CH 25.1

Amid the strong winds and freezing snow, the expression on Qi Wang’s attendant’s face turned quite unsightly.

As his master’s younger brother, Chen Wang actually asked him to make way. He was being too much! However, Chen Wang was very temperamental. He didn’t even give face to the Marquis family’s shizi, let alone a lowly attendant like them. Hence, he could only fume inwardly but not dare to speak up.

Qi Wang looked at Chen Wang; he neither spoke nor got out of the way.

“What? Is fourth Brother not willing to let us leave?” Chen Wang looked at Qi Wang and laughed grimly: “Ben Wang is not particularly feeling well today, so I can’t stand the cold. If fourth Brother feels offended in any way, please forgive me!”

Saying this, he urged his horse and the carriage to rush straight ahead.

The sound of the horses’ hooves gradually got faster and faster, not showing any sign of slowing down.

Watching the horse and carriage rushing towards him, Qi Wang thought back to the past days. Once in their childhood, he and Yun DuQing both took a liking for a Palace lantern at the same time. Yun DuQing had also brought along a eunuch who hit him. Then he grabbed the lantern and walked off without a second thought.

“Lord, be careful!” The attendant hurriedly pulled the horse which Qi Wang was riding and withdrew to the side.

As the carriage brushed past Qi Wang’s shoulders, the wind blew the fox fur on his cloak.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” The attendant looked at Qi Wang worriedly. Anyone could see that if he hadn’t pulled him aside, that carriage and Chen Wang’s horse would really have run over him.

“I’m alright.” Qi Wang’s expression was profound.

Crossing him, the carriage halted, and Chen Wang, who was riding the horse, turned it around and cupped his hands toward Qi Wang with a smile: “Thank you for showing concern for your brother’s health, fourth Brother.”

“Chen Wang, don’t bully others too much!” The attendant couldn’t bear it anymore: “Are you not worried that everyone will look down on you for disrespecting your elder brother?”

“Ben Wang’s elder brother voluntarily made way. What’s it to you?” Chen Wang sneered: “Your master hasn’t spoken yet, but you, a subordinate, have exceeded your place and meddled in his affairs. Your intention of inciting disharmony between brothers of the Imperial family is punishable by death.”

“Fourth Brother, are you just going to watch as this evil person tries to provoke us two brothers’ camaraderie?” Chen Wang smiled lazily, “Look at these attendants serving me, why? When we talk, did they ever become audacious and start shooting their mouths off?”

“Thank you for your concern, fifth brother. I will train my attendants well after returning.” Qi Wang spoke indifferently: “Since fifth brother is not feeling well, you should go back early. Otherwise, your condition might worsen due to this chilly weather.”

“Fourth Brother is kindhearted and magnanimous but I have a bad temper. If I see this evil person following fourth Brother in the future, I will personally help you teach him a lesson.” Chen Wang glanced coldly at the attendant who had just spoken: “There is no place for such people by our Imperial family’s sides.”

With a deathly pale complexion, the attendant knelt on the ground, not daring to say another word.

“Thank you for reminding me, fifth brother.” Qi Wang squeezed the reins tightly before slowly loosening his grip: “Fifth brother, please be careful.”

“Yes.” Chen Wang urged the horse to turn around and leave.

Watching the carriage disappear into the snow, Qi Wang lowered his head and glanced at the attendant kneeling on the ground: “Get up.”

“Your Highness, this subordinate is incompetent.”

“It has nothing to do with you.” Qi Wang’s eyes closed slightly: “He intended to pick faults today.”

To reach Assistant Minister Ming’s residence from his residence, there was no need to take this path. But Yun DuQing deliberately took a detour and forced him to give way because he was bearing a grudge for Ming JiuZhu giving way to Marquis PingYuan’s carriage that day.

“Chen Wang relies on His Majesty’s favor and simply disregards the law and natural morality……”

“No need to say any more.” Qi Wang interrupted the attendant’s words, “Return.”

As long as the Emperor doted on him, the other princes and princesses had no choice but to avoid him.

“Your Highness.” JiuZhu stuck her head out of the carriage, “You quarreled with Qi Wang just now. Will it cause any trouble?”

“What trouble can there be?” Chen Wang pressed her head back in again, “No matter what other people think, I have always behaved like this. At worse, people will just call me arrogant, domineering, and discourteous to my elders.”

That old lady from the Zheng family bullied this little girl, his future Wangfei, along with their whole family. And since he couldn’t bicker with the old woman, he could only take it out on her grandson.

The little head he had pressed in stuck out again, making Chen Wang glare at her.

“Don’t push, don’t push. I’ll only say two things.” JiuZhu stretched out two fingers: “First, Your Highness is not arrogant or domineering at all.”

She folded one finger: “Second, Your Highness did not disrespect your elder brother. You were just helping me vent my anger, aren’t I right?”

“Right about what?” Chen Wang poked her forehead, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Sit properly in the carriage, we’re almost at the Assistant Minister’s residence.”

JiuZhu beamed at Chen Wang. His Highness was so nice oh. Even after helping her, he didn’t wish to be known.

Noticing their daughter bouncing happily into the residence, Shen-shi and Ming JingZhou pretended to be just passing by the gate, and asked casually, “What do you want to eat at night?”

JiuZhu stroked her stomach: “I’m not too hungry, so I’ll just eat a little.”

Shen-shi discovered the full and bulging pouch tied at her waist: “What is this?”

“This is dried meat I got from Chen Wang’s residence.” JiuZhu grabbed a handful and handed it to Shen-shi: “It’s delicious, try it.”

Shen-shi: “……”

I don’t feel like eating, my teeth hurt.

“Daughter, did you have a good time at Chen Wang’s residence?” Ming JingZhou put a piece of dried meat into his mouth and chewed a few times: “It’s pretty good.”

“It’s delicious.” JiuZhu’s eyes turned into two crescent moons as she smiled and handed the meat to Ming JingZhou: “Everyone in the prince’s residence is so nice. His Highness is also very nice.”

The meat that still tasted great suddenly became tasteless. Ming JingZhou fiercely bit it two times.

Which father would like the stinky man who abducted his daughter?

“My son had a fight with lao si1T/N: Please refer to the first footnote in chapter 10 if you forgot the meaning. He’s referring to Qi Wang as lao si and Chen Wang as his son. So biased, I’m starting to feel a little bad for Qi Wang.?” Emperor LongFeng closed the secret report in his hand and asked Liu ZhongBao: “What happened when the people of Marquis PingYuan’s family had Ming family’s guniang give way to them the other day?”

Liu ZhongBao recounted the incident.

“Zheng family’s Old Madam is aging.” Emperor LongFeng stood up: “The elderly of that family is losing their cognitive function while the younger generation is mediocre. Beneath the bright decorations, there only remains a puddle of mire.”

Emperor LongFeng sighed ruefully: “When the previous Marquis PingYuan was still there, how well was the Zheng family? Now, the younger generation is incompetent and failing to live upto the prestige of their ancestors. It’s truly regrettable.”

Liu ZhongBao stooped and changed the tea in Emperor LongFeng’s cup with the freshly brewed one.

“Zhen seems to recall that Marquis PingYuan submitted a memorial seeking a position for his son a few days ago?”

“Your Majesty has a good memory. This old slave only vaguely remembers that something like this did happen.”

“Remove that memorial. With the current condition of their descendants, how can the Zheng family’s members serve in the Imperial court?” Emperor LongFeng found Zheng WangNan’s name on the list of youngsters and crossed it out with a vermilion ink brush: “Although Marquis PingYuan is seriously ill and Zhen should take pity on him, the most important aspect of an official is morality, conduct and personal integrity. Zhen cannot regard the country’s rivers and mountains as a trifling matter just for a moment of pity.”

Liu ZhongBao looked at the bright red cross and said with a smile: “Your Majesty, under your grace, there will not be any shortage of capable people in this country. They will definitely come forth in large numbers. Even if there is no Zheng family, there is still the Sun family, the Li family, the Ming family, and countless other competent families, all waiting to serve you.”

Emperor LongFeng chuckled, he glanced at the sky outside, and put down the vermilion ink brush: “The snowfall is heavy today. Zhen will go to MingYue Palace to eat hotpot.”

As for the secret report of Chen Wang having a dispute with Qi Wang in the middle of a street, Emperor LongFeng tossed it into the fireplace.

DuQing is in the prime of his youth now. It is only natural for him to want to help the future daughter-in-law to vent her anger.

“Your Highness, Chen Wang is so overbearing. Why don’t you let the Imperial Censor punish him for disrespecting his elder brother?”

“Must not.” Qi Wang flatly rejected. “Father Emperor dotes on fifth brother. Even if the Imperial Censor presents a memorial to him, he will punish him too much. On the contrary, he will think that I, the elder brother, am not broad-minded enough to tolerate my younger brother.”

“Even if His Majesty does not punish him, the civil and military officials will come to know that Chen Wang is unreasonable…”

“Do you think the civil and military officials do not know his temperament?” Qi Wang sneered: “And who would dare to say anything in his face?”

The advisor fell silent. The prince was right; as long as the Emperor was partial towards Chen Wang, everything they did would be as good as useless.

“My Lord, even though His Majesty sides with Chen Wang repeatedly, at the end of the day, he is still an Emperor.” The advisor lowered his voice and reminded Qi Wang: “If he keeps acting so recklessly, sooner or later, he will touch His Majesty’s bottom line. When that time comes, we can help add fuel to the fire…”

“My Lord, your marriage is near at hand. So the top priority now is to win over the Sun family as soon as possible and come up with a plan for the future.” The advisor added: “Getting the support of the Sun family means having the backing of several other scholarly families.”

Qi Wang thought of the guniang from the Sun family. She was quite a clever woman, knowing to advance and retreat when needed.

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