Chapter 229: An Old Fox
When Si Jiu returned to the Chen family and took the name Chen Shijin, this did not cause much of a stir in the capital. What the people of the capital talked about was that the nineteenth prince, Li Changyi, who had been separated from his family for more than twenty years, was recognized by his ancestors and was betrothed to Meng Jingjing, who had made meritorious contributions in suppressing the rebellion.
As this news spread, the Meng family, which was fading from the court of the Great Liang Dynasty, came back into the public eye. However, the Meng family only has one Meng Jingjing now, and the other Meng family members have not yet become accomplished. Strictly speaking, the Meng family is still an insignificant family, and whether it can rise in the future is still unknown.
The nineteenth prince had made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion of Jiang and An, but the emperor arranged such a marriage for him. It is obvious how little the emperor valued him.
That's right. The Crown Prince is outstanding, the Seventeenth Prince can lead troops to fight and protect the border, and even the Sixteenth Prince can share his burdens. Although the Eighth Prince left the palace early on and established his own residence, having a title means he has withdrawn from the competition for that position. However, he took a knife for the Emperor with his own flesh and blood when the Wise Prince forced the Emperor to abdicate last time.
Compared to these outstanding princes, the nineteenth prince's achievements are rather lackluster. After all, in the matter of suppressing the rebel Jiang Yu'an, it was Zhao Yunjing and Zhou Mujiao who contributed the most.
Those who have managed to survive in the court are all extraordinary individuals. When the news first broke that Chen Liangjin was the nineteenth prince, they tacitly maintained a wait-and-see attitude. Now that the emperor's attitude is clear, the court officials no longer need to take him seriously.
In addition, some court officials said that the nineteenth prince, as a prince, should not meddle in court affairs. He should learn from the sixteenth and eighth princes and not occupy an official position to block others from advancing in their careers.
These words were so harsh that even the Emperor frowned upon hearing them: "Changyi originally grew up among the common people. His current fame and achievements are all earned by himself. We cannot completely negate his past efforts just because he is now an orphan's son. Moreover, Changyi's adoptive father played a crucial role in increasing grain production in Peach Blossom County."
It was Chief Minister Su who proposed stripping Li Changyi of his official position. Upon hearing this, he said, "But that was only thanks to Chen Zhi. He got to where he is today thanks to the protection of his predecessors. If—"
"Our ancestors shed sweat and blood, all for the sake of securing a better future for their descendants. As the sage said, 'Our ancestors plant trees so that our descendants can enjoy the shade.' If even our ancestors cannot protect their descendants and help them move forward, how many people like Zhao Yunjing can come to my side?"
Zhao Yunjing is a talent unmatched in a century, unparalleled in the world. Although my Changyi is slightly inferior, his talent and ability still rank among the top ten in the entire Liang Dynasty. Does the court think it would be more beneficial for the Liang Dynasty to let such a talent rot in the palace and not use him?
"But Your Majesty—"
"In that case, I will issue an imperial edict today: even if our ancestors died on the battlefield, their descendants shall not enjoy any glory. You, Chief Minister Su, will draft this edict for me. Oh, and I will also entrust you with the task of issuing the edict and revoking all titles. Minister Su, you must handle this matter properly, otherwise it will be unfair to the others!"
Grand Secretary Su said helplessly, "Your Majesty—"
"Someone, bring me pen, ink, paper, and inkstone!"
The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were brought out, and Grand Secretary Su was carried onto the stage. The other five Grand Secretaries clung to themselves, feeling utterly helpless, and in their hearts, they had already cursed Grand Secretary Su eight hundred times.
That old bastard has always preferred to be a loner since he was young. After entering the cabinet and becoming the Grand Secretary, he preferred to make his own decisions and never listened to other people's opinions. Fine, whatever opinions you have, there are thousands of such cases. They probably won't be able to count them even when they're buried.
But to go to the emperor and question his son's qualifications and want to strip him of his official position, shouldn't this scoundrel have informed them beforehand so that their families could start preparing for their funeral?
The chief minister, Su, had white eyebrows and a white beard. His two long, flowing white beards would have given him an air of otherworldly elegance if he wore a white robe. However, his white beard, paired with his dark red official robes, made him look neither otherworldly nor anything else, but rather quite expensive.
The eunuch quickly prepared the ink. Grand Secretary Su picked up the brush, wrote the words, put down the brush, blew on it until it was half dry, and then unfolded it for the emperor to see: "Your Majesty, I have drafted your imperial decree. Please take a look."
The emperor glanced over indifferently, then raised an eyebrow: "Do as Minister Su says."
Hmm, the Emperor doesn't sound angry. What did Su Gou write?
The five scholars simultaneously looked up, their eyes widening and mouths agape. After a long while, Scholar Lin finally uttered a curse: "What an old dog!"
Isn't that an old dog?
First, you ignited the emperor's anger, then slowly offered a solution to extinguish it—I said, since you already had this solution in the first place, why did you go to all this trouble to provoke the emperor's authority? Aren't you afraid that the emperor will confiscate your property or exterminate your entire family in a fit of rage?
There were only three characters on the silk cloth: Prince Anding.
Giving the nineteenth prince, Li Changyi, the title of Prince of Anding does not negate his efforts after his death, and it can also be seen from the name that he made contributions to the Great Liang. Indeed, it is not appropriate for members of the royal family to participate in politics, but Li Changyi's situation is obviously different.
He came from the common people and had lived among them for over twenty years. He understood the affairs of the people better than any member of the royal family. In addition, he was quite capable, but he was only able to work under Zhao Yun Jing because he was inferior to him. Now that he had the title of "Prince of Anding", he might be able to create a new situation for himself and eventually even be able to check and balance Zhao Yun Jing.
After all, the greatest taboo for any emperor is for his merits to overshadow his own. Once Zhao Yunjing grows up and wins the hearts of the people, even if he himself has no such intention, others may force him onto that path or use his name to make that move. In that case, the emperor and his ministers will become enemies, blood will flow like rivers, and the people will suffer.
This is definitely not what the emperor wanted to see.
Therefore, Prince Li Changyi of Anding must grow up quickly so that the Great Liang Dynasty can prosper forever.
The imperial edict appointing Li Changyi as the Prince of Anding was announced on the day Zhou Mujiao left the capital.
As she left the city, Zhou Mujiao saw people from the Ministry of Rites, but she was in a hurry and didn't pay attention. It was only when someone next to her asked her about it that Zhou Mujiao learned about it.
“Madam, I have found out that the Prince of Anding’s mansion is right next to the Zhao family’s house, separated by a narrow alley. The side gates of the two houses face each other. If the alley is fenced off, it will be a hidden path. In the future, if you and the Prince of Anding have important matters to discuss, you can pass through this path without outsiders knowing.”
Zhou Mujiao hummed in agreement, not pondering the implications behind the emperor's actions. And with Chen Liangjin now replaced by Li Changyi, no one could guarantee that his state of mind would remain the same as before.
"Lock the side door and don't open it unless necessary." After giving her instructions, Zhou Mujiao thought for a moment and added, "Neither Brother Zhao nor I are in the capital. Tell Father and Mother to keep a low profile and not get too close to anyone. We can keep things at the Duke of Wei's residence. If anything happens, we can ask the Duke of Wei's residence for help."
In any case, the subordinates just did what Zhou Mujiao said, and did their best to complete the task without making mistakes. As for why they didn't go to the Prince of Anding next door but instead went to the Duke of Wei's mansion instead of the nearby one, that was a question he couldn't analyze.
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