CH 50

Second update of the day~ 

Jiuzhu had a feeling that Qi Junwangfei might harbor some enormous misunderstanding about herself. She just casually glanced at Qi Junwang before they left, but the look in Junwangfei’s eyes seemed to indicate that she thought Jiuzhu would devour him. 

When they left, she was actually itching to conceal Qi Junwang with her petite body.

She, Jiuzhu, was an upright person who grew up in a Daoist temple. She didn’t eat people.

“Your Highness.” Jiuzhu rubbed her tired eyes and tossed Qi Junwangfei’s misunderstanding of her to the back of her mind and told Chen Wang: “I will see you off.”

“Forget it.” He glanced at the sleepy girl who couldn’t keep her eyes open. “Go back and get some rest. Ben Wang can go on his own.”

“Nope. We already decided that I would accompany you to the gate.” Jiuzhu strode forward and turned back to look at him. “Let’s go ah.”

“Slow down, there’s a flight of steps ahead.” Chen Wang saw her standing by the steps and quickly went up to hold her sleeve. “Okay, okay, okay. I’ll let you see me off.”

It would be troublesome in case she fell and started sniveling in front of him.

“Niangniang.” Xiangjuan asked Su Guifei in a low voice: “Should this slave go and see His Highness off?”

“Are the lanterns hanging above shining brightly?” Su Guifei asked her.

“Yes, brightly.” Xiangjuan nodded.

“That’s right.” She stretched lazily. “Let’s go back and sleep.”

Why bother with the affairs of the younglings?

“Your Highness.” Jiuzhu was awakened by the cold wind as soon as she stepped outside. “Be careful on the way.”

“Don’t worry ah.” Chen Wang glanced at the sedan chair that had been waiting outside for a long time. “You go back and rest.”

“En.” Jiuzhu beamed at the smiling prince in front of her.

Watching as he mounted the sedan chair and left, Jiuzhu leaned against the palace gate. Her eyes were lost in thought as she gazed at the lanterns hanging from the eaves.

At first, she only wanted His Highness and niangniang to be well, without any other desires.

But now, why was she angry at him?

From the sedan chair, Chen Wang looked back for a moment; the girl stood at the palace gate without any movement.

A few moments later, he couldn’t help but look back again. The girl was still standing there, dazed.

“Stop.” He looked at the growing night fog and jumped off the sedan, walking back with big strides.

“Your Highness?” Jiuzhu stared at Chen Wang standing in front of her again, gradually coming back to her senses. “Why did you come back?”

Noticing the sluggish look on the girl’s face, Chen Wang’s heart softened. “Go to sleep early. Tomorrow morning, Ben Wang will come pick you up to visit the Zhangliu Palace.”

He was only leaving for one night but this little guniang was already so uneasy. He really couldn’t do anything about her.

Jiuzhu stared at him blankly.

“Go back.” Chen Wang crossed his arms over his chest. “Ben Wang will leave once you go up the stairs.”

Jiuzhu turned and walked towards the palace gate, took a few steps and turned back. His Highness is still there.

She was afraid that he would keep standing, so she lifted her skirt and jogged all the way up the stairs before turning to look at the gate.

“Ben Wang is leaving.” Chen Wang waved his hand casually and turned back. He took a step forward but then veered around to look at her. “Don’t stand there in a daze. Go back and sleep immediately, got it?”

Jiuzhu nodded.

He smiled in satisfaction, his black cloak drawing a graceful arc in the night.

If she was so clingy now, what would she be like in the future after they got married? Wouldn’t she become his little tail?

“Your Highness.” The eunuch bowed and asked Chen Wang, who was sitting in the sedan chair. “Are you going back to Zhangliu Palace?”

“No.” He looked towards the direction of Taiyang Palace. It was not far from the Mingyue Palace. He could even see the lights still lit in the main hall there. “Go to Taiyang Palace, Ben Wang wishes to meet Father Emperor.”

After going through the last memorial, Emperor Longfeng was about to leave for the Mingyue Palace when he recalled that his Beloved Consort wanted to spend time with the Ming family’s little guniang and didn’t want to be disturbed. He sighed and decided to go sleep on his cold dragon bed.

“Your Majesty, His Highness Chen Wang requests an audience.”

“Duqing wishes to see zhen?” Emperor Longfeng was perplexed. Coming to meet him so late… did he have a conflict with his brothers?

“Let him in quickly.” Emperor Longfeng thought for a moment and told Liu Zhongbao: “Have the palace maids tidy up the side hall. Chen Wang will sleep here tonight.”

The distance between Taiyang Palace and Zhangliu Palace was not short.

“Yes.” Liu Zhongbao accepted the command and retreated. Ever since he ascended the throne, it seemed that only Su Guifei and His Highness Chen Wang had stayed overnight in the Taiyang Palace.

What surprised Emperor Longfeng was that after his son came in, he neither complained nor asked for money. Instead, he took the initiative to talk about Hongwen Academy and the snowstorm in Youzhou.

Although some of his ideas were still a bit immature, seeing his son, who was usually only interested in eating, drinking, and having fun, finally showing concern over important matters, Emperor Longfeng felt immensely gratified.

Even if he were presented with a heap of memorials now, he could finish reviewing them all overnight.

“The Minister of Justice is old and has already submitted three petitions to resign. Who do you think should take over his position?”

“Although Minister Chen, the Minister of Appointments, likes to threaten with knocking his head and dying at the slightest disagreement, he is fair, upright and straightforward. He would be a suitable person to head the Ministry of Justice.”

The Ministry of Justice handled the laws and sentences of the entire country. Only someone fair and upright could handle the position of its chief.

“But what about the Ministry of Appointments if he is transferred to the Ministry of Justice?” Emperor Longfeng continued to ask.

“Father Emperor has forgotten someone.” Chen Wang believed that there was a person who was suitable for the position of Minister of Personnel.

“Who?” Emperor Longfeng looked at his son with a smile. 

“Ming Jinghai.” He cleared his throat. “Erchen is not trying to promote the Ming family ah. Ming Jinghai is indeed the most suitable candidate.”

“Very well.” Emperor Longfeng looked at his son with satisfaction. “As a superior, one must understand how to appoint the right people in the right places. Even a tailor knows how to cut clothes according to the body1Cut clothes according to the body [量体裁衣] – It is an idiom that means to act as per actual circumstances.. A monarch is the tailor of the world. If there is a mistake in the stitching, the ones to suffer will be the common people. It is good that you can reflect on their individual capabilities and personality.”

He took two appointment letters and handed them to Chen Wang.

Chen Wang opened them and saw one letter appointing Minister Chen as the Minister of Justice, and another appointing Ming Jinghai as the Minister of Appointments.

“You have made great progress recently.” After they finished discussing official matters, Emperor Longfeng’s tone relaxed. “If I had known that getting you betrothed would motivate you to strive harder, I would have had you marry earlier.”

“It’s not that easy to find a wife.” Chen Wang touched his nose. “Son is not interested in the other guniangs of the capital.”

“Oh?” The Emperor looked at him with a smile that was yet not a smile. “It seems that Ming guniang caught your attention?”

This time, facing Emperor Longfeng’s teasing, Chen Wang did not retort as usual.

“That little guniang from Ming family is too innocent, delicate and silly. She believes everything erchen says and dares to eat anything erchen offers. Erchen even suspects that in case someone ridicules her, she might not realize it.” He spoke words of disdain, but his expression became increasingly gentle. “With Father Emperor and Mother Consort’s protection, it doesn’t matter if erchen acts foolishly as before. But erchen can’t let such a naive little guniang marry him and lose her joy and innocence because of being hurt by rumors and slanders.”

“Just the thought of it feels… quite unbearable.” He sighed, holding a cup of soothing tea. “At least, after she becomes erchen’s Wangfei, others won’t think she married the wrong person whenever they see her.”

Just the thought of Ming Xiaozhu’s happy smile fading away little by little made him feel terribly suffocated.

“She shouldn’t lack anything that the other Wangfei-s have.” He took a sip of the tea. Although they hadn’t gotten married yet, he had already thought about how Ming Xiaozhu would get along with the sisters-in-law in the future. “She should also have what others don’t have.”

“It is not easy to achieve all of that.” Emperor Longfeng chuckled. “To become a prince praised by the multitude, you have to learn a lot. Are you not afraid of having to work hard?”

“Afraid. Of course, I am afraid.” Chen Wang sighed. “But as a man, I can’t let a naive and cheerful guniang turn gloomy and depressed after marrying me.”

“At least… give it a try.” He uncovered the teacup and gulped down everything as if he had made up his mind. “Please teach erchen, Father Emperor.”

“Do you really like that little guniang of the Ming family?” Emperor Longfeng asked in a seemingly careless tone.

“What ‘like’?” Chen Wang picked up his teacup to drink again, only to realize that he had already finished the tea. “This is… a man’s responsibility.”

Emperor Longfeng smiled, not exposing his son’s thinly veiled lies. 

If a man is willing to do things he once didn’t want to do for a woman, is it really not for love, but for the sake of fulfilling his manly duties? 

“En.” Emperor Longfeng nodded. “Zhen’s son should naturally take on the responsibilities of a man.” 

He brought over a thick stack of books and placed them in front of Chen Wang. 

“Father Emperor, what is this?” 

“History books.” Emperor Longfeng smiled. “Future generations must learn from history. The sufferings of predecessors should become lessons for their descendants so that they do not repeat the same mistakes.” 

“But…” Chen Wang opened one of them and showed Emperor Longfeng the contents. “The ones you gave me are the biographies of emperors.” 

“En, most emperors were princes before they ascended the throne.” Emperor Longfeng patted his shoulder. “Zhen believes that my son can learn many lessons from them.” 

Chen Wang looked at him doubtfully. Really? 

Emperor Longfeng nodded, though it may require hard work and be tiring, Zhen believes in you. You are the most capable child. 

Finally, Chen Wang carried the thick stack of history books and went to the side hall of the Taiyang Palace. Even in his dreams, there were piles of books threatening him with bullying Ming Xiaozhu and making her cry if he didn’t read them properly. 

The next morning, Chen Wang woke up from his dream in a daze and spoke to Liu Zhongbao, who was waiting outside the bed’s canopy. 

“Liu gonggong, have someone come in to help Ben Wang change his clothes.” 

“Your Highness, it’s still early. Would you like to sleep a little longer?” Liu Zhongbao was surprised. His Highness actually woke up so early today? 

“No more sleep.” Chen Wang got up from the bed and put on his boots. “I’m going to Mingyue Palace later.” 

Liu Zhongbao walked in with some other eunuchs and assisted him in getting ready. 

“Your Highness, His Majesty issued an imperial decree to the harem today.” Liu Zhongbao helped Chen Wang comb his hair. “Ning Fei of Lanxu Palace made a huge blunder, but considering that she gave birth to a prince, His Majesty only revoked her title, demoted her to a meiren and moved her to the Qianyi Pavilion.” 

Qianyi Pavilion, a place in the harem tacitly known as the Cold Palace. 

Chen Wang raised an eyebrow. Mother Consort took action so quickly? 

“His Majesty also said that if Your Highness has any doubts, you can accompany this old slave to the Dragon Guard’s dungeon.” Liu Zhongbao fixed the jade guan on Chen Wang’s head and retreated to the side with a smile. “Your Highness might be interested in some things.” 

He took out a thick stack of papers from under his clothes and presented them to Chen Wang. “His Majesty and Guifei niangniang have both read the contents.”

Chen Wang took it from his hand but didn’t open it immediately. “Why are you giving this to me?” 

“His Majesty said that Your Highness has already grown up.” Liu Zhongbao smiled. “The first thing a father needs to ensure for the growth of his son is to not hide anything.” 

Chen Wang opened it and saw densely packed information about the Dragon Guard’s internal affairs, the secrets of the imperial family, some deployment of spies, as well as…”

He closed it abruptly, took a deep breath, and looked at Liu Zhongbao, who had been smiling all along. 

This was not a father’s attempt to not hide anything from his son. It was clearly helping the shoots pulling them upwards2Helping the shoots by pulling them upwards [揠苗助长] – This means that Emperor Longfeng is impatiently pushing him to do things! 

Was this even something an unmarried prince should be looking at?!

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