Chapter 105
Emperor Jian naturally trusted the Crown Prince’s conduct, so he had placed Shen Yuan beside the Second Prince to monitor everything the latter did.
At the time, however, the Crown Prince and Shen Yuan had just returned from Yizhou and were locked in a fierce struggle with Yang Qinghui, the Minister of Revenue. Then the snow disaster had arisen. Resenting them both, Yang Qinghui had sent people to interfere, deliberately diverting the relief grain meant for the Crown Prince in Yingzhou to the Second Prince in Liaozhou.
With Yingzhou short of grain, the Crown Prince had been forced to send Shen Yuan a letter, asking him to persuade the Second Prince to return the shipment.
The Second Prince had refused and argued with Shen Yuan. He had actually run away from “home” in the middle of the night, nearly freezing to death outside before Shen Yuan “picked him up” and brought him back. Finding the relief grain already gone on his return, he had argued with Shen Yuan again. The grievances between them had only piled higher.
Probably recalling this too, Shen Yuan gave Xie Chengze a leisurely look and mouthed silently: Your Highness, shall we go to Liaozhou together?
Xie Chengze immediately glared back: Go to hell! I’m not going out there to suffer! Go by yourself!
Shen Yuan raised his brows slightly, provoking him: Are you afraid, Your Highness?
Xie Chengze was not falling for that pathetic attempt to goad him. He was just about to turn the tactic back on Shen Yuan when he suddenly felt a sharp tug on the jade belt at his waist. Turning his head, he found Xie Jinyu looking down at his lips. Those dark, moonlike eyes resembled a trapped beast driven mad by hunger, an unnerving sight.
“What’s wrong?” Studying his expression, Xie Chengze finally remembered something and whispered with a teasing smile, “Feeling jealous?”
A flicker passed through Xie Jinyu’s eyes, as though he were taken aback. Then his gaze grew deeper and darker. “Second Brother, you…”
“Shh.” Xie Chengze put his forefinger to his lips with an expression that said he understood everything and no more needed to be said. Then he took another paper packet of pastries from his sleeve. “Of course my little Crown Prince gets whatever little Miao gets. I was distracted just now and forgot to give you yours.”
He tucked the pastries into Xie Jinyu’s hand, then hefted his own wide sleeve and said proudly, “Have something to tide you over. If that’s not enough, Second Brother has more here. All you can eat.”
Xie Jinyu: …
The packet of pastries in his palm was warm and small, rather like a certain person’s heart: warm, yet too cramped to let anyone draw close. Xie Jinyu gave a helpless little laugh. His predatory air slowly faded, and he said softly, “Thank you, Second Brother.”
Xie Chengze smiled with narrowed eyes and was about to turn back to retort to Shen Yuan when Xie Jinyu suddenly asked, “Could Second Brother accompany me to Yingzhou?”
Xie Chengze looked up in surprise. “To Yingzhou?”
Xie Jinyu nodded, looking at him expectantly.
“I don’t want to go away.” Xie Chengze shook his head, unable to understand why everyone wanted to drag him out of the capital. “The capital is better. I want to stay here and look after Father.”
Xie Jinyu’s eyes dimmed, but he did not press. Instead, he asked as though in passing, “Then if Vice Minister Shen invites you to Liaozhou, would you go, Second Brother?”
Xie Chengze was puzzled. “No. I wouldn’t go, no matter who asked.”
Once it snowed in Liaozhou, conditions would be scarcely better than on the harsh frontier. Since Shen Yuan was going, why should he follow and make himself suffer? He was no fool.
Only then did Xie Jinyu smile. “Good.”
Having received the answer he wanted, he turned to Shen Yuan, who had been watching them all along. He made no attempt to conceal the warning in his eyes.
Shen Yuan nodded in acknowledgment. His expression was so calm that one might have thought he had not been silently conversing with Xie Chengze across the room just now. He stepped out from among the officials and addressed Emperor Jian. “This humble official, Shen Yuan, is willing to accept the command to go to Liaozhou, relieve the calamity, and bring comfort to the people.”
Emperor Jian nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent. In that case, Crown Prince, you shall go to Yingzhou. Chengze handled the floods in Yizhou very well. As Crown Prince, you must not fall behind. This is a good chance to gain experience.”
“Yes. This son obeys.” Xie Jinyu bowed slightly to receive the command.
Seeing all three prefectures assigned, Xie Chengze breathed a sigh of relief, secret delight stealing onto his face.
With both the Crown Prince and Shen Yuan leaving the capital, the palace would be his, Xie Chengze’s, domain~
Emperor Jian glanced at Xie Chengze’s secret little smile, then turned back to Elder Gu. “Elder Gu, take your people and teach the capital’s craftsmen to build heated brick beds as quickly as possible. Have them accompany Lin Kai, Shen Yuan, and the Crown Prince to the three prefectures and pass the method on to the local craftsmen. This cannot wait. It must be completed as soon as possible, before the heavy snow arrives.”
Elder Gu swept his robe aside and knelt. “This old official obeys your decree.”
“Hmm… Still, Elder Gu is advanced in years, and his energy may be limited.” Emperor Jian rubbed his chin. “Why don’t we…”
Elder Gu was about to say that he was old but still vigorous, and such a small task was nothing to him, when Emperor Jian continued in a peculiar tone with a touch of sly mischief. “Why don’t we introduce the craftsman who invented the heated brick bed to you and have him help you complete this task?”
Xie Chengze: ?
Xie Chengze’s face filled with alarm.
You bastard emperor! I helped you out of kindness, and now you fucking sell me out?
Eunuch Zhao! Talk him out of it! Make sure he doesn’t say anything!
Xie Chengze signaled frantically with his eyes. Receiving the signal, Eunuch Zhao gave him a “Rest assured” look, his face full of affection. Yet he did not move an inch, making Xie Chengze more alarmed still.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Elder Gu’s eyes lit up, and he could not contain his joy. “Your Majesty! Nothing could be better! This old official has indeed wished to meet that craftsman.”
No!!! Xie Chengze’s eyes widened as he desperately signaled to Emperor Jian. Yet the smile on Emperor Jian’s face only grew craftier. Raising a hand to point at Xie Chengze, he said, “Chengze, you drew the design for this heated brick bed. Would you be willing to go to the Ministry of Works and assist Elder Gu?”
The moment he spoke, an uproar broke out among the officials. They all turned to Xie Chengze in astonishment.
“What? His Highness drew the design for the heated brick bed?”
“When did the Second Prince learn a craftsman’s skills?”
“That isn’t right. His Highness clearly said the craftsman was extraordinarily handsome, gentle-tempered, and wealthy enough to rival a nation…” One Ministry of Works official voiced his confusion, then fell silent.
Wait. Extraordinarily handsome… That might not be entirely accurate, but His Highness was a beauty without equal, and admirers had indeed once filled his carriage with fruit. Gentle-tempered, never putting a foot wrong in his dealings with others… They had never thought so before, but His Highness had been quite good-tempered today. He had not even lost his temper, much less had Elder Gu beaten. Apart from being a little mad… he could just about qualify as gentle-tempered.
As for wealth to rival a nation’s, the Second Prince was a prince of Jian’an. Not only did Chenghuan Hall, where he lived, contain a wealth of treasures, but he also enjoyed His Majesty’s boundless favor. Hmm… Why couldn’t that count as another kind of wealth to rival a nation’s?
Thinking back, the Second Prince had indeed been brimming with pride when he spoke of that craftsman, eager to praise him to the skies. So His Highness had been fucking praising himself! That explained why he had put so much effort into it!
At this thought, the Ministry of Works officials raised their sleeves to hide their laughter. His Highness certainly knew how to make himself look good. Hahaha!
Xie Chengze’s little face was burning with embarrassment.
Rotten emperor! Since he had not mentioned him to the Ministry of Works before, why expose him so mercilessly now?
He had been planning to use that identity to recommend Su Qinghe to Elder Gu!