CH 35.1

T/N: Guys, this final semester is killing me. I’m currently overwhelmed with the number of things college has been assigning us to do on a daily basis. It’s got so bad nowadays that I don’t even have 2 hours left for myself. So, updates might not be regular these coming few weeks. I apologize. Please isekai me, truck-kun!

“Your Highness, Jingsi Pavilion falls on the left once you walk ahead.” The Dean of the academy smiled shyly, “Fruits and vegetables are planted in the yard next to it. It would not only improve the quality of the students’ meals but also reduce the expenses.”

Chen Wang shot a glance at the yard and nodded: “Radish is a good thing. It is nutritious and can be dried if one cannot finish eating it.”

“Your Highness has good eyesight, this is indeed radish.” The Dean praised in an exaggerated tone: “Your Highness truly knows the lifestyle of the ordinary people like the back of your hand. You really do love the common people as your own children ah!”

Li En smiled awkwardly. The Dean was his classmate. He was pedantic and immersed in his studies so he was not put in any important position all these years. But it was also precisely because of this temper of his that the Emperor chose him to be the first dean of Hongwen Academy from the bunch of names.

It was just that boot-licking was not suitable in this case, it was quite easy for him to mess up1T/N: Uhh… this explanation is not needed but I would like to share this interesting linguistic tidbit so here it is! To flatter or boot-lick is called ‘拍马屁’ [pāi mǎ pì] which also means to swat (拍) a horse’s (马) behind (屁). Here, Li En is saying that while trying to swat a horse’s butt, it is easy to miss your aim and hit the horse on its legs instead. He is worried that the flattery might be lost on Chen Wang as our ML could take the words too literally xD.

“Your Highness, the Dean meant that although you are well-clothed and well-fed, you have not forgotten to look out for the basic needs of the ordinary people.” Li En whispered to improvise for his classmate: “There is no other meaning.”

Chen Wang waved his hand: “Ben Wang knows. Let’s go see the other areas.”

After observing the whole academy, Chen Wang praised: “The construction is pretty good. Since Father Emperor expended a lot of effort to have this academy built, Ben Wang should also express some appreciation. Ben Wang’s attendant will deliver three thousand taels of silver later. Buy the necessary items without worry.”

“Thank you, thank you so much, Your Highness.” The Dean was overjoyed at this unexpected fortune. It seemed that he did have some talent at flattery; otherwise, he would not have obtained this huge sum of three thousand taels of silver.

Before today, he couldn’t think of a single word about Chen Wang but now, his mind was only filled with: Chen Wang is impressive! Dignified! Outspoken and forthright!

After Li En and Chen Wang left, he happily pulled out a few big radishes and summoned the students outside the door who hadn’t left to come in for a meal: “Add meat to the dishes tonight!” 

“His Highness Chen Wang was kindhearted enough to not only provide you all with paper, brush and ink for copying books for free but also donate three thousand taels of silver for the development of the institution.” The Dean was moved to tears: “His Highness is a good person ah.”

The poor scholars were already salivating on hearing that meat would be added to dinner. When they got to know that Chen Wang would pay for paper, brush and ink for them, they all got up and bowed in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

Both His Majesty and His Highness Chen Wang are good people ah.

A red-faced scholar spoke up: “This student was ignorant in the past and believed… that there’s something wrong with His Highness due to the words of others. This student is ashamed.”

“Gossip is a fearful thing. You are all scholars. Regardless of whether you can pass Hongwen Academy’s entrance exam or not, this old man hopes that you will keep this sentence in mind.” The dean looked at these poor students: “Strive to ponder upon the statements of others rather than just believing the moment you hear them or avoiding to hear them altogether.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Dean.” The students cupped their hands and bowed to express their gratitude.

“You are still young. I hope you all will become the backbone of Da Cheng in the near future. Stay loyal to the monarch above you and don’t embarrass those below you. Then you will be guilt-free and the Heavens will protect you.” The Dean smiled and shook off the mud on the radish: “As scholars, we must bear a sentence in mind that we would not do anything that makes us feel ashamed.”

The news of Chen Wang’s donation circulated rather quickly. Though some scholars criticized him, the others all praised his actions. Even in the teahouse, the most popular one in the saga of the Overbearing Prince was the one about the Overbearing Prince taking part in the Imperial examination and becoming the zhuangyuan.

The common people thought to themselves that the Overbearing Prince must have donated a large sum because he had the experience of taking the Imperial examination and knew how much money a scholar had to spend on his studies.

The story was outrageous beyond limit but it was no match for the common people’s fondness. So in the teahouse, under the pedestrian bridge and anywhere else, as long as the storytellers spoke of the Overbearing Prince’s tale of becoming a zhuangyuan, there would always be a huge crowd of listeners.

“A fool like Yun Duqing also knows how to curry favor with scholars.” Hearing the rumors, Huai Wang paced back and forth in his study angrily: “You said that Ming family would not help him. But if it wasn’t them to advise him, do you think he could come up with such an idea with that brain of his?”

His advisor had also not expected Chen Wang to dare to use the institution constructed by the Emperor to promote himself: “Your Highness, Hongwen Academy was built under the close supervision of His Majesty. Maybe Chen Wang’s move of gaining popularity via the institute will ultimately be equivalent to picking up a stone and smashing his own feet.”

“Smash his own foot?” Huai Wang laughed. “You think Father Emperor would begin to antagonize him because of a mere trifle like this?”

The advisors wondered, isn’t this kind of a matter enough to create a rift between them?

“You all could only say such things because you had never witnessed the extent to which Father Emperor favors Yun Duqing.” Huai Wang laughed inexplicably: “You don’t know him that well.”

Standing outside the Taiyang Palace before the enthronement ceremony began, he saw his Father Emperor bending down and carrying Yun Duqing, who was about to turn eight years old, on his back, completely without a care that the latter might crumple his dragon robe.

From then on, he knew very well that in his Father Emperor’s heart, Yun Duqing was different from them.

Over the years, he had never had a conflict with Yun Duqing because he knew better than anyone else who his Father Emperor would stand by if something happened…

“Then…how about we imitate Chen Wang and donate some money to Hongwen Academy?” The advisor said: “This way, Your Highness can also earn the title of being a benevolent person.”

Huai Wang: “……”

That is three thousand taels of silver, not some stones.

Money was required for numerous matters in the prince’s residence. How could he spend thousands of taels of silver like Yun Duqing for no reason?

“Forget it.” Huai Wang rejected the proposal: “Even if Ben Wang follows Yun Duqing’s example and makes some donation, it won’t be of much use. It’s better to drop this matter.”

Seeing the prince’s reluctance to fish out some money from his pockets, the advisors looked at each other and nodded.

As expected by Huai Wang’s advisors, the news soon reached Emperor Longfeng.

“Duqing made a lot of progress after he began to work under Ming Jingzhou. He knows how to be concerned about the poor scholars now.” Emperor Longfeng smiled in gratification: “If zhen knew this would happen, zhen would have made Ming Jingzhou his teacher long ago.”

Liu Zhongbao smiled: “His Highness is about to get married now. He’s naturally not the same as before.”

“Ming family ah.” Emperor Longfeng sighed, he felt guilty when it came to the Ming family.

Back then, the three brothers of the Ming family were so impressive when they rode horses through the streets. Yet in the end, because he was confined, their whole family was deposed to the borderland.

Not long after the three brothers of the Ming family were dispatched, the former emperor decreed him to be confined in his then prince’s residence because of the slanderous report of a treacherous court official.

Even he himself did not imagine that the two years of confinement that tormented him would end up saving his life. The rest of the princes all died or were maimed in the rebellion; the best ending they got was watching over the Imperial mausoleum.

Often, he wondered what was going on in his Father Emperor’s mind when he was at death’s door and had to pass the throne to him.

“If it wasn’t for zhen, Ming Jingzhou wouldn’t have been separated from his daughter for sixteen years.” Emperor Longfeng regained his senses and looked into the dim light of the night outside the window: “Tomorrow is lao si and Young Miss Sun’s wedding, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Liu Zhongbao replied in a low voice.

He assumed that Emperor Longfeng would bestow some rewards upon the Sun family or Qi Wang, but even after a long time of waiting, the latter didn’t open his mouth.

“Your Majesty, Ning Fei niangniang wishes to meet you.”

“It’s late.” Emperor Longfeng didn’t turn his head: “Tell Ning Fei to return early so as to take some more rest.”

“Yes.” The young eunuch bowed and returned to the waiting room where Ning Fei was waiting: “Niangniang, it’s windy tonight so you should go back and retire for the night a bit earlier.”

Gazing at the brightly lit Taiyang Palace, Ning Fei smiled softly: “I see, many thanks for relaying the word, gonggong.”

She turned around and walked off. On the long palace road, the flames of the red lanterns swayed gently in the night wind.

“Niangniang.” Hong Mei supported her at the arm: “It’s cold at night. You should sit on the sedan and let the palace servants carry you back.”

“Ben Gong wishes to take a walk alone.” Ning Fei pushed Hong Mei away. She looked up at the lantern under the eaves with a burst of self-deriding laughter: “My son is getting married tomorrow but His Majesty doesn’t want to see me. Really heartless.”

Su-shi had bedazzled His Majesty so much that the entire harem was reduced to the point of merely existing in name only.

She hated the Emperor for his heartlessness but the one she hated even more was Su-shi, who had captured his heart. All these years, she incessantly pondered when Su-shi and her good-for-nothing son would die.

“Niangniang.” Bai Shao glanced at Hong Mei who was pushed aside by Ning Fei, and stepped forward to support her: “Among the wangfei, the identity of Sun family’s guniang is the most dignified. If His Majesty rewards you again, the other princes will resent His Highness.”

“You’re right.” Ning Fei clutched onto Bai Shao’s hand tightly: “No guniang from Wu family, Liu family or Ming family can compare to my son’s Wangfei.”

Enduring the pain of Ning Fei’s fingernails digging into her palm, Bai Shao smiled: “If His Majesty really wasn’t fond of His Highness, why would he arrange for him to work in the Ministry of Revenue? This lowly servant feels that His Majesty is protecting His Highness by doing this.”

Blood streamed out of Bai Shao’s palm as soon as Ning Fei removed her palm.

The moment Ning Fei let go, cold wind blew on the wound, making Bai Shao clench her hands in pain.

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