Chapter 186 Rumors of "His Majesty's Beloved Son"...
"You're too kind, sir." Qi Chengming put aside his thoughts for the moment and put on a smile to see off the minor official who had presented the visiting card at the door.
The other party was very perceptive, even overly humble and polite, and took the initiative to leave, leaving Qi Chengming feeling quite uncertain: "..."
Is this what it feels like to be a hot commodity?
Can the ministers express their enthusiasm for him, the prince, so openly? Isn't it taboo?
These thoughts quickly vanished upon seeing the visiting card that Song Gu had handed over.
"This is..." The young prince's voice was hoarse with shock. Qi Chengming instinctively swallowed, looked again, and wondered if he was seeing things.
This is hardly a joint invitation to visit.
This is clearly a densely packed list!
The names of officials from the Six Ministries, the Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Imperial Academy were all listed! Many of these names were familiar even to Qi Chengming; he had seen them in court—and on the list sent by Li Banhui. Where else had he seen them?
This list is a hot potato.
Qi Chengming glanced at it briefly and put it in his pocket. He gestured for Song Gu to follow him into the mansion. After getting into the carriage, Xiao Chengzi drove it himself... Only then did he lower his voice and ask, "Is this His Majesty testing us?"
This seems to be asking Song Gu, or perhaps asking oneself.
Yes.
Qi Chengming didn't think his status was so great that so many high-ranking officials would blindly pledge their loyalty. Even if he needed people now that he had established his own residence, the gatekeeper would have received enough visiting cards. At most, the ministers would send their sons, nephews, and relatives in a subtle way, rather than openly and blatantly seeking to associate with him, especially with so many people traveling together.
What fate awaits the eldest and third princes?
Therefore, in Qi Chengming's eyes, this was like a blatant test, and a rather clumsy one at that. Besides Emperor Hongren's authorization, who else would dare to take the lead in doing such a thing?
Song was taken aback, then he understood.
He did not express his thoughts immediately, but carefully pointed out after deliberating on his words: "Your Highness, this invitation only lists the general members of their literary society. The ones who truly invited Your Highness to the gathering are three senior officials, led by Grand Secretary Mu."
"Grand Secretary Mu's second son is Prefect Mu. Grand Tutor Wu also has a slight connection with Lord Li Banhui; by all accounts, he can be called his great-grandfather. As for the Minister of Justice... this is just my guess. I've heard that his elderly mother is bedridden, so perhaps he knows that a renowned physician once frequented His Highness's side."
Song Gu thought to himself, "Brilliant."
Thanks to their early arrangements for people to make contact with the new emperor, it is now easier for him to come up with these ostensible explanations.
"..." If that's the case, Qi Chengming can barely understand.
He and Grand Secretary Mu had a long-standing friendship based on shared understanding. He left Li Banhui to his own devices, but Li Banhui, being such a blabbermouth, had probably already told his family that he was working for Prince Rui. This explained why Grand Tutor Wu wanted to see him.
The Minister of Justice is in a bit of a predicament... because Qi Chengming doesn't know where the Divine Physician Bian is currently traveling. If he needs help, he can only introduce the old imperial physician whom Emperor Hongren bestowed upon him to the Minister of Justice.
Although an explanation has been given, many doubts remain. For example, why include the names of the remaining people on the invitation? Why be so forward and blatant on their first meeting? Even if they each had their reasons, it was too sensitive for three elders to invite him together. They couldn't possibly be unaware of these things, so why insist...? Was it still a test?
Qi Chengming did not ask any further questions, having already made up his mind: "Since the elders have invited me so warmly, why shouldn't I go and see them?"
There was a reason for all of this, and these were people who were somewhat connected to him.
It's a good opportunity to test how genuine Emperor Hongren's attitude towards him has been lately, and whether that sensitive nerve will flare up.
"Your Highness...! Your Highness!" Before Qi Chengming could return to the main room, an unexpected figure came running to visit, looking travel-worn.
The newcomer had a silly look on his face, his eyes clear yet foolish. He looked more composed than when they last met. He was none other than the Empress Dowager's nephew, the big liar Li Banhui, whom he hadn't seen since returning to the capital.
Why did you come here?
Li Banhui glanced around alertly, knowing he should wait until the servants had been dismissed before lowering his voice—and then blurted it all out: "Your Highness, I heard that my great-grandfather is planning to bring a few old friends to curry favor with you. It's too blatant! I tried to dissuade him, but I couldn't!"
The young man's face was full of innocence. He had long since sided with Qi Chengming, but his family might not be so sure. Even the Empress Dowager, who doted on him, hadn't shown any favoritism when she met Qi Chengming the last few times.
Qi Chengming wanted to test him to see if he had improved: "Oh? Are they not sincere?"
"Of course it's sincere. Who would joke about something like this?" Li Banhui patted his chest to assure him. He might not be a playboy, but he still knew the basics. If even Grand Tutor Wu, the pillar of his maternal clan, had personally taken action, it couldn't possibly be some minor test.
"Then what are you going to do to persuade them?"
Li Banhui pulled a long face and mumbled evasively, "I know Your Highness thinks I'm stupid... but I'm not a fool either! His Majesty has already lashed out at the First Prince and the Third Prince, how dare my great-grandfather and the others come over so openly? Aren't they afraid of being misunderstood as forming cliques?"
“Yes, so why?” Qi Chengming asked back.
This wasn't him testing Li Banhui; it was a question that hadn't been answered in his mind.
Li Banhui hesitated for a moment before saying, "My great-grandfather only said that there was a reason for this, and His Majesty would not mind it."
"There must be a reason?" Qi Chengming repeated, and he looked at each other, neither of them able to figure out what the "reason" was. Could it really be a test personally instructed by that old man, Emperor Hongren?
"...In short, Your Highness, it's best if you don't go see them," Li Banhui earnestly advised, even at the cost of his own family.
Qi Chengming shook his head: "No, I must see him. Even if it risks angering my father, I must make this trip."
Firstly, he had no connections in the capital, so meeting with Grand Scholar Mu, who had pledged allegiance to him, to reach a consensus was essential. Secondly... he wanted to test the limits while Emperor Hongren was at his most tolerant.
Only by testing him will he know exactly how to act. Even someone dancing in shackles needs to know just how tight their shackles are.
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, who had been listening for a while, looked hesitant to speak. Xiao Dezi wanted to say something, but Xiao Chengzi pulled him back.
Qi Chengming turned his head and saw the two of them exchanging glances: "Is there something you're holding back?"
"Your Highness, last time we asked Lord He what rumors were circulating about you in the capital..." Xiao Dezi, being the bolder one, pressed down on Xiao Chengzi's hand and began to report. He looked constipated, stammering as he tried to speak.
"It turns out that everyone in the capital is saying that His Majesty has always been in love with Consort Hua, and His Highness is His Majesty's 'beloved son,' but the political situation at the time did not allow it... so His Majesty did not show it. His neglect of His Highness was also a form of protection..."
"They make it sound so convincing, and it seems quite a few officials outside believe it," Xiao Chengzi added quietly.
Qi Chengming: "..."
His first reaction almost resulted in him uttering a curse word: "Bullshit!"
That old scoundrel, Emperor Hongren, was so indifferent, letting the original owner grow up in the harem like a wild child, suffering so much hardship. If it weren't for the system, his physical constitution wouldn't have recovered. Was all that neglect, the resulting difficulties and emotional abuse, really "love"?
Moreover, outsiders all thought that His Majesty was misled by the witchcraft accusation, and even Emperor Hongren himself had to find a way to back down because of this. Everyone in the Second Prince's household knew that it was all Song Gu's scheme! The truth is that Emperor Hongren disliked Qi Chengming because he believed that his son was born to bring bad luck to his mother's clan!
Furthermore, if Consort Hua was truly Emperor Hongren's love, even if she were dead or remarried, the Emperor would still promote her if he still cared! Why did it take more than ten years for Qi Chengming to fight his way back to the capital—only then did Emperor Hongren remember his 'beloved consort'?
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Qi Chengming thought for a moment, then covered his forehead in annoyance, feeling a bit of a headache.
He probably understood.
If those close to him hadn't witnessed firsthand the miracles of Liuzhou, who would believe that this nobody could repeatedly discover high-yield grain varieties and implement such miraculous reforms? Rather than believing he was a hidden genius, people were more inclined to believe it was all Emperor Hongren's doing. This gave rise to the idea of him being Emperor Hongren's "beloved son"...
Xiao Chengzi didn't actually believe it either; no one in his Second Prince's faction believed such an outrageous rumor. But that didn't stop Xiao Chengzi from thinking that the ministers believed it, or rather—that they could use this "belief" to get closer to their prince.
"If Father asks... then we'll have an explanation." Qi Chengming now chuckled as he thought back to the densely packed names on that list, resembling a peacock displaying its feathers.
No wonder there are so many!
He suddenly remembered where he had seen those familiar names before!
Qi Chengming silently opened the infrastructure system, quickly scrolled to the "Beijing" category of the talent list, and looked down—
A long, densely packed list of names.
Because there are so many, it has even been further subdivided into "inside the court" and "outside the court".
[Civil official] [Military official]
[Six Departments] etc...
These are all prominent names; aren't they on that list of visiting cards?
A suspicion in Qi Chengming's mind became increasingly clear, making him feel that he had probably solved a long-standing mystery:
When he first set off from the capital to take up his fiefdom, he suspected that his list of talented individuals might be corrupted. Despite not taking any action, the number of names on the list kept increasing rapidly. Even the list of officials from the capital provided to him later by Li Banhui and Prefect Lu included these people.
Qi Chengming hadn't forgotten... Shen Shuzhi and Wang Chuandao, the two imperial envoys sent to Liuzhou for disaster relief, had also appeared on his talent list before they even arrived!
Now, by referring to this matter, all doubts can be easily resolved.
Qi Chengming felt it was absurd, yet also somewhat amused and exasperated.
...That rumor has probably been circulating in the capital for a long time! Is that why, without him doing anything, his talent list inexplicably gained many loyal and devoted people?!
"Although I don't know who spread the rumors, it has certainly made things convenient for me." Qi Chengming couldn't understand how anyone could have secretly spread such rumors before he arrived in the capital, and how they could have been so convincing that so many ministers believed them. But he had a vague feeling that he would find out if he went to the meeting and asked more questions.
...
The third day is the end of the month's rest day.
Qi Chengming entered a restaurant as agreed.
"...They've arrived." The Minister of Justice, who had been watching closely from the window upstairs, let out a slightly trembling breath and said in a deep voice.
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