Confession
The Emperor clearly disliked Jiang Heng, and his question was merely an excuse to vent his anger on Jiang Heng.
There's no reason.
If it were any other prince, there might also be suspicion that this prince coveted the position of crown prince.
But Jiang Heng simply didn't like him.
The emperor was unhappy; he was unhappy that someone was overshadowing his favorite crown prince, Jiang Yunyan.
Even though he understood that Jiang Heng was able to handle the task so well, it was all because he wanted to protect Jiang Yunyan and keep the other restless princes in check.
The reason was the Emperor, but the Emperor was unhappy.
He won't admit that he caused it all; he'll just be unhappy.
He was unhappy that Jiang Heng was showing off like this, which made his favorite son, Jiang Yunyan, seem utterly useless.
Even if his son was indeed a good-for-nothing.
But the emperor did not acknowledge it.
In addition, Jiang Heng is Mu Yan's son.
This was the concubine he once thought he had complete control over.
But when he realized that he had actually developed some real feelings for Mu Yan, he became unhappy.
There's no reason.
The emperor felt that he should have controlled everything with his superior political skills.
But Mu Yan was beyond his control, and he developed feelings for her.
Therefore, he was unhappy and therefore had to get rid of Mu Yan and the Mu family.
As for Prince Jiang Heng...
In the past, even a single glance would remind the emperor of those days.
So Jiang Heng was confined to Yaoyue Palace, forbidden from coming out or going to school.
In the palace, they acted as if this ninth prince did not exist.
Now we need Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng was released and was put to use as a tool, to be moved wherever needed.
Over the years, the emperor believed he had regained control of his emotions from that time.
But now that Jiang Heng is beginning to stand out, when he looks at Jiang Heng in front of him, it's as if Mu Yan's face is appearing before his eyes once again.
The emperor was reluctant to recall the past that had caused him to lose control.
He became even angrier.
The Emperor thought that as long as Jiang Heng uttered even one word incorrectly...
If Jiang Heng were to threaten the Crown Prince's heart in the slightest, he would order someone to drag Jiang Heng away and punish him severely.
Jiang Heng understood the Emperor's twisted and filthy thoughts.
In his past life, he had figured all of this out, and only then did he deeply feel that Mu Yan's death was truly unjust.
Meeting the Emperor was already incredibly unlucky and a great injustice for Mu Yan.
Therefore, Jiang Heng already had the answer to the Emperor's question.
The emperor, being such a stubborn and self-willed person, only wanted to hear what he wanted to hear.
Emperors like them only wanted the entire court and the royal family to live in fear and trembling under their control.
So Jiang Heng pretended to be even more terrified, and quickly kowtowed several times until his head bled. He then raised his head slightly to reveal his miserable state and said, "Father, you flatter me! I was able to handle this matter so well because His Highness the Crown Prince tried it out first. With His Highness's experiment, I was able to improve upon it. And with the blessings and protection of Father and His Highness the Crown Prince, I managed to accomplish this by accident!"
That's right.
They don't need the truth.
They don't care about lying as long as it sounds nice.
The Emperor knew perfectly well that these words were utter nonsense, but Jiang Heng praised the Crown Prince in his words and attributed the matter to the blessings and protection of him and the Crown Prince.
He was pleased to hear such comforting words.
There was no problem at all; the Emperor just wanted to hear a few nice words.
The Crown Prince slowly shrugged off being overshadowed, and became annoyed when he saw Jiang Heng's face, which looked remarkably like Mu Yan's.
The Emperor's expression softened, and he stood up with a smile, walking step by step to Jiang Heng.
He reached out his hand, but didn't touch Jiang Heng; he only made a gesture.
Then, adopting the demeanor of a loving father, he said, "Get up quickly."
Jiang Heng hesitated, pretending to still be very scared.
He moved slowly, head bowed, and stood up from the ground, making it seem as if he dared not look directly at the emperor.
His voice was so soft that it was as if he was too timid to say anything if asked to speak.
"Thank you, Father Emperor," Jiang Heng replied softly.
The Emperor was very pleased with Jiang Heng's appearance.
The timid and harmless Jiang Heng is actually the Ninth Prince who can be released from Yaoyue Palace and live in the imperial court.
He posed no threat to Jiang Yunyan, and his timid appearance served to confirm to the Emperor that his previous actions were correct.
Mu Yan was not someone he could entrust his feelings to, and her son was timid and incapable of shouldering great responsibilities.
This realization made the Emperor feel much better, and he found Jiang Heng's face much more pleasing to the eye. He even secretly sighed in his heart.
Indeed, the dead Mu Yan was the best.
So the emperor put on his loving fatherly demeanor again, smiling as he looked at Jiang Heng and began to give him instructions.
He nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's good that you think that way; you're much better than those idiots, the fifth and sixth brothers."
Jiang Heng looked terrified and hurriedly tried to speak up for the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince.
The Emperor noticed that Jiang Heng was about to say something, and to prevent him from saying anything too unpleasant, he raised his hand to stop him.
Then the Emperor continued, "After the imperial examination, you will enter the court as an official. After the new year, I will have the Ministry of Personnel find an empty position for you."
Jiang Heng looked delighted and immediately knelt down.
This time, the Emperor did not stop them.
Jiang Heng knelt on the ground, looking extremely respectful.
He hurriedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Father! Your son is finally able to serve the country and share your burdens!"
Looking at Jiang Heng's naive and foolish appearance, the Emperor was extremely satisfied. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Not only must you share my burdens, but the Crown Prince is also your elder brother and the heir apparent! As his younger brother and as his subject, you must also assist him and share his burdens, understand?"
Jiang Heng's expression remained impassive, as if he would frame the Emperor's words upon returning home. He simply knelt respectfully on the ground and bowed again, saying, "Your subject will remember this well! In the future, I will do my utmost to assist Father Emperor and Crown Prince!"
The Emperor was pleased to hear this and nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Alright, it's the New Year, and I need to go find the Crown Prince for a reunion dinner. You may leave now."
Jiang Heng sneered inwardly. So, the Crown Prince is a son, but the other princes aren't?
Fortunately, he was past the age of craving fatherly love. To him, who had already lived two lives, the man in front of him was no different from a dead man.
Sooner or later, he will reveal the truth to the world, forcing this arrogant emperor to confess his crimes, forcing this haughty emperor... to pay for his mother and the hundred or so members of the Mu family.
But Jiang Heng cannot show any of this now.
He could only suppress the hatred in his heart and do something he needed to do at this moment.
Jiang Heng did not leave, but knelt on the ground with a hesitant expression.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor frowned slightly and asked, "Is there something else that hasn't been reported?"
Jiang Heng nodded hesitantly, still looking fearful. He looked up at the Emperor for help and said, "Father, I did something today, and upon reflection... perhaps it was inappropriate."
Jiang Heng didn't finish his sentence, but only said this much, which immediately piqued the Emperor's interest.
It just so happens that the Emperor was in a good mood and was happy to do something for the person who had just pleased him.
The Emperor raised an eyebrow, sat back down in his chair, shook his sleeves, raised his head, and asked curiously, "What have you done? Let me, your father, judge whether it was inappropriate."
Jiang Heng still looked frightened and lowered his head, saying, "When I returned to the palace, I passed by the residence of the Marquis of Huai'an. I thought of Wen Qiu, my study companion, whom I hadn't seen for many days. I wanted to go in and see him. But when I went in, I saw that the concubine in the mansion speaking ill of him and his mother at the dinner table, and her words even showed a hint of disrespect for the royal family."
The emperor frowned, his face showing displeasure.
He always valued the reputation of the royal family, how could he tolerate a concubine from a marquis's household pointing fingers at the royal family?
Dissatisfied, he interrupted Jiang Heng, saying, "Is this really true?! How dare a mere concubine speak ill of the royal family!"
Jiang Heng bowed respectfully and said, "Father, please calm your anger!"
The Emperor flicked his sleeve and waved his hand, signaling Jiang Heng to continue, "Go on."
Seeing this, Jiang Heng continued, "My companion, who accompanied me to the Grand Tutor's lectures, naturally understands that the imperial family should not be discussed lightly. Therefore, at the dinner table, she offered a few words of rebuttal, pointing out the inappropriateness of that concubine's statement. Who knew…"
The Emperor's brows furrowed even more, his expression serious. He leaned forward and pressed, "Who knows what?"
Jiang Heng sighed and said, "Who knew that the Marquis of Huai'an felt that his favorite concubine had been disrespected, and actually tried to beat my companion."
The emperor snorted coldly and cursed, "Absurd!"
Jiang Heng continued, "Fortunately, I arrived in time and stopped the Marquis of Huai'an. However, in the heat of the moment, I grabbed the Marquis of Huai'an's hand that was about to hit someone and shook it off."
The Emperor frowned and said, "As a prince, how can you be so timid and hesitant about such a matter! What is wrong with this matter?"
Jiang Heng hesitated, then bowed in fear and said, "Father, please calm your anger! Please let me finish!"
The Emperor said with displeasure, "Your words are completely irrelevant. You should learn from your elder brother in the future!"
Jiang Heng quickly agreed and continued, "Originally, when he saw that I had arrived, the Marquis of Huai'an had already restrained himself a bit. Who knew that the concubine would be so audacious as to humiliate me to my face and criticize the royal etiquette as inappropriate."
The Emperor slammed his fist on the table, roaring, "Outrageous! This concubine is utterly lawless! If she can't control her mouth, then let the palace matrons teach her a lesson! Guards!"
A eunuch walked in respectfully and bowed to the emperor.
The Emperor, furious, ordered: "Go, summon a palace tutor to the Marquis of Huai'an's residence and give that person a good talking-to..."
The Emperor hesitated and looked at Jiang Heng, who quickly added, "Aunt Yan."
The Emperor looked at the eunuch and said, "Aunt Yan, teach her a good lesson for her foul mouth!"
The eunuch bowed and replied, "Yes! This servant will go immediately!"
The eunuch withdrew, and the Emperor looked at Jiang Heng again, frowning as he said, "What else did you do? Judging from your appearance, you must have said more than just a few words to them, right?"
Jiang Heng nodded hurriedly and said, "Father is wise! I think that Consort Yan dared to be so arrogant in front of the guests, but in the end, she was only relying on the power of the Marquis of Huai'an. I will point this out in front of everyone, and then..."
Jiang Heng was a little scared and too nervous to say anything more.
The Emperor frowned and impatiently urged, "Then what? Don't be afraid, whatever you've done, I will forgive you!"
Jiang Heng then mustered up the courage to continue, "Your son, along with his study companion and her mother, went to the capital and purchased a new house, and had them move out of the Marquis of Huai'an's residence."
The Emperor was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Jiang Heng to do this.
He couldn't help but think that if it were him, he would have given them a piece of his mind on the spot.
Anyone who makes irresponsible remarks about the royal family deserves to be dragged into legal trouble and punished.
But Jiang Heng didn't do that. He just gave a few pointers and then took his mother and son, who were accompanying him to study, away from that house.
That's utterly pathetic; handling things like that is downright cowardly!
The emperor cursed inwardly, but was also pleased with Jiang Heng's behavior.
How could such a person threaten his crown prince?
Thinking of this, the Emperor revealed a kind smile and said, "Did you do anything wrong in this matter? No, you did. In that case, you don't need to think about it anymore. Go back and rest."
This time, Jiang Heng didn't refuse anymore. He was so happy that a big smile appeared on his face. He kowtowed and took his leave with a silly grin.
He left the Imperial Study.
Jiang Heng's expression immediately changed.
He dropped his previous silly grin, his expression turned cold, and he continued walking without stopping, letting out a very soft sneer.
During the time Jiang Heng was away, Shen Wenqiu had been tidying up the new house.
He originally wanted Aunt Qin to live in the main courtyard, but Aunt Qin felt that her son had established his own residence and was going to be the head of the household, so he should live in the main courtyard.
So he was given the main courtyard to live in, while Aunt Qin lived in the east courtyard. She insisted on going there herself to tidy up and wouldn't let him follow.
Having no other choice, Shen Wenqiu gave in to Aunt Qin's wish.
Since there wasn't much stuff to begin with, it was very quick to pack up.
So Shen Wenqiu took some time to go to the main kitchen, thought of a few dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner, and gestured to the cooks to prepare some dishes so that they could have New Year's Eve dinner together when Jiang Heng came back.
But even after the food was prepared and set on the table, Jiang Heng still hadn't returned.
Shen Wenqiu put on his cloak, walked to the door, and leaned against the door frame to look outside.
It's snowing outside.
I wonder if Jiang Heng is dressed warmly enough.
It was so cold when the snow melted on my body.
While pondering.
Shen Wenqiu saw Jiang Heng.
Holding the umbrella with one hand.
She was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she arrived.
Jiang Heng walked into the courtyard, stepping on the thin layer of snow on the ground, and walked towards Shen Wenqiu.
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