After returning from the woods, Fukang'an stood beside the Emperor as his personal guard. The Emperor glanced at his empty hands, his expression unreadable.
Yan Ning stood below Wu Shulai, secretly observing the Emperor's expression. Fukang'an had spent the entire day with her by the stream, only managing to hunt one wild rabbit, which also ended up in her belly.
Among the princes, the Eighth Prince hunted the most prey, mostly rare and exotic animals. The Fifteenth Prince only caught common birds and beasts, while the Seventeenth Prince, being young, hunted the fewest.
The Emperor sat above the crowd, looking at the Fifteenth Prince and the few scattered prey in front of him, and asked, "I know you love hunting, what's wrong with you today?"
The Fifteenth Prince stepped forward from the side, knelt down on one knee, and respectfully said, "Han Zhaohou once said that a wise ruler loves every frown and smile, for every frown has its purpose and every smile has its purpose. Your son has no merit and dares not accept any reward from Father Emperor!"
The Emperor stroked his gray beard approvingly and said with a smile, "Good! I am very pleased that you have such aspirations and are not swayed by fame and fortune!"
The Fifteenth Prince stood up and met Heshen's crescent-shaped smiling eyes. The two looked at each other in silence.
The Eighth Prince glanced at the pile of prey at his feet and sneered, "It is said that Marquis Han Zhao is extremely stingy. He would even keep a tattered pair of trousers to give as a reward. Does Fifteenth Brother mean that Father Emperor is as stingy and petty as Marquis Han Zhao? Or is he implying that even the monarch of our Great Qing is so poor?" Then his eyes shot towards the Fifteenth Prince like sharp knives.
Yan Ning understood the meaning behind the Fifteenth Prince's words about Marquis Han Zhao: Marquis Han believed that every smile and frown of a wise ruler should be cherished. Through Marquis Han Zhao's words, the Fifteenth Prince subtly implied that the current emperor was a wise ruler, and also expressed his willingness to make great contributions to the Qing Dynasty, unmoved by fame or fortune.
The current emperor is fond of grand achievements, but now that the Eighth Prince has changed the subject of his question, it seems that the Fifteenth Prince is mocking the current emperor.
The once noisy grassland fell silent instantly, the campfire stopped flickering, and everyone stared without even breathing at the ruler of the world.
The grassland lay silently in the darkness, like a rock.
The emperor's smile turned cold. He considered himself a wise and benevolent ruler, diligent in his duties and loving towards his people. Yet, his own son had compared him to someone wearing tattered trousers. His dignified face remained expressionless.
The Fifteenth Prince's words were taught to him by Heshen himself. Now, seeing the Eighth Prince asking questions about his disrespect for the emperor's authority, he felt as if a thousand nails were driven into the ground, and he could not move his feet.
Her lips trembled slightly, unsure how to respond.
Heshen was also stunned. During the reign of Marquis Zhao of Han, he managed internal affairs, defended against powerful enemies, and ensured the stability of the country. He was a wise and virtuous ruler.
The Eighth Prince's question left the Fifteenth Prince with no room for maneuver. How could the current Emperor bear the reputation of being stingy? To not bear the reputation of being stingy would be to admit that his administration was flawed, and that everyone from the Emperor to the common people would have to live a hard life.
Seeing that the emperor's face was growing increasingly grim, all the ministers adopted an attitude of indifference, as if it were none of their business.
Fukang'an stood beside the Emperor, his face expressionless. Yan Ning looked at the two of them. Of all the princes she had ever seen, only Fukang'an, the Second Master Kang of the Fucha family, possessed the same proud and aloof air about him as the Emperor.
When Heshen looked up at the Emperor's face, he caught a glimpse of Fukang'an's expression and was momentarily stunned by the resemblance between the two. Without giving it any further thought, Heshen bowed respectfully, ready to help the Fifteenth Prince out of his predicament.
Before he could speak, Yan Ning, dressed in eunuch's robes, knelt down and spoke before Heshen could, saying, "This servant is not well-educated and does not know who Han Zhaohou is. But this servant understands that the Fifteenth Prince means that Your Majesty, as the supreme ruler, is a treasure beyond measure. Let alone a tattered pair of trousers, even if you lost a single eyebrow, this servant thinks all the ministers would treat it like a rare gem. There are countless treasures in the world, but there is only one true dragon emperor. Your Majesty might as well ask the ministers accompanying you, would you rather have a luminous pearl or a tattered pair of trousers that you discarded?"
Yan Ning spoke with animated eyes, and her simple, straightforward language amused the Emperor. He glanced at the ministers and asked, "Which minister wants my tattered trousers?"
Seeing that the emperor was no longer angry, the accompanying ministers all knelt down on their seats, saying, "Your Majesty, we have obtained the dragon trousers, a rare treasure of the world!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was even more delighted, his face wrinkling with worry. "Anyone who wants my tattered trousers will have to send me a new pair!"
After he finished speaking, the emperor and his ministers all burst into laughter.
Singing and dancing resumed on the grassland. Having enjoyed the previous merriment between the emperor and his ministers, many officials also abandoned the constraints of rules and joked with each other at neighboring tables.
The sounds of clinking glasses, laughter, singing, and dancing filled Yan Ning's ears. Mixed together, she felt dizzy, as if the world was spinning. Taking advantage of the Mongolian tribal leaders offering toasts, she quietly slipped aside and went outside the banquet hall for some fresh air.
After the campfire, the Fifteenth Prince followed Yan Ning out and quickly got up to follow her.
Yan Ning sensed someone behind her and turned around to meet the Fifteenth Prince's slightly drunk face. He took a step back and bowed respectfully to Yan Ning, saying, "Yongyan thanks Miss Yan Ning for helping me out of that predicament!"
Yan Ning was about to curtsy when she realized she was dressed in a eunuch's robe, so she could only bow slightly. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she lowered her voice and said, "Fifteenth Prince, you flatter me. How could a mere woman like Yan Ning know such things! The Fifteenth Prince should know that the Emperor most abhors princes forming cliques and engaging in favoritism..."
Yan Ning looked at the Fifteenth Prince and said no more. At this moment, Yan Ning also felt that speaking to people in the palace was effortless; with just a few words, the listener could understand her meaning.
The Fifteenth Prince, with his hands clasped behind his back, nodded slightly to Yan Ning, "Please tell General Fucha that Yongyan will remember his kindness this time!"
Under the cover of night, the fifteenth prince, aged sixteen or seventeen, was still innocent and naive, yet possessed the air of someone who had weathered many storms in officialdom. Yan Ning nodded, watching his figure disappear into the distance, and sighed inwardly, "I am not your cousin-in-law!"
Fukang'an emerged from the darkness, and Yan Ning was slightly taken aback before following him into the depths of the night.
As the distant bonfire celebration faded into a mere starlight under the bright moon, Fukang'an stopped, clasped his hands behind his back, and reprimanded Yan Ning with his back turned: "I've said it before, those who serve before the Emperor must be careful with their words and actions!"
Yan Ning opened her mouth, intending to tell Fukang'an that the Fifteenth Prince was the Crown Prince, but she didn't know how to begin. She could only pull him aside and say, "Having served by His Majesty's side these past few days, I've discerned some of his thoughts. The Fifteenth Prince is the most likely successor to the throne!"
Fukang'an flung Yan Ning away, his eyes filled with unbearable pain in the moonlight.
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