Chapter 342 Zhou Congxian's Side Story 1 (Previous Life)
He was the eldest son of the Duke of England.
This title sounds incredibly prestigious.
But only the people in the mansion knew that the glory of this Duke's mansion was already a thing of the past.
My father was a kind and gentle man, but lacked decisiveness.
He held a sinecure in the Ministry of Works, where he neither offended anyone nor accomplished anything significant.
His Majesty's favor has waned day by day since my grandfather's passing.
The British Duchy at that time, though it looked magnificent, actually struggled to maintain its dignity.
The father placed all his hopes on his only legitimate son.
In the study, his father would always sigh and stroke his head.
“Father is not cut out to be an official; he can’t live up to the family’s reputation.”
"This vast family business will all depend on you from now on."
"You have to be better than everyone else, and stand taller than everyone else."
His father's earnest expectations were like an invisible mountain, weighing heavily on his still tender shoulders.
He dared not slack off in the slightest.
While other princes' sons were still engaged in cockfighting, dog racing, and frolicking, he had already memorized the Four Books and Five Classics perfectly.
While other children were still fighting with their sisters over a piece of candy, he was already able to write a decent essay.
As a result, he became the "other people's child" that everyone talked about.
Whenever his mother, Zhao, took him and his sisters to a banquet, they would always hear the ladies praising them with envy.
"Madam Zhou is truly blessed. Look at Congxian, such a young child, yet so composed and polite."
"Yes, if my little devil were even half as sensible as Congxian, I'd be burning incense in gratitude!"
My mother always wore a proper and proud smile.
He simply stood quietly behind his mother, his eyes lowered, accepting the scrutinizing or approving gazes from all directions.
He knew that behind these praises lay the undisguised jealousy and alienation of his peers.
They were all teenagers, at the age when they were young, spirited, and full of vigor.
Hearing such things too often can easily make one resentful.
In a corner of the banquet, the scions of prominent families of his age always looked at him with disdain.
"Hmph, what a hypocrite!"
"All he does all day is hold that tattered book, what's so great about that?"
He never offered a single word in defense.
Because he knew clearly that he was different from them.
They can be as flamboyant as they want, they can cause trouble and act recklessly, and their thriving family will always be there to protect them.
And he was to become the one to support the increasingly declining Zhou family.
He bears the responsibility for the prosperity of the entire British Duke's Mansion.
He has no right to make mistakes.
He was fourteen years old.
His Majesty issued an edict to select study companions for several princes, and he was among them.
Ultimately, he was assigned to the Third Prince, Xiao Che.
When we first met, the dashing young prince, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, had just come off the polo field, his forehead still covered in fine beads of sweat.
"You must be Zhou Congxian? I heard from the teacher that you are the most learned. I hope you can help me out in the future."
The third prince and the crown prince are both born of the same mother, Empress Gongsun.
However, His Majesty has poured all his heart and soul into His Highness the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was raised as the heir apparent from a young age. He was gentle, kind, frugal, and followed the rules. He was the perfect successor in everyone's eyes.
The Third Prince, on the other hand, seemed to have been forgotten in a corner.
He was able to retain what is most rare among royal children: a sense of innocence and naivety.
They secretly slipped out of the palace together to eat the most authentic mutton soup on East Street and listen to the most interesting storytelling on West Street.
He realized for the first time that life could be more than just bringing glory to one's family; it could also include poetry and distant horizons.
However, no one expected that the reversal of fate would come so suddenly and unexpectedly.
In the winter of the thirty-seventh year of the Yuanqi era.
His Highness the Crown Prince, who is usually in good health, has caught a minor cold.
At first, no one paid any attention.
But the cold seemed to cling to the prince like a leech, and no matter how many methods the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital tried, his condition did not improve.
Finally, he coughed up blood incessantly, and there was no cure.
Just over a month later, the Crown Prince, on whom the entire Great Sheng Dynasty had placed its hopes, suddenly fell ill and passed away.
The whole nation grieved.
His Majesty and the Empress's hair turned white overnight.
A country cannot be without a crown prince.
Amidst grief and chaos, the Third Prince, Xiao Che, was placed on the throne as Crown Prince.
The boy who always dreamed of sneaking out of the palace to play was forced to grow up overnight.
He succeeded his elder brother, and every day before dawn he would go to the Imperial Study to learn how to handle government affairs from His Majesty, and he would not return to the Eastern Palace until late at night.
The next time Zhou Congxian saw him was in the study of the East Palace.
The once cheerful young man, dressed in a black prince's robe, sat upright behind a mountain of memorials.
He had become much thinner, and the lines of his jaw had become firm and hard.
Those eyes, which once shone with the scorching sun, are now nothing but a bottomless darkness.
Upon seeing Zhou Congxian, he merely nodded slightly, his voice calm and unwavering.
"You've arrived."
These three simple words, however, represent a vast distance.
Between them lay the distinction between ruler and subject, and an insurmountable chasm called "responsibility."
Time flies.
He achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and, as was customary, was admitted to the Hanlin Academy as a compiler.
On the day of his audience with the emperor, the emperor on the dragon bed was already at his last gasp.
He was so thin he was just skin and bones, but his cloudy eyes still carried the majesty of an emperor.
He looked at Zhou Congxian kneeling below, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.
“Zhou Congxian…I know you.”
His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.
"You are... A-Che's only friend."
"His appointment as crown prince was hasty, his foundation was unstable, and he faced many obstacles in the court."
"After I leave, you must properly... assist him."
"The relationship between ruler and subject is also...brotherhood."
Zhou Congxian kowtowed repeatedly, each word resounding with conviction.
"My lord, I obey the order!"
This is an entrustment from the emperor, and also a promise from a friend.
However, he ultimately underestimated the wickedness of human nature and the ruthlessness of power.
The late emperor passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne.
But before the young emperor on the dragon throne could realize his ambitions, Empress Dowager Su quickly seized control of the government under the guise of assisting him.
This woman, who had accompanied the late emperor for the rest of his life, revealed her sharp claws once she gained power.
The first decree was to demote Qin Daolin, the Grand Secretary and a trusted advisor left by the late emperor to the new emperor, to the damp and remote Ding County as a seventh-rank county magistrate under a pretext.
The entire court was shaken, yet no one dared to speak out.
Immediately afterwards, the second decree fell upon him.
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree read it aloud in a high-pitched, almost contemptuous tone.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Zhou Congxian, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, is unworthy of his position. He is hereby transferred to the Yanwei Camp and shall assume his post immediately without delay! So be it!"
With a "boom," his mind went completely blank.
Yanwei Camp?
What place is that?
That's where all the good-for-nothing playboys in the capital can get a place to settle down!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com