The sixty-something Minister of Works, Yan, walked with vigorous strides, crossing the public office in the blink of an eye, and considerately closed the door for Prince Hui.
Zhao Sui sat in his wheelchair, looking at the closed door, then at the almost entirely eaten food box Yan Lun had left behind, and thought of that memorial.
Yan Lun shouldn't know that he and the princess had gone to Lingshan Town for the summer, so there was no way for him to deduce that he had participated in the proposal for reclaiming Lingshan. Father Emperor...
Zhao Sui shook his head slightly.
According to his temperament before going to Lingshan for the summer, he rarely met with his Father Emperor, and even if they did meet, his Father Emperor wouldn't chat with him about idle matters.
He could have kept the matter of his summer retreat in Lingshan a secret, but the princess said that before visiting her father and mother-in-law, they should first go to pay their respects to his Father Emperor. The princess asked him if she should tell the truth if his Father Emperor brought up where the two of them went for the summer. Of course she should; he didn't want the princess to bear the crime of deceiving the emperor over such a small matter. Following that, the princess also said she wanted to give his Father Emperor nine-processed sealwort.
Zhao Sui couldn't refuse, because the princess had also prepared some for her father and mother-in-law. Since they had some, wouldn't it be unfilial if he didn't want to give any to his Father Emperor?
At that time, Zhao Sui thought, let it be given. His Father Emperor had to toil over so many state affairs every day that when Xu Dongyang submitted a memorial the following year, his Father Emperor might not even remember this matter.
However, come October, pushed by the princess, he entered the Ministry of Works and began to frequently appear before his Father Emperor.
Zhao Sui had instructed Yan Lun to keep Di Xian's canal-repairing a secret, but at the Wenxi Banquet, his Father Emperor asked for the opinions of Prince Kang and Prince Qing, leaving him out entirely. Such deliberate ignorance didn't align with his Father Emperor's usual attitude towards him. Zhao Sui then understood that Yan Lun had let the secret slip and his Father Emperor had seen through it.
It had only been a month since he recommended Di Xian. As soon as Xu Dongyang's memorial arrived, with mention of Lingshan Town and sealwort, his Father Emperor...
During the Shen hour, the afternoon sun wasn't as scorching. A young eunuch sent from the Imperial Study said the Emperor was summoning Prince Hui to the Imperial Study.
Zhao Sui had no choice but to change into his four-wheeled outdoor wheelchair.
When Qingai pushed Prince Hui onto the straight palace path leading to Chengtian Gate of the inner imperial city, both master and servant saw Prince Kang and Prince Qing walking side by side ahead of them.
Prince Kang was in the Ministry of Revenue and was the first among the three princes to receive the oral decree. When he was walking inside alone, he was called out by Prince Qing, who had come out of the Ministry of Rites. Prince Kang waited for him for a while, guessing that their Father Emperor was going to test them with a question again. Prince Qing wasn't afraid of such occasions, but Prince Kang was nervous. He didn't expect that as they walked, there would be movement behind them. Turning around, he saw that their Father Emperor had actually called his second brother too!
At this, Prince Qing also became nervous. If it were just him and his eldest brother, even if he answered poorly, his eldest brother would be at the bottom. But with his second brother here, what if his second brother answered better than him? His Father Emperor's look towards him would probably become: Look, your second brother in a wheelchair is better than you!
While Prince Qing worried, Prince Kang relaxed. Since he'd be at the bottom anyway, with his second brother here, his third brother wouldn't be able to show off.
"I'll do it."
Waiting a moment, when Qingai drew near, Prince Kang once again took over the wheelchair.
Prince Hui sat there, and Prince Qing could only lower his head and ask, "Second Brother, do you know why Father Emperor called us over?"
Zhao Sui: "I don't know."
He originally thought his Father Emperor was going to ask about the Lingshan reclamation, but seeing Prince Kang and Prince Qing, Zhao Sui overturned his previous guess.
They arrived at the Imperial Study.
The three princes lined up outside the door. Eunuch Wang went in to announce them, and upon coming out, invited Prince Kang in first.
Prince Kang: "..."
After Prince Kang went in, Prince Qing tried to listen intently. However, the study inside the hall of the Imperial Study's outer room was very spacious. Unless Emperor Yongchang angrily scolded someone, or Prince Qing went right up under the window in front of the palace servants and imperial guards, he wouldn't be able to hear a normal conversation from the outside.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Prince Kang came out, looking as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Prince Qing was somewhat disappointed, but since his eldest brother wasn't reprimanded, he was even safer.
"Second Highness, it's your turn. Shall this old servant push you in?" Eunuch Wang asked, bowing.
Zhao Sui nodded.
After Eunuch Wang pushed Prince Hui inside, Prince Qing asked Prince Kang in a low voice, who was still standing there and hadn't left, "What did Father Emperor say to Eldest Brother?"
Prince Kang: "He just asked what matters I've been busy with during this time after the New Year."
Inside, Eunuch Wang pushed Prince Hui across the desk from Emperor Yongchang and then retreated.
Emperor Yongchang looked at his second son and asked in a low voice, "That method of Xu Dongyang's, did you teach him?"
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and said, "Although this son taught it, it was up to him to decide whether it could be done and whether he dared to do it. Since this son doesn't have the energy to do it personally, if this matter succeeds, it will be Magistrate Xu's sole political achievement."
Emperor Yongchang: "I didn't intend to pursue his crime of deceiving the emperor; I'm just curious how you thought of it."
His own second son, no matter how one looked at it, didn't seem related to planting medicinal herbs.
Zhao Sui recalled for a moment and said, "That day, Elder Qi next door celebrated his birthday. This son and the princess went to attend the banquet. The princess heard the women at the banquet mention sealwort, saying that sealwort used to be very common on Lingshan in the early years. As medicinal merchants came more frequently to collect sealwort, the villagers dug it up extensively, causing the sealwort on the mountain to decrease sharply, and they could only go deep into the mountains to find it."
"Because of the princess's words, this son deduced that sealwort could easily survive on Lingshan, so I had the accompanying doctor go up the mountain to investigate and confirm whether sealwort could be planted under the trees."
Emperor Yongchang said meaningfully, "That wife of yours, she really chatters to you about every trivial matter."
Zhao Sui: "...At that time, this son lived in deep seclusion. Hearing her talk about these things was actually quite interesting."
Emperor Yongchang: "You didn't find it interesting; you heard a good idea to solve the difficulties of the local people's livelihood."
Just as Zhao Sui was about to speak, Emperor Yongchang blocked his modesty and said calmly, "You don't need to overthink it. I am happy for myself to have a prince who cares about the people's livelihood."
The eldest lacked his own opinions; even if he saw a problem, he was easily swayed by the people around him and couldn't carry it through to the end. The third aimed too high, not even thinking much of the new Jinshi selected in the spring examination. How could Emperor Yongchang expect the third to cultivate worthy ministers and good generals himself? He only wanted to use ready-made capable ministers and famous generals, but which capable minister or famous general wasn't tempered step by step?
Because Prince Hui's words were concise, he came out in less than a quarter of an hour.
This time, it was Prince Qing's turn to go in.
This year's civil and military spring examinations went quite smoothly, and the selected Jinshi also made Emperor Yongchang quite satisfied. Emperor Yongchang briefly praised his third son, then took out a memorial and let Prince Qing read it himself.
This was a memorial submitted by the prefect of Tanzhou, Jingzhou, stating that there were bandit leaders Chen Wei, Wang Sheng, and Liu Siyi who gathered over a thousand people locally, terrorizing the countryside and killing and plundering passing land and boat merchants. The Tanzhou government troops were dispatched three times but failed because the bandit group hid deep in the mountains and occupied favorable terrain. The people could not bear the harassment and complained bitterly. The prefect requested the imperial court to deploy troops to suppress them.
Prince Qing's eyes lit up. Aside from the imperial examinations, it was difficult to show one's abilities in the Ministry of Rites. He had long wanted to change his assignment, and this wave of mountain bandits appeared just at the right time!
"Father Emperor, this son is willing to go to Tanzhou to suppress the bandits!"
Emperor Yongchang asked, "Then tell me first, how do you plan to suppress them?"
Prince Qing, well-versed in military strategy, pondered for a moment and said, "When your son arrives in Tanzhou, I will first find woodcutters and hunters familiar with the mountain terrain to inquire clearly about the mountain paths, to see if there are any trails for the great army to enter the mountains and kill the bandits. If we cannot enter the mountains, I will arrange a merchant caravan as a large bait to lure them out. It would be best to catch them all in one fell swoop, but if not, we can still capture a group of them, and then use threats and promises to force these captives to lead our main force into the mountains."
Emperor Yongchang: "Then how many troops do you think are needed for this bandit suppression?"
Prince Qing: "Tanzhou has one thousand official troops. If Imperial Father transfers another one thousand naval troops and one thousand infantry from the Jingzhou army for me, it should be enough. Any more might easily alert the enemy."
Emperor Yongchang looked at his third son, who was only twenty-one years old, and said, "I will transfer five thousand for you. You must absolutely not underestimate the enemy just because the bandit group is small."
Prince Qing felt a warmth in his heart. He cupped his hands and said, "Your son will carefully remember Imperial Father's teachings!"
Emperor Yongchang continued, "Tanzhou has many mountains and waters. If you are undecided about something, you can discuss it with the local generals. Strive to suppress the bandit rebellion with the fewest casualties. It is naturally good if things go smoothly, but if you make a mistake, it does not matter. Send a memorial over and I will help you think of a solution. Remember not to be greedy for merit and advance rashly. This is for experience. Occasionally stumbling over trivial matters is actually a good thing. Once you remember the lesson, you will consider things more carefully and thoroughly when shouldering great responsibilities in the future."
Prince Qing understood. His Imperial Father did not quite trust him.
His second brother went south to lead troops at the age of eighteen and won his first battle. If he, at twenty-one, went to fight a little over a thousand bandits and still failed, even if his Imperial Father did not mind, he himself would have no face to return to the capital.
Although his Imperial Father's instructions were a bit superfluous, Prince Qing was still very happy to get this opportunity. When he stepped out of the imperial study, his face carried a look of radiant triumph.
Seeing his two older brothers waiting outside, Prince Qing smiled and said, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you are still waiting for me. I thought you had left long ago."
Zhao Sui: "..."
He wanted to leave, but Prince Kang, controlling his wheelchair, insisted on waiting for Prince Qing, so he could only wait along with him.
Prince Kang felt a jolt in his heart when he met the smugness in Prince Qing's eyes. Once they were far from the imperial study, he asked with feigned casualness, "Seeing Third Brother's face full of joy, is there some good news?"
Prince Qing glanced at his second brother, who was a head shorter than them in his chair, and sighed, "A group of audacious mountain bandits has appeared over in Jingzhou. They burn, kill, and pillage everywhere, simply putting the imperial court out of their eyes. Imperial Father asked me to go over and suppress the bandits. Sigh, setting off now, it will be right when it gets hot over there. I am just afraid the bandits will also find it too hot and hide in the mountains, leaving me with troops but nowhere to use them."
Prince Kang: "..."
Prince Qing: "Let's not talk about it anymore. I'll go to the Ministry of War first to ask about the situation of the Jingzhou army."
Leaving behind his two brothers who had waited for him for at least the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Prince Qing strode off on his long legs, walking away happily like a fine horse finally let out of its cage to frolic.
Prince Kang secretly gnashed his teeth. He lowered his head and said to his second brother in the wheelchair, "Third Brother's temper, still so fond of showing off."
Isn't it just suppressing bandits? He could do it too if he went. Unfortunately, his martial arts were not as good as the third brother's, so when encountering this kind of military assignment, it was hard for Imperial Father to think of him first.
Spring Day
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His second brother remained silent as always.
.
In the eyes of Prince Qing's faction, his going to suppress the bandits was a tremendous opportunity. Even if the military merit was not great enough, they could blow it out of proportion. What they feared was being like Prince Kang, who could only flick an abacus in the Ministry of Revenue and didn't even have the chance to establish minor merits.
In just two short days, Consort Shen Rou, Princess Fucheng, Minister of Personnel Shen Shiyan, and Princess Consort Qing Zheng Yuanzhen all gave Prince Qing detailed instructions. They talked so much that Prince Qing got annoyed and became even more impatient to leave the capital with a team of personal guards.
Prince Hui would not mention matters unrelated to their couple to his own princess consort. It wasn't until the Dragon Boat Festival, when Yao Huang accompanied Prince Hui into the palace to attend the palace banquet and heard Empress Zhou mention to Consort Shen Rou that Prince Qing should have already arrived in Jingzhou by now, that Yao Huang noticed that a figure was indeed missing from Emperor Yongchang and his sons' side.
However, compared to Prince Qing going to suppress bandits, Yao Huang was more curious about those bandits. How much nerve did they have to cause trouble during a time of peace and prosperity?
Unfortunately, Empress Zhou and Consort Shen Rou only cared about Prince Qing and did not talk about this.
It was time for willow shooting again. Yao Huang quietly looked toward her Prince Hui.
Prince Hui sat upright, looking straight ahead. Even if his princess consort was thinking about the champion's prize of one hundred taels of gold, it wasn't appropriate for him to go and steal the limelight every year.
Yao Huang naturally wouldn't blame Prince Hui for this, but that didn't stop her from using this matter to tease him.
"We've only been married for a year, and Your Highness is already too lazy to coax me and make me happy. You know I like gold, yet you won't go win it back for me."
In the carriage returning to the manor, Yao Huang sat in Prince Hui's arms, clinging to his neck, swaying and pouting.
Summer clothes were thin, and Prince Hui could not withstand his princess consort acting spoiled like this.
He closed his eyes and announced some good news in advance, "This year, Imperial Father is going to the Northern Park to escape the summer heat. We will set off in late May and stay until the grand military review ends in mid-September."
The princess consort immediately stopped pouting: "We can go too?"
Zhao Sui nodded.
Yao Huang was overjoyed. Not long ago, she had been regretting that Prince Hui, who now had official duties, would never be able to accompany her to escape the summer heat and play outside again. To think that they could actually go to the royal Northern Park temporary palace this year!
"That's wonderful! Your Highness, quickly tell me, what is it like inside the Northern Park?"
"...Sit properly before I tell you."
