Chapter 31 The Reborn Ministers Who Remain in Charge (Part Two) ^^……
After the initial euphoria, things took an unexpected turn for the better.
Mu Jie slumped slowly into a chair, stunned, her gaze fixed on the chrysanthemum painting, unable to recover for a long time: "..."
Once he was truly certain that he had returned to his younger self, his mind became a complete mess, with all sorts of thoughts clashing and arguing out.
In the autumn of the fourteenth year of Hongren's reign, in September of the same year that he painted the chrysanthemum picture, it was also the time for the full-month celebration of Xian'er, the only direct descendant of the Mu family. He remembered that year very clearly.
Because the Mu family has always lacked daughters.
Grand Secretary Mu never took a concubine in his life, only keeping two maids. All his sons were born to his wife; he had no daughters. After his eldest son had also given birth to four sons, his feelings towards him turned to disdain. His second son did have a daughter, but unfortunately, his family lived in another place, and Grand Secretary Mu never saw his little granddaughter's face until he received news of her untimely death.
So... that year, after his eldest grandson, now known as the eldest son of the Mu family, had his first daughter, the whole family was in an uproar. Mu Jie himself was overjoyed and was happy for several months.
"..." Thinking of what Xian'er had gone through later, Grand Scholar Mu closed his eyes tightly, suppressing all his thoughts.
Regardless of how he returned to this year, he still has a chance to change the future. Because he remembers clearly that just one month before Xian'er was born, His Majesty issued an order for the Second Prince to travel thousands of miles to his fiefdom.
At the time, it seemed like nothing special.
Later, Liuzhou became the place where the new emperor rose to power... No one expected that the prince who seemed to have been eliminated early would have the last laugh, become the crown prince whom everyone trusted, and then smoothly ascend the throne.
And then...
Thinking of the other's passing, the scene of weeping and wailing for miles, white banners fluttering in the sky. Then thinking of the ensuing chaos in the nation, the devastation of the land… until his peaceful death, Grand Secretary Mu breathed his last, tears streaming down his face. His grief wasn't for the fate of his family, but for the people, for this broken nation that had been so painstakingly saved only to lose its ruler…
Mu Jie couldn't bear to think about it anymore, and her cloudy gaze sharpened.
It's not too late! There's still time!
His first thought was to replace the prince with another one and support him to ascend the throne. If the future emperor was so sickly that he was destined to die young and had no children, leading to the chaos that followed, would it be better to replace him with a prince who would maintain the status quo? Nearly twenty years later, when the crisis occurred, the emperor's brothers were still alive and well.
Although……
Grand Scholar Mu pinched his nose and thought for a long time, his expression turning somewhat pained.
Such a thought was fleeting, and he quickly extinguished it himself.
His Majesty is a divinely ordained ruler, a rare talent, incredibly wise and benevolent, yet he possesses the means to remain unfettered by his courtiers, consistently maintaining the upper hand in the power struggle. Every improvement he has introduced, along with his policies, is a remedy for the problem.
Aside from the Second Prince… he couldn't think of any other prince who could reign as emperor at the same time. And the Second Prince's power… couldn't be suppressed. This whole thing was so absurd it seemed fundamentally flawed: that position was destined to belong only to the Second Prince.
Grand Scholar Mu's thinking was extremely cold and rational. He was trying to choose a monarch for the sake of the people's well-being, and he didn't care about changing the person he served, even if he deeply respected and submitted to the future emperor. But now he concluded that if the second prince hadn't become the new emperor, if those national policies hadn't been implemented, and if the country hadn't turned the tide, there might not have been such a peaceful period in the future—Dingguo would have been shattered long ago.
The crisis twenty years from now may come even faster.
'Then... what else can we do?'
Mu Jie sat there in a daze, the wrinkles between his brows deepening.
The old man slammed his hand on the table, the force so strong it made his palm ache and go numb—he had been overthinking things and was now stubbornly clinging to his delusions! The Second Prince was only going to Liuzhou now; after spending time in such a place of exile, how could His Majesty possibly recover his health? The hardships and suffering he endured had even delayed the selection of a prince's consort.
His return to this point in time must be a warning from heaven!
Mu Jie strode out of the study, while the steward waited anxiously outside the door, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Mu Jie calmly instructed, "Is Mao'er supposed to be returning to the capital to report for duty soon? He hasn't come back yet, has he? Send him a letter to tell him not to worry. Tomorrow, bring some gifts and come with me to visit him."
Mu Maoshi was the second son of Grand Secretary Mu. Because his father and brothers were both in official positions, his official rank was always low, and he was constantly transferred to other places. Fortunately, the boy was honest and diligent, and he focused on managing the place wherever he was, so he could be considered a local official.
Grand Secretary Mu vaguely remembered that he had planned to arrange a government position in the capital for his second son, so that the whole family could be reunited. His second son had gained enough experience and qualifications through his time outside the capital, and Mu Jie wanted to submit a memorial requesting to resign so that his descendants could have a better future—of course, he was unsuccessful, as Emperor Hongren refused.
At this time, Mu Jie was not yet the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince of three reigns; he was merely a veteran official of two reigns. The current Emperor Hongren had watched him grow up and trusted him greatly. In casual conversations, he had mentioned several times that he wanted Mu Jie to also serve as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor. However, Emperor Hongren did not appoint a Crown Prince as early as the previous emperors, and the matter was delayed until now—only because the current emperor had a relatively large number of heirs did he have room for selection.
His second son was probably serving as an official in the Guizhou area at that time, which wasn't far from Liuzhou Prefecture, was it? Making some arrangements to get him there was a good early plan, and it would also be helpful to the future emperor. For example, they could send a letter to that renowned physician they were on good terms with…
This was exactly what Grand Scholar Mu had in mind.
"Yes, yes," the steward replied repeatedly, still not quite understanding what was happening.
My second master has been sent to another region to serve as an official by my great-grandfather again? Wasn't he supposed to be returning to the capital?
The steward didn't dare ask any questions and could only agree, thinking that the master was overjoyed today.
...
"Go and check if there have been any unusual or strange things happening in the capital recently, big or small," a deep, rhythmic voice said slowly and deliberately.
Shen Shuzhi was a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel, but his teacher was the current Minister of Rites, who was the maternal uncle of the current Third Prince.
The moment he opened his eyes today, the first thing he did was send someone to check if anything was amiss outside. He would continue doing this, investigating any events that didn't match his memory.
Yes, he inexplicably returned to his youth, but what makes him so sure that he's the only one who had this extraordinary experience?
Shen Shuzhi was cautious and would not make hasty judgments.
'And also...'
Shen Shuzhi remained silent for a while, then thought of something urgent.
He succeeded his teacher and became the leading civil official from Shanxi in the court. Naturally, he also chose to support the Third Prince because of his connections, but the final defeat is another story. His other two gambles also failed—his son, who was a guard in the palace, chose to follow the First Prince, and his daughter, who entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection a few years later, was betrothed to the Sixth Prince.
Shen Shuzhi simply couldn't understand it... He had bet everything on His Majesty's eldest son, beloved son, and legitimate son, trying to win them all, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat?!
Who knew that the final victor would be the currently unknown Second Prince!
But Shen Shuzhi held the new emperor in high esteem. His disastrous political gamble did not affect his record in the new dynasty. The new emperor did not mind his past and even promoted him and his father.
...Shen Shuzhi only regretted that he changed his mind too late. If he had understood the Second Prince's character and deeds earlier and joined his sect sooner, there wouldn't have been all that turmoil and chaos later on!
Now, Shen Shuzhi only had one thing on his mind—the Third Prince had also been exceptionally allowed to remain in the capital by Emperor Hongren, and the struggle for the throne had intensified rapidly, only to grow more fierce in the future. He had to get that foolish son out of there first, and couldn't let him develop an admiration for the First Prince every day, lest he recklessly plunge into this deep pit!
Then… how to infiltrate the Second Prince's inner circle still requires careful consideration. For example… what does His Highness lack most right now? Intelligence about the palace? Could he find a way to make contact? There's a concubine from the Shen family's main branch in the palace… though her rank is low. His thoughts were currently in disarray, a jumble of ideas swirling within him, and he hadn't yet come up with a concrete plan.
Take your time.
The next day, Shen Shuzhi fell ill.
...
Qi Chengming was completely unaware of the events unfolding in the capital.
Since leaving the capital, he had lost his eyes and ears in the palace. His maternal relatives, the Marquis of Weiyong, could only occasionally hear snippets of information from his uncle, the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, but no one knew the true situation in the inner palace.
Qi Chengming's attention was focused on Liuzhou, which was right in front of him.
Their large ship sailed along the Liujiang River into Liuzhou Prefecture. After docking, the group switched to horse-drawn and mule-drawn carts loaded with supplies. The carts swayed and wobbled for three days before Liuzhou City was not far ahead.
"We can't just enter the city like this," Qi Chengming said calmly, tapping the map on the low table of the carriage with some discomfort. He immediately called for Commander Mao to come to a halt, bringing the entire convoy to a stop.
The change from a stable large ship to a bumpy convoy that made it impossible to read a book had left Qi Chengming feeling restless and anxious. After taking a few deep breaths, he finally made up his mind and instantly stopped agonizing: "Commander Mao, let's split into two groups. Let them lead the main group slowly, while we take a small team and set off ahead on our own."
"Your Highness, do you intend to... conceal your identity and observe the situation first?" Commander Mao understood, but he was somewhat puzzled.
This isn't an official coming to take up a local post; His Highness is a prince coming to assume his fief. What's there to be suspicious of in private?
Qi Chengming wouldn't admit that he considered Liuzhou his private domain, so the crucial questions became whether the Liuzhou officials were obedient, corrupt, or even trying to confine him, a prince, to a mere figurehead. Furthermore, he wanted to see firsthand just how impoverished Liuzhou truly was, and where he should begin if he wanted to start infrastructure development.
A new broom sweeps clean.
He'll definitely be warmly welcomed by local officials once he arrives. Before that, Qi Chengming wants to make some preliminary moves—he doesn't fight unprepared battles.
“This time, Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, you don’t need to come with me.” Qi Chengming refused, having learned from his experience. Before the two could show any signs of disappointment, he added, “Chief Steward Song will also stay in the convoy to oversee things for me.”
Now there's one more person looking dejected and hesitant to speak.
Qi Chengming's gaze swept over Master Huang and Mr. Qin twice before settling on Master Huang's smooth muscles: "Mr. Huang, please come along."
Huang Dong was in a good mood, especially after seeing the frustrated and angry looks in his colleagues' eyes, he was even more satisfied.
Those who work in design inevitably spend time in the mountains and rivers, and Master Huang, having recently made a living as a hunter, possesses a robust physique that Mr. Qin, a frail scholar, could never match. This time… he won!
So, let's move on to our first destination.
Heading straight to Liuzhou County!
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Author's note: The next bonus chapter will be released this evening!
Urgent! We're settling in at lightning speed to prepare for infrastructure development! The struggle with local officials will end immediately (not the point), and the infrastructure construction team is coming our way!
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