Chapter 307 I envy the Duke of Chu
Parents with many children often have a particular child they favor. But the child that the Prince of Lingnan favored most was not his heir Zhu Huai'an, but his daughter Zhu Junning.
At this moment, the King of Lingnan looked at Zhu Junning pouring him tea with a smile on his face and asked, "Did you like the fruit I sent you a couple of days ago?"
Zhu Junning nodded, "I like it, but I'm reluctant to eat it. It's something your father worked hard to earn."
The King of Lingnan laughed even more heartily, but said, "Nonsense, I don't grow fruit, so how could it be hard work? I just arranged for some people to do it. If you like it, feel free to eat it."
Zhu Junning nodded, then looked at the Prince of Lingnan in silence, as if he had something to say but didn't know how to say it. The Prince of Lingnan frowned and said, "Is there anything you can't say to your father?"
Zhu Junning lowered his eyes slightly, pursed his lips, and then looked at the Prince of Lingnan and asked, "Does Father think the Duke of Chu is exceptionally intelligent?"
The King of Lingnan frowned upon hearing this and said, "Since he entered the court, judging from the things he has done, he is indeed exceptionally intelligent."
Zhu Junning nodded. "Then how does she compare to Father?"
These words made the King of Lingnan frown even more deeply. After a while, he said, "He should be no less than me."
"Then what Father can think of, the Duke of Chu cannot think of?" Zhu Junning looked into the eyes of the Prince of Lingnan and said, "How many of the ministers in the capital are like you and the Duke of Chu?"
The Prince of Lingnan leaned back in his chair in silence. Zhu Junning stopped speaking and picked up some pastries from the tea table, eating them in small bites. After a long while, the Prince of Lingnan spoke, "Ning'er, do you think Jiang Yu and the others have already guessed my plan?"
Zhu Junning looked up at him and asked, "Father treats you as the Duke of Chu. What would you do in this situation?"
The King of Lingnan frowned in thought, then said, "It's not that I'm being arrogant, but even if Jiang Yu has a countermeasure, my current plan will still cause her considerable trouble."
“Father, anything can happen,” Zhu Junning said. “The Duke of Chu might just pull a surprise attack.”
Silence fell in the room again. After a while, the Prince of Lingnan asked, "Are you referring to what Prince Rui was working on?"
"I don't know, I'm just a little uneasy." Zhu Junning poured another cup of tea for the Prince of Lingnan. "There's a question I've never understood."
The Prince of Lingnan watched as she placed the steaming teacup in front of him. "What is it?"
Zhu Junning looked at him and asked, "Why must our Lingnan Prince's Mansion rebel? You should know that Daqian has no signs of its end."
"Now that we've come this far, do you think the emperor will let us off the hook just because we haven't rebelled?" the King of Lingnan retorted.
"As long as we look for a way, there will always be another way out." Zhu Junning said earnestly, "Back then, the Duke of Chu's mansion lost its military power and remained dormant for many years, but now the Duke of Chu's mansion is once again in the limelight. Xie Ning'an reported Xie Yun, but Xie Yun used the Xie family's money shops and trading companies to keep Xie Ning'an. With Xie Ning'an's abilities, the Xie family may very well be able to make a comeback in the future."
"Father, we haven't reached the level of the Xie family yet. Perhaps... perhaps we should learn from the Duke of Chu's mansion."
The Prince of Lingnan chuckled, a mixture of resentment and helplessness in his voice. He said, "How can we learn from the Duke of Chu's mansion? Without military power, the Prince of Lingnan's mansion is nothing but a lamb to the slaughter. Not to mention others, Jiang Yu alone will ensure that we can never rise again."
The King of Lingnan sighed deeply, “It is fate and destiny. From the moment I inherited this throne, it was destined to be a grand scheme.”
From the moment the royal family attempted to seize military power from the Lingnan Prince's Mansion, and the Lingnan Prince's Mansion used every means to retain that power, every subsequent Lingnan Prince fought to preserve the Lingnan Prince's Mansion.
Of course, the best way to preserve the Lingnan Royal Palace was to overthrow the Qin dynasty and seize the throne for himself. Generations of Lingnan kings had followed this path, and there was no turning back.
The King of Lingnan picked up the teacup before him and drank it all in one gulp, as if he were emptying a cup of wine brimming with years of scheming—a gesture both chilling and tragic. Zhu Junning, seeing this, felt his eyes well up with tears. Suddenly, he couldn't utter a single word of advice.
She poured another cup of tea for the King of Lingnan and said, "After this matter is settled, your daughter will drink with you."
The Prince of Lingnan felt a warm glow in his heart. His favoritism was justified; this daughter understood him best. His eyes were filled with satisfaction as he said, "Good."
After saying that, he added with concern, "Although you don't like to hear it, I still want to talk about your marriage. You're almost nineteen, it's time to get married. If you don't want to get married, you can find a husband for yourself."
These words silenced Zhu Junning. She lowered her head and stroked the celadon teacup with her fingers. After a while, she raised her head, looked at the Prince of Lingnan, and said, "I envy the Duke of Chu."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Lingnan frowned, his eyes growing deep. But Zhu Junning did not back down. She stared into the Prince of Lingnan's eyes and said earnestly, "I do not envy the power that the Duke of Chu possesses; I envy her ability to control her own life."
........
The Prince of Lingnan looked at Zhu Junning with complicated emotions for a long time before saying, "I never intended for you to marry into a powerful family, nor did I intend for you to sacrifice yourself for the family. I even prepared a backup plan in case the grand scheme failed. Is this the kind of life you're living without autonomy? Does marrying Prince Rui make it an autonomous life?"
The last sentence made Zhu Junning blush deeply. There was the shyness of a young woman, and the embarrassment of having her secret thoughts exposed.
"Hmph!" The Prince of Lingnan snorted heavily, looking at her flushed face. "Don't even mention you, even if Jiang Yu wanted to marry Prince Rui, it would be impossible. Are you still envious of her?"
"Father, it's not what you say." Zhu Junning regained her composure, and the blush on her face gradually disappeared. She said, "Daughter does admire Prince Rui, but why has daughter never mentioned it to you?"
The expression on the Prince of Lingnan's face softened a bit. It was perfectly normal for a young girl to be fond of Prince Rui, who looked like that.
Then Zhu Junning said, "I know there is no possibility between me and Prince Rui, and I have never thought that I could be with him one day. But what is wrong with me admiring and longing for him, even if I see him as the moonlight in my heart?"
King of Lingnan: "......."
How was he supposed to respond to that? He had been young once too, and he could understand his daughter's feelings.
After a while, he said, "Well, then just treat him like moonlight, and secretly enjoy watching him. If one day your grand plan succeeds, I will grant your wish."
Zhu Junning didn't know how to respond. Could she say that she felt this so-called grand plan couldn't succeed? At least not in their generation.
Feeling a tightness in her chest, she rose and bowed to the King of Lingnan, saying, "Your daughter will not disturb you any longer, Father."
"Hmm." The Prince of Lingnan looked at her and said, "I have no intention of urging you to get married, so you don't need to worry."
Zhu Junning smiled and said, "Yes, daughter understands."
“You don’t need to care what your grandmother says,” the King of Lingnan added.
"Your daughter knows." Zhu Junning bowed to him again and then left.
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