He kept hearing He Jiuniang's words: he was brave but lacked strategy, so he should use his courage in the right place. As for the court, he should leave it to the truly capable people to control.
Prince Chen is gentle in nature and will not kill these brothers...
What He Jiuniang said made sense. He had thought the same thing a long time ago. But then, the Prince of Lin, who was disguised as Lin Yiping, told him that since they were both sons of the emperor, why could others compete for the position while he could only suffer in the coldest place?
It is said that those in power are all ruthless and cruel; if you don't fight for power now, you won't even know how you die in the future.
Every time I waver, I hear these words, which is why I've persevered through all these years.
In the end, it was all for nothing.
"Yes! I cannot live my life in mediocrity!"
"I am going to the frontier to protect the people there!"
He slammed his glass down on the table; he had made up his mind.
The next morning, he went to the palace to tell the old emperor that he was going to guard the frontier, and also to make it clear that he would no longer have any desire for that position.
The old emperor was very satisfied with his choice and readily agreed.
As they left the palace, they happened to run into He Jiuniang's carriage, where she was still dozing off as she came to give the old emperor acupuncture.
Then, he stopped He Jiuniang's carriage once again.
The carriage driver was terrified, wondering what Prince Jing was thinking. He had just been beaten yesterday, and the wounds on his face hadn't even healed yet. Was he here to get beaten again?
Fortunately, this time, Prince Jing didn't come looking for a fight; he had something to say.
He Jiuniang lazily poked her head out and asked, "What is it?"
"I have decided to go to the frontier."
Prince Jing looked at her, trying to see a hint of shock on her face.
But He Jiuniang didn't react much, she just closed her eyes and responded softly, and looked like she was about to fall asleep again.
"Hey, I decided to go to the frontier because of what you said. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Prince Jing looked somewhat angry. Although he was older than He Jiuniang, it seemed that he was the one who needed attention.
"No, Your Highness, are you alright? I'll be leaving now."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, signaling the driver to continue.
"Wait!"
Prince Jing called her back again.
"Is there anything else?"
He Jiuniang was starting to get impatient.
"Give me your cook, he can... he can cook for Lu Hei Ya!"
Prince Jing thought that the frontier was a harsh and cold place, and there probably wasn't much good food there, but Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck) was indeed an excellent accompaniment to wine. He didn't know when he would be able to return, so he couldn't let his mouth suffer.
"No way?"
He Jiuniang was instantly wide awake and continued, "Your Highness Prince Jing, you visited my house yesterday. There were only a few people there, and you still want to take one away. Do you have any humanity left?"
Looking at her impoverished appearance, Prince Jing had no choice but to say, "I can trade with you for one; the cook in my residence is quite good."
"That won't work either."
He Jiuniang refused without hesitation: "The recipe for Lu Heiya is the foundation of our Lu family's survival. How can we give it to you so easily? If Your Highness wants it, you will have to pay for it."
"you!"
Prince Jing was so angry he couldn't speak. They had already drunk together, so why was she still talking about money all the time? Had this woman fallen into a money-grubbing trap?
But then he remembered that the family had fled here and probably hadn't seen much money before, so he said, "Okay, you tell me, how much do you want?"
"That would cost at least ten thousand taels."
"What!"
Prince Jing's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It was just one prescription, was it really necessary?
"Your Highness, you should know that I would never sell my sesame seeds to so many people who would do anything to buy them. If it weren't for the fact that you are going to the frontier and that you are making them for your own consumption rather than for business, I would still be reluctant to sell them. If you really want them, then you can buy them; if you don't want them, I won't force you."
He Jiuniang looked genuinely troubled, as if she was losing money by charging that price.
Just as she was about to lower the carriage curtain and continue on her way, Prince Jing hurriedly agreed: "Ten thousand taels it is. I will have someone send you the money in a moment. Give me the prescription."
"Okay, but you can only use it yourself. You can't do business with it. If I find out you're secretly doing business with it, you'll have to pay a penalty for breach of contract."
"What is that?"
Prince Jing wanted to strangle this woman, what nonsense is she talking about?
He's already bought the recipe, so why does he still want to restrict what he can't do?
Is that so domineering?
He Jiuniang was too lazy to explain to him, so she took out paper and pen and started writing a contract. The general idea was that she would sell the formula to Prince Jing for his private use and not for commercial purposes, otherwise she would have to pay a million taels of gold in compensation.
Prince Jing was dumbfounded when he saw the amount of the penalty for breach of contract. This woman must be desperate for money!
Fortunately, he really only intended to eat it himself and had no intention of doing business, so he agreed.
He Jiuniang wrote two copies, one for each party, and they signed and pressed their fingerprints on them, which made the agreement effective.
Prince Jing will send money to the Lu family in a little while, and then take the prescription back with him.
Meanwhile, at Prince Lin's residence, in less than two months, his residence was as if it had been ransacked, and he was in dire straits.
Although the old emperor did not punish him openly, he had been intentionally reducing the expenses of his household. He also took back some of the fields and estates that had been bestowed upon him, and even stopped the monthly salary he received from the palace.
Many people were confused, wondering how Prince Lin, who rarely got involved in affairs, had offended the old emperor. But those in the know understood that the old emperor was planning to force Prince Lin to his death step by step.
Prince Lin was receiving guests in his study at this time. Naturally, these were not ordinary guests. The person who came was completely covered up, with only her eyes showing. She was petite and a woman.
"Didn't you know the old emperor didn't drink Qingyin tea?"
The woman looked at Prince Lin, her tone not very friendly.
I can't understand why the Lord would cooperate with such a fool. Now that Prince Lin's intentions have been exposed, the old emperor is guarding against him like a thief. What's the point of cooperating with someone like that?
"How could that be? He's drunk it in front of me several times."
Prince Lin frowned, looking quite displeased.
He's just a spy from the barbarian kingdom, yet he dares to speak to him like that. When he unifies the country in the future, the first thing he'll do is destroy the Eastern Court!
"Hmph, if that weren't the case, why hasn't he asked you for tea yet? Also, He Jiuniang went to the palace to treat the old emperor these past two days, but not a single word has come out. You've really failed as a prince!"
The woman looked at him, her eyes filled with contempt.
Prince Lin noticed her gaze, and his tone turned colder. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I remember correctly, you were sent to assist me, not to give me attitude. I think you're tired of living!"
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