Hu Lu pushed open the door of the imperial study and invited the prince in, while he stood guard outside.
After the prince entered, he knelt on the ground and saluted, "I pay my respects to the emperor, father."
Emperor Xuande was reviewing memorials with his head down when he said calmly, "Stand up and sit down."
The prince stood up tremblingly and sat down aside.
After a long while, Emperor Xuande put down his pen and looked up at him.
"What's up?"
The prince bowed and said, "This time, regarding Liu Chen's matter, I bear the greatest responsibility."
"Because the King of Chungyong has always looked down on me, he has often insulted me with his words. I, considering him to be my mother's nephew, have been more tolerant."
“But the people below are resentful.”
"A few days ago, Liu Chen asked me if I should teach King Zhongyong a lesson. I told him not to cause any trouble..."
"But I didn't expect him to take the initiative and want to vent his anger on his behalf."
"Ultimately, this matter is my fault. Firstly, I failed to convince the court officials, at least not the Song family."
"Secondly, I failed to discipline my subordinates. I should have noticed Liu Chen's movements when he showed any signs and stopped him in advance."
"After much thought, I think it might be all about the position of crown prince. How about you, father, abolish my position as crown prince? I am willing to assist the other brothers."
After the prince said this sincerely, he looked at Emperor Xuande humbly.
The entire imperial study fell silent for a while.
If the prince said that he knew nothing about this matter, Emperor Xuande would not believe it and would scold the prince for shirking responsibility.
But what he just said was well-reasoned and his attitude of admitting his mistakes was extremely sincere.
Emperor Xuande recalled Song Hongshen's attitude in the side hall today, and felt dissatisfied with the Song family.
No matter what, they, father and son, are the kings, and the Song family is the ministers.
Why did Song Hongshen humiliate and disrespect his son?
His limited fatherly love was aroused at this time.
"Since Liu Chen was responsible, he should be punished. Although you are responsible for not governing your subordinates strictly, you shouldn't use the position of crown prince as an excuse."
"This kingdom belongs to our Zhou family. If I say you can sit in this position, then you can sit in it."
The prince did not expect that this tactic of retreating to advance would be so useful, and he was delighted.
He continued, "I am not worried about anything else right now. I am only worried about Madam Chen and the child in your belly."
"The Song family's attitude towards Empress Chen..."
He looked worried and hesitated to speak.
Emperor Xuande's biggest concern right now was Consort Chen and her unborn child. Consort Chen was newly pregnant, the fetus was unstable, and she was suffering from severe morning sickness. He wished he could put aside state affairs and just be with them and their child.
So when he heard the Crown Prince say this, his brows furrowed. "What is the Song family's attitude towards Concubine Chen? I've already warned the Song family, I don't think they dare to do anything."
He said this because he believed in Song Zan's character.
No matter what, Song Zan would not attack the concubines and princes.
The Crown Prince said, "Father is now in his prime, so the Song family naturally wouldn't dare. I'm afraid of the future..."
The prince naturally could not say the following words, as it would be disrespectful to say them again.
Emperor Xuande understood and reasoned. Concubine Chen was young, and the child was even younger. He was worried that when the new emperor ascended the throne, Concubine Chen's child would be young and the mother would be weak. Furthermore, the Song family had always disliked Concubine Chen, and when the new emperor ascended the throne, they were afraid they would not be able to protect Concubine Chen and her child.
The prince continued, "The Song family has repeatedly disrespected the Empress Chen and has been so rude to me. I think it's time to teach them a lesson."
"First, it will let the Song family know the duty of being a minister. Second, it will also warn the court officials that although the emperor is kind, they cannot act recklessly."
After saying this, the prince looked at Emperor Xuande cautiously.
Emperor Xuande was not angry at all. Instead, he had the illusion that his son had become a successful person overnight.
From the moment the Crown Prince entered the room today, every word he said was well-reasoned. It was as if he had suddenly grasped the essence of how to be a king.
Emperor Xuande did not object to the prince's proposal.
If the Song family can become a touchstone for the prince to ascend to the throne, it will be a blessing for the Song family.
The prince breathed a sigh of relief. Everything he said today was taught by Elder Chen. Even the emperor's reaction was within Elder Chen's predictions.
He secretly regretted in his heart that he should have listened more to Lord Chen.
Elder Chen had taught him this before, but he didn't take it seriously, thinking that given his status, it wasn't necessary.
However, in recent times, the emperor's attitude towards him has been subtle, and he seems to be thinking of changing the crown prince, so he relies more on Chen Ge Lao.
After leaving the imperial study, the corners of the prince's lips rose slightly.
With his father's approval, everything he wanted to do to the Song family was justified.
The Song family is just the stepping stone for him to ascend to the throne. He just needs to step on it and then kick it away.
Song Hongshen didn't know that the prince had set up one trap after another, waiting for him to fall into it.
After that day, Song Hongshen spent almost the entire day in the Ministry of Works, watching the ministers redraw the blueprints.
The news that Su Zhilan was named a county lady because of her ability to design warships spread throughout the capital. Now that things were clear, she could go to the Ministry of Works openly.
Naturally, rumors also spread outside, saying all kinds of things, some expressing envy and praise, while others expressing jealousy and slander.
Occasionally, one or two unpleasant rumors would reach Su Zhilan's ears.
When she first heard this, she felt unhappy, but Song Hongshen was beside her at the time and said: If you are not envied by others, you are mediocre.
Then he added, "If you still take it to heart, fight back."
Su Zhilan looked at Song Hongshen in surprise. The previous sentence was clearly meant to make her feel relieved, but why did the next sentence make her fight back?
Seeing that she didn't quite understand, Song Hongshen said, "When someone slanders you, if you don't bother to argue with them and can treat them as if they were nothing, then you don't have to pay any attention to them."
"This situation shows that you are strong enough inside. You didn't speak because the other party is not worthy of you speaking."
"But if you mind, are angry, or resentful, then fight back."
Su Zhilan pondered Song Hongshen's words and asked, "What if I mind, but I can't beat him?"
Song Hongshen blurted out, "If you can't beat him, I'm still here."
Su Zhilan suddenly felt like she had someone to rely on, but when she thought of her elder sister and fourth sister, she felt that she still had to rely on herself.
My fourth sister once said that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself.
The Ministry of Industry took half a month to redraw the burned drawings.
According to the original plan, Song Hongshen planned to go south in early September and spend half a year building new warships in Fujian.
In April of the following year, before the Japanese pirates invade, all warships will be launched for training.
When the Japanese pirates invade around Qingming Festival, we will send them on their way.
However, the Ministry of Revenue could not provide him with the one million taels of silver for shipbuilding that he was supposed to take away.
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