CH 123

Since Jiang Suizhou had long been mentally prepared, he participated in the court session today just to catch up on recent events. As for the Hou Zhu and Pang Shao, he would just watch the play.

True enough, he didn’t come for nothing.

An official in the court reported that General Lou had returned in triumph and that he would arrive in Lin’an in a few days. At that time, someone must manage the ceremonial guard of honor to welcome the General.

Everyone knew that this wasn’t a promising errand.

General Lou Yue had a stinky and tough temper, and was notoriously immune to both soft and hard tactics. Whoever would get his hands on this job would not only find it unpleasant, but also would most likely invite trouble to himself.

The courtiers all knew this truth, and so did the Emperor. He looked around disinterest and finally found himself the first thing to be happy about today.

He raised his hand.

“Fifth Brother, the task of welcoming General Lou is entrusted to you,” he decreed.

——

There were some things that bystanders could see much more clearly than the authorities.

After the court session today, Pang Shao’s face couldn’t be painted the moment he boarded his carriage.

In front of all the courtiers today, His Majesty humiliated him time and again. The courtiers were neither deaf nor blind, so of course, they witnessed everything. He wasn’t made of wood. Naturally, he also felt it.

When he spoke, the kid on the throne turned a deaf ear to him. When he suggested something, the kid did the opposite and sang a different tune.

This feeling of humiliation was entirely unfamiliar. Since the death of the late emperor, he had yet to experience this again.

Pang Shao’s face remained gloomy, and he didn’t utter a word until he returned to his manor.

He admitted that since the end of the year, the fleeting months hadn’t been that smooth. There was no question that Jingwang, a sickly seedling who would kick the bucket at any time, had made him fall into trouble one after another. The errands he attained also weren’t fruitful, and even the newly built ancestral temple in the palace collapsed.

These were facts, he admitted to them. Although he was infuriated, he knew these were only a few bumps in the road. He was still sitting as the Chief Minister, so he couldn’t be considered the loser.

Nevertheless…

He sat down in his hall and slowly sipped his tea.

All things considered, although he addressed the Emperor His Majesty for the time being, in his eyes, he was merely an ignorant youth, a man in his thirties who had not fully grown up. He brought Jiang Shunheng in his current position all because he was related to him by blood, and because his eldest sister raised him into a stupid and clumsy fool. He was too easy to control.

He kept sending sugar-coated cannonballs to make that child, who had been a brat since childhood, trust and love him, just so that on the day he sat on the throne, he himself would hold the power of the world.

But now it seems like…

Pang Shao set down the teacup and looked down at the ripples in the cup with an icy smile.

Now, it seemed like the person he raised, like a dog or a cat, became unfamiliar. Once you treat him well, it will become a reason for him to reach out for a yard after taking an inch. If the treatment was a bit unsatisfactory, he would forget all your kindness in the past.

He could only blame himself too for being too eager for quick success and instant benefits and spoiling that kid.

He made Jiang Shunheng feel how obedient he was to him, letting him really fee that he was the Emperor, to the point where he dared to step on his head.

As everyone knew, he, Pang Shao, never cared who was sitting on the throne. He only cared whether the man was easy to control, and whether the power of the Great Jing was in his hands. As for the so-called Emperor, if he was able to protect and raise one yesterday, he, too, could replace the disobedient one with someone younger and better controlled tomorrow.

It was just too troublesome.

After a long time, Pang Shao sneered.

“Someone,” he called.

His confidants hurried forward, knelt down in front of him, and quietly waited for his orders.

Pang Shao spoke unhurriedly.

“Is His Majesty’s eldest son nearly three years old now?” he asked.

The henchman nodded along with a cupped fist.

Pang Shao smiled.

“As I recall, his birth mother was not of high status, but a palace maid,” he said. “Go and report to the Empress Dowager, get that child raised under her care. Tell her to just foster him, and don’t say anything else. Don’t ask too many questions either.”

——

Because the task of welcoming Lou Yue fell on Jiang Suizhou’s head, he had no choice but to be busy in the following days. Rite matters were complicated, and with the officials under Pang Shao always trying to rip him up, the difficulty of his work became much harder than before.

However, he knew that this was just the norm. There were just these minor troubles just because Pang Shao had not yet found a reason to take him down in one fell swoop. Therefore, he was quite cautious and secretly observed Pang Shao’s movements.

Pang Shao, however, was surprisingly quiet these days. Even when it was finally the day Lou Yue returned to the city, he still made no moves.

Today, the sky was clear and the air was fresh. Even the sky was without a cloud. Jiang Suizhou set off early in the morning. He followed the honor guards out of the city, and waited outside the south city gate of Lin’an to welcome Lou Yue’s army.

It was also this morning that a willow was brought into Jingwang Manor and delivered to Huo Wujiu.

“General, what does this mean?”

Wei Kai held the willow in his hand.

It was after spring, and the willows in summer were thick and tough. The person who folded the willow was also quite strong, and he even broke a whole sturdy willow, making it look like a whip for urging a horse.

Huo Wujiu’s eyes paused on the willow branch. He remembered the note he handed Ji Hongcheng that day. A fleeting look of disgust appeared on his face, and then he turned his gaze away.

“Has Jingwang left early?” he asked.

Wei Kai nodded in response.

Huo Wujiu spoke unhurriedly.

“That means Lou Yue is back.”