After suppressing his emotions all day, Song Qiming only dared to vent his frustration upon returning to the County Princess's estate.
"He has committed so many mistakes; if it were anyone else, they would have been beheaded eight hundred times over. Yet His Majesty still granted him Jinzhou as his fief. This isn't a punishment, it's blatant favoritism!"
"Jinzhou collects two hundred thousand strings of cash in taxes a year, which is enough to cover the Jinglei Army's rations and military expenses for an entire year. They always claim the national treasury is empty for everything else, but they show such partiality to Prince Qi. The Dongzhao Kingdom will be finished sooner or later."
Worried that his voice might carry outside, Qingshuang silently closed the door.
In the next room, Song Anhao, who had been practicing calligraphy, looked up.
Blinking his eyes in innocent confusion, he said, "Why is brother acting like this too? When I came back today, Grandpa Dongfang was also angry. His face was completely red from fury."
Song Shixue set down the medical records in her hands and asked in confusion, "Did he curse in front of you?"
Song Anhao shook his head.
"No, Ah You and I went to the study to find him and just happened to see it. Brother Yukun was there too."
Song Shixue instructed him with a serious expression, "Remember, never repeat these words to anyone else."
Song Anhao nodded obediently. "I know. Brother Yukun told me the same thing when we were leaving."
Back in the other room, looking at the indignant Song Qiming, Song Jinzhao, who hadn't held any expectations to begin with, appeared very calm.
"The Prefect of Suining is retiring due to illness. After the new year, Cai Qiong will propose to His Majesty that you be transferred to the southwest."
Song Qiming's mind instantly cooled down.
He asked uncertainly, "Will His Majesty agree?"
Officials dispatched outside the capital after three years in the Hanlin Academy usually started as county magistrates. Unless one had served a full six years in the Hanlin Academy or received an exceptional promotion from the Emperor, they wouldn't be directly appointed as a prefect. And he hadn't even been in the Hanlin Academy for three full years.
Song Jinzhao replied, "Suining is closest to the territory of the southwestern foreign tribes. This is already the third time the Prefect of Suining has claimed illness to seek retirement. Rumor has it that he is completely bedridden, so the imperial court has no choice but to agree."
Song Qiming sat down and took a breath to compose himself.
"Teacher and Lord Fei's standing before His Majesty is not what it used to be. I am not afraid to go to Suining, but I worry someone in the court will object."
Jumping ranks from a secondary sixth-grade official to a secondary fifth-grade one was ultimately somewhat against the rules.
Song Jinzhao spoke slowly and methodically, "Being the Prefect of Suining is no easy task. If war breaks out in the southwest, that isolated city will be the first to be attacked. Very few people with connections are willing to go there."
"I am a County Princess, so naturally, your status is different from others. No one will say much about an exceptional promotion."
Song Qiming let out a deep sigh. "It's for the best if I leave early. I don't want to stay in this capital anymore."
It was incredibly frustrating to be forced to watch things he couldn't stand.
Three days later, outside the city walls.
Xiao Rongyan smiled as he mocked Xiao Rongche, who was sitting in a carriage, "Take care of your health on your way to Jinzhou, Big Brother. Don't end up on your deathbed without even a single son."
Xiao Rongche tightly clenched the hand resting against his chest.
He gritted his teeth and retorted, "You don't have a son either. The fact that you were made to marry Princess Shuwan proves that Imperial Father gave up on you long ago."
The smile on Xiao Rongyan's face instantly faded. "At least I am not blind. With your short lifespan, Big Brother, I am in no rush compared to you."
"Cough, cough, cough!" A rush of air surged from his chest to his throat, and Xiao Rongche was so enraged that he covered his mouth, coughing incessantly.
The servant responsible for attending to him immediately climbed into the carriage to check. Seeing blood on his hand, the servant's face turned pale as he shouted outside for an imperial physician.
Seeing this, Xiao Rongyan swallowed hard.
Coughing up blood after just a couple of sentences, has his health really deteriorated this much?
If something happened, Imperial Father would definitely blame him. Thinking of this, Xiao Rongyan turned and walked away, losing all desire to continue mocking Prince Qi.
Anyway, once he arrived in Jinzhou, Xiao Rongche would never be able to oppose him again.
Until the other seven princes grew up, he would be the only adult prince in the capital. There would be no one else.
