Chapter 103 The Prince Who Failed to Revolt
She tapped the boy's brow with her fingertips. "Just like this lotus seed, farmers see it as a way to satisfy their hunger, pharmacists see it as a medicine, but your father's secret guard leader says—"
"It can be used as a hidden weapon." He Lin blurted out, remembering the scene in the training ground the day before, when Long Yi used lotus seeds to knock down the assassin's sleeve arrow, and he couldn't help laughing.
Just then, the carriage passed by the lotus pond. Zhang Xiaojia lifted the curtain and said, "Stop."
The lotus flowers were in full bloom in June, their pink and white petals clung to morning dew. Zhang Xiaojia squatted by the pond, her skirt lifted, when she suddenly reached out and snipped a lotus flower.
"Mother!" He Lin exclaimed, "This is the tribute from the imperial farm..."
"So?" Zhang Xiaojia pinned the lotus flowers on her temples and casually broke off a lotus leaf to cover her head. "Last year, when there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, your father cooked three thousand pots of tribute chrysanthemums into medicine for disaster relief. Remember—" When she turned around, the lotus leaf slipped and was hurriedly caught by He Lin.
"A dead object will never be more important than a living person." Zhang Xiaojia's fingertips brushed the veins of a lotus leaf. "Just like those old antiques in the court who keep muttering about etiquette and rules, if your ancestor hadn't become emperor as a woman and driven out the Yuan Dynasty, this Great Zhou would have ceased to exist long ago."
He Lin looked at the dripping green lotus leaf in his hand and suddenly said, "This morning, the Grand Tutor was lecturing on the Treatise on Salt and Iron, saying that governing a country should be like cooking a small fish."
"Didn't the Grand Tutor tell you that when he was young, he led people to melt down the gilded statues of the Hebo Temple to build a dike to control the Yellow River floods?" Zhang Xiaojia smiled and stuffed lotus seeds into his mouth. "Governing a country is not about memorizing, it requires the ability to adapt. Just like this lotus—"
She suddenly stepped into the pond, startling He Lin so much that he tried to pull her out, but she pulled a lotus root from the mud and said, "From the mud, it can be used as a medicinal food, and it can be used as a tribute in the court. This is the way to survive."
It was dusk when he returned home. He Fei was practicing boxing in the courtyard. Seeing the mother and son covered in mud, he turned his sword and picked up two cloaks: "Lin'er, where did you take your mother to play?"
"It's been a lesson in livelihood." Zhang Xiaojia tossed the lotus root knot to the cook and turned to He Lin, winking. "Go draw what you saw today. Mother wants to check it."
After the young man left, He Fei embraced his wife and sighed softly, "This morning, the secret guards reported that someone from the Ministry of Rites submitted a petition to restore Lin'er's status as the Crown Prince."
The fragrance of lotus wafted from the kitchen. Zhang Xiaojia played with He Fei's hand: "What do you say?"
"I say..." He Fei suddenly picked the man up and said, "The Princess of Lin'an was injured while saving the emperor. She only has one son, Lin'er. Anyone who wants to take the child away must first ask my fist."
Zhang Xiaojia said, "Master, you can't tell me, so let Master's wife tell me. The emperor wants the tutor to focus on teaching Lin'er the way of being a ruler. What do you mean, brother? Lin'er's right palm was cut off by Lin'er, and now you want the tutor to teach Lin'er the way of being a ruler? I worked so hard to teach Lin'er, do you want to pick peaches? If you really pick them, I will accept it, but if you pick them and throw them away, I will go to the palace to cry to him."
He Fei confessed: "My royal brother told me something. If Lin'er can obtain our abilities, he can consider the possibility of being the next one."
Zhang Xiaojia rolled his eyes: "The most dissolute young man in the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
He Fei smiled without saying anything. He believed that Lin'er could learn half of Jia Jia's and his half, and he would help him seize the throne.
The next day, after dropping Lin'er off at the Imperial Tutor's residence, Zhang Xiaojia hurried to the palace. However, she wasn't warmly received, instead being forced to wait in a deserted side hall. It wasn't until lunchtime that she saw the prime minister and officials from the six ministries gradually emerge from the main hall.
Zhang Xiaojia glanced at them indifferently, knowing that as a woman from the backyard, it was inconvenient for her to participate in government affairs, so she didn't plan to go forward to greet them. However, to her surprise, the prime minister actually walked straight towards her.
"Greetings, Princess Jing." The Prime Minister bowed slightly with a look of respect on his face.
Zhang Xiaojia dodged his greeting and said calmly but with a hint of distance, "Prime Minister, what's the matter?"
The Prime Minister smiled slightly and said straight to the point, "I heard that the princess has an exquisite textile loom. I wonder if you could give it up and sell it to the Ministry of Industry?"
Zhang Xiaojia raised his eyebrows, a little surprised: "How did you know?"
The prime minister answered frankly: "Zhou Panni works in the Ministry of Works, and she mentioned this to me."
Zhang Xiaojia nodded, then changed the subject: "I remember that after your youngest son passed the imperial examination, he didn't want to be an official, so he went out to travel. He just returned to Beijing not long ago, right? He's left-handed, right?"
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister's eyes flashed with understanding. He understood that Zhang Xiaojia was hinting that the Second Prince was now the son of Princess Jing, and that his youngest son might be able to help in this regard. So, he immediately stated, "Don't worry, Princess. When I get home today, I'll have that brat teach your son how to write with his left hand."
The two smiled at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more relaxed.
Zhang Xiaojia secretly rejoiced, finally gaining something. The Prime Minister was also satisfied that he had been able to strike up a conversation with Princess Jing. They both had their own thoughts, but they both tacitly decided to stop at the right time.
Zhang Xiaojia walked into the back hall of Chuigong Hall and saw the steaming food on the table. Her heart warmed and the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.
"Brother, An," she saluted playfully, a hint of coquettishness in her voice.
The emperor looked up and wondered why the girl was so well-behaved today. Then he glanced at her cunning eyes and immediately understood about half of what was going on. He smiled faintly, but didn't point it out, simply motioning her to sit down and eat.
Zhang Xiaojia didn't hesitate and sat down to eat. The food was very much to her taste and she ate with gusto. After finishing, she wiped her mouth and suddenly said, "He Lin is my son."
The emperor put down the teacup in his hand and looked at her straight. Zhang Xiaojia felt a little guilty when he looked at her, but she still looked at him.
"I won't argue with you," the emperor said slowly, his tone surprisingly calm. "Take good care of him. If he behaves well, he'll be the next emperor. If he doesn't, he'll be the next prince. Don't make a fuss over such a small matter."
Zhang Xiaojia was stunned. She didn't expect the emperor to respond so bluntly. She stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
The emperor stood up, straightened his sleeves, and said lightly: "I am going to the imperial concubine in the harem. She is pregnant." After that, he turned and left, leaving Zhang Xiaojia alone in the hall in a mess.
Zhang Xiaojia left the palace foolishly. She had come here today to quarrel with the emperor. Why did this happen?
When I opened the car curtain, I saw the young emperor's uncle and the queen mother shopping with smiles on their faces.
That’s great. The emperor actually had people dress up as the empress dowager and pray in the royal temple, letting the real empress dowager and the little uncle be together.
Even if the Queen Mother cannot be with the young uncle in the end, she is given a way out. If she is really given the opportunity to choose, can she...
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