daiyu quickly said, "Let him in!"
Soon, a servant who had followed Chu Heng out came in to pay his respects. He bowed his head respectfully and did not dare to look around. "Your Highness and his men traveled south by boat. When I returned, Your Highness had already arrived in Mao County. The floods there have been relieved. Your Highness, please rest assured, Your Highness. Once you have settled matters in the south, you will return to the capital immediately."
Daiyu nodded, and the servant added, "The prince also said that he was in a hurry on the way there and did not have time to buy any local gifts for the princess. He will definitely make up for it when he returns."
Daiyu smiled and said, "Official business is important, and I don't lack these things. You should take good care of the prince and persuade him to take care of his health and not stay up late."
The servant bowed and agreed.
Daiyu gave him a few more instructions, told the nanny to give him a packet of silver, and then ordered him to go and rest.
Xiao Chuyang refused to sit still, and before Daiyu noticed, he had already climbed onto her lap.
Daiyu pinched his little face and said to herself, "When your father comes back, will you be able to call him? It's been too long. We still hope your father can come back soon."
At this moment, Chu Heng, who was being missed by Daiyu, was naturally also thinking of her, so he dealt with his tasks even more quickly.
Just as the censor said, some officials did indeed falsely report the floods, embezzle the court's disaster relief funds, and attempt to evade this year's taxes. They also tried to bribe Chu Heng.
However, Prince Duan lacked nothing. Even though they had mountains of gold and silver, Chu Heng only felt that they were delaying his journey home.
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