Chapter 11 Xiao Mingzhang, do you really want to watch the world fall into disarray...?
Xiao Mingzhang hurried out of the house.
Yunzhu was standing in the courtyard waiting for him.
The morning light was hazy and endless, as if veiling the world in a thin gauze. Yunzhu stood behind the gauze, separated from him by a distance that seemed close but was actually worlds apart.
"Xiao Mingzhang!" As soon as Yunzhu saw Xiao Mingzhang come out, she stepped forward and asked, "You're out? What did you and Mother talk about? How did it go?"
"..." Xiao Mingzhang opened his throat slightly, wanting to speak to Yunzhu, but when faced with her incredibly clear eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.
After a long pause, he said, "I have something to do at the yamen today. Yunzhu, you stay at home for now. Once I'm done, we'll have the doctor come to see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Hmm?" Just now he was very insistent in front of Ying that he must have an inspection today. Yunzhu didn't know why Xiao Mingzhang changed his mind after talking to Ying for a few minutes.
What did Ying and he say to each other?
Does that mean he has a lot of business at the government office and is required to go there today?
"Alright."
Yunzhu considered herself to be reasonable, and since Xiao Mingzhang had taken the initiative to speak up, she naturally wouldn't stop him.
Anyway, for something like seeing a doctor, postponing it by a day shouldn't cause her any major problems.
Yunzhu's answer relieved Xiao Mingzhang.
He held Yunzhu's hands, which were used to riding horses and were not like those of an ordinary woman, and said, "There's no need to rush to practice calligraphy. I think the autumn light is very nice today. Why don't you go to the garden to bask in the sun and look at the flowers and plants first, and then come back to practice? Maybe that will be more effective."
There's no need to rush into practicing calligraphy; in the end, isn't it all for the purpose of improving one's calligraphy skills?
As expected, Xiao Mingzhang's only instruction to her was to practice calligraphy.
"Okay, I understand." Yunzhu seemed reluctant to agree, but her eyes were filled with endless coquettishness as she looked at Xiao Mingzhang.
Xiao Mingzhang pursed his lips, tightened his grip on her hand, then turned and left the palace without stopping.
—
Yunzhou Prefectural Government Office
The man sitting behind the desk today was tall and imposing, with a stern face and a dignified air. Early in the morning, he made many people in the government office afraid to even breathe.
The man held a dossier in his hand. After reading it, he asked, "Is this the end of the dossier? Is there more to come?"
“Yes,” the yamen official waiting nearby hurriedly replied. “Your Highness, the files you just looked at were from June. There are also files from July and August, which are the two stacks on the left side of your desk.”
Xiao Shao frowned: "How come there are still so many?"
The official, keeping his eyes downcast, continued, "Your Highness, ever since the young master took over the affairs of the yamen, he has instructed us to record everything we do, from major expenditures on military pay to minor daily tasks for the people. No matter how small, everything must be recorded."
"..." Xiao Shao said in a deep voice, throwing the dossier in his hand onto the table, "Fine, you can all leave now."
He's been looking at the files for so long, and he's only finished the first volume. You can imagine how much more effort it will take to finish the rest. It's a waste to keep these people here with him.
The officials had been waiting all morning for these words from King Huan. Upon hearing them, they immediately bowed and filed out.
Xiao Shao took in the group of people and couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Xiao Mingzhang was still too lenient with his subordinates. How could such an undisciplined government office ever accomplish anything in the future?
As he pondered this, he reached for another file and quickly skimmed through it.
Unexpectedly, the official who had just been ordered out returned to his presence moments later.
"Your Highness," the official reported, "the Crown Prince has arrived."
Xiao Shao paused, his hand holding the dossier faltering, and his expression instantly shifted unpredictably.
However, after a short while, he trembled his beard and said, "There's no need to call him over. There's nothing in the yamen that needs his attention today."
Since the crown prince turned fifteen, King Huan has gradually handed over the affairs of the Yunzhou government office to him. The officials don't understand what's wrong with King Huan these past two days, and what kind of conflict has this father and son had that has made the crown prince no longer need to come to the government office.
Despite his surprise, the city of Yunzhou was ultimately under the control of Prince Huan, and as his official, he naturally had to listen to Prince Huan first.
He stepped out of the door again, intending to reply to Xiao Mingzhang, but in the instant he turned his head, he saw that face that was always gentle and refined.
The official shuddered, nearly collapsing in fear, and stammered, "Your Highness..."
"You may leave." Xiao Mingzhang was not used to making things difficult for others, and even when he was in a bad mood, he would not easily take his anger out on his subordinates. "I have something to say to my father."
“But Your Highness just now…” The official knew that Xiao Mingzhang was standing here, so he must have heard Xiao Shao’s words. Now he was stuck, unable to move forward or backward, so he could only raise his hand in a perfunctory manner, pretending to stop Xiao Mingzhang.
Xiao Mingzhang rarely makes things difficult for his subordinates, but that doesn't mean he's truly incapable of managing people.
"Get out of here. I guarantee that you won't be punished today, otherwise..." His sharp eyes swept over the officer, making the officer start to sweat profusely.
“Your Highness…” The official’s hand began to tremble as he stopped the man, and his voice also began to tremble. Xiao Shao, who was inside the room, had already heard everything the two were doing. Finally, he spoke up: “You may leave now and let him in.”
The officials, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately stepped aside to make way for Xiao Mingzhang.
Xiao Mingzhang didn't even glance at him, and walked straight into the house.
The officer then discreetly closed the door behind him.
"What brings you to the yamen today?" Xiao Shao asked without looking up as Xiao Mingzhang entered.
"Your subject has some matters he would like to ask your father for advice." Xiao Mingzhang behaved himself quite properly, bowing to Xiao Shao after entering the room.
Xiao Shao still didn't look up, his hands continuing to flip through the files, and asked again, "What is it?"
"It's about the bedding in my room." Xiao Mingzhang said slowly and deliberately, and Xiao Shao finally looked away from the files and focused on his son.
He stared intently at Xiao Mingzhang, his eyes burning with concentration.
"Did your mother tell you?" he asked.
“If you don’t want people to know, then don’t do it in the first place, isn’t that right?” At the age of twenty-two, this was the first time Xiao Mingzhang had spoken to his father in such a way.
He stood before Xiao Shao with neither arrogance nor servility, and said, "Father, I have said more than once that I would never sacrifice my wife's life for the so-called future of the Crown Prince. Have you truly never taken my words to heart?"
There was a loud bang—
The scroll in King Huan's hands was smashed onto the desk in the study.
"Xiao Mingzhang, what are you saying?" Xiao Shao questioned sharply. "You have been the heir of the Huan Prince's mansion since birth. You have the blood of the Huan Prince's mansion in your veins. Can't you tell which is more important, a woman or the position of crown prince?"
“If the position of Crown Prince requires me to abandon my wife and abandon propriety and morality, then I would rather not have it!” Xiao Mingzhang said firmly.
"Xiao Mingzhang!" Xiao Shao slammed his fist on the table in anger, unable to recall the last time he had called out Xiao Mingzhang's full name so seriously.
If his anger had been somewhat restrained in the military camp a few days ago, now, facing Xiao Mingzhang, Xiao Shao felt that he was increasingly unable to control his temper.
“You don’t want to be the crown prince, but I want to be the emperor!” Xiao Shao said.
"What did your tutor teach you from childhood? Did you learn it all but a dog's belly? The greatest fear of a wise man is that his talents will not be put to use and his value will be wasted! I have the ability to be an emperor, and I have the talent to govern the world. Since I came to Yunzhou, every effort I have made has been to sit on that supreme position so that I can realize my ideals and ambitions! And what has happened? Just because of that marriage certificate, look at how many strategists our Huanwang Mansion has lost in the past two years! And how many people in the court are willing to support our Huanwang Mansion?"
"Yes, she is your wife, but have you ever considered that she is a woman of a different race and should not be your wife at all, and is not worthy of the position of your wife!"
"Even if she is unworthy, she is indeed my wife now!"
Xiao Mingzhang was unaware that his father had always viewed Yunzhu in this way.
Unworthy? He said Yunzhu wasn't worthy to be his wife?!
“Father, I don’t know what kind of woman you think is worthy of being my wife, but now that my wife is Yunzhu, I shouldn’t lay a hand on her or do anything despicable to her!”
"Sacrificing her alone will bring about a bright future and the well-being of all people. Why can't you understand that?"
Even though Xiao Shao was already hysterical to the extreme, he still felt that he hadn't vented much of his anger on Xiao Mingzhang. His fire, the fire of desire burning fiercely in his heart, was about to burn him up.
"Mingzhang..." Xiao Shao tried to catch his breath and said earnestly, "Do you know why I insisted that you come to Jinling this time? It's because I wanted you to see, to see, which of your uncles and elders, besides us, is suitable to inherit the throne? Did you see it in the end? Could you see it? Not a single one!"
“I know my brothers too well. Some are cowardly and incompetent, while others are absurd and useless. Only my father and I are the most suitable to govern this country. Your grandfather is old and doesn't have much time left. We now have enough troops. We just need to win the support of the court officials and the help of more strategists, and make sure everything is perfect. Then the country will be within our grasp!”
Knowing that rebuking him was useless, his father began to persuade him gently, using the people as his reason.
Xiao Mingzhang could only manage a bitter smile.
If his father were to become emperor one day, would he be a good emperor who loves his people and governs the world well?
Xiao Mingzhang thought, and he believed, that it would indeed happen.
Because he had witnessed his father governing Yunzhou City in an orderly manner since he was a child, and every year, whether it was tax revenue or military preparation, it was the most powerful among all the princes. His grandfather's imperial edicts praising him came one after another.
...But should he compromise with his father because of what he said?
Xiao Mingzhang still couldn't do it.
He knew that, at this point, eliminating Yunzhu was no longer a simple means for the Huan Prince's Mansion to attract strategists back, but rather a demonstration of the Huan Prince's Mansion's determination to participate in the struggle for the throne.
With this determination, the officials in the imperial court in Jinling were able to speak up for the Huan Prince's Mansion before the emperor, making all the necessary preparations for the Huan Prince's Mansion to seize the throne and force the emperor to abdicate in the future.
Seeing that Xiao Mingzhang still insisted on his own ideas and did not waver, Xiao Shao had expected it.
He sighed deeply, realizing that getting angry was completely useless against Xiao Mingzhang.
Now, what his son needs is the most direct impact, the lessons that reality will teach him.
Xiao Shao then took out a secret memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Mingzhang.
"What is this?" Xiao Mingzhang asked.
"Do you think this locust plague in Qingzhou is simply a matter of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Agriculture taking action?" Xiao Shao sneered. "You don't know that your good uncle, my good brother Prince Yi, has also been arranged to go to Qingzhou with you."
“Mingzhang, this is your imperial grandfather paving the way for his precious son to become the crown prince in the future. But watch carefully, see if your uncle really has the ability to be the crown prince. If one day the world is really handed over to such a person, will you regret it?”
A note from the author:
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Sorry I'm late! I stayed up all night and finally finished writing!
I unexpectedly picked up a stray cat yesterday and decided to adopt it. So I took the cat to the vet during the day and then tidied up a lot of things for it when I got home in the evening. It was already very late when I started writing, and I was having some trouble writing this chapter, so I'm only posting it now. I'm really sorry, sob sob sob, I'll definitely post the next chapter on time!
I'll be giving away red envelopes in the comments section of this chapter as compensation for everyone!
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