Chapter 174 Prince Rui Returns to the Capital
Qi Chengming believed that he had the original plot of the book before he transmigrated to as a guarantee, and he could more or less glimpse the thoughts and temperaments of some characters through those settings.
This, combined with the cheat-like infrastructure system, has always been his most basic source of confidence, preventing him from feeling too panicked or helpless in the palace.
But this time...
He had absolutely no idea why Emperor Hongren would do such a thing.
Qi Chengming couldn't help but invite Lord He and Song Gu, and also called on Xiao Dezi, Xiao Chengzi, and Granny Liu, several of his confidants to give him some advice.
The first two are Qi Chengming's hidden strategists in the Prince's mansion, who usually give him advice. The latter three are purely from the palace staff, who have protected the Second Prince since childhood and are among the most familiar with Emperor Hongren.
"..." He Santie was a proper scholar. He glanced around the cabin that His Highness used as a study and meeting room, and then looked at the people present. He had some complaints in his heart, and his expression was complicated for a moment.
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi weren't surprised at all. They had always been cultivated to broaden their horizons and perspectives. The Second Prince took them with him wherever he went, and they would exchange ideas when things happened. This was something that Qi Chengming had deliberately encouraged and nurtured. So they calmly entered the study, focusing their attention solely on the important matters to come.
The wet nurse was much more apprehensive, declining to enter without permission: "...Your Highness, how can a woman enter your study so casually?"
Qi Chengming pretended not to notice Lord He's subtle expression. He still admired Song Gu the most, and he wasn't surprised to see the young steward Song waiting with his eyes lowered, his expression unchanged. He then set the tone for today's gathering:
"News has come from the capital, which brings some resolution to the matter of our attack. Everyone here today is here to help me resolve my concerns, so please feel free to speak your mind, regardless of your status."
Qi Chengming laid out his doubts.
He Santie recalled the various situations from his previous life. He didn't know the rest of the details, but he had heard the rumors circulating inside and outside the palace, so he subtly reminded him:
"I've heard that Your Highness's mother suffered all these years of hardship and was harmed by villains. Your Majesty's pity for her now must be a ray of hope."
Qi Chengming frowned slightly, not quite agreeing. However, since Lord He was unaware that the witchcraft incident was Song Gu's scheme back then, he couldn't say it outright: "Even if Father Emperor discovered that I was poisoned by witchcraft, that was when I was still in the palace before I left."
If Emperor Hongren truly doted on Consort Hua and wanted to compensate the suffering Second Prince, he would have a reason to renege on his promise and prevent Qi Chengming from going to Liuzhou to assume his fiefdom.
Even if we take a step back and exchange it for a better fiefdom, it wouldn't be considered breaking our promise.
What did Emperor Hongren do back then?
He gave Qi Chengming silver as compensation, bestowed upon him the title of "Auspicious Omen," and provided him with secret liaisons. He gave him everything except the fiefdom, which remained unchanged.
Now that Qi Chengming has proven himself, has Emperor Hongren finally realized his mistake and begun to pity him?
This pitiful bit of affection, or rather, the sole motivation for self-interest, is hardly enough to make Emperor Hongren ruthlessly punish the Seventh Prince. It doesn't make sense.
Xiao Chengzi's expression shifted slightly. He wanted to ask Lord He what details he knew. He had been puzzled since childhood. His Majesty's attitude towards their prince was so strange and inconsistent. Did he really love the Empress or what?
But now was not the time, so Xiao Chengzi could only keep his thoughts to himself and wait for Steward Song to speak:
"Your Highness... I've heard from the capital that several newly pregnant consorts in the palace have not lived long enough. Considering the late Emperor's lifespan, His Majesty probably knows the answer. Of the princes who have grown up, only Your Highness has accomplished a great deal, so His Majesty values us!"
Song Gu was originally not valued in the palace and had no one to contact from afar. But ever since Cui the secret agent showed interest in joining him, this connection was established. It was said that several pregnant concubines and palace maids in the harem had not given birth due to various accidents, or their children had died young.
After all the calculations, Emperor Hongren's age is a given, and he can only rely on his sons who have grown up.
Based on the information Song Gu had learned in his previous life, how could he not know what Emperor Hongren valued most now?
There's no one to carry on the torch!
In his previous life, Emperor Hongren was probably afraid that he would one day follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. After having a good son, the Second Prince, he couldn't wait to make him the Crown Prince after only a year of training. Unfortunately, he later raised up the other princes and pressed on, which backfired and caused a palace coup. Fortunately, it ended without serious consequences.
Leaving aside the changes that followed, let's just talk about the present.
With their assistance, His Highness's path in this life became smoother, and his first impression on Emperor Hongren was even more outstanding.
It can be described as a sudden and earth-shattering emergence.
This outstanding performance made Emperor Hongren willing to treat even the Seventh Prince, who was originally very ambitious and could later rival His Highness, as an immature little prince, just to give His Highness more confidence.
Song Gu carefully calculated the timeline and realized that His Highness had risen to prominence a few years too early in his life. The Seventh Prince hadn't even shown his abilities and talents yet, but instead revealed his incriminating evidence of plotting against his brothers. One step ahead leads to another.
Just as he was about to return to the capital to make a show of force, Emperor Hongren wasn't in a hurry to establish power for his second son. Was he really going to openly offend a potential heir whom he valued, instead of punishing a prince with a proven criminal record who was all alone?
Qi Chengming understood.
After Song Gu spoke to him for so long, he showed no joy on his face: "Whether this is valuing him or treating him like a hot potato is hard to say. After returning to the capital, we cannot be ostentatious; instead, we must act cautiously."
On the bright side, Qi Chengming's biggest threat, the original male protagonist in the original story, has now been severely punished and suppressed by the emperor. The eldest prince in the palace has a tainted past, the third prince is still a commoner and has lost his right to vie for the throne, and the sixth prince, although the legitimate son, is the easiest to deal with.
After counting them all, Qi Chengming was far ahead of everyone else; there was no one else who could rival him.
On the other hand, Emperor Hongren may be delighted to have a good successor at first, but will he be able to tolerate Qi Chengming's many achievements in the future? If a prince is too outstanding, he will have to contend with his own father.
After remaining silent for a while, the wet nurse Liu was the first to agree: "That's exactly right! His Majesty's fondness for old friendships is both a good thing and a bad thing."
She could see clearly that the current emperor was prone to taking his anger out on others and was not very magnanimous. Although he had many wise qualities and could be considered a benevolent ruler in his treatment of the people, he was also prone to contradictory and inconsistent actions in his foolish ways.
It's hard to guarantee that the Emperor won't later feel sorry for his youngest son and turn around to see His Highness's imposing and glaring presence.
"After Your Highness returns to the capital, shouldn't you act a little clumsy? That way, His Majesty will have some fun teaching you," Xiao Dezi suggested eagerly. He hadn't wasted his time in the palace; this was the kind of drama he'd heard about concubines vying for the Emperor's favor.
Xiao Chengzi thought of another approach and was eager to try: "Aside from doing some practical things, His Highness is actually quite inept. His Majesty didn't care before, but now that His Majesty has noticed, we should proactively expose all these shortcomings..."
Song Gu couldn't help but laugh.
Before he could even offer his advice, he was silenced by several people, each more cautious than the last.
It's gratifying that none of these old-timers became arrogant after gaining power; they are all clear-headed people.
However… Your Highness had a truly difficult time in your previous life when you were besieged by the other princes after becoming the Crown Prince, which was due to the old emperor's suspicion. Song Gu pondered that now that he knew about this, he had to think of a way to deal with it.
Qi Chengming felt a warm glow inside as he listened to their advice, but noticing a lingering worry on the brow of the most cautious and composed Song Gu, he offered words of comfort:
"Things will work themselves out. Although I said that, you don't need to worry too much. Father is trying to build momentum for me now, and I'll just accept it. As for the future, I'll have to forge my own path!"
Qi Chengming spoke these words clearly and forcefully, with remarkable composure.
Throughout history, the struggle for the throne has never been a contest with brothers, but a power struggle with the emperor himself. His future conflict with Emperor Hongren is unavoidable, so he might as well accept it calmly!
He may have many advantages, but he shouldn't just rely on them. Once he takes them off, he shouldn't lose his ambition and drive. He shouldn't be afraid of challenges and difficulties.
Otherwise, what's the point of talking about wanting to be a good emperor?
"...Yes! This servant has learned her lesson." Song Gu was filled with emotion and couldn't help but kneel down to respond.
His memories were mostly of the quiet and reserved new emperor after his ascension to the throne, a thin and sickly gentle young man, a celestial being who seemed listless and longing for his homeland. Even after all these years, he still hadn't gotten used to His Highness's spirited and ambitious demeanor.
How could he lose his spirit?
Song felt increasingly happy.
It's good that Your Highness has fighting spirit! To remain in the mortal realm for so long...
...
The Prince Rui's procession traveled through summer and autumn, and finally arrived at the outskirts of the capital without any major incidents or disturbances.
While they were still on the water, Emperor Hongren sent men to take over the group of suspects. Not long after, a contingent of imperial guards traveled four hundred miles to meet them and safely arrived to pick them up.
Emperor Hongren was afraid that someone would try to harm Qi Chengming again.
With so many people protecting him, Qi Chengming decided to stop while he was ahead and gave up his plans—he had already made his move and knew that no one would be foolish enough to confront him head-on.
...Now, after a three-year hiatus, Qi Chengming is finally going to the capital.
He lifted a corner of the heavy curtain in the carriage and gazed into the distance, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.
Although it's still quite far, the capital is located in the Central Plains, and the roads are flat. From afar, one can see the deep, dark shadows of the capital. Those are the towering towers within the imperial city, representing the majesty of the royal family.
This is how the morning bell and evening drum are sounded.
"Your Highness, it's windy outside," Xiao Dezi reminded him at the right moment.
They traveled from the south, and the wind gradually became as fierce as a knife. Along the way, they had to buy good charcoal and light charcoal braziers in the carriage to keep warm.
The sudden return to the north left everyone feeling somewhat disoriented, and the number of sick people in the convoy increased by one or two out of ten.
"No matter how strong the wind is, we can't get around it." Qi Chengming said with a double meaning, then closed the curtain and looked at the task page of the infrastructure system.
During his journey, he seized the opportunity to review the skills he had acquired, leaving only one worry:
In his latest infrastructure project, "Rise of the Military," only the task of "possessing a fourth-rank military officer" remains to be completed.
Earlier, news came from Wen Er that he was to return to the capital to receive his title, so Qi Chengming knew that this task had fallen to them. The infrastructure system never issues tasks without reason.
But nothing happened after that; the mission got stuck.
Qi Chengming wanted to figure out where the problem lay.
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